As hard as it is to believe, the NFL will be holding its annual round of training camps later this month.
It’ll be time for fans to get to see how their favorite teams will be shaping up for the fall, and preseason football will be here before you know it in August.
There are still plenty of good free agents that haven’t been signed as of yet, and we’ve picked 10 players and 10 logical fits that would help those players maximize their next landing spots.
Some of them would make Super Bowl contenders stronger, and others would help fringe playoff teams have a better chance at January.
There are other good players out there that remain unsigned, but these are the 10 fits that intrigue us the most.
WR DeAndre Hopkins, Philadelphia Eagles
While it might seem a bit silly for the Eagles to add a top-flight receiver like Hopkins when they already have guys like A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith, this could be an incredibly fun way to make a scary team even scarier.
The team already has good receiver depth in Olamide Zaccheaus and Quez Watkins, but adding Hopkins in the mix would give Philadelphia a three-headed monster at wideout that would rival the Cincinnati Bengals trio.
This probably won’t happen, but we’d sure love it if it did.
DE Yannick Ngakoue, Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears will have a good bit of expectations for them his season to capitalize on the rise of quarterback Justin Fields, and the defensive line could use some work.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus missed having Ngakoue in Indianapolis by a year, but the veteran pass rusher would make a ton of sense for a Chicago team that desperately needs a good starting rusher in the fold.
Ngakoue doesn’t offer a ton outside of quarterback pressures, but in this business, that’s plenty reason to sign a guy. He’d be a great summer addition.
RB Dalvin Cook, New England Patriots
Fresh off a 1,173-yard, 8-touchdown season, the veteran Cook could add needed talent to a contending team’s running back group.
Consider the Patriots, who could pair Cook with emerging talent Rhamondre Stevenson and give New England a formidable one-two punch in the backfield.
If the Patriots can’t land Hopkins, adding Cook is a more-than-fine consolation prize to add talent to their offense ahead of training camp.
G Dalton Risner, Baltimore Ravens
It’s not common to find a starting-quality offensive lineman under 30 just hanging out as a free agent in the summer, but Risner is available.
The Ravens have a need at left guard that’s right now going to come down to a camp battle between Ben Cleveland and John Simpson. Adding Risner at left guard on a one-year deal could be a great move for both parties.
It’d help the Ravens get a quality starter on the offensive line at a position of need, and it’d help Risner rebuild his value ahead of free agency in 2024. It’d be the rare win-win that could be huge for both sides in the summer.
CB Marcus Peters, San Francisco 49ers
Like with offensive linemen, it’s not easy to find a starting-caliber cornerback in the summer, but a good veteran like Peters could be ready to go as a starter if needed for any corner-needy team at the point of signing.
The 49ers don’t have the strongest cornerback group in the NFL right now, and they really could use a veteran like Peters to push for a starting role and supplant depth at absolute worst.
San Francisco is clearly a contender in the NFC if all breaks right, but the secondary could use a little more talent. Peters could help there.
DE Jadeveon Clowney, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings sending Za’Darius Smith to the Cleveland Browns might’ve gotten them some draft capital, but it did leave a gap on the defensive line.
There aren’t too, too many quality defensive lineman available right now, but Clowney could be a great stop-gap option for a Vikings team that needs more veteran depth.
Clowney isn’t a top-flight pass rusher, but he can provide a little bit of everything pretty well. For Minnesota, he’d be a welcome addition.
DE Justin Houston, Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs released Frank Clark this offseason, and they could use a veteran rusher for rotational purposes to keep the foot on the gas as Super Bowl favorites.
Why not bring Houston back to the team that drafted him? He had 9.5 sacks for the Ravens last year, showing that the 34-year-old veteran still has plenty left in the tank.
He deserves a chance to win a Super Bowl ring, and what better place to do so than Kansas City? This would be an awesome reunion for both sides.
RB Leonard Fournette, Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos aren’t in a dire spot at running back, but adding a Super Bowl-winning talent like Fournette could put the team a bit more at ease.
The Broncos now have head coach Sean Payton leading the charge, and adding in a bruising rusher like Fournette ahead of training camp could give the team the depth it needs to go with Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine.
Fournette might not have lived up to his draft ceiling, but he’s reliable in the playoffs and still can be a vital cog to a rushing room. It’d be a good fit.
K Robbie Gould, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys might have a bit of a problem at kicker if neither Tristan Vizcaino nor Brandon Aubrey can lock down the job in training camp.
Enter Gould, the strong veteran who could give the Cowboys a huge sigh of relief as a summer signing, at least for a year.
Even at 40, Gould is one of the better kickers in the league and could really help Dallas get settled at a very important spot. He’d thrive in a dome.
WR Jarvis Landry, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons need a reliable slot presence on the roster, and Landry could really help in that regard.
Having played for the rival Saints last season, he only had 272 yards in nine games. In Atlanta, he’d be able to try for a rebound season with new starting quarterback Desmond Ridder.
With a pretty young receiving room, Landry could also give the Falcons a nice veteran presence to lean on if the team’s resurgence comes into focus.
