We’re just a handful of days into free agency in 2025, and already things have been wild. The first day of the legal tampering period on Monday brought an avalanche of contracts—and things haven’t calmed down much since.

There have been quite a few defensive players who have cashed in big-time over the past few days. Edge rusher Josh Sweat got over $19 million a season to leave the Super Bowl champions for the Arizona Cardinals. Linebacker Robert Spillane cashed in to the tune of $11 million a season with the New England Patriots. Spillane wasn’t the only former Raider to hit it big—safety Tre'von Moehrig got $17 million to bolt Sin City for Carolina.

Of course, the paycheck defensive players get in free agency doesn’t matter as much to IDP managers as the situation players find themselves in. The new scheme and supporting cast around those free agents can have a sizable impact on the fantasy value of those players. For some, the new teams players have joined could mean a big boost for the 2025 campaign.

For others? Not so much.

IDP Winners

EDGE Joey Bosa, Buffalo

It’s been quite the eventful week or so for Bosa—after nine years with the Los Angeles Chargers, Bosa was shown the door. However, he wasn’t out of work long—per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the five-time Pro Bowler already has a new home after signing a one-year, $12.6 million pact with the Buffalo Bills.

Bosa wasn’t reunited with younger brother Nick in San Francisco, but Buffalo was still a solid landing spot. Playing opposite Gregory Rousseau should help cut down on double-teams, and with the Bills also bringing in Michael Hoecht, the team should be able to manage Bosa’s workload in an effort to keep him on the field.

EDGE Haason Reddick, Tampa Bay

Reddick no doubt wishes he could just erase his 2024 season. After a prolonged contract holdout in New York, Reddick was a complete non-factor for the Jets, managing just a single sack. That down season led to Reddick getting just a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, although, per Schefter, that deal includes $12 million in guarantees.

Reddick’s 2024 season was admittedly a complete bust, but from 2020 to 2023, the 30-year-old posted four straight seasons with at least 11 sacks and made the Pro Bowl twice. Tampa didn’t have an edge rusher amass even five sacks last year, but the team racked up a respectable 46 overall. There are enough pieces around Reddick that if he can come close to recapturing past form, the veteran could be one of IDP’s bigger values along the defensive line in 2025.

LB Cody Barton, Tennessee

The 28-year-old Barton is on the move again—after spending the 2024 season in Denver, Barton agreed to terms on a three-year, $21 million contract to join the Tennessee Titans, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. Barton tallied 106 total tackles a year ago—his third straight season with triple-digit tackles.

Barton will be playing for his fourth team in as many seasons this year, but the landing spot in Nashville is favorable. Linebacker was a position of need for the Titans this year, and some beat writers are already talking Barton up as a three-down starter. If that is indeed the case, Barton could match or even exceed his LB18 fantasy finish from 2022.

LB Dre Greenlaw, Denver

Dre Greenlaw barely played last season in 2024, managing just 34 snaps after tearing his Achilles tendon in Super Bowl LVIII. But the Denver Broncos appear to have faith that Greenlaw can recapture past form—per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, the Broncos signed Greenlaw to a three-year, $35 million contract.

With Cody Barton moving on to Tennessee and Alex Singleton recovering from a torn ACL, the linebacker depth chart in Denver was precariously thin. Greenlaw had at least 120 total tackles in both 2022 and 2023, finishing as a top-20 fantasy option in 2022. Provided he’s healthy, that’s not an unreasonable expectation for Greenlaw in his new home.

S Jeremy Chinn, Las Vegas

With Tre'von Moehrig hitting the proverbial jackpot in Carolina, the Raiders were left with a large hole at safety. They filled that hole, per ESPN’s Ryan McFadden, by coming to terms with Jeremy Chinn on a two-year, $16 million contract. Chinn had 117 total tackles last year in his lone season with the Washington Commanders.

Those 117 stops tied Chinn’s career high and resurrected his career after the 27-year-old fell from favor in Carolina. Chinn was 16th in fantasy points among defensive backs last season and provided that the Raiders deploy the sixth-year veteran properly, that 2024 finish could be closer to Chinn’s IDP floor than his ceiling.

S Will Harris, Washington

Chinn’s departure from the nation’s capital left the Commanders with a need at safety, and despite having no shortage of cap space, the team went the bargain route—agreeing to terms on a two-year, $8 million contract with veteran Will Harris, per Mike Garafalo of the NFL Network.

