Best Bargain Free Agents at Each Position After NFL 2025 Roster Cuts

The NFL's 2025 cut deadline came and went on Tuesday afternoon, leaving many quality players available to sign as free agents or off of practice squads. Many of them will find new homes in the coming days, as "final" roster cuts are anything but.

In reality, the league is about to see a new wave of free agency, as teams decide that what's available is better than some of what they have. Here, we'll examine the biggest potential bargains available at every position following cutdown day.

actors such as past production, experience, player upside, player health and team needs were all considered here.

Quarterback

AP PhotoChris Szagola

Tyler Huntley

1. Tyler Huntley (Editorial Note: According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Huntley signed with the Ravens)
2. Tommy DeVito (Editorial Note: According to ESPN's Field Yates, DeVito has been claimed by the Patriots)
3. John Wolford

The market hasn't been flooded with starting-caliber quarterback talent, but teams looking for added insurance have options.

A Pro Bowl alternate in 2022, Tyler Huntley has repeatedly shown that he can step in as a serviceable spot-starter if needed. His 5-9 career record and 79.3 career QB rating won't impress, but the 27-year-old has shown that he can deliver a win or two if needed.

Huntley was released by the Cleveland Browns, who had this season's most crowded quarterback room.

Tommy DeVito was released by the New York Giants, bringing his time as a New York fan-favorite to an end. Still only 27 years old, DeVito has eight starts and a respectable 88.4 quarterback rating on his resume.

John Wolford has less experience than Huntley or DeVito (four starts, none since 2022), but he spent three years as an understudy with the Los Angeles Rams before spending the last two seasons, primarily, on practice squads. His knowledge of Sean McVay's offense should be attractive since so many teams around the league now run variations of it.

Wolford was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars

Potential Suitors: Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints

Running Back

AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Audric Estimé

1. Audric Estimé
2. Clyde Edwards-Helaire
3. Cam Akers

Due, in part, to injuries, there will probably be no shortage of teams interested in adding backfield depth to start the season.

For a team that might be in the market for a starter—like the Browns, who still haven't signed rookie Quinshon Judkins—Audric Estimé looms as the most enticing option.

A powerful runner at Notre Dame, Estimé averaged a solid 4.1 yards per carry as a rookie for the Denver Broncos last season. However, he was waived as part of Denver's backfield makeover. His combination of youth and upside makes him an intriguing target.

While teams don't know what Estimé can become as a pro, they have a pretty good idea about Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The LSU product was a capable, if average, starter for the Kansas City Chiefs before losing his job to Isiah Pacheco and eventually landing with the New Orleans Saints.

Out in New Orleans, Edwards-Helaire's stock is at an all-time low. However, he has dual-threat ability, a first-round pedigree and is still only 26 years old.

Cam Akers was also released by the Saints and carries spot-start potential. A pair of torn Achilles heavily impacted Akers' playing career, but he showed some renewed burst last season, averaging 4.6 yards per carry in limited action with the Minnesota Vikings.

Potential Suitors: Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans

Wide Receiver

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Marquez Valdes-Scantling

1. Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Editorial Note: According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Valdes-Scantling is signing with the San Francisco 49ers)
2. Tyler Boyd
3. Gabe Davis

Teams aren't going to find a No. 1 receiver just hanging out on the open market, but a few intriguing complementary types are available for teams that lack depth.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling was released by the Seattle Seahawks this week and is available for teams that need an ancillary deep threat. While he never developed into a particularly consistent perimeter receiver, he's regularly stretched the field while averaging 17.4 yards per reception.

Valdes-Scantling flashed his trademark speed while catching 17 passes for 385 yards and four touchdowns in eight games with the Saints last season.

Tyler Boyd is the veteran route-runner who can still win reps with precision and experience. He had 39 catches for 390 yards in a bad Tennessee Titans offense last season. He also expressed in playing in 2025.

"I know camps are starting, so within the next couple of weeks I'm gonna have more teams having more interest and I'll go from there," Boyd told Pittsburgh Sports Now's Austin Bechtold in late June (h/t NFL.com's Bobby Knownack.

Gabe Davis is recovering from a ton PCL and meniscus, and, like Boyd, has been available for most of the offseason—the Jaguars released him in May. While David didn't have an eye-catching campaign in Jacksonville last season, he topped 700 receiving yards with the Buffalo Bills in both 2022 and 2023.

