The Most Underrated 2022 NFL Free Agents Still Available

It didn't take long for some of the biggest names in NFL free agency to find new homes. Once the legal tampering period started at noon ET on Monday, the deals and money started flying fast and furious.

But good things can come to those who wait.

Sometimes, it isn't the big names who wind up making a difference. At this time last year, De'Vondre Campbell and Rasul Douglas were just afterthoughts. Campbell ended up being a first-team All-Pro, while Douglas had five interceptions for the Green Bay Packers. 

Some of these players are coming off injuries that have let them go under the radar. Others were miscast in their current situations, and some just didn't have the opportunity they will get with new teams.

Regardless, they have the ability to provide serious value to a team that is patient enough to target them later in the free-agency process.    

RB Rashaad Penny

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It only took four years, but at the end of the 2021 season, the Seattle Seahawks finally got a glimpse of the player they thought they drafted in Rashaad Penny. 

The 2018 first-round pick has struggled with injuries throughout his career, but with a clean bill of health and the opportunity to be the No. 1 back, he ran for 706 yards and six touchdowns over the final six weeks of the campaign. 

That's a small sample size, but it shows he can be a team's top running back. For the year, he averaged over six yards per carry behind an offensive line that finished 25th in the final season rankings at Pro Football Focus. 

His injury history is concerning, but there are two ways to look at it.

The most obvious is that he's injury-prone and should be avoided. The other is that his only major injury is the ACL tear he suffered in Week 14 of the 2019 campaign. That cost him the rest of that season and most of 2020. 

The 26-year-old only has 280 career carries going into his next contract. The upside here is immense, and any team that is looking for a physical back who could take over as the top option should be in play. 

Best Fit: Houston Texans

RB Ronald Jones II

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Leonard Fournette is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' free-agent running back who gets all the love, but Ronald Jones II has the potential to be an important cog somewhere in 2022.

For much of 2019 and 2020, Jones was the featured back in the Bucs offense. He showed his ability to carry that weight with 978 yards and seven touchdowns in the 2020 regular season and was a receiving threat with 59 catches over those two campaigns. 

However, ball-security issues and a crowded backfield cost Jones a bigger role in 2021. He's had seven fumbles over the last three seasons, and Tampa Bay had Fournette and Ke'Shawn Vaughn to turn to. 

Yet Jones is a tough runner who led the league in yards after contact per carry in 2020. 

A coaching staff who can help Jones address his ball-security issues while building back his confidence could benefit from adding him to their backfield. With Darrel Williams on the free-agent market, the Kansas City Chiefs could get a strong complementary back to Clyde Edwards-Helaire. 

Best Fit: Kansas City Chiefs

TE O.J. Howard

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O.J. Howard has been a forgotten man in Tampa Bay since Tom Brady arrived in 2020. The tight end has been targeted just 40 times over the last two seasons and posted a career-low 6.4 yards per target in 2021.

Injuries and a crowded depth chart have taken their toll on Howard's production. While he never lived up to his first-round billing, he at least used to be much more efficient with the looks he got. 

He averaged more than 11 yards per target in each of his first two seasons while scoring 11 touchdowns. With Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate on a roster that also included Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, it's not a shock that Howard was an afterthought in the passing game. 

In the right situation, the 2017 first-round selection could revitalize his career. The Cincinnati Bengals are now on the search for a No. 1 tight end after C.J. Uzomah left for the New York Jets, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Howard could be a high-upside option who should come at a good price. 

Best Fit: Cincinnati Bengals

T/G Billy Turner

Kamil Krzaczynski/Associated Press

The Green Bay Packers loss will be somebody's gain in the case of Billy Turner. The offensive lineman was a cap casualty for a Packers team with bigger needs to address in free agency. 

It's not a move that created a lot of headlines, but it did add a quality lineman to the free-agent pool. 

The best thing the 30-year-old brings to the table is his versatility. In his seven years in the league, he has played every position along the offensive line except for center. 

The team that signs him is not getting an All-Pro, but Turner has committed four or fewer penalties each season. He did have an ugly 2019 campaign in which he gave up 12 sacks, per Sports Info Solutions.  

This year, though, he started 13 games at right tackle and gave up just one sack before missing the rest of the regular season with a knee injury.

Turner's ability to be a serviceable right tackle or utility spot-starter is huge in a league that is always on the lookout for competent linemen. 

Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett is familiar with Turner's work. The former Green Bay offensive coordinator could give Turner a shot to claim the right tackle job while keeping him for depth if that fails.

