NFL Free Agency 2011: 20 Player-Team Matches Made in Heaven After the Draft
It has been an awkward year for free agents.
First, the lockout halts league business and sends them into limbo. Technically, they're still with their former teams, but they will assuredly become free agents sometime in the next couple weeks (or months).
There are certainly some teams that would be interested in signing these guys, and the free agents themselves probably have some team preferences. But then they have to sit through the draft and watch as a number of their preferred landing spots indirectly say, "thanks, but no thanks" by filling their would-be roles with high-round picks.
So now, free agents will wait for their time to begin and commence the unceremonious task of picking through NFL draftees' leftovers.
Some players may fare better than others, because some of those landing places remain or have been enhanced by the draft results.
Just to get this out of the way, with the CBA and the 2011 season up in the air, nobody knows how the rules of restricted free agency are going to turn out. Therefore, for the purposes of speculation alone, this article will assume all potential restricted free agents with four or more years are unrestricted and not re-signing with their former teams.
It's more interesting that way.
Brent Grimes and the Oakland Raiders
1 of 20
Oakland is losing a Pro Bowl corner in Nnamdi Asomugha, and that hurts.
The Raiders will do what they can to bring him back, but barring that, they could do worse than replacing a Pro Bowl cornerback with a Pro Bowl cornerback.
Oakland did draft two corners this year, but neither of them is likely to fill the void left by Asomugha. Grimes might come close.
Matt Light and the Chicago Bears
2 of 20
Chicago has taken the first steps towards shoring up its offensive line by spending an early selection on Gabe Carimi.
But the Bears wouldn't mind a veteran presence in there to keep Jay Cutler on his feet in one of the most brutal pass-rushing divisions in football.
Matt Light has been responsible for protecting Tom Brady's blind side for a long time, and while he's no longer at his peak, he can be an effective stopgap while Carimi learns the ropes.
Ahmad Bradshaw and the Denver Broncos
3 of 20
If Knowshon Moreno is the answer, then it's a multiple-answer question.
Thanks to Josh McDaniels, Peyton Hillis won't be the answer either.
The Denver Broncos have been without a true featured running back since, what, Terrell Davis? Clinton Portis, perhaps?
Ahmad Bradshaw has a bad case of fumble-itis, but he and Moreno could create a dynamic backfield if he fixes that.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Paul Posluszny and the Cleveland Browns
4 of 20
The Buffalo Bills' front office would probably rather staple their feet to the wall than let Paul Posluszny go, but as I've described already, we're just going to pretend he's gone.
The Cleveland Browns are a team that would love to have a new young core in the middle of their defense.
Posluszny was a monster and one of the only bright spots in Buffalo's defense last year. Cleveland doesn't have one of the worst linebacker units in football, but it would welcome an anchor like Posluszny.
Chad Ochocinco and the New England Patriots
5 of 20
I'm bending the rules a bit here since Chad Ochocinco is not technically a free agent. But he's likely to be cut or traded as soon as the Bengals can do so.
When that happens, Ocho's flamboyant personality and the Patriots' no-nonsense approach look strangely similar to the Randy Moss-Patriots move that resulted in a record-setting offense. Ocho isn't as close to his prime as Moss was, but he still has enough left in the tank to help the Patriots stretch the field a bit.
Ocho was rumored to be looking at Detroit, but the Lions drafted Titus Young in the second round, which seems to have hit the brakes on that speculation.
Ike Taylor and the Jacksonville Jaguars
6 of 20
Ike Taylor isn't a great cornerback, but he's solid. Solid cover corners get paid on the open market—that's just how it is.
Nobody is more likely to pay a cover corner than Jacksonville, which ranked fifth-worst in pass defense last year and has to play Peyton Manning and Matt Schaub twice a year.
Especially considering it didn't do much to help its pass defense in the draft, settling only for Middle Tennessee State product Rod Issac at CB.
