10 NFL teams that can afford to be greedy in free agency

Plenty of NFL teams have salary cap space, but not all can be greedy in a true sense of the word.

If you’re a franchise with a lot of holes, signing players isn’t being greedy as much as it trying to compete. But if you have a good foundation and are looking to either fill a few weak spots or upgrade a few strengths, that’s being greedy.

Given the talent already in place, each of these teams have the cap space necessary to be active in free agency this offseason.

Unless otherwise noted, all cap figures are courtesy of Spotrac.

Arizona Cardinals

Projected Cap Space: $13,005,977

Arizona has the 22nd-most cap space in the NFL, which doesn’t sound too high in a 32-team league. What puts the Cardinals on this list, though, is that they’re already one of the most talented teams in the league. The $13 million available can be used on one or two true impact players.

One place Arizona needs an upgrade is on the offensive line. The front office should target Alex Boone, who’s coming off of a disappointing season for the San Francisco 49ers. Signing Boone would reunite him on the O-line with Mike Iupati. Given that continuity is vital up front, that’s a big plus. Boone should be a buy-low option since he isn’t exactly a big-ticket item.

Von Miller is out of their range, but someone like Olivier Vernon or Robert Ayers would work well in Arizona. The Cardinals already have a formidable pass rush, but adding a player of that caliber would force opposing quarterbacks to throw quicker, which would open the door for the already aggressive Arizona secondary to be even better.

Again, $13 million doesn’t seem like a lot of cap room. But given the talent in place, it’s more than sufficient enough to sign a big impact player to help Arizona be the NFL’s best team in 2016.

Carolina Panthers

Projected Cap Space: $16,630,220

Like the Cardinals, the Panthers don’t have a whole heck of a lot to spend but also don’t have many holes to fill.

Now, the first thing that they need to do is re-sign Josh Norman. Then, they can get greedy.

The return of Kelvin Benjamin will help and a stud like Alshon Jeffery would make Cam Newton even better. Still, they don’t need to quite go that way. A more reasonable option would be Travis Benjamin, who would really just be a better, younger version than Ted Ginn Jr.

If Benjamin stays in Cleveland, someone like Jermaine Kearse would give the Carolina offense an inexpensive element to help the Panthers go on another extended playoff run.

Green Bay Packers

Projected Cap Space: $22,887,697

Green Bay fits the Arizona and Carolina mold as well, but one hole that sticks out like a sore thumb is the offensive line. The Packers allowed the fifth-most sacks in 2015 with only the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars surrendering more. Not great company to keep.

Green Bay must greedy in free agency to protect Aaron Rodgers, and despite typically avoiding the open market, they’ve got the space to do it.

Cordy Glenn, Russell Okung, Jake Long and Ryan Harris are just some of the players Green Bay should target. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report ranked offensive line as the best position in the 2016 free agent class.

Packers general manager Ted Thompson needs to make landing at least two of that group a priority.

Atlanta Falcons

Projected Cap Space: $26,713,995

The Falcons would definitely be on the right track adding a pass-rusher like Mario Williams. Muhammad Wilkerson, Jason Pierre-Paul, Bruce Irvin or even Greg Hardy would also improve the defensive line. Atlanta should target at least two starters.

If the front offiice can find a way to do that and still have money left over, a receiver to line up on the other side of Julio Jones would also be a smart idea. Granted, the Falcons could address that need in the draft.

But really, Atlanta is a good pass rush away from being a contender. They’ve got the cap space to make that happen, so there’s no reason not to.

Houston Texans

Projected Cap Space: $26,869,427

How do you complement J.J. Watt? Well, give him an offense. The Texans should start by giving DeAndre Hopkins a better No. 2 wideout. Benjamin or Kearse would also make a lot of sense in Houston, as would Marvin Jones.

Whatever receivers take the field for the team in 2016 will need a different quarterback throwing them the ball. Brian Hoyer is a competent backup and a decent starter playing in a poor division, but he’s not anything close to a championship-caliber starter.

This is where Houston can get greedy and go with Robert Griffin III. The Texans have a good enough defense to withstand mediocre play from the quarterback.

If Griffin cannot return to his 2012 form, they’re still really not any worse than the 2015 team that won the AFC South. But if he does — and he’s only 26 — Houston may be buying low on a potential franchise quarterback.

