Throughout the history of NFL free agency, the best possible acquisitions have come when team, scheme, and player find a perfect marriage. Last year, the Panthers signed former Jets receiver Robby Anderson to a two-year, $20 million contract, expanded his route palette, and enjoyed Anderson’s status as far more than just a speed guy.
Also last season, the Dolphins signed former Browns defensive lineman Emmanuel Ogbah to a two-year, $15 million contract, unleashed him from every gap in their hyper-aggressive, Cover-0-heavy defense, and had a very good time indeed as Ogbah set career highs in sacks (9.0) and total pressures (66).
And when Bruce Arians and Tom Brady finally figured out the ideal balance between Arians’ “grip-it-and-rip-it” passing game, and Brady’s more measured approach, buttressed at it is by play-action and pre-snap motion… that worked out pretty well in the end.
Leonard Floyd with the Rams, Nelson Agholor with the Raiders… the list goes on and on regarding players who landed in the right spot. So, when coaches and talent evaluators take a close look at the 2021 free-agent class (which they’re already doing in earnest, as the new league year starts on March 17), there’s a lot of wisdom in looking at the players who best fit what you want to do on the field, as opposed to players who are scheme-nebulous and have athletic potential you think you can unlock out of nowhere.
Sometimes you can. More often, you can’t, and you wind up wasting contract dollars and cap space on players who don’t fit your team at all.
Here are 11 prominent upcoming free agents who deserve particular scrutiny as players who will not fit with every team in every scheme, have dings to be worked out, and could fall off the map in the wrong environment.
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