Ndamukong Suh is still a free agent, where (and when) will he sign?
It’s the middle of May, and there are some good NFL free agents still available. There are veterans who, if healthy, can help certain teams.
However, there’s only one impact free agent left who would undeniably help any team. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, strangely, is still free.
Suh isn’t the same player who once signed a six-year, $114 million deal with the Miami Dolphins. But he still was worth $14 million to the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams last season, and even at age 32, he can provide short-term help.
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But when will Suh finish this Bryce Harper/Manny Machado waiting game, and who will land the one final big piece of the NFL offseason?
Where does Ndamukong Suh fit best?
The odd part about Suh’s free agency is that there hasn’t been much chatter about possible landing spots.
Suh did randomly tweet out this near the end of April ...
Well this is interesting🤔 pic.twitter.com/mD7LS13ykT
— Ndamukong Suh (@NdamukongSuh) April 26, 2019
Since April 25 he has tweeted twice. Once to complain about the infamous Kentucky Derby disqualification, and the other to promote Nike.
Assuming all 32 teams could use Suh — while reasonable arguments can be made about Suh’s effectiveness at age 32 and some scheme fits around the league, it’s hard to pinpoint a team that wouldn’t be better with Suh in a big role — then price matters.
Teams like the Rams are practically out because of cap space. The Rams have $5.4 million according to Spotrac. The New Orleans Saints, who are desperately chasing one more Super Bowl with Drew Brees, might be a great fit, but they have only $8.2 million in cap space. Teams like the New England Patriots ($6.5 million) and Atlanta Falcons ($2.3 million) are out of the running unless Suh gives a massive discount or they get really creative.
The Colts make the most sense. They still have $58.4 million in cap space; a big one-year deal wouldn’t bother anyone but owner Jim Irsay’s accountant. But the Colts seem to be sticking to their plan of not being big players in free agency this offseason.
The Houston Texans ($35.5 million in cap space) and Seattle Seahawks ($26.9 million) seem like logical fits. The Dallas Cowboys, at $14.6 million, might be able to make something work if they wanted.
Again, every NFL team would improve with Suh. But nothing has happened yet.
When might Suh sign?
One obstacle was passed last week. After May 7, any free agent who signs with a team doesn’t count against the compensatory draft pick formula. Once Suh’s free agency stretched into late April, it made sense for teams to wait until that date passed.
There’s no big rush for Suh now. There’s no rush to gobble up a piece of the available cap space like the first week of NFL free agency. It’s hard to believe any team will spend much on the available free agents, other than Suh.
Players usually want to get acclimated with a new team, so it would seem that it won’t be too long before he signs. Some team is going to add a valuable piece in May, which is a rarity.
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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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