8 Underrated Players Who Should Be Re-Signed Before 2023 NFL Free Agency
Every year, NFL teams get into bidding competitions for the top free agents, but some clubs will take care of in-house business before the legal tampering period begins on March 13.
Typically, a couple of weeks before the start of the new league year, front offices will try to re-sign key veterans—marquee and role players alike.
This week, at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, general managers and head coaches answered questions about players who may be in active negotiations with the team and offseason plans to retain certain impending free agents.
Rather than highlight the star players who may not hit the open market, we're going to put a spotlight on eight underrated veterans who should earn a pay raise with their respective teams before free agency.
D'Onta Foreman, RB, Carolina Panthers
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D'Onta Foreman carved out a major role in the Carolina Panthers' backfield after the team traded Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers in October.
In Carolina's first game without McCaffrey, Foreman registered 15 carries for 118 yards in a 21-3 upset win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the following week, he had his best game of the 2022 season, recording 26 carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-34 overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Though Foreman split touches with Chuba Hubbard, he finished as the Panthers' leading rusher with 914 yards and five touchdowns. With the former in the lead role out of the backfield, Carolina established a physical offensive identity under former interim head coach Steve Wilks, ranking 10th in rushing yards for the season.
Early in his career, Foreman struggled with injuries, though the Houston Texans waived him in part because the team felt he needed to "grow up." In fill-in duty for an injured Derrick Henry, the 6'0", 235-pound bruising back had a few 108-plus-yard rushing performances with the Tennessee Titans during the 2021 term. Then, he found his way in a starting role last season.
General manager Scott Fitterer will prioritize re-signing Foreman, which means the big-bodied ball-carrier should have a shot to hold on to the feature rushing role in Carolina.
Jamaal Williams, RB, Detroit Lions
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Jamaal Williams is another underrated running back who's unlikely to reach the open market. Coming off his most productive campaign, he embodies a hard-nosed Detroit Lions squad under head coach Dan Campbell.
While ranking the Lions' top free agents, The Athletic's Colton Pouncy put Williams at No.2 and wrote he "set the tone for the rebuild and is the heart and soul of the Lions."
Lions general manager Brad Holmes told reporters Williams has had discussions with the team about a new deal.
On Wednesday, Campbell talked about the team's plan to keep D'Andre Swift on the field. The dynamic running back battled injuries early in the 2022 term and took on a limited workload for most of the campaign. So, he may continue to play in a change-of-pace role as a ball-carrier behind Williams, who saw a lion's share of the carries (262) last season.
In 2022, Williams racked up 1,066 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground. While he may not match his scoring total from the previous campaign, the 27-year-old running back will likely remain a component of an ascending offense under play-caller Ben Johnson.
Arden Key, Edge, Jacksonville Jaguars
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After an underwhelming three-year stint with the Oakland and Las Vegas Raiders, Arden Key benefitted from a change of scenery. Over the past two years with the San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars, he's developed into a solid edge defender, racking up 39 pressures, 11 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in that span.
Though Key had his most productive campaign with the 49ers in terms of sacks and quarterback hits, he established himself as a leader in the Jaguars locker room this past season. SI.com's John Shipley praised him for his intangibles and versatility.
"The veteran signed with the Jaguars on a one-year deal last offseason and made the most of it, proving to be one of the top leadership voices on defense while also making an impact as a pass-rusher from a number of alignments," Shipley wrote.
With 2022 No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker and 2019 No. 7 overall pick Josh Allen on the edges, Key would continue to play in a reserve role in Jacksonville, though his guidance may be helpful to Walker while hefaces heightened expectations because of his draft status.
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Jermaine Eluemunor, OL, Las Vegas Raiders
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In his first season as a full-time starter, Jermaine Eluemunor proved he's a quality pass-blocking tackle, allowing just three sacks through 940 snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
Though Eluemunor struggled with penalties (10), he held his own at a premium position against top-notch pass-rushers. The Athletic's Tim Kawakami noted the right tackle's one-on-one performance against 2022 Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa in Week 17.
"Eluemunor is doing a nice job blocking Bosa -- haven't even seen many chips or double-teams. Just staying in front of him snap after snap," Kawakami tweeted.
