2017 NFL Free Agents
Pro Football Rumors’ up-to-date list of 2017 NFL free agents is below. These are players who are eligible for restricted or unrestricted free agency after the 2016 season. The player’s 2017 age is in parentheses. Players are generally sorted by the position at which they played most in ’16, or the position at which their most recent team listed them.
Players who are currently on an NFL roster but don’t have a contract for 2017 are listed below, along with a few other notable free agents who aren’t on a roster at the moment.
Players eligible for restricted free agency are marked with (R), while non-exclusive franchise and transition players will be marked with (F) and (T) respectively. Exclusive rights free agents are not included. All other free agents are assumed to be unrestricted.
If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us. For instant free agent updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter @pfrumors.
Updated 12-5-17 (9:20am CT)
Quarterbacks
Bruce Gradkowski (34)
Robert Griffin III (27)
Shaun Hill (37)
Josh Johnson (31)
Colin Kaepernick (29)
Luke McCown (36)
Matt McGloin (27)
Zach Mettenberger (26)
Ryan Nassib (27)
Christian Ponder (29)
Sean Renfree (27)
Connor Shaw (26)
Charlie Whitehurst (35)
Running Backs
Bralon Addison (23)
Antonio Andrews (26)
Dri Archer (26)
Joe Banyard (28)
Reggie Bush (32)
Ka’Deem Carey (25)
Knile Davis (26)
Shaun Draughn (29)
George Farmer (24)
Jonathan Grimes (27)
DuJuan Harris (29)
Tim Hightower (31)
Ronnie Hillman (26)
Rashad Jennings (32)
Chris Johnson (32)
Tre Mason (24)
Ryan Mathews (29)
Dexter McCluster (29)
Darren McFadden (30)
Bernard Pierce (27)
Bobby Rainey (30)
Chase Reynolds (30)
Daryl Richardson (27)
Stevan Ridley (28)
Denard Robinson (27)
Khiry Robinson (27)
C.J. Spiller (30)
James Starks (31)
Lorenzo Taliaferro (25)
Stepfan Taylor (26)
Juwan Thompson (25)
Terrell Watson (24)
Trey Watts (26)
DeAngelo Williams (34)
Karlos Williams (24)
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Giants To Work Out Donte Whitner
The Giants will work out free agent safety on Donte Whitner on Sunday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Whitner has been sitting on the open market since April after being released by the Browns.
[RELATED: Giants Place Shane Vereen On IR]
Whitner, who has drawn offseason interest from the Rams and Panthers, is still a productive player as he enters his age-31 season. In 2015, he started 14 games in Cleveland, defensing four passes, forcing one fumble, and posting 1.5 sacks. Whitner also graded out well via the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus, which rated him as the league’s No. 24 safety among 89 qualifiers.
Incumbent Giants safeties Nat Berhe (concussion) and Darian Thompson (concussion) are both unlikely to play on Monday night, and Leon Hall — who could shift to safety in a pinch — will be needed at corner given the injuries to Eli Apple and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. As Rapoport notes, New York is so banged up at safety that it’s been forced to use offensive players in the secondary during practice.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Patriots Audition Marcel Reece, Four Others
The Patriots brought in former Raiders fullback Marcel Reece for a workout today, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Oakland released Reece earlier this week.
[RELATED: Latest On Patriots’ QBs]
Reece, 31, had been with Oakland since since 2009. He violated the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs last December, and the ensuing multi-game ban cost him a trip to the Pro Bowl and, apparently, led the Raiders to finding his full-time replacement. Reece was scheduled to play out the 2016 season at a cap number of $3.53MM, but Oakland has opted against taking on that cap hit.
In 2015, Reece caught 30 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns and also added 36 rushing yards. A versatile back who can play a variety of roles, Reece averaged 34 receptions per season from 2010-15, and he’d likely assume the role of pass-catching back in New England if signed. With Dion Lewis sidelined through at least Week 6, James White has been absorbing most of the running back looks in the Patriots’ passing game.
As Reiss notes, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has been extremely complementary of Reece in the past. “You put a big guy on him, he’s probably going to have a hard time matching up with Reece’s speed and quickness,” Belichick said in 2014. “Put a smaller guy on him, he might match up with his speed and quickness, but it would be hard to match up with his size. I’d say that’s a dilemma. Who do you have that has the same skill set as Reece?”
