Highlighting the NFL's Biggest-Impact Veterans Still on Free-Agent Market

As June slowly turns into July, and minicamps start wrapping up across the league, news will start to get pretty stale in the National Football League. 

However, one area where teams could make a ripple in the still pool is through free agency, where a few of the bigger names still remain on the open market. 

In the following slides, we'll break down five of the bigger names left on the market. The pickings are obviously slim—they always are this time of year—but these five still have some name power. 

RB Cedric Benson

2011 stats: 273 attempts, 1,067 yards, six TDs

1,000-yard rushers don't usually last this long into free agency, but Benson's case is a perfect example of how the NFL is shifting away from the days of ground-and-pound football. With over 280 carries in three straight seasons, the 29-year-old Benson simply hasn't generated considerable interest on the open market. 

He may find a home soon enough, however. 

The Oakland Raiders have always been a good fit for Benson this offseason, and it appears now that the two sides have some mutual interest. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported this week that Oakland are beginning to express interest in signing Benson, likely to help fill the hole left by Michael Bush.

The Raiders have plenty of options at running back—a star in Darren McFadden and two young, shifty players in Taiwan Jones and Mike Goodson—but neither of the three could be depended on to play a whole season. Adding Benson would help alleviate some of that worry for 2012.

DL Aubrayo Franklin

2011 stats: 16 games (nine starts), 17 tackles, three quarterback hurries

Just last summer, Franklin was one of the more important defensive names on the free-agent market. He eventually signed a one-year deal with the Saints, a move that many applauded for New Orleans and its front seven. 

But there's no doubting that Franklin's play dropped off considerably in 2011. 

A devastating run defender when with the San Francisco 49ers, Franklin failed to make the same impact upon arriving in New Orleans. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he played on just 332 snaps, and his stops—which Pro Football Focus constitutes as a defensive play that results in a negative play for the offense—dropped from 37 to just 13.

However, in the right system, Franklin can still be the two-down run stuffer he was in San Francisco. 

A reunion in Atlanta with defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, who coached Franklin with the 49ers, might be what saves Franklin's NFL career.

RB Ryan Grant

2011 stats: 134 attempts, 559 yards, two touchdowns

All signs point to Grant's days in Green Bay being over, and it's probably not a good sign that the Oakland Raiders, who are being run by former Packers personnel man Reggie McKenzie, are more interested in Cedric Benson currently than Grant. 

But even so, Grant showed at the end of 2011 that he still has something left in the tank. 

After platooning with James Starks for most of the season, Grant rushed for 276 yards over the Packers' last five games. He scored twice—including a 47-yard touchdown scamper—in a win over the Raiders, and then took a screen pass 80 yards for a score against the Lions in Week 17. 

Grant is still just a one-cut-and-go runner who needs another back around to help carry the load, but he's talented enough to help a number of NFL teams in 2012.

WR Plaxico Burress

2011 stats: 45 catches, 612 yards, eight touchdowns

NFL teams talk frequently about their need to upgrade how they go about their business in the red zone. It's clearly the most important part of the field for an offense, and how a team performs inside the 20 is usually the difference between a good offense and an elite one. 

So why is it that 6'5", 235-pound Plaxico Burress remains on the free-agent shelf? 

Burress caught eight touchdowns last season—almost all coming inside the red zone—for a team that preferred running the football. He's likely the best remaining receiver on the market (sorry, Braylon Edwards), but he's done more promoting himself to teams this offseason than vice-versa. 

Burress should eventually find a team (Houston Texans? Carolina Panthers?), but it might be deep into summer before he's signing his name on the dotted line. 

OT Marcus McNeill

2011 stats: 552 snaps, three sacks, two quarterback hits and 18 quarterback hurries allowed, nine penalties

There was a time when many considered McNeill one of the most consistent left tackles in the NFL. 

He made Pro Bowls in 2006 (his rookie season) and '07, before signing a $48 million deal with the Chargers in 2010. All signs pointed to McNeill being the blind side protector for Philip Rivers in San Diego for the foreseeable future. 

Then injuries struck. 

Back and neck problems caused McNeill to miss 20 of 32 games the last two seasons, and the Chargers thought enough of the injuries to cut him loose before free agency began this spring. While a few teams have shown brief interest—Eagles, Falcons, Lions, to name a few—no serious offers have came his way. 

It wouldn't be surprising if McNeill lasted most of the summer in free agency, but for a team in need of tackle depth, he's worth an extended look in training camp at a dirt cheap price. If he's hurt, he's hurt. But if he's on the mend, McNeill could help a team in 2012.