Most overrated NFL free agents by position in 2024

There isn’t quite as much clamoring for Gardner Minshew among fans as there used to be, but “Minshew Mania” still has plenty of support. While the fact that the Indianapolis Colts nearly made the playoffs might make Minshew seem like an appealing option, he’s not exactly a reliable fill-in starter. In 2023, Minshew posted the fourth-highest rate of Turnover Worth Plays (3.8 percent), per Pro Football Focus, trailing only Desmond Ridder, Joshua Dobbs and Sam Howell. He also posted the second-lowest Completion Rate Over Expectation (-3.3 percent), worse than Zach Wilson. Fill-in starters who protect the football are a better option.

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Running backs aren’t nearly as valued in the NFL as they used to be, so it’s not as if Josh Jacobs is viewed as a must-have starter. However, he did finish the 2023 season ranked 63rd in True yards per Carry (3.3), 48th in breakaway run rate (2.1 percent) and 53rd in juke rate (13.3 percent). Jacobs also posted the lowest yards after contact per attempt (2.35) with the NFL’s fifth-worst Elusive Rating (32.2). Maybe he will return to the form we saw in 2022, but that’s not the bet you want to make on a running back with over 7,000 career touches whose efficiency plummeted the last time we saw him.

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Marquise Brown has twice been valued as a first-round talent, first when the Baltimore Ravens selected him with the 25th overall pick in 2019 and then when the Arizona Cardinals traded a first for him in 2022. In five years, Brown has a single 1,000-yard season (1,008) and he’s finished each of the last two seasons ranked 50th or worse in yards per route run and 80th or worse route win rate. Darnell Mooney and Gabe Davis feel like far more cost-effective options in NFL free agency.

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There aren’t many appealing tight ends among the NFL free agents in 2024. Hunter Henry already re-signed and Noah Fant could be one of the sleepers of this class. So, we highlight Mike Gesicki. The New England Patriots learned why the Miami Dolphins stopped using Gesicki, he is a negative as a blocker. As for his pass-catching prowess, Gesicki has now combined for just 303 receiving yards in his last 34 games. Turning 29 in October, NFL teams are better off rolling the dice in the NFL Draft.

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Jonah Williams wasn’t pleased that the Cincinnati Bengals moved him from left to right tackle before the 2023 season. However, it was a warranted decision considering Williams allowed the most sacks in the NFL (13) at left tackle in 2022. This past year at right tackle, Williams allowed the sixth-most sacks (eight) among offensive tackles and he’s never brought anything positive as a run blocker in the last two years. Williams is going to surrender a lot of pressure and for the money he’ll want in NFL free agency, there are superior options on the open market and even in the NFL Draft.

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Leonard Williams, the sixth pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, has been traded twice in his career. The New York Giants thought they landed a star after the 2020 season (30 QB hits, 14 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks). In the next two seasons, Williams combines for 26 QB hits, 10 TFLs and 9 sacks in 29 games. We aren’t suggesting that he isn’t an effective starter on the defensive line, but he’s projected to land a multi-year deal worth nearly $18 million per season. Nothing about his production warrants that deal.

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The reason we view Chase Young as one of the most overrated NFL free agents in 2024 is largely tied to effort level and maturity. In his second year removed from an ACL tear, the Washington Commanders wanted Young to prove himself in a contract year. Instead, the team happily traded him away midseason and ripped his effort level and lack of discipline. Joining the San Francisco 49ers and competing with a Super Bowl contender was supposed to be the fresh start he needed. Instead, Young was part of an inconsistent pass rush late in the year and the 49ers’ coaching staff called out his effort level publicly. Why would there be any reason to think this contract year, because he will likely have to settle for a one-year deal, will be any different?

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Devin White is the headliner in our list of the most overrated NFL free agents this year. Most fans know the name of the Super Bowl LV champion and 2020 second-team All-Pro selection. The fact is, speed is the only thing he offers. Unfortunately, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers experienced from 2021-’23, White lacks any discipline and quarterbacks have a field day attacking him in coverage. The inability to diagnose what’s happening has made White one of the worst off-ball linebackers in the NFL over the last three years. Keep in mind, he had Lavonte David there to clean up his mistakes, too.

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The Buffalo Bills certainly made headlines when they released Tre’Davious White, a household name for even casual NFL fans. Unfortunately, devastating injuries have turned him into one of the most overrated NFL free agents in 2024. White suffered an ACL tear in November 2021 then tore his Achilles tendon in Week 4 of last season. He is not going to be anything close to 100 percent in 2024. Even if he was, White barely performed at a starting caliber level from 2021-’22.

With so many high-end safeties made available in NFL free agency this offseason, we had to move a bit further down the list. C.J. Gardner-Johnson seemed to have a breakout year in 2022 with the Philadelphia Eagles, snagging a career-high 6 interceptions. Yet, even then, he had to settle for a one-year contract. Gardner-Johnson played in just 3 games last year and when he’s been healthy, pass coverage and defending the run aren’t strengths of his game. With so many high-end defensive backs available in NFL free agency, Gardner-Johnson could be waiting a long time to be signed.

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