After the initial rush to sign free agents, everything calms down for a time. Teams turn their attention to the draft and there’s always a handful of quality players left twisting in the wind. Here’s my picks for the best offensive linemen still on the free agent market.
Amini Silatolu, Guard, Carolina Panthers
6-foot-4, 315 pounds, 27 years old
Silatolu is a guy the Panthers just finally gave up on, but the talent is there with the right offensive line coach. Silatolu was a former second-round pick out of NCAA Division II Midwestern State so that should have automatically made him a project. Instead he started 15 games as a rookie and was named to Pro Football Weekly’s 2012 All-Rookie team. Silatolu has been in and out of the roster since then and dealt with his share of injuries. He dislocated his wrist as a rookie and last year he finished up the year on injured reserve.
Silatolu is a guy that could benefit from a cheap contract and a deep team that only needs him as a rotational player for a while as he continues his development. Best fits: Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots
William Beatty, LT, New York Giants
6-foot-6, 320 pounds, 31 years old
Pretty much every team has its starting tackles in place so Beatty might be sitting until the camp cuts and injuries start piling up. Beatty missed last season with a torn pectoral and rotator cuff surgery. Four three seasons Beatty was a solid starter at left tackle for the Giants. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him back on that roster.
The issue with Beatty is his recovery. Evidently he’s not fully able to participate in camp yet and that’s keeping him on the market. Reportedly plenty of teams have inquired about him and he’ll end up on a roster somewhere, just probably not until the end of the preseason. Even if a team has its five starters, they could do a lot worse than adding Beatty to their depth chart. Best fits: New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts
Louis Vasquez, Guard, Denver Broncos
6-foot-6, 335 pounds, 29 years old
How about a three-year starter from the Super Bowl champions who made the Pro Bowl in 2013? It doesn’t seem like a difficult call to make if you’re in need of a guard. While Vasquez play dropped a little over the last two seasons, mainly due to some nagging injuries, he still opened the holes and led the way for a rushing attack that won a Lombardi Trophy not very long ago. The word out of Denver is that Vasquez just didn’t fit in head coach Gary Kubiak’s scheme. He should fit just fine on another team.
Vasquez is a talented young guy that has been a starter in the league since his rookie season out of Texas Tech. While he might not fit Kubiak’s zone-blocking plans, a more traditional team should find a place on the roster for him. I’m going to list teams where he’d fit best, but the fact that the Indianapolis Colts haven’t already signed him is a mystery. Best fits: Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens
Willie Colon, Guard, New York Jets
6-foot-3, 315 pounds, 33 years old
Colon has worked one two consecutive one-year contracts with the Jets, but for some reason they’re dragging their feet in signing him to another. Or Colon is tired of playing the Jets’ single-year game and is looking for a little security. Either way, the guy that spent the last decade being a road-grader for the Steelers and the Jets is on the market.
Colon’s age is working against him as is his injury history, but that should also make him a bargain. There’s little doubt he’d step in and be a starter on probably about 25 teams right now, but that also keeps those same teams from developing their own younger players. Colon, like Beatty, will probably be sitting until late July as an emergency addition to a team with line production or injury problems. Best fits: Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers
Jahri Evans, Guard, New Orleans Saints
6-foot-4, 318 pounds, 32 years old
Evans was once the highest-paid guard in the league and that’s pretty much why he’s a free agent today. The Saints cut him to save $3 million on the salary cap, but that money comes at the expense of a guy that started 153 games and made six Pro Bowls. Evans has been exceptionally healthy for the Saints and hasn’t missed a game since 2013. How it wasn’t worth $3 million this season to keep him, I’ll never know.
But he’s out and free and likely waiting to sign with a contender. He was the No. 68 ranked free agent on the NFL’s offseason list and he’s healthy. More than likely plenty of teams have called him. He’s just waiting for the right one. Best fits: New York Giants, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens
