Restricted free agency is an underrated opportunity for NFL teams to add talent at a controlled cost. Depending on the tender offer from the player’s current team, a useful player with three years of experience can be had for a second-round pick or less.
There are opportunities for the Detroit Lions and GM Bob Quinn to do some restricted free agent shopping in 2019. Here are a handful of players who will be RFAs that are worthy of the price tag to lure them to Detroit.
Geronimo Allison, WR, Packers
The one-time Shrine Game week star was finally emerging as a legit weapon for the Packers when his 2018 got cut short with both a groin injury and a concussion. Allison hauled in 20 catches for 303 yards in just five games, making several acrobatic catches along the sidelines and down the field.
Detroit sorely needs receiving help to take some pressure off Kenny Golladay, and Allison has the length and ability to make plays down the field that will command defensive attention. He’s not ever likely to be a primary weapon and his slender build leads to durability questions, though the Illinois product didn’t miss a game due to injury in his first two seasons.
If Allison earns just the original-round tender from the Packers, which seems likely given their youthful depth at wideout, he could be a lot more valuable to Detroit for a low-level compensation.
Briean Boddy-Calhoun, DB, Browns
Boddy-Calhoun proved a valuable piece of the secondary for Cleveland over the last three seasons. He started a game at all four defensive back positions, including one stretch where he started at slot corner, strong safety and outside corner in a four-week period.
The 26-year-old is at his best in the slot and playing in man coverage from the inside to the outside. He’s smart, twitchy and quick to react. His performances have a great deal of variance, which is why the Browns could let him go. There are games where Boddy-Calhoun looks like a Pro Bowler, but he’ll follow that with a game where he deserves only eight snaps.
Boddy-Calhoun’s positional versatility should intrigue Lions coach Matt Patricia for all the ways he can mix up the defense without having to sub out the nickel DB.
George Fant, OT, Seahawks
Could new Lions OC Darrell Bevell poach a rising talent from his old team? Fant was one of the worst starters in the NFL regardless of position in 2016 as an undrafted rookie from Western Kentucky. He tore his ACL in 2017 and missed his second year.
Yet in 2018, Fant played pretty darn well as the starting left tackle in Seattle. He really took to the upgraded coaching after Tom Cable’s departure as the OL coach and appeared more comfortable with his technique and balance. A former college basketball player, Fant has experience playing right tackle, too.
The Seahawks should have no intention of letting Fant leave, but this is a player the Lions should target and see just how committed Seattle is to keeping him.
Eli Rogers, WR, Steelers
Rogers is a slot receiver with an unusual situation. He was a restricted free agent in 2018 as well, but a one-game NFL suspension and spending the first 12 weeks on the PUP recovering from a torn ACL caused his contract status to holdover.
Rogers proved the knee was fine with a 3-game stint in December, catching 12 passes He’s a short-range target in the middle of the field with some wiggle and YAC ability. The Steelers are cap-strapped and already have his replacement on the roster in Ryan Switzer, so it might not take much to pry Rogers away.
Brennan Scarlett, EDGE, Texans
Scarlett is a “heavy” edge in the mold of Eli Harold or Devon Kennard. At 6-4 and 263 pounds, he can set a hard edge while lining up with either a hand in the dirt or as a strongside OLB depending on the scheme.
His 2018 got cut short with an ankle injury, but the 26-year-old Stanford product does have some power-to-speed pass rush ability and can reliably cover in a short zone or zone blitz. Romeo Crennel’s defense in Houston is readily translatable to Matt Patricia’s base schemes in Detroit, which would make an easy transition. Scarlett is also a proven performer on special teams.
