One Free Agent Every NFL Team Should Sign

The official start of NFL free agency is only one week away! In this article I'll be giving every NFL team the perfect free agent that they should be pursuing. I'm taking into consideration roster needs, draft position, salary cap situation, and other factors. Enjoy!

Arizona Cardinals- Jonnu Smith, TE

The Cardinals already made a huge splash by signing former DPOY J.J. Watt. They still have about $15M to spend, and they should use some of that money to sign Jonnu Smith. The Cardinals got almost no production from the tight end position last year, and Smith would add another layer to an already exciting offense. He could get a contract in the $6M-$8M a year range from Arizona.

Atlanta Falcons- Troy Hill, CB

While Atlanta is currently over the cap, they can free up some money with some easy cuts (a few in the secondary) and by restructuring some contracts. With the little money they'll have, they should sign former Rams CB Troy Hill. Hill is a slot specialist, and that's exactly what the Falcons need. The cost on Hill is tricky to figure out, but it shouldn't be more than $5M-$7M a year.

Baltimore Ravens- Corey Davis, WR

I'm not sure if Corey Davis hits the open market, but if he does, the Ravens shouldn't hesitate to spend some money to give Lamar Jackson a true X receiver on the outside. Davis had a career year in 2020 that significantly increased his value. He'll probably cost $8-$10M a year, but the Ravens have around $20M to spend so it's definitely doable.

Buffalo Bills- Carl Lawson, DE

The Bills on paper have only about $3M in cap space at this moment, but with some cuts and restructures they could free up significantly more money. Their interest in J.J. Watt tells me two things. 1) They covet a hand on the ground pass rusher. 2) they're willing to make those necessary cuts to get one. Lawson fits what they're looking for at a cheaper price than Watt. He'll probably cost anywhere from $6M-$8M a year.

Carolina Panthers- Gabe Jackson, G

The Raiders saved $9M in cap by cutting the once very good Gabe Jackson. Jackson's play has declined over the last few years, but the Panthers should take a shot on Jackson at a cost of around $4M-6M a year. Carolina has over $20M to spend and their number one priority should be to fill out the rest of their offensive line now that Moton and Paradis are locked up.

Chicago Bears- Allen Robinson, WR

This one may be obvious or a cop out, but that doesn't make it any less true. The Bears have no money after using their tag on A-Rob. He may be the best player on their roster, and they need to lock him up long term.

Cincinnati Bengals- Joe Thuney, G

The Bengals have the 5th most cap space in the NFL, more than $40M available to spend. They should make a big splash and sign one of the best free agents available, Joe Thuney. The Bengals' offensive line has been awful for a while. Burrow was running for his life and Joe Mixon was payed an awful lot of money just to get hit in the backfield every play. Thuney will probably cost $14M-$16M a year, but the investment is well worth it when you consider it's also an investment in Burrow and Mixon as well.

Cleveland Browns- Trey Hendrickson, DE

The Browns have an absolutely stacked roster, but are still lacking a little bit in the pass rush department outside of star DE Myles Garrett. Hendrickson is coming off a career year where he put up double digit sacks and that boosted his value significantly. People will argue that the sacks were kind if flukey last year, and I mostly agree. I think being opposite of Garrett could lead to some more "right place right time" sacks. He'll probably cost $8M-$10M a year, which isn't a concern for the Browns who have almost $25M to spend.

Dallas Cowboys- Xavier Rhodes, CB

The Cowboys have only a couple million to spend in free agency, but I expect them to free up a little bit more money with some creative restructures and/or cuts. They're very likely to lose their best CB, Chidobe Awuize, because they cant afford him. They need to replace him with a cheaper option. Rhodes fits that bill. He had a nice bounce back year in Indy, and may have even played himself into another contract there. But if he doesn't, Dallas should be in on Rhodes at about $4M-6M a year.

Denver Broncos- Chidobe Awuize, CB

Just mentioned above, Awuize makes so much sense for the Broncos. The Broncos are lacking an outside corner badly, and Awuize has played some really good football on the outside in his career. He only played 8 games last year due to injury, and that's a concern for him going forward as he's only played all 16 games once in his career. He'll cost around $8M-$10M a year, but that's fine for the Broncos who have $30M in space right now and have some more cap flexibility if they need it. Awuize also went to college at the University of Colorado, so there's some familiarity there.

