Capable free-agents are still available. A few can still play at a high level and help a squad.
The financial reality has changed, of course. The latter stages of free agency tend to focus on older veterans with larger price tags, even though the majority of an organization’s yearly spending budget has already been spent. Typically, deals done during the summer months end up being one-year contracts, with the potential for a player to test the market again the following year.
Even in June, someone can sign and create an impact.
Last year, the Buffalo Bills didn’t sign Leonard Floyd until June 5. Floyd went on to lead the division winner with 10.5 sacks, which earned him a two-year $20 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers during this year’s cycle.
A squad of these remaining options might even be competitive, though it would have trouble in specific spots. A roster built out of the available free agents skews older, of course. Among those included, the average age is over 30. For comparison, the New Orleans Saints roster was the oldest at 27.4 going into the 2023 regular season.
If a suitor needs secondary help, an experienced offensive linemen or a proven veteran quarterback, they’re still out there and serve as the backbone for this specific exercise.
Ryan Tannehill just needs to be patient, and he’ll likely be a starting quarterback again.
When the musical chairs stopped earlier this offseason, Tannehill didn’t find himself with a new team. But he’s clearly the best option for a squad that may find itself in an emergency, which, unfortunately, will inevitably happen.
Some type of injury will occur that will force a franchise to reassess their quarterback spot. Tannehill can then sign and provide a stabilizing force after starting 10-and-a-half seasons.
The 35-year-old signal-caller found himself in a difficult spot last year. He continued to start while the roster around him crumbled. He then suffered a high-ankle sprain before the organization decided to see what it had in second-round draft pick Ryan Tannehill during a lost season.
Tannehill may not be a franchise quarterback, but he can lead a capable crew, particularly for a team trying to make a postseason push that may be placed in a difficult situation at the game’s most important position.
Cam Akers inclusion as the top available running back is a bet purely on remaining upside.
Two years ago, the now-24-year-old ball-carrier looked like a potential feature back after gaining 768 yards and scoring seven touchdowns as a member of the Los Angeles Rams.
Rams head coach Sean McVay decided to deactivate Akers in Week 2 of last season after opening the campaign as the team’s starting running back. Four days later, the Rams traded Akers to the Minnesota Vikings for a swap of conditional late-round 2026 draft picks.
Akers played in six games with the Vikings before suffering a torn Achilles tendon that ended his season. It’s the second Achilles injury the young back suffered since entering the professional ranks. So, it’s not surprising that teams are waiting to see how he recovers before giving him another shot.
Still, the pickings are slim when trying to populate a backfield. At the very least, Akers is still young enough to bounce back and could possibly provide quality depth once he’s cleared by doctors.
It’s not easy to find three wide receivers capable of being a threat based on what’s still available to teams. The positional market has exploded in recent years and taken its place among the NFL’s premium positions.
The one benefit at wide receiver is the depth continually pumped into the league year after year to create a surplus.
Among the three targets selected, a team in need will find a fading star, a beloved overachiever and an explosive threat with returner capabilities.
Injuries have robbed Michael Thomas of a Hall of Fame career. Thomas set multiple records through his first four seasons. He went from averaging 118 receptions and 1,378 yards per season to playing in only 20 games over the last four years, with 95 total catches for 1,057 yards during that span.
Unfortunately a knee injury ended his 2023 campaign. But there’s a thought a team can squeeze what’s left out of what was once such a promising career.
Hunter Renfrow was a case where he was overpaid by a previous regime with the Las Vegas Raiders and didn’t hold the same value when a different coaching staff (two in this case) took the reins. Renfrow still knows how to get open and work the chains. He can be a reliable underneath to intermediate option for some squad.
With Jamal Agnew, he’s never been a primary threat in a passing attack. However, he has blazing speed to create after the catch or serve as a deep threat. He averaged 16.1 yards per catch last season. He brings the added benefit of being a Pro Bowl-level returner, which could be instrumental with the league’s new kickoff rules.
Once Logan Thomas signed a one-year contract to join the San Francisco 49ers, the tight end market became as barren as the wastelands in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
At least veteran Geoff Swaim provides a definable skill that can be placed in an offense and help.
Swaim has never caught more than 31 passes in a single season and even that’s an aberration. During the last two years, he provided 22 catches between his time with the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals.