Potential Suitors: Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers

Tight End

AP PhotoMatt Slocum

C.J. Uzomah

1. C.J. Uzomah
2. Jelani Woods
3. Harrison Bryant

The tight-end market isn't very enticing even after being flooded with draft cuts. However, a few complementary and/or project tight ends are available for teams that purely need depth.

C.J. Uzomah has been unemployed since the end of the 2024 season. He appeared in seven games with the Philadelphia Eagles but was placed on injured reserve just before Super Bowl LIX.

Uzomah is a capable pass-catcher and blocker who has 85 career starts on his resume. The teams that want a complete veteran tight end, he's the target.

Jelani Woods flashed potential as a pass-catching threat as a rookie in 2022. However, the former third-round pick out of Virginia missed each of the past two seasons with injuries and was dumped by the Indianapolis Colts this week.

Woods, who had seven catches for 75 yards this preseason, is a boom-or-bust target for teams willing to take a chance.

Harrison Bryant has also shown promise as a pass-catching tight end but hasn't played a significant role in a couple of seasons. He was waived by the Houston Texans, who acquired him as part of the John Metchie III trade.

Potential Suitors: Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans

Offensive Line

AP Photo/John Locher

Dalton Risner

1. Dalton Risner
2. Trent Brown
3. Jedrick Wills Jr.

Teams don't typically part with starting-caliber offensive linemen in late August. Dalton Risner, however, has been available all offseason—though, he has generated some recent interest.

Risner worked out for the Cincinnati Bengals and visited the Seattle Seahawks, according to ESPN' Jeremy Fowler. He's a proven starter at guard who was ranked 42nd overall at his position by Pro Football Focus last season.

Offensive tackles are even harder to find this time of year, though the Texans sent 96-game starter Trent Brown to the market this week. Availability has often been Brown's biggest issue, and he missed all of training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. However, Houston is reportedly looking to stash him on its practice squad.

Teams can't count on Brown staying healthy for an entire season, but if they want a lineman with experience at both left and right tackle, he's probably the top target.

Jedrick Wills Jr. played right tackle in college and left tackle for the Browns. He has 57 starts on his resume, and at 26 years old, he still has untapped potential. However, Wills has also been hampered by knee issues and should be viewed as more of a long-term play than a quick fix.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported back in June that Wills plans to sit out "most—or possibly all" of the 2025 season in order to get healthy.

Potential Suitors: Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys

Defensive Line

AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis

Morgan Fox

1. Morgan Fox
2. Sheldon Day
3. Christian Wilkins

Teams in need of quality defensive help are in far more luck than those needing offensive assistance. Morgan Fox, for example, appeared in all 17 games with three starts for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024. He finished the 2024 season with 27 tackles, 3.5 sacks and four tackles for loss.

While Fox signed with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason, he was waived as part of final cuts.

The Washington Commanders released Sheldon Day after the 31-year-old amassed 21 tackles in 12 appearances last season. While Day doesn't have the starting experience of Fox (34 career starts), he's been a pretty dependable rotational player throughout his 85-game career.

Christian Wilkins is the wild card of the defensive-line market. The Las Vegas Raiders' prized 2024 free agent was released after a little over a year and after he missed most of last season with a foot injury.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Raiders voided Wilkins' guarantees because of "how Wilkins treated the rehab from his foot injury."

Health should be a concern for potentially interested teams, but Wilkins boasts a resume that includes 82 starts, 372 tackles and 22.5 sacks.

Potential Suitors: Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants

Edge

AP Photo/Rey Del Rio

Za'Darius Smith

1. Za'Darius Smith
2. Jadeveon Clowney
3. Preston Smith

A few edge-rushers were released this week—including 2021 second-round pick Boogie Basham—but teams looking for a high-level sack artist have had options all summer.

Za'Darius Smith has been out of work ever since the Detroit Lions released him in the spring. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Smith is waiting for "the right situation."

In 17 games with the Browns and Lions last season, Smith recorded nine sacks and 25 quarterback pressures.

Jadeveon Clowney wasn't as productive as Smith in 2024, but he did register 5.5 sacks and 22 quarterback pressures with an underwhelming Carolina Panthers defense. He recorded 9.5 sacks the previous season with the Baltimore Ravens.

