On May 2, a contractual change happened in the NFL that will affect how (and how many) free agents still left on the boards are signed. On that date, free agent signings no longer add to the league’s formula for compensatory picks, meaning that NL teams can sign free agents without future picks going to the NFL teams those players previously played for.
That, along with the incoming minicamps, will have teams looking with a new eye at the league’s remaining free agents with a focus on which ones remaining will best fit their rosters, and best fill the remaining craters in those rosters. At this point in this process, none of these players are necessarily franchise-defining pieces, but you know how it goes. In the NFL, at some point, the bottom third of your roster will be just as important at the top third, and here are the guys who can fill that bottom third quite estimably.
With all that in mind, here are the best remaining free agents in the NFL — at least, for now.
Carson Wentz, Quarterback
Teddy Bridgewater, Quarterback
Ezekiel Elliott, Running Back
Kareem Hunt, Running Back
J.D. McKissic, Running Back
Leonard Fournette, Running Back
T.Y. Hilton, Receiver
Kenny Golladay, Receiver
Sammy Watkins, Receiver
Jarvis Landry, Receiver
Cameron Brate, Tight End
Kyle Rudolph, Tight End
Adam Shaheen, Tight End
Isaiah Wynn, Offensive Tackle
Eric Fisher, Offensive Tackle
George Fant, Offensive Tackle
Cameron Fleming, Offensive Tackle
Jason Peters, Offensive Tackle
Ty Nsekhe, Offensive Tackle
Justin Pugh, Offensive Guard
Gabe Jackson, Offensive Guard
Rodger Saffold, Offensive Guard
Trai Turner, Offensive Guard
Dalton Risner, Offensive Guard
Oday Aboushi, Offensive Guard
Ben Jones, Center
Pat Elflein, Center
Leonard Floyd, EDGE
Frank Clark, EDGE
Yannick Ngakoue, EDGE
Justin Houston, EDGE
Dawuane Smoot, EDGE
Robert Quinn, EDGE
Markus Golden, EDGE
Melvin Ingram III, EDGE
Linval Joseph, IDL
Ndamukong Suh, IDL
Shelby Harris, IDL
Myles Jack, Linebacker
Kyle Van Noy, Linebacker
Kwon Alexander, Linebacker
Marcus Peters, Cornerback
Eli Apple, Cornerback
Casey Hayward Jr., Cornerback
Anthony Brown, Cornerback
Adrian Amos, Safety
Lamarcus Joyner, Safety
Kareem Jackson, Safety
Nasir Adderley, Safety
DeAndre Houston-Carson, Safety
