10 NFL Free Agents Who Can Fill Remaining Holes After 2023 Draft
Every team entered the 2023 NFL draft hoping to fill some kind of void on their roster. Not everyone will feel like they were successful in doing so, though.
That's where the free agents who remain unsigned can come in.
If a player is still on the market right now, there's a reason. However, there are still some with proven production who could help fill immediate needs right now.
From pass-rushers who are still capable of getting after the quarterback in a part-time role or a veteran tackle who could be insurance if a young guy isn't ready to be in the starting lineup, the 2023 free-agent class still has some useful players looking for a home.
If your team missed out on a player who can fill a need right now, these players are worth giving a call.
Edge Frank Clark
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If there's a team looking to add a veteran who knows how to win in the playoffs, there's no better fit than Frank Clark.
Clark's regular season numbers don't jump off the page. He's certainly not been as productive as Leonard Floyd, another free agent who is still available. But Clark has shown up when it counts for Kansas City over the last four years.
Clark had 10.5 sacks in 12 playoff games with Kansas and was instrumental in two Super Bowl runs.
The defensive end will be 30 years old when the season starts and he had just five sacks last year. For the majority of his career, his snap share has been around 70 percent.
At this point, it might be best for him to take on a smaller role given his dwindling production. However, he still holds up as a good power rusher who can also defend the run and brings a track record of raising his game in the playoffs.
Edge Jadeveon Clowney
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Jadeveon Clowney being available well into the free agency period is becoming an annual tradition. The Browns signed him in April of 2021 the first time and waited until May 25 to bring him aboard last year.
It was the first time he has played for the same team in back-to-back seasons since 2018 in Houston.
This time, it doesn't look like Cleveland will be showing up for him. Clowney told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that there was a "95 percent chance" he won't be back and that he, needs, "to be around somebody that believes in me."
That was after a season in which Clowney only had two sacks playing across from Myles Garrett. The 30-year-old has been inconsistent when it comes to sack totals throughout his career, but that doesn't always paint the whole picture.
Clowney is a strong run defender and a fine No. 2 pass-rusher. He's struggled with injuries and hasn't played a season without missing at least one game since 2017.
But if a team is looking for a starting defensive end and has good depth, he would still make a fine addition to any rotation.
OT Cameron Fleming
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No one is going to jump up and down celebrating a Cameron Fleming signing. Someone might change their tune if their starting tackle goes down, though.
Fleming is going to be an asset to some team this season. The 30-year-old made starts for the Broncos last season at left and right tackle, earning a 72.6 grade from PFF despite giving up seven sacks and six penalties.
Perhaps the best endorsement of Fleming's utility is that Field Yates of ESPN recently reported that the veteran had a visit with the Miami Dolphins. That's significant because Butch Barry was Fleming's offensive line coach with the Broncos last season, now he's in Miami.
The fact that he would be interested in bringing in Fleming shows how much he values his skill set.
A team like Miami makes a lot of sense for him. Terron Armstead has struggled with injuries throughout his career, and Austin Jackson is far from proven at right tackle. Fleming could give them reasonable play at either spot.
There are certainly other teams looking at their tackle situation and finding they could use a swing tackle like Fleming.
Edge Leonard Floyd
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Leonard Floyd has started every game since 2018 and has 29 sacks over the last three seasons. Given those factors, it's kind of baffling that he remains a free agent.
Floyd was released by the Los Angeles Rams in a cost-cutting move just before free agency on March 10. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Floyd should sign "relatively quickly" and noted that there was "plenty of interest".
Fast-forward to April 30 and he remains unsigned.
Perhaps Floyd's numbers are a little inflated from playing on the same defensive front as Aaron Donald. His ability to flush passers out of the pocket from the interior can help any edge rusher put up better stats.
But even with that in mind, he's a 30-year-old with proven durability and the ability to play a premium position. Floyd has played at least 80 percent of the snaps in each of the last four seasons.
Any team that missed out on adding a pass-rusher should be talking to Floyd's agent right now.
DT Matthew Ioannidis
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This time of year, it's typically run-stuffing defensive tackles who are still available. There are usually quite a few big-bodied tackles capable of clogging lanes in a part-time role.
You don't usually see ones who have the pass-rushing chops of Matthew Ioannidis still on the market.
The 29-year-old's sack totals are deceiving. He had just one sack with the Panthers after signing a one-year, $5.9 million contract. However, he had the fifth-highest pass-rush win rate of all defensive tackles, per ESPN.
Ioannidis is one slot ahead of Dre'Mont Jones who snagged a three-year, $51.5 million contract in free agency.
Sack totals can be fickle. Especially on the interior when pass-rush wins usually result in a quarterback simply rolling out and into edge rushers. But Ioannidis combined for 16 sacks in the 2018 and 2019 campaigns when he was with Washington.
Expecting him to lead the charge on the interior is probably asking too much. But he could certainly come in and add some life to the interior of a defensive line that doesn't have anyone who can push the pocket on third downs.
