1 pending free agent each NFL team should bring back in 2022

But if we were in charge, these are the players we’d keep — one per team as decided by the NFL Wire staff.

NFL contracts not signed beyond 2021 expire at 4 p.m. ET March 16, meaning that teams have from the end of the season until that time to sign their pending free agents to contract extensions. A few will get tagged (the franchise tag period begins Feb. 22), some will get extensions, but it’s a good bet most of the players set to reach unrestricted free agency will do so.

But if we were in charge, these are the players we’d keep — one per team as decided by the NFL Wire staff.

1 pending free agent each NFL team should bring back in 2022

NFL free agency 2022 starts just over two months from now. Here’s a look at who teams should keep among their pending free agents.

NFL contracts not signed beyond 2021 expire at 4 p.m. ET March 16, meaning that teams have from the end of the season until that time to sign their pending free agents to contract extensions. A few will get tagged (the franchise tag period begins Feb. 22), some will get extensions, but it’s a good bet most of the players set to reach unrestricted free agency will do so.

But if we were in charge, these are the players we’d keep — one per team as decided by the NFL Wire staff.

49ers to sign free agent LB Mychal Kendricks

The #49ers are signing veteran LB Mychal Kendricks.

The 49ers are adding more help at linebacker. During San Francisco’s preseason loss Saturday evening, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported they’d be signing veteran linebacker Mychal Kendricks.

The Eagles took Kendricks in the second round of the 2012 draft. He spent six years with Philadelphia before moving on to the Seahawks where he played for two years, and he suited up for Washington in one game last year.

Kendricks pleaded guilty to insider trading charges in 2018 that led him to be released by the Browns, but Cleveland suspended him after the charges came down. He was suspended for eight games during the 2018 season. In July of this year he was sentenced to one day in jail plus three years of probation and 300 hours of community service.

The 49ers need some linebacker depth, and a veteran like Kendricks could help them in camp, but he’d have a real shot to make the club given the inexperience down the depth chart. Second-year undrafted free agent Jonas Griffith and journeyman LB James Burgess Jr. both started Saturday’s preseason opener. Former strong safety Marcell Harris and undrafted rookies Justin Hilliard and Elijah Sullivan also played with Fred Warner sitting out and Azeez Al-Shaair and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles both out with injuries.

Kendricks has played in 104 games with 91 starts across nine years. He has 548 tackles, 52 tackles for loss, 19.0 sacks, four interceptions, 30 pass breakups and four forced fumbles.

San Francisco has a full roster, so adding Kendricks will require a corresponding move, although none has been announced.

Free agent defensive ends 49ers could add after Jordan Willis suspension

There aren’t many free agent defensive ends available, but the San Francisco 49ers may look to sign one.

The 49ers’ already shaky defensive end situation got a little more tenuous Thursday when the team announced Jordan Willis will be suspended for the first six games of the 2021 campaign for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

While Willis wasn’t a player the 49ers were going to heavily rely on, his absence shines a light on a lingering weakness in San Francisco’s roster. With Willis sidelined, the onus will fall on Nick Bosa, Samson Ebukam, Dee Ford, Arden Key and a host of others to try and piece together a good enough defensive end rotation.

The 49ers haven’t seemed too eager to add additional defensive end depth during the offseason, but the prospect of missing Willis for six games could be enough to push the club to make an addition.

Good pass rushers don’t typically last long in free agency, and they almost never hang around past the end of March and into June. San Francisco doesn’t necessarily need another great pass rusher though. They could simply add an extra body to the competition to see if there’s an available player who can provide better depth than what they’ll go into the year with.

Here are six of the handful of defensive ends still available in free agency:

49ers in contact with another former Jaguars WR

The 49ers are looking to add depth to their receiving corps, and talked to former Jaguars WR Dede Westbrook.

The Marqise Lee experiment was brief, but the 49ers are now in contact with another former Jaguars wide receiver in their quest to bolster their depth at that position. NFL insider Josina Anderson on Monday reported San Francisco had preliminary talks with free agent WR Dede Westbrook.

Westbrook is returning from a torn ACL he suffered in late October last season, and expects to be ready for at least some of training camp after surgery in November according to Anderson.

The pickings at receiver are slim at this point, and Westbrook had fallen out of favor in Jacksonville last year after a couple strong seasons in 2018 and 2019. He was inactive for the Jaguars in five of the team’s first seven games, and managed just one catch for four yards before his injury.

