WR DeAndre Hopkins Christian Petersen/Getty Images

What a Team of Remaining 2023 NFL Free Agents Would Look Like

Kristopher Knox

Now that we've reached June, NFL free agency seems like a thing of the past. The league's 32 teams have largely constructed their 90-man rosters for training camp, though some shuffling will inevitably occur in the coming weeks.

Roster movement will largely occur on the back end, as teams look to strengthen depth and identify valuable developmental prospects. In a few cases, however, players will be added to compete for significant and/or starting roles—and several starting-caliber veterans remain available.

To give an idea of just how much talent is still out there, we've constructed a starting lineup of the best free agents who remain available. These choices were based on factors like past production, player potential, upside and projected role.

Would an impromptu expansion team compete for a playoff spot? Probably not, but it might be capable of winning a game or two. Let's dive into what an all-free-agent lineup might look like.

Quarterback

QB Teddy Bridgewater Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images

Starter: Teddy Bridgewater

It was tempting to go with Tom Brady here, but he really, truly seems to be retired this time—and his bid to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders stands as proof.

Instead, we'll go with the steady hand of Teddy Bridgewater, who isn't likely to make as many game-altering mistakes as a quarterback like Matt Ryan or Carson Wentz—those two combined for 22 interceptions last season.

Bridgewater hasn't been a regular starter since 2021 and suffered a finger injury late last season with the Miami Dolphins. However, he started 14 games for the Denver Broncos two years ago and finished with 18 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 94.9 passer rating.

While Bridgewater doesn't tend to stretch the field and isn't much of a running threat, he's an experienced game manager who can take advantage of the talent around him.

Bridgewater wouldn't lift our free-agent squad to many victories, but he's poised, experienced and accurate (66.4 career completions percentage).

Running Back

RB Ezekiel Elliott Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Starter: Ezekiel Elliott

RB2: J.D. McKissic

Since teams rarely go with one every-down back these days, we'll actually field two in our "starting" lineup.

Ezekiel Elliott gets the starting nod, as he's still a very capable runner even if he's lost a step. While Elliott only averaged 3.8 yards per carry last season, he rushed for 12 touchdowns and handled 248 total touches.

Elliott played well enough that some members of the Dallas Cowboys would like to see him back this season.

"There's a lot of people not only on the team but the organization that would love that," quarterback Dak Prescott said during an appearance on The Adam Schefter Podcast (h/t Adam Schultz of Cowboys Country).

Elliott is best used in a committee at this point in his career, so we'll pair him with underrated receiving back J.D. McKissic.

McKissic was limited to eight games last season by a neck injury, but he caught 27 passes for 173 yards in those contests. He's averaged 4.4 yards per carry for his career and has averaged 46 receptions over the past four seasons.

Wide Receiver

WR T.Y. Hilton Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Starters: DeAndre Hopkins, T.Y. Hilton, Jarvis Landry (slot)

The Arizona Cardinals officially released DeAndre Hopkins on Tuesday, and there's some debate about what the five-time Pro Bowler can still provide an offense.

"I asked one veteran team executive what’s still there, and he answered, via text, 'Not much. He can’t run anymore,'" The MMQB's Albert Breer wrote. "Another answer was pretty different—'He’s still a good player. Good route runner, big, physical target that can play a ball in the air. He’s still a threat.'"

Hopkins missed six games last season with a PED suspension but still caught 64 passes for 717 yards and three touchdowns in nine outings. At that rate, he would have finished a 17-game season with 99 catches, 1,354 yards and six touchdowns. He's a clear choice for our WR1.

Finding a second perimeter receiver was tricky, but we'll go with T.Y. Hilton, who caught seven passes for 121 yards in three games with Dallas at the end of last season. Hilton has inside-outside versatility, five 1,000-yard campaigns on his resume and clearly still has something left in the proverbial tank.

In the slot, we're going with Jarvis Landry who, admittedly, has battled injuries over the past two seasons. While Landry last topped 1,000 yards in 2019, he's a five-time Pro Bowler who can also provide special-teams value.

