2016 NFL Free Agents: Wide Receivers

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2016 NFL Free Agency: Star rating is out of five. Age listing as of Sept. 1, 2016.
Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

  1. Alshon Jeffery, WR, Bears. Age: 26.
    Franchised by Bears

    Alshon Jeffery is one of the top free agents on the market. He’s a dynamic receiver who is just entering his prime. He logged 1,133 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2014 despite working with a lethargic Jay Cutler. He posted a 54-807-4 line in 2015, but played only nine games because of various injuries.

  2. Marvin Jones, WR, Bengals. Age: 26.
    Signed with Lions (5 years, $40 million; $17 million guaranteed)

    Save for the one season he missed, Marvin Jones has increased his numbers each year. He caught 65 passes for 816 yards in 2015. He’s an adequate No. 2 receiver with plenty of potential.



  3. Travis Benjamin, WR, Browns. Age: 26.
    Signed with Chargers

    Travis Benjamin entered the season as a mere situational deep threat. He blossomed, however, emerging as a viable No. 2 receiving option.

  4. Michael Floyd, WR, Cardinals. Age: 27.
    Claimed by Patriots

    Michael Floyd obviously has great physical talent as a first-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard barrier in 2013. However, he’s been completely dogging it this year, running lazy routes and dropping countless passes. The final straw was his DUI. The Cardinals waived him, but Floyd, just 27, still has time to turn his career around.

  5. Kamar Aiken (RFA), WR, Ravens. Age: 27.
    Tendered by Ravens (2nd)

    Kamar Aiken has been one of the few silver linings for the Ravens in their disastrous 2015 campaign. He has proven that he can be a quality No. 2 receiver.

  6. Rueben Randle, WR, Giants. Age: 25.
    Signed with Eagles

    Rueben Randle, who is a year removed from catching 71 passes for 938 yards, is just a sub-par No. 2 receiver. There’s nothing special here, as Randle sometimes struggles to get open.



  7. Anquan Boldin, WR, 49ers. Age: 35.
    Signed with Lions

    Despite the fact that he’ll turn 36 in October, Anquan Boldin is still a viable No. 2 possession receiver. Returning to Baltimore makes a lot of sense.

  8. Percy Harvin, WR, Bills. Age: 28.
    Announced retirement

    Time is running out for the Collard Kector, who can’t seem to stay healthy. Percy Harvin told the media that he’s contemplating retirement.

  9. Rishard Matthews, WR, Dolphins. Age: 26.
    Signed with Titans

    Rishard Matthews was a solid No. 2 receiver for the Dolphins in 2015. He had some quality performances early in the season before missing time with a rib injury at the end.



  10. Brian Quick, WR, Rams. Age: 27.
    Re-signed with Rams (1 year)

    Brian Quick was a second-round pick in 2012, but has never lived up to his potential. Quick looked like he was going to have a strong 2015 campaign, but a shoulder injury derailed his chances. Perhaps he’ll be better in 2016.

  11. Leonard Hankerson, WR, Bills. Age: 27.
    There has to be something wrong with Leonard Hankerson. He showed the ability to be a decent No. 2 receiver this year, but was released by both the Falcons and Patriots.

  12. Brandon LaFell, WR, Patriots. Age: 29.
    Signed with Bengals

    Brandon LaFell was a quality option for Tom Brady during the Patriots’ Super Bowl run in 2014, catching 74 passes for 953 yards and seven touchdowns. These numbers were inflated because of Brady, however, and LaFell could never get into a groove this past season because of a foot injury that forced him to miss five games. LaFell isn’t terrible, but he shouldn’t be a starter any longer.

  13. Mike Wallace, WR, Vikings. Age: 30.
    Signed with Ravens

    Mike Wallace is only getting a write-up because he’s a big name. He should be a 1.5-star free agent. He’s a bum who has quit on his teams, and now, given that he’s 30, he’ll begin to lose his speed rather quickly. He’ll probably get one more chance, but he’ll likely fail unless he’s paired with a top quarterback again like Ben Roethlisberger.

  14. Brian Hartline, WR, Browns. Age: 29.
    I’m not sure why Cleveland’s analytics told them that it was a good idea to cut a receiver who posted consecutive stat lines of 6-77, 8-74, 8-83 and 8-107 last season. Hartline, 30 in November, did this despite terrible quarterbacking this past year, proving that he can still play.

