With the free-agency window opening March 13, teams will be on the hunt for impact players, though some will lead to more headaches than additional wins.
Here are five free agents who should be avoided this offseason.
Nick Foles, QB
The former Super Bowl MVP is reportedly all but set to join the Jacksonville Jaguars once the free-agency window opens. Foles comes with an impressive resume and has proven himself a capable starter, but there are still reasons to be wary if you're a Jaguars fan.
Foles excelled in Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson's offense, which leans heavily on run-pass options and shallow-route concepts. According to Pro Football Focus, he targeted receiving options between 0-to-9 yards 10 percent more than the NFL average and his passer rating when releasing the ball after fewer than two seconds was a stellar 117.8 in 2018. However, when tasked with moving to his second read, Foles' passes were 10 percent less accurate than the NFL average. Also, when targeting players between 10-to-19 yards downfield, Foles struggled and had a passer rating of 83.9, well below the NFL average of 96.7.
It's possible the quarterback finds success in Jacksonville. Maybe new offensive coordinator John DeFilippo - who worked with Foles in Philadelphia - can install the right system, but question marks still accompany the 30-year-old and his potentially hefty price tag.
Le'Veon Bell, RB
Bell is looking for a long-term deal and a lot of guaranteed money in his quest to become the NFL's highest-paid running back.
As talented as the 27-year-old may be, James Conner proved last season that Bell's production can be matched.
Conner played in only 13 contests in 2018, but here's a look at his numbers extrapolated over the 15-game campaign Bell logged in 2017.
| Player | Carries | Rushing yards | Rushing TDs | Receptions | Receiving yards | Receiving TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conner | 269 | 1216 | 15 | 69 | 621 | 1.25 |
| Bell | 321 | 1291 | 9 | 85 | 655 | 2 |
The three-time Pro Bowler is definitely an asset to any team willing to sign him, but his asking price could really limit his market.
Golden Tate, WR
Tate was never the same last year after a move to Philadelphia.
In seven games for the Detroit Lions, he caught 44 balls for 517 yards. With the Eagles, he was on the field for only 47 percent of offensive snaps and recorded just 278 receiving yards in eight contests.
Philadelphia was looking for a speedy receiver to stretch the defense and open up the shallow portion of the field for Nelson Agholor and Zach Ertz. Tate, who had an average of 6.3 targeted air yards (the ninth lowest last year, according to NFL Next Gen Stats), wasn't the right man for the job.
If a team knows how to better use the 30-year-old, he's capable of making a positive impact. However, there are cheaper and younger slot receivers available in the free-agent class, such as Adam Humphries or Jamison Crowder.
Trent Brown, LT
Brown is coming off a stellar playoff run with the New England Patriots during which he and his fellow offensive linemen didn't allow Tom Brady to be sacked. However, the left tackle played inconsistently throughout the 2018 regular season. He allowed the 19th-most pressures out of 61 tackles who played at least 50 percent of offensive snaps, according to PFF.
The 25-year-old also had the luxury of playing in the Patriots' spread offense, in which Brady released the ball at an average of 2.51 seconds - much quicker than the 2.70 NFL mean.
Whichever team signs Brown to a long-term deal will be hoping its the version of him it witnessed in the playoffs rather than the one who struggled for two years with the San Francisco 49ers and also at times last season.
Dante Fowler Jr., DE
After two seasons on the Jaguars, Fowler joined a Los Angeles Rams unit featuring a star-studded defensive line that included Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh. With both teams, Fowler played only a supporting role and was never required to be the lead pass-rusher.
But with the pass-rushing market tied up with franchise tags, a team may overpay for Fowler's unproven skill set.
The 24-year-old had 16 quarterback hurries in eight regular-season games and was on the field for 256 snaps, equating to a hurry on one of every 16 dropbacks. Comparatively, fellow Rams edge rushers John Franklin-Myers and Samson Ebukam averaged a quarterback hurry for every 11 and 12 dropbacks, respectively.