The QB Market is All but Gone
The QB market essentially doesn’t exist after the Washington Football team signed never aging Ryan Fitzpatrick. Names such as Mitchel Trubisky and Alex Smith are out there, but likely won’t make teams until injuries occur early in the season.
The Running Back Situation is a Bit Better
Chris Carson, Kenyon Drake, Leonard Fornette, and Todd Gurley are still circulating around. Some of these players will likely be starters somewhere in the league although I’m not sure any of them will find their way into top 5 statistics in any category.
Still Pro Bowl Talent Out There at the Receiver Position
There are plenty of receivers still on the market including Kenny Golladay, Juju Smith Shuster, Will Fuller, Antonio Brown, T.Y. Hilton, and A.J. Green
Golladay has been one of the premier deep threats in the NFL since entering the league averaging 16.8 a reception in his career. He had 1,000 yard seasons in both the 2018 and 2019 campaign before injuries have plagued him since. Bleacher Report Adam Wells reports that teams are only interested in the receiver ‘only at certain price points’. Being that Chris Godwin and Allen Robinson were tagged, Golladay felt as though the market for him would only shoot up but that does not seem to be the case. The main team linked to Kenny has been the Giants, although a deal does not seem imminent.
Juju Smith Shuster emerged onto the scene in 2018 posting a 1,400 yard season but has yet hit the 1,000 yard mark since although he did have a career high 9 touchdowns reception in 2020. At only 24 years old, it’s surprising to see the youngster not receiving more interest. I believe it is likely he will sing with the Raiders in the coming days considering they let Nelson Aghalor walk on a reasonable deal in wake of reports that the rest of the league believing he would stay in Vegas.
Will Fuller has looked explosive at many points in his career but injuries will prevent him from ever getting a big contract. Will cap space tight for nearly every franchise in football, I predict he will not sign a deal for many weeks to come.
The idea of Antonio Brown being an unrestricted free agent would be ludicrous 4 years ago. Many people, including myself, thought his career was over before having a successful season with the Buccaneers. When a team does eventually put him on the roster, will we see the indivisible, hardworking Brown on Tampa Bay, or will he be the frozen foot, helmet complaining nightmare we saw on the Raiders?
T.Y. Hilton was once considered one of the best receivers in football. When playing for Jacoby Brissett and Phillip Rivers, it is understandable that the deep threat would see a decline in production. The Texans should make a run at the 31 year old although it has been reported all over the Colts will be looking to match any offer given to him so that Carson Wentz can have the best chance to revitalize his career in Indy.
A.J. Green had the definitive worst season of his career last year despite playing with phenom Quarterback Joe Burrow. He had some of the worst separation stats in the NFL on top of being 32 years old. It’s possible the former Pro Bowler could turn things around with another team but it is not likely.
Aging Yet Productive Offensive Linemen Available
The Offensive line market is better than it has ever been. Names such as Trent Williams, Rodney Hudson, Alex Mack, Eric Fisher, Kyle Long, Mitchel Schwartz, and Russell Okung all look to continue their career with a new team.
Age and injuries all plagued these lists of names but clearly the talent is there. The Raiders will likely be the most active on names on this list since they have let go 3 of their starters from last year in Gabe Jackson, Trent Williams, and Rodney Hudson. Kyle Long in particular could find himself in Vegas after meeting with the team yesterday although he did leave Nevada without a deal, opting to hear Kansas City’s pitch before making a decision.
Old Defensive Tackles that are Still Good
The Defensive Tackle position also has Ndamukong Su and Jurrell Casey. Su is far removed from his time as a premier pass rusher but has proven to be one of the best run stuffers in football still. Jurrell Casey has fallen under the radar after a torn triceps had him sidelined all last season for the Broncos. Before 2020, he made the pro bowl in each consecutive season since 2015.
Notable Edge Rushers Still Available
This list is headlined by Hasson Reddick, Justin Houston, Carlos Dunlap, Melvin Ingram, and Jadveon Clowney, and Oliver Vernon
Reddick will be one of the more interesting contracts to keep note of when he does finally decide to sign a deal since the former 3rd round pick had 12.5 sacks along with 6 forced fumbles last year. He had a total of 7.5 sacks in his first 3 seasons combined. Will there be a team out there willing to take the risk that this was a fluke season? That is a lot of ask for a big price he is likely to look for.
Age will surely be the biggest barrier for Justin Houston and Melvin Ingram, but both have still been productive in their advancing age. Houston in particular has seen little decline in play posting 19 sacks across two seasons with the Colts. Ingram did not have a single sack in 7 appearances last year although he was dealing with a knee issue through it all.
As for Clowney, what can be said? The college star has never actually had a 10-sack season in his career. In 8 games for the Titians last year, he did not bring the opposing Quarterback down once. He banked on himself in year’s past waiting for a massive contract that will now never come. I expect another short term deal with a lot of incentives coming his way.
Two Cover Linebackers Looking for a Big Paycheck that Might not be Available for Them
K.J. Wright and Jayon Brown are the most notable players in the linebacker position, and they will most likely find themselves on another team since the cap space for the Seahawks and Titans are all but gone. Both players excel in coverage and in Brown’s case, he is only 26.
A Plethora of Corner 2’s
There are a ton of Corners that will look to make impacts as the number 2 corner on their teams. Those names include Richard Sherman, Casey Hayward, A.J. Bouye, Brain Poole, Malcom Butler, Xavier Rhodes, Adoree’ Jackson, Patrick Peterson, and Richard Sherman. None of those names will make the Pro Bowl next season but not everyone on your roster can be that. A lot of those guys will have a real opportunity to shine covering a team’s second best receiver.
A Couple of Safeties Still Floating Around
Anthony Harris and Keanu Neal are the only people to pay attention to at the safety position. Harris lead the league in interceptions in 2019 but didn’t have any in 2020 although the Vikings as a whole didn’t play to the level many thought they would.
