NFL Rumors: Where Zach Miller and the Best Offensive Free Agents Could Land

As long and drawn out as the NFL lockout was, there has been one good thing to come of it— the frenzy that is NFL free agency.

The NFL free-agency period is normally fairly boring with just a few big name signings occurring right off the bat and the rest of the signings spread across the offseason.

Things have been much more condensed this year, however, making for an extremely exciting barrage of signings. The signings are coming so fast and furious, in fact, that it’s extremely difficult to keep track of who has gone where and who has signed and who hasn’t.

Despite the fact that plenty of big-name players have signed already, there are still loads of them on the open market. Many of the current unrestricted free agents were expected to be restricted, but the new collective bargaining agreement changed that and ensured a wild free-agency period.

There are still a number of Pro Bowl-caliber talents available on the offensive side of the ball, and there seems to be no shortage of potential suitors. With so many signings taking place over a short period of time, there is currently a bit of a lull.

This could certainly benefit the remaining free agents as they will be courted by teams who missed out on the initial whirlwind of signings.

Here are the latest rumors regarding some of the best remaining offensive free agents.

Shaun O’Hara Taking his Talents to South Beach?

According to Gregg Rosenthal of ProFootballTalk.com, former New York Giants center Shaun O’Hara visited with the Miami Dolphins Sunday.

O’Hara was cut by the Giants last week, but it was expected that he might re-sign with Big Blue at a discounted price in order to fit under the salary cap.

Obviously O’Hara isn’t willing to wait around while the Giants mull over what do, however. Although O’Hara is getting up there in years, he is considered one of the smarter players in the league and is still perfectly capable of manning the middle of an offensive line.

O’Hara would be an interesting fit for a Dolphins team that drafted versatile interior lineman Mike Pouncey in April.

If the Giants are unable to convince O’Hara to come back for a hometown discount, he will sorely missed. The importance of a center is often overlooked in football, but O’Hara has been making the line calls in New York for years and is the only center quarterback Eli Manning has ever known at the NFL level.

Signing O’Hara would be a major coup for Miami and a major disappointment for the G-Men.

Malcom Floyd to Minnesota or St. Louis?

With Sidney Rice off the market, San Diego Chargers wide receiver Malcom Floyd may now be the crown jewel of the receiver free-agent class. Russ Oates of SBNation.com reported that the Minnesota Vikings and St. Louis Rams are among Floyd’s most serious suitors.

It looks unlikely that the Chargers will be able to re-sign Floyd due to their cap situation which is unfortunate since he seemed to form a nice rapport with quarterback Philip Rivers.

The Vikings’ interest in Floyd is easy to understand as Rice bolted Minnesota for Seattle. Outside of the lightning-quick Percy Harvin, Minnesota’s receiving corps is quite suspect at this point.

Bernard Berrian looks to be a bust, so the Vikings badly need a deep threat opposite Harvin. Floyd could fill that role well as he often got downfield in San Diego and used his superior height to out-leap defenders.

Another team who seems to have been linked to every free-agent receiver is the St. Louis Rams. With Sam Bradford under center, the Rams are a team on the rise. Bradford lacks and abundance of weapons, however, and Floyd could be a big help.

Although the recent signing of Mike Sims-Walker doesn’t eliminate the Rams from the Floyd sweepstakes, they seem to be quite happy with that particular move. At this point, the Vikings seem to be the team to beat in terms of landing Floyd.

Braylon Edwards Flying the Coup to Join the Cardinals?

With Randy Moss retired and Terrell Owens on the shelf, Braylon Edwards is certainly one of the most accomplished wide receivers available through free agency. A return to the New York Jets was eliminated when Gang Green re-signed Santonio Holmes to a big contract and additionally signed Plaxico Burress.

Edwards may never again reach the heights he did in Cleveland, but he is capable of being a quality starting receiver in the league and is still a very effective deep threat. Ethan Rothstein of SBNation.com is reporting that some Arizona Cardinal players are lobbying the front office to sign Edwards.

After losing Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston over the past few offseasons, the Cards could really use a competent receiver opposite Larry Fitzgerald.

The Cardinals have already completely revamped their offense this offseason by trading for quarterback Kevin Kolb and signing tight end Todd Heap. The signing of Edwards could possibly bring back memories of Arizona’s Super Bowl team of a couple seasons ago that featured Kurt Warner slinging the ball to Fitzgerald and Boldin.

Considering how weak the NFC West is, this move could possibly seal a division crown for the Cards if they weren’t the favorites already.

Ronnie Brown to Backup Steven Jackson in St. Louis?

After signing Reggie Bush and drafting Donald Thomas, it looks like Ronnie Brown’s days as a Miami Dolphin are numbered. Brown has generally been an effective running back when on the field, but his penchant for getting injured has certainly held him back.

Jason Kirk of SBNation.com is reporting that Brown is on the radar of the St. Louis Rams to be Steven Jackson’s backup.

Obviously Brown would prefer to land a starting job, but there don’t appear to be many, if any, available at the moment. With that said, Brown doesn’t have many options at this point.

He could either accept his role as a backup and sign with a team like St. Louis, or he could wait for a training camp injury to occur before signing. An injury is likely to strike a starting running back at some point, but sitting around and waiting is a dangerous game as it will only decrease Brown’s value.

Provided Brown decides to sign with the Rams, he would be a good fit. The Rams haven’t had any capable backs behind Jackson in recent years and this has prompted St. Louis to overwork him to a point.

Signing Brown will allow the Rams to spell Jackson and keep him fresh throughout the season. Jackson also has a history of nagging injuries, so it would be advantageous for the Rams to have another starting-caliber back on the roster.

Zach Miller Spurning Oakland for Seattle?

In a recent blog post on Yahoo! Sports, Mark J. Miller reported that Oakland Raiders tight end Zach Miller (no relation to the blogger) has visited with the Seattle Seahawks. This is a bit of a surprise as Miller has been expected to eventually re-sign with Oakland throughout this free agency period.

With the Raiders dragging their feet, though, a new contender may have emerged in the form of Seattle.

The Seahawks have been incredibly active this offseason and landing Miller would be a major win for the organization. Seattle already pried Pro Bowl wide receiver Sidney Rice away from the Minnesota Vikings and is hoping to do the same to the Raiders with Miller.

New starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson has struggled in the past, so getting a big safety valve like Miller would be huge for his development.

If the Raiders hope to improve upon their 8-8 2010 season, re-signing Miller is imperative. Without Miller the offense is extremely one-dimensional. Darren McFadden and the running game are good, but a very poor receiving corps will prevent Jason Campbell and the passing game from improving.

Miller quickly becoming one of the game’s best tight ends and losing him would be like a dagger to the heart of the Raider faithful.