  15. Marques Colston, WR, Saints. Age: 33.
    Marques Colston probably should be a 1.5-star player at this point, but he’s a big name who was cut Feb. 29, so I’ll give him a write-up. Colston was released with a failed physical, so he’s obviously not healthy. This can’t come as a surprise, as Colston has been injured pretty frequently over the past several years. All of these injuries have taken a toll, so Colston is pretty close to being done.

  16. Roddy White, WR, Falcons. Age: 34.
    Roddy White should be a 1.5-star player at this point, but I’ll give him one final write-up before he either retires or disappears into oblivion. White was a great player for a long time, and he helped Matt Ryan develop. Unfortunately, his career has come to an end. He turns 35 in November and can’t get any sort of separation any longer. He caught just 43 passes for 506 yards in 16 games in 2015. If a team signs him for some reason, it shouldn’t be for anything more than the veteran minimum.

  17. Jermaine Kearse, WR, Seahawks. Age: 26. — Re-signed with Seahawks (3 years)
  18. Mohamed Sanu, WR, Bengals. Age: 27. — Signed with Falcons (5 years, $32.5 million; $14 million guaranteed)
  19. Chris Hogan (RFA), WR, Bills. Age: 27. — Signed with Patriots (3 years, $12 million)
  20. Devin Hester, WR/KR, Falcons. Age: 33.
  21. Brandon Gibson, WR, Patriots. Age: 29.
  22. James Jones, WR, Packers. Age: 32. — Signed with Chargers
  23. Marc Mariani, WR/KR, Bears. Age: 29. — Re-signed with Bears (1 year)
  24. Chris Givens, WR, Ravens. Age: 26. — Signed with Eagles
  25. Marlon Brown (RFA), WR, Ravens. Age: 25. — Signed with Broncos
  26. Andre Holmes, WR, Raiders. Age: 28. — Re-signed with Raiders
  27. Nate Washington, WR, Patriots. Age: 33.
  28. Jaron Brown (RFA), WR, Cardinals. Age: 26. — Tendered by Cardinals
  29. Hakeem Nicks, WR, Saints. Age: 28.
  30. Greg Jennings, WR, Dolphins. Age: 32. — Announced retirement
  31. Rod Streater, WR, Raiders. Age: 28. — Signed with Chiefs
  32. Justin Blackmon, WR, Jaguars. Age: 26.
  33. Jordan Norwood, WR, Broncos. Age: 29. — Re-signed with Broncos
  34. Andre Caldwell, WR, Broncos. Age: 31. — Signed with Lions
  35. Kenbrell Thompkins (RFA), WR, Jets. Age: 28. — Re-signed with Jets
  36. Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Steelers. Age: 29. — Re-signed with Steelers (3 years)
  37. Andre Johnson, WR, Colts. Age: 35.
  38. Jason Avant, WR, Chiefs. Age: 33.
  39. Josh Bellamy (RFA), WR, Bears. Age: 27. — Re-signed with Bears
  40. Jeremy Ross, WR, Raiders. Age: 28. — Signed with Jets
  41. Lance Moore, WR, Falcons. Age: 33. — Announced retirement
  42. Brandon Tate, WR/KR, Bengals. Age: 28. — Re-signed with Bengals
  43. Jeremy Kerley, WR, Jets. Age: 27. — Signed with Lions


  44. Ricardo Lockette, WR, Seahawks. Age: 30.
  45. Riley Cooper, WR, Eagles. Age: 28.
  46. Dwayne Bowe, WR, Browns. Age: 31.
  47. Wes Welker, WR, Rams. Age: 35.
  48. Nick Toon, WR, Rams. Age: 27.
  49. DeVier Posey, WR, Broncos. Age: 26.
  50. Terrelle Pryor (RFA), WR/QB, Browns. Age: 27. — Tendered by Browns
  51. Brenton Bersin (RFA), WR, Panthers. Age: 26.
  52. Russell Shepard (RFA), WR, Buccaneers. Age: 25. — Re-signed with Buccaneers
  53. Tavarres King (RFA), WR, Giants. Age: 26.
  54. Chris Owusu, WR, Jets. Age: 26.
  55. Joe Webb, WR/QB, Panthers. Age: 29. — Re-signed with Panthers
  56. Stephen Hill (RFA), WR, Panthers. Age: 25. — Re-signed with Panthers (1 year)
  57. Seyi Ajirotutu, WR, Eagles. Age: 29.
  58. Deonte Thompson, WR, Bears. Age: 27. — Re-signed with Bears
  59. David Nelson, WR, Steelers. Age: 29.
  60. Brian Tyms (RFA), WR, Patriots. Age: 27.
  61. Kaelin Clay, WR, Ravens. Age: 24.




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