Preston Smith is a distant third after recording just 4.5 sacks with the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers last season. However, he had eight sacks in each of the previous two seasons and has started 43 games over the last three.

Potential Suitors: Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions

Linebacker

AP Photo

Eric Kendricks/Tony Gutierrez

1. Eric Kendricks
2. Kyzir White
3. Chris Paul Jr.

While the player pool of off-ball linebackers was pretty well picked through during the early offseason, a couple of notable names have remained available.

Eric Kendricks, who spent last season with the Dallas Cowboys, remains a productive do-it-all defender at 33 years old. Last season, he started 15 games for the Cowboys and finished with 138 tackles, three sacks, three forced fumbles and three passes defended.

Kendricks is a logical target for any team in need of a starting 'backer, though he may prefer to land with a Super Bowl contender at this stage in his career.

White has also been available since wrapping a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. The 29-year-old started all 17 games for Arizona last season and finished with 137 tackles, 2.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss.

Recently waived Los Angeles Rams rookie Chris Paul Jr. is much more of an unknown, but the fifth-round pick out of Mississippi could prove to be a massive bargain. He was the 85th-ranked overall prospect on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's final draft board and will almost certainly be claimed.

Potential Suitors: Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers

Cornerback

AP Photo/Stacy Bengs

Stephon Gilmore

1. Stephon Gilmore
2. Mike Hilton
3. Asante Samuel Jr.

Teams really can't have too much cornerback depth, so we can expect most corners who have been available or were recently released to draw some level of interest in the coming days.

Stephon Gilmore may draw the most, since he's still a starting-level perimeter corner who wants to play.

"I still love the game. I still can contribute. It's just got to be the right place," Gilmore told The Money Down podcast in July (h/t NFL.com's Bobby Knownack).

Gilmore started 15 games for the Minnesota Vikings last season.

Mike Hilton was recently released by the Miami Dolphins, who subsequently signed Rasul Douglas. While Douglas is a perimeter corner who fills a bigger need for Miami, Hilton has traditionally been a very reliable nickel back.

Asante Samuel Jr. is a wild card because of his history of stingers. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Samuel will wait until after a CT scan in October and then, if healthy, try signing with a team for the second half of the season.

Samuel won't immediately feel a need, but he's a huge potential bargain that can help a team down the stretch. He started 43 games between 2021 and 2023 and recorded 35 passes defended over that span.

Potential Suitors: Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns

Safety

AP Photo/Terrance Williams

Justin Simmons

1. Justin Simmons
2. Jordan Whitehead
3. Marcus Williams

A year ago, two-time Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons waited until mid-August before signing with the Falcons. He went on to start 16 games for Atlanta and have another standout season.

Simmons tallied 62 tackles while allowing an opposing passer rating of only 81.9 in coverage. Once again, he's available late in the summer and could probably step right into a starting role.

Jordan Whitehead may not be an immediate starter if signed, but the 28-year-old could probably work his way into the role. He started 12 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season but did miss time due to injuries sustained in a car crash. He logged 79 tackles and three passes defended in his 12 outings.

Whitehead has 101 career starts on his resume.

Marcus Williams might be a little riskier than either Simmons or Whitehead. He's been available since the Ravens released him in March, and his declining 2024 performance, which led to his release, can't be ignored.

Of course, none of that erases the 106 career starts and 20 career interceptions the 28-year-old has compiled over eight seasons.

Potential Suitors: Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings

Kicker

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

Dustin Hopkins

1. Dustin Hopkins
2. Eddy Piñeiro
3. Michael Badgley

Teams usually aren't enamored with the late-August kicker market because these are typically players who either didn't generate enough interest for a camp competition or players who lost one.

This isn't always the case, though. Dustin Hopkins' three-year, $15.9 million contract likely played just as big a role in his release from Cleveland as the nine field goals he missed last season. He made at least 90 percent of his field-goal attempts in the three seasons prior to 2024 and should still interest teams with uncertainties or injuries at kicker.

Eddy Piñeiro appeared in all 17 games for the Panthers last season and made 84.6 percent of his field goal attempts. Michael Badgley spent last season on injured reserve with a torn hamstring but made 100 percent of his field-goal attempts in seven games (3 postseason) with the Lions the previous season.

Potential Suitors: Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins

*Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.