Kenneth Walker, Mike Evans, Malik Willis among Day 1’s 10 best free agent fits

The NFL’s free agency legal negotiating window officially opened up on Monday, and the deals poured in fast and furiously. My thumb is sore from all the scrolling and refreshing. Several big-name free agents who didn’t re-sign with their respective teams found new homes.

Free agency isn’t always the best way to build your team because new money and scheme fit can affect future performance. While we can’t predict how motivated free agents will be after getting paid, we can look at their fits in their new homes. Here are my top 10 player-team fits from Day 1.

Tyler Linderbaum, C, Raiders

As expected, Linderbaum reset the center market. What most didn’t expect was how much he would do it by.

Linderbaum’s $27 million average yearly salary is $9 million more than the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey, the position’s previous leader. The Raiders came into free agency with the second-most cap space in the league and needed to hit the spending minimum, especially after trading away Maxx Crosby’s salary.

The price was hefty, but this was a position that new head coach Klint Kubiak values more than most. A great center is vital in an outside-zone blocking scheme because most runs will cut vertically or back. Also, in his system, the center makes the protection calls, mike checks, and run-blocking adjustments. Linderbaum has ample experience doing those things. He’ll bolster the run game and make presumed first pick Fernando Mendoza’s life a lot easier. The overpay was an investment in making sure the rookie quarterback has a strong ecosystem to step into.

I look at Linderbaum’s contract as more of an interior offensive lineman market reset rather than just a center one because of how important the center is to this system. Also, the Raiders will likely have two starting guards on rookie contracts. Despite the huge contract, this move makes a ton of sense.

Kenneth Walker, RB, Chiefs

After the Chiefs’ blowout loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, I wrote that the obvious direction the team needed to go was to rebuild their offensive line and find an elite back. They rebuilt their offensive line last season, re-signing Tyler Smith and drafting Josh Simmons. This off-season, they didn’t quite get an elite back, but Walker is close to it, and he has the gift of explosiveness/ That is exactly what their offense needs. Last season, the Chiefs ranked 30th in explosive rush rate (runs for 12+ yards), despite ranking ninth in yards before contact, meaning the offensive line was creating space, but the Chiefs didn’t have a running back who could turn that space into explosive runs.

Last season, Walker finished fifth in explosive rush rate (10 percent) among running backs with at least 100 carries. Walker’s issue is inconsistent vision, though he showed marked improvement in this area in the postseason as he got acclimated to the Seahawks’ outside-zone scheme. He has a tendency to want to bounce runs outside, which was an issue that Bears running back D’Andre Swift had for his entire career until getting coached by Eric Bieniemy last season. Bieniemy is back with the Chiefs and should help push Walker’s development further. Walker has superstar talent.

An explosive run game should be the skeleton key that fixes a Chiefs offense that hasn’t been able to punish all the light boxes they’ve seen throughout the years.

Charlie Kolar, TE, Chargers

One reason offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel was hired was to bolster a Chargers run game that finished 15th in rushing success rate and 14th in explosive run rate. In addition to getting their two starting tackles back from season-ending injuries, the Chargers added center Tyler Biadasz and fullback Alec Ingold. The final step to ensuring the outside zone run works is a strong blocking tight end, and they got exactly that with Charlie Kolar.

The Chargers have second-year tight end Oronde Gadsden Jr., who showed a lot of promise as an explosive pass catcher, but Kolar gives them a strong point-of-attack blocker who will likely start in their 21 personnel packages (two backs, one tight end, one receiver). They’ll also have the ability to get into 12 personnel and create mismatches for Gadsden with play-action. Kolar was the final piece in the Chargers’ run game rebuild. I’d be shocked if they weren’t top-10 in rushing efficiency and explosiveness next season, something Justin Herbert has never had.

John Franklin-Myers, DT, Titans

New Titans head coach Robert Saleh knows he needs defensive linemen who can get upfield and disrupt for his scheme to work. Before free agency, the Titans traded for defensive end Jermaine Johnson, and on Monday, agreed to terms with John Franklin-Myers, who has some versatility but will line up mainly on the inside of Saleh’s 4-3 defense. The Titans still have a long way to go to rebuild their defense, but pairing Franklin-Meyers with Jeffery Simmons is a hell of a start.

