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USA Today
22-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
The 30 best 2025 NFL free agents available for training camp (and possible landing spots)
With 2025 NFL training camps heating up across the league, there are still plenty of veterans waiting to find their new homes. This is an unusually deep group of pre-NFL training camp free agents, with a number of plug-and-play starters available for teams to sign. We think all 30 of these guys can still contribute in the NFL in some way or another. Ranking all 32 NFL road uniforms from worst (sorry, Titans) to best We've gone through 30 NFL free agents and found them new teams, even though other options could absolutely be on the table for all 30 of these players. Let's dive into who these players are and why they'd fit with these respective franchises. WR Gabe Davis: Las Vegas Raiders Davis would thrive going to a team with a need at wide receiver and a quarterback with a big arm. In the right system, Davis can still be a big play machine. With Geno Smith throwing the ball, we love the potential here. TE Noah Fant: New York Giants Fant could definitely help a Giants team that could use an upgrade at tight end. His Seattle Seahawks cut was surprising, but Fant can still help in the passing game as a high-volume tight end in the right system. WR Keenan Allen: Pittsburgh Steelers With the Steelers aggressively going in on the upcoming season with veteran talent, why not add Allen to the fold? He'd give quarterback Aaron Rodgers another reliable option in the passing game. Pittsburgh's depth at wideout isn't great, and Allen would work as an instant upgrade over most of the other receivers on the team. OLB Za'Darius Smith: Detroit Lions Smith played well for the Lions last season after being traded there from the Cleveland Browns, and it just makes too much sense for these two sides to get back together for the 2025 season. The Lions are trying to push for a Super Bowl, and Smith is the perfect rotational piece for a contending defensive line. CB Asante Samuel Jr.: Miami Dolphins After trading away Jalen Ramsey, the Dolphins have a clear need for a cornerback. Samuel could walk into Miami and right away contend for the team's top spot in the secondary. This fit just makes too much sense. S Justin Simmons: Philadelphia Eagles The Eagles have a need at safety, and Simmons would give a relatively young unit the kind of veteran presence that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio would likely appreciate. Simmons still has good football left in him. DE Jadeveon Clowney: Baltimore Ravens The Ravens adding Clowney as a mercenary rusher at this point in the season would be such a Ravens move. Clowney has played there before, and we like the idea of a reunion for both sides quite a bit. WR Amari Cooper: San Francisco 49ers The 49ers could use another veteran wide receiver, and we think Kyle Shanahan could coax a heck of a comeback out of Cooper this fall. Cooper could also see a healthy dose of reps in San Francisco. OLB Matt Judon: Cincinnati Bengals Judon is the right guy for Cincinnati to bring in with so much uncertainty with the pass rush. He could stand for a bounce-back season after a relatively down year with the Atlanta Falcons last season. The Bengals need him. CB Mike Hilton: Miami Dolphins Remember how the Dolphins need cornerbacks? Miami should double-dip with free agents and add Hilton to be their starting slot corner. Having Samuel and Hilton on the roster would help the Dolphins sleep easier. ILB Ja'Whaun Bentley: Tennessee Titans The Titans have a need at inside linebacker, and Bentley could be a perfect buy-low candidate that could bounce back in a big way. He missed most of 2024 with an injury, but he was a quality starter before that. G Shaq Mason: New England Patriots If the Patriots want some competition for left guard Cole Strange, Mason could return to New England and, at worst, give the team an excellent depth option on the offensive line. Quarterback Drake Maye deserves that. G Brandon Scherff: New York Giants Scherff could slide in at right guard for New York and give the Giants a bit more of a floor and a ceiling at the position. New York has to get better results in the trenches, and Scherff is a plug-and-play solution. S Marcus Williams: Washington Commanders While Williams' health is always going to be a talking point for him at this point in his career, the Commanders could use some added veteran depth at safety. If he could rotate in off the bench, this is an intriguing fit. CB Rasul Douglas: Philadelphia Eagles Douglas returning to the Eagles to contend for another Super Bowl with the franchise sounds like a pretty good way for him to close out his career if he's nearing the end of his playing days. Adding Simmons and Douglas to one-year deals during training camp would be a huge win for a Philly team needing secondary vets. CB Stephon Gilmore: Minnesota Vikings After playing for the Vikings last season, Gilmore might be wise to run it back in a scheme where he's comfortable. Minnesota could use an extra veteran cornerback in the secondary, and Gilmore fits the bill. OLB Kyzir White: Carolina Panthers The Panthers need more help at