Best Fit: Denver Broncos

Edge Lorenzo Carter

Rich Schultz/Associated Press

Small sample size can be one of the most confounding aspects of free agency for largely unproven commodities. How much should a team pay for a glimpse of production?

That's the question at hand when it comes to Lorenzo Carter. His first two seasons with the Giants were fairly typical for a pass-rusher taken in the third round. He was used as a rotational pass rusher and amassed 8.5 sacks. 

He got off to a slow start the following season with just one sack in five games before a torn Achilles ended his campaign. And in the final year of his rookie contract, he didn't really do much until the last four weeks of the season. 

That's when he ripped off five sacks with two forced fumbles and four passes defended in the home stretch of the season. It's just enough to show that he still has the potential to be a late bloomer. 

He posted a 12 percent pressure percentage on his pass-rush snaps in 2021. For comparison, Chandler Jones was at 12.1, per Sports Info Solutions. 

With Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham going to Las Vegas, it would make sense to bring Carter in. That could open the door to make Carl Nassib a post-June 1 cut, which would save the club $8 million in cap space. 

Best Fit: Las Vegas Raiders

LB Alexander Johnson

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

The Denver Broncos already kept one underrated linebacker who suffered a torn pectoral muscle in 2021 off the market in Josey Jewell. They have yet to make the same thing happen with Alexander Johnson, though. 

Johnson has flown under the radar for two reasons. One is that people have had plenty of time to forget how well he was playing before that torn pectoral muscle ended his season after six games. Then there's the fact that he's 30 years old—a magic number that makes free agents go undetected.

However, Johnson started his career late. He played his rookie season in 2018 at 27 and only has played in 38 games. 

When healthy, Johnson has the potential to be everything teams want in an off-ball linebacker. He was the Bronco's highest-graded run defender by PFF in both 2019 and 2021. 

He's also shown he can play well in coverage too. It was only six games, but Johnson allowed just seven completions on 18 targets in 2021 before the injury. 

The Detroit Lions are a squad that has multiple holes it could fill in free agency. They re-signed linebackers Alex Anzalone and Shaun Dion Hamilton, but Johnson could be an upgrade over both of them at a relatively low cost based on his injury and age.   

Best Fit: Detroit Lions

LB Kyzir White

Kyusung Gong/Associated Press

The Los Angeles Chargers have been among the biggest winners in the offseason. Trading for Khalil Mack and agreeing to a five-year, $82.5 million deal with J.C. Jackson, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, give them two key additions who will raise the ceiling of the defensive unit. 

But if they don't re-sign Kyzir White they'll be missing an underrated piece to last year's defense. 

Granted, the defense finished 26th in efficiency, but White was one of the few bright spots. While 2020 first-round pick Kenneth Murray Jr. struggled with injuries White held it down in the middle of the defense, racking up 144 tackles and providing solid pass coverage, holding opposing quarterbacks to a respectable 88.1 rating. 

There aren't many defenses that wouldn't want a three-down linebacker who can cover tight ends and running backs the way White can. The fact that he's 25 years old means he could be even better on his next contract.   

The Philadelphia Eagles have yet to address their need at linebacker. T.J. Edwards is a surefire starter next season, but they didn't offer a tender to Alex Singleton and should be looking for an upgrade at the position. 

Best Fit: Philadelphia Eagles

CB Ahkello Witherspoon

Stacy Bengs/Associated Press

If Ahkello Witherspoon does not re-sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he will play for his third NFL team in three seasons. Given his level of play, steady improvement and enticing frame, it would be surprising if he doesn't get a multiyear deal somewhere. 

Cornerback play can always be a little volatile, but Witherspoon has looked solid for two consecutive years. While he gave up passer ratings of over 100 in his early seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, he only gave up a rating of 82.4 when targeted in his last season with the team. 

He ended up allowing a 35.1 passer rating in Pittsburgh. He was targeted only 37 times last season, but he led the league in the category. 

Witherspoon has shown in that small sample size that he's capable of being a starting cornerback on the outside. At 6'2", he has the size to man up with bigger receivers and can play in a variety of schemes. 

Several teams can use a corner. The best fit for Witherspoon is going to be one that gives him a chance to be a starter on the outside. Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network reported Witherspoon is likely to re-sign with the Steelers, though.

If that doesn't work out, the Patriots would make some sense. After losing J.C. Jackson in free agency, they might be willing to give him that shot.   

Best Fit: New England Patriots