Tight End

TE Cameron Brate Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Starter: Cameron Brate

TE2: Marcedes Lewis

As is the case at running back, teams often employ multiple tight ends who serve in specialized roles. There's enough talent on the free-agent pile for us to do the same here, even if our tight-end group isn't going to turn heads.

Cameron Brate, who missed time with a neck injury last season, is a capable pass-catcher who helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win a Super Bowl in 2020. He can be a physical mismatch at 6'5" and 245 pounds, though he hasn't topped 300 receiving yards since the 2019 season.

While Brate can't be viewed as a field-stretching playmaker, he can serve as a savvy outlet option in our offense.

Marcedes Lewis will see the field as our blocking specialist. The 39-year-old has had a lengthy NFL career because of his veteran leadership and blocking ability. He can also serve as an occasional red-zone threat.

Lewis caught six passes for the Green Bay Packers last season, and two of them were for touchdowns.

Offensive Line

G Rodger Saffold Icon Sportswire

Starters: Taylor Lewan (LT), Dalton Risner (LG), Ben Jones (C), Rodger Saffold (RG), Eric Fisher (RT)

Our offensive line has some serious questions on the edges, which shouldn't come as a surprise. Most of the quality offensive tackles were scooped up early in free agency.

Taylor Lewan suffered a torn ACL in 2020 and another season-ending knee injury last season. However, he started 100 games in nine seasons for the Tennessee Titans and was a three-time Pro Bowler. Betting on Lewan's return to (healthy) form feels like our best choice at left tackle.

On the right side, we'll place Eric Fisher, who has primarily played left tackle and was inactive for every game with the Miami Dolphins last season. However, he started 15 games for the Indianapolis Colts in 2021, began his career with the Kansas City Chiefs on the right side and is a two-time Pro Bowler.

Things look much brighter on our interior, where guard Rodger Saffold and center Ben Jones were 2022 Pro Bowlers. Saffold has experience playing both guard positions and left tackle, so he brings some positional versatility to the equation.

Dalton Risner wasn't a Pro Bowler with the Broncos last year, but he was mostly solid. He was responsible for only one penalty and three sacks allowed, according to Pro Football Focus.

This is a unit that could be very strong in the middle and could get some help on the edge by using Lewis as a chip-blocker.

Defensive Line

Edge Frank Clark Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Starters: Frank Clark (DE), Shelby Harris (DT), Linval Joseph (DT) Jadeveon Clowney (DE)

We're looking to field an aggressive defensive front that can get after the quarterback with this lineup.

Frank Clark, who logged five sacks and 24 quarterback pressures last season, can be the primary pass-rusher up front. He had an additional 2.5 sacks for Kansas City during the 2022 postseason and often does his best work in big games.

Opposite Clark will be Jadeveon Clowney, who can be disruptive as a pass-rusher but is also inconsistent in that role. He recorded nine sacks in both 2018 and 2021 but only recorded three other sacks over the past five years. Clowney is more consistent as a disruptive run defender (90 tackles for loss in nine seasons), and that would be his specialty here.

Shelby Harris and Ndamukong Suh can fill the interior. Harris has enough positional versatility to play inside or kick to end in sub-packages. He can also get after the quarterback and had 93 tackles, eight sacks and 26 quarterback pressures over the past two seasons.

At 6'4" and 329 pounds, Linval Joseph has enough size to anchor the interior in three- or four-man fronts. He appeared in eight regular-season games with the Philadelphia Eagles last year, finishing with 20 tackles and a half-sack. He had a tackle and a fumble recovery in the playoffs.

Linebacker

LB Deion Jones AP Photo/Eric Gay

Starters: Leonard Floyd (OLB), Deion Jones (MLB), Kyle Van Noy (OLB)

Subpackage: Myles Jack

We're looking for some versatility from our linebacker group and have put together a core trio that can provide it.

Leonard Floyd, who recorded nine sacks, 31 quarterback pressures, 59 tackles and a fumble recovery last season, can serve as the primary edge-rusher from the second level. Deion Jones, who proved he can still be a standout player in 2022, mans the middle.

