5 Free Agents: Underrated

Edition #1036: The new league year is just around the corner, so I wanted to highlight five free agents who are flying under the radar, who I'd like the Jets to target.

Good Morning ☕

I really despise the period in the NFL calendar between the Jets finishing their season and the new league year.

We get to watch all these teams battle to and through the playoffs and a champion crowned. We then have to deal with all the anti-Jets rubbish that inevitably comes out at the end of the season. Even current players on teams like the Saints who haven’t been to the playoffs in 5 years are taking digs.

Then the NFL calendar switches to March and we all start dreaming again. What if the Jets can find some hidden talent, put a run together and end this period of futility. Everyone is so focused on their own team, we largely fade into the background. We get some nice off-season grades, some good draft reports, and all of a sudden the skies are a little brighter.

I’m heading to that second place this week with my outlook just a little brighter each day, and today I want to highlight a few under the radar players I’d like the Jets to sign when the free agency kicks off in just a couple of weeks.

After missing Tuesday, this one is going to run a little long…so make sure you grab a coffee first.

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NEWS & NOTES

• Fox Sports believes the Jets will sign Bears CB Nashon Wright in free agency: “Wright, 27, helped himself in 2025 as much as any player, going to the Bears on a league-minimum $1.1 million contract with one interception and three starts in four NFL seasons. He was a ballhawk on one of the NFL’s best takeaway defenses — five interceptions and two forced fumbles, earning a Pro Bowl nod along the way. Chicago is over the salary cap right now, and Wright could end up the high-dollar corner in this not-particularly-deep class, drawing $16 million a year or more.”

• Bucky Brooks had his latest Mock Draft out yesterday and here’s how things fall for the Jets:

  • David Bailey - Edge - Texas Tech - “With Aaron Glenn taking over the defensive play-calling duties, the Jets could opt for a pass rusher to generate more takeaway opportunities in 2026 and beyond. Bailey is a spectacular sack specialist with the explosiveness to wreak havoc on quarterbacks.”

  • Jordyn Tyson - Receiver - Arizona State - “If the Jets find a quarterback via trade or free agency, they could add another perimeter weapon to the mix to alleviate some of the pressure on WR1 Garrett Wilson. Tyson’s injury history is a concern, but the Arizona State star is a polished route runner with outstanding hands and ball skills.”

• According to Adam Schefter, the Carolina Panthers have been getting calls from teams on the availability of veteran Andy Dalton. Dalton moved to Carolina in 2023 which was the same year that Reich was hired as HC, the Jets need a veteran backup QB…I think you know where this is going. Dalton barely played in 2023 and at 38 he’s extremely limited, but if you want a steady head and reliable hand as a backup, he’s not a bad option.

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Five Free Agents Flying under the Radar

Chances are the Jets are going to be big players in the free agent market. I’m sure there’s going to be a statement signing somewhere. But while the big free agents will get the headlines, there will be a number of players signed to smaller deals who end up out-playing their contracts. Here are a few guys I think fall into that underrated category.

1. Charlie Kolar - Tight End - Baltimore Ravens

If you were here before the 2022 NFL draft, this name probably won’t surprise you. I was extremely high on Kolar and had a 2nd round grade on him. He ended up going to the Ravens in the 4th round, alongside Isaiah Likely who joined Mark Andrews. It was a stacked TE room and unfortunately Kolar found himself somewhat buried on the depth chart.

Nearly his entire first season was lost to injury which allowed Likely to race ahead on the depth chart, in 2022 he appeared in just 2 games catching 4 passes for 49 yards. He then spent much of 2023 on special teams until Andrews went down with an injury, he’s start 3 games that season and finish with 87 yards and a TD. All told he’s appeared in 47 games, but with only 13 starts. He’s caught 30 passes for 409 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Chances are he’ll need to sign on somewhere on a prove it deal. PFF project his contract as a 1-year deal worth $1.75 million. I think someone is going to get a steal because last year he ranked 8th amongst qualified TE’s with a 71.5 run-blocking grade. He caught 76.9% of his targets with 0 drops and a 50% contested catch rate. Don’t forget this was a guy at Iowa who caught 23 touchdowns in four years and went for over 750 yards his final year while averaging a 2.9% drop rate and a 54.1% contested catch rate, so we know he can do it.

The Jets have Mason Taylor and re-signed Jeremy Ruckert, but for a team that wants to run a lot, Kolar would be a very logical signing on a one-year deal.