NFL Free Agents 2015: Rumors and Buzz Surrounding Top Remaining Options

The NFL free-agency market is pretty thin at this point, but you might be surprised at just how many solid, veteran players are still available. These aren't the game-changing, elite options who were scooped up right away, but they are the types of players who can still play an important role for a team.

Let's take a look at some of the recent buzz surrounding NFL free agency.

Michael Crabtree, WR

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The best offensive player remaining on the board, by far, is wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Frankly, it's a bit surprising that Crabtree is still exploring his options, but apparently, the San Francisco 49ers are willing to be just as patient as the wideout.

Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area has more:

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Free-agent wide receiver Michael Crabtree is willing to wait however long it takes to find an appealing situation for the 2015 season, sources told CSNBayArea.com.

The 49ers are interested in re-signing Crabtree, but the six-year veteran prefers to seek a contract with a team that places a greater emphasis on the passing game, according to a league source at the NFL owners meetings.

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Crabtree is coming off of a disappointing 2014 season, catching just 68 passes for 698 yards and four touchdowns. That's probably a large reason why a bigger market hasn't developed for his services.

Still, Crabtree is a talented player who is just 27 years old and caught 85 passes for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns in 2012. But injuries the following year and San Francisco's calamitous 2014 season has significantly lowered his stock.

Don't be surprised if he returns to the Niners on a fairly team-friendly deal.

The Linebackers

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Teams in need of linebacker help, namely at middle linebacker, have some great options on the market, as Lance Briggs, Rolando McClain, Brandon Spikes and Erin Henderson are still available.

The aforementioned Niners seem keen on several of them, per Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee:

You can take Mason Foster off that list, however, as it appears he'll be signing with the Chicago Bears, as Matt Miller of Bleacher Report passed along a tweet from Foster implying as much:

Spikes, meanwhile, could be returning to the Buffalo Bills, per Mike Rodak of ESPN:

And then there's McClain, whom the Dallas Cowboys' brass spoke about at the NFL owners meetings, per Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

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Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett and vice-president Stephen Jones said Monday that the team wants free agent linebacker Rolando McClain back and are in play for his services even though there has been no progress in contract talks.

Garrett and Stephen Jones are attending the owners meetings this week.

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For teams that were patient on the linebacker market and are looking for bargain buys, plenty of solid options at the position could step in and improve their defense. McClain is facing a four-game suspension, of course, while Briggs is no longer the impact player he once was, but these are still solid linebacker options.

And they also represent the best players left on the defensive side of the ball in free agency at this point, as the market has been picked dry. Still, for teams that are a few veteran pieces away from putting together a postseason contender, middle linebacker is the one position that still has some solid options.