Bargain Free-Agent Contracts for Teams Who Must Fill Needs Before 2023 NFL Draft

In these last weeks before the 2023 NFL draft, free agents tend to drift into the background of league-wide conversations.

Still, we might see a few players exit the open market.

The juxtaposition to acknowledge is, at this point, the higher tiers of free agents may be comfortable waiting for the draft to finish. That way, they have a more accurate view of the expected roster.

Many players don't have that luxury, though. Signing now—even at a bargain rate—could be a current free agent's best chance at staking a claim to a roster spot for the 2023 season.

Carson Wentz, right now, is not a solution.

Both the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders can attest to that statement. Wentz, who might've won the MVP if healthy in 2017, did not spark either franchise as hoped over the last two years.

Given his recent history, Wentz can hardly command a long-term contract. However, the Arizona Cardinals are in a perfect spot to see if there's any value left in him because Kyler Murray (knee) is expected to miss at least some portion of the 2023 season.

The best-case scenario is he performs well enough for a couple of months. Arizona can trade him before the deadline, presuming Murray is close to returning from his injury.

The worst-case scenario is Wentz has another uninspiring year, and the Cards have a bad record.

But the latter is the expectation anyway. The risk is minimal.

Projected contract: 1 year, $8 million

Why not take a swing on upside?

Back in 2018 and 2019, Kenny Golladay surpassed the 1,000-yard mark and peaked at 11 touchdowns. That production then persuaded the New York Giants to give him a big-money contract, which—to put it lightly—did not result in the impact New York anticipated.

Entering his age-30 season, the 2023 campaign is basically a make-or-break moment for Golladay.

The recent numbers are not encouraging; he caught just six passes last season. In theory, however, Golladay is still in the back end of his athletic prime. If there's a moment for a resurgence, it should be now.

As of today, the Tennessee Titans are tracking to start Treylon Burks and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine but have a whole lot of uncertainty behind them. None of Kyle Phillips, Racey McMath or Reggie Roberson Jr. have 10 receptions in their young careers.

Golladay, like Wentz, does not fix this issue. But there's a sliver of hope on the horizon and no long-term danger.

Projected contract: 1 year, $2.5 million

It doesn't happen often, but the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers could pull off a pseudo trade.

Early in free agency, the Broncos snagged Mike McGlinchey with a five-year, $87.5 million deal. San Francisco had drafted McGlinchey in the first round of the 2018 draft, and he started 69 games in five seasons.

As a result, Cameron Fleming became expendable. He played the last two years in Denver, starting 15 games in 2022.

San Francisco re-signed Colton McKivitz to a two-year contract, but he might be viewed more as a swing tackle than a starter.

Fleming, on the other hand, could step in and start immediately for the Niners. He'd also provide cover at left tackle in case Trent Williams misses time, which has been common over the last seven years.

Projected contract: 2 years, $4.8 million

Justin Houston certainly fits the category of a veteran who might be best served waiting until the draft ends.

Approaching his age-34 campaign, Houston has earned the right to chase a ring. And after recording 9.5 sacks last season, he still holds enough leverage to command a decent offer.

But a return to the Baltimore Ravens is only sensible.

"The way I feel right now—I'll be back," Houston said following the 2022 season. "We'll see if the chips work out, and I'll be here. That's out of my control. We'll see what they do. I'd like to be back here."

Since then, the Ravens lost veteran Calais Campbell in free agency. They would benefit from keeping a veteran of Houston's caliber to play alongside and help develop a promising group of young pass-rushers.

In short: Get it done, Baltimore.

Projected contract: 1 year, $4.5 million

Melvin Ingram, similarly, is entering his age-34 season and may rightfully decide he prefers to play for a competitive team.

If a return to the Miami Dolphins isn't in play—and it should be, for the record—how about the Jacksonville Jaguars?

Last year, Ingram registered 22 tackles with six sacks and 18 pressures while playing 45 percent of snaps in 17 games. While not a star by any means, he was a quality contributor for a playoff team.

Jacksonville must replace Arden Key, who bolted for Tennessee in free agency. Plus, the future of Josh Allen is worth mentioning after the Jaguars fielded plenty of interest in him around the 2022 deadline. The upcoming season is the final year of Allen's contract, too.

Ingram can bolster the position and might even become a candidate for Jacksonville to re-sign next offseason.

Projected contract: 1 year, $4 million

Speaking of the Dolphins, they might want another corner.

The position, on paper, is reasonably strong with Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard with Kader Kohou at nickel. An undrafted free agent last year, Kohou turned into a nice surprise as a rookie.

Miami, though, can further strengthen the unit with Bryce Callahan—and the connection is obvious.

Callahan emerged as one of the NFL's top slot corners while a member of the Chicago Bears. His defensive coordinator at the time was Vic Fangio, who Callahan followed to Denver in 2019. This offseason, Fangio accepted the job to oversee Miami's defense.

As if that's not enough, Callahan's defensive coordinator with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022 did, too. Renaldo Hill is the Dolphins' new defensive backs coach.

Projected contract: 1 year, $1.8 million

Next season, the Cincinnati Bengals will have a couple of new starting safeties. Jessie Bates III landed his deserved raise from the Atlanta Falcons, and Vonn Bell headed to the Carolina Panthers.

Cincinnati was prepared for one vacancy after selecting Dax Hill in the opening round of the 2022 draft. While the Bengals signed Nick Scott in free agency, they have a suspect outlook in the reserve group.

And that's probably being generous.

Michael Thomas is a nice veteran, but he's more accurately a core special teams contributor. He played only 25 defensive snaps last season. Plus, both Brandon Wilson—who's primarily returned kicks—and Tycen Anderson missed the entire 2022 campaign with injuries.

Last year, Rodney McLeod posted 96 tackles and three takeaways for the Colts. The soon-to-be 33-year-old would significantly improve Cincinnati's depth and reinforce the Bengals' realistic hope of a Super Bowl run.

Projected contract: 1 year, $2.7 million