His two years prior to that were strong enough though to warrant a look from the 49ers. Westbrook in 2018 and 2019 combined for 132 catches, 1,377 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in 31 games.

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49ers add depth through a couple free agency moves

The San Francisco 49ers added a couple depth pieces at key positions going into the NFL draft with RB Wayne Gallman and DE Arden Key.

Running back Wayne Gallman and defensive end Arden Key both visited the 49ers on Tuesday, and on Wednesday reports surfaced both players will join the club.

Gallman’s signing was officially announced by the club. The Giants’ 2017 fourth-round pick will give some veteran depth in the backfield. Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. are the only players on the roster with significant NFL carries under their belt. Gallman in four seasons with New York had 338 carries, 1,444 yards (4.3 YPC) and nine rushing touchdowns.

Key’s signing hasn’t been made official, but NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported the Raiders’ 2018 third-round pick will sign with the club after being waived by Las Vegas in mid-April.

The former two-time First-Team All-SEC selection saw his once top-five draft stock plummet throughout his final college season. He went from among the draft’s top defensive players to a late Day 2 choice.

His high upside as a prospect didn’t bear any fruit for the Raiders. In three years with the club he posted 3.0 sacks and 26 quarterback hits in 37 games. The 49ers have shown a willingness the last couple years to take risks on high-upside free agents who haven’t had a ton of success in the NFL. Key will get a chance to compete for a rotational spot at a position where the 49ers desperately need some quality depth.

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Can Mike Davis carry the Atlanta Falcons’ ground game?

After an admirable 2020 season in Carolina, veteran RB Mike Davis heads to the Falcons.

New Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith ran a run-heavy, play-action system in Tennessee with rushing king Derrick Henry powering his way to consecutive yardage crowns over the past two seasons.

In 2021, former Carolina Panthers running back Mike Davis may get a shot at showing what he can do in a similar role, replacing RB Todd Gurley. This marks the fourth team the 28-year-old Davis has played for since entering the league in 2015, and it’s the first time he gets a chance to enter the season as the presumed starter.

While much can change between now and Week 1, Davis has no obvious competition for the bulk of the touches right now, and he enters an offensive system known for generating fantasy football success at his position. In Tennessee last season, Smith’s offense ran 51.8 percent of the time, which was the third-highest rate. The Titans were fourth in 2019 under his guidance. During the same window, Atlanta finished no better than 25th (2020) and was even dead last in 2019.

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The Falcons have invested heavily in the offensive line in recent years, although the results haven’t been reflective of such. The offense lost center Alex Mack to free agency, and a pair of 2019 first-rounders on the right side have yet to fully materialize as being worth the commitment. Right guard Chris Lindstrom came into his own after an injury-marred rookie year, finishing with the fifth-highest ranking among his positional mates in 2020. Right tackle Kaleb McGary began last season much improved but faded down the stretch and saw his overall play slip as the year went along.

Matt Hennessy, a 2020 third-round selection, appears in line to assume Mack’s position, though some recent chatter says the team is still looking at the center market. Furthermore, the depth along the line, especially inside, is barren.

It will be interesting to see is if the Falcons try to make quarterback Matt Ryan fit the offensive designs of Smith more so than adjusting Smith’s playcalling to the nearly 36-year-old’s strengths. Bootlegs and rollouts aren’t exactly tops on the list of what Ryan is know for in his career, but in his defense, he handled Kyle Shanahan’s similar system several years back.

Currently on roster, running backs Ito Smith and Qadree Ollison are the only two with experience. It’s fair to believe Smith is ahead of Ollison and does have more speed to help complement Davis. That said, look for the Falcons to address the backfield in the upcoming NFL draft. There remains a respectable pool of change-of-pace running backs in free agency, too.

Fantasy football outlook

Going on the presumption Davis enters as the primary running back, he brings considerable versatility to the offense. A few curiosities arise, though: Why did it take him until his age-27 season and an injury to truly showcase his skills? How will Davis respond as being the top guy right out of the gates? Can the defense allow the offense to run late into contests? Aside from the defense, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley starring at wide receiver. Then there’s the worry about Smith — is he a great coordinator who’ll stink it up as a head coach?

In 2021, initially there will be offensive line concerns. Last year, however, we saw Davis find considerable success behind a similarly poor front five. ProFootballFocus ranked Carolina’s unit 18th-best and that of Atlanta 21st. If the Falcons can consistently get more from the right side of the line, look out for this being a possible fantasy football steal to come out of free agency.

The former Seattle, San Fran and Carolina back fits what the Falcons will implement on offense, and Davis showed off his hands with 59 receptions a year ago as he filled in for Christian McCaffrey over 12 starts. We had see a few flashes from Davis in past stops, albeit in limited action, and he played a role as Seattle’s third-down back in 2018 (34 receptions).

Since Davis has only two seasons with more than 68 carries, it’s probably unfair to point out his yards-per-carry average was 3.5 or less in those four years. During the two seasons with at least 112 attempts, he was good for 4.6 in ’18 and 3.9 last year. Much of last year’s issues can be attributed to the line and also being rarely able to establish a lead late in games when defenses are worn down.

Davis may be an alluring sleeper-like figure in draft circles. If for no other reason than being a new face in town at a coveted position, fantasy owners will find him intriguing. He probably gets less fanfare in casual leagues, yet some gamers will remember his contributions last year and immediately flock to him, assuming the situation is as good or better — it certainly could be better. Smith has the track record as an offensive mind (experienced with TEs and OL, so he knows blocking), and the weapons around Davis to prevent defenders from automatically keying on him each play.

Then there’s the aspect of this defense … it has to improve, and it should, to a degree. Incoming coordinator Dean Pees has found considerable success in his long NFL career. The personnel components remain suspect, though, and this could be a heavy focus in the NFL draft. Atlanta’s inability to keep points off the scoreboard could be Davis’ undoing on the ground. Through the air, though, he actually stands to benefit from a shaky line and sieve-like defense.

Gamers will be forced to decide if Davis worth the risk of an RB2 investment, provided he doesn’t see serious competition in the meantime, and the rest of the outlook hinges upon expectations for aspects out of his control. Davis will be a valued asset in PPR circles, and he is worthy of a weekly flex play as his floor, if the Falcons remain committed to him.

Giants sign prized free-agent Kenny Golladay

Golladay upgrades the Giants receiver corps

The Giants’ passing game takes a major step up in potential with the signing of Kenny Golladay to a four-year, $72 million contract. The ex-Lion star looks to cash in after finishing his four-year rookie contract in Detroit that saw him top 1,000 yards in 2018 and 2019 before struggling through an injury-marred season.

The Lions are in a rebuild, though some of their recent additions would disagree. Golladay moves on after his career-best 2019 that saw him with 65 catches for 1,190 yards and 11 touchdowns when he was a Top-10 fantasy wide receiver. He led the league with those 11 scores as a wideout that year.

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Golladay joins a Giants franchise that only ranked No. 29 in passing yardage (3,318 yards) and No. 31 in passing touchdowns (12). He’ll slide into the vacated spot left by Golden Tate across from Sterling Shepard.  The Giants also added John Ross as the No. 3 receiver but the passing scheme heavily favors just the two starting wideouts.

Golladay was the top free-agent wideout, and his $72 million deal included $40 in guaranteed money.

Fantasy football outlook

The Giants look to recover from a down year rebuilding the team during a pandemic. Daniel Jones showed promise as the 1.06 pick in 2019 when he threw for 3,306 yards and 26 touchdowns over 13 games. Golladay provides the field-stretching ability that will help him get back on track as the Giants enter their second season under HC Joe Judge and OC Jason Garrett.

Golladay fills the void that was left when Odell Beckham Jr. left and will be the first elite receiver that quarterback Daniel Jones gets to use. As the No. 1 target, he’ll continue to rate as a 1,000-yard receiver and could challenge the Top-10 yet again if the Giants can stay healthy and return to form. A returning Saquon Barkley will further help the Giants’ passing effort by providing more balance to the offense than they had last year.

This was a great signing for the Giants and can help propel Golladay higher into the elite ranks if they can continue to improve and maintain their health. Signing for four-years proves the commitment that the Giants have towards making him their top receiving weapon.

Will Fuller agrees to become a Miami Dolphin

What does the move do for Fuller’s fantasy football worth?

Former Houston Texans first-round pick Will Fuller began a breakout season as Houston’s true No. 1 in 2020, the first season without DeAndre Hopkins. He has agreed to take his services to South Beach to catch passes from Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

The deal is believed to be a one-year, $10 million contract, which allows Fuller to set himself up for a run at more money in 2022. (Keep that in mind for full-retention keeper/dynasty formats.)

