For this point in the offseason, there are a surprisingly high number of quality free agent wide receivers still on the market. It could be that some guys have priced themselves out of early contracts or are looking for something more than a one-year deal.
Regardless, here are the best wideouts currently wearing out their PS4 and X-Box One controllers.
Dez Bryant
2017: 69 catches, 838 yards, six touchdowns
Bryant is easily the class of this free agent crowd and is probably surprised to be in it. He shouldn’t be. He was being paid like an elite No. 1 wide receiver in Dallas, but hadn’t really performed that way since 2014. Does he still have that capability? Probably not.
This will be Bryant’s ninth season and, if he’d take it, he could easily settle into a solid No. 2 role. His biggest problem is he’s never been the best route runner, and when the physical tools start to diminish, that’s what keeps a wideout in the league. He should really spend the twilight of his career honing his craft. On a team with a solid No. 1, Bryant could find plenty of success against the No. 2 corners in the league.
Best fit: Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals
Michael Floyd
2017: 10 catches, 78 yards
Unless it takes playing drunk for Floyd to be a top shelf wide receiver, something has gone terribly wrong in this kid’s career since the Cardinals cut him in 2016. He barely got on the field with the New England Patriots when they picked him up and was all but invisible in Minnesota last season.
This is a kid that, before he got his 1,000th DUI, was probably going to be the go-to receiver in Arizona once Larry Fitzgerald retired. He had a 1,000 yard season in 2013 and his 2015 wasn’t bad either, catching 52 passes for 849 yards and six touchdowns. He needs a real, offensive coach and a team with some structure.
Best fit: San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins
Kamar Aiken
2017: 15 catches, 133 yards
With a plethora of injuries hitting the Baltimore Ravens’ wide receiver corps in 2014, Aiken had a nice break-out year. He caught 75 passes for 944 yards and five touchdowns and looked like a solid addition to their passing attack. The next year Joe Flacco got hurt and so did Aiken’s production.
He signed a free agent deal with the Indianapolis Colts in what should have been a perfect match, but once again a QB injury kept him from really flashing at all. Now he’s back in the wind, looking for a job.
Best fit: New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants
Brandon Marshall
2017: 18 catches, 154 yards
Just three seasons ago Marshall caught 109 passes for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns for the New York Jets with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback. What the hell happened? Well, first, in the very next season (not a horrible one for Marshall, but not elite), Fitzpatrick fell back to earth with a giant fart sound. Marshall signed with the New York Giants in 2017 and became the victim of a horrid Ben McAdoo offense that had no clue what to do with him before getting hurt and missing the final 11 games.
Can Marshall catch 100 passes and 1,500 yards again? I doubt it, but he’s in shape and can still play. If you can keep him off TV and put up with a head case, he could still contribute as a No. 2 or 3.
Best fit: Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks
