The NFL free agency period is rapidly approaching. Teams are maneuvering to get themselves in compliance with the higher-than-expected salary cap so that they can make additions to their roster beginning next week.
We here at CBSSports.com have been covering free agency from every angle possible, with our positional top 10s, team needs and more. Over the next few days, we’re going to play matchmaker, identifying one outside (i.e. not on their team last year) free agent that each team in the league should try to sign.
We’ll begin with the NFC. Without further ado …
Dallas Cowboys
Is this one going to happen? Probably not! The Cowboys don’t really spend money on outside free agents anymore. But they self-professedly want to get bigger bodies at linebacker after hiring Mike Zimmer to replace the departed Dan Quinn as defensive coordinator, and Luvu has the type of pass-rush ability that Zimmer can make strong use of from that position.
New York Giants
New York desperately needs help along the offensive line, and especially on the interior. Jackson seems unlikely to be retained by Detroit given the Lions‘ outlay elsewhere along the front, and he is a quality starter who would be a big help at a position of major need for the Giants.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles typically do not invest many resources at safety, but maybe that changes with a new defensive coordinator in Vic Fangio. Stone was pressed into more action than expected last season in Baltimore and played really well, and his versatility could be a plus on the back end of Philly’s defense.
Washington Commanders
Washington’s offensive line is in really rough shape, and after cutting ties with Charles Leno, the Commies need a new left tackle. Williams played better on the left side of the line before the Bengals moved him over to the right in the wake of last offseason’s Orlando Brown signing, and Washington could use a long-term answer at that spot.
Atlanta Falcons
There’s been a lot of talk about how the Falcons are close to contending because they are only a quarterback away from being good. If you’re a quarterback away, you’re not actually that close; because it’s the only thing you can’t win without, as we saw in Atlanta last year. But if the Falcons land Cousins, things become much more interesting.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers did a disservice to No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young last year, saddling him with the receiving corps they did. New head coach Dave Canales showed in Tampa that he can make good use of big-bodied receivers like Pittman, and giving Young a No. 1 option is one of the franchise’s most important tasks this offseason.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints will have to magic up themselves some cap space once again to sign Fuller, but with Tyrann Mathieu heading into his mid-30s and many of the depth safeties on the roster set to hit free agency, they could use some youth at the position.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Both of Tampa’s starting safeties are free agents this offseason. They’d be smart to make re-signing Antoine Winfield Jr. a priority, and Curl would be a good fit alongside him. (More on Winfield and a team that should try to land him later.)
Chicago Bears
The Bears have gobs of cap space, and they need to fortify the group in front of whomever is behind center for them next season. Plenty of teams have had success pairing veteran centers with young signal-callers to handle some of the protection stuff up front, and Williams’ move from guard in Dallas to center in Miami resulted in his playing his best football. He’s coming off a torn ACL and there are other, healthier center options out there (Tennessee’s Aaron Brewer could be a fit), but he’s the best player of the bunch.
Detroit Lions
Detroit spent some money to improve its secondary last offseason. It worked for a few weeks, but over the latter half of the year, the Lions regressed against the pass. Fuller is a very good, experienced corner who can play on the perimeter and give Aaron Glenn a solid duo alongside Cam Sutton, with C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Brian Branch rotating through inside as safeties who can handle the slot.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers have Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Keisean Nixon, Jonathan Owens and Corey Ballentine all hitting free agency this offseason. If the season were starting tomorrow, they’d be without each of their top three safeties from last year. Winfield is the best safety on the market this offseason, and with Tampa having to earmark a bunch of its cap space for Baker Mayfield and the new Mike Evans deal, maybe someone can swoop in and steal him.
Minnesota Vikings
Brian Flores massively overhauled his defense last year in Minnesota, blitzing more often than almost any coordinator ever has and playing zone behind it more often than not. The defensive backs held up far better than expected, but if the Vikes can land a true No. 1 corner, that would allow Flores to get even more creative.
Arizona Cardinals
Head coach Jonathan Gannon, the former defensive coordinator of the Eagles, had a lot of success in Philadelphia scheming things up for a former Panthers pass rusher in Haason Reddick. If the Cardinals were able to land Burns, perhaps he could fully tap into the outrageously talented player’s potential.
Los Angeles Rams
L.A. released starting center Brian Allen earlier this offseason, and so has an opening in the middle of the line. Cushenberry is a player on the rise, and with Denver likely to incur a massive dead cap hit by parting with Russell Wilson, there should be an opportunity for another team to swoop in and land him.
San Francisco 49ers
The Niners love nothing more than signing flexible veteran defensive linemen and getting the best out of them. Campbell can still play on both the edge and the interior, and joining a Super Bowl contender could give him an opportunity to put a feather in the cap of his eventual Hall of Fame case.
Seattle Seahawks
New Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald got the best out of Clowney last season in Baltimore, and you can never have too many flexible edge players. This would make for a good fit. (Plus, Clowney has played in Seattle before.)