In addition to Reece, the Patriots also worked out guards Jake Bernstein and Chase Farris, center Robert Kugler, and tight end Greg Scruggs.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Texans Expected To Place J.J. Watt On IR
Texans star rusher J.J. Watt has re-injured his back and is expected to miss a significant amount of time, and could potentially be done for the year, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The Texans officially placed Watt on IR Wednesday morning. Houston hopes he will return this season, but a source told Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link) that the odds are not good.
[RELATED: Brian Cushing Tears ACL]
Losing one of the best — if not the best — player in the NFL for any amount of time will be devastating to Houston’s chances this season, and that may be an understatement. Watt underwent back surgery over the summer, and though he hasn’t missed any action, he hasn’t been his usual dominant self, as he’s ranked just 72nd among interior defenders in 2016, per Pro Football Focus.
Watt, 27, has never missed a regular season game in his five-year career. In each of the last four seasons, Watt has earned Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro selections, solidifying himself as one of the most terrifying defensive players in the league.
Over his firsrt five seasons in the league, Watt has averaged 74 tackles, 15 sacks, and nine pass defended per season. In 2015, he finished with 76 tackles, 17.5 sacks, eight passes defended, and three forced fumbles. As Roster Resource shows, the Texans’ defensive end group outside of Watt includes Jadeveon Clowney, Joel Heath, Devon Still, Christian Covington, and Brandon Dunn. If Watt misses significant time, they may want to pick up a DE.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Were Eyeing Titans QB Alex Tanney
The Titans recently raised the weekly salary of practice squad quarterback Alex Tanney to nearly $31K because the Browns were expressing interest in signing him to their active roster, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Tanney is now earning the same salary he’d be netting if he were on a 53-man roster. For reference, most practice squad players make the PS minimum of $6,900 per week.
[RELATED: Browns Keeping Cody Parkey For Now]
Tanney, 28, has spent time with seven clubs during his career, and has prior experience with the Browns, having been on their roster during the 2013 season. His only game experience came last year with Tennessee, when he completed 10-of-14 passes for 99 yards and one touchdown in Week 16. Tanney was waived off the Titans’ active roster two weeks ago, and has been part of their taxi squad since.
There’s no timeline to reference in regards to when exactly Tennessee raised Tanney’s salary, but it would make sense that the Browns were approaching Tanney in the last week or so. After Josh McCown went down with injury, Cleveland was looking for another quarterback to pair with rookie Cody Kessler. The club ultimately agreed to sign veteran Charlie Whitehurst, presumably after whiffing on Tanney.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bengals Notes: A. Jones, Burfict, Coyle
The latest out of Cincinnati, where the Bengals have started 1-2 on the season:
- Bengals cornerback Adam Jones says he was “somewhat” close to signing with the Dolphins in the offseason, as Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets. Miami was rumored to have interest in Jones, and the connection made sense given that former Cincinnati secondary coach Vance Joseph is now the defensive coordinator in South Beach. However, the Bengals prioritized Jones in free agency, re-signing him to a three-year deal that contains $6MM guaranteed.
- Speaking of Bengals defensive backs, some in the club’s secondary room aren’t happy with the coaching techniques of new DBs coach Kevin Coyle, the former Miami DC who essentially swapped roles with Joseph, writes Beasley in a full article. One player, according to Beasley, believes Coyle is “coaching [the Bengals] not to lose instead of coaching them to win.” Cincinnati was lit up by the Broncos and Trevor Siemian on Sunday, and ranks 19th in defensive passing DVOA.
- The Bengals have a roster exemption for linebacker Vontaze Burfict which will expire on Thursday, per Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Burfict is coming off a three-game suspension for repeated violations of the NFL’s safety protocols. Head coach Marvin Lewis says Cincinnati will make a roster move on either Wednesday or Thursday, but wasn’t sure whether Burfict would play against the Dolphins on Thursday, tweets Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Jets Work Out CB D’Joun Smith
Cornerback D’Joun Smith worked out for the Jets today, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Smith has also auditioned for the Saints and Lions this year.
