On Monday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. EST, the formula for free agency changes. That’s when the window closes for compensatory picks to be awarded to teams whose former players, now unrestricted free agents, are signed by other teams. With that in mind, you can expect a flurry of signings for the players still on the open market. It’s likely why the Saints, who have all but agreed to terms with former Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, haven’t officially announced the deal.
Here are the best free agents left on the open market, and whose agents should be seeing an uptick in their minutes once the comp pick equation comes to a close.
QB Cam Newton
From Week 1 through Week 12 of the 2018 season, Cam Newton completed 69.6% of his passes for 2699 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Only eight quarterbacks had more touchdown passes in that span. Only five had a higher completion percentage. Only six had a higher passer rating than Newton’s 103.7.
And then it all fell apart. Injuries limited Newton’s effectiveness when he was on the field, and in 2019, he managed just 89 attempts. But if it’s true that Newton has recovered from the shoulder and foot injuries that stood in his way over the last two seasons, he’s an outstanding mid-priced option for any team in need of a quarterback who can still get it done in the right system.
WR Taylor Gabriel
The Bears released Gabriel in February following an injury-plagued season in which he saw action in just nine games, catching 29 passes in 48 targets for 353 yards and four touchdowns. But in a vertical, multi-receiver system with a quarterback that has a better GPS than Mitchell Trubisky does, Gabriel has a lot of potential as an outside and slot weapon who can test defenders up the seam.
OT Jason Peters
Last season, Peters was what he has been through most of his career — one of the strongest and most consistent tackles in the game. At age 37, he allowed just three sacks and 25 total pressures in 62 pass-blocking snaps for the Eagles. Philadelphia chose to let Peters hit the free-agent market, and he’s a short-term option at this point, but any team in need of a plug-and-play starter right now at the left tackle position (and that’s a lot of NFL teams) should be highly interested in the nine-time Pro Bowler.
EDGE Jadeveon Clowney
Based on comments from Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider, it appears that Seattle is ready to move on from Clowney, who excelled for them in 2019 when healthy following a trade with the Texans. Clowney has seen his projected market collapse in a relative sense, but as the Seahawks proved, he’s still a force multiplier when he’s tasked to put his hand on the ground from the edge and hunt for the quarterback. This may come down to Clowney’s side understanding what his market is at this point.