The 30-year-old tight end is an inline option mainly used for his blocking. Aside from that, he’s not going to provide much. Hey, it’s better than nothing.
A little cheating aside since both Donovan Smith and D.J. Humphries have primarily been left tackles throughout their careers, these options can provide steady bookends for an offensive line.
Four months ago, Smith was the starting left tackle on a Super Bowl-winning squad. The 30-year-old blindside protector has been a starter since he walked into the league as a rookie during the 2015 campaign. With 136 starts already under his belt, a squad would be hard-pressed to find anymore more capable of an offensive line.
To be clear, Smith is an average performer. He isn’t an elite athlete, and there are reasons why the Chiefs decided to go in another direction. Still, a team knows exactly what it’s getting with the veteran blocker in the lineup.
The Arizona Cardinals released D.J. Humphries this offseason, because last year’s sixth overall draft pick, Paris Johnson Jr., will shift to cover Kyler Murray’s blindside. Plus, the organization signed Jonah Williams as a free agent to handle right tackle.
Interestingly, Humphries did open his career on the strong side, which is what he’ll do here. A team can’t overlook 98 career starts with some position flexibility.
While offensive tackle has two proven starters still on the market, guard is a little thinner in overall quality.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai has been a solid option when he’s on the field, but the 30-year-old veteran has had troubles staying on the field. Vaitai never started a full season as a member of the Detroit Lions. He missed 19 games over the last three regular seasons, including 11 last year due a season-ending knee injury.
When Vaitai is on the field, he’s a physical presence, with the capability of playing multiple positions. He just needs to check out medically.
A similar story follows the career of Phil Haynes.
The Seattle Seahawks drafted Haynes in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft. He played in eight games through his initial three seasons. The coaching staff prepared him for a starting role coming out of the ’22 campaign since the interior blocker appeared in 15 games.
After taking on a full-time starting role in 2023, Haynes found his way on injured reserve because of a bad toe. Still, some potential is there to be mined when it comes to this 28-year-old option.
Connor Williams would have been a top free agent this offseason had he not suffered a torn ACL in Week 14 of the 2023 campaign.
Williams really came into his own as a top center earlier in the season. He graded as the league’s best center going into the game that ended in injury, per Pro Football Focus.
“So Connor had a pretty significant knee injury. Without getting into his private business, it was a significant knee injury,” agent Drew Rosenhaus said during an interview with Josh Moser. “So, he’s taking his time with his rehab. I don’t think his immediate plan is to sign with the Dolphins or any team right now. I think he’s focused on his medical situation—getting healthy—and then see where he stands at that point. So, it’s not going to be any time soon that we see Connor Williams signing with an NFL team.”
Those comments came at the onset of the new league year. How he’s progressed from that point remains unknown. If healthy and ready to play again, some team will get an excellent offensive lineman late in the process. But it all depends on Willams’ continue rehabilitation.
Age and a lack of depth certainly affect the construction of this defense. A three-man front became necessary based on the lack of depth found among the defensive line, with three older veterans holding down the front.
Calais Campbell may turn 38 before the start of the 2024 season, but the 6’8″, 282-pound defender is still a handful for offensive linemen. The biggest question remains whether he’ll actually play a 17th season.
“I feel like I was still able to affect the ballgames, and that’s important,” Campbell said a little over a year ago. “I don’t want to be a guy out here that’s not affecting the ballgames, just being a guy. So, that matters to me to decide if I’m going to continue playing or not because I want to make sure that I’m going to be confident that I can go out there and be a difference maker and not just being a guy.”
Ultimately, Campbell signed with the Atlanta Falcons and tied for the team lead with 6.5 sacks.
Mike Purcell, 33, is a powerful nose tackle through and through. A team knows exactly what it’s getting in the 6’3″, 328-pound defender. He’s going to hold the point of attack, do the dirty work in the middle and let others go make plays.
Two years ago, Emmanuel Ogbah was coming off back-to-back nine-sack campaigns. The 30-year-old then suffered a season-ending triceps injury before making a comeback last year. He’s never been a pure edge, with the athleticism to blow past offensive tackles. Instead, Ogbah is much better working head up or from an inside alignment. He can line up as a 5-technique or 4i to fit this particular lineup.
