The Biggest Steals of 2015 NFL Free Agency By Alessandro Miglio Apr 2, 2015 
Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press There are good deals and bad ones in NFL free agency, but some are just plain thievery. That's what we are going to look at today—some of the biggest steals in 2015 free agency to date. Most of these guys were found in the bargain bin and should provide great returns on investment if history is any indicator.For whatever reasons, these guys didn't get big paydays. All the better for their teams, right?There are surely more steals to come as more free agents sign, but these are the top 10 deals since the new league year rolled over on March 10. These are based strictly on contract value relative to others—after all, their performance will determine their real value in the end.Nick Fairley, DT, St. Louis RamsMaybe Ndamukong Suh's contract sucked up all the money on the market at defensive tackle, leaving most of the rest to feed on the scraps.Suh's old teammate, Nick Fairley, was one of those struggling to find any money on the market, unable to get many meetings before finally landing in St. Louis. That included little interest from his own team, which presumably could have benefited from keeping him after losing on Suh.Head coach Jim Caldwell didn't think he was a good fit anymore, per MLive.com's Kyle Meinke:“ We're kind of looking at our situation, what fits, what suits us at this point in time. Taking all things into consideration, we just thought it was obviously one of those situations where it didn't work.We decided to go elsewhere, and those kinds of things. Nothing personal.”The Rams got themselves one of the better defensive tackles in the league on a one-year, $5 million deal. It's easy to see the big defensive tackle motivated to hit free agency and get that big deal next year, and Fairley will turn a great defensive line into an elite one.Kenny Stills, WR, Miami DolphinsThis wasn't a free-agent move, per se, given that Kenny Stills came to Miami by way of trade. But it was quite a good move for the Dolphins, nonetheless.As soon as Stills was acquired, Mike Wallace was expendable. That's why Miami banished him and his $9.9 million 2015 salary to the frozen north in Minnesota.In Stills, the Dolphins have gotten a far younger and cheaper version of their rancorous $60 million man. Possessing a similar skill set, the 22-year-old should be able to replicate much of what Wallace brought to the table for about $9.4 million less.And all Miami had to do was give up Dannell Ellerbe—a guy it was going to cut anyway—and a third-round pick to get Stills.Justin Forsett, RB, Baltimore Ravens Posting career numbers in a contract year typically nets you a nice payday. Not so for Justin Forsett, who couldn't cash in like some of his peers did in free agency.To be fair, Forsett has never shown that he could be a top feature back in the same vein as DeMarco Murray or LeSean McCoy. It's a pity that he could only get $9 million over three years after amassing 1,529 total yards and eight touchdowns last season.The Ravens managed to retain their leading rusher from a year ago for a paltry sum, ensuring some stability on the offense while they've had to endure turnover elsewhere.Stevie Johnson, WR, San Diego ChargersOne of the more underrated signings of the offseason has hardly been noticed.Stevie Johnson—once the No. 1 receiver for the Buffalo Bills—was cut from the San Francisco 49ers after just one season. It didn't take him too long to find new employment, however.The San Diego Chargers came calling soon after his release, and they wound up signing him to a three-year, $10.5 million deal. By comparison, former Charger pass-catcher Eddie Royal signed a $15 million deal with the Chicago Bears.Johnson is not quite the same receiver as Royal, but the former could thrive with Philip Rivers at the helm. More importantly, he was a cheap replacement who will likely be a real bargain if he continues to be a slick route-runner with good hands.Johnson ranked 22nd among all receivers over at Pro Football Focus last year and 11th in DVOA (Defensive-adjusted Value Over Average) over at Football Outsiders, acting as an underrated and underutilized asset for the 49ers. You can bet head coach Mike McCoy and the Chargers will figure out how to get him more than the 50 targets that he saw last season.Royal ranked 43rd and 17th in those categories last season, respectively.Henry Melton, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Three years ago, Henry Melton was a rising star along the Chicago defensive line and was one of the best interior pass-rushers in the league. It's