linebacker, and White is a step-right-in starter who has played at a decently high level very recently. He'd be a pretty solid option for Carolina at this point in the offseason. CB Kendall Fuller: Green Bay Packers Fuller could be a steal for the Packers at this point in the offseason. Green Bay needs more reinforcements in the secondary, and Fuller has proven himself to be a reliable veteran presence on the back end. DE Carl Lawson: Los Angeles Rams Lawson quietly had a solid season for the Dallas Cowboys last year with five sacks. He's still a pretty good rotational edge rusher at this point in his career, and the Rams could benefit from the positional depth. DT Raekwon Davis: Atlanta Falcons The Falcons could use another run-stuffing defensive tackle on the roster, and Davis could provide that after admirable play with the Indianapolis Colts. He'd be a decent bet to help the Falcons in the middle of the line. G Will Hernandez: Baltimore Ravens The Ravens have a decent left guard competition on their hands with Andrew Vorhees and Ben Cleveland, but Hernandez could feasibly beat them both and give a contending Baltimore team more experience up front. DE DeMarcus Walker: Denver Broncos Walker returning to Denver and reuniting with Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph makes a ton of sense. Denver having a player like Walker rotating in and out of the lineup would make the defense better. TE Gerald Everett: Atlanta Falcons Everett could spell tight end Kyle Pitts as Atlanta's primary backup at the position on passing downs, freeing tight end Charlie Woerner up to mainly focus on blocking. S Julian Blackmon: New Orleans Saints With safety Tyrann Mathieu retiring, Blackmon could instantly start at free safety for the Saints. It's not quite as difficult to lose a player like Mathieu with a free agent like Blackmon out there and available. OLB De'Vondre Campbell: Washington Commanders Campbell's situation with the 49ers was unfortunate, but he could reunite with his former Falcons coach Dan Quinn in Washington and provide excellent depth for a Super Bowl-contending team. It'd be a good landing spot for Campbell, a very talented player who hasn't recently played to his potential. WR Tyler Boyd: Cincinnati Bengals Boyd returning to Cincinnati as a depth option for quarterback Joe Burrow feels like a no-brainer. Cincinnati can't ever have enough wide receivers, and Boyd already has a strong rapport with Burrow. OLB Preston Smith: Tennessee Titans The Titans just lost outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter to retirement, and Smith could step in right away and give Tennessee what they were looking for out of Carter as a 2025 free agent. Between the Packers and the Steelers last season, Smith came off the bench and provided solid veteran play as a rotational edge. OLB Jalen Reeves-Maybin: Kansas City Chiefs Reeves-Maybin is the exact kind of player smart teams add this time of year. He's still an impactful special teams player, and it'd be fun to see what Kansas City special teams coach Dave Toub could do with him. G Dalton Risner: New Orleans Saints If Trevor Penning doesn't work out at left guard for the Saints this year, Risner could come off the bench and give New Orleans a sound option at the position. He could win the position outright in a camp battle. QB Carson Wentz: Detroit Lions With Hendon Hooker still a relative unknown as a backup quarterback, Detroit could add Wentz to give them a little more peace of mind behind quarterback Jared Goff. Wentz is still a good backup in most any offense.
NBC Sports
02-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Maxwell Hairston sexual assault lawsuit could eventually result in league discipline
There was a time when misconduct predating a player's arrival to the NFL would not result in direct scrutiny under the Personal Conduct Policy. At most, pre-NFL behavior would be a factor in punishment for post-NFL misdeeds. That changed in 2023. The league revised the Personal Conduct Policy that year to include this statement: 'Nothing in this Policy should be read to limit the league's authority to investigate or discipline potential Policy violations alleged to have occurred before a player is under contract or Draft-eligible.' With Bills first-round cornerback Maxwell Hairston facing a civil lawsuit alleging that he engaged in sexual assault at the University of Kentucky in 2021, it's possible that Hairston could face an investigation or discipline. For now, the league has declined comment on the matter, other than to acknowledge that it is aware of the lawsuit. Bills G.M. Brandon Beane said after Hairston was drafted that the team fully investigated the situation. He also explained that, if there was any merit to the claim, Hairston wouldn't have been invited to the Scouting Combine or the draft. That all change can, if the lawsuit results in a trial featuring testimony from the alleged victim and testimony from Hairston. The evidence that comes to light in open court could change everything, depending on the versions supplied by the parties and the perceived credibility of their accounts.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Did Steve Sarkisian cost Texas by not playing Arch Manning more in 2024?
