We’re now close to one full week into free agency. As expected, big deals flew off the board early and often. Since then, the market has naturally slowed down. Fewer names worthy of long-term contracts are left on the board, but that doesn’t mean there’s a void of talent. There are still some big hitters left in free agency. Here are 5 who could make a massive impact with their new team in 2023.
Odell Beckham Jr., WR
It’s understandable that Beckham Jr. is still on the free agent market. He hasn’t been seen on a football field since tearing his ACL for the second time in Super Bowl 56 – though on the opposite knee. For a brief moment, Beckham looked like he might return prior to the playoffs in 2022, but he took the opportunity to sit the rest of the season out and prepare for 2023.
Teams are likely going to be wary of how to handle negotiations with Beckham. He’s made it clear in the past that he wants a long-term deal, but the injury risk involved makes it tough to really project what happens. If he’s able to put forward anything close to his performances in the Rams’ run to the Super Bowl, then he’ll be an excellent number 2 receiver – likely on a contending team.
Don’t expect a deal in a hurry, though. Both Beckham and potential suitors are going to do their due diligence to see if the mercurial receiver is a fit.
Dalton Schultz, TE
There are more explosive tight ends on the market, and there are tight ends with a higher ceiling, but Dalton Schultz is about as safe of a tight end as they come. After a breakout season in 2021, Schultz couldn’t repeat his success due to a number of factors – most notably a lack of Dak Prescott for five games early in the season.
His cause isn’t helped by a deep tight end class in the 2023 draft, but Schultz can expect teams to come calling. He’s your classic zone-beater tight end. He can’t stretch the field, but he’ll run sticks, hitches, and curls to the short and intermediate parts of the field all day and find the soft spot in zone defenses.
Schultz has demonstrated the ability to be a real red zone threat as well, racking up 17 touchdowns over the last three seasons. He’s been an important cog in the Cowboys’ offense, but that offense needs speed – so Schultz might be suiting up elsewhere in 2023.
Bobby Wagner, LB
Opinions will be split on Bobby Wagner’s relevancy in 2023. After all, he’ll be 33 years old once the season starts, and paying linebackers into their 30 is generally frowned upon in the NFL unless their name is Lavonte David or Demario Davis. However, Wagner had a solid year with the Los Angeles Rams. He had 140 tackles in 17 games and proved that he can still be a threat to get to the quarterback with a career-high 6 sacks.
As a run defender, Wagner knows where his bread is buttered. He can still sift through the chaos to chase down ball carriers and is able to get downhill or out to the edge in a hurry. The real question is how he’ll hold up in coverage. Despite having five passes defended and two interceptions, Wagner’s play in coverage was spotty. He doesn’t have the elite athleticism to carry slot receivers or tight ends deep down the field consistently anymore. He’s doing enough to survive but teams should be wary.
A long-term deal isn’t likely, but having a six-time All-Pro and one of the best linebackers of his generation on your team is certainly a good thing. Wagner can help in some capacity.
Dalton Risner, OG
It was a toss-up between Dalton Risner and Isaac Seumalo, but Risner gets the nod because of age. We’ll also give him credit for not missing much time over the last four seasons, while Seumalo has been in and out of the Eagles lineup for the past three seasons. That’s no fault of his own, but just the way it is. Ironically he may be staying in state as the Steelers have expressed interest in his services recently though nothing has been made official as of yet.
Back to Risner. The 27 year old has been a stalwart in the Broncos’ offensive line from the moment he was drafted in 2019. He’s an incredibly stout run-blocker, winning with power and brutality instead of playing the game of angles. Risner’s leverage is his frame, not so much where he puts it. That leaves him vulnerable at times when he has to readjust, but it hasn’t been too much of a concern.
With the Broncos using heavy doses of gap scheme runs over the last few years, we’ve seen Risner’s ability to stay sticky with his blocks as a puller. He has the vision as a lead blocker to create holes for his running backs to attack too.
Rock Ya-Sin, CB
A second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Rock Ya-Sin was traded from the Colts to the Raiders in the offseason and was a strong fit for a team that primarily plays man-coverage and that also lacked good outside cornerbacks heading into the season. The Raiders’ defense as a whole struggled, but Ya-Sin still flashed his physical skillset, even if he only played in 11 games
As the only real outside corner left on the market, and someone who is capable of playing heavy doses of press coverage, Ya-Sin still has a lot of potential fits around the NFL. As ball skills go, Ya-Sin is in the ballpark of average. He only has two career interceptions, but his 27 career pass break-ups show that he knows how to get between a receiver and the ball.
The only real problem is staying healthy. Ya-Sin has never played a full season in the NFL and hasn’t played more than 13 games since his rookie year in 2019. A fully healthy season for Ya-Sin would go a long way to solidifying him as a strong starting corner.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.