The Best NFL Free Agent Still on the Market at Every Position

Even with September drawing to a close, free agency can still be a fruitful place for NFL teams.

The type of help a team needs varies. Contenders are always hunting for more depth or a bargain. Pretenders thinking about the future will use both the market and waiver wire to hunt for long-term solutions. Both will need help when the injury bug bites.

Luckily for all involved, the market continues to serve as a robust solution. Veterans who just missed on cut day, injured players getting back to form and other factors have kept these guys on the open market.

Thanks to a combination of pro-level skills, experience and readiness, they stand at the head of the pack at their respective positions, and it won't be a surprise to see them get work at some point this season.

QB: Brock Osweiler

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Brock Osweiler is at the head of the pack of a thin quarterback position.

Some proof to back that up occurred recently when the Indianapolis Colts brought in Osweiler for a visit at the end of August in the wake of Andrew Luck's retirement. 

NFL teams have Osweiler up as one of the first names on dial for a reason. He's still 28 years old and a 2012 second-round pick who last appeared in Miami a season ago. There, he completed 63.5 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and four interceptions, which in hindsight was a solid performance for a team falling apart at the edges. 

A team isn't bringing in Osweiler to start and win games, but a club struggling with injuries at the position could always give him a call.

Potential Fits: Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers

RB: Jay Ajayi

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It seems like only a matter of time for Jay Ajayi, a versatile back who fits well in today's NFL. 

Ajayi is on his way back from an injury and received clearance on it in July. He's a career 4.5 yards-per-carry rusher who has six 100-yard games and 13 scores to his name. Don't forget 63 catches on 86 targets. 

Besides Ajayi's injury history (he's never played in a full 16-game season), the nature of the position combined with getting him into game shape has kept him without a job. Running back is an overloaded position right now by its very nature, which got another annual infusion via the draft. 

But we're already starting to see injury dominoes falling, like Saquon Barkley's setback with the New York Giants, for starters. If he's in game shape and ready to go, Ajayi shouldn't be on the market much longer. 

Potential Fits: New York Giants

WR: Dez Bryant

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Were there not a whirlwind of non-football factors to consider, this would obviously be Antonio Brown. 

But Dez Bryant isn't a terrible consolation name. 

Bryant will be 31 this season and had a season-ending injury last year with the New Orleans Saints before even getting on the field. But he sounds like he wants to make another comeback attempt, and teams would have a hard time ignoring him. 

NFL fans don't need a big explanation on Bryant. He had a stretch of three 1,200-plus-yard seasons and had 41 touchdowns over that span. He most recently put up six scores in a season back in 2017. 

Almost every team is a fit if Bryant is healthy, in shape and ready to go. But another chance with the Saints would probably make the most sense given the familiarity there. 

Potential Fits: New Orleans Saints, Washington Redskins

TE: Jermaine Gresham

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It's a little weird to think tight end Jermaine Gresham is only 31 years old, yet the 2010 first-round pick is the top name on the market at his position. 

He spent the last four seasons in Arizona, building on his totals of 29 touchdowns and an average of 10 yards per catch. Also known for his ability as a blocker, Gresham got cut this past March because of cap numbers, and there haven't been any major reports of interest since. 

But again, that can change in a hurry at a position like this. The veteran experience and ability to provide depth could have rebuilders like Oakland and contenders like New England eventually interested. 

Potential Fits: Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots

OL: Matt Kalil

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Matt Kalil being jobless is one of the more surprising developments of the free-agent market. 

The 30-year-old tackle and 2012 top-five pick missed all of last season and latched on with the desperate Houston Texans this summer before being shown the door after the front office added Laremy Tunsil via trade. 

Still, offensive lines are in terrible shape across the league. Kalil wasn't superb by any means last time he took the field (62.4 grade at Pro Football Focus on 1,000-plus snaps in 2017), but he still has a place in the league.

If a team like the Cincinnati Bengals keeps suffering setbacks along the line, he might get back on the field soon. 

Potential Fits: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns

DL: Muhammad Wilkerson

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

NFL teams love pressure and therefore don't let a ton of quality pressure-creators slip to the open market and stay there. But Muhammad Wilkerson, owner of 44.5 sacks since 2011 out of the first round, is an interesting case. 

Wilkerson had a pair of surgeries to fix injuries that limited him to three games for the Green Bay Packers last year, his first stint away from the New York Jets. He also had an off-field incident in June. 

Even so, a versatile trench player who rarely missed time over seven seasons and only turns 30 this season is a valuable asset should everything check out. ESPN's Rob Demovsky had noted in March the Packers still had interest. 

Potential Fits: Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts

LB: Mason Foster

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

Mason Foster was cut by the Washington Redskins over the summer, and it didn't figure to take him long to find another job—yet here we are going into October. 

Foster was a third-round pick in 2011 by Tampa Bay, and he carved out a nice career for himself, tallying 650-plus total tackles with 8.5 sacks and eight interceptions. 

Still 30 years old, Foster is a reliable veteran in the middle who figured to hold down a starting spot in Washington, though his public spat with coaches and eventual exit might be playing a part there. 

The limited playing time given to inside linebackers—most defenses put extra defensive backs on the field—is likely contributing too. But a team with performance or depth problems might still seek out Foster eventually. 

Potential Fits: Cincinnati Bengals, Oakland Raiders

CB: Orlando Scandrick

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Orlando Scandrick has name recognition for a reason, as the fifth-round pick in 2008 has enjoyed a lengthy, productive career. 

Scandrick spent last season with the Kansas City Chiefs over 15 games, and despite some of the problems there that led to a scheme blowup this offseason, he emerged with a respectable 69.7 grade at Pro Football Focus. 

Meaning, if he wants to keep playing, Scandrick is bound to get a call from a team in need of help. He was most recently a bit of a surprise cut from the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Thanks to an ability to play multiple spots, a reunion there could eventually make sense, though plenty of teams could come calling.

Potential Fits: Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins

S: Eric Berry

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The NFL won't go without an Eric Berry appearance this season, right? 

Berry was a contender for best-in-the-league status when healthy and is still only 30 years old. The problem is he only played in three games over the past two reasons, which made it unsurprising when the Kansas City Chiefs decided to move on. 

Still, it sounds like Berry is cleared to go should he want to, and he boasts a resume of 448 tackles and 14 interceptions along with plenty of wow-worthy highlights. Even as a rotational presence, he'd boost almost every secondary in the league. 

That is especially the case for needy teams and a roster like Atlanta now staring life without Keanu Neal in the face. 

Potential Fits: Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts

K: Mike Nugent

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

It seems like slim pickings at the kicker position, especially when hearing about teams like the Chicago Bears working out nearly 10 different guys for a job this summer. 

Most of the names don't stick out, yet one recent one who hasn't surfaced does: Mike Nugent. 

A career 81.4 percent kicker, Nugent last appeared in three games for the Oakland Raiders in 2018 before going on injured reserve, posting a 6-of-6 mark, with one of those hits from 52 yards.

One injury or a severe performance dip might have some suggesting a veteran like Nugent as a replacement. 

P: Ryan Allen

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Ryan Allen wasn't a household name outside of the Foxborough area, yet he served as punter for the Patriots since 2013 before getting cut in August. 

The move seemed more like a money thing than anything else, as the veteran still posted just five touchbacks, landed 21 kicks inside the 20 and had a net of 39.5 yards last season. 

Alas, the Patriots decided to go with fifth-round rookie Jake Bailey, meaning a veteran with a touchback percentage of 8.31 for his career and an inside-20 percentage of 37.41 is on the market and ready should a starter somewhere crumble or suffer an injury.