aj-mccarron-nate-solder-ndamukong-suh-nfl-free-agency.jpg — John Grieshop/Getty Images (McCarron), Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images (Solder), Henry Browne/Getty Images (Suh)

Free Agency Starts Today, But There Are Hardly Any Marquee Free Agents Left

Nate Solder is one of the few big names not yet committed to a team

Author:
Jacob Feldman
Publish date:
Mar 14, 2018

The storylines rolled out as fast as the tweeted reports Tuesday: The Vikings landing the top free agent, the rest of the major quarterback dominoes falling, the Bears building around their young QB, the Jaguars reloading for another run, the new Packers regime showing its aggressive philosophy, receivers in general making big bucks, and so on. Free agency may technically start at 4 p.m. Wednesday, but many of this offseason's biggest questions have already been answered. To keep you informed, we've got lists of moves sorted by team and by position as well as grades on the big deals.

We'll have plenty of time to dissect what all the moves mean going forward, so in the midst of the ongoing frenzy, let's take this time to look at who is still out there. Here are 10 of the most notable players still available (for now):

QB A.J. McCarron — The last notable QB out there (unless you believe he was never actually notable to begin with). The Bills seem like his last hope to land somewhere as a potential Week 1 starter.

RB Carlos Hyde — The running back market has been one of the slowest to get going. Hyde, having surpassed 1,000 yards from scrimmage each of the last two seasons, should end up being one of the top paid in the class (along with Dion Lewis and Isaiah Crowell, who agreed to deals with the Titans and Jets, respectively, Tuesday). (UPDATE: Carlos Hyde will reportedly sign a three-year, $15-million contrat with the Browns)

WR Terrelle Pryor — Pryor took a one-year prove-it deal with Washington last season ... and did not prove himself.

TE Tyler Eifert — Injuries (Eifert has only started 31 games in five years) will limit the former first-rounder's value.

OL Nate Solder — With guard Andrew Norwell headed to Jacksonville, Solder becomes the best lineman available, a talented left tackle who could choose to stay with the Patriots if he's not sold on joining the Giants or Texans, among other suitors. (UPDATE: Nate Solder will reportedly sign a four-year contract with the Giants)

DL Ndamukong Suh — Given the defensive lineman just got cut by Miami this week, it makes sense that his free agency could take a little longer. Still, Suh should end up with a large contract somewhere.

DL Sheldon Richardson — After a stint in Seattle, Richardson remains on the market, outlasting former Jet defensive linemate Muhammad Wilkerson, who is heading to Green Bay.

LB Zach Brown — Brown, 28, has logged 276 combined tackles over his last two seasons (split between the Bills and Washington), setting himself up to be sought after as a run-stopping interior linebacker.

LB Nigel Bradham — As many as 10 teams have reportedly shown interest in Bradham, who served as a leader of the Eagles' championship defense after fellow linebacker Jordan Hicks tore his achilles tendon. (UPDATE: Bradham will reportedly re-sign with the Eagles on a five-year, $40-million contract)

S Eric Reid — It remains to be seen which team will get the 26-year-old playmaker who has become one of the faces of the anthem protest movement.

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PRESS COVERAGE

1. While players were getting snapped up, a few other notable names hit the market as teams moved on. Most notably, the Packers releasedJordy Nelson. Meanwhile, the Eagles released their longest-tenured player, tight end Brent Celek, and the Chiefs let go of 34-year-old linebacker Tamba Hali.

2. After days of rumors, it now seems like the Cardinals may be able to retainTyrann Mathieu on a restructured deal. That comes after Arizona cutAdrian Peterson.

3. While we look forward, Pro Football Focus took another glance at the 2017 season to rank all 32 offensive lines, handing the Eagles another title belt.

4. The Charlotte Observer has more details on the newest potential Panthers owner, Michael Rubin, and a coalescing ownership group that could include Diddy.

5. Paul Posluszny clearly didn't crave the spotlight on his way out of the NFL, announcing his retirement on the eve of free agency. He leaves as the Jaguars' second leading tackler all-time and a major factor in the development of a dominant defense.

6. Cincinnati didn't wait for free agency to sure up its offensive line, trading draft capital for Bills left tackle Cordy Glenn. From Buffalo's side, the move gave them another draft pick to assist in a potential trade-up for a quarterback, which seems even more likely after the team passed on the top free agent QBs.

7. Former Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens is now a Chief. So what is Dallas' plan going forward at that position?

8. Two years after signing with the Raiders for $40 million, safety Sean Smithpleaded guilty to assault in exchange for a one-year jail sentence. Oakland cut him earlier this week.

9. Though it feels like months ago that we learned Alex Smith would be heading to Washington, he thanked the city of Kansas City Tuesday.

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