There's no holding back now. No pretense or protection. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian laid it out for all to see earlier this week, leaving no doubt about expectations and goals for new quarterback Arch Manning. Advertisement 'I hope it's not a no-brainer for him to come back to school,' Sarkisian said. And with those comments to the Touchdown Club of Houston, the offseason of hype has begun for the quarterback who has thrown all of 95 career passes. That's not some throwaway line from Sarkisian. It's a unique window into what could one day be considered a monumentally poor decision by one of the game's best coaches. Texas quarterback Arch Manning (16) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first half against Texas-San Antonio at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. By not playing Manning more in 2024, and eventually putting him in position to play at a high level late in the season in games that mattered, did Sarkisian cost a uber-talented Texas team the chance to win a national title? Advertisement Because if Manning plays so well this fall that he leaves for the NFL after one season as a starter, what does that say about Sarkisian's decision to start (and play) Quinn Ewers in 2024? COACHES RANKINGS: SEC | Big Ten | Big 12 | ACC LOOKING AHEAD: Big Ten leads too-early Top 25 after spring If Manning is talented enough to play at a high level in 2025 and earn a pre-NFL Draft grade that warrants him leaving early, he should've been playing in 2024, too. If not starting. Especially for a team that had a program-record 12 players drafted last week. For a program that has strung together three straight top five recruiting classes, and is as talented as any Texas team in decades. Advertisement Instead, Manning started two gimme games in 2024 when Ewers was hurt. He threw passes in all of six games for a team talented enough to win the national title. A team that, at the end of the season, couldn't move the ball on Ohio State in the College Football Playoff semifinals, scored a lousy 14 points and lost by two touchdowns. The obvious question is what could've or would've been different had Manning played against Ohio State? Could Texas have done more in 2024? Like it or not, this is the backdrop to the 2025 season, the most anticipated one at Texas in 20 years. In 2004, Texas beat Michigan to win the Rose Bowl, and a young phenom quarterback had just begun to grow into the hype. Advertisement A year later and with expectations at an all-time high, Vince Young had a monster season in his second year as the Texas starting quarterback, and the Longhorns went undefeated and won it all — by beating then-unbeatable Southern California in the BCS national championship game. Texas coach Mack Brown was criticized during Young's early career, when he was redshirted as a freshman in 2002 and played behind Chance Mock for half of 2003. Texas fans saw it as missing out on 1 1/2 years of Young as the starter. Manning redshirted in 2023, and outside of starts against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State in 2024, was a situational substitute. Think about this: Manning threw six passes against non-Mississippi State SEC competition. He didn't attempt a pass in the SEC championship game, and two playoff games. And that's your Heisman Trophy favorite heading into the 2025 season. Advertisement This is the quarterback who forced Ewers' hand to leave early for the NFL. Ewers wasn't going to play anywhere but Texas, and it was clear Texas was moving on to Manning. Ewers was selected in the seventh round of last week's NFL Draft. A day later at the Touchdown Club of Houston event, Sarkisian asked for patience with his new quarterback. 'Arch is a great player, but I hope for everybody here that we don't get too far ahead of ourselves,' Sarkisian said. 'Let this guy go play this year. Let's let him have fun in finally getting his opportunity as the starting quarterback.' But should he have had that opportunity a year earlier? And much like Young, what would he have done with it — and how far would Texas has gone with him? Advertisement Sarkisian said during spring practice that he believes Manning will play well in 2025, and that the offense has the pieces to be highly productive. He says he doesn't expect a drop-off from last season. If Sarkisian is talking about a no-brainer decision for Manning to leave early for the NFL, it's more than just avoiding a drop-off. It's playing at a high level and leading Texas beyond where the season ended the last two years. 'Here's what I hope,' Sarkisian told the Touchdown Club. 'I hope he's got a really hard decision to make on about January 21st. That means we played a long time. That means he's probably had a really good season. And that means he's probably trying to figure out, 'Do I want one more year in the burnt orange, or is it time to go to the NFL?'' That also means Sarkisian made a mistake playing Ewers. Or at least not playing Manning more in 2024. Advertisement There's your no-brainer. Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas needed Arch Manning but Steve Sarkisian didn't play him
USA Today
05-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Jacksonville Jaguars make biggest jump in ESPN's post-NFL draft power rankings
Jacksonville Jaguars make biggest jump in ESPN's post-NFL draft power rankings No team made a bigger jump in ESPN's post-NFL draft power rankings than the Jacksonville Jaguars. No team made a bigger jump in ESPN's post-NFL draft power rankings than the Jacksonville Jaguars. There were a few teams that jumped up two spots from their pre-NFL draft ranking spot, but the Jaguars were the only team to improve by three spots. Now, the Jaguars still rank near the bottom in ESPN's power rankings, coming in at No. 25--up from No. 28--which I think is to be expected. While there is a lot of excitement and buzz around this team, and the Jaguars do appear to be on the right track under James Gladstone and Liam Coen, we won't truly know how much progress was made until the football season begins. With that said, ESPN was obviously a fan of Jacksonville's draft. The Jaguars, of course, made an aggressive trade to land the top prospect in this year's class in Travis Hunter, who can provide them a boost at two positions, but Gladstone's overall approach was to build around Trevor Lawrence. The combination of Hunter and Brian Thomas Jr. forms a dynamic one-two punch that will force defenses to spread out and not hone in on only one player. Gladstone also bolstered the running back position by selecting Bhayshul Tuten and LeQuint Allen. Looking back at the 2024 Tampa Bay offense under Coen, both on the ground and through the air, the running back position was vital to that unit's success. Lastly, the Jaguars added two more offensive linemen in the draft, even after making four outside additions in free agency. Success for any offense starts up front with providing a run game to lean on and time in the pocket. The added competition, speed, and playmaking abilities to the overall offense, not to mention Coen's offensive scheme, should all help take some of the playmaking burden off Lawrence's shoulders, so he doesn't feel like he has to be Superman on every play. The ceiling for this Jaguars team will be determined by Lawrence's level of play, so Gladstone made sure there was proper balance around him to ensure Lawrence is in a position to find sustained success.
