UPDATE 2: Ranked Available Wide Receivers in NFL Free Agency

We’re now more than a week into free agency, and the flurry activity is finally starting to slow down.

We’ve seen big names like DeMarco Murray, Jeremy Maclin, Andre Johnson, Ndamukong Suh and Darelle Revis finding homes, potential impact players like Eddie Royal, Harry Douglas and Ryan Mathews land teams, and crazy trades being pulled off like Sam Bradford for Nick Foles and Jimmy Graham for Max Unger.

So let Football Garbage Time give you a hand with what’s left as we rank and compile information on the top wide receivers still available in free agency!

1) Michael Crabtree

AP Photo

AP Photo

With Torrey Smith signed, Crabtree will have to move elsewhere to find targets.  And it seems that Crabtree is OK with that:

Initially, he was linked to the Vikings, Bills and the Dolphins.  There was some rumored interest in Crabtree from the Redskins and Chargers:

Unfortunately for Crabtree, nothing has developed from that interest.  Apparently, according to sources, there isn’t much of a market for Crabtree due to an increased focus on younger receivers.  However, recently, it appears that Crabtree has drawn his first actual visit:

And there’s a optimism behind this visit:

As I’ve noted previously, since all the Browns have done so far is sign Brian Hartline, the Browns can also be a good landing spot for Crabtree.  And I’ve already mentioned that I think the Raiders should take a run at him as well.  It’s surprising that he hasn’t drawn more interest, but I’m sure it’ll pick up as the market continues to tighten.

2) Hakeem Nicks

Nicks has definitely lost a step.  He looked like he was heading for stardom in New York after being drafted in 2009, but then injuries took the luster off. He then made his way to the Colts, but only had 38 receptions for 405 yards with 4 touchdowns in 2014. Nicks commented on NFL.com about his regression in New York:

“I think in New York, I was just having injury after injury, and I think I just wasn’t taking care of it the right way. I just kept trying to play through them instead of being patient and sitting and let it heal…. Now, I am extremely healthy. Looking back on it now, I think that’s something that I just had to go through. My body was adjusting.”

He’s not likely to be a superstar anymore, but he certainly can be a solid WR2 or WR3, and will certainly garner attention in free agency.  Unfortunately, the same sources as above noted that there isn’t much market of Nicks either, which is surprising seeing as how there are numerous teams, like the Raiders and Browns, who could still use veteran wide receiver help.

3) Denarius Moore

Apparently, Bill Polian of ESPN thinks that Moore is a B+ receiver.  I’d have to disagree there.  But there’s no denying that there’s potential, and as we work down the list, sometimes it’s better to roll the dice with potential instead of a filler option.

It also appears that there’s little chance Moore will be re-signed by the Raiders:

It appears that Moore has had few leads, most recently with the Jets:

But so far, there’s been no progress.  There’s tons of upside here, and in light of Decker and Marshall being in town, signing this speedy threat makes a lot of sense.

4) Reggie Wayne

Reggie Wayne

As I’ve already mentioned, Wayne is a first Ballot Hall of Famer for sure.  But the big question is whether he’ll want to come back next year since he won’t be playing for the Colts.  I wrote that he should go to the Browns, but his desire to spend his last year with a contender might lead him to another team.  However, up to this point, there’s been no news at all regarding where Wayne might end up.

5) Dwayne Bowe

Bowe was officially released on Thursday, primarily due to his declining effectiveness and the Chiefs paying Jeremy Maclin to come in for around $11 million a year.

Where will he go?  Well, earlier, Bowe mysteriously followed then unfollowed the Patriots account:

Could he be going to the Patriots?  Not a bad choice, as Belichick’s system can make just about any receiver relevant.  Current news though has him potentially in line for the Browns:

As I’ve discussed previously, the Browns have serious receiving issues now that Jordan Cameron has officially signed with the Dolphins, and they certainly could benefit from a veteran presence like Bowe.  And frankly, Bowe will come at a deep discount in light of his less than stellar play over the last couple years.

UPDATE 3/19/15: Bowe was signed by the Browns.

6) Greg Jennings

As of this past weekend, Greg Jennings was released from by the Minnesota Vikings.

Apparently, Jennings had minor elbow surgery, but will not have any issues moving forward:

However, there have not been any interest around the NFL as of yet.  Jennings did, however, say that he would be amenable to going back to the Packers.

Honestly,with the decreased productivity (he had only 742 yards, the only time he had less than 1000 yards while playing all 16 games in a season), it’ll be hard for Jennings to find a landing spot.  But a team needy for a veteran presence could do a lot worse.

By Ha Kung Wong

Twitter: @FBGarbageTime

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