At this point of the NFL offseason — every training camp will start by July 25 — the bulk of free agents available are either considered old by NFL standards or coming off injuries. No stars are available, but several players could help playoff-caliber teams as starters or quality backups.
Here’s a look at Sportsnaut’s top 10 available free agents:
1. DeAndre Hopkins, WR (31-years-old)
Hopkins remains a game-changing talent, even though he’s played only 19 of 33 games the past two seasons. He’s not the beast he used to be — he’s caught 106 passes for 1,284 yards and 11 touchdowns the past two years – but he’s a quality route-runner with excellent hands. If he’s not a team’s No.1 receiver, he’ll really be worth the money.
2. Dalvin Cook, RB (27-years-old)
Cook has four straight 1,100-yard seasons, and he can be a difference-maker. The problem? He’s at an age when runners usually start to fall off a cliff, plus he plays position teams no longer want to spend big money on because they can easily find younger, cheaper options. He’s not going to be thrilled with the money he eventually gets, but he’s going to help some team. He has 43 touchdowns and a 4.7 average per carry since 2019.
3. Yannick Ngakoue, DE (28-years-old)
Ngakoue has never had fewer than eight sacks, and he remains in his athletic prime. He has 19.5 sacks in the last two seasons and has missed just one game. Today’s NFL is about pressuring the quarterback, and Ngakoue does it better than any free agents left on the market.
4. Marcus Peters, CB (30-years-old)
Peters ranks fourth among active players with 32 interceptions, three behind Devin McCarty’s 35. Once a ballhawk, always a ballhawk. Teams always need cornerbacks since offenses run so many formations with three and four receivers. He’s no longer elite, but he’s good enough to contribute significantly to a good team.
5. Teddy Bridgewater, QB (30-years-old)
Bridgewater will join his fifth team in five years, so we know he can learn a new offense. He’s 33-32 as a starter with 75 touchdowns and 47 interceptions. He’s good in the locker room, and he won’t lose games because of mistakes. He’d be a nice backup on a good team because he can keep the train moving as long as the roster has enough playmakers.
6. Dalton Risner, OG (27-years-old)
Risner has started each of the 62 games he’s played in the NFL. He’s a good player — Pro Football Focus ranked him 41 among guards — who could help several teams. The issue is price. Guards are considered the least valuable offensive linemen, and teams only want to pay the great ones, and he doesn’t fit into that category. Pressure up the middle disrupts any quarterback, which is why he’ll find work pretty quickly once teams start camp.
7. Melvin Ingram, LB (34-years-old)
Ingram can still get to the quarterback, evidenced by his six sacks last year, his highest total since 2019. He’s been looking for a fifth team since 2020, but he’s the player who could help a good team win a crucial game in December or January.
8. Ron Darby, CB (29-years-old)
Darby tore his ACL last October, so he will probably not be the best version of himself until 2024. That said, he’s a solid player, and he could be a quality backup while he gets the confidence back in his knee. Darby hasn’t intercepted a pass in 32 games, but cornerback is more about the plays you give up than the plays you make.
9. Jadeveon Clowney, DE (30-years-old)
Clowney is among the league’s most overrated players. He has just 14 sacks in his last 47 games. He has big-play ability, which might entice some playoff teams to add him to its stable of pass rushers. He’s been in the league for nine years and never had ten sacks.
10. Ezekiel Elliott, RB (27-years-old)
Elliott isn’t much different than Leonard Fournette or Kareem Hunt as an aging runner whose numbers have declined. Fournette and Hunt each had their average yard per carry dip by a yard last year. Elliott is good around the goal line, outstanding as a pass protector, and has good hands. If he accepts a lesser role for the first time since he started playing football, he can still help a team.
Jean-Jacques Taylor is an NFL Insider for Sportsnaut and the author of the upcoming book “Coach Prime“, with Deion Sanders. Follow him on Twitter.