Cincinnati Bengals

Projected Cap Space: $35,348,157

The Bengals have a handful of their own free agents that will need to be re-signed or replaced. That list includes cornerbacks Adam Jones and Leon Hall, but Cincinnati can improve on both.

Although Josh Norman is the big-ticket item, Carolina will probably keep him. Trumaine Johnson, Janoris Jenkins, Sean Smith and Casey Hayward would all be upgrades for the Bengals.

Cincinnati could also use improvements to their offensive line, and Oakland’s Donald Penn is a man they should target. He’s not young but should be an upgrade for a couple years. Given that Cincinnati is in win-now mode (or at least should be), youth doesn’t need to be a priority in free agency.

Like a few other teams on this list, the Bengals are starting from a good spot, having made the playoffs in five consecutive seasons. They need to start winning in the playoffs, though, and to do that, they need to be selfish with two or three big-name players — even if they’re not youngsters anymore.

Chicago Bears

Projected Cap Space: $53,999,330

Chicago absolutely could land Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan, a pair of key players from the Denver Broncos Super Bowl-winning defense. As a matter of fact, the Bears should do just that.

Before bolstering the defense, Chicago must re-sign Alshon Jeffery. He might receive the franchise tag, but if that’s the cost of retaining him, so be it.

The Bears should also look for a receiving option in this year’s deep group of wideouts. Bringing Jeffery back and securing a deep-ball threat like Jones or Kamar Aiken would give Chicago a potentially explosive offense.

New York Giants

Projected Cap Space: $57,573,688

New York has some solid cornerstone pieces to again become an NFL contender. The Giants also have some definite weaknesses, most notably their pass defense.

Olivier Vernon makes sense for a lot of teams but none more than New York, which would be wise to pursue the defensive backs we’ve already gone over with other teams. If Norman somehow slides away from Carolina, who wouldn’t want to see Norman and Odell Beckham Jr. in an Oklahoma drill?

At the safety position, Walter Thurmond, Eric Berry and Eric Weddle would all be good targets for Big Blue.

The Giants can contend again, and in the NFC East, they can rather quickly. To do that, they can’t be conservative when it comes to upgrading the roster this offseason. Fortunately for fans of New York, the front office has the room to be aggressive.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Projected Cap Space: $69,026,679

The Jaguars finished 2015 an unimpressive 5-11, but they have gobs of cap space and a strong, young group of cornerstone players in quarterback Blake Bortles and wide receiver Allen Robinson.

Jacksonville had one of the NFL’s worst defenses in 2015, ranking in the bottom half of the league in nearly every major category.

Fortunately, the Jags have the space to go after multiple top-tier defensive guys. Wilkerson or Vernon would fit in well on Jacksonville’s defensive line, while someone like Norman or Jenkins would make a big impact in the secondary.

On the offensive side of the ball, improve the line is a must. Cordy Glenn and/or Mitchell Schwartz could do. The Jaguars definitely have the space to pursue and sign more than one of these stud free agents.

Oakland Raiders

Projected Cap Space: $72,851,440

No team enters the 2016 NFL free agency period with more cap space than the Raiders. Oakland can be aggressive and improve nearly every position that’s even a moderate weakness and become a playoff contender by the beginning of the 2016 NFL season.

One thing that they could do is to sign Irvin to pair with Khalil Mack. That would create a pass rush that is simply unfair for opposing quarterbacks and would take a lot of pressure off of the secondary.

If by some chance on Miller becomes available, the Raiders need to strongly pursue him. Adding perhaps the game’s best edge-rusher is always great, but when you can steal him from a division rival, it’s even better.

They could easily bolster the offensive line better by signing two of the top available offensive tackles. The Raiders are certainly not the only team that needs an upgrade at that spot, but the team with the biggest budget should be able to dictate the market.

Should the Bears let Jeffery walk, he’s another man Oakland should pursue. Derek Carr throwing to Jeffery and Amari Cooper would be nearly as unfair as the pass rush that we’ve created. The Raiders can also look for improvement in the secondary and another running back to complement Latavius Murray.

Much like the Jaguars, Oakland’s 2015 record wasn’t anything special, but the team has the cap space to make 2016 a special season.