Irish Daily Star
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Star
NFL coach doesn't hide feelings on Quinn Ewers following dramatic NFL Draft slide
Draft night didn't pan out as expected for former Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers. Ewers, once celebrated as the second-ranked high school recruit, was taken by the Miami Dolphins as the 231st pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. It's a consensus among NFL scouts that he was only the 14th-best draft-eligible quarterback of his class in 2025, with two FBS quarterbacks from Division II picked before the ex-Longhorn. This is particularly notable considering Ewers had previously turned down nearly $6 million in potential earnings to transfer with an NIL deal. Shedeur Sanders, who signed an eye-watering NIL deal while at Colorado, suffered a slide of his own before being taken by the Cleveland Browns . Read More Related Articles Bill Belichick's ex's life now as NFL icon's girlfriend Jordon Hudson causes scene Read More Related Articles Shedeur Sanders set for huge financial hit from Colorado as Cleveland Browns contract details emerge Not everyone has overlooked him, though; Jon Gruden, the former Super Bowl-winning head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and now an analyst at Barstool, expressed optimism about Ewers' future. He even shared a photo standing with Ewers captioned: "Welcome to the great state of Florida , Quinn! Miami got themselves quite the arm and a young man that loves football!". In the photo, Ewers is sporting a shirt saying "Gruden's QB Class," which tips the hat to Gruden's traditional pre-NFL Draft show, reports the Mirror US . As things stand, it seems unlikely that Ewers will secure active playing time with the Dolphins in 2024, considering he's presently third on the quarterback depth chart behind the frequently sidelined Tua Tagovailoa and former number two pick Zach Wilson. Ewers was universally heralded as the number two high school recruit. After securing a significant NIL deal, he reclassified and played backup to C.J. Stroud, who is now shining for the Houston Texans. tweet Ewers made his move to Texas and impressed during his three seasons as a Longhorn, clocking in 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns, along with a sharp completion rate of 64.8 percent. Despite leading Texas to an impressive 21-5 record over two years and earning two spots in the College Football Playoffs, Ewers watched his draft status take a hit. His time with the Longhorns was marred by sporadic injuries, including issues with his AC and SC joints, which led to seven missed starts. Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian sang high praises for his ex-quarterback's influence on the program. "I think about a lot of the people that come through this program over the last four years that have impacted the growth and trajectory of our program, and he's right there near the top, if not at the top of the impact that he's had, not only on the field but off the field," Sarkisian stated. Read More Related Articles Eagles player calls Ivanka Trump 'his type' in inappropriate posts after White House visit Read More Related Articles Donald Trump claims he told Giants to re-sign Saquon Barkley before Eagles move After the previous season concluded, Dolphins GM Chris Grier promised that "every stone will be unturned" in Miami's quest for a reliable backup QB. Grier had kind words for his seventh-round pick. "Sark really likes him and was high on him, talking about him playing through the injuries this year -- which affected his play a little bit," Grier expressed. "But [Sarkisian] talked about his toughness, his mental toughness pushing through with the injury, the expectations, all the pressure with [Arch] Manning there coming in." Grier also highlighted the player's drive and effect on the team: "He loved his competitiveness and how he plays, and how his teammates respond to him. So, he was someone that we always had an eye on, and the opportunity at that point in the draft just made sense for us."
