Predicting Landing Spots for Biggest Names Still on Free-Agent and Trade Market

When April rolls around and you're still an NFL free agent, the air gets thin and you might feel desperate.

If you're not among the first group of free agents signed, there could be several reasons for the delay: your age, a backlog of talent at your position in the draft or your injury status.

Whatever the reason, every preseason leaves a group of gifted players waiting for a dance partner through the first month of the free-agent cycle. Here are those most talented players in this class, the reasons for the delays and their potential landing spots.

Also, we've speculated on landing spots for possible trade targets Odell Beckham Jr. and Rob Gronkowski, which may have been complicated by the news that the Los Angeles Rams—reportedly an interested party in a Beckham trade—dealt their first-round pick to the New England Patriots for receiver Brandin Cooks.

WR Odell Beckham Jr.

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Trade rumors have been flying since the NFL owners meetings in late march. Team co-owner John Mara and new general manager Dave Gettleman have addressed them as teams usually do—with boilerplate comments about how "no one's untouchable" after a 3-13 season but how a team doesn't "quit on talent."

What the Giants could get for Beckham, who caught more passes for more yards per game than any other receiver in NFL history through his first three years, could make this a fait accompli.

There's nobody else on Big Blue's roster with Beckham's interstellar talent, but a team looking to get rid of a player who's proved to be a headache more than once and bulk up on draft picks for that aforementioned new GM could turn this story proactively in the next few weeks.

The Rams are rumored to have talked with the Giants about shipping the 23rd pick for Beckham, but the news Tuesday that the team sent that pick to the Patriots for receiver Brandin Cooks most likely makes this all go away.

Landing Spot: Giants

Yes, the team may want to unload Beckham for as much draft capital as it can get, but in this case Gettleman's quote about not quitting on talent bears out. The Giants need major help along their offensive and defensive lines and linebacker corps already, and losing a player of Beckham's stature might set the franchise back even farther.

TE Rob Gronkowski

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Before we even talk about Gronk's chances of landing elsewhere, there's the issue of whether he plans to return to the NFL.

After the Patriots' Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, reports indicated the future Hall of Famer might be leaning toward retirement, citing the physical and mental grind of the game. More recently, indications are Gronkowski would return to the Patriots if Tom Brady were the quarterback, per ESPN's Jeff Darlington.

No problem there.

The question then becomes whether Bill Belichick would keep Gronk. It sounds strange on its face, as a healthy Gronk is the most impossible matchup in the NFL, but Ben Volin of the Boston Globe outlined the conflict well.

Gronkowski is entering the penultimate year of a six-year, $54 million contract he signed in 2012. He's set to be paid $8 million in 2018 with $750,000 more in per-game roster bonuses. That makes him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL, but if he wants to be paid like a receiver, he'd finish waaaaay down on that list, below Marqise Lee and Donte Moncrief.

Gronk is also said to have bristled at Belichick's demanding coaching style and Belichick's thoughts on the team's use of trainer Alex Guerrero, a Brady addition who probably isn't going anywhere.

Belichick has had a history of getting rid of marquee players earlier than later—you can ask Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour, Lawyer Milloy, Logan Mankins and Wes Welker about that. But there's nobody on the team with Gronkowki's explosive potential, and the extent to which Brady relies on him would seem to nix any trade unless another team were willing to give up a king's ransom.

Landing Spot: Patriots

At least for the 2018 season, Gronk will stay put. The wild card is his injury history; Gronk hasn't played a full season since 2011 and has missed more than half the regular season in two of the last five seasons, with multiple games missed in the postseason as well.

Belichick may be tempted to gamble on Gronk's current health in a trade, but he would be hard to replace on the field—especially with Cooks off to the Rams. 

RB DeMarco Murray

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If you want a case study in how quickly a running back can decline, look at DeMarco Murray.

Fresh off a 1,287-yard season in 2016 in which he proved to be the perfect bell-cow back for Mike Mularkey's "exotic smashmouth" offense, Murray saw his production plummet in 2017. He looked slow to and through gaps as he played through injury.

At age 30, he'll be eager to prove last season was an anomaly and that he still has enough in the tank to be a productive part of an NFL offense. Murray played through hamstring, knee and shoulder maladies until a knee issue took him out of the regular-season finale and both of Tennessee's playoff games.

"I am very confident in myself, and I am excited," Murray said in January, per the Titans' official website. "I am excited about the future, and my future. I know what kind of player I am."

Landing Spot: Seahawks

Murray has visited the Lions and Seahawks and has received inquiries from the Dolphins during his free-agency tour. His 2017 totals make him a second-level signing for any team.

The Seahawks are in a rebuilding mode where they're more inclined to take a chance on a player fighting his way back to relevance. The surplus of fine running backs in this draft class could further complicate Murray's signing timeline.

DL Johnathan Hankins

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Interior defensive linemen don't generally get a ton of positive press unless they're putting up superhuman sack numbers, which has left Johnathan Hankins unfairly underrated.

After four years as a key run-plugger for the Giants, Hankins moved to the Colts in 2017, racking up just two sacks and 24 solo tackles. However, he added 20 quarterback pressures, per Pro Football Focus, and maintained his reputation as one of the toughest defensive tackles to single-block.

Hankins is a strong and versatile player who would excel in any defense, though he works best as a penetrating 1-tech and 3-tech tackle who can use his enormous (6'2", 325 lbs) frame and surprising quickness to disrupt any pocket.

The colts cut Hankins for salary-cap reasons, but that doesn't diminish his potential effect on a defense.

Landing Spot: Redskins

Hankins has visited Washington and Detroit, but it's the Redskins who may need his help more. Washington finished dead last against the run in Football Outsiders' opponent-adjusted metrics, and Hankins would be a huge upgrade for a defensive line desperately in need.

CB Bashaud Breeland

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The Carolina Panthers had signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the talented former Redskins cornerback in mid-March, but that deal was voided when Breeland suffered a "non-football injury."

He cut his foot while vacationing in the Dominican Republic in March, and the cut got infected, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Per David Newton of ESPN.com, the injury aggravated another injury Breeland suffered in the fourth grade.

Once Breeland is able to pass a team physical and start to get out from under this brutal twist of fate, he'll be attractive to teams as a No. 2 cornerback who can backpedal well and play adeptly as a zone or man cover corner, occasionally slipping into the slot.

Per Pro Football Focus' charting, Breeland allowed a completion percentage of 49.3 on the 69 throws he was the primary target and a 75.6 quarterback rating overall. Breeland's misfortune will likely be an NFL team's extreme bargain.

Landing Spot: Packers

Per ESPN's Rob Demovsky, Green Bay was in talks with Breeland before he signed with the Panthers, and there are few teams more in need of versatile cornerback help.

CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

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The Giants released Rodgers-Cromartie in early March, saving $6.5 million in cap room and moving on from a player who battled with Big Blue's coaching staff at times.

The latter issue might not be held against him, as many players seemed to have an issue with Ben McAdoo's heavy-handed coaching style, but the real concern is how much he has left in the tank.

At this point, he's more of a slot cornerback than a true outside guy and could be a valuable addition to any team looking to put three or more cornerbacks on the field in a base defense. He would have speed and agility limitations as an outside cornerback, which restricts his market.

Landing Spot: Unknown

Rodgers-Cromartie visited with the Redskins, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, and there was some talk of a visit with the Saints. However, he told ESPN's Josina Anderson that he's in no hurry to come to terms with any team and may wait until "April sometime."

It's also possible Rodgers-Cromartie is waiting until after the draft to see which teams are most in need of veteran cornerback help.

S Tre Boston

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The relative lack of interest in a high number of talented safeties in this free-agent market is baffling, given the need for deep-third pass defenders and hybrid linebackers who can play the slot and stop the run at the second level.

As perhaps the most intriguing safety on this list, Tre Boston excelled as a deep safety during his one season with the Chargers, amassing five interceptions after three decent seasons with the Panthers.

In Gus Bradley's Cover 1 and Cover 3 schemes, Boston turned out to be the perfect foil as a range safety who could close to either side of the field and help in coverage. He allowed just three receptions on 12 targeted passes last season, per Pro Football Focus, while providing an interception or pass breakup on six of those targets.

"It's kind of unbelievable to me," Boston said of his unsigned status on Sirius XM Radio (via Pro Football Talk) in late March. "We're talking about a position that's needed more and more on the field in today's game. There are about five or six valuable starting safeties in free agency right now. But I guess it's just trying to get us to take peanuts like the rest of them have. That's just the business of the game."

Boston has had interest from a few teams, notably the Cardinals, Raiders, Browns and Giants, but no clear bites yet. Based on his talent as a deep defender, it's mystifying.

Landing Spot: Giants

This is pure speculation, but Giants general manager Dave Gettleman was Carolina's GM when Boston was selected in the fourth round of the 2014 draft out of North Carolina. Though the Giants will be moving to more of a hybrid defense with new defensive coordinator James Bettcher, there's no defense that doesn't need a guy who can patrol against deep receivers.

S Tyvon Branch

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It was a shame Tyvon Branch suffered a torn ACL in Week 10, because he was well on his way to debunking the narrative that he was little more than a box safety who wasn't adept in coverage.

In James Bettcher's aggressive Cardinals defense over the last two years, Branch was often asked to cover tight ends up the seam and deal with slot and deep receivers as well. Though he often came up short in this regard in his tenure with the Raiders from 2008 through 2014, he was able to expand his skill set impressively.

Sadly, at age 31 and coming off an injury that could take a year to heal, Branch could be looking at a limited market and may find more interest as the season nears.

Landing Spot: Unknown

There's been no news of interest, which makes sense—teams can wait as he heals from the ACL injury and then pounce as his recovery gets closer. Assuming the injury doesn't affect Branch's agility, he has some time left in his career as a valuable strong safety who can cover short and intermediate routes.

S Eric Reid

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There's a lot to unpack in Reid's free-agent status.

As a cover safety for most of his five seasons with the 49ers, Reid was asked halfway through the 2017 season to move to a hybrid linebacker position, much like Malcolm Jenkins of the Eagles, Deone Bucannon of the Cardinals or Mark Barron of the Rams.

This hybrid "safetybacker" position is one of the most valuable in the league among teams that play a lot of dime defensive concepts, and Reid adapted well to his new role for the most part.

He's not the thumper that Jenkins, Bucannon and Barron are, but he did his best when his team needed him. Ideally, he's more of an interchangeable strong/free safety who can move into the slot in certain sub-packages.

Then, there's the aspect of Reid's history with protesting during the anthem.

Whatever you may think about Colin Kaepernick's situation, it's hard to argue against the notion that he's getting a cold shoulder from the NFL. Reid is another player who has knelt during the anthem, and he's also politically active.

Whether this explains his unsigned status in a free-agency period where there are a ton of gifted safeties available is a matter of conjecture.

Landing Spot: Unknown

While Reid recently said that his agent has reached out to a couple of teams regarding their interest, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area, there aren't many bites for him at this point.

A scenario in which other free-agent safeties are signed before a player who has made his political affiliations clear is not out of the question. Reid may find that his wait for another team goes on longer than he hopes.

S Kenny Vaccaro

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Kenny Vaccaro can play well everywhere from the slot to the deep third of a defense, but consistency has always been an issue.

When he's pointed in the right direction, Vaccaro combines outstanding field speed with an impressive disregard for his body as a hitter to make a difference in several positions. When he's not on the ball, however, Vaccaro allows too many completions, yards after the catch and penalties.

He had a career-high three interceptions in 2017, and though the picks against the Packers and Lions could be seen as gifts (he benefited from an overthrow and a receiver drop), he was in the right place at the right time.

Of all the safeties on this list, Vaccaro has the most pure talent and the biggest boom-or-bust factor.

Landing Spot: Cowboys

Per Nick Underhill of The Advocate, there were indications the Cowboys had strong interest in Vaccaro before the 2017 season, and that's a team in need of deep defender help at multiple positions. It's also a team with no issue when it comes to players in need of on-field discipline reminders.