Harris’ versatility no doubt appealed to the Commanders—the 29-year-old has experience playing both safety spots, cornerback, and even a little linebacker. Harris is definitely a name to keep an eye on as we move toward and past the draft—if he sticks as Chinn’s replacement in the starting lineup, he could be a discount DB2 for IDP managers in 2025.

IDP Losers

EDGE Leonard Floyd, Atlanta

Floyd has quietly been a productive edge rusher, no matter where he has played in recent years. Despite playing on three teams over the past five seasons, Floyd hasn’t had less than 8.5 sacks. Combined with his 42 total tackles, the 32-year-old was a cheaply-available top-30 fantasy option.

Those 8.5 sacks got Floyd $10 million for the 2025 season with the Atlanta Falcons, per ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. But they were also Floyd’s least over that five-year span. He isn’t getting any younger, and in recent years, the Falcons have been where pass-rushers go to die. Atlanta’s 31 sacks last year ranked last in the NFC, the second time in three seasons the Falcons have ranked 31st or worse in the league in that category.

EDGE Harold Landry III, New England

Despite tallying over 70 total tackles and at least nine sacks in three of the past four seasons, Landry was released by the Tennessee Titans recently. However, Landry quickly found a new home—and a fat payday. According to NFL Media, Landy and the New England Patriots agreed to terms on a three-year, $43.5 million contract.

There were already warning signs for IDP managers with Landry. His pass rush win rate last year was 4.8 percent—dead last among 64 qualifying players. Now, the 28-year-old has landed with a familiar face in new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, but on a team that recorded a league-worst 28 sacks in 2024.

EDGE Josh Sweat, Arizona

After logging 2.5 sacks in a dominant showing in Super Bowl LIX, Sweat entered the offseason as arguably the top edge rusher available. And as was already mentioned, the Cardinals wasted no time swooping in to acquire the 27-year-old, inking Sweat to a four-year, $76.4 million contract per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

The Cardinals also brought back edge rusher Baron Browning, who, combined with Sweat, gives the Redbirds a solid duo of pass rushers. But Sweat will now be the unquestioned focus of opposing offenses on his new team. While Sweat is a talented veteran edge rusher, he’s hit the 10-sack mark just once in seven professional seasons.

LB Robert Spillane, New England

After racking up over 300 total tackles over the past two years with the Las Vegas Raiders, the 29-year-old Spillane finally got his bag. As reported by Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston, Spillane was part of New England’s free agent spending spree on defense, inking a three-year, $37.5 million deal with the Patriots.

Spillane was phenomenal the past two years in Vegas—he was fourth in fantasy points among linebackers a year ago and ninth at the position the season before. But it has been a long time since the Patriots had a fantasy linebacker that productive—the team’s last top-10 fantasy linebacker was Jamie Collins Sr in 2019. That’s the only time it has happened in the last decade.

S Talanoa Hufanga, Denver

Hufanga’s four-year stint in San Francisco had its share of ups and downs—including 97 total tackles and a first-team All-Pro nod in 2022 but 17 missed games over the two prior seasons. But the Denver Broncos saw enough they liked to open the checkbook—as reported by Schefter, the Broncos gave Hufanga $45 million over three seasons.

It’s a risky signing for the Broncos, given Hufanga’s durability issues over the past two years, but Hufanga’s role in Denver could also make the 25-year-old a risky bet for IDP managers. With Brandon Jones also on the team fresh off a career-high 115 total tackles, Hufanga will likely be Denver’s deep safety. That will make him a much more big-play-reliant IDP option.

S Tre'von Moehrig, Carolina

Moehrig had far and away the best season of his four-year career in 2024, topping 100 total tackles for the first time and intercepting two passes on the way to a DB17 fantasy finish. Per ESPN’s David Newton, the Carolina Panthers rewarded that career year quite handsomely, signing the 25-year-old to a three-year, $51 million contract.

The Panthers had the worst run defense in the league last year, allowing almost 180 yards per game on the ground. In theory, that should mean plenty of tackle opportunities for Moehrig. But the Panthers played a lot of two-deep looks last season, and Carolina’s safeties didn’t have much fantasy relevance last year until the linebacker corps was eviscerated by injuries.

Gary Davenport ("The Godfather of IDP") is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (Can't make him call it X) at @IDPSharks.