The Most Underrated 2026 NFL Free Agents Still Available

The start of the NFL's new league year brought with it a frenzy of free-agent activity. While most of the top players on the open market found new homes over the past week, there are still plenty of capable veterans up for grabs.

Teams may be leery of signing these players due to injury concerns, a regression in skill, or a combination of those and other factors, but these underrated talents could ultimately represent some of the best value signings of the offseason.

With that in mind, let's highlight some of the better free agents who are still unsigned going into the second week of the 2026 NFL offseason.  

TE Darren Waller

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Darren Waller's return to the NFL following a brief retirement was one of the more intriguing stories of the 2025 campaign. While the veteran tight end didn't recapture his Pro Bowl form, he did re-emerge as a viable scoring threat, one who could be even more dangerous with the right team this coming season.

Waller suited up for nine games with the Miami Dolphins this past year, tallying 283 receiving yards and a whopping six touchdowns on just 34 receptions.

Although injuries robbed Waller of a chance to do more damage, he was a major asset for the 'Phins when he was on the field. He scored a pair of touchdowns in his Week 4 debut—his first NFL game since January 2024—and went on to find pay dirt in each of the following two games.

It's unlikely that Waller will ever become the high-volume, hyper-productive TE1 he was with the Las Vegas Raiders. The 33-year-old could still be a needle-mover for a team lacking a capable pass-catching tight end or large red area target.

OG Wyatt Teller

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It's rather surprising that Wyatt Teller remains unsigned over a week after the start of the new league year.

Although he came into the league with modest expectations as a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft, Teller quickly developed into a cornerstone for the Cleveland Browns following a trade to the organization in 2019. He earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2020 and again in 2021—a year in which he also made the first of three consecutive Pro Bowl squads.

While injuries limited Teller to 13 starts in 2024 and more health issues, plus a confounding benching, kept him off the field for four more games in 2025, he still has the potential to be one of the NFL's better interior offensive linemen on his next contract.

Teller has played 6,600 offensive snaps across his seven seasons and should still have plenty of tread left on his tires. He's entering an age-32 season on the heels of allowing three sacks and 24 pressures on 765 snaps (per Pro Football Focus) in 2025, a slight downturn by his lofty standards but still respectable marks for a starting guard.

As the No. 16 overall player on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's free-agent big board and best remaining offensive linemen, Teller could soon have teams regretting not making a bigger push to sign him at the onset of free agency.

OG Kevin Zeitler

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Going into his 15th season, Kevin Zeitler remains one of the NFL's most stalwart interior offensive linemen.

After it was revealed that he wouldn't be retiring ahead of an age-36 campaign, Zeitler solidified his spot as one of the best free-agent options at the guard position. He rates as the No. 71 overall player on the B/R Scouting Department's big board.

A Pro Bowler as recently as the 2023 season, Zeitler has a wealth of experience and talent to match. He's started 213 games in his career, including 16 last year, and ranked as Pro Football Focus' No. 11 overall guard in 2025—his first season with the Tennessee Titans.

Given his status as a capable run blocker and strong pass protector, Zeitler can plug a hole in many starting lineups around the league. He's certainly not a long-term option at this stage of his career, but any team looking to bolster the offensive trenches next season should be considering Zeitler.

DL Calais Campbell

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Calais Campbell may be one of the league's best defensive linemen of all time, but the 18-year veteran has arguably become a touch underrated in recent seasons.

Although Campbell will turn 40 in September and is firmly in the mercenary stage of his career after suiting up for four different clubs in the past four seasons, he quietly remained a top defensive lineman for each of those teams.

Despite his advancing age, Campbell has continued to display unparalleled consistency and durability, starting all 17 games in each of the last three seasons while logging 524 or more defensive snaps.

While Campbell is coming off a strong 6.5-sack campaign for the Arizona Cardinals, there's still a chance he elects to retire. The six-time Pro Bowler with 117 career sacks revealed that he would take some time this offseason to "go through [his] process" and determine if he's capable and willing to play another season.

If Campbell does opt to continue his career into 2026, no one should bet against the No. 89 overall player on the B/R Scouting Department's big board contributing at a high level for whichever team he ends up signing with.

Edge A.J. Epenesa

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A.J. Epenesa isn't the hottest name on the free-agent market, but he's the type of signing good teams often make to give them a depth advantage throughout a long season and subsequent playoff run.

Epenesa is an ideal rotational pass-rusher who can come off the bench, giving the starters a much-needed breather while retaining relentless pressure on opposing signal-callers. The 2020 second-rounder rates as the No. 60 overall player on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board, a respectable standing largely given due to the reliability he's provided the Buffalo Bills throughout his six NFL seasons.

While Epenesa's most recent campaign left something to be desired—his 2.5 sacks represented his lowest total since his sophomore season—it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Iowa product bounce back in 2026. He had posted six or more sacks in each of the previous three seasons.

Teams won't be getting a starting edge defender—Epenesa never logged more than 55 percent of defensive snaps during his six years in Buffalo—but he's an intriguing, versatile playmaker (evidenced by his career marks of 21 pass defenses, five forced fumbles, and four interceptions) who can help elevate a contender in the defensive trenches.

CB Trevon Diggs

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Trevon Diggs is looking like one of the best buy-low candidates on the market this offseason.

The veteran cornerback may have flamed out with the Dallas Cowboys, but Diggs is only a few years removed from being one of the NFL's best players at his position.

Diggs emerged as a starter shortly after being drafted in Round 2 of the 2020 draft and broke out as a superstar the following year. He led the league with an eye-popping 11 interceptions in 2021, earning the first of back-to-back Pro Bowl nods for his incredible playmaking efforts.

While Diggs signed a blockbuster contract extension ahead of the 2023 season, he never lived up to the lofty expectations the deal provided. A torn ACL limited the corner to just two games that year. The devastating injury started a decline that ultimately led to his release late last season.

A fresh start could be exactly what Diggs needs to return to form.

Teams will want to be cautious of allocating anything more than a short, "prove-it" style deal to a defensive back who has missed 29 games over the last three years, but the returns on that small investment could be massive.

Diggs won't turn 28 until September and could still have plenty left in the tank. If he's healthy and motivated, and plays in the right system, there's a real chance he returns to elite form.