With well less than three months left until the beginning of the 2019-20 NFL regular season, who are some of the biggest names left on the free agent market?
Keep hanging in there: The 2019 NFL season is getting closer and closer by the day. The hype from this year’s draft has died down and OTAs are complete. Until training camp, players will be working out by themselves and teams’ emphasis will be placed on rounding out rosters ahead of training camp.
The first wave of league free agency signings is a thing of the past. Splash moves created ripple effects throughout the NFL as players either found new homes or stayed in their backyard. The second wave of signings should come around the time training camp starts. With that said, who are some of the marquee names left on the open market who could help teams?
5. Jay Ajayi
As you already know, the shelf life of an NFL running back is shorter than almost any position in all of sports. Once they hit the age of 30, things start to go downhill at an alarming rate. Luckily for free agent back Jay Ajayi, he just turned 26 a few days ago and questioning whether he has gas left in the tank would be asinine.
Limited to just four games played last season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Ajayi didn’t get the chance to showcase his unique talents. Starting in half a season’s worth of games the year before, being on the field has been the biggest thing holding him back.
Rushing for 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns his sophomore season with the Miami Dolphins back in 2016, Ajayi’s 4.9 yards per carry average ranked in the top 10 in the entire league for running backs. Posting one of the better seasons in the league at the age of 23, his ability has never been the question.
Teams will begin looking for additional help in the backfield soon. Ajayi’s name should be at the top of every franchise’s list for either starting help or insurance in case of injury. Assuming he’s healthy, Ajayi could immediately improve any offense.