San Francisco 49ers
Bucking what had been a previous trend for general manager Trent Baalke, San Francisco has already met with two veteran free agents prior to the start of the new league year on Tuesday.
First, San Francisco hosted former Philadelphia Eagles' and Green Bay Packers' defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins early in the week. It then turned attention to four-time Pro Bowler John Abraham, who recorded 10 sacks for the Atlanta Falcons this past season. Both were released by their former clubs, so they don’t have to wait until Tuesday to sign on the dotted line.
On the surface, San Francisco’s interest in Abraham is a bit surprising. It runs a straight 3-4 defensive scheme; something that the veteran doesn’t have a history of playing outside of a season or two with the New York Jets in the early 2000’s. He would be transitioning to outside linebacker at a relatively advanced age, especially with Ray McDonald and Justin Smith playing over 70 percent of the snaps at defensive end.
Jenkins seems like a much better fit. He has played in the 3-4 in the past and would add depth to a defensive line that was lacking a solid rotation and has both Isaac Sopoaga and Ricky Jean-Francois about to hit the open market.
Seattle Seahawks
As with the 49ers, Seattle met with both John Abraham and Cullen Jenkins this past week. If the two are going to be playing off one another when it comes to the free agent market, something has to give. As it relates to fits, both Jenkins and Abraham seem to fit what head coach Pete Carroll is building on the defensive side of the ball. Jenkins would add depth to the interior of its defensive line, while Abraham would be playing his more natural 4-3 defensive line position opposite Bruce Irvin.
By virtue of these visits, it is possible that general manager John Schneider is prepared to move on without the likes of impending free agents Alan Branch and Jason Jones.
Another name being mentioned in Seattle is former Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver Mike Wallace, who will not be returning to his original team in 2013. One of the best deep threats in the NFL would add another dimension opposite Sidney Rice in the Seahawks’ passing game. It is being reported that Wallace wants upwards of $12 million per season, so I would hedge my bets against Schneider throwing that much money around for one player in free agency.
St. Louis Rams
A lot of the chatter here is surrounding Danny Amendola, who can sign a contract with another team on Tuesday. It appears that the Rams and their No. 1 wide receiver are far apart in negotiations, which means he could bolt in free agency this week.
Long time Rams’ running back Steven Jackson has finally decided to part ways with the only organization he has played for since entering the NFL in 2004. The arguable future Hall of Famer will catch on with a team looking for a veteran boost in terms of depth and veteran talent. With Isaiah Pead and Daryl Richardson in the mix, I don’t see St. Louis adding any starters in the free agent market. It might, however, look for a mid-round running back in a relatively deep class.
Arizona Cardinals
Reggie Bush? It seems that Arizona is one of the teams in the mix for the talented running back. With Beanie Wells likely gone and Ryan Williams struggling with injuries, this only makes sense. Though, it is important to note that Bush really isn’t an every-down running back in the NFL. Arizona would still have to go out there and add a veteran to the mix or draft another solid running back.
While there isn’t a whole lot of news on Kevin Kolb’s future in Arizona, Brian Hoyer was given a second-round tender by the Cardinals and will likely be battling for a starting job. It’s important to remember that the New England Patriots gave him the same exact tender this time last season, so there would have been some interest on the open market. Hoyer is definitely an intriguing candidate.
Arizona will also have to look into finding a replacement for recently released Adrian Wilson, who it released on Friday. Again, there are limited options in free agency; this leads me to believe Arizona will look to the draft there.
Update: Arizona released Early Doucet on Saturday.