The NFL cutdown deadline has passed, but that doesn’t mean teams have set their 53-man rosters in stone before Week 1 of the regular season officially begins.
The aftermath of these massive roster purges is a suddenly saturated free agent marketplace filled with players whose original teams didn’t want. Like a Goodwill Bargain Outlet, most of the products within were tossed away for a reason. But if you dig hard enough, a few gems will shine through.
That includes some big name veterans who landed on the chopping block after underwhelming training camps, a depth chart crunch at their position, or a combination of the two. While 2022 didn’t drop a Cam Newton-type star onto the waiver wire, there were still a handful of recognizable names suddenly available for needy teams.
Let’s figure out the teams who could use them most.
RB Sony Michel to the Washington Commanders
Brian Robinson Jr. was in position to earn significant playing time at running back. Then he suffered multiple gunshot wounds in an attempted carjacking in the final week of the preseason.
The good news is the bullets avoided major structural damage, his surgery went well and he wound up back at Commanders headquarters two days later, smiling and with Oreos in tow. The bad news is he’ll still miss extended time this season.
Washington is fairly well insulated thanks to the presence of Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic in the backfield, but head coach Ron Rivera may not be thrilled with Gibson’s development after pushing him to third string reps this August. That’s where Michel could make a difference — if the Commanders can swoop in and sign him before the Chargers do.
Michel emerged as a useful replacement for Cam Akers last season in Los Angeles, averaging 4.1 yards per carry and catching a career-high 21 passes. More importantly, he could provide a sure-handed replacement for the fumble-struck Gibson. The former Patriot/Ram/Dolphin has only fumbled once in his last 315 touches.
OL Alex Leatherwood to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Raiders tried to force a square peg into a round hole and wound up with another disastrous Jon Gruden draft pick.
Leatherwood was a Day 1 reach in 2021 whose questionable skills at tackle led many scouts to believe he was better suited for interior work. Las Vegas wanted him to protect the edge anyway. The result was such a poor performance that new head coach Josh McDaniels dubbed him worthless after just one season, eating more than $4 million in dead cap space just to be rid of the Alabama product.
This doesn’t mean Leatherwood doesn’t have value. Tampa Bay isn’t a great place for a developmental young lineman, but the team badly needs reinforcements in the interior of its offensive line. While the Donovan Smith-Tristan Wirfs combination at the corners is wonderful, the three spots in between have been ravaged by free agency, retirement and injury this summer.
That’s awful news for a 45-year-old quarterback who’s capable of stepping up in the pocket but who lacks the lateral quickness to avoid pressure up the middle. Leatherwood may not be a fix for 2022, but he’s a big, athletic body capable of being much better than he showed in Vegas. And maybe that’d be enough to convince Tom Brady he’d be protected in 2023 should he opt for one more year.
S Anthony Harris to the Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders’ secondary has been a persistent weak spot, which is especially damning in the pass-happy AFC West. Trading away Trayvon Mullen won’t help with that, but adding a veteran presence like Harris may.
Harris could slide into the rotation next to rising star Trevon Moehrig to provide a guiding veteran hand among a group of defensive backs that’s had limited experience playing together. His missed tackle rate was a minuscule 2.7 percent last season and while he suffered from misreads he still made plays when passes entered his orbit. He allowed just a 68.7 passer rating in coverage for the Eagles last season.
Vegas profited by bringing in a name-brand veteran to boost its coverage with Casey Hayward in 2021. Harris can play a similar role for a team with Super Bowl aspirations in 2022.
LB Joe Schobert to the Los Angeles Chargers
It was barely two years ago when Schobert was deemed worthy of a $54 million contract. Now he’s been released twice in the same offseason.
That’s a bad omen for a 28-year-old former Pro Bowler. His coverage skills are a concern and both the Steelers and Broncos decided he wasn’t worth a roster spot. The Chargers could be the next team to kick his tires.
Los Angeles upgraded its defense heavily this offseason in an effort to shore up the league’s 26th-ranked unit. The biggest additions came against the pass via free agent J.C. Jackson and trade target Khalil Mack. Sebastian Joseph-Day and Austin Johnson were brought in to help a rush defense that gave up more than 4.6 yards per carry.
There’s still work to be done on the ground. Schobert isn’t ideal, but he’s a steady tackler at a position of need. Drue Tranquill is merely fine as an off-ball linebacker and Kenneth Murray has yet to live up to his first round pedigree. Bringing in extra veteran help would add an extra layer of insurance to the weakest position in LA’s defensive lineup.
TE O.J. Howard to the Minnesota Vikings
At his best, Howard is wildly efficient in a small sample size. He averaged a ridiculous 11.5 yards per target his first two seasons in the league, albeit on only 87 targets. While he’s dropped off considerably from that level, he’s still 27 years old.
Acquiring him comes with the baggage of his injury history as well as his general inconsistency, but there’s still juice worth the squeeze in Howard. The Vikings are currently stuck relying on their own inconsistent, highly drafted, former Alabama tight end in Irv Smith. Why not add another?
Howard would provide a useful depth option capable of bigger performances than Johnny Mundt or Ben Ellefson, even if his blocking is a problem. He’s four inches taller than Smith and could be a valuable red zone safety valve for Kirk Cousins in new head coach Kevin O’Connell’s high octane offense.
Update: Or the Bengals, sure! Cincinnati could use a playmaker at the position now that CJ Uzomah is a Jet. Hayden Hurst will still be TE1, but Howard can get work done and rebuild his value with Joe Burrow.
That was fast: The #Bengals are hosting FA TE OJ Howard on a visit today and assuming all goes well with the physical, he’s expected to sign, source said. The former first-rounder was a surprising cut yesterday and this should come together today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 31, 2022
