Saquon Barkley, of course, led the way. But Derrick Henry, Aaron Jones, Josh Jacobs and Joe Mixon mattered plenty to their 2024 teams’ success. Harris should benefit from this, but how other teams viewed their backfields will help him more.
The Patriots, Panthers, Cardinals and Saints paid their starters. Alvin Kamara would have been a free agent this year, after the Saints moved off his previous contract, but the aging talent is now on a third New Orleans accord. Rhamondre Stevenson, James Conner and Chuba Hubbard were scheduled for 2025 free agency, but their teams authorized extensions. This both set a market for Harris – perhaps a floor? – and took backs out of the equation for teams in need to pursue.
Harris is more grinder than dazzling talent, but he is about as consistent as it gets at the position. The 2021 first-rounder has played through injuries to start every game in his four-year career. After a 1,200-yard rookie season, Harris finished with 1,034, 1,035 and 1,043. Next Gen Stats has not viewed him as an efficient ball-carrier, however, ranking him in the bottom third in rush yards over expected in 2024 and second-to-last in 2022. A finish in the top third of this metric did transpire in 2023, perhaps marking one of Harris’ few inconsistencies in a career that has also featured between six and eight rushing TDs each season.
Workload concerns may develop here, as the Miami alum also has 1,277 career touches. That did not impede the host of teams that invested eight-figure guarantees in Barkley, Jacobs and Mixon last year. Workload worries did form with Henry ($9M at signing), who again proved many wrong.
Harris will also have to compete against a better college RB crop compared to last year, as teams will have cheaper options. But he is the top young veteran available. A deal in the range Hubbard, Stevenson and Conner set (between $8.3M and $9.5M per year) would be logical for Harris, who will likely aim to top Stevenson’s $17M guarantee at signing. His being on the open market, whereas Stevenson’s money came via extension, will help in that quest.
35. Azeez Ojulari, EDGE. Age in Week 1: 25
Needing IR stays in each of his past three seasons, Ojulari will force front offices to consider that and his steady (when healthy) pass-rushing production. Despite missing 22 games during his rookie contract, Ojulari registered 22 sacks. He notched at least 5.5 in three of his four seasons, including an impact stretch during his contract year.
The Giants had tabbed Ojulari as the most notable EDGE investment during Dave Gettleman’s GM tenure. The team had primarily jettisoned its regulars (Jason Pierre-Paul, Olivier Vernon, Markus Golden) during that period, trading all three from 2019-21. Ojulari proved ready immediately, totaling eight sacks as a rookie. A summer 2022 calf injury blunted Ojulari’s momentum, limiting him for much of the season. Ankle trouble emerged in 2023 and then a season-ending toe issue hampered him last season. While these stumbles will work against the Georgia alum, the production-age combo might be too much to cool down his market to the “prove it” level.
Teams pursued Ojulari in trades for an extended span last year, as the Giants’ Brian Burns trade – coming two years after their No. 5 overall Kayvon Thibodeaux pick – let teams know Ojulari would be on the move in 2025. The Giants passed on clubs’ offers, having sought a fourth- or fifth-round pick. Those offers came amid a torrid stretch for the four-year veteran, who replaced an injured Thibodeaux and compiled five sacks during a three-game stretch (against the Steelers, Eagles and Bengals). Ojulari returned to the bench before being placed on IR.
Teams seeking a No. 2 edge rusher will likely show interest in a player who has excelled in spurts, but Ojulari would also be useful as a high-end rotational presence. After the Eagles sent their two-deep at Patrick Mahomes, an auxiliary rusher of this caliber will receive significant attention – even if his checkered injury past lowers a price ceiling. At 25, Ojulari’s best years should be ahead.
36. Camryn Bynum, S. Age in Week 1: 27
Safety brings several solutions for teams on this year’s market. As referenced above, the question will be how many teams are willing to make big investments in the position versus offering midlevel money or simply waiting for the draft. Bynum may be best known for operating as a key cog on the Viking defense’s post-turnover choreography, but he was certainly an important role player under Brian Flores’ No. 5-ranked unit.
Despite coming into the NFL two years later, Bynum is the same age as teammate Byron Murphy. That will not yet be a major issue for Bynum, but this represents an important time for the former fourth-round pick – a three-year starter in Minnesota. His age will make a noteworthy future free agency payday harder to come by, raising the stakes for him this year. Bynum remains on the Vikings’ radar, and the team showed that in part by passing on a $40.2M Sam Darnold tag.
PFF viewed Bynum as taking a step back in his contract year, ranking him outside the top 60 after a 21st-place assessment in 2023. Though, Bynum has been durable (51 starts since 2022) and intercepted eight passes on his rookie deal. Bynum also forced three fumbles in 2023. He and Murphy were important pieces in helping the Vikings reassemble a capable defense after a woeful 2022 season under Ed Donatell.
Minnesota has plenty of questions to answer in its secondary, as Bynum, Murphy and Stephon Gilmore are out of contract. Unless the team wants to start over (as Harrison Smith is now 36), it will need to navigate this situation and get to work on re-signings. Murphy is on Minnesota’s radar; will there be room to keep the other young DB starter as well? The unattached safety contingent also housing mid- or late-20-somethings in Jevon Holland, Talanoa Hufanga, Tre’von Moehrig and Justin Reid crowds the free agent field a bit. Will there be enough teams to pay up, or will this market emulate the 2023 and ’24 classes in which safety money drops off quickly?
37. Amari Cooper, WR. Age in Week 1: 31
Cooper earned $100M on his second contract by remaining effective throughout the deal. But the Cowboys’ reputation for convincing most of their players to sign long-term contracts hurt the decorated wide receiver, who is back in free agency after missing out on two market booms at his position. Cooper was tied to a five-year contract during the 2022 WR surge and could not secure better terms from the Browns while the market transformed again last year. Now, the refined route runner is coming off a stretch where he was not a difference-maker as a Bills rental.
