As MDS noted this morning, the free agent market has moved more quickly this year than in the past.
And it’s not just deals in bulk, but most of the top players are off the board.
As of this writing, there are only 20 players remaining from PFT’s Free Agent Top 100. If you want to be technical about it, the franchise-tagged guys are only sort-of available and Raiders tight end Jared Cook still hasn’t signed his anticipated deal with the Saints (though that hasn’t kept him from daydreaming about Drew Brees), but the market is well picked-over.
Only four of the top 50 players remain: No. 23. Rams defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, No. 27. Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah, No. 40. Packers defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson, and No. 44. Chargers defensive lineman Corey Liuget.
Of the remaining 16, 10 play defense and five offense, with Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski (No. 95) the lone specialist.
There’s still time and opportunity for these guys to sign, but in another week, most of the Pro Days will be over and teams will transition to round-the-clock draft preparation. And after the draft, rosters will fill up with the younger and cheaper, making finding a spot important.