[RELATED: Jets Meet With C.J. Spiller]
A former Florida Atlantic defensive back, Smith was placed on IR-DTR by the Colts in his rookie season and wound up seeing time in only four games before being cut. He was in camp with Indianapolis again this offseason but he was waived with an injury designation prior to the 53-man deadline. Still only 23, the Saints are hoping he can help their ailing secondary. In 44 career games at Florida Atlantic, Smith totaled 120 tackles (78 solo), nine interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 1.0 sack and 29 passes defensed.
The Jets are healthy at corner, as Darryl Roberts is their only defensive back listed on the injury report (and he was a full practice participant). As such, it’s possible that New York is just updating its emergency list or looking for depth. The Jets’ defensive backfield currently consists of Darrelle Revis, Buster Skrine, Marcus Williams, Juston Burris, and Roberts.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Texans To Sign Antonio Smith
The Texans plan to sign defensive end Antonio Smith on Wednesday after placing J.J. Watt on injured reserve, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It will be a one-year deal, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Smith played for Houston 2009-13.
[RELATED: Texans Likely To Place J.J. Watt On IR]
Smith, 35 next month, is an 12-year NFL veteran with more 170 appearances and 130 starts under his belt. In 2015, he played in all 16 games for the Super Bowl champion Broncos, posting 2.5 sacks in the process. During the course of his career, Smith has spent time with the Cardinals, Texans, Raiders, and most recently, Denver. He’ll factor into a Houston defensive end crew that contains Jadeveon Clowney, Joel Heath, Devon Still, Christian Covington, and Brandon Dunn.
Watt, meanwhile, will visit a specialist to learn if his back injury will require surgery or if it can heal on its own, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26. Either way, Watt will be forced to miss a minimum of eight weeks before he can return from IR.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/27/16
Tuesday is workout day in the NFL, and while we’ve dedicated full posts to the more notable tryouts, we’ll round up the stragglers here:
- The Jaguars worked out offensive tackle Jeff Adams, wide receivers Kenny Bell and Mario Alford, guard Chase Farris, and linebacker Micah Awe, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Eagles worked out tight ends Gannon Sinclair, Rory Anderson, and Marcel Jensen; quarterback Logan Thomas; cornerback Duke Thomas; and safety Rolan Milligan, according to Caplan (Twitter link)
- Defensive tackle Sealver Siliga worked out for the Bears, Doug Kyed of NESN tweets. The Bears also auditioned tackle Clay DeBord, guard Austin Shepherd, and offensive tackle Arturo Uzdavinis, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).
- The Bills worked out quarterback Josh Woodrum, tight end Paul Lang, wide receiver Corey Washington, tackle Clay DeBord, guard Chase Farris, and guard Donovan Williams, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Redskins worked out guard Mackenzy Bernadeau and safeties Josh Evans and Jerome Couplin, Caplan tweets. Cornerback Tay Glover-Wright was also on hand for a workout, per Howard Balzer (Twitter link). Washington is on the hunt for secondary help after losing DeAngelo Hall for the season.
- Like the Eagles, the Buccaneers also worked out tight end Rory Anderson, according to Caplan (Twitter link).
- The Panthers auditioned former Falcons third-round pick Dezmen Southward, tweets Caplan. After signing fellow safety Michael Griffin, however, Carolina will presumably pass on Southward.
- The Chiefs took a look at offensive tackle Jesse Davis, reports Balzer (Twitter link).
Lions Audition Bjoern Werner, Two Tight Ends
The Lions are apparently spending their Tuesday taking a look at failed first-round picks. After working out former Jets draft pick Quinton Coples earlier today, Detroit auditioned ex-Colt/Jaguar Bjoern Werner, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
[RELATED: Lions Re-Sign Aaron Dobson]
Werner, 26 appeared in 38 games over the last three years for the Colts, including 16 starts. In that time, the Florida State alum registered 77 tackles (61 solo), 6.5 sacks, five passes defensed, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. However, the majority of Werner’s production came in his first two years in the league — in 2015, he appeared in 10 games and picked up just 11 total tackles and one fumble recovery. Following the 2015 campaign, he was waived by Indianapolis.
Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah is expected to be out for Sunday’s game — and perhaps longer — as he deals with a high ankle sprain. Detroit, then, is presumably searching for some low-cost depth options as they brace for Ansah’s loss.
Werner and Coples weren’t the only players auditioning in Motown today, as the Lions also looked at free agent tight ends Justice Cunningham and Adrien Robinson, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.