Tag: 2023 free agency

Budget free agents the Bucs should sign this offseason

These cost-effective veterans should be on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ radar heading into free agency

A Super Bowl window always has its costs, and for the Bucs, the bill comes due. $55 million over the cap, Tampa will have few resources to replenish its roster in free agency so they will be on the hunt for any bargains they can find.

While the Bucs can retain most of their offense, they are missing a key piece: a quarterback. Kyle Trask is the the only passer under contract, but he has yet to attempt more than 10 passes in the NFL, let alone start a game.

On defense, the Bucs are set to lose numerous starters and depth players. The secondary in particular could be devastated by free agency with Jamel Dean, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Mike Edwards, Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal all on expiring contracts.

The Bucs will have to be very judicious with how they address these roster holes. Primary targets will include aging veterans, reclamation projects and borderline starters—anyone willing to take a smaller paycheck.

While most players in these categories are inexpensive for a reason, there are some hidden gems that could provide good value at a low cost.

Here are a few budget free agents the Bucs should sign:

Bears 2023 offseason preview: Where does Chicago stand at special teams?

Our Bears offseason position previews concludes with special teams, which appears all but set.

The 2023 offseason is officially in full swing, and the Chicago Bears are gearing up for what should be one of the busiest springs in recent memory.

Armed with $98.6 million in cap space, general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus will have plenty of opportunities to improve the team roster in free agency, while also needing to make key decisions on which players they should let walk.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position to break down where Chicago stands entering the 2023 offseason. We’re wrapping things up with special teams, which appears all but set heading into the new year.

ESPN identifies the best fits for the Bears in free agency

There are two big-name free agents who ESPN believes would be the perfect fit for the Bears.

Free agency is just around the corner, where Bears general manager Ryan Poles will begin overhauling what was arguably the league’s weakest roster.

Good thing Chicago is projected to have north of $100 million in salary cap space to work with, where there are no shortage of needs on both sides of the ball.

ESPN’s Matt Bowen identified the best fits for the NFL’s top 50 free agents, and there were two players at key positions of need that fit the bill for the Bears.

The biggest concern facing Chicago this offseason is shoring up the defensive and offensive lines, which were the biggest weaknesses for their respective units.

Here’s a look at those players that Bowen believes would be a perfect fit:

LB Bobby Wagner to hit free agency again; will Cowboys play ball this time?

The Cowboys reportedly entertained signing Wagner in 2022 to reunite with Dan Quinn; his release from L.A. might make it possible again. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Free agency doesn’t officially start until March 15, but teams who will be looking for help in the middle of their defense just got an intriguing head start on their window shopping.

The Rams and nine-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner have agreed to part ways, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

He’ll likely warrant some level of consideration from the Cowboys front office, though it’ll be a near-repeat of the same conversation had almost exactly one year ago, after Wagner had been released by Seattle. The Cowboys reportedly contacted him then and expressed their interest in reuniting him with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, but that notion was quickly snuffed out over the financials.

Wagner signed a five-year contract with Los Angeles just a few weeks later; the 32-year-old went on to start all 17 games for the Rams and notched a career-high six sacks in the team’s disappointing follow-up to their 2021 championship campaign.

The former second-round draft pick is clearly still a top-tier talent, earning PFF‘s highest grade for a linebacker in 2022 and for the third time in six seasons.

The Cowboys have questions at the linebacker position, as Leighton Vander Esch, Anthony Barr, and Luke Gifford are all set to enter free agency themselves. Damone Clark, Jabril Cox, Devin Harper, and Devante Bond have all shown promise here and there, but whether any of them are ready to step into a major role in the LB corps is unclear.

So a proven leader like Wagner could come in very handy in Dallas.

And given that he requested his release from the Rams specifically so that he could play for a contending team in 2023, that short-lived dream of him putting a star on his helmet is suddenly back in play.

Once again, it will come down to dollars and cents for the Cowboys. But as Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News has pointed out, “the linebacker who counted most against their salary cap last season was Jaylon Smith ($6.8M in dead money from 2021 release). Smith is off the books in 2023. That helps.”

It helps indeed. Whether Wagner would ultimately help the Cowboys defense is about to be kicked around.

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Bears 2023 offseason preview: Where does Chicago stand at safety?

Our Bears offseason position previews continue with safety, which is the strongest position group on defense.

The 2023 offseason is officially in full swing, and the Chicago Bears are gearing up for what should be one of the busiest springs in recent memory.

Armed with $98.6 million in cap space, general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus will have plenty of opportunities to improve the team roster in free agency, while also needing to make key decisions on which players they should let walk.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position to break down where Chicago stands entering the 2023 offseason. We’re wrapping things up on defense with safety, which is the strength of the defense heading into the offseason.

