The calendar has turned to April, which means that the upcoming NFL draft is driving the fantasy news cycle. IDP managers far and wide are anxiously waiting to see where the top defensive rookies of 2025 will land, whether it's Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell or South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori.

However, free agency rolls on across the league. Yes, things have slowed—and will likely remain so until teams see how the draft plays out. However, another wave of free agency will follow the draft, and there are still a number of fantasy-relevant players available.

Still, for every player still looking for work, another has either found a new home or re-upped with their old team. Some, like Arizona Cardinals edge rusher Josh Sweat, New England Patriots linebacker Robert Spillane, and Carolina Panthers safety Tre'von Moehrig, got massive deals and have been discussed ad nauseam by IDP analysts since switching teams.

But there are some other players—players who have signed modest or short-term deals that received little fanfare. But while those deals may not have made a huge dent in a team's available cap space, they have the potential to make a real impact in 2025—both in the NFL and for IDP managers.

EDGE Baron Browning, Arizona Cardinals

Technically, Browning re-upped with his "old" team—signing a two-year, $15 million contract to remain in Arizona after joining the Redbirds in a mid-season trade with the Denver Broncos. Per the team's website, the 26-year-old told reporters that he's eager to see what he can do with a full offseason in the desert under his belt.

"I'm really excited about being here for a whole offseason and really being able to build a chemistry with my teammates and get comfortable in the system," Browning said. "I believe in what we're trying to build here," Browning said. "I believe in the coaches. Most importantly, I believe in my teammates. I think all around it was the right fit for me."

A converted off-ball linebacker, Browning has never had more than five sacks in a season. But the fifth-year pro has shown more than a little potential when healthy. With Josh Sweat now commanding the lion's share of attention from opposing offenses, Browning could be on the cusp of a career season in 2025.

EDGE Haason Reddick, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Reddick plummeted from the IDP penthouse to the outhouse last year. After holding out for a sizable chunk of the season in New York, he managed just a single sack for the Jets. Now on a one-year deal with the Buccaneers, the 30-year-old told reporters that he's eager to put the debacle of the 2024 campaign in the rearview mirror.

"It's a fresh start," Reddick said. "I know everybody's worried about last year, but last year was last year. I'm here now, different mindset, different space. I'm just ready to put the past behind me and continue to move forward. And what better place to do that than right here?"

Yes, Reddick completely vanished last season. Yes, the ninth-year veteran is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. But prior to last year's faceplant, Reddick recorded at least 11 sacks in four straight seasons. As recently as 2022, Reddick was a top-five IDP option at his position, but his miserable 2024 season could cause Reddick to drop much farther than he should on draft day.

LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, Arizona Cardinals

After spending much of his five-year career as a special-teams maven in Cincinnati, Davis-Gaither got $10 million over two seasons to join the Cardinals in free agency. As Theo Mackie wrote for The Arizona Republic, it's a contract that would seem to portend a significant role for Davis-Gaither in 2025.

"The question for Davis-Gaither is whether he can fill (Kyzir) White's role as a full-time player," he said. "In 2023, White played every snap before tearing his biceps in Week 11. In 2024, he played every snap in 14 of 17 games and 93.7% on the season. Davis-Gaither, meanwhile, played just 47% of snaps with Cincinnati last season. Prior to that, the 2020 fourth-round pick had never topped 30% of snaps, primarily playing on special teams. From a contract perspective, the deal aligns with what the Cardinals paid White to be their starting middle linebacker. He made $10 million over the past two seasons."

Davis-Gaither may have played less than half the defensive snaps for the Bengals last year, but he made seven starts due to injuries. Over a six-week span to end the season, Davis-Gaither averaged over nine total tackles per contest and checked in inside the top 25 linebackers in The Godfather's Default IDP Scoring.

LB Elandon Roberts, Las Vegas Raiders

For most of his nine seasons in the NFL, Roberts has been a part-time linebacker—his career-high in snap counts in a season is 59 percent. But now that he's in Las Vegas, Roberts has a real chance at a three-down role—and Enzo Flojo of ClutchPoints believes Roberts can be a more than adequate replacement for the departed Robert Spillane.

"With Spillane departing in free agency, the Raiders effectively swapped an $11 million-per-year linebacker for a $3.01 million one," he said. And they did so without suffering a significant drop-off in talent. Spillane, before his time in Las Vegas, never earned a Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade above 60.0 in his four years with Pittsburgh. He surpassed that mark in both of his seasons with the Raiders. However, Roberts arrives with even more upside. Last season, Roberts was the NFL's third-highest-graded linebacker in run defense (91.0). On the flip side, he did struggle in coverage (49.6)—a similar profile to what the Raiders had in Spillane."

Frankly, Roberts isn't some late-bloomer who will blossom in 2025. He is what he is—a "thumper" type with limited range. The Raiders could also draft a linebacker and mess Roberts' IDP value up quite nicely. But as of right now, Roberts is the No. 1 linebacker for a team that has produced top-five players at the position each of the past two seasons.

S Will Harris, Washington Commanders

Harris has quietly put together a solid (if unspectacular) career—six seasons with the Saints and Lions, including 13 starts in New Orleans last year. Harris signed a two-year, $8 million contract to replace Jeremy Chinn in the nation's capital, and he told reporters he's eager to help the Commanders take the next step as a team.

"I look at the defense already, man, and I see so much energy. I see guys flying around, guys making plays on the ball left and right, guys playing for each other, and that's something that I'm looking forward to contributing to," Harris said. "I'm looking forward to bringing that energy myself. I'm looking forward to proving myself and gaining the respect from these guys that they can have that trust in me to be able to go out and be a good teammate and contribute as much as possible to this team."

Harris hasn't posted big numbers in the past, although his per-game tackle numbers last year were the best of his career. Chinn sailed past 100 total tackles last year as the box safety for the Commanders, and provided that Harris maintains that role past the 2025 draft, he's a good bet to follow suit.

S Ifeatu Melifonwu, Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins watched Jevon Holland get a bag from the New York Giants in free agency, leaving the team with a hole at safety. The Dolphins filled that hole with fifth-year pro Ifeatu Melifonwu. Melifonwu struggled with injuries in Detroit, but Lions head coach Dan Campbell told Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald that the Dolphins got themselves a player when Melifonwu is healthy.

"The only thing that's happened with Iffy for us, he had some injuries at times," Campbell said. "When we had him and he was on the field and he was able to really bang reps and bank a lot of time, he was a productive player. "He's a defensive back. I wouldn't say he's a safety. He's a defensive back. He can play dime linebacker. He can play [the] safety position, play corner, he can pressure. He's a match-up piece in coverage."

IDP managers have seen flashes of production from Melifonwu over nine starts in the past two seasons. The 25-year-old's role will play a part in his fantasy value, but early indications appear to be that Melifonwu will be the box safety in Miami. If that's the case and he can stay on the field—look out.

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.