2018 NFL Free Agency: Restricted Free Agents Who Could Cash In Big

NFL players qualify for restricted free agency when they've accrued three seasons in the league. If a team wants to bring back one of its restricted free agents, it can choose to place a first-round tender, a second-round tender or an original-round or low tender on them. In all of these scenarios, the original team has the right of first refusal on any contract.

If an incumbent team chooses not to match a contract for a restricted free agent, it receives a corresponding draft pick depending on which type of tender it extended. If the player was undrafted but had a low tender placed on him, then the team will receive no compensation for not matching his contract.

According to CBS Sports' Joel Corry, a first-round tender will cost teams $4.1 million, a second-round tender will cost teams $2.9 million and an original-round tender will cost teams $1.9 million this season. Those increasing cap hits incentivize teams to match talent to cost instead of placing first-round tenders on all of their restricted free agents.

Teams must submit tenders to the NFL by 4 p.m. ET on March 14. Restricted free agents must sign those tenders by April 20, less than a week before the draft.

The following restricted free agents appear most likely to cash in this offseason.

Thomas Rawls, RB, Seattle Seahawks

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After going undrafted out of Central Michigan in 2015, Thomas Rawls broke onto the scene midway through that season.

When Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch went down in Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals, Rawls jumped into the starting role and put up 391 rushing yards in the next three games before fracturing his ankle in Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens. He finished with 830 rushing yards as a rookie, good enough for All-Rookie honors.

A fractured fibula limited Rawls' playing time the following season, but despite playing just 28.6 percent of Seattle's offensive snaps, he rejuvenated optimism by posted a 161-yard rushing effort during a 26-6 blowout of the Detroit Lions in the playoffs. This past season, however, he played just 20.4 percent of Seattle's offensive snaps and averaged only 2.7 yards per carry.

The Seahawks haven't been able to catch lightning in a bottle with Rawls since his rookie season, but another team may take a flier on him. Since a second-round tender would give Rawls one of the top 10 base salaries on Seattle's roster, there likely won't be a high barrier to entry into the Rawls sweepstakes.

If the Seahawks choose to place a low tender on Rawls, they'll risk losing him for no compensation, as he was undrafted in 2015. If a team believes Rawls can get back to full health and struggled due to Seattle's subpar offensive line, a $1.9 million start to a no-compensation bidding war won't seem like much of a risk.

Along with Ryan Grant, Arian Foster, LeGarrette Blount and Isaiah Crowell, Rawls is one of the five undrafted backs since 2004 to record at least 1,351 yards from scrimmage across his first two NFL seasons. That talent doesn't vanish overnight, even though Rawls has struggled in recent years.

Tyrell Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

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Over the last two years, Tyrell Williams has racked up the third-most receiving yards between an undrafted wide receiver's second and third seasons since 1990. The only players ahead of him are former New York Giants wideout Victor Cruz and New Orleans Saints receiver Willie Snead.

Even still, a team may be able to outbid the Los Angeles Chargers on Williams.

The Chargers' No. 1 receiver, Keenan Allen, has a $9.65 million cap hit in 2018, the fourth-highest on the team. Fellow receiver Travis Benjamin has a $7.0 million cap hit, the eighth-highest on the team.

Last year, Los Angeles drafted Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams with the seventh overall pick. The year before, the Chargers added Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry in the second round. At some point, there are only so many targets to go around.

The Charges did place a second-round tender on Williams according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, but there's no promise that the $2.9 million cap number will fend off teams. Since 2016, when Williams posted a 1,059-yard season along with seven touchdowns, only two other first- or second-year receivers have been able to match that total: Tyreek Hill and Michael Thomas. For a relatively inexperienced speed demon, Williams has elite production, which could draw in big money from the likes of the Baltimore Ravens or the Green Bay Packers.

Willie Snead, WR, New Orleans

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Willie Snead recorded 1,879 receiving yards across his second and third years in the league, the third-most for an undrafted wide receiver since the merger, trailing only Victor Cruz and Drew Pearson. The former Ball State receiver didn't have a great 2017 season, though.

A three-game suspension stemming from a DUI kicked off his down year, during which he also struggled with a hamstring injury. Despite playing 259 snaps the New Orleans Saints wideout recorded just eight receptions. During the 2015 and 2016 campaigns, he combined for 141.

The Saints currently have the 12th-most cap space in the NFL, according to Spotrac, with a blockbuster deal to re-sign quarterback Drew Brees looming. Snead, who played the seventh-most snaps among all New Orleans receivers and tight ends, may get lost in the shuffle.

If the Saints place a low tender on Snead—which means they'd only have the first right of refusal with no compensation barrier—there could be a market for a team looking for a high-upside No. 3 receiver. When a player finds himself in the same conversation as Cruz and Pearson and he potentially could be had for cheap, it's hard not to justify throwing your hat in the ring for him.