Carl Lawson Jr. and Yannick Ngakoue will serve as standup edge defenders in base sets, with either capable of putting their hand in the dirt for sub-packages.
Both are able to rush the passer, though they can both be viewed as disappointments in recent years, hence why they’re still available.
Lawson joined the New York Jets in 2021 after signing a three-year, $45 million free-agent contract. He missed all of the following season after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon during a preseason scrimmage. He came back in 2022 and registered seven sacks. The Jets decided to scale back Lawson’s usage a year ago before releasing him this offseason.
Ngakoue registered 23.5 sacks over the last two seasons. Despite his natural pass-rushing skills, he’s bounced between teams (six so far), while being paid top dollar. The last part is an problem, because Ngakoue isn’t an every-down defender. Yes, he can bend the edge extremely well. But he’s a hindrance at the point of the attack when asked to stop the run.
Furthermore, Ngakoue’s ’23 campaign came to an end when he suffered a broken ankle in Week 14.
Clearly, concerns are found within the games of both these free agents. However, a team can never have too many pass-rushers. They’ll likely find themselves on a roster sooner or later.
The Philadelphia Eagles field Zach Cunningham and Shaquille Leonard as their linebackers last season. They chose to go in another direction.
Welp, they’re both still available after the Eagles’ disastrous season on defense.
To be fair, the Eagles organization hasn’t held the linebacker position in high regard throughout Howie Roseman’s tenure as general manager. Second, the Eagles had significant problems with their play-calling last season.
Cunningham and Leonard are proven veterans, as long as expectations are tempered.
The former still managed 85 total tackles in 13 games. The days of back-to-back-to-back 100-tackle campaigns may be long gone. He’s still productive when healthy.
Leonard isn’t the player he once was. The 2018 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year was named to three straight first-team All-Pro squads. The Indianapolis Colts even made him the league’s highest-paid linebacker.
Unfortunately, the 28-year-old started to experience back issues during the ’21 campaign, which led to a slew off issues and basically cost him all of the following season. Upon his return last year, Leonard lacked his previous explosiveness. He can still play the position, knowing full well that he’s no longer a force of nature.
Numerous experienced cornerbacks remain available.
Once again, age and asking price likely affect this position group.
Stephon Gilmore may turn 34 later this year and may be five years removed from being awarded NFL Defensive Player of the Year. But he can still line up and cover.
Obviously, he’s not going to be able to follow top receivers and shut them down like he did during previous points in his career. However, today’s zone heavy approaches play into Gilmore’s favor because he has such a good understanding of angles and route recognition.
J.C. Jackson’s career sort of fell apart after leaving Bill Belichick’s defense and signing a massive free-agent contract to join the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers eventually traded Jackson back to the New England Patriots, but his 2023 season ended once placed on the non-football illness list. Jackson’s agent, Neil Schwartz, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that his client was dealing with “mental health issues.”
Obviously, everyone wants Jackson to get better and possibly get back on the football field. If he does, some team may get the version back that terrorized quarterbacks by creating turnovers.
K’Waun Williams remains an outstanding nickel corner. He’s been one for quite some time, which is part of the problem. Williams turns 33 next month. Even so, nickel is the NFL’s base defense. Someone like Williams is needed to cover the slot.
The safety market has been relatively slow-moving. Multiple quality starters remain available, with Justin Simmons being the crown jewel of the remaining free-agent crop.
The Denver Broncos released Simmons this offseason to save $14.5 million despite being named second-team All-Pro in four of the last five seasons. Simmons is in the conversation as the game’s best free safety. His ability to keep everything in front of him and erase any mistakes make him a potential difference-maker.
Usually a free-agent of Simmons’ caliber being available this late in the process signals a soft market. The 30-year-old Simmons being a legitimate top-tier free agency not signing anywhere is also an indication that teams aren’t willing to meet his price.
Eventually someone will land an exceptional player and leader.
Micah Hyde is another decorated safety, who’s still available. The 11-year veteran made a couple of second-team All-Pro squads himself. He’s versatile, experienced and still playing well. In this case, Hyde will turn 34 before the end of the upcoming season. His voice on the field and in the locker room can help galvanize a defense.