There are still a ton of top-end NFL free agents remaining with the regular season roughly a month away. Some of them reside on the defensive side of the ball and have a tremendous amount of previous success behind them. Justin Simmons, anyone?
On the offensive side of the ball, several former Pro Bowlers find themselves without a team at this point in the summer. Where will they land? Here, we look at the top-10 remaining NFL free agents and their ideal landing spots.
10. Ryan Tannehill, quarterback
Despite struggles over the past two seasons, it’s still surprising that Tannehill is among the remaining NFL free agents. A Pro Bowler back in 2019, this former first-round pick put up a career-best performance with the Tennessee Titans the following season. That campaign saw Tannehill throw for 3,819 yards with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Teams will end up showing interest in the Texas A&M product ahead of Week 1. It’ll be all about how the preseason goes.
- Ideal fit: Los Angeles Chargers
9. Dalvin Cook, running back
Cook split time between the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens after a brilliant six-year run with the Minnesota Vikings. It id not go according to plan for the four-time Pro Bowler. He averaged a mere 3.2 yards per rush while tallying 214 yards on the ground. Set to turn 29, some believe that Cook is washed. We’re not sold on that. Here’s a dude who averaged 1,605 total yards and 12 touchdowns from 2019-22. He should be drawing more interest in NFL free agency. That’s for sure.
- Ideal fit: Dallas Cowboys
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8. Hunter Renfrow, wide receiver
It wasn’t a surprise that the Las Vegas Raiders released this former Pro Bowl wide receiver. He had a large cap hit in 2024. Meanwhile, Renfrow fell out of favor when it came to the Vegas’ depth chart (25 receptions, 255 yards). Though, it’s hard to deny what he did with the Raiders back in 2021. The slot guy tallied 103 receptions for 1,038 yards while catching a whopping 80.5% of his targets. Some team is going to look at that and think they can help him return to form.
- Ideal fit: New York Jets
7. Adoree’ Jackson, cornerback
There is little doubt that the 28-year-old Jackson remains one of the best NFL free agents on the market. He did struggle with the New York Giants a season ago, yielding a 66% completion and 95.5 QB rating when targeted. However, the history of success is here for the former Tennessee Titans first-round pick. Back in 2021 with New York, he gave up a 52.1% completion and 69.0 QB rating. In today’s pass-first NFL, there is going to be interest.
Ideal fit: Minnesota Vikings
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6. Micah Hyde, safety
Micah Hyde has always been underrated. Despite a stellar college career at Iowa, he fell to the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Since then, we’re talking about a safety that has earned a Pro Bowl spot and made two All-Pro teams. Back in 2021 with Buffalo, Hyde recorded five interceptions. He can still be a ball hawk at the relatively advanced age of 33.
Ideal fit: New York Giants
5. Michael Thomas, wide receiver
It was back in 2019 with the New Orleans Saints that Michael Thomas put up a record-breaking performance. He caught a whopping 149 balls for 1,725 yards. It was one of the greatest single seasons for a receiver in league history. Sadly, injuries have caught up with him since. Thomas, 31, has played in all of 20 games since the end of that 2019 season. Could he be washed? A lack of interest in NFL free agency might be telling. But expect some team to give him a chance ahead of Week 1.
Ideal fit: Kansas City Chiefs
4. Yannick Ngakoue, EDGE
Yannick Ngakoue is among the most interesting remaining NFL free agents. He’s a former Pro Bowler. The edge rusher has also registered eight-plus sacks six times in his eight-year career. At issue here are perceived struggles against the run. That makes him a situational pass rusher. The good news? He’s a fit in both the 4-3 and 3-4 defensive schemes. Teams will come calling the closer we get to Week 1.
- Ideal fit: Las Vegas Raiders
3. Stephon Gilmore, cornerback
You don’t often see five-time Pro Bowlers who are playing at a high level find themselves on the NFL free agent market at this point in the summer. That’s the situation Gilmore finds himself in after a great first (and likely) only season with the Cowboys. The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year recorded 13 passes defended with two interceptions in Big D a season ago. Opposing signal callers posted a 55.8% completion and 82.7 QB rating when targeting him. The dude still has it.
Ideal fit: San Francisco 49ers
2. David Bakhtiari, offensive tackle
This three-time Pro Bowl left tackle has decided to return for at least one more season after playing in just 13 games since the end of the 2020 campaign. If healthy, Bakhtiari would certainly help a contending team. It’s one of his goals. That is to say, winning a Super Bowl. It has us believing one team is a perfect fit.
- Ideal fit: Kansas City Chiefs
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1. Justin Simmons, safety
Simmons, 30, was released by the Denver Broncos this past spring despite earning both Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. That’s certainly a rarity in today’s NFL. The safety is a ball hawk in the truest sense of the term. He’s recorded a whopping 19 interceptions over the past four seasons. That’s hard to duplicate. And it has him sitting atop our list of the top remaining NFL free agents.
- Ideal fit: Detroit Lions