Cameron Meredith, WR, Chicago Bears

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After posting 888 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in his sophomore season, Cameron Meredith entered 2017 slated to be a significant contributor for the Chicago Bears. Unfortunately, an ACL injury in the preseason led to his not playing a single rep.

The result? No Bears target matched his 66 receptions, 888 yards or four touchdowns in 2017.

Still possibly Chicago's most talented wideout, it was a bit of a shock when the Bears only used an original round tender on Meredith. This means Chicago has the first right of refusal on any contract Meredith wants to sign, but the team will receive no draft compensation if it chooses not to match a contract offer since he joined the Bears as an undrafted player from Illinois State.

After ESPN's Adam Schefter broke the news that Chicago is signing Allen Robinson, one of the top receivers on the free-agent market, the Bears' motives became clear. They'll make a competitive offer for Meredith, but they won't go broke trying to bring him back to the team. The 31 other franchises in the NFL should treat this as an "open for business" sign.

Matt Paradis, C, Denver Broncos

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The Denver Broncos informed the NFL Monday that they will place a second-round tender on center Matt Paradis, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. The question now is whether anyone will be in the market for him at that price.

After back-to-back great seasons in 2015 and 2016, Paradis had a down year in 2017, perhaps due to the surgeries he underwent on both of his hips during the offseason. But with few ready-to-start offensive linemen in the draft and hardly any quality players hitting free agency, some team may be willing to give up a second-round pick to sign Paradis.

If the 28-year-old can convince a team that he's healthy, he could find himself signing a significant contract elsewhere. Denver's amount of coaching turnover in recent years may impact how much effort the team will put toward him at the negotiating table.

Bill Musgrave, Denver's offensive coordinator, was only an interim offensive coordinator last year after the Broncos fired Mike McCoy. The Broncos' new offensive line coach, Sean Kugler, was the head coach at UTEP last season and hasn't been in the NFL since before Paradis was drafted.

David Irving, DL, Dallas Cowboys

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For the second straight season, David Irving showed flashes for the Dallas Cowboys after transitioning from defensive end to defensive tackle in 2017.

Standing at 6'7" and 290 pounds, he would be considered a first-round pick if he were in this year's draft class. Last year, only seven full-time interior defensive linemen recorded at least six tackles at the line of scrimmage and seven sacks:

• Akiem Hicks (899 snaps)
• Aaron Donald (790 snaps)
• Cameron Heyward (782 snaps)
• Malik Jackson (756 snaps)
• Geno Atkins (754 snaps)
• Kawann Short (701 snaps)
• Irving (338 snaps)

Irving is putting up elite production on half of the snaps compared to other defensive linemen. He's closer to a Malcolm Butler-esque restricted free agent—a high-end asset who may be traded—than a C.J. Anderson or Mike Gillislee.

Dion Jordan, DL, Seattle Seahawks

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Dion Jordan is halfway up the mountaintop to a redemption story.

The 2013 third overall pick hadn't played in the NFL for two-and-a-half seasons before his late breakout with the Seattle Seahawks in 2017. Several suspensions kept him off the field in 2015 and 2016, while a knee injury sidelined him early in 2017. But by recording three sacks in the final three weeks of the 2017 regular season, Jordan sent a message that he's back.

At 6'6" and 275 pounds, Jordan is more likely to be a flexible inside-outside defensive lineman like Michael Bennett than to have one fixated position. With Seattle having traded Bennett to the Philadelphia Eagles and Cliff Avril's future still up in the air as he recovers from a career-threatening neck injury, the Seahawks may want to make Jordan a full-time starter in 2018. But after clearing cap space by trading Bennett and releasing star cornerback Richard Sherman, it's fair to wonder how high the Seahawks will be willing to bid.

Jordan could be fighting for playing time with Sheldon Richardson, a free agent who Seattle traded a second-round pick to acquire last season, and Frank Clark, who is heading into a contract year. The Seahawks have to pay their young defensive linemen soon. Is Jordan third in the pecking order? 

Shaquil Barrett, EDGE, Denver Broncos

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What's the long-term plan for Denver Broncos pass-rusher Shaquil Barrett? Is he as talented as Jabaal Sheard, who landed a three-year, $25.5 million deal last offseason with the Indianapolis Colts? (Sheard and Barrett share the same agent, Drew Rosenhaus.)

Will the Broncos, who have All-Pro pass-rusher Von Miller and former first-round pick Shane Ray on their roster, be willing to pay big money to a third outside linebacker when they could sign a franchise quarterback? If they aren't, are they willing move on from Ray as a starter? 

This much we know: Barrett is one of five current undrafted edge defenders who has recorded at least 11 sacks across their second through fourth seasons in the NFL. The other three are Cameron Wake (92 career sacks), Junior Galette (34.5 career sacks), Michael Bennett (54 career sacks) and Ryan Davis (14 career sacks). That's good company to be in.

After years of being buried on depth charts, Barrett finally may find full-time work this offseason.