5 NFL free agents who are shockingly still available in late March

4. Shaquill Griffin, CB, Jaguars

Vic Fangio, while he was still the head coach of the Denver Broncos, once spoke some very true words about the cornerback position in the NFL. To paraphrase what he said, he essentially spoke on the fact that there are basically 96 “starting” cornerback spots in the NFL today with how much time teams spend in the nickel, but there aren’t 96 starting-caliber guys floating around the league.

You need to have good cornerbacks in the NFL today, and Shaquill Griffin is a good one.

He only played in five games last season, but Griffin has been a Pro Bowl player in the past and that’s why he was given a big-time contract by the Jacksonville Jaguars a couple of years ago in free agency. As the Jaguars have gotten better, they’ve had to make some tough financial decisions and Griffin was one of them.

Unfortunately, we can see why Griffin’s value might be lower now than it was a couple of years ago. He hasn’t had an interception since he was a member of the Seattle Seahawks, but there is no doubt that Griffin can play and be an asset. He’s only 27 years old going on 28 and he’s always played a pretty physical brand at the cornerback position.

When you look at cornerbacks available in NFL Free Agency who are younger and could contribute on the outside, there aren’t many like Griffin, who also was cut so he doesn’t affect the compensatory draft pick formula.

He should be able to sign a short-term deal somewhere and really prove to be a nice value at this stage and juncture of free agency.