The Best Free Agents Available: And Who They Should Sign With.

By Chad Stapley
Chad Stapley

Here is a look at the best offensive Free Agents available by position and what team I think would be the perfect match for them to play for.

Quarterback:

Josh Freeman
Freeman has went from Starter to FA longshot but there is still some value left in the tank when it comes to Freeman. He played plenty of winning football down in Tampa Bay and it wasn’t until he fell out of favor with a new HC (who was fired shortly after) that he started to head in a downwards spiral. He was added to the Vikings roster where they pushed him to start far too soon (surprise, surprise he got hurt) and then he was cut. He was most recently signed and released by the Giants. That signing didn’t make sense because they just drafted the heir to Eli Manning in Ryan Nassib in 2013.

Perfect Fit: Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys don’t have any certainty behind Tony Romo and let’s face it, Romo isn’t Mr. Reliable. Freeman would enter a situation where he would not be counted on to play right away if at all granted Romo stays injury free. He could learn the offense and I think he could eventually be one of the better back up QBs in the NFL. Plus Garrett is one of the best at getting the most out of QB potential.

Running Back:

LaRod Stephens-Howling
Although, an injury didn’t really allow him to play much for the Steelers, Stephens-Howling was a beast for the Cardinals for 2-3 years right before he signed with the Steelers. This is all dependent upon him returning to the Pre-Injury form which was an electrifying scat back who has big play ability whenever the ball is in his hands.
Perfect Fit: New Orleans Saints
The Saints traded away Darren Sproles and didn’t really fill in the void left by him in terms of catching the ball out of the back field. If Stephens-Howling can show that same type of athleticism and agility that made him so great with the Cardinals I think he could make an awfully easy transition from the Steelers to the Saints.

Wide Receiver:

Santonio Holmes
Holmes is nowhere near the elite WR he once was, but if he could accept being a team’s 3rd maybe even 4th option then I think you could see Holmes get 50-60 receptions with 4-5 TDs. The biggest problem would being trying to convince Holmes that he is no longer an elite WR and he would have to be ok with only playing 15-20 snaps a game. At this point in his career if he could accept this type of role he could really help out a championship level team.
Perfect Fit: Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals love to air the ball out especially with Bruce Arians running the show. They already have two capable pass catchers in Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd whom both are in the upper echelon when it comes to WRs in the NFL. Add in Holmes as the third option to go in the games and beat Defenses deep down field. This could be a match made in heaven.

Tight End:

Jermichael Finley
Finley is only even on this list due to the nasty injury he took last year, if not for that injury he would probably be signing a 3-4 year deal with almost any team that needed a TE. Finley was one of the better pass catching TE’s in the NFL prior to his injury and if he can return to that form some team is going to get a steal on the one year deal they sign him to. He doesn’t offer much as a blocker so any team that is a dominant running team would most likely want to pass on Finley but he does have something to offer for an air it out type of team.

Perfect Fit: St. Louis Rams
I am sure many will point out that they already have a potential Pro Bowler in their starting TE, Jared Cook. But, could you imagine lining Cook, Finley, Tavon Austin, Austin Pettis, and Chris Givens up against an opposing defense? That could equal miss-matches all over the field; granted this is all depending on the fact that Finley return to Pre-2013 form.