5 NFL Free Agents Most Likely to Bust After Training Camp
Every NFL free-agent signing has good intentions, but some of those decisions inevitably will not work out.
Red flags occasionally pop up quickly, too.
Back in March, dozens of free agents signed with teams with the expectation of being an immediate contributor during the 2023 NFL season. However, a handful of those additions are steadily becoming more worrying.
Several of these fits seemed questionable at the time, and training camp hasn't yet altered that perception. For others, this preseason has brought an unexpected set of obstacles.
The list is subjective but considers a player's past performance, current fit and projections for 2023.
Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
1 of 5
Jimmy Garoppolo is dangerously close to becoming a "what-if" scenario. In short, injuries have hampered his otherwise promising career.
He missed 13 games in 2018 because of a torn left ACL and 10 games in 2020 due to a lingering ankle injury. He played well last season after replacing an injured Trey Lance but ended up suffering a season-ending foot injury in Week 13.
The Las Vegas Raiders can only hope that Garoppolo stays healthy. That's far easier said than done, though.
Beyond the health concerns, Garoppolo has plenty to prove in Las Vegas. San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is a master of masking his quarterback's weaknesses, while Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels is not nearly as adept in that department.
Every quarterback occasionally makes a bad decision, but Garoppolo's worst moments can be back-breaking. The fear is that those passes may happen more regularly in Las Vegas.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, New England Patriots
2 of 5
At the risk of joining the "stink, stank, stunk" dialogue, it's difficult to not consider New England Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster as a possible free-agent bust.
Context is a driving factor here. Smith-Schuster signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract with the Patriots that includes $16 million in guaranteed money. Meanwhile, the Patriots' leading receiver from last season, Jakobi Meyers, joined the Las Vegas Raiders on a three-year, $33 million pact with $16 million in guaranteed money.
Is the change actually worth it?
Smith-Schuster put up a terrific 1,426-yard campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018, but it happened opposite Antonio Brown. He enjoyed a bit of a resurgence on the Kansas City Chiefs last year, although it helped playing next to All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce and with reigning Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
New England is counting on Smith-Schuster to emerge as Mac Jones' key receiver. While Meyers started to show that ability last season, Smith-Schuster feels miscast as a WR1.
Andre Dillard, OT, Tennessee Titans
3 of 5
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Andre Dillard with the No. 22 overall pick in 2019. However, a mix of subpar performance and injuries limited him to only 714 snaps across his four seasons with the team.
Despite his limited resume, the Tennessee Titans signed Dillard to a three-year, $29 million deal in hopes of him playing left tackle.
The main challenge for Dillard is that the Titans have a capable Plan B in 2023 first-round selection Peter Skoronski. Although he's currently trending to start at left guard, Skoronski was a standout left tackle in college.
Dillard will probably stick on the outside for a few months, especially since right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere is set to serve a six-game suspension for violating the league's gamblig policy. But this contract feels like a pricey gamble on perceived potential that hasn't showed up consistently over the last four years.
Meanwhile, Skoronski is worth an extended look because he could be the Titans' left tackle of the future.
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Marcus Davenport, Edge, Minnesota Vikings
4 of 5
When a pass-rusher conversation pops up, I often think of two sentences from San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa: "I just wanna sack the quarterback, dude. It's not as easy as it looks."
If that doesn't describe Marcus Davenport's career...
After tallying 4.5 sacks as a rookie with the New Orleans Saints in 2018, he recorded six in 2019. He then had only 1.5 sacks in 2020, a career-high nine in 2021 and 0.5 in 2022.
Davenport has done a superb job generating pressure, yet he's struggled to consistently finish those opportunities.
The optimistic view is that Davenport will thrive opposite Danielle Hunter, giving the Minnesota Vikings a dynamic pair of pass-rushers. The more realistic view is Davenport won't produce to the level of his $13 million salary.
Nicholas Morrow, LB, Philadelphia Eagles
5 of 5
Early in free agency, Nicholas Morrow inked a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. It looked like he'd immediately slot in as a starter after the Birds lost fellow linebackers T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White in free agency.
That forecast isn't so promising now.
Morrow amassed a career-high 116 tackles on the Chicago Bears last year. But the Eagles recently added Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham, which suggests they aren't satisfied with their current options at linebacker next to Nakobe Dean.
Throw in Christian Elliss, and Philly has a quartet of linebackers battling for a small number of available snaps. Morrow's projected role is seemingly dwindling by the week.
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