Detroit Lions- Michael Davis, CB

The Lions are a bad football team. One of the worst in the NFL. Because of that, I don't expect them to be big spenders for long term deals in free agency, though they do have some cap flexibility. They need some help at corner, and Michael Davis is a cheap young option for them. New Lions OC Anthony Lynn was his head coach the last four years in LA with the Chargers, and he may be pushing for Detroit to take a chance on Davis for cheap, probably about $2M-4$M a year.

Green Bay Packers- Emmanuel Sanders, WR

The Packers don't have much cap space, so they'll be looking at cheap options to help them out. I fully expect them to take CB early in the draft, so WR seems like the most logical spot to make some improvements. They have a stud in Adams, a streaky Lazard, and a mediocre and unreliable Devin Funchess. I think a cheap slot veteran like Emmanuel Sanders makes a lot of sense at $1M-$3M a year.

Houston Texans- Malcom Butler, CB

Butler was just recently cut by Tennessee, and I think Houston should swoop in and sign him. Houston is really struggling at corner, and Butler is a cheaper one/two year option for them. New Texans GM Nick Caserio used to be in New England, so he's very familiar with Butler. The Texans have more than $20M to spend, but looking at a long rebuild, I don't think they'll be big spenders. Butler can be their CB2 at $3M-$5M a year.

Indianapolis Colts- Romeo Okwara, DE

I was really struggling to decide on a LT or DE here, but I ultimately think it's more likely they get a LT late in the 1st round of the draft. Indy needs a DE to compliment an already great defense that features great interior players like Buckner and Stewart and a uber-athletic linebacker core. Okwara is a middle of the pack option in term of price, and that seems like the sweet spot for Ballard. He'll probably cost $8M-$10M a year and will provide some much needed pass rush ability off the edge.

Jacksonville Jaguars- Hunter Henry, TE

The Jaguars have the most cap space in the NFL, with more than $70M available to spend. Their biggest priority should be getting former Chargers TE Hunter Henry. Henry has shown ability to be a borderline top 5 TE in the league, and he fills a big need for Jacksonville, as they got very little production from their tight ends last year. Giving Henry $10M-$12M a year seems like a lot on paper, but serving as a reliable and dynamic security blanket for presumed 1st overall pick Trevor Lawrence is extremely valuable.

Kansas City Chiefs- Jared Cook, TE

The Chiefs have virtually no money. If they make any free agent signings, it's going to have to be for very cheap. Why not take a shot on Jared Cook? The Chiefs have very little depth behind Kelce, and I think adding a 2nd playmaker in the middle of the field could make this offense even more dynamic. The 33 year old cook shouldn't cost more than $1M-$3M a year.

Las Vegas Raiders- Dalvin Tomlinson, DT

Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said that he values bulk and run stuffing ability in defensive tackles, so it makes sense that the Raiders use some of their $33M in cap to go out and get one of the league's best run stuffers. Tomlinson will probably cost $10M-$12M a season, but he's well worth it. He's one of the most underrated players in the NFL.

Los Angeles Chargers- Corey Linsley, C

The Chargers have a bunch of cap room, so I think they should swing for the fences and lock up former Packers center Corey Linsley. The Chargers have one of the weakest offensive lines in the NFL, and an All-Pro caliber player like Linsley would go a long way to improve that line, both from a talent perspective and a leadership perspective. He'll probably cost more than $10M a year, but the investment into protecting NFL Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert is well worth it.

Los Angeles Rams- Denico Autry, DL

The Rams are in salary cap hell, and the most likely ways for them to free up some space would be to trade DL Michael Brockers, and to cut DL A'Shawn Robinson. That would leave an obvious hole at DL. Autry is 31, but he's historically a fairly productive player that can rush the passer from the DT and DE spot. Because of his age, I expect he'll be a cheap option in the $2M-$4M a year range.

Miami Dolphins- Aaron Jones, RB

Perhaps the biggest name on the list, the Dolphins should pay up and go get one of the best running backs in football, Aaron Jones. Jones will command a big contract, probably in the $13M-$15M a year range, but when you consider his dynamic ability as a runner and receiver, the investment is well worth it. At only 26 years old, Jones would unlock a whole new dynamic to a young Dolphins offense.

Minnesota Vikings- Kyle Long, G

Long just recently unretired, and with very little money to spend, he should be on the Vikings radar. He's 32 with a long list of career injuries, but he's a 3 time pro bowler with flexibility to play both guard and tackle. The Vikings offensive line was not great last year, so with their limited resources they should take a shot on Long for a cheap deal in the $2M-$4M a year range.