Typically, teams have to pay a premium for starting offensive tackles even if they're not Pro Bowl-caliber players. Spotrac projects that Kaleb McGary, Mike McGlinchey and Jawaan Taylor will all cost $14-plus million, while Eluemunor is seen as likely to bank about $5.6 million.
Before 2022, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels worked with Eluemunor for two terms during their time in New England. The six-year veteran knows the team's system, and he's trending in the right direction as a starter with a potentially modest market value.
After running back Josh Jacobs, Eluemunor should be the No. 2 impending free agent on the Raiders' priority list because of his position.
Jeff Wilson Jr., RB, Miami Dolphins
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Like D'Onta Foreman and Jamaal Williams, Jeff Wilson Jr. had arguably his best season in 2022, playing eight games each with the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins. He accumulated 1,045 yards and six touchdowns from scrimmage in total.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who served as the run game and offensive coordinator for the 49ers between 2017 and 2021, acquired Wilson from his former team via trade on November 1.
Clearly, Wilson's familiarity with McDaniel helped him transition into Miami's offense. In his second outing with the Dolphins, he recorded 17 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown and tacked on a couple of receptions for 24 yards.
The Dolphins only gave up a fifth-round pick to acquire Wilson, and he may stick around in a prominent role out of the backfield.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, general manager Chris Grier mentioned the possibility of re-signing Wilson and Raheem Mostert, who's also a former 49er. Between the two running backs, the former is three years younger, which makes him a more appealing asset at the position.
Julian Love, DB, New York Giants
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Julian Love made significant developmental progress in a full-time starting role this past season.
According to The Athletic's Charlotte Carroll, Love wore the green dot as the one member of the defense in contact with the coaching staff between plays, which shows the trust defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale has in him. The four-year defensive back logged a team-leading 124 tackles, six for loss, five pass breakups and two interceptions while allowing an 89.8 passer rating in coverage.
The Giants should make a strong effort to retain Love, who can line up in the slot, in the box and in center field. Together, he and Xavier McKinney are possibly the most versatile starting safety duo across the league.
After quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley, Love is arguably Big Blue's third-most-important impending free agent because of his leadership role on the back end of Martindale's defense.
Cameron Sutton, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers
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At an opportune time ahead of free agency, Cameron Sutton made a case that he's the Pittsburgh Steelers' top cornerback.
Though Levi Wallace also had a standout campaign in his first season with the team, Sutton led the Steelers in pass breakups (15) and allowed a 47.9 percent completion rate and a 65.3 passer rating in coverage. With the ability to line up on the perimeter or in the slot, he's an invaluable asset in the secondary.
After a breakout term, Sutton seems poised to sign a third deal with the Steelers. General manager Omar Khan commented on negotiations with the six-year cornerback.
"We love and think very highly of Cam," Khan said. "Conversations (on an extension) have commenced, and we will see where it goes. Just like all our other free agents, everything is on the table."
According to Spotrac, Sutton could command $7.6 million in annual salary, which may be an underestimate for a starting cover man with inside-out versatility. The Steelers should prepare to pay him close to $10 million per year, and he's absolutely worth that amount.
David Long Jr., LB, Tennessee Titans
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Under new general manager Ran Carthon, the Tennessee Titans have already made notable cuts, releasing three-time Pro Bowl tackle Taylor Lewan, wide receiver Robert Woods, linebacker Zach Cunningham and kicker Randy Bullock.
As the Titans' new regime figures out how to strengthen the defense, specifically through the air, it should retain three-down linebacker David Long Jr.
As a 2019 sixth-round pick out of West Virginia, Long has seen his snap count increase every season and earned a gradual promotion into a starting role. He's played at least 89 percent of the defensive snaps in each of the previous two campaigns.
In 2022, Long registered career highs in tackles (86) and tackles for loss (seven) with five pass breakups and two interceptions in 12 contests.
With Cunningham out of the picture, Long should return on a new deal as a starter alongside 2021 third-rounder Monty Rice. Tennessee needs a reliable centerpiece for a defense that ranked 23rd in yards allowed last season.
The Titans have $12.4 million in cap space, and Spotrac projects Long would only cost them $4.9 million.
Salary-cap information courtesy of Over The Cap unless otherwise noted.
Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.
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