Fansided

2015 NFL Free Agency: Five best players still free agents

By Andrew Garda

Nov 23, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) catches the ball against Washington Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland (26) during the second quarter at Levi
Nov 23, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) catches the ball against Washington Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland (26) during the second quarter at Levi /
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Dec 28, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Oakland Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski (61) line up to snap the football across from members of the Denver Broncos in the first quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Oakland Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski (61) line up to snap the football across from members of the Denver Broncos in the first quarter at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Stefen Wisniewski

While former Oakland Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski has been solid since getting drafted in the middle the second round in 2011, last season saw him play middle-of-the-road football for the Raiders. They are replacing him with Rodney Hudson, who was exceptional for the Kansas City Chiefs last season.

Aside from his team upgrading on him, Wisniewski finds himself available at a position which is never really in high demand. Even though centers can be critical to an offensive line, teams tend to draft for them and then hold onto those players as long as possible. Or even if their current center isn’t playing well, they may feel tied into the guy for contractual or monetary reasons.

Even when a franchise needs a center, they’ll wait and grab one later in free agency.

Which leaves Wisniewski twisting in the wind a bit.

Still, it’s a bit of a surprise teams like the Cincinnati Bengals or San Diego Chargers haven’t made an offer as their center play in 2014 was poor. Wisniewski has had some interest from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, but no offers as of now.

Both New England and Seattle could use Wisniewski. New England has Bryan Stork, who was not good last year, while Seattle traded away Max Unger—who was one of the best centers in the NFL last year per Pro Football Focus (subscription required)—in the trade which brought Jimmy Graham to Seattle.

More than likely Tampa Bay hangs with Evan Dietrich-Smith another year as a lot of the problems Dietrich-Smith had could be traced to the fact that the entire offensive line was bad.

Any of those teams—and a few more—could benefit from Wisniewski, who I think will bounce back this year in the right circumstance. A smart, confident player who you can trust to ruin your offensive line, Wisniewski probably wouldn’t have much problem adapting to and learning a new blocking scheme.

If you’re looking to solidify your line, Wisniewski is a good anchor to build on.

Next: Brandon Spikes

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