why the Bears hit him with the franchise tag.Then he tore his ACL.It was an unfortunate injury that had Melton hunting for work, finally landing with the Dallas Cowboys on a prove-it deal.Melton may have proved it to a certain extent—rating as the 14th-best defensive tackle in the league, according to Pro Football Focus—but it wasn't enough for the Cowboys to exercise their team option to bring him back for a second year.It probably didn't help that Dallas has been strapped for cap space and Melton's option would've cost it $9 million this year.Doug Free, OT, Dallas CowboysThe market for good offensive tackles wasn't cheap, so it's a wonder the Cowboys were able to retain their starting right tackle at such a great price. Dallas inked Doug Free to a three-year, $15 million extension when he could have gotten much more on the open market. Consider the fact Jermey Parnell—Free's former backup—got $32 million from the Jacksonville Jaguars.Here's what ESPN.com's Todd Archer had to say about the move at the time: “ Free, 31, has been a full-time starter since 2010. He started at left tackle at 2010 and 2011 before moving to right tackle in favor of Smith in 2012.Free is considered the leader of a Cowboys offensive line that features three Pro Bowlers -- Smith, Frederick and Martin. He had offseason surgery on his left ankle but he is expected to be at full health for training camp.”Of course, Free is a few years older than his old protege, and he had some injury issues last season. All the better for the Cowboys, who were able to parlay those facts into a good deal.Sterling Moore, CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Joe Robbins/Getty Images The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be in a bit of disarray after punting on some of their biggest signings of the past couple of years, but that doesn't mean they haven't made some good moves this offseason.One of those moves was signing Sterling Moore.The former Cowboy landed in Tampa Bay on a cheap, one-year deal to vie for the job as the nickel back in the defense. If he wins that job—and there's a good chance of that, considering he was the 22nd-best corner in the league last year, according to Pro Football Focus—Moore will be a steal of a deal in 2015.Jabaal Sheard, OLB, New England Patriots Upgrading the pass rush was a priority for the New England Patriots regardless of what happened with some of their free agents. Jabaal Sheard does just that, at least if he can get back to the form he showed during his first couple of years in the league. The former Brown had 15.5 sacks over his first two NFL seasons, but he's managed less than half of that number over the past two. He has still graded out positively over at Pro Football Focus over that span, however.Maybe a new situation across from Chandler Jones and with the best head coach in football, Bill Belichick, will get him back to form.Terrance Knighton, DT, WashingtonWashington needed to beef up its defensive line, and it did just that this offseason. Terrance Knighton found himself out of demand on the open market, bouncing around looking for work before landing in the nation's capital. That was despite a renaissance with the Denver Broncos that saw him become one of the best nose tackles in the league.Whatever the reason for his depressed market, Washington pounced, signing him to a one-year, $4.45 million deal.Funnily enough, Knighton's contract made the Stephen Paea signing look luxurious—Washington signed the latter to a four-year, $21 million deal.Cary Williams, CB, Seattle Seahawks Eagles fans might have a chuckle at this, but Cary Williams has quietly been one of the biggest steals of free agency, given the context.The Seattle Seahawks couldn't afford to keep starting cornerback Byron Maxwell, stolen away by the Philadelphia Eagles for $63 million. That left a hole across from Richard Sherman for the second consecutive year, one unlikely to be filled effectively by the likes of Tharold Simon or Jeremy Lane.Enter Williams. The oft-maligned starter has been brought in to vie for Maxwell's old job, and he well could be better than his predecessor in the end.After all, Williams showed promise with the Baltimore Ravens, who have a great defensive system in place. The Eagles weren't exactly an impregnable bastion during Williams' time there—through some fault of his own—but he is headed to another great situation.The Seahawks landed Williams for $45 million less—$18.5 million less guaranteed—than their departed starter. If he is competent in Maxwell's place, it'll be one of the best deals of free agency. All contract information courtesy of Overthecap.com. link