Jones underwent offseason shoulder surgery last year and was eventually traded by the Atlanta Falcons in-season. He appeared in 11 games for the Cleveland Browns and finished with 44 tackles, 2.5 sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery. He allowed an opposing passer rating of only 80.2 in coverage.

Kyle Van Noy makes our starting lineup simply because he can do a little bit of everything well.

Over the past two seasons with the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers, Van Noy recorded 112 tackles, 72 solo stops, 10 sacks, 32 quarterback pressures, 13 passes defended, three fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and an interception.

To provide schematic options for our front seven, we're including Myles Jack as a sub-package linebacker. He can be a liability in coverage (107.4 opposing passer rating in 2022), but he's an excellent chase-and-tackle inside 'backer (617 tackles in seven years), who can allow the defense to give an occasional 3-4 look.

Cornerback

CB Marcus Peters Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Starters: Marcus Peters, Ronald Darby

Nickel: Bradley Roby

Dime: Eli Apple

To lead our cornerback room, we're going with two-time first-team All-Pro Marcus Peters. While there's plenty of risk involved with Peters, his impressive track record is worth the gamble.

Peters missed the 2021 season with a torn ACL and struggled last year, allowing an opposing passer rating of 113.7 in coverage. However, he did start 13 games last season and has 32 interceptions and three Pro Bowls on his resume.

Opposite Peters, we're going with Ronald Darby, who suffered a torn ACL in Week 5 of last season. Like Peters, Darby carries some risk because of the injury. However, the 29-year-old can provide reliability when healthy.

Darby has allowed an opposing passer rating below 85.0 in each of his last three campaigns.

At nickel, we're going with Bradley Roby, who can play inside or out if needed. He appeared in 13 games with the New Orleans Saints last season and allowed an opposing passer rating of just 79.4 in coverage.

Given the injury concerns here, we're including Eli Apple as a depth/dime cornerback. Apple has never been particularly consistent in coverage (96.9 opposing passer rating in 2022). However, the 27-year-old has started 30 games for the Cincinnati Bengals over the last two years and has Super Bowl experience.

Safety

Adrian Amos Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Starters: Adrian Amos, John Johnson III

We have some versatility at the safety position as well. Adrian Amos and John Johnson III each have experience playing both strong and free safety.

Johnson is probably best suited to spend most of his time at free safety, as he can be a liability against the run but can also excel in coverage. Last season with Cleveland, he was credited with 10 missed tackles but allowed an opposing passer rating of only 82.8 in coverage.

Amos allowed an opposing passer rating of 107.7 last year but logged 102 tackles while only missing four. He's quite capable of dropping back into single-high coverage, though, and allowed an opposing passer rating of just 73.0 as a free safety with the Chicago Bears in 2018.

Johnson has missed just two games over the past three seasons, while Amos started every single game for the Packers over the past four. The pair's positional flexibility and durability provide some confidence in the back end of our defense.

Special Teams

K Robbie Gould Jeff Bottari/Getty Images

Starters: Robbie Gould (K), Andy Lee (P), Clark Harris (LS), Byron Pringle (RS)

Our special-teams unit is an older one but is still pretty solid. Kicker Robbie Gould and punter Andy Lee are both 40, while long-snapper Clark Harris is 38.

Harris suffered a torn bicep in Week 1 last year but had never previously missed time due to injury. He was a Pro Bowler back in 2017 and has been snapping on kicks for 15 years, with the Bengals for 14 of them. He'd bring experience and reliability to an often-overlooked position.

Gould isn't going to be overlooked. The 18-year veteran made 84.4 percent of his field-goal attempts last season and 50 of 51 point-after tries. He has never missed a kick in the postseason despite playing in 16 playoff games.

Lee appeared in all 17 games for the Cardinals last season and averaged 40.8 yards per punt. He had only four touchbacks on 67 kicks and dropped 18 inside the 20-yard line.

For our returner, we're going with Byron Pringle, who can also serve as a fourth receiver. He didn't return kicks with the Raiders last season but returned 37 of them in three years with the Chiefs, including one for a touchdown. Landry, who has 98 punt returns on his resume, could sub as a return specialist.

Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise noted.

   

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