One Free Agent Signing That Will Backfire for Every NFL Team

The signing of free agents in the NFL is becoming as much an art as a science. With such big money being thrown around, it is imperative for teams to sure they are locking up the right players.

2012 has brought some jaw-dropping deals but the question that everyone is asking, is whether they are all going to be worth it.

Trying to project which deals could go bad for each team is not identifying who signed the worst players, but rather which players might not fit in with their new team, or who will fail to deliver on the dollars that they are being paid.

Here are some deals from every team that could backfire, or go bad sooner than later. 

Arizona Cardinals: William Gay CB

The Cardinals looked to solidify the other side of their pass coverage with the addition of Gay and have high hopes for his pairing with Patrick Peterson.

One question that may linger for Arizona is how well Gay can perform with a slightly less talented defense surrounding him.

Having players like Troy Polamalu and James Harrison tends to allow the other players on their team to shine, so it will be interesting to see if Gay can be successful outside of Pittsburgh.

Atlanta Falcons: John Abraham DE

The Falcons have not made much of a splash in the free agent market, only coming to terms with players to return to their roster, which makes it hard to identify which signing may backfire.

Unfortunately, the return of John Abraham presents the most risk related to the amount of money being invested in the player entering his 13th season.

The more likely scenario is that Abraham comes in and is a solid presence on defense for Atlanta, but that doesn't mean that there isn't a risk in terms of injury or performance slipping. 

Baltimore Ravens; Sean Considine S

Bringing in a new player to the Ravens defensive family is always a risky proposition. It's a tight-knit bunch and one that has learned to play together for a long time, and there is always a chance that a player might not fit the mold.

Considine has been a solid player in his NFL career, but sometimes in Baltimore, solid just isn't enough. He will have to come in and be great in order to keep the tradition of Baltimore defense alive in the secondary.

Buffalo Bills: Mark Anderson DE

The Buffalo Bills significantly upgraded their pass rush and overall defense tremendously with the signing of Mario Williams. They tried to beef up the other side by adding Mark Anderson, formerly of the Patriots, but there is some risk involved.

Anderson had success early on in his career with Chicago but then had a long dry spell for various reasons. He saw a resurgence in New England, but changing scenery so quickly could be detrimental to his productivity.

Carolina Panthers: Haruki Nakamura DB

The Carolina Panthers had a rebirth on offense thanks to Cam Newton, but sadly their defense lacked any kind of punch to keep them competitive in the NFC South.

Nakamura comes from a great defensive team in Baltimore, but he really has no track record of consistent contribution.

The Panthers must have a system set up in which they think Nakamura can thrive, but history doesn't show a lot of highlight-reel plays for Panthers fans to get excited about.

Chicago Bears: Michael Bush RB

This one may have nothing to do with the performance of the signee, Michael Bush, but rather the resident star running back in Matt Forte in Chicago.

After the signing of Bush, Forte felt disrespected and slighted after having received the franchise tag, and this decision by the Bears could hasten the departure of the All-Star.

In fact, this situation could boil over before the season even begins, in which case Chicago had better really love Bush, as he could be their only choice to start sooner than later.

Cincinnati Bengals: Derrick Harvey DE

The Bengals defense is quickly becoming their calling card, and continuing to re-stock the cupboards with talent is a necessity. Harvey has been a huge disappointment in the NFL and was thought to have been given a final chance in Denver last season. 

After registering only four tackles while appearing in five games, there is not much tape on Harvey for the Bengals to have fallen in love with. If Harvey is just a warm body to fill out the training camp roster, he is a more expensive option than an undrafted free agent.

Maybe Marvin Lewis has a plan to extract more production out of Harvey, but the odds are low.

Cleveland Browns: Alex Smith TE

Alex Smith has not been the most productive TE since leaving Tampa Bay, but Cleveland must be impressed by something.

Mike Holmgren has made no bones about wanting to upgrade the offense, and perhaps Smith's lack of production is more a function of a poor passing game than a lack of talent, but it seems like an opportunity was missed here.

Re-signing Smith means standing still, and that is not what the Browns should be looking to do.

Dallas Cowboys: Kyle Orton QB

The Dallas Cowboys are very familiar with losing their star quarterback to injury and as such, they felt the need to go out and fortify their backup situation. 

Orton is a "practice quarterback" who shines in shorts and lacks the necessary fire to compete when the real bullets start flying.

He did a decent enough job in Chicago when he wasn't under the illusion that he was a 50-pass-per-game quarterback, but Dallas needs a true passer to operate its offense.

If Romo goes down again, they may not like the "just good enough to lose closely" approach that Orton tends to take.

Denver Broncos: Caleb Hanie QB

The same situation is playing out in Denver, as in Dallas, except potentially even more disastrous. To be fair, Denver is banking on the fact that they are getting the same Peyton Manning that Indianapolis had, who only stepped off the field when the division and home-field advantage were long since decided. 

However, there are serious concerns about the durability of Manning, and having Caleb Hanie as the backup should be the most terrifying thing on Broncos fans minds. Hanie was atrocious in his back-up duty with Chicago and single-handedly cost them a playoff berth.

Denver is banking on two things: 1. That Manning never steps off the field and 2. If he does, Hanie has benefited from watching the Hall of Famer work.

Detroit Lions: Jacob Lacey CB

The Detroit Lions are desperate for help in the secondary, and they looked to Indianapolis for assistance. Lacey is a decent player and one that the Colts might have liked to keep, but Detroit spent their money in other places and needed a quick fix.

If the Lions don't supplement this addition with a cornerback early in the draft, they are likely to suffer the same fate next year with their pass defense. 

Green Bay Packers: Jeff Saturday C

The Denver Broncos and the Tennessee Titans were both very interested in Jeff Saturday, and the prevailing opinion was that he would reunite with Peyton Manning in Denver.

Saturday instead chose to join forces with another elite quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and seek another Super Bowl victory. 

Saturday is nearing the end of his career and so he won't be a Packer for long. Green Bay is hoping that his veteran savvy and presence will pay dividends, because they could have chosen a starting center late in the first round of the draft this year but took a gamble on Saturday instead.

Houston Texans

According to NFL.com, the Houston Texans have only re-signed their center, Chris Myers, which is a great play for them and not a move that is sure to fail. 

However, the Texans have lost many players as a result of free agency and that could be their downfall this season.

It safe to assume that at least one replacement for either Mario Williams, Jason Allen, Joel Dreessen, etc. will fall short of filling the shoes of the former starter.  

Indianapolis Colts: Samson Satele C

Replacing Jeff Saturday in Indianapolis will not be easy, but it was something that needed to be done. Still, replacing him with a player from the notoriously undisciplined Raiders offensive line could be tough.

That is not to say that Satele is the sole reason for the exorbitant amount of penalties that the Raiders often take, but if Indianapolis is going to rebuild their offense, they better hope that they have the right man in the middle of the line to help them do it.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Laurent Robinson WR

Laurent Robinson had a career year in Dallas last season and was quick to cash in on his success in Jacksonville. The Jaguars also brought in Chad Henne as either competition or mentorship for Blaine Gabbert.

Regardless of who is throwing the ball, the Jaguars had better hope that either one is as adept at delivering the ball to Robinson as Tony Romo was, because nobody prior to Romo was able to unlock the talent that Robinson possesses. 

Kansas City Chiefs: Peyton Hillis RB

There is not a question regarding the talent that Hillis possesses, but there is a question about the way he chooses to use it.

Hillis was chased out of Cleveland after an extremely promising beginning to his Browns career and now finds himself with the Chiefs trying to resurrect the Pro Bowl-style game that he was cultivating.

In an ironic twist, he finds on himself on the same roster with the player he was traded for initially, Brady Quinn. Both players are looking for another chance in Kansas City.

Miami Dolphins: David Garrard QB

Didn't Miami already make this mistake with Daunte Culpepper? The Dolphins were put in an extremely tough position when both Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn passed on South Beach, and so they were forced to look to Garrard.

The Dolphins are likely to draft another quarterback, but they had better hope that he becomes the starter, because Garrard doesn't do anything to make the Dolphins scary in the AFC East. 

Minnesota Vikings: Jerome Felton or Lex Hilliard

The Minnesota Vikings have gone fullback crazy and it seems likely that one of the pair is not going to stick in Minnesota. 

The need to protect both Adrian Peterson and Christian Ponder is a legitimate one for the Vikings, but it seems like management should have honed in on one fullback or the other. 

The best bet for the player on the short end of the deal is to impress on special teams or as a reserve tailback.

New York Giants: Martellus Bennett TE

The Giants are desperate for help at tight end due to some tough-luck injuries at the position, and they have gone to Dallas in search of a replacement.

The Cowboys had high hopes for Bennett but never saw the return on their investment that they had hoped and let him walk this offseason.

Eli Manning and the Giants are hoping that he performs to the level that many thought he could coming out of college.

New York Jets: LaRon Landry S

Pictures of LaRon Landry sometimes make it hard to tell whether he is a bodybuilder or safety in the NFL. The New York Jets are hoping for the latter. 

The Jets have made a splash in the trade market landing Tim Tebow (which is anyone's guess as to how that will play out), but in terms of Landry, it is quite a gamble to hope that the safety fits into the Jets defense. 

