2017 NFL Free Agents: Latest Rumors, Predictions for Jeremy Zuttah, Ryan Mathews

NFL free agency is something like a rollercoaster, with ups and downs resulting in interesting and dull periods.  

With the preseason underway, a steep climb up a hill has concluded and the market is now deep in the middle of another fall before the ride ends—Tramaine Brock inking a deal with the Seattle Seahawks, according to Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio KJR, is the biggest piece of news in recent times. 

Like any year, a move like Brock's is bound to be far from the last whimper of the market as teams look to compensate for injuries or simply improve depth. 

Below, let's take a look at the most notable names left on the market and the biggest buzz surrounding them.  

Jeremy Zuttah

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Zuttah made the Pro Bowl a year ago with the Baltimore Ravens, yet the team shipped him to the San Francisco 49ers in March. By August, his new team wound up cutting ties with him and going in a different direction thanks to something of a youth movement via Daniel Kilgore and others. 

From the sounds of it, things might come full circle for the 31-year-old offensive lineman, as noted by Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun: 

Talk about an odd turn of events—Zuttah now finds himself in a spot where he might be able to drum up a small bidding war thanks to interest from the Indianapolis Colts. 

It's not hard to see why either team would have an interest in Zuttah, with the Colts needing to protect Andrew Luck and the Ravens already dealing with the injury to Joe Flacco. And Zuttah has played all interior spots on offensive lines over the course of his career, so while he might not be starter material anymore, he's a valuable asset to have lower on the depth chart. 

For Zuttah, a little guaranteed money to keep him away from the Colts and go back home to a familiar team like the Ravens has to be a sweet deal after his offseason. 

Prediction: Zuttah signs with the Ravens 

Kelvin Sheppard

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Like running back, inside linebackers have a hard time finding a job. 

It's not that inside 'backers aren't valuable, it's just that in many locales they don't stay on the field for a majority of a defense's snaps anymore thanks to the prominence of the passing game. 

This reality has a guy like Kelvin Sheppard still sitting on the open market, though he might have a new opportunity on his hands thanks to a season-ending injury suffered by Miami Dolphins rookie Raekwon McMillan. 

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald had the report: 

Rey Maualuga gets a nod here as well. The former Cincinnati Bengals enforcer spent eight years with the team before getting replaced, though he's a tad older and has more snaps to his name. 

Sheppard, on the other hand, is 29 years old and has played with four different teams since entering the league in 2011. One of those teams happened to be the Dolphins for two seasons, so the familiarity here, combined with age and other factors, puts him ahead in this particular competition. 

Really, there are a wealth of inside linebackers on the open market besides these two, with names such as  D'Qwell Jackson, Stephen Tulloch and Daryl Washington still waiting for a call. 

The fact Sheppard already picked up the phone and made a trip says a lot. Unless he earns himself a bidding war like Zuttah, look for him to wind back up in a familiar place on a short deal. 

Prediction: Sheppard signs with the Dolphins 

Ryan Mathews

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Yes, the talk about running backs above was strategic.

The most notable name on the open market right now at the devalued position is Ryan Mathews, who himself is a bit of an odd story. 

To keep it short, the Philadelphia Eagles gave him the boot Tuesday once he had clearance from doctors to play. Despite his 661 yards and eight touchdowns on a 4.3 per-carry average a year ago, the team wanted to go in a different direction with LeGarrette Blount and Darren Sproles, not to mention rookie Donnel Pumphrey. 

That leaves Mathews in an odd bit of purgatory as a 29-year-old back coming off a productive year and an injury. According to ESPN's Adam Caplan, he plans to keep playing: 

Interestingly enough, this came after Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun mentioned the following: "Ravens coaches have a lot of respect for Mathews. RB is not team's biggest need by any means but wouldn't rule this one out."

Like the apparent push with Zuttah, there is nothing wrong with adding a little depth to a position with a high turnover rate. 

Until other serious apparent interest starts rolling in when it comes to Mathews, his competing for snaps with Lorenzo Taliaferro, Terrance West and Danny Woodhead seems like a low-risk, high-reward move for the Ravens and keeps Mathews playing the game he doesn't want to give up just yet. 

Prediction: Mathews signs with the Ravens   

Stats courtesy of NFL.com.