Predicting Landing Spots for the Best Remaining NFL Free Agents

Being an NFL free agent is a cruel process for nearly all but those who occupy the top tiers. In its own coldly silent language, free agency has a way of communicating to the football player who is either aging, injured or both.

Its message? Retire, because you're done.

But the post-draft period provides one final life ring for players, and it gives teams a chance to fill any remaining needs with cheap lottery-ticket contracts.

It's an opportunity for general managers to ignore the various flaws of broken, discarded and downright old players and ask two questions: Can you play one more season? And can you do it while filling a vital role for my team?

Let's look at 10 players who can check off those boxes and which teams they might end up playing for in 2015-16.

Dallas Cowboys Should Take a Flier on Ahmad Bradshaw

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We’re about to discuss a whole pile of players with mangled bones and/or muscles. There’s no perfect product available on the free-agent market after the draft in early May.

The few players meeting that description were gone six weeks ago, and running back Ahmad Bradshaw has a rather dented body at a position that chews up even the most durable workhorses.

But at this point in the offseason, that matters so very little. Signing Bradshaw would require little guaranteed money, or more likely none at all. He played the past two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts on one-year contracts, with the most recent valued at a mere $855,000.

If he’s willing and able, a similar price is a pittance for the Dallas Cowboys. They remarkably didn’t draft a running back with any of their eight picks. Darren McFadden still leads the Cowboys' running back depth chart, the same Darren McFadden who averaged a plodding 3.4 yards per carry in 2014 and has amassed only 913 rushing yards over the past two seasons.

The Cowboys are perhaps looking to make a statement that DeMarco Murray’s 1,845-yard season on the ground was primarily a product of the five men blocking for him, and that one of the league’s best offensive lines can make even McFadden shine. That’s a risky and highly combustible bet given McFadden’s own injury history (19 missed games since 2011).

If you’re taking a lottery ticket on a veteran running back who’s reached twig-snapping status, why not at least do it with a productive one? Yes, Bradshaw’s medical file is lengthy. He fractured his fibula in 2014, and 2010 was the last time he played a full 16-game season. But signing up for the low odds of him staying healthy is more appealing because the potential reward is far greater than what McFadden offers.

When healthy, Bradshaw is still a versatile threat out of the backfield. The 29-year-old is a powerful one-cut runner, and more importantly, he's a reliable receiver who can slide into a passing-down role.

Despite appearing in only 10 games with the Colts in 2014, Bradshaw still recorded 300 receiving yards, only 14 yards shy of his single-season high.

Buffalo Bills Will Finally Re-Sign Brandon Spikes

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The Buffalo Bills have spent the past calendar year loading up on offensive ammunition. Ambitions of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 1999 led to a trade for running back LeSean McCoy, along with signing tight end Charles Clay and wide receiver Percy Harvin.

But the cost for McCoy—the instant and hopeful franchise savior—was linebacker Kiko Alonso. He missed the 2014 season with a torn ACL, but in 2013, he recorded 159 tackles, the NFL’s third-highest total.

The Bills need to restore that run-stuffing presence, and part of their offensive overhaul during the past year included sacrificing a first-round pick for wide receiver Sammy Watkins. That left them with only six picks in the 2015 draft, four of which were concentrated on offense.

The Bills front seven only allowed 106.4 rushing yards per game in 2014, good for 11th in the league. Run-stuffing linebacker Brandon Spikes was a big part of that, but his contract ran out at the end of the season.

The Bills have $7.7 million in salary-cap room, according to Spotrac, and a small portion of that should be given to Spikes. The Bills used him strictly as a run defender during his first and only season in Buffalo. That’s really the only use for the 255-pound middle linebacker, as despite playing only 46.2 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, he still finished with 20 run stops, per Pro Football Focus.

Spikes can be that rotational run-plugger again, doing it for a minimal price while also providing fine depth.

If John Abraham Wants to Play, the Cardinals Will Gladly Welcome Him Back

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John Abraham probably shouldn’t play football anymore. He likely shouldn’t have been playing football in 2014 either.

The defensive end/outside linebacker, who currently ranks 10th on the all-time career sack list with 133.5 takedowns, played just one game for the Arizona Cardinals in 2014 before his season ended due to a concussion. Unfortunately, that was only the final hit. Prior to that injury, he had already been suffering from memory loss for over a year, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

But walking away isn’t easy when football is all you’ve known for 15 years. Back in December, the soon-to-be 37-year-old tweeted, “Honestly I think I got one more year in me.” He repeated that in another tweet about a month later, and in February, Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 AM reported Abraham was still “50-50” on a possible return.

If he’s willing to play under a veteran-minimum, incentive-laden deal, the Cardinals should rush to push a contract in front of him. Even at his rusty age, Abraham can still bring pressure off the edge, the kind Arizona desperately needs.

During his last healthy season in 2013, Abraham recorded 11.5 sacks and 67 pressures, the third-most among outside linebackers, per PFF. During his absence the following season, Arizona totaled only 35 sacks (24th).

The Cardinals used a second-round pick on outside linebacker Markus Golden and took a flier on LaMarr Woodley, but there’s still a need for more push off the edge.

Pierre Thomas Makes Too Much Sense for the New England Patriots

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The New England Patriots offense can’t exist without a pass-catching running back dynamo.

Back in 2012, that title belonged to Danny Woodhead, who finished with 446 receiving yards. When he departed as a free agent, the backfield receiving wizard title shifted to Shane Vereen, who posted 874 receiving yards over the next two seasons. Now Vereen is gone too after signing with the New York Giants as a free agent.

The Patriots signed Travaris Cadet as a potential replacement for Vereen. He had an increased role with the New Orleans Saints in 2014, which resulted in 38 receptions despite a still-modest 209 passing snaps. He’s now the default candidate to fill Vereen’s old role, but Cadet’s former Saints teammate Pierre Thomas is far more established as a pass-catcher who can churn out yards after the catch.

Since 2009, Thomas has averaged 362.2 receiving yards per season. That stretch includes 77 receptions for 513 yards in 2013, a season when he chugged along at 1.70 yards per route run, per PFF.

Thomas was cut by the Saints amid their salary-cap nightmare, and his terminated contract came with only $2.4 million in guaranteed money. A 30-year-old running back will now command even less than that, making Thomas a post-draft bargain who is capable of high production in a specialist role.

Dwight Freeney Can Help the Saints Pass Rush

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Dwight Freeney is basically John Abraham, just a little younger and without the injury baggage.

The 35-year-old outside linebacker is far removed from his prime years with the Indianapolis Colts that included seven double-digit sack seasons. If you look solely at that metric from his most recent season with the San Diego Chargers, it’s easy to make the assumption that Freeney should fade away forever.

But gaze a little beyond the surface to see a still highly effective pass-rusher if he’s kept fresh in a limited role. The Chargers used Freeney on only 54.9 percent of their defensive snaps in 2014, and yet, remarkably, he finished sixth among all 3-4 outside linebackers with 53 total pressures, per PFF.

Freeney told Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego he’ll return for a 14th season, and with the same situational use, he’s a fine fit for a defense in need of outside pressure.

That defense belongs to the New Orleans Saints. They used a second-round pick on Hau’oli Kikaha, the pass-rusher who led the nation with 19 sacks during his final season with the Washington Huskies. But the Saints defense only recorded 34 sacks in 2014, so it needs some veteran depth.

Seattle Seahawks Can Reinforce Their Interior O-Line with Chris Myers

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Tight end Jimmy Graham was essentially the Seattle Seahawks’ first-round pick, which made him the league’s best first-round pick.

He immediately provides Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson with a large, reliable target who can create separation using his wide frame. More importantly, he’ll force opposing defenses to respect a now-rejuvenated passing game, even while the offense remains focused on the run.

But the cost for Graham went beyond Seattle’s first-round pick in their trade with the New Orleans Saints. The Seahawks also had to sacrifice Max Unger, one of the league’s best run-blocking centers who was a key pillar for an offense that averaged 5.3 yards per carry in 2014.

General manager John Schneider added overall competition to the interior of his offensive line with two straight mid-round picks on guards, selecting Terry Poole and Mark Glowinski. But the four centers currently rostered by the Seahawks have started only a combined 19 career games.

The Seahawks still need a trusted presence at center, and it can come from veteran Chris Myers. The two-time Pro Bowler has started 128 straight games and was released by the Houston Texans earlier this offseason as a cap casualty.

Schneider has already shown interest in Myers and brought him in for a free-agency visit, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via NFL.com's Kevin Patra). Schneider should turn that interest into what will be an affordable contract to secure an interior lineman who will turn 34 in September, but was still rated by Pro Football Focus as the league’s third-best run-blocker at center in 2014.

Tennessee Titans Need Red Bryant’s Bulk

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The word “woeful” comes to mind when you dare to spend a few minutes thinking about the Tennessee Titans offense in 2014. It was a wildly wayward unit that averaged 303.7 yards per game (29th), so it made a lot of sense for general manager Ruston Webster to use seven of his nine picks on that side of the ball.

But a leaky defensive problem still needs to be plugged. The Titans were thoroughly torn apart by the run in 2014, allowing the second-most rushing yards per game (137.2). They need another stonewalling run-stuffer to ease the burden and double-teams on defensive tackle Jurrell Casey. There’s a cheap solution readily available: Red Bryant.

