Perfect Fits For Best Remaining NFL Free Agents

The preseason is underway, and there are still some talented veterans available in NFL free agency.

New team needs are emerging daily as front offices put the finishing touches on their rosters while also scrambling to plug the holes created by players getting injured during exhibition games or on the practice fields during training camp.

With free agency rounding into its final stages prior to the waiver wire being flooded with roster cuts following the preseason, here's a look at the 10 best remaining free agents with three ideal destinations for each:

1) RB Leonard Fournette

Fournette battled weight issues last season, and according to league sources, has seen tepid interest since asking for and being granted his release by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this spring.

Last season, Fournette averaged 3.5 yards per carry, and scored three touchdowns, with all three of those scores coming inside the red-zone. Teams looking for a complementary veteran to round out a backfield by committee, or a short-yardage and goal-line battering ram could be ideal fits for Fournette.

Best Fits: Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals

2) DE Jadeveon Clowney

Edge rusher is among the most vital positions to a team's success, and Jadeveon Clowney still has plenty left in the tank and plenty to offer a contending team looking to fill a missing piece on defense.

Clowney appeared in 12 games last season, producing a pair of sacks and 14 total tackles while playing through an injured right ankle. However, Clowney was still fairly disruptive, logging 29 total pressures while producing a 70 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus. Several teams with a glaring need off the edge and plenty of cap space could come calling for Clowney as the regular season nears.

Best Fits: Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears

3) RB Kareem Hunt

Even though running backs have largely been devalued over the course of this offseason, Ezekiel Elliott's signing with the New England Patriots and Dalvin Cook inking a one-year deal with the New York Jets shows that teams are still in the market for quality veterans at the position. There aren't many better or more explosive options available than Kareem Hunt.

Hunt rushed for 468 yards with three touchdowns in 2022, while making up half of the Browns' backfield timeshare and running behind one of the NFL's premier offensive lines. Given his versatility as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, especially after pulling down 35 receptions for 210 yards and a touchdown last season, Hunt has the ability to step in immediately and serve as a complementary piece, especially in offenses that utilize multi-back sets.

Best Fits: Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings

4) OG Dalton Risner

Dalton Risner is a steadying force along the interior offensive line, and somewhat inexplicably remains available as the preseason surpasses its midway point.

Last season, Risner only allowed three sacks and six quarterback hits, while playing 967 offensive snaps for the Denver Broncos. Few position groups rely more heavily on cohesion and quality depth than the offensive line, and especially as injuries mount throughout the course of this summer Risner could become a popular name on teams' emergency list. That is, if the 28-year-old veteran isn't signed in the near future

Best Fits: Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants

5) WR Jarvis Landry

Teams looking for quality depth and veteran experience at the wide receiver position would be wise to explore signing Jarvis Landry.

Landry enters his tenth NFL season off a 2022 campaign that saw him average 10.9 yards per reception in nine games for the New Orleans Saints. Whether a team is breaking in a rookie quarterback and needs a steadying presence at wide receiver, after Landry finished last season without dropping a pass, or a weapon after the catch for a veteran quarterback to have in his arsenal to open up the playbook, Landry provides significant value to an offense.

Best Fits: Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

6) EDGE Melvin Ingram

Even at age 34, Melvin Ingram still has value and some explosiveness as a situational pass-rusher, especially if a team is able to limit his snaps to obvious pass-rush situations.

Teams that are chasing a Super Bowl ring can never have enough pass-rushers, and could certainly do far worse than importing a veteran with Ingram's traits. Last season, Ingram logged 6.0 sacks, while adding 10 more quarterback hits and a total of 35 quarterback pressures.

Best Fits: Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans

7) OT Taylor Lewan

A former three-time Pro Bowler, Lewan was released by the Tennessee Titans in a move to free up cap space prior to free agency, and remains available as offensive linemen steadily become the walking wounded in camps across the league.

If Lewan can prove that he's healthy after tearing his ACL in Week 2 of the 2022 season, he would certainly provide quality depth with starter upside to an offensive line-needy team. Back in 2021, the last time Lewan was fully healthy, he allowed four sacks and only 21 pressures in 846 total snaps. Several teams would sign up for that kind of production at the tackle position.

Best Fits: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets

8) LB Kyle Van Noy

Van Noy remains a versatile pass-rusher and consistent run-stuffing presence in the front-seven, and is coming off a solid performance for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022.

Last season, Van Noy produced 46 tackles with 5.0 sacks, and it was his fourth consecutive season with at least five sacks on the year. Given his ability to rush the passer off the edge, and lineup as an off-ball linebacker, there are myriad ways that a savvy defensive coordinator could deploy the veteran linebacker.

Best Fits: Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals

9) S Duron Harmon

Harmon is a steady last line of defense in a secondary, with a reputation of being quite dominant in coverage over the top.

Last season, Harmon was downright stifling, holding opposing receivers to just 10.5 yards per reception and opposing quarterbacks to a 70.2 passer rating when targeted. The 32-year-old produced a career-high 86 tackles with two interceptions for the Las Vegas Raiders. While several teams have expressed significant interest in Harmon, according to league sources, all signs point to the veteran waiting until near the end of the preseason to make a decision on his 2023 destination.

Best Fits: Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals

 

10) DT Chris Wormley

Wormley offers plenty of experience, playing in some of the most disruptive front-sevens in the NFL over the course of his six-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.

Last season, Wormley produced 29 total tackles with three tackles for loss prior to suffering a season-ending knee injury. Teams aiming to bolster depth along the defensive line could do a lot worse than signing the 29-year-old who produced a 78.2 run-stopping grade from Pro Football Focus, while providing some interior pass-rush presence with 11 pressures during the 2022 campaign.

Best Fits: New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears

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