Stephen Tulloch and the Detroit Lions
7 of 20
Stephen Tulloch to Detroit makes too much sense to ignore.
Detroit needs a big linebacker like Tulloch more than perhaps anything else on its defense, plus Tulloch played the first half of his career with Lions head coach Jim Schwartz as his defensive coordinator.
He would also be reuniting with his former linebackers coach, Matt Burke.
Tulloch fits the scheme, fills the team's biggest need and knows the coaches. The Lions will want him because he's a solid linebacker who was second in the NFL in tackles last year with 160.
Perfect fit...if the Lions shell out the cash.
Randy Moss and the Buffalo Bills
8 of 20
This isn't so much a "match made in heaven" as a "what have you got to lose" situation. The Bills experimented with Terrell Owens, and it didn't work out.
The Bills haven't really addressed their quarterback issue either, but whoever it is will need someone to throw to. Moss is only slightly below Owens on the "locker room cancer" list, but he may be above him in terms of remaining talent.
And it becomes more interesting in the next frame...
Matt Hasselbeck and the Buffalo Bills
9 of 20
I don't know exactly how Chan Gailey feels about Ryan Fitzpatrick as a long-term solution, but he can't be thrilled with Levi Brown as a backup.
Matt Hasselbeck makes perfect sense for the Bills. He could start for Buffalo or at least be a reliable backup. He's already used to throwing in cold-weather conditions, and pairing him with Moss could be interesting for both of them.
Then again, I don't know if Bills fans would really go for this. But it could, if nothing else, be a really interesting experiment for the rest of us to observe.
Barry Cofield and the Arizona Cardinals
10 of 20
No matter how good Barry Cofield is (hint: really good), it's funny to think that he might always be remembered for "The Tazer." He's a regular modern-day Ickey Woods.
That said, Cofield is also a big guy who can plug up some gaps and occasionally get after the quarterback. Nobody needs that like the Arizona Cardinals, who did precious little to address their 30th-ranked rushing defense in the draft.
Carl Nicks and the Minnesota Vikings
11 of 20
Now that they're looking at Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh twice a year (and the Packers' and Bears' lines aren't exactly slouchy), it might behoove Minnesota to find some additional support on the inside.
Steve Hutchinson has been a Pro Bowler forever, but he's not getting any younger, and Adrian Peterson was stuffed behind the line more times than the Vikings are probably comfortable with.
Nicks won't come without a hefty price tag, but it might be worth it to keep Christian Ponder out of the hospital this year.
Donovan McNabb and the San Francisco 49ers
12 of 20
Donovan McNabb's 2010 season was a burgundy stain on an otherwise great career.
But it was so bad last year, McNabb had to wonder, "What exactly did these guys sign me for?"
Given the way McNabb's 2010 ended (similar to a rookie quarterback whose coach decided he needed more seasoning), it is the consensus belief that he won't be a Washington Redskin next year. Most are amazed he finished the season there as it is.
Clearly, then, the answer is to head to the opposite coast in order to get as far away from Shanahan and Son as possible.
But there's a reason McNabb fits in San Francisco specifically. First, McNabb isn't going to land any jobs where he's considered a franchise guy. His time for that has passed. He's a stopgap quarterback now.
San Francisco is the perfect stopgap destination. It is widely believed that Colin Kaepernick is going to need some time before he's ready to play. Alex Smith is on the roster, and on the surface, he's "their guy."
But is anyone buying that? McNabb could play for a year or two, serve as a mentor to young Kaepernick and step aside when his time comes. Even with his poor season in Washington, I can say with some certainty that McNabb would make Jim Harbaugh look better than Smith.
Ray Edwards and the Tennessee Titans
13 of 20
Ray Edwards seems to cycle between being underrated and overrated.
Underestimate him, and he'll kill you.
Expect production out of him, and he'll disappear.