New England Patriots- Will Fuller, WR

The Patriots have about $70M in cap space available to spend, and while it's not a normal Patriots thing to do, they need to cough up some money on a dynamic player to add a spark to this stagnant offense. Fuller is an elite field stretcher who can take the top off a defense. While we're unsure of who'll be under center for NE in 2021, I think you need to add another layer to the passing game regardless. Fuller had a good year and will command around $14M-$16M a year in free agency.

New Orleans Saints- Marshon Lattimore, CB

The Saints are also in salary cap hell. And while their creativity in restructuring some contracts have people speculating on who they're gonna add, I think it's to pay some of their own. On the very top of that list is Marshon Lattimore, who is one of the league's top young corners. New Orleans should lock him up long term.

New York Giants- William Jackson, CB

The Giants have limited cap space but could pretty easily open up some more doors with some creativity in the front office. I think the Giants two biggest needs are WR and CB, but I ultimately chose to go CB because I think they're more likely to pick a WR in the 1st round of the NFL Draft. With James Bradberry playing at an All-Pro level on one side and promising rookie Darnay Holmes in the slot, Jackson is a good fit for a boundary CB2. He's had an up and down career, but the Giants shouldn't hesitate to shell out $5M-$7M a year for the 28 year old former 1st rounder.

New York Jets- JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR

While the Jets do have almost $70M to spend in free agency, I don't expect them to go all in on one or two players. It makes more sense to get some value guys to fill out the roster. JuJu makes a lot of sense for the Jets. He's a good complimentary guy to a WR corps with Jamison Crowder and Denzel Mims. I'm sure JuJu would love to be in a big market city, too. Predictions on JuJu's value are all over the place, but I think he'll command around $10M-$12M a year.

Philadelphia Eagles- Desmond Trufant, CB

After a tough year in Detroit, Trufant was cut as a cap casualty. The Eagles have no money, so at their biggest position of need, the 31 year old Trufant may be their best, bottom of the barrel, cheap option. He'll probably be worth $1M-$3M a year.

Pittsburgh Steelers- Mike Hilton, CB

The Steelers have done a good job manipulating the cap by restructuring some big contracts. Because of that, I think they'll be able to keep stud CB Mike Hilton. Hilton is one of the better slot corners in the league and should return on a multi year deal worth about $5M-$7M a year.

San Francisco 49ers- Trent Williams, LT

Acquired via trade in 2020, Williams played some good football this past season for the 49ers. There have been multiple reports that there is mutual interest to bring Trent Williams back to San Francisco, and it's easy to see why. SF has about $25M in cap space, and they should use a chunk of that to bring Williams back on a deal worth about $16M-$18M a season, an appropriate range for one of the best tackles in the league.

Seattle Seahawks- David Andrews, C

The Seahawks have more than $20M in cap space, so with that money they should be looking at interior offensive line. Their line was bad last year to begin with, then their starting LG retired and their starting C is an impending free agent. They should look to replace that center with former Patriot David Andrews. Andrews is an above average NFL center that should cost them $6M-$8M a year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Shaq Barrett, EDGE

The Buccaneers have already shown that they wanna take care of their own. In a month since winning the Super Bowl, they extended Tom Brady, extended Lavonte David, and franchise tagged Chris Godwin. The next logical step is getting Shaq Barrett back on a lucrative multi year deal worth $18M-$20M a year.

Tennessee Titans- Bud Dupree, EDGE

The Titans have some cap flexibility, but they'll probably need to get a little creative to comfortably afford Bud Dupree's services. Dupree will probably command a deal in the $12M-$14M a year range, and Tennessee should be glad to give him that. They virtually got no pass rush outside of Harold Landry last year, so the addition of Dupree could bring another level of scary to an already solid defense.

Washington Football Team- Kenny Golladay, WR

Washington should give Kenny Golladay a blank check with his name on it. He'll probably be in that $16M-$18M a year range, which is more than affordable for a team with almost $40M in cap space. Golladay and Scary Terry McLaurin would arguably be the NFL's best duo at WR and along with breakout RB Antonio Gibson, they lay down the blueprint for a truly dynamic offense. The big question mark is at QB, but there's lot of options for them to figure it out. With those three guys on offense, I think a lot of QBs could be serviceable.