Is it tough to believe that Free Agency is actually still going on right now? Every year, free agency opens up with a ton of the top available players signing deals in an effort to cash in after a good year. Teams look to fill positional needs with talent that they, at many times, will have to overpay, but still find necessary. Still, on the other hand, writers and fans alike have basically been in college scouting mode for about a week now and we all know how long and tedious scouting college talent can be. The best college talent isn’t always found at the largest schools, and they aren’t always present at the top of the stat sheets. Scouting departments are definitely putting the finishing touches on their scouting reports before handing them to their respective teams.
But it’s time to be honest about the draft.
Finding a rookie that will come in and plug a need at a position is rare. Last year’s wide receiver class was widely considered the best in the last few years at least, but it is important to put things in perspective. Last year was a temporary spike on the graph, a blip on the radar, in terms of year-to-year draft pick production vs. expectation. It is usually in the latter stages of the free agency period where you find the serviceable, usually older and more experienced, veterans that will fill the need of a team, even if only temporarily. That same team can then draft at the same position so that the need to play a rookie, that isn’t ready yet, doesn’t become the team’s only option.
If your favorite team hasn’t filled every hole at every position yet this offseason (who has?), then this stage of free agency is one of the most important times for teams to survey what is left of the litter. Here are a few veteran names who you may be surprised to see on the market this late but find themselves jobless due to injuries or otherwise. Don’t think that they are going to be there much longer in a league where finding value for cheap is the name of the game.
- Michael Crabtree, WR
Crabtree, no doubt, has a number of teams interested in his services. The problem is that they aren’t sure how long he will last on the field. Game film suggest that he played all of last season with some sort of nagging lower body injuries that he couldn’t quite conquer. The Crabtree that boosted Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers into the Super Bowl a few years ago is still possibly here. He just needs to prove that he is healthy and can STAY that way during the season. He will unquestionably be signed before the draft, especially since his price won’t be too high. - BJ Raji, DT/NT
The force formally known as BJ Raji has been on the radar for a while thanks to injuries. To make matters worse for the former Packer, he didn’t have a great year the last time he was healthy. However, regardless of injury concerns up to this point, if Raji can ever pull his health together, he is more than an adequate addition to a team’s defensive rotation. That health thing is kind of important though. - Brandon Spikes, LB
Spikes is, arguably, the best run stopper on the market at linebacker. He isn’t the three-down defender he could have been in his prime, or he would have been signed by now, but he is too valuable not to have a job in a league where every team has to run the ball, at least, once a game. He won’t break the bank either. - Rolando McClain, LB
McClain revived his career with the Cowboys and proved that, when focused, he is a good contributor to a defensive unit. The problem remains whether he can put on another performance like he did in Dallas though. He walked away from the game once. He could do it again. Teams are gonna need a guarantee that he won’t up and leave before they hand him a check. - Joe Barksdale, T
Barksdale isn’t the long term solution to a team’s offensive line issues but having someone with his experience in the rotation is a plus for every team. He won’t be on the market for long. He could possibly even start for a team in a pinch or an offensive line in transition. Don’t get me wrong. He’s good but he is a long term stop-gap at best. - Mason Foster, LB
Foster struggled playing in space in the Tampa 2 last season but….. Who didn’t? Foster is young, athletic, and experienced. Having this guy in a linebacker rotation could be the difference between a good defense and a pretty good defense. Depth is key but Foster could even start in case of injuries. Now THAT is value. - Dwight Freeney, LB/DE
Coaches and scouts are saying that Freeney is on his way out the door but that is tough to believe. The value of pass rushers only increases with each passing season. You mean to tell me that you would rather have a rookie from college as your pass rusher over this guy? Freeney may not have more than 1-3 years left but if I need pass rushing depth, I would take every snap he could offer. He is also a better run defender than he gets credit for. Give this man a contract. - Greg Jennings, WR
He doesn’t have the speed you look for in a starting receiver anymore and he isn’t nearly as elusive as he used to be, but his value as a possession receiver hasn’t faded in the least. The guy is no scrub, he just spent some time without a good quarterback. That could make any WR look old and slow. Look for teams who aren’t happy with their current receiving group to ask him a few questions around training camp time. - Jake Long, T
Remember how good this guy used to be? Finishing the last four years on an injury list can change a lot of things but, think about things this way. If he can stay healthy, you could have a possible steal on your hands. Indeed, that is a big “IF” but considering what you would have to pay him, risks are worth the rewards in this one. He is gonna need to prove he is healthy after he rehabs his knees first though. - Hakeem Nicks, WR
What happened to this guy? He showed flashes of life last season playing with Andrew Luck down the stretch but he couldn’t give his team enough confidence to give him more playing time over a struggling Reggie Wayne. Wayne wasn’t exactly lighting up the joint either. Nicks is more than likely going to sign a “prove it” deal somewhere. He will be a bargain if he gets himself together in the right offense. - Stevan Ridley, RB
Patriot RB’s don’t exactly make teams fall in love with their production. Ridley is also coming off of a nasty ACL injury. He can definitely recover but he will need to work his way up a depth chart after he gets healthy. Teams may opt to draft a kid in a loaded class before they bring in an injured power back. - Ahmad Bradshaw, RB
He is the definition of a guy you look at and think “Yeah, not bad at all” and then you continue exploring other options. The guy has got to get healthy and stay that way. He has played in about 13 games over the past two seasons. For an aging RB reaching the near end of his positional life-span, that isn’t a good bullet point to have on the resume. - Charles Tillman, CB
He is on the wrong side of 30 in a young man’s position, but Tillman received high praise from coaches last season before injuring his triceps. If he can prove he is healthy and ready for camp, he may sneak on a roster and contribute beyond the contract he is going to sign. Rewards out-weigh the risks but playing corner at 34 is just going to be difficult in a passing league. - Lance Briggs, LB
Briggs is an elder linebacker that probably can’t keep up in pass coverage anymore but his run stopping ability and experience is just too good to waste. If he ever considers moving from outside linebacker to the middle, he may find a job faster. The 7-time Pro Bowler can still contribute leadership, wisdom, mentoring, and top shelf experience at this point in his fantastic career. - Kevin Williams, DT
He is no longer the dominant force he was when he teamed up with Pat Williams on the Vikings but he looked great on the Seahawks last year. He won’t cost much and his experience at the position, even at this point in his career, is going to prove more than valuable to a team that likes shuffling guys into the rotation. He won’t last long because he is simply too good to leave on the market….. He won’t cost much either, as if you needed another reason.
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