New England Patriots: Anthony Gonzalez WR

The Patriots have been as active as any team in free agency and made a lot of impressive and interesting grabs on players.

On the more interesting side is Gonzalez, who has battled injury and never lived up to the potential that he was hoped to have.

Of all the players that the Patriots are adding, he seems to be the longest shot to make an impact amongst names like Lloyd, Welker, Branch, Gronkowski, Hernandez, etc. 

New Orleans Saints: Brodrick Bunkley DT

The New Orleans Saints have a lot more on their mind than players potentially busting from free agency, but such is the business of the NFL.

Brodrick Bunkley was a player that Denver would have liked to get back, but not one that they will lose sleep over parting ways with.

The Saints may have helped their chances of success with Bunkley by signing Curtis Lofton to play behind him, but throughout his career, Bunkley has been an underachiever.

Oakland Raiders: Shawntae Spencer CB

The Raiders are looking for some seasoned veterans in their secondary, and Shawntae Spencer has seen a lot of years in the NFL.

The 49ers defense has risen to one of the top units in the NFL, and that has caused some veterans to be displaced. One of those players is moving across the bay to Oakland to see if he has any gas left in the tank.

The Niners are thinking not, and the Raiders are betting on yes. 

Philadelphia Eagles: DeSean Jackson WR

Jackson wasn't a free agent this year, but the Eagles locked him in with a lucrative deal to pacify him and keep him in Philadelphia.

He may be happy now, but Andy Reid has to know that it may not be long before he is unhappy about something else and causing problems in the Eagles locker room.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are another team who has yet to do much in free agency and instead is going to have trouble moving on from some legendary players that they parted ways with this offseason.

Losing Aaron Smith and Hines Ward will be a tough pill for fans to swallow and an even tougher task for Pittsburgh to replace. Time is catching up with the Steelers, and its time they start replenishing their stock.

San Diego Chargers: Eddie Royal WR

Royal burst onto the NFL scene with an amazing rookie campaign in Denver, and has never recaptured the glory of that year.

He has been through a lot of quarterback problems in Denver, which won't be a problem in San Diego, but there is still a fair degree of worry that he may be a one-hit wonder in the NFL.

The Chargers didn't make a huge investment in him and he still has some value in the return game but there's some risk as to whether Royal can get back to form with the Chargers.

San Francisco 49ers: Ted Ginn WR

Ted Ginn has had some moments as a 49er, but many of these came as a return man. Bringing back Ginn is more a depth maneuver than anything, as the Niners are already carrying Mario Manningham and Randy Moss as receivers.

The time for Ginn in San Francisco will go on for another year at least, but that is probably the beginning of the end for the wide receiver as a Niner.

Seattle Seahawks: Frank Omiyale T

The Seattle Seahawks have added their man at quarterback in Matt Flynn, but there could be questions about a man they are bringing in to protect him.

The Chicago Bears offensive line has been much maligned in terms of pass protection in recent years, and Omiyale has been a part of that squad that allowed Jay Cutler to see more turf than the average QB.

Seattle had better hope that adding Omiyale to the mix in Seattle will solidify the veteran and keep their new QB upright in the pocket. 

St. Louis Rams: Cortland Finnegan CB

Finnegan is a strong cornerback when he is focusing on his game and nothing else. However, sometimes Finnegan can get wrapped up in some extracurricular activity that doesn't benefit his team.

Jeff Fisher knows what he is getting with Finnegan from their time in Tennessee together, and being out of the AFC South might give him reprieve from some of his more intense rivalries. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Vincent Jackson WR

Vincent Jackson will be worth every penny that he gets paid when he is on the field, however that's a big "if."

Jackson has been a very streaky player, which has led to some huge scoring games during his time as a Charger, but he has been equally unlucky with rashes of injuries that have plagued him. 

The Buccaneers are praying that they can keep the game changer on the field for an entire season and see what kind of return they can get from their investment.

Tennessee Titans: Steve Hutchinson OG

The Titans tried to make a big splash in order to impress Peyton Manning by signing veteran guard Steve Hutchinson as a protection plan for the star quarterback.

They landed their lineman, but not their quarterback, and they are now left to wonder if the investment in the 12th-year guard is going pay off for the Titans in the long run.

The Vikings were not interested in hanging onto the high-priced lineman, and who knows how long Tennessee will feel the need to as well. 

Washington Redskins: Pierre Garcon WR

Was Garcon a great player because he had Manning throwing him the ball, or was he a star in his own right? 

The Washington Redskins are about find out. 

After a decent season in the absence of Manning, Garcon scored a huge contract in Washington and will need to produce early and often in order to earn it.

Anytime there is a lot of money on the line waiting for a player to prove its worth, trouble could be brewing.