NFL teams look different every year thanks to free agency and the draft, and there are a few free agent signings that will have a huge impact on their respective teams in 2024.

There were 10 teams which spent more than $100 million on free agents, extensions and franchise tags this offseason. Some of those teams have yet to find their footing, while others have found breakout stars to improve their respective positions.

Let’s take a look at the most impactful free agents through the first five weeks of the 2024 season.

Contract information provided by Spotrac.

Honorable Mention: Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles

Contract: Three years, $37.75 million ($26 million guaranteed)

There are so many notable free agents making an impact this season, but it would be disrespectful not to mention the impact Saquon Barkley is having in Philadelphia.

Even after a Week 5 bye, Barkley is third in the NFL with 435 rushing yards, averaging 6.0 yards per carry with five total touchdowns. His presence has taken a lot of pressure off of Jalen Hurts and the passing game, especially as they deal with the absences of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith.

Barkley also ranks third in the NFL with 156 rushing yards above expected, according to Next Gen Stats. His elusiveness and strength make him a dangerous escape back into space, but he also has legitimate escape speed.

Without Saquon, the Eagles would be 0-4#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/5rnhLEdk7M

— All about the birds (@AATBirds) October 1, 2024

The Eagles desperately needed an impact running back to give the offense some balance, and Barkley was just that.

5. Azeez Al-Shair, Houston Texans

Contract: Three years, $34 million ($21.5 million guaranteed)

DeMeco Ryans knows what he wants from defenders, and LB Azeez Al-Shaair checks a lot of those boxes.

The two worked together during their time with the San Francisco 49ers, and Ryans got to reunite with the talented linebacker this offseason. The 27-year-old has brought an aggressive mentality to Houston’s defense, adding another competitive and ferocious defender to a young and emerging group.

Al-Shaair’s box scores are modest, with 37 total tackles (26 solo), three pass breakups and one sack. However, he is an efficient blitzer with 11 pressures on 28 pass-rush snaps and has a missed tackle rate of just 7.7 percent.

Azeez Al-Shaair has been a blessing and a great addition to this Texas team

He is a great blitzer and has improved coverage significantly

Henry To’oTo’o has also been huge for this team and with Harris coming back soon, he is a very good 3 LB room. pic.twitter.com/rU5Wnnze8o

— Jacob (@Stroud4MVP) October 2, 2024

The team numbers are also a testament to Al-Shaair and the team’s other defensive additions. They are the third-largest defense in DVOA, after just 16th in 2023.

Off-ball linebackers are typically undervalued, but the Texans found a reliable contributor and team leader with a fair deal.

4. Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons

Contract: Four years, $180 million ($100 million guaranteed)

There was a brief moment of panic for Atlanta Falcons fans after an ugly debut from Kirk Cousins. However, the 36-year-old quarterback is increasingly looking like a quarterback who can lead the Falcons to the playoffs.

Cousins ​​looked like a top-tier quarterback in his most recent outing. Things continued in a comeback win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Thursday night footballCousins ​​set a franchise record with 509 passing yards, completing 42 of 58 passes with four touchdowns and one interception.

Cousins’ passing chart showed he wasn’t afraid to throw it all over the field.

Unlike previous seasons, Cousins ​​shows much more willingness to express it and take risks. He has his highest turnover-worthy play rate since 2014, but he also has the fourth-highest aggressiveness rate on his passes in tight windows in the league, according to Next Gen Stats.

Throws like this touchdown are ones Cousins ​​would be reluctant to make during his time in Minnesota.

What a catch from Darnell Mooney! 😱#TBvsATL on PrimeVideo
Also streams through #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/YdkrfoRFXn

—NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2024

There is a chance that Cousins ​​will return to his conservative approach as the season progresses. But with a talented roster around him and weapons like Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pits continuing to play, he can eventually trust them enough to continue making more aggressive shots in tight windows.

