Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent the last 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast."
Free agency will open next week. The franchise tags have been placed on top players and teams are releasing their own to make cap space. Rosters are changing around the league at a rapid pace.
Of course, we don't yet know their landing spots, but who are the free agents (franchised players excluded) that should make a huge impact on their new team, but might not be at the top of everyone’s radar?
These five will not help your fantasy team, but this is what real football is all about, presented in alphabetical order.
Nick Fairley
This very well could be a hit-or-miss pickup. Talent has never been an issue with Fairley, but he can wear down quickly and his overall competitiveness has always been in question. That's why, a year ago, no team was interested in offering Fairley a long-term deal.
The Rams jumped on that situation, played him behind Aaron Donald in St. Louis' base package, and let him loose more on passing downs. Well, Fairley flourished. This guy can be ultra-disruptive.
Can he keep up that pace with a higher snap count? We don't know that answer, but penetrating interior defensive linemen are not easy to come by, and the right coach and situation could get a ton of production from this guy.
Damon Harrison
What Harrison does so well is out of vogue now. He is very different than Fairley. Massive human beings who control the line of scrimmage in the middle of the field on the defensive side of the ball too often spend a great percentage of every game on the sidelines holding their helmet. And yes, that will happen to Harrison as well, no matter where he lands.
But this guy very well might be the league's best run-stuffing defensive tackle. He dominates the point. He dominates double teams. What is that worth in today’s sub-package NFL? Hard to say, but Harrison does his job about as well as anyone in the entire league.
Akiem Hicks
Now this one is rather under the radar. Hicks probably won't command massive money, but he is exactly the type of unrestricted free agent that should spark the interest of every team in the NFL.
Hicks played his college ball in Canada, but was still the Saints' first selection (in the third round) of the 2012 draft. Bill Belichick swindled Hicks out of New Orleans by sending the Saints Michael Hoomanawanui, a blocking tight end of little consequence. Well, somewhat predictably, Hicks, who is loaded with talent, had an excellent season in New England this past season.
He has technique versatility along any defensive line, and his best football could still be ahead of him - at just 26 years old, he might be finding himself as a player. His size, power, and movement skills were never in question.
George Iloka
Iloka is not a big name, and several safeties on the market might command more money when all is said and done. But in Cincinnati, Iloka was mostly relegated to playing in a two-deep shell and couldn't become the do-it-all safety that his skillset suggests he can be.
He has uncommon size for the position, has proven he's more than capable in deep zones, and has the physicality to be much more of a presence in the box and as a blitzing defender.
Iloka has gotten better in each of his seasons in the NFL and may not have reached his peak. If he goes to the right defensive scheme, look out. This guy is only 25 years old and has played four years in the NFL! Imagine him reunited with Mike Zimmer in Minnesota playing next to Harrison Smith.
Mitchell Schwartz
This guy is a rock. Few noticed his accomplishments during his first contract because he played for the lowly Browns. During his time in Cleveland, my hunch is that Schwartz, who is only 26 years old, learned plenty from future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas, another great player that doesn't get his proper recognition.
Few are as consistent as Schwartz in both the run and pass game. And in today's NFL, defenses bring premium pass-rushers from the offense's right side (did you watch the Super Bowl?) more than ever before. With the offensive-line shortage in the NFL right now, Schwartz should be at the top of many teams' wish lists.