Mike Evans, WR, 49ers

Evans landing with the 49ers was one of the bigger surprises of the day, but coach Kyle Shanahan has proven he can bring out the best in players. Evans has had hamstring issues, but when he’s on the field, he’s still a big-play threat waiting to happen. In the 49ers’ offense, he won’t have to shoulder as much of the load as he had in the past and even run as many routes, which is easier on his 33-year-old hamstrings.

Part of what makes Evans special is his ability to run routes and break with his 6-5 size. He’ll be a demon to cover on play action, dagger routes and of course, when teams want to load up on the run, he can still win on go balls at a high rate. Since 2020, the 49ers have faced by far the highest rate of heavy boxes (63.6 percent), and they’ll continue to see a lot of heavy boxes as long as Shanahan is scheming up the run game.

Evans will be especially valuable as tight end George Kittle recovers from an Achilles tendon injury that he suffered in the playoffs, and he’ll give Brock Purdy a much-needed red-zone weapon. Purdy loves throwing jump balls and Evans is one of the greats in that department.

Malik Willis, QB, Dolphins

There is the obvious connection with new head coach Jeff Hafley, who was the Packers defensive coordinator. Hafley saw Willis burn his defense with the scout team offense for years, and now, he’s his starting quarterback.

The sample size is small, but Willis has shown explosive ability as a runner and remarkable efficiency as a passer. Willis agreed to a three-year deal worth $67.5 million, but the Dolphins will be able to get out of it after year two with only $7 million in dead cap in his third year. This year, Willis’ salary will only count $8.6 million against the cap, and next season his $28.9 million cap hit could fall below the average starting quarterbacks’.

This is a low-risk move with a lot of potential for the Dolphins. The question is whether offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik can tailor his scheme to Willis. Slowik’s scheme with the Texans attacked the middle of the field, which Willis hasn’t done much in his small sample of starts. He should at least be able to scheme up an explosive option running attack with De’Von Achane.

Jaylen Watson, CB, Rams

Last season, Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula was able to mask the Rams’ lack of talent at cornerback, but in the playoffs, the Seahawks exposed that weakness and negated the pass rush.

Rams general manager Les Snead was very aware of this weakness because he’s attacked it aggressively. Before free agency, they traded a first-round pick for Trent McDuffie, who can play inside or outside, and gave him a massive contract extension. On the first day of free agency, Snead reunited McDuffie with his former teammate, Jaylen Watson.

Suddenly, the Rams cornerback group is a strength with McDuffie, Watson and nickel Quentin Lake. Watson is a long corner who specializes in press-man coverage. Shula will be able to play a lot more man than they have previously, disrupt routes, and give their young pass rushers a better chance of sacking the quarterback.

Cade Mays, C, Lions

The Lions offense took a big step backward when center Frank Ragnow retired last season. Mays is a mauler, who is bringing the Lions a level of physicality that they’re used to seeing in the middle of their offense.

This addition will allow the Lions to keep second-year lineman Tate Ratledge at guard. Unlike the other top centers available, Mays thrives on gap schemes where he can fire off the ball. The Lions have a diverse run game, but they are at their best when they can bully defenses with north-and-south running.

Coby Bryant, S, Bears

The Bears have a lot of holes defensively, but adding Bryant will be a strong first step in fixing them. Bryant comes from a totally different scheme than coordinator Dennis Allen’s, but his versatility and ability to play man from the safety position are much-needed.

Bryant transitioned from a corner to an effective two-deep safety in Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks scheme. He can play anywhere along the secondary with the Bears. He can even play nickel if needed. The Bears are a much different defense when nickel Kyler Gordon is on the field, but he missed most of last season with a groin injury. Bryant can be an impact nickel if Gordon is hurt or can perform at a high level playing deep.

Jaelen Phillips, Edge, Panthers

After playing multiple years in coordinator Vic Fangio’s defenses with the Dolphins and Eagles, Phillips will play for Ejiro Evero, who was Fangio’s assistant in 2014 and coached under one of his disciples, Brandon Staley. There is plenty of crossover between Fangio’s and Evero’s systems with what they ask from their edge rushers — defending the run from light boxes — so the transition will be seamless.

Phillips is a two-way player who will bolster the Panthers’ ability to stop the run with two-deep safeties and give some juice to a pass rush that ranked 24th in pass rush win rate.