Bryant was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars after just one season as part of their continued youth movement. He has productive years left at the age of 31 and is still a solid run defender who could play defensive end in the Titans’ 3-4 scheme, or slide inside.

The 323-pounder is only a season removed from recording 26 defensive stops, per PFF.

Michael Vick Is a Better Backup and Spot Starter for the Cowboys

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I know what you’re thinking here, so please stop screaming.

You’re thinking that Michael Vick is done as a starting quarterback in the NFL, and you’re right.

You’re also thinking that if Vick faces a premier pass rush, he’s a scattered, frantic mess, and you’re right. Vick appeared in 10 games for the New York Jets in 2014 and started only three of them, yet somehow, he managed to get sacked 19 times, with 12 of those coming against two top-five pass rushes (Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs).

But even if we acknowledge those realities for a 34-year-old who’s reaching the end, Vick still isn’t Brandon Weeden. He has that going for him, and the Dallas Cowboys are one more awkward Tony Romo fall from the Weeden experience again.

It’s easier to trust Vick in a spot start with his long and more established history, especially if he’s playing behind a far more competent offensive line than the one fielded by the Jets.

Romo had back surgery in December 2013 and missed a game in 2014 before playing through transverse process fractures and broken ribs. He’s tough and/or crazy, but at 35 years old, it’s fair to wonder how much longer Romo's body can sustain the annual abuse of each football season.

Dallas needs to have the league’s best backup quarterback, and Vick comes a lot closer to meeting that standard than Weeden.

San Francisco 49ers Need Lance Briggs' Veteran Presence

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When the San Francisco 49ers lost Patrick Willis, they lost a seven-time Pro Bowl inside linebacker with six 100-plus tackle seasons over an eight-year career.

And when the 49ers lost Chris Borland, they lost a linebacker whose tackling "spidey senses" were unmatched, not even by Spiderman himself. Borland finished his rookie season with an absurd run-stop percentage of 21.3, per PFF, while recording 43 stops in total.

They’re both in the early days of retirement now—one because of aching feet, and the other due to a fear of concussions. Behind them, Willis and Borland have left a reeling linebacker corps in need of a capable run defender to support NaVorro Bowman.

The Niners already took a flier on Philip Wheeler, who’s reaching journeyman status after moving on to his third team since 2012. Now there’s a potentially much more rewarding linebacker waiting to be signed. He’s aging and slowing, but he’s also a three-time All-Pro who could still be effective following a move to the inside.

His name is Lance Briggs.

Briggs limped through injuries over the past two seasons, his final two with the Chicago Bears. The 34-year-old Bears franchise icon played weak-side linebacker during his 12 years in Chicago. However, if the 49ers move him inside, Briggs’ declining speed will be exposed a little less in coverage, and he could be deployed as a run-stopping specialist.

He still thrives in that role despite his age. Briggs was limited to only eight games in 2014 after suffering a groin injury, but while playing just half a season, he was still graded among the top 10 4-3 outside linebackers against the run by Pro Football Focus.

There’s still uncertainty around how Bowman’s injured knee will respond to game action, and fear that Michael Wilhoite will be exposed over another season facing a high-volume snap count. Briggs will be a fine defensive safety net for a team that desperately needs one.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Need to Give Wes Welker His Last Shot

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In 2012, slot receiver Wes Welker completed his third career season with 1,300-plus receiving yards. It was also his last season with the New England Patriots, as head coach Bill Belichick acknowledged a cold reality: One of the NFL’s best slot receivers (the best?) would soon begin to lose his fight with age.

Now 34, Welker had a much smaller role over two seasons with the Denver Broncos while hidden among a collection of other offensive weapons. The low point came in 2014, a year when he suffered his third concussion during a 10-month span. He finished with only 464 yards on 49 catches over 14 games, his lowest receiving totals since 2005.

Welker probably shouldn’t play another snap, and he should walk away from the game with a somewhat functioning memory. But if he wants to keep playing—and he clearly does after getting the thumbs up from a leading concussion expert, according to NBC Denver—then a team that just put its future in the hands of a first overall pick should sign Welker, bringing in the support of his confident hands.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to insert quarterback Jameis Winston into an offense with two lumbering trees as wide receivers in Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson, and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins is a third Douglas fir. The potentially missing link is a true intermediate-distance specialist with soft hands from the slot who can create yards after the catch.

Welker’s ability to be that guy has diminished with age, but even on a lesser scale, there’s still value in his core skills that led to so many top-tier seasons, particularly when Welker would be using them to help provide a safe option while Winston develops.

He’d also add some quickness as a shifty shrub alongside those towering trees.