(Staff Photo By Matt Stone/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
The NFL free agency period is right around the corner, and teams will look to finalize their rosters with some game-changing players. With that said, there’s not much on the wide receiver market.
A great wide receiver can change the way people think of a team. However, a great wide receiver can’t be the only thing a team builds around. Some of the best receivers in the league, like Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham and Julio Jones, all missed the playoffs thanks to other factors. Still, certain teams force their quarterback to suffer when there’s not a playmaker on the outside to help in times of stress.
Unfortunately, there is not one player on the market this year that has even close to this kind of value. Most of the players who could make huge moves are only available through trades. That doesn’t mean some of the players on the free agent market couldn’t change the teams they eventually sign on. There are just more role players than there are game changers.
These types of players can end up swinging a Super Bowl in the right situations. They are also huge risks if you give them big money because of a shallow market. There’s a lot happening with the receiver market this season, and there are literally dozens of players who could be great risk/reward options like a Kevin White or a Devin Funchess.
With the market where it is, there are some clear options at the top. Which ones could be looking at a big payday?
5. Tyrell Williams
Tyrell Williams might be the most interesting free agent in the entire 2019 class, wide receiver or otherwise. Pro Football Focus predicted he was going to get a $48 million, four-year deal in free agency. At the same time, Walter Football ranked him outside the top ten in wide receiver free agents, with some questionable names ahead of him.
It seems the experts can’t figure out what he’s going to get on the open market, and what he might be worth to a team. What we do know is what he’s done in the past. He’s just two seasons removed from a 1,000-yard season with the then San Diego Chargers. He’s seen his production drop the past two seasons, but he’s still just 26 years old.
It is strange that the Chargers are so willing to just let him go for free, especially with how injury prone Keenan Allen has been in the past few seasons (he even got hurt in the Pro Bowl). Williams feels like he is an important second or third option for the Chargers.
Expect one of the top teams to go after Williams to fit him in an already good offense. He’s never going to be the top guy we once thought he could be, but he could one day be a top-tier secondary option. Think someone in the Mohamed Sanu mold. He could make some serious money in that role and could carve himself off a nice career after an up-and-down start.