Five best value signings of NFL free agency: Why Steelers got a steal at running back

NFL teams have had money to burn at the start of free agency.

While some have splurged, here are our five favorite value signings of the 2026 league year so far.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (Two years, $12.25 million)

Running backs Kenneth Walker III (three years, $43.05M) and Travis Etienne (four years, $52M) got paid handsomely after big 2025 seasons, but the Steelers managed to sign Dowdle, a former undrafted free agent, to a bargain contract worth less than what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave Kenneth Gainwell (two years, $14M).

While older than Walker and Etienne, Dowdle has significantly less wear with 567 career carries, compared to 821 for Walker and Etienne's 897.

Based on his production the past two seasons, Dowdle's contract should provide great value for Pittsburgh. Per Stathead, he's one of nine running backs to rush for 1,000 yards the past two seasons (2024, 2025). Excluding two (Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson) on rookie contracts, the six other backs besides Dowdle with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons average $13.225M per year, or nearly $1M more than Pittsburgh's newest back will make over the lifetime of his Steelers contract.

New Orleans Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss (Three years, $33M)

Losing fan-favorite Demario Davis to the New York Jets hurt, but Elliss' signing softened the blow.

The seven-year veteran spent his first four seasons in New Orleans, where he had a career-high seven sacks in 2022. Elliss was outstanding over the past three years with the Atlanta Falcons, ending his run with 380 tackles, 12.5 sacks and two interceptions.

The Saints managed to sign Elliss, 30, to a contract identical in average annual value to the one the Jets gave Davis, 37, which is a fair trade-off, giving New Orleans a similar veteran presence at no extra charge.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Mike Evans (Three years, $42.4M)

Having tied all-time great former San Francisco wide receiver Jerry Rice for the most consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons in NFL history in 2024, it's only fitting Evans, coming off an injury-plagued 2025, joined the Niners after 12 years with the Buccaneers. He turns 33 in August, and while that might seem old for an NFL wideout, according to Stathead research, there are 58 instances of a receiver 33 years of age or older having a 1,000-yard season, including Rice, who set career highs in receptions (122) and receiving yards (1,848) in his age-33 season.

Evans could easily join that group in San Francisco, where he's the top outside receiving threat. When looking at the wide receiver market, Evans signed for slightly less than what the Seattle Seahawks gave Cooper Kupp (three years, $45M) last offseason. Kupp is two months older than Evans and had a more extensive injury history at the time of signing, missing 18 games from 2022-24 with the Los Angeles Rams. Kupp is also an ancillary piece in Seattle, whereas Evans could easily see WR1 usage. Considering those usually go for somewhere around $30M per year, the Niners received a huge discount.

Cincinnati Bengals edge-rusher Boye Mafe (Three years, $60M)

Mafe's best season came in 2023, when he had a career-high nine sacks. His snaps have diminished over the past two seasons, but he could be in line for a three-down role with the Bengals, who lost defensive ends Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai in free agency.

A $20M per year price tag is perfectly reasonable, coming in well below deals signed this offseason by Jaelan Phillips (four years, $120M) with the Carolina Panthers and Odafe Oweh (four years, $100M) with the Washington Commanders.

Detroit Lions center Cade Mays (Three years, $25M)

The Lions getting Mays, The Athletic's No. 2 free-agent center, at $8.3M per year looks even better after the Raiders reset the center market by 50 percent with Tyler Linderbaum's three-year, $81M contract.

The 2022 sixth-round pick is much better in passing situations but took strides as a run-blocker last season, cutting his blown-block rate by 1.8 percentage points, from 4.3 percent in 2024 to 2.5 percent in 2025. Mays fills a huge void, and his best years might still lie ahead of him. Considering where the market is headed, the Lions found their center for the future at the perfect time.