In 11 games last year, Fuller posted eight touchdowns. An extrapolated total of 77 receptions for 1,278 was within reach prior to being suspended for the final five games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs. He will miss Week 1 in the upcoming season.

Miami provides a so-so situation for Fuller. While Tagovailoa was a winner as a rookie, his presence certainly didn’t help the receiving corps, and he’s no Deshaun Watson. The Dolphins were focused on putting more talent around him, and this could be the most talented top three of any receiving corps in the NFL right now.

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DeVante Parker took some time to come along but established himself as a WR1 in 2019. He had great chemistry with Ryan Fitzpatrick but took a step backward during Tua’s stint as the starter in 2020. The talent is there, for sure, so it may come down to a more traditional offseason worth of working together.

WR Preston Williams (foot) has missed the second half of each of his first two seasons but has scored seven touchdowns in 16 pro games. He underwent surgery in November and should be fine in time for fantasy purposes.

Tight end Mike Gesicki is a talented pass-catching option, too, and there’s going to be an issue at times of not enough footballs to go around. Dolphins offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s system hasn’t been particularly favorable for tight ends throughout its history, but if Gailey is great at anything, it’s his ability to morph an offense to fit the talent.

Fantasy football outlook

With a litany of injuries on his rap sheet, and now a serious suspension concern looming for any future misstep, Fuller is one risky dude.

There shouldn’t be any argument over his talent being in the conversation of a No. 1 receiver, but he now will play one fewer game off the bat and has capped upside with Parker, Williams and Gesicki in the fold.

Then there’s the worry about Tua as a passer. He’s a great athlete, but we have yet to see enough to firmly say Tagovailoa is ready to take his aerial game to the next level. If you’re a  believer in Tua, feel free to bump Fuller up a few notches. It really could go either way, so understand what degree of risk is being assumed.

The 2021 Dolphins will be an interesting bunch and could surprise in the passing game, but there are more issues here than desired when considering someone of Fuller’s talent. It would have been nice to see him land in a more favorable setting, but here we are …

Gamers have a shaky WR2 on their hands, and Fuller is more safely drafted as a third option. Chances are, though, drafters will be forced to spend market value if they want to roster him.

Kenyan Drake joins Josh Jacobs in Las Vegas backfield

Drake signs a two-year contract for $11M to split the Raiders’ backfield

The Las Vegas Raiders signed free-agent Kenyan Drake to a two-year, $11 million contract that boosts their backfield though at the expense – potentially – of Josh Jacobs. The deal could be worth as much as $14 million with incentives.

Drake spent his first three seasons with the Dolphins after being a third-round selection in 2016.  He was never used heavily there, topping out with 644 yards on 133 carries in 2017 but adding a receiving role the next year that netted him a career-high 53 catches for 477 yards and five touchdowns. Amid the Fins offensive implosion in 2019, he was sent the Cardinals for a conditional sixth-round draft pick in 2020 before the Week 8 trade deadline.

He added a great spark for the rest of the year, rushing for 643 yards and eight touchdowns over the final eight weeks in Arizona. His 2020 campaign was less productive, with 955 yards on 239 carries and just 25 catches for 137 yards while missing a few games.

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He lands on a Raiders squad already featuring Josh Jacobs. The release of No. 2 back Devontae Booker cleared the way for a replacement and Drake provides an upgrade, having spent most of his time in the NFL as a primary back who is still only 27.

Fantasy football outlook

The Raiders drafted Jacobs in 2019 and received two-straight 1,000-yard seasons from their first-round pick. He caught a career-high 33 passes for 238 yards last season while only missing one game. Devontae Booker filled with around four to six touches per game.

Jacobs turned in six games with more than 20 carries in 2020 and that’s likely to decline with the addition of Drake. Instead of a split backfield with two dissimilar backs sporting different skills, the Raiders now essentially have the same back twice. There is no doubt that Jacobs remains the primary, but after he ran 273 times for 1,065 yards (3.9 YPC) last year, he’s playing with Drake who handled 239 carries for 955 yards (4.0 YPC).

At first glance, the addition of Drake means less work for both backs in Las Vegas.  Devontae Booker was merely a change-of-pace back with no challenge for more work last year. Drake owns a 4.5-yard career rushing average and carried over 15 times in over half of his games with the Cardinals.

Worse yet, Jacob’s propensity to get banged up only adds to what could be an uneven share of the workload each week.