Vikings Wire staff: 1 player the Vikings needs to re-sign

The staff at Vikings Wire each picked one player they want the purple and gold to re-sign this offseason

The Minnesota Vikings entered this offseason with 25 free agents. They added a couple of them to futures contracts, lost OG Kyle Hinton to the Atlanta Falcons and re-signed both exclusive rights free agents Blake Brandel and Khyiris Tonga.

As it sits currently, the Vikings have a lot of decisions to make when it comes to free agency. They are nearly $24 million over the salary cap and will need to find ways to save money while also having capital to go and bring in talent.

In the first of our multi-part free agency preview, our staff highlights one player that we want the Vikings to bring back for 2023.

Cowboys re-sign kicker Tristan Vizcaino to active roster

Vizcaino was brought in for some practice work after Brett Maher missed 4 PATs in the wild-card game; now he’ll look to make the ’23 roster. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys took out an insurance policy of sorts back in January when they signed kicker Tristan Vizcaino to the practice squad after Brett Maher managed to miss an NFL-record four PAT attempts in the wild-card round of the postseason.

They’re doing the same as free agency is about to begin.

The team announced Wednesday that Vizcaino has been signed to the active roster, solidifying the front office’s earlier position that they were ready to go “back to the drawing board” at kicker.

Maher kept his job after the debacle in Tampa, outperforming Vizcaino during the subsequent week at practice. Maher made two field goal attempts against San Francisco in the divisional round, but had his lone PAT try blocked. (Most observers feel the kick would have missed, given the ball’s initial trajectory.)

Maher is now set to become a free agent, and it has been assumed that the Cowboys would move on.

Vizcaino first entered the league in 2019 and has bounced around with eight different teams since then, including an early short stint in Dallas. He originally signed a reserve/futures contract and lasted four months during the 2020 offseason.

The 26-year-old out of the University of Washington has made 11 career field goals on 12 total attempts, and 15 of 20 extra-point tries over four NFL seasons.

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New Orleans Saints’ history with the franchise tag

New Orleans Saints’ history with the franchise tag: Five players have received the tag in team history, from Marcus Williams to Darren Howard

The franchise tag has been a useful tool for teams to keep their best players in town since its inception back in the 1993 collective bargaining agreement, but the New Orleans Saints have used it sparingly — issuing the tag to just five players since 2004, though it was most recently deployed in 2021. These fully-guaranteed, one-year contracts often buy time for a long-term extension to manifest but the added pressure can damage relationships between players and management.

And the results have been hit-or-miss for New Orleans. Often players who were tagged wound up signing a multiyear deal with the Saints. Sometimes, though, it led to frayed relationships and a swift exodus. Let’s recap each situation now that the NFL’s franchise tag window has opened, even if the Saints lack candidates for it in 2023:

Titans release Robert Woods: Should the Bears be interested?

The Bears showed interest in acquiring WR Robert Woods last offseason.

The Chicago Bears will be in the market for wide receivers this offseason, and a top option is now available. The Tennessee Titans have released wide receiver Robert Woods as a means to free up salary cap space.

Woods, 30, was acquired by the Titans last offseason in a trade with the Rams. While he was the team’s No. 1 wide receiver, he’s coming off his worst season as a pro, where he totaled 53 receptions for 527 yards and two touchdowns, in Tennessee’s struggling passing offense.

Woods thrived during his time with the Rams, where he eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons from 2018-19 and proved to be an impact player on offense. But he suffered a torn ACL in 2021, and was later traded to the Titans.

With Woods now one year removed from surgery on his ACL, he could be in for a bounce-back year with a new team. But could that team possibly be the Bears?

Chicago certainly has a need at wide receiver, where they need to add more impact players for quarterback Justin Fields. But with Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool already on the roster, the Bears need to find a WR1 for Fields.

Still, general manager Ryan Poles showed interest in trading for Woods last offseason. If that interest is still there, you have to figure the Bears will consider bringing Woods in — for the right price.

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15 dream targets for the Bears in free agency

There are some big names set to hit the free agent market. Here are our dream targets for the Bears this offseason:

Free agency is just a few weeks away, and the Chicago Bears are sitting in a good position as general manager Ryan Poles looks to overhaul the roster.

The Bears are slated to have roughly $100 million in salary cap space to work with, which means there’s no free agent they can’t possibly land if they’re willing to pay.

Chicago has roster needs across the board, including the defensive and offensive lines, cornerback, linebacker and playmakers on offense. There are some big names set to hit the open market — and others who will likely get slapped with the franchise tag over the next couple of weeks.

Still, for this exercise, all options are on the table. Here are my dream free agent targets for the Bears: