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NFL: 5 unsigned free agents who can still help your team

Ezekiel Elliott is among the NFL free agents who are still unsigned. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
Ezekiel Elliott is among the NFL free agents who are still unsigned. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) (Sean M. Haffey via Getty Images)

Just because the busy part of the offseason is over doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to upgrade a team. Every year, quality, usually older, NFL free agents slip through the cracks and wait until the summer to find a team. This year is no different. Most teams are still shuffling with the bottom of their rosters and trying to figure out what their salary-cap situation will look like heading into training camp.

Here are a few guys who are still on the market and can bring value to a team in need.

Ezekiel Elliott, RB

Elliott isn’t the explosive athlete the Cowboys originally drafted in 2016, but he still has a place as part of a running back rotation. Elliott is a tough, between-the-tackles runner who provides a lot of value as a pass blocker. A situation that would be nice for Elliott is one that he played in last year with an explosive teammate in the backfield. Elliott shouldn’t be getting a full workload featuring 300-plus carries anymore, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a valuable piece in an NFL backfield. Teams that need a tough runner should still be interested in his services.

Kenny Golladay, WR

Look, man. Everyone knows that Golladay’s tenure with the Giants was a failure. That’s impossible to deny. In 26 games with New York, including 18 starts, Golladay totaled 43 catches for 602 yards and one touchdown on 93 targets. He was one of the most ineffective receivers in football with the Giants, but the story of his NFL career might not be over. He was a productive receiver with the Lions, nabbing two 1,000-yard seasons and leading the league in touchdown receptions with 11 in 2019. Golladay will turn 30 during the season, but should still have some tread left on his tires considering he didn’t play much for the Giants last season. It’s worth the dart throw for a team that needs a smidge more talent at wide receiver.

Kenny Golladay had a disastrous tenure with the Giants, but he's still worth a look if your team needs wide receiver depth. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Kenny Golladay had a disastrous tenure with the Giants, but he's still worth a look if your team needs wide receiver depth. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Leonard Floyd, EDGE

Floyd has been one of the more reliable secondary pass rushers in the league over the past few seasons. He may not have lived up to his billing as a top-10 draft pick in Chicago, but he was solid across from Khalil Mack and turned it up a notch when he played next to Aaron Donald. In three seasons with the Rams, Floyd had 29 sacks and never had fewer than nine in a season. For a team that’s looking to beef up its pass-rushing depth, Floyd is a strong option — particularly at this point in the offseason. He’ll be 31 this season, so he should still have some good football in the tank. It’s fairly surprising that he’s still available.

Matt Ioannidis, DL

Ioannidis is a few years removed from being a top-flight producer along the defensive line, but he’s still a quality body to have on the interior. Ioannidis is the perfect modern-era depth piece at defensive line. He can play competently at any of the lineman alignments, which is valuable as teams become more diverse with their fronts on defense. He had only one sack last season despite starting 13 games, but he still has a bit left in the tank as a rotational player.

Marcedes Lewis, TE

The quintessential “sixth offensive lineman.” Lewis doesn’t offer much as a receiver, but he’s still a grinder as a blocker for teams that like to go heavy and not hide their intentions on the ground. Lewis just turned 39, but might have enough left to push out one more year as a top-notch blocker. He might not be a guy who signs until the season starts, but he’s still a valuable weapon for an offense in his own right.