The free agency is less than a week away. In just a few days, NFL teams will be able to negotiate with players from other teams and attempt to bring them into the fold. With that in mind, we play matchmaker here at CBS Sports, seeking to assign available players to teams where they would fit. Wednesday, Jeff Kerr covered the AFC. In the space below, I will discuss NFC.
Needless to say, quarterback needy teams like the Commanders, Falcons, Panthers, Buccaneers and maybe even the Lions, Vikings and 49ers should go after Lamar Jackson. To avoid writing his name six or seven times, we’ll just assume that he should be on their respective lists and leave with another player.
Without delay …
Everyone has made the Odell Beckham Jr. connection before, so I wanted to go in a different direction here. Dallas is in desperate need of an influx of bodies to the corner, where the team was dangerously thin last season following injuries to Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown. Peters may be this year’s version of James Bradberry, who the Eagles picked up on the cheap and earned him a great season. Dan Quinn should be able to get the most out of a very talented player, who can slot in opposite Trevon Diggs.
The Giants need to upgrade the weaponry around newly signed Daniel Jones to a $40 million a year deal. Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was the quarterbacks coach at Kansas City, so he’s probably familiar with Hardman’s skill set. He wouldn’t be blocked by more talented players in New York like he was in KC, so maybe he could take the next step forward in his career. His dynamic speed would allow Kafka to use him in a variety of ways, and he would be a perfect fit for the low mid-depth target attack they ran with Jones last year.
Philadelphia Eagles
Philly loves signing stalwart veterans in their thirties to fill roles but not break the bank on defense, and Kendricks fits the bill. He’s not far off playing at the All-Pro level, but his salary and likely awkward fit in Brian Flores’ Minnesota defense led to the Vikings cutting ties. The Eagles have both Kyzir White and TJ Edwards in free agency, and they have a new defensive coordinator in Sean Desai after Jonathan Gannon landed the head coaching job at Arizona. Desai spent four years with the Vikings earlier in his career, riding with Kendricks for three of them. (He was the defensive backs coach at the time.) He would probably be able to get the most out of the versatile linebacker.
Washington Commanders
Washington needs a good guard with Trai Turner about to hit the market, and could do worse than loot his division rival for a player who has improved in recent seasons. The Cowboys have long thought McGovern is a better right guard than left, but with Hall of Famer Zack Martin locked in that role, they had McGovern on the other side of the line. Washington could put him in his most natural position, and probably do so without paying too high a price for his services.
Atlanta Falcons
There’s nothing the Falcons seem to like more than big passers. They took Kyle Pitts (6-6, 246 pounds) to No. 4 overall in 2021 and Drake London (6-5, 210) to No. 8 overall in 2022. When Arthur Smith was with the Titans of Tennessee, they also prioritized big bodies, from Derrick Henry to AJ Brown and more. JuJu is a big slots player (6-1, 215), and his ability to work in the short areas of the court while serving as a positive blocker in the running game is part of what motivated the Chiefs to bring him in. sign the last offseason. KC apparently wants him back, but the Falcons could enlist his services and fit him in just fine.
Carolina Panthers
It almost makes too much sense. The Panthers are likely looking for their quarterback of the future in the first round of the draft, as new head coach Frank Reich and general manager Scott Fitterer want to get out of the merry-go-round of short-term fixes at the position. But they might not want to throw that player into the fire right away, and they’ll probably also want to give that player a mentor who knows the system. Enter Brissett, who spent time with Reich in Indianapolis as a backup and starter. He played pretty well when he replaced Deshaun Watson last year and could sign a deal that nets him some solid relief money if that’s his part, with incentives for more if he does end up starting.
