Best Team Fits For The Top 25 NFL Free Agents [20-25]
NFL free agency officially begins on Tuesday March 10th. The negotiations and conversations between teams can begin as of this Saturday, but nothing can become official until Tuesday. So we decided to take a look at where the best places for some of the top free agents would be. Two things to keep in mind: 1) I'm not including players that have been franchise tagged, because they are not technically free agents. 2) I'll be using CBSSports.com's ranking system for the free agents as we go in reverse order (again skipping the franchise tags). If you want an idea of who might fit best for your team, Pete Prisco's got you covered. Let's get into it.
25) Stefen Wisniewski C, Oakland Raiders- Wisniewski should be a pretty sought after commodity considering he's the second best center on the market and he's only 25 years old. He's very durable having missed only three games over the first four years of his career. To be honest, I'm a little surprised that the Raiders have let him get to unrestricted free agency. The team I think would fit him best is Indianapolis. Protecting the best young QB in the game and going to a team that has a ton of cap space and can win now? This is a win-win.
24) Dan Williams, DT, Arizona Cardinals- Williams fits best as a 3-4 nose tackle as compared to a 4-3 defensive tackle. That doesn't mean he can't fill the 4-3 role but he profiles as more of a run stopper than pass rusher. With that in mind, I'd say he would be perfect in Pittsburgh. The Steelers need to rebuild that dominant defense, what better place to start than right in the middle? It would take some cap juggling but would be a good fit.
23) Brian Orakpo, OLB, Washington Redskins- When he's healthy, he's been a very good pass rusher on a Redskins team that has been mostly awful since he was drafted. Orakpo has 40 sacks in six NFL seasons and will definitely be sought after on the FA market. The Falcons are reportedly interested in signing him as they look to find a pass rush of any kind. That's a good fit as he would be in a 3-4 and the outside pass rushing role but after so much losing in his career, I think he'd rather go to a contender or at least a playoff team. There's a squad right up I-95 in Philly that could use a 3-4 OLB after letting Trent Cole go...
22) Brandon Flowers, CB, San Diego Chargers- He signed a one-year contract with San Diego before last season and quite honestly, he should stay there. The Chargers need him in the secondary and weren't far outside the playoff picture last year. The grass isn't always greener elsewhere. Stay, Brandon.
21) Antonio Cromartie, CB, Arizona Cardinals- Cromartie is looking for one last pay day, especially after coming off a big season in the desert. Reports are that his former team in New York is interested. And they hired his D-coordinator from last year in Todd Bowles. This is wayyyy too easy.
20) Jordan Cameron, TE, Cleveland Browns- After having a breakout year in 2013, Cameron took a step back last year with some injuries, but also due to the fact that he had Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel throwing to him. Or more accurately not throwing to him. How about having arguably the best QB in the game? Think he'd be interested? Green Bay has been looking for a consistent tight end weapon to pair with Aaron Rodgers the past couple years and Cameron would fill that slot beautifully.
We'll continue to give you the best fits for the top free agents over the next several days as we gear up for Tuesday!
Ryan Mayer is an Associate Producer for CBS Local Sports. Ryan lives in NY but comes from Philly and life as a Philly sports fan has made him cynical. Anywhere sports are being discussed, that's where you'll find him.