2011 NFL Free Agency: 6 Expensive Players Who Will Be Busts

The NFL lockout ended today, and with that, the 2011 NFL free agency market is open for business as of Friday.

For that, I have only one word: finally!

On the topic of potential free agent busts, however, I have a few too many words to put into one slide. There may or may not be a free agent bust as big as Albert Haynesworth of 2009, but as always is the case with big-time, big-money free agent signings, there are a few names that are cause for concern.

Here's just a short list of the guys to watch out for before writing a big check.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik on Twitter @erikfrenz

Reggie Bush

The New Orleans Saints still haven't cut Reggie Bush, so he's not a free agent yet. Still, due to the drafting of Mark Ingram in April and the $12.6 million due to Bush, it is widely assumed that he will be cut. When he is, he will likely garner a lot of money to sign elsewhere. The question now is whether he will sign with an offense that's as conducive to his style of play as New Orleans' offense is.

Bush has a very specific skill set, and that is to make a defense pay when he gets out into space. It sounds easy, but when that's his only real strong suit, if an offense doesn't use him the right way or doesn't have the right system for him to excel, it becomes easy for him to bust out.

To make matters worse for Bush, he was downright ineffective after sustaining a hip injury in Week 2. With a mediocre 4.2 YPA and just 6.1 YPC, Bush didn't give the Saints the explosive burst they got from him in 2009. Still, a team in need of an offensive spark could easily dish out the big bucks for Bush, and he could easily make them pay (in more ways than one).

Sidney Rice

With the threat of Adrian Peterson breaking a long gain everytime he touches the ball, safeties had to cheat toward the box a little bit. In 2009, Brett Favre was making them pay for it and hooked up with Rice  83 times for 15.3 yards a pop and eight touchdowns.

Of course, Favre caved in 2010 almost worse than the roof of the Metrodome, but that was hardly the only reason for Sidney Rice's change in fortune. After having hip surgery just weeks before the season, Rice was out of action for 10 games and only caught 17 passes for two touchdowns.

Moreover, the fact that Rice only reached his fullest potential when catching passes from Favre should be cause for pause among teams thinking that Rice could open up the offense.

Whether a team chooses to give Rice a pass on his injury-plagued 2010 campaign remains to be seen, but whoever signs him must be cognizant of the risk at hand, especially if they don't have a top-flight quarterback.

DeAngelo Williams

The Carolina Panthers likely won't re-sign Williams, which could be a mistake if he doesn't command big money on the open market. If he does, however, it could be a wise decision.

Expectations were high for Williams coming off back-to-back stellar seasons in 2008 and '09 in which he averaged over five yards per attempt. Totaling 489 carries over that two-year span took their toll, though, and injuries made him mortal once again. Both of his injuries were to his feet, with a sprained left ankle and a strain in the arch of his foot. They made him mortal, and he averaged just 4.2 yards per attempt.

At 28 years old, the potential is there for a full recovery. Still, there is potential that the wheels could begin to fall off and injuries could pile up. Where there's smoke, there's usually fire. More to the point, Williams' comments on his desire to remain in Carolina make it harder for a team to pry him away. It would practically have to overpay just to pick him up.

Eric Weddle

The San Diego Chargers have had a fierce front seven for awhile, but they had one of the best front sevens in all of football in 2010, just a year after having one of the worst in 2009. This, according to the Defensive Hog Index at Cold, Hard Football Facts:

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San Diego’s Defensive Hogs should have been one of the big stories of 2010: they climbed all the way from No. 26 on the Defensive Hog Index in 2009 to a tie with Pittsburgh’s vaunted D-Hogs for the top spot in 2010. The Chargers were No. 2 in Negative Pass Plays (11.78%) and No. 4 in third-down conversions (33.49%) last season.

"

With that in mind, Weddle's quick emergence as a solid safety should come as no surprise. It's much easier to play defensive back when the front seven is consistently harassing the quarterback and getting penetration.

Weddle is far from a game-changing safety, having racked up four sacks and six interceptions in his four-year career. Where he has made his name is with his fundamentals. He had 125 tackles in 2008 and 95 in 2010. A team that spends the money on Weddle's services shouldn't expect a player that will change the complexion of its defense.

Antonio Cromartie

Cromartie jumped onto the map in 2007 with 10 interceptions for the San Diego Chargers and his first (and only) Pro Bowl selection. After that, his time in San Diego was largely considered a disappointment. He was called out for taking too many chances and for playing a less-than-willing role in run support.

Lo and behold, the New York Jets took a chance on him and traded a conditional draft pick that turned out to be a second-round selection. He wasn't a dynamic playmaking threat as he had been in 2007, but he was a nice complement to Revis Island and gave the Jets some flexibility in their coverages, grabbing three interceptions along the way.

Somehow, the media circus of the New York Jets franchise made people forget what a headache he was before he arrived there. Either that, or the Jets culture just embraced it so we forgot by default. A more rigid atmosphere could be just the thing to set Cromartie off again, and a different defensive system may also hamper his production.

Ike Taylor

Although Ike Taylor is the best cornerback the Pittsburgh Steelers have to offer, that's not really saying a whole lot about either one. The Steelers have gotten by with lesser talent at cornerback due to their vicious front seven and the pressure constantly applied by the No. 1 Defensive Hogs in the league.

Taylor isn't a game-changing cornerback, and he has never intercepted more than three passes in a single season. He has long speed better than many cornerbacks in the NFL, but his lack of quickness is easily exposed underneath, as evidenced by the New England Patriots in a 38-24 drubbing at Heinz Field in which Wes Welker and Deion Branch combined for 15 receptions for 160 yards.

There's also the concern that Taylor has lost a step over the years, and if that's the case, Taylor could bust out quicker than previously thought. For that reason, the team that takes a chance on him in free agency should make sure it has a solid front seven in place before spending the big bucks.