2016 NFL Free Agency: The Top 10 Offensive Players Left on the Market

With the NFL draft rapidly approaching, teams are currently far more focused on the young talent available in that pool than they are on available veterans.

That doesn’t mean there aren’t contributors available in free agency, but their fates for 2016 won’t likely be decided until after the proceedings in Chicago from April 28-30.

Based mainly (but not solely) on their play this past season, here are the best offensive performers still on the open market—ranked from No. 10 to No. 1. There are a few honorable mentions as well.

A little disclaimer: The pickings have indeed become quite slim.

Honorable Mentions

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The following five players (listed in alphabetical order) fell just short of making the list:

T Nate Chandler (Released by Carolina Panthers)

Carolina’s primary right tackle in 2014 was lost after 11 games that season with a knee injury. He hasn’t taken the field since.

However, the 6’4”, 294-pound former undrafted free agent is still only 26 years old. He could add depth to any offensive line in the league and also has experience as a starting guard.

TE Scott Chandler (Released by New England Patriots)

He wasn’t quite the answer that Bill Belichick and the reigning AFC East champions were looking for to complement Rob Gronkowski, but he did pull in 23 catches for 259 yards and four scores this past season.

The 30-year-old veteran has totaled 204 receptions—21 for touchdowns—over the past five years for the Buffalo Bills and Pats.

QB Brian Hoyer (Released by Houston Texans)

Yes, there was that five-turnover disaster in the AFC Wild Card Game versus the Kansas City Chiefs.

But Hoyer also made 11 regular-season appearances (nine starts) for the division-champion Texans in 2015. He hit on 60.7 percent of his throws and connected for 19 scores with just nine turnovers.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that Houston just released the 30-year-old signal-caller. Could he be in play for the Jets or Broncos?

WR Greg Jennings (Released by Miami Dolphins)

With wideout Jarvis Landry being the main focus of the passing game and other receiving options such as Rishard Matthews, Kenny Stills and DeVante Parker on the Dolphins offense in 2015, the 32-year-old Jennings became an afterthought in his lone season with Miami.

But while he posted career lows in catches (19), receiving yards (208) and touchdowns (one) despite playing in all 16 games, he’s not that far removed from being a player who totaled 59 catches for 742 yards and six touchdowns with the Vikings in 2014.

WR James Jones (UFA: Green Bay Packers)

In his second stint with the Packers, Jones proved to be a lifesaver for a team that lost Pro Bowl wideout Jordy Nelson to a knee injury in the preseason.

He finished third on the club with 50 receptions and tied for first with 890 receiving yards and eight scores. And his average of 17.8 yards per grab this past season is hard to ignore.

10. WR Roddy White (Released by Atlanta Falcons)

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There's no doubt that age along with wear and tear have caught up with 34-year-old wide receiver Roddy White. But despite the fact that he’s coming off his least productive season since 2006, don’t assume he’s lost all of his craftiness.

Despite starting all 16 games, White totaled only 43 receptions for 506 yards and one touchdown. To be fair, he’s also averaged fewer than 12 yards per catch in each of the past three seasons.

That doesn’t mean he still can’t be a useful addition for teams such as the Minnesota Vikings or San Francisco 49ers. Those clubs could use not only another good-hands person but a veteran who could school some of the team’s younger wideouts.

An 11-year pro with 808 catches, 10,863 yards and 63 touchdowns (all franchise bests for the Atlanta Falcons) certainly qualifies for the job.

9. G Jahri Evans (Released by New Orleans Saints)

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Granted, 32-year-old guard Jahri Evans isn’t coming off his best year. And by all indications, his departure from the New Orleans Saints was based more on money than play. Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com reported the details of the six-time Pro Bowler’s release back in February.

In his first seven years in the league, Evans never missed a start. This past season, he played in a career-low 11 games, and Pro Football Focus indicates that he struggled—most notably in terms of the running game. However, the four-time All-Pro earned a positive grade (plus-3.6) when it came to pass protection.

That means there’s still something left in the tank of the 10-year performer. And there will be a team that takes advantage of his veteran savvy sometime in 2016.

8. RB Joique Bell (Released by Detroit Lions)

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It’s been a rough year or so for a player who led the Detroit Lions in rushing in 2014. But the 29-year-old running back could still prove to be a solid addition for a team looking for proven depth.

Cut loose by the club two months ago, Joique Bell totaled 3,875 yards from scrimmage and 23 touchdowns in the past four seasons. He managed to play in 13 games in 2015, finishing second on the team with 311 yards on the ground.

Bell led the Lions with four rushing touchdowns, not exactly big news for a club that finished with only seven scores on the ground. Detroit also ran for a league-low 83.4 yards per game this past season.

Last month, Rand Getlin of NFL Network reported that Bell visited with the Buffalo Bills. There will be more interest in the former undrafted free agent after the draft.

7. TE Owen Daniels (Released by Denver Broncos)

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Just over two months ago, Owen Daniels contemplated if it was time to call it quits after 10 seasons in the league.

“Of course, of course. That’s definitely an option,” said the experienced tight end to Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today. “But I’m a man of my word, I signed a three-year deal, so I’d like to keep playing. I feel good enough as long as I can get some work done on my 33-year-old knees.”

It was the Denver Broncos who made the decision for Daniels, releasing him after only one season with the club. He finished third on the club with 46 catches for 517 yards and three scores. But his biggest moment for the eventual Super Bowl champions came in the conference title game, when he pulled in a pair of touchdown passes from Peyton Manning in the team’s win over the New England Patriots.

