Typically after the NFL Draft is over, there is another wave of free agency with teams filling holes that they could not during the draft. Could these three players end up getting signed quickly after the draft? There are still some top-tier free agents left on the marketing including Justin Simmons, Quandre Diggs, Tyler Boyd, and many others.
Especially contending teams, other clubs who miss out on filling certain roster holes will turn to the FA market after the draft for some post-draft additions. This isn't a new fad, but it's something that typically happens. With the amount of quality FAs still left on the market, let's try to predict the first three post-draft free agency moves.
Predicting first free agency moves after 2024 NFL Draft concludes
1. Justin Simmons to the Pittsburgh Steelers
Antonio Brown was reporting that Justin Simmons signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers was going to happen. I will let you decide if you'd like to trust Brown, but honestly, the Steelers do have a need in the secondary, and Russell Wilson is already on the Steelers. Why not Simmons? He spent his entire career with the Denver Broncos before being cut, and is still without a team.
The Steelers will probably take a DB early on in the 2024 NFL Draft, but to further bolster the backend, they could make the best safety duo in the NFL with Simmons and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
2. Tyler Boyd to the Los Angeles Chargers
A veteran WR coming onto the Los Angeles Chargers after the 2024 NFL Draft makes some sense. The Chargers parted with both Mike Williams and Keenan Allen this offseason, so their already shaky WR room is even more unstable. They hold the fifth overall pick in the NFL Draft and could use that to land a top WR prospect like Malik Nabers or even use it on an offensive tackle.
LA trading down for more capital might be their best move considering how weak their roster is, and even if they come away with multiple rookie WRs, adding a quality veteran like Tyler Boyd to raise the floor of that move makes sense.
3. Emmanuel Ogbah to the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles traded for a very good DE in Montez Sweat during the 2023 NFL Season, and it had an instant impact on the unit as a whole. I'm sure he plans on adding more help along the defensive front during the 2024 NFL Draft, but what if he did that and still brought in another talented DE?
Emmanuel Ogbah is still out there and has been a 20+ QB hit player in this league before. Perhaps in a rotational role, Ogbah can be another quality veteran presence up front. With Caleb Williams likely heading to Chicago, Poles is now in the part of his tenure where hitting on a rookie QB can give him financial flexibility to make fun moves like this all over the roster.