The Most Underrated NFL Free Agents Still Available Ahead of 2024 Training Camps
As training camp approaches, teams are meticulously fine-tuning their rosters in preparation for the upcoming season.
While fans and organizational brass remain wide-eyed to see the newest and brightest talent acquired via free agency or the draft, a treasure trove of underrated free agents remains available, each possessing the potential to make significant contributions to a roster.
While the names below may lack the star power they once had, or lack their high-profile and high-paid free agency counterparts that were once in the same market, their skillsets and experience could prove invaluable to teams in need of veteran contribution, or a stop gap option on either side of the ball.
EDGE Yannick Ngakoue
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While his first (and only) Pro Bowl nod came seven years ago, Yannick Ngakoue still looks to possess many of the traits that teams desire in rotational pass rushers.
Ngakoue has bounced from Las Vegas, to Indianapolis to Chicago over the least three campaigns, but numbers are numbers and teams in need of an extra set of legs at edge would be wise to kick the tires on the former third-round selection.
With the prioritization of scoring points through the air, the need for players like Ngakoue has become more and more prevalent as the seasons wear on. More attempts through the air means more opportunities for pass rushers to disrupt the pocket, and few have been more productive than Ngakoue since entering the league (73 career sacks ranks ninth among all defenders since 2016).
Although his days as a Jacksonville Jaguar are long in the past (40 sacks in four seasons), Ngakoue has continued to produce in the years that have followed. His ability as a run defender has continued to showcase room for improvement, however, 26 sacks the last three seasons combined showcases a veteran whose experience and motor could take a defense up a few rungs from a performance ceiling perspective.
2023 saw Ngakoue record his lowest pressure (34) and sack total (4) of his career to date, but landing within an experienced front seven that would allow him to pin his ears back on passing downs could bring the best out of his skill set.
OT Donovan Smith
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A two-time Super Bowl champion, Donovan Smith remains one of the league's most experienced and productive tackles still on the market.
A starter in each of 136 career appearances, Smith's veteran leadership could prove invaluable for a team in need of a stop-gap option for 2024.
The blindside protectant for Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, and Patrick Mahomes during the Chiefs' Super Bowl run last fall, Smith, despite his age and limitations as an athlete, presents a plug-and-play type of veteran that doesn't need a ton of fine tuning.
Although Smith remains without a contract as training camp approaches around the league, he's a name to bold as unforeseen injuries and depth chart alterations occur for all 32 teams.
WR Hunter Renfrow
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In a world of chunk plays and game changing speed, players with skill sets similar to Hunter Renfrow have fallen into the shadows a bit.
While teams annually search for the next blazing speedster, or a playmaker with the ability to make multiple defenders miss inside a phone booth, the ability to separate in the tough areas and execute the dirty work often goes overlooked.
There's no All-Pro nods on Renfrow's resume', nor is he ever discussed as one of the premier slot weapons in football, but Renfrow's lateral quickness, hands and toughness could serve as the final piece to an offensive architecture.
A former fifth-rounder of the Raiders back in 2019, Renfrow has remained consistently productive in his first handful of seasons in the NFL. While his production and target share have tailed off the last two years following three consecutive seasons of 49+ receptions and 600 yards receiving (including a 111-catch 2021 campaign), Renfrow's comfortability in the intermediate areas of an offense is matched by few primary slots in today's game.
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CB Chandon Sullivan
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A former mainstay at nickel for the Green Bay Packers and a rotational piece for Pittsburgh last fall, Chandon Sullivan remains one of the premier slot corners available on the market.
Sullivan, an impact playmaker with 88 career appearances, touts the skillset many defensive coordinators desire in a modern day nickel corner.
At 5'11", 189 pounds, Sullivan's footwork, instincts and ability as a fringe area run defender have seen him enjoy a large amount of success in six seasons. A former undrafted free agent out of Georgia State, the level at which Sullivan competes is reminiscent of a player that went overlooked in the pre-draft process, as well.
Whether its covering a larger wideout in press man, or having to play through the block of a flexed out tight end, Sullivan checks many of the boxes teams search for in gritty nickel defenders.
In 2023, Sullivan allowed a 68.6% receiving percentage (35 targets against) with as many interceptions as touchdowns allowed (1), including three pass breakups.
IOL Halapoulivaati Vaitai
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One of the most experienced offensive linemen available on the market, Halapoulivaati Vaitai presents prospective teams with nearly 4,000 snaps of NFL experience.
A former lynchpin of the Philadelphia Eagles' front five a handful of seasons ago, Vaitai's high level experience (and success) up and down an offensive line should intrigue clubs in need of a stop-gap option at guard or tackle.
A former fifth-round selection out of TCU, Vaitai's positional versatility is matched by few in today's game. He's accrued game reps at every spot along the front five except for center.
Vaitai's ability to slide from position to position without a hiccup should see him earn an opportunity as the wear and tear of training camp takes its toll on rosters across the league.
S Keanu Neal
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A former safety in Atlanta turned hybrid linebacker in Dallas, Tampa Bay and his most recent stop in Pittsburgh, Keanu Neal has the ability to wear multiple hats within a defensive structure.
Although Neal hasn't been able to establish a foothold longer than one season at each of his last three stops, he remains a versatile defender that could serve as the final piece to a defensive puzzle.
As offenses continue to evolve in their personnel groupings, the ability to counter with alignment versatile players like Neal can often lift the performance ceiling of a defense.
Whether he earns an opportunity to start, or as a rotational piece, Neal's experience and physicality should garner interest from teams that remain unique in their defensive approach.
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