A fascinating aspect to watching free agency unfold is seeing what teams do in terms of acquiring value on the open market. Whether forgoing the big names for second-tier players, using one-year “prove it” deals or carefully constructing contracts, teams have a few different paths to find steals on the market. Here are eleven players that for one reason or another were quite the steal for their new teams.
Bulaga | Sanders | Clinton-Dix | Ebron | Butler | Littleton | Joseph | Agholor | Ebner | Harris | Hargrave
Bryan Bulaga, RT, Los Angeles Chargers
A season ago, quarterback Philip Rivers struggled against pressure. His Adjusted Completion Percentage of 65.3 percent was good for tenth in the league, a far cry from the 2018 campaign when Rivers ranked fifth in the league in that statistic, posting an ACP of 71.6 percent.
Part of the decline might very well be on Rivers’ shoulders himself, and the Indianapolis Colts are left to sort out the answer to that riddle. But the Chargers did need to improve their offensive line, which was in the bottom-half of ESPN’s team pass block win rate statistic.
As such, the Chargers made two big moves to bolster their OL unit this off-season. They traded for guard Trai Turner, and then they added veteran right tackle Bryan Bulaga via free-agency. Bulaga, who has been an extremely solid starter for the Green Bay Packers since being drafted in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, gives the Chargers a rock at the right tackle spot. Last season he allowed just four sacks and only 18 hurries, and playing in a division filled with talented pass rushers off the right edge, he’ll be able to protect whomever is taking the snaps for Los Angeles, whether it is Tyrod Taylor, Cam Newton or a rookie quarterback.
Furthermore, Bulaga came in on a three-year, $30 million contract, under some of the deals paid out to Jack Conklin and Anthony Castonzo, and just a notch more than George Fant. Not bad value for a cornerstone-type tackle.
Bulaga | Sanders | Clinton-Dix | Ebron | Butler | Littleton | Joseph | Agholor | Ebner | Harris | Hargrave