New Orleans just signed a long-term pact with Derek Carr, who seemed to enjoy throwing at Hollins last season in Las Vegas. With Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry both likely leaving in free agency and little quality passing depth beyond Chris Olave, the Saints could use another weapon. Hollins is a good size (6-4, 220) and proved to be a capable deep threat last year. Reunite him with Carr and try to salvage some of what they found in 2022.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa has… a lot of needs right now. Some tackle remains, after the team cut Donovan Smith. There’s cornerback, with Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy-Bunting in free agency. There is a defensive line, with Akiem Hicks, Carl Nassib, William Gholston and many more coming onto the market. There’s security, with Mike Edwards, Keanu Neal and Logan Ryan no longer under contract. And of course there is the quarterback. The Bucs also don’t have much cap space, so we’re giving them a cheap flyer about a very talented running back who just wasn’t able to stay healthy. New offensive coordinator Dave Canales was with the Seahawks throughout Penny’s tenure and could find ways to use him alongside Rachaad White.
When you have a young quarterback, one of the best things you can do is pair him with a veteran center who can help him with things like identifying fronts and setting up protections. The Bears need to give Justin Fields an upgrade over Sam Mustipher, and Bozeman can do the trick. For some reason, he wasn’t all we were looking for last offseason after playing well in Baltimore and then not starting the first six games of last season at Carolina. He helped solidify that offensive line on the stretch, though; and while the Panthers probably want to bring him back, the Bears have the most cap space in the league and can probably offer him a little more cash. It might be worth doing to land an adjustment to an important, underappreciated position.
Detroit Lions
The Lions could agree to help Aidan Hutchinson in the passing rush department, and we know how much Dan Campbell likes guys who can really get away with high levels of effort. That’s how Omenihu was successful with the 49ers, and that’s how he was able to find success in Detroit as well. He had 4.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits while playing just over half of San Francisco’s defensive snaps a year ago. Maybe the Lions could give him an expanded role and get a little more out of him.
Nothing will really be resolved in Green Bay until the Packers understand what is going on with Aaron Rodgers. They probably need help at wide receiver, especially if Allen Lazard signs elsewhere. They could use another tight end. With the uncertainty surrounding David Bakhtiari’s health, they probably have to think about the offensive line. But they also have Dean Lowry and Jarran Reed heading to free agency, and last year’s first-round pick Devonte Wyatt can’t fill both spots along the defensive line. Enter Allen, who has improved in a similar role at Arizona but seems less suited to the new defense coach Jonathan Gannon likes to run.
Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota badly needs high school bodies. Needham played — and succeeded — for three seasons in Miami under Brian Flores, who is now the Vikings’ defensive coordinator. He’s pretty much a slot-only type of corner, but the Vikings can’t be picky when looking for improvements in their defensive backfield. Needham would raise their overall level of play, and probably not for too high a price.
The Cards might not have Kyler Murray for all (or even most) of next season, but the team essentially needs a whole new offensive line. Of last season’s starters, only DJ Humphries is under contract for next year. New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing was the run-game coordinator in Cleveland, where Pocic played center last year and had his best season in the NFL. Following his former coach in the South West could make good sense for both teams.
Last year, the Rams tried to add Allen Robinson to Cooper Kupp and improve their offense. That didn’t work out and they’re now looking to trade Robinson (and maybe a few other players to save some salary). I would love to see them come back with another recently injured but also very talented in Thomas. He should cost less than Robinson a year ago, which should help the Rams afford him. If he signs a one-year contract to play for Sean McVay and opposite Kupp and finds a way to contribute something resembling what he was doing before, Thomas can cash in the next offseason.
San Francisco 49ers
No one is better at taking on rotational pass rushers and getting more out of them than they’ve previously shown they are capable of, than the 49ers. Okoronkwo didn’t do much in his three seasons with the Rams, but flashed a bit (5 sacks, 11 hits while playing 44% snaps) last year in Houston. Let Kris Kocurek get his hands on Obo and go to work.
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle’s much-improved offensive line played a big part in Geno Smith’s career season. The only relative weakness along that line was down center, where Kyle Fuller was doing well. McGovern played in a somewhat similar system in New York to the one used in Seattle, given that Mike LaFleur and Shane Waldron both come from branches of the Kyle Shanahan tree. He would be a good fit in the middle for the Seahawks, hopefully allowing them to build on what they accomplished last year.