Wide Receivers

1. D.J. Hackett
2. Bryant Johnson
3. Antonio Bryant
4. Reche Caldwell
5. Justin McCareins

Continue reading "Best Players Available: WRs, TEs, DLs" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Still hoping for your team to sign a big name? It's not going to happen.

One week in, free agency is well into it's second tier of players. Here are my top players left at running back and quarterback. I'll post other positions throughout the day.

Running Backs

1. Julius Jones
2. Derrick Ward
3. Ron Dayne
4. Warrick Dunn
5. Musa Smith

Continue reading "Best Players Available" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

448 players became free agents at the start of the month. 177 have signed in the meantime, divided almost equally between players returning to their old teams and moving on.

The only players left will come at bargain-basement prices, but signings after April often make a huge difference. Here are the most interesting unsigned players I could come up with. Few players will make headlines here, but history says some will help.

I'll only include the best of the best restricted free agents because they are unlikely to move. Let me know who I left off the list.

Continue reading "Free Agency Reset" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

It wasn't a particularly good idea for Houston to sign Ahman Green to a four-year contract. Gary Kubiak needed some stability, but he should be building an explosive running game for the future. Now he'll feel obligated to give half of his touches to an average 30-year-old running back who faded badly at the end of last year. The move only makes sense if he limits Green's touches under 225 or so.

For Green, though, it was a great idea to sign with Houston pronto. There are simply too many running back options around the league right now and not enough starting jobs. Lamont Jordan could hit the market this week, probably displacing Travis Henry as the top UFA available. A few talented runners will get caught without a starting chair when the music stops. Here's a list of who's available ...

Continue reading "Green in Houston" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (310)

Okay, so we've been busy on the first day of free agency, with way over 100 posts. There's been visits, speculation, and cuts aplenty. And oh those lineman are getting paid.

But it says something about the lack of sizzle Friday when the Jake Plummer retirement story leads PTI. He's an interesting guy, but ultimately a backup quarterback now. The players who made the most money on Friday to this point are Eric Steinbach, Tony Pashos, and Derrick Dockery. I'll forgive you if you aren't a member of Pashos Nation yet.

Continue reading "Is that all there is to free agency?" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 05:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

We're over 100 posts on the day on the news side. Joe Horn, Joey Porter Jermaine Wiggins, Keenan McCardell, Drew Bledsoe, and Fred Smoot are among the big cuts. Fred Taylor, Dre Bly (now a Bronco), Jerricho Cotchery, and Dan Morgan are among those with new deals. Wes Welker should be back in Miami, while the Seahawks left the door slightly open for someone to swipe D.J. Hackett.

I'll try to put it in perspective in some fashion when I can catch my breath. For now, here's a few interesting links I set aside earlier today before bedlam erupted.

It's probably a bad sign for David Carr's future when two veterans throw him under the bus on the same day. NFL players usually keep their mouths shut, so for Dunta Robinson and Eric Moulds to publicly say Carr needs to go says a lot. He's never been a favorite of teammates.

Continue reading "Catching my breath ..." »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 04:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (67)

Screw the Combine. The NFL Network should televise Free Agency Eve, probably the best day of the year for transaction junkies.

It's also a day where my responsibilities on our NFL news page and having a blog is a little redundant. The news page always comes first (it pays the bills), and we already have over 60 posts with links. I hesitate to puff the Rotoworld chest out, but these are days we are mad for. I don't know another place that culls together all the news big and small instantly and with analysis.

I'll try to be back with another post of some links in a bit.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We like our NFL action to come all at once, better to gorge on. That's how Sundays work, and the free agency period is no different. While baseball's decent free agents can stay on the market for months, most of the NFL's important action will be wrapped up in a week.

Tomorrow will be a bloodbath; A very busy day for our news page (Get those fingers loose Evan!). A lot of players will get cut as teams prepare for free agency beginning Friday. All of the restricted free agent tenders will also be announced.

Continue reading "Cutting Time" »

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 06:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I spent a chunk of this week compiling my own list of potential free agents this off-season. Turns out I could have waited for the NFLPA to do it for me.

Mike Sando of the News Tribune posts an invaluable PDF and excel list of free agents for the entire league.

Keep in mind this list doesn't include players whose contracts that can be voided. It also doesn't include likely cap casualties, which will make the pool of players much more interesting. Still, it's a great resource. And it will make my life easier this week as Evan Silva and I prepare Rotoworld's free agency preview.

See you on Sunday for the liveblog.

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)