Now that the initial free agency period along with the draft is over and rookie minicamps have begun, let’s take a look at the top five remaining free agents and find their bona fide best fits. This list is a who’s who of aging stars who are either looking for one last payday, a prove-it deal, or another shot at a Super Bowl title.
Interestingly, four of the top five players remaining on the NFL.com top 100 free agent list are defenders, and if you look at the remaining list as a whole, there are a lot of cornerbacks and safeties who are still looking for that next contract. Three of the top five remaining players are defensive backs, and teams just wrapped up a draft that wasn’t exactly strong at either the cornerback or safety positions.
So where do these players go? What is important to them at this point in their careers? How does an aging superstar fit into a new locker room and unlock a new roster spot? Finding the right fit is oftentimes what these late free-agent signings come down to and that is what we are looking at here today. These are the best fits for the top five free agents remaining.
Bona Fide Best Fits for Remaining Free Agents
Stephen Gilmore, CB
The Kansas City Chiefs lost their top corner L’Jarius Sneed after choosing to re-sign defensive tackle Chris Jones to a monster contract. They then decided to attempt to upgrade quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ targets over solidifying their secondary. This isn’t a bad choice considering the talent still out there on the free-agent market. This could be a match made in heaven.
The Chiefs are showing no signs of slowing down, and they can’t be satisfied with cornerback Joshua Williams starting opposite Trent McDuffie. Williams is a fine complementary player, but not one who evokes fear in the opposing offensive coordinator. Gilmore has proven himself and although he has gotten a bit long in the tooth, he had more interceptions (two) last year for the Dallas Cowboys than Williams has in his two-year career (one).
Signing him to a two or three-year contract to finish his career out while attempting to win another ring or two would be icing on the cake to a rather distinguished career for Gilmore. There are younger corners the Chiefs could sign, but Gilmore has that, been there, done that, experience, which could help the Chiefs down the stretch of a third Super Bowl run.
Justin Simmons, Safety
Simmons is one of the more surprising free agents to still be available. A former all-pro, Simmons has play-making ability and comes with great leadership qualities that all teams would want. He may be asking for more than his market value, which would be why he hasn’t signed on the dotted line yet. He has spent his entire eight-year career in Denver, never scratching the surface of a true Super Bowl run.
This is what might allow him to swallow a smaller contract and come play for the San Francisco 49ers. They don’t have a ton of salary cap space, and they would need to work out the Brandon Aiyuk contract extension before they could even afford to offer him any kind of real contract, but salary cap stretching is something they have proven to be very good at.
The 49ers seem to always be hampered by secondary injuries, and their depth at the safety position has decreased. Adding a veteran like Simmons who would be a fantastic voice in the locker room and a good example for their young safety room echoes the move they made for Richard Sherman a few years back.
The football side of this deal makes sense if both sides could figure out the money side of it, even if it was on a one-year deal, allowing Simmons to try to hit a bigger payday next season.
Calaias Campbell, DE
The Washington Commanders have not successfully filled the holes at defensive end they created when trading away both Montez Sweat and Chase Young. The new general Manager followed the footsteps of his former employer (San Francisco 49ers) and signed first-round underperformers Donte Fowler Jr. and Clelen Ferrel along with former Dallas Cowboy, Dorance Armstrong. That lineup doesn’t instill fear in any offensive coordinator.
Enter Campbell, a player who has had success and been well-liked everywhere he has gone. Campbell could be the Commanders’ veteran leader and possibly even lead them in sacks next season. Adams selected team captains and young leaders all over this year’s draft, but adding a proven locker room leader who can still perform on the field as well would be the feather in his cap.
With the second most cap space, they could easily sign him to a one or two-year, incentive-laden contract that would give him one last big payday before he retires. It has become a yearly tradition for aging defensive ends to be signed to short-term mercenary contracts, and it feels like Campbell has reached that point in his career.
Connor Williams, OG 
The Cincinnati Bengals’ main problem over the last three of four seasons has been an inability to protect quarterback Joe Burrow, which has led to injuries and frustrating ends to seasons. They continue to try to improve the line by bringing in free agents like left tackle Orlando Brown, Jr. last off-season and Trent Brown to play right tackle this off-season. The interior of their offensive line continues to lack the ability to keep the pocket shape Burrow needs to get the ball to his talented WR group.
Enter Connor Williams. Williams is only 27 years old, and the only reason he is still a free agent is because of a late season knee injury. He’s a player with starting prowess who the Bengals might be able to get on a discounted contract because of that injury. Williams spent two seasons starting every game for the Cowboys before moving to Miami and starting every game for two seasons until his knee injury.
He is adept at both run blocking and pass protection and can easily find the next-level block when the play calls for it. Athletic enough to pull and run over linebackers, Williams could become an important part of the Bengals’ offensive line next to Brown Jr or even at center where he spent the past two seasons with the Dolphins. This is a signing that wouldn’t happen right away, due to concerns about his ability to come back from this injury, but the Bengals should keep an eye on his rehab if they are unhappy with their current interior offensive line makeup.
Steven Nelson, CB
The Indianapolis Colts has been a franchise in fluctuation since Andrew Luck retired. They believe they have their quarterback of the present and future in Anthony Richardson, as long as he stays healthy and two young wide receivers with upside in Michael Pittman and the recently drafted Adonai Mitchell, but outside of their defensive line, the defense leaves a lot to wonder about. Kenny Moore II is a serviceable starting corner, but JuJu Brents starting on the other side would have me worried as a Colts fan or employee.
Nelson has shown that he can come in and be successful nearly anywhere. He has started for the Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, and most recently the Houston Texans, having different levels of success everywhere. Bringing Nelson on a short-term contract to assist or even supplant Brents would be an upgrade for the Colts. Nelson has had a habit of outplaying the contract he signs, and the Colts have enough cap space left to bring in a free agent or two on the defensive side of the ball.
As their roster stands now, they can’t expect to compete against the top-level teams in the NFL, much less slow down their opponents in the AFC South. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, and Houston Texans all improved their passing game by bringing in deeper wide receiver rooms than last year. If the Colts have any chance of keeping up, they need to improve their defensive secondary, and Nelson would do just that.