Wherever Daniels winds up this year will be a first, unless it’s an improbable return to Denver.

In all 10 seasons for either the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens or Broncos, he played for either head coach or offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak.

6. RB Arian Foster (Released by Houston Texans)

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Being a team’s all-time leader in rushing carries a lot of weight.

But it also helps if you can put a little weight on your leg.

However, so far so good for veteran running back Arian Foster, the Houston Texans’ all-time leader with 6,472 yards and 54 scores on the ground. He suffered an Achilles injury last October in Miami that ended his season after playing in only four games.

Last month, his brother Abdul had an update on his recovery.

"Arian's doing great," said Abdul Foster to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. "When you go through stuff like this, you say, 'Okay, I'm financially set. I don't need to do this to take care of my family, but, at the end of the day, do I still love this game? Is there still a passion for me?' The reason I'm excited is because Arian is still passionate about football.

We have seen Foster bounce back from injury before to post impressive numbers. We are talking about a player who has amassed 8,740 yards from scrimmage and 68 scores in only 76 regular-season contests.

After playing in only eight games in 2013, he rebounded with 1,573 total yards and 13 touchdowns in 13 outings one year later.

According to Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald, the four-time Pro Bowler did visit the Miami Dolphins late last month.

5. WR Marques Colston (Released by New Orleans Saints)

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He’s the New Orleans Saints’ all-time leader in catches (711), receiving yards (9,759) and total touchdowns (72). But after 10 steady seasons in the Big Easy, Marques Colston was let go earlier this year.

The numbers in 2015 weren’t overly impressive but were hardly awful either. The 32-year-old wideout ranked fifth on the club with 45 catches (for 520 yards) and third on the team with four touchdown receptions. All of those numbers were career lows.

Of course, this is a Saints franchise that has jettisoned or traded a number of its key offensive players in the past year or so. Familiar faces such as guard Jahri Evans, tight end Jimmy Graham and running back Pierre Thomas are no longer with the organization.

Similarly to Anquan Boldin and Roddy White, both currently without NFL jobs, Colston is a veteran receiver who could teach some of the younger players at his position a thing or two.

4. G Louis Vasquez (Released by Denver Broncos)

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A Pro Bowler in his first season with the Denver Broncos in 2013, Louis Vasquez’s play has indeed slipped in each of the past two years.

He was released by the club this offseason following a very erratic performance, especially when it came to blocking for the run. To be fair, the Broncos’ offensive line was a season-long issue for numerous reasons.

However, the 6’4”, 330-pound blocker just turned 29 earlier this month. He’s started 101 of the 102 games he’s played in over seven seasons. It’s hard to fathom that the massive pro is already on the downside of a career that began with the San Diego Chargers in 2009.

Last month, the versatile performer (who has started at both right guard and right tackle) made a trip to visit the Tennessee Titans. According to Vasquez, it “went great.”

3. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (UFA: New York Jets)

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Good old common sense says that the Ivy League standout and the New York Jets will work things out soon.

Apparently, sound logic amounts to an unsigned free agent as well.

So what is the very latest in the staredown between the team and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick?

“I can’t talk about any of those things, but yeah, we’re working on that,” said Jets owner Woody Johnson to Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post. “I can’t comment on exactly what we’re talking about, or even if we’re talking. But no, no real change.”

The bottom line is that the Jets may have other options at quarterback now that Brian Hoyer is on the open market. Could the team use him for leverage against Fitzpatrick, who threw for a career-high 3,905 yards in 2015 and set a franchise record with 31 touchdown passes?

The Jets seem to hold all the cards when it comes to re-upping with their quarterback of a season ago. But this has been a very long hand.

2. WR Anquan Boldin (UFA: San Francisco 49ers)

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Throughout his 13-year NFL career, wide receiver Anquan Boldin has made many a quarterback’s numbers look better than they actually are.

That’s not taking anything away from the men throwing the football. The 35-year-young pro has spent the past three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and led the team in receptions in each year. So where will Boldin be this fall? He’s currently enjoying the process.

“I’m taking my time right now,” Boldin told Jamey Eisenberg of CBSSports.com. “It’s the first time in 13 years I’ve been a free agent, so I get to pick where I want to go now. I’m definitely going to take my time and make the best decision for me and my family.”

In case you’re confused, the sure-handed performer moved from the Arizona Cardinals to the Baltimore Ravens in 2010 and then to the Niners three years later. In both instances, Boldin was traded.

The 49ers have a lot of figuring out to do when it comes to their team, most notably at quarterback. They would be wise to re-sign one of only 13 players in NFL history with 1,000 or more receptions—and counting.

1. RB Ronnie Hillman (UFA: Denver Broncos)

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With only 452 carries on his resume and at the ripe old age of 24, running back Ronnie Hillman should be on a number of teams' wish lists at the moment.

The Denver Broncos are certainly still interested. The former San Diego State product led the eventual Super Bowl champions in rushing during the regular season. A third-round pick by the Broncos in 2012, he totaled 863 yards on the ground and a team-high seven touchdowns on 207 attempts.

Mike Klis of KUSA reported that talks between Hillman and the defending Super Bowl champions are “heating up.” He and C.J. Anderson (720) combined for 1,583 yards and a dozen scores on the ground in 2015.

The Broncos will have a lot of new faces on their team in 2016. A little continuity in the backfield would be a plus.

Unless otherwise noted, all player and team statistics come from Pro-Football-Reference and ESPN.com. All player ratings courtesy of Pro Football Focus. All 2016 contract terms and 2016 transactions are courtesy of Spotrac.