Five burning questions still left to be answered in NFL free agency
Free agency in the NFL moved at its typical pace, which means a lot of the big names were spoken for before teams could even officially sign them.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t shopping left to be done. There are still a few interesting names on the market, and a lot of veterans who can contribute. And there are plenty of teams with holes still to fill and a lot of cap space left over.
As free agency has slowed to a crawl after the opening frenzy, here are the top five questions still remaining:
Will Ndamukong Suh sign soon?
Last year, Suh was the best player left in free agency after the first big wave. He signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Los Angeles Rams. This year, Suh again is the best unsigned player.
Suh isn’t the same player who got a six-year, $114 million deal from the Miami Dolphins once upon a time, but he’s still a quality interior defender who can stop the run and rush the quarterback. There’s a reason he made $14 million last season. A return to the Rams still seemed like a good fit, but Rams general manager Les Snead said this week that a return is "pretty much guaranteed to be off the table” due to the team’s lack of salary-cap space, according to ESPN.com.
Suh is clearly taking his time and figuring out his best option, just like last year. Some team looking to add one more big piece in free agency will gladly pay him.
What does Eric Berry have left?
It is a little concerning that the Kansas City Chiefs signed Tyrann Mathieu so they could replace Berry. Berry built up a nearly legendary status with the Chiefs. But Berry’s health is a real concern.
Berry was sidelined for a large part of last season with what NFL Network reported in September was Haglund’s deformity, in which a bony part of the heel becomes enlarged and irritates the soft tissue near the back of the heel. Berry, who suffered a torn Achilles in the 2017 opener, has played three regular-season games in two seasons and just turned 30 years old.
If healthy he’s a Hall-of-Fame type talent, and it’s hard to count out yet another big rebound. He was 2015 NFL comeback player of the year after winning his battle with cancer. But it’s a risky proposition given how difficult last season was for him.
Is there a big move in store for the Colts?
The Colts have been an interesting team in free agency, but not in the way you’d expect. They came in with the most cap space of any team and ... didn’t do too much. According to Spotrac they still have $59.1 million in cap space, and no other team has more than $43.2 million.
Why not take more chances? General manager Chris Ballard’s message has been consistent: The Colts like their young roster and would rather pay the players they have developed. They’re not going to overspend just because they have the cap space, and they haven’t seen a lot of true difference-making players on the market. So they are being prudent.
“We think our young players (will) continue to improve. And, look, everybody has a different way of team building and I don't know if you can sit here and say any way's right or wrong,” Ballard said on 1070 The Fan's "The Jeff and Big Joe Show,” via Colts.com. “This is what we believe in and this is the path that we're going to go. And look, if we get to a point — and you can read this as you want to read it — a true difference maker in the free agent market, I'm good paying for. But they have to be a true difference maker, unquestionably. Not the media saying he's a true difference maker; the tape saying he's a true difference maker.”
That doesn’t mean the right deal can’t come along. The Colts seem partial to short-term deals like they gave receiver Devin Funchess and pass rusher Justin Houston, and maybe one or two of the top players left in free agency will be fine settling for that. But the Colts are sticking to their plan, regardless.
Can the Patriots replace Rob Gronkowski?
The timing of Gronkowski’s retirement last week wasn’t ideal for the Patriots. By the time Gronk made his decision, most of the key free agents had already signed. Not that the Patriots were going to find a Gronkowski clone in free agency, but they could have gotten some help.
The remaining crop of tight ends is thin, with names like Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Maxx Williams on top of the list. Perhaps the Patriots could get creative and sign a wide receiver to replace Gronk’s production in the passing game, but the options are thin there too. Try selling Michael Crabtree as a possible replacement for Gronkowski in the offense.
It will not be easy for New England to fill that hole, but we all know the Patriots usually figure it out.
Are there any difference makers out there?
The truth is, probably not. The Bryce Harpers of the NFL don’t sign four months after free agency starts. They’re gone in the first week, generally.
Ndamukong Suh is one, though he’s not the superstar he was. There are questions about Ezekiel Ansah’s health, specifically his shoulder, but he is a former top-five pick with two double-digit sack seasons. He could be a nice pass-rush addition if his shoulder checks out. Veterans like linebackers Jamie Collins and Zach Brown, cornerback Morris Claiborne, running back C.J. Anderson and receiver Michael Crabtree have had good seasons in the past and could possibly help in the short term.
There are players out there who can still fill some roles, and there could be an unsigned player or two who surprisingly makes a big impact this season at a bargain, but most of the significant movement has already happened.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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