Regardless, Edwards has shown a relatively consistent ability to get after the quarterback, and the Titans will be looking to replace the 13.5 sacks they're losing when Jason Babin leaves for free agency.
Unless Karl Klug is the answer.
Tyson Clabo and the Philadelphia Eagles
14 of 20
The Philadelphia Eagles did a great deal to shore up the interior of their line. But it's not a complete deal yet.
That the Eagles gave up 49 sacks last year with Mike Vick at the helm is incredible.
Tyson Clabo is one of the league's better right tackles, and that makes him a very good idea for Philadelphia, whose right tackle actually serves as Vick's blind-side protector.
DeAngelo Williams and the Miami Dolphins
15 of 20
Remember that non-event a couple of years ago, when Chris Johnson and LenDale White argued with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart about who got to use the nickname "Smash and Dash?"
First of all, where did White end up after all that?
Second of all, if Williams leaves Carolina, doesn't it stand to reason that he'll want a new "Smash" to go with his "Dash?" And perhaps a shiny new interior lineman to run behind?
Miami has an opening for "speed back" beside Daniel Thomas and behind Mike Pouncey.
Sidney Rice and the New York Jets
16 of 20
Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes are both potential free agents this year, and the Jets don't appear to have an heir apparent in line to replace them.
Getting Sidney Rice as a deep threat for Mark Sanchez would be a major coup, both for the team and for Sanchez's development.
But there's another guy I like even better here...
Terrell Owens and the New York Jets
17 of 20
You know you want to see this happen. The team nobody likes, joined with the receiver nobody likes, making the team you love to hate that much easier to hate.
It's perfect—and it's actually not a bad deal, football-wise. Owens had a reasonably good season last year and proved he at least had some left in the tank. The Jets have done well picking up veterans with a big name recently, and they could get some mileage out of Owens yet.
The really fun thing, though, will be when he starts imploding the locker room by talking about his coach's feet or using some sort of thinly veiled racial slur against Mark Sanchez.
I'm already getting my popcorn ready.
Jason Babin and the Cincinnati Bengals
18 of 20
Judging by their draft, it doesn't appear as though the Cincinnati Bengals were much concerned with having the 27th-rated pass rush in football.
They might consider making a note of it come free agency, and a good start would be going after a DE who notched 13.5 sacks last year.
There is some question about whether Babin was a one-year wonder, notching 13.5 sacks after maintaining a career high of five. But somebody's going to pay the man, and I have it narrowed down to Cincinnati and Jacksonville.
The Bengals get the nod here in a coin flip.
Cedric Benson and the San Diego Chargers
19 of 20
Nobody really knows what to expect from Cedric Benson next year.
Which one will show up? The first-round bust? Or the 2009 stud running back?
Ryan Mathews turned out to be fairly uneventful for the Chargers last season, so Benson serves as their insurance policy.
If Mathews is healthy, Benson spells him and takes some of the load off.
If Mathews gets hurt again, Benson takes over as feature back.
It's win-win for Benson and the Chargers...provided Benson's price tag isn't too high.
Nnamdi Asomugha and the Houston Texans
20 of 20
The AFC South, and perhaps the entirety of the NFL, had better hope this doesn't happen.
The Houston Texans have amassed enough blue-chip pass rushers to beat an offensive tackle on the way to sacking a fleeing gazelle. Adding the league's best cover corner to it just seems unfair.
Secondary, particularly cornerback, was considered a major weakness for the Texans, who made a habit of blowing leads late. Nnamdi Asomugha would serve as the final piece of that puzzle, shutting down a receiver per game.
It gets even more dangerous when you consider two of the other three teams in the division will be sporting rookie quarterbacks in 2011. Putting them up against one of the most dynamic pass rushes in the league and the best cornerback is a recipe to get those poor kids wrecked.
Of course, it's the quarterback that isn't a rookie that would make for the best viewing in this scenario. Peyton Manning vs. Nnamdi Asomugha twice a year would be an event.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")