2012 NFL Free Agents: Houston Texans and Teams That Should Sit Tight

While free agency is sure to change the face of the NFL, these teams will be stupid to join the frenzy.

It's not that they don't have needs, but the following teams are in a spot in which they can sit back and find the right deals. If they don't come, the NFL draft can provide the kind of improvement they need instead.

Baltimore Ravens

Not only could the Ravens afford to wait it out in free agency, they must. The current core group of players in Baltimore are clearly nearing the end of their careers and it wouldn't make enough sense for them to bring in some other key players on long-term deals. That would only stunt the development of the franchise.

What the Ravens need to do is sit back and bring in a few key role players in the later stages of the free agency period at a discount. They could use a tight end, but don't need to crash the market in search of one. 

Instead, where Baltimore needs to make some strong headway is in the draft. That is where they need to bring in some good players to develop a nucleus for when the likes of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed start to retire. With that, the team will be set up for more than a two-to-three year period, which is what bringing in a big-name free agent would accomplish. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

You can pretty much take everything that was said about the Ravens and apply it to their fierce rivals in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are going to be good enough in 2012 to make a few short-term deals with role players. They are a veteran team in which those role players often become stars. 

Again, the bulk of the changes that Pittsburgh makes must come in the draft. This is an old team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. They need to bring in players that will carry the franchise forward after the next few seasons. A big haul in free agency would only complicate things beyond the 2013 season.

Houston Texans

When this team comes back healthy, they are the most complete squad in the AFC and probably the NFL. There are just very few holes that this team has, and they also possess some incredible strengths.

On the defensive side of the ball, this team is hard to move the ball against. Unlike the other top defenses, they don't have any real weaknesses to exploit. Offensively, they could use a receiver to line up opposite Andre Johnson, but that's not the kind of player to splurge for. 

If Houston is going to splurge for a receiver, I would rather see them trade up in the draft. Otherwise, they need to bide their time on a good deal. We're going to be seeing a lot of this team next year and there is no need to shake things up with an expensive big-name free agent.

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