Edge Yannick Ngakoue
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At this point, it's pretty clear that there's a logjam of veteran pass-rushers who could make a difference. Yannick Ngakoue is yet another player who has proven production but hasn't found a home yet.
Much like Clowney, Ngakoue has racked up quite the NFL passport. He's played for five different teams over the last four seasons. While he has had at least eight sacks in every year of his seven seasons, he's a bit of a one-dimensional player.
At 6'2", 246 pounds, he's simply not a good run defender. He doesn't have the strength to anchor against the run or set a good edge.
That being said, sacks sell, and teams can always use another pass-rusher. The Jacksonville Jaguars are among those teams, and there could be a reunion in the offing.
"It would not be out of the realm of possibility for them to bring a guy in, and Yannick Ngakoue's a name I hear a lot," ESPN's Michael DiRocco told 1010XL (h/t Adam Stites of Jaguars Wire). "I just don't know if he's willing to accept that role, and I think the money he's asking for—from what I've heard—is not in an area the Jaguars are willing to go at this point. That'll be interesting to keep an eye on after the draft."
Ngakoue's best season came in 2017 when he notched 12 sacks with the Jaguars. Perhaps a return to the team that drafted him could result in a more long-term situation for him.
CB Marcus Peters
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Marcus Peters might not be an All-Pro talent anymore, but writing him off as washed-up is premature.
Yet that seems to be the message the league is sending by not signing the 30-year-old at this point.
Peters missed the entire 2021 campaign with a torn ACL. When he returned in 2022, he posted one of the worst seasons of his career. Peters drew seven penalties, per NFLPenalties.com, and allowed seven touchdowns in coverage, leading to a passer rating of 113.7 when targeted.
Those numbers are undeniably bad, but that's one year removed from an ACL tear. He also missed some time with a calf injury.
If the added time of working out and recovering helps him get closer to the player he was before the injury, then Peters is an upgrade for several teams. Even through his struggles last season, defensive coordinator Mike McDonald spoke highly of the energy he brings to the table.
"Marcus has been a big part of what we've been doing, no matter what his role has been, throughout the whole season," McDonald said, per Clifton Brown of BaltimoreRavens.com. "He sits right in front of me in defensive team meetings, and he's a guy that brings a lot of energy. When he's out there, and when he's with the guys, it definitely brings a boost to the team."
The injury concerns are real, but he's an asset as a leader and playmaker when he's on the field.
OG Dalton Risner
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Dalton Risner is not going to transform an offensive line, but if he's the weak link in the chain, then you have a pretty good offensive line.
At this point in the offseason, that's a good sales pitch. Risner has been a starter since entering the league in 2019. He's dealt with minor injuries that have kept him out of the lineup for a few games a year in that time span, but he's delivered solid results when healthy.
Specifically, he isn't going to kill a team in pass protection. According to PFF, Risner has allowed four sacks or fewer each year and never drawn more than four penalties in any season.
That's the kind of play that's never going to earn a Pro Bowl nod, but he's a useful player.
There are still several teams who could use a replacement-level guard. He would also make sense as insurance for teams who drafted a guard in hopes he'll be ready to start right away.
LB Kyle Van Noy
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Kyle Van Noy is the oldest player on this list. At 32 years old, he's definitely starting to hit the danger zone from that perspective.
His one-year stint with the Los Angeles Chargers showed he's still capable of being a contributor on a defense, though. He played 70 percent of the defensive snaps in 13 games and wound up with 46 tackles, eight tackles for loss, five sacks and nine quarterback hits.
Van Noy has typically been involved with the Patriots or teams coached by Bill Belichick disciples throughout his career, but he showed he can get outside of that coaching tree and still be an effective member of a defense.
That opens up the possibility for him to help out on a wider array of teams in 2023. He's still capable of playing off-ball linebacker but coming as a blitzer or pass-rusher off the edge in certain instances.
That kind of versatility and ability to be a secondary pass-rush threat makes him a useful player going forward. It should just be a matter of time before a team realizes that Van Noy could provide valuable snaps as part of a rotation and added flexibility when dealing with front-seven injuries.
CB Rock Ya-Sin
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Rock Ya-Sin's injury history is the likely culprit for his free-agent status this far into the offseason. In the 2022-23 season, he went on injured reserve in Week 13 with a knee injury, limiting him to 11 games after missing Week 4 with a knee injury as well.
Ya-Sin's skills and age should be the reason he eventually winds up on a roster.
The soon-to-be 27-year-old has dealt with injuries throughout his four-year career. He played 15 games in his rookie season with the Colts but hasn't played more than 13 since.
Availability is an important ability, but so is the skill to stick with receivers in man coverage, and Ya-Sin is good at the latter. According to Player Profiler, Ya-Sin had one of the highest man-coverage rates in the league last season at 68.6 percent.
He allowed a passer rating of 81.7 when targeted, which was 21st best among corners.
Cornerback is a position in which depth is key. It's hard to imagine teams that rely heavily on man coverage aren't interested in adding him in the coming weeks.
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