2015 NFL free agency: Making sense of Monday’s moves

NFL Free Agency officially starts at 4:00 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, but that hasn’t stopped teams from getting out ahead in an Oklahoma land-rush for some of the top free agents on the market. Despite some official NFL chastisement via a sternly written letter (oh no!), the hand-shake deals kept right on leaking to reporters.

So, despite the fact that none of these apparent deals are set in stone, and barring any more Frank Gore style flip-flopping, here’s a short list of what I consider to be the best moves from Monday’s free-for-all.

McPhee went somewhat under the radar this past season because he wasn’t even technically a starter for the Ravens, but that Michael Bennett type of “moveable chess piece” rusher that plays 25-35 snaps per game has become increasingly valuable. McPhee finished 2014 with a solid, if not spectacular 7.5 sacks, but his 64 pressures (hits, sacks, and hurries, as tracked by Pro Football Focus) put him among the league leaders, especially when taking into account he only played 47 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.

The Bears may or may not use McPhee more than that after signing him for a reported $40 million over five years, but one thing that’s sure is that they’ll move him around the line as Vic Fangio installs his 49er-style 3-4 defense. He can play outside linebacker in base, line up standing up over the A- or B-gap to rush, and can play with his hand in the dirt as either a defensive end or defensive tackle. His versatility will mesh well, in theory, with Lamarr Houston’s skillset, and the Bears could have the start of something interesting with their personnel up front. Add in Jared Allen, Ego Ferguson, Willie Young, Jay Ratliff, and Cornelious Washington, and Fangio has some pieces to work with.

The natural worry would be that McPhee is not up for heavier duty snap-wise, but it’s hard to ignore his production. Also, his playing style in general just lends credence to the idea he’ll excel in his new scheme whether it’s part-time or not.

SB Nation presents: The best bargains in NFL free agency

The Jaguars will reportedly sign free agent tight end Julius Thomas to a deal that will pay him about $9 million annually, a nice payday for the top tight end in this class. The Jags, who have eleventy-billion dollars in cap space left even after signing Thomas (and Jared Odrick ... and Jermey Parnell), are smart to splurge a little bit on a playmaking mismatch threat like Thomas, even if it means the deal looks like a slight overpay down the line.

Why? Well, frankly, the Jaguars need to waive their checkbook around a little bit in order to attract and close on the top free agents when going up against teams like the Seahawks, who were reportedly in on Thomas. And because the prospect of winning quickly may be more appealing if the numbers are in the same ball park. So, at this point being overly prudent may save you cap space in the future, but mean your only way of acquiring top talent lies in the draft. This is a shallow draft class at tight end. Adding young, big-time playmakers comes with risk, of course, but landing the big fish can also add a little bit of cachet to an organization and develop a reputation as a place where players want to go. That’s certainly what the Jags are trying to foster.

I’d still say that priority number one for Gus Bradley and company this year will be to get Blake Bortles and the offense going in the right direction. Taking pressure off of their franchise quarterback in carrying the offense by adding dynamic playmakers seems like a good place to start. Jacksonville has stacked some talented receivers in Allen Robinson, Marqise Lee, and Allen Hurns, and running back Denard Robinson broke onto the scene late last year as well. They’ve got a few weapons, but they’re young, and adding a vet into the mix makes a lot of sense.

Thomas has reeled in 108 passes for 1,277 yards and 24 touchdowns over the past two seasons catching passes from Peyton Manning. While it’s wholly unrealistic to expect that kind of production to continue, he’s a physical specimen that can line up all over the field, beat defenders up the seam, and catches the ball away from his body and under duress. Bortles, and Jacksonville fans, have to be happy to see this front office investing in talented young players like Thomas.

Ryan Mallett may end up being a quick flash in the pan for Houston, but they did exactly what they should do in preparation for that scenario -- signed an experienced bridge quarterback in Brian Hoyer to carry them in case Mallett flounders. Did I mention that the Texans also have Ryan Fitzpatrick on their roster (likely to be cut) and Tom Savage is waiting in the wings, looking for his shot at the job.

Quarterback is inarguably the most important position in football and guess what? It’s really hard to find yourself a better-than-competent one. I like what the Texans have done here in absence of an easy answer, by balancing a riskier prospect in Mallett (at two years and $7 million, chump change for a quarterback) while attracting Hoyer as the fail-safe. They even have that third “high-upside developmental prospect” in Savage learning the ropes.

Both Mallett and Hoyer can come in with experience in Bill O’Brien’s system so they both hit the ground running. Both come in knowing they will need to play at a high level to win the starting job and hold on to it. That true competition should in theory elevate both of their games.

I broke down Mallett’s first start for Houston after he was acquired in a trade with the Patriots last year, and thought he showed some of the tools and traits to become a legitimate starter and potential franchise quarterback. His second start wasn’t as auspicious, then a torn pectoral ended his season prematurely. He’ll have his shot again in 2015.

*The Jets are still holding out Hoyer as a possibility.

Graham had 5.5 sacks in 2014 on just 225 snaps for the Eagles, but apparently was persuaded by Chip Kelly and company that he’ll get more action this next season. Despite playing a rotational role with limited snaps, Graham had 51 pressures (hits, hurries, and sacks) per PFF, which is an absurd rate on a per-snap basis. In other words, he was very productive.

As the Eagles look to get tougher and faster on defense, he figures to play a big role. The Eagles seemed to get him for a pretty reasonable price as well -- it was reported several weeks ago that he was looking for $30 million guaranteed, but ended up staying in Philly for four years and $26 million, with just $14 million guaranteed.

With the Bears switching to a 3-4 defense with Vic Fangio, it was expected that Stephen Paea may be an odd fit and thus be difficult to hold on to in free agency. Many expected that Paea would look to catch on with another 4-3 team, so he could line up in a one-gap system and continue to rush the passer from the nose and three-technique positions. Well, one part of that was right, in that Chicago did end up having a hard time keeping him, but Paea is apparently leaving the Bears for another 3-4 team in Washington.

I like what Paea brings as a player, regardless. He’s athletic, powerful, and versatile, and whatever scheme Joe Barry brings to that 3-4 base defense, whether he’s asking players to one-gap or two-gap, Paea will find his role. It’s a subpackage world anyway, with teams running out of their ‘base’ looks less than half the time in many cases. While Paea is not a traditional 3-4 nose tackle, he could conceivably play that role on passing downs and kick out to the end in run down situations.

So, while a specific role has yet to be defined, I like Paea to Washington as reinforcements for the recently departed Barry Cofield.

These moves represent a small snapshot of what happened in the Monday’s “legal tampering” period maneuvering, and I’m sure they’re just the tip of the iceberg for what’s to come once the clock hits 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Buckle up.