3. Xavier McKinney, Green Bay Packers

Contract: Four years, $67 million ($23 million guaranteed)

There may not be another player in the NFL who is starting the 2024 season like Xavier McKinney.

McKinney has come away with an interception in all five games this year. Along with a fumble recovery against the Los Angeles Rams, his six takeaways are more than 18 NFL teams through five weeks this season.

It’s not just the takeaways but McKinney’s dominance of coverage is impressive. According to Pro Football Focus, opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of just 1.2 when targeting him and have 2-of-7 passing for 23 yards and five interceptions.

That’s the lowest passer rating allowed by any safety in the NFL this season.

Some of McKinney’s interceptions could be considered “lucky,” but the film shows a safety doing an excellent job of feeling out route concepts, reading the quarterback’s eyes and taking good angles to play the ball.

Xavier McKinney reads and covers RB Sail perfectly pic.twitter.com/QcvuPKHmLt

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) September 30, 2024

The Green Bay Packers desperately needed upgrades in the safety room this offseason. Not only did they draft a pair of promising rookies in Javon Bullard and Evan Williams, but they also hit a home run with their biggest free-agent acquisition, McKinney.

Even if the interception streak doesn’t continue, McKinney will get legitimate first-team All-Pro consideration through the first five games.

2. Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens

Contract: Two years, $16 million ($9 million guaranteed)

No player on this list fits their new team’s identity better than Derrick Henry.

The veteran running back signed a cheaper deal with the Baltimore Ravens, and the rest of the league assumed he couldn’t replicate his production at age 30 and with more than 2,000 career starts.

Instead, Henry is doing things the league has never seen before from a veteran running back with his type of mileage. He leads the NFL with 572 rushing yards, is tied for first with six rushing touchdowns and has averaged 6.0 yards per carry in his career.

Henry also leads the league with 229 rushing yards above expectations. Even when things don’t go according to plan, Henry’s size and speed allow him to break off explosive plays.

The Ravens almost managed to break their blocking assignments during Derrick Henry’s big overtime drive pic.twitter.com/2DrNJhag5W

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) October 7, 2024

Henry’s presence also opens things up for Lamar Jackson and the passing game. Jackson was deadly on the play-action front, with four touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 119.2.

After an 0-2 start, the Ravens are back in the thick of the AFC playoff race, and Henry’s dominance on the field is a big reason for that success.

1. Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota Vikings

Contract: Four years, $76 million ($38 million guaranteed)

Jonathan Greenard isn’t the first name that comes to mind for critical free agents this year. However, his impact on the Minnesota Vikings defense is a big reason why they are one of the two remaining undefeated teams.

Greenard has four sacks and 12 tackles this season. Those aren’t mind-blowing numbers, but it’s his consistent ability to apply pressure that has made him such a huge boon to Minnesota’s defense.

Greenard’s 29 pressures are the second-highest in the league behind Aidan Hutchinson. He has had at least five pressures in every game this season, including seven pressures and three quarterback hits on Aaron Rodgers in Sunday’s game against the New York Jets in London.

No other player on Minnesota’s defense has faced more than 14 pressures this season. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores runs a scheme that relies on hiding coverages with pre-snap looks while generating pressure quickly enough to prevent quarterbacks from diagnosing coverages after the snap.

That was no problem for Greenard.

Jonathan Greenard: Fantastic as a pass rusher so far in 2024. pic.twitter.com/hAkc5Brw66

— Matt Fries (@FriesFootball) October 9, 2024

Without Greenard, the Vikings are unlikely to have the No. 1 defense in DVOA. His explosiveness off the snap, play strength and ability to mix up his pass-rush scheme have made him one of the NFL’s most disruptive pass rushers.

As fun as this year’s free agent class is, no one can match Greenard’s impact on the Vikings’ defense.

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Tyler has been covering the NFL since 2012. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, FanDuel, SB Nation and a number of other sites. In addition to more than 12 years of experience in the NFL, Tyler also co-authored “The Science of Football” and is an assistant coach at Carmel High School in Indiana.