Breaking Down The Best Available NFL Free Agents And Where They May Land
It's been a wild few days. NFL free agency 2021 has gotten started in earnest, and teams are quickly making moves to shore up their roster with players they hope will help their team win.
While a number of big names are already off the board, there are a LOT of players on both sides of the ball who have yet to sign.
Today as the signing period continues around the league and players look forward to their new homes, here are the best players that remain unsigned from around the NFL:
Wide Receiver
Kenny Golladay - Lots of rumors suggested he might go to the New York Giants, but now it appears he's likely to return to his original team, the Lions.
Will Fuller IV - Plenty of teams reportedly have interest in the speedster, including the Jets, Bears, Pats, Dolphins and Raiders. Don't be shocked to see him ink in the next 48 hours.
JuJu Smith-Schuster - JuJu has said over and over he wants to stay with the Steelers, but this is a franchise that can pick receivers in the draft like no one's business. So expect him to ink with the Raiders, Patriots, Dolphins or Jets.
Curtis Samuel - A couple teams in Florida are reportedly interested in Samuel's services, including Jacksonville and Miami. Outside of that, it's the usual suspects with the Bengals being thrown in the mix. Samuel will likely be gone by Friday.
Running Back
Chris Carson - The Seahawks running back is being looked at closely by New England, a team that always seems to be in the mix for a RB this time of the year.
Leonard Fournette - Tom Brady has already reached out to Fournette, and the champs would love to keep him around for 2021 and beyond. If not, New England would have interest. The Hawks would too, if Chris Carson leaves.
Offensive Line
Rodney Hudson - The former Raiders center is getting love from two AFC North teams that could use him, the Ravens and Bengals.
Alejandro Villanueva - Pittsburgh has had every chance to bring Villanueva back and hasn't done it. He's struggled the last two years, so he might be waiting awhile for a team to ink him.
Mitchell Schwartz - It wasn't a shocker when Kansas City released Schwartz, and the normal list of teams looking for line help -- Baltimore, Cincy, Las Vegas and possibly Miami -- are likely talking to him.
Linebacker
Jayon Brown - The former UCLA Bruin was selected by the Titans in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, but he isn't expected to return to Tennessee. Teams that need linebackers, such as the Lions, could use Brown.
Kwon Alexander - Two teams that are reportedly interested in Alexander after his release from the Saints are the Rams and 49ers, but there's sure to be a wild card team or two in the mix.
K.J Wright - A 2011 fourth-round pick of the Hawks, Wright may wind up with the Titans, even after they inked Steelers free agent Bud Dupree. The Bucs and Seattle are two other teams that just might jump in the mix.
Defensive Backs
Patrick Peterson - With plenty of gas still left in the tank, Peterson's been back and forth about returning to Arizona, but he still hasn't signed with the Cards or anyone else. A report says he's got his eye on signing with one of three teams, Arizona and two unnamed playoff teams from the last two years.
Casey Hayward - Melvin Gordon is trying to recruit Hayward to come to Denver, and that would be a good fit. There are also reports that the Chiefs, Bills and Titans want to take a flier on Hayward.
Richard Sherman - Sherman is ready to make an impact somewhere, and the Saints and 49ers have reportedly spoken to him about playing for their team in 2021.