Lot of unsigned free agents returning from injury across the NFL

Teams across the league are set to have players report for training camp Tuesday, including the Seattle Seahawks. While camp won’t actually open and get started for those players until Saturday, as every player will be required to pass two COVID-19 tests on Tuesday and Friday before being allowed to enter the facility on Saturday. With the Seahawks making moves to trim the roster down to 81 Sunday, and freeing up a few million in salary cap space, the interest of fans has been piqued as many appear to believe an addition on the defensive line is imminent.

Whether or not the Seahawks add one of the big name players wanted by the fans, the simple fact is that there are a lot of notable free agents available who ended 2019 either missing time due to injury or playing through injury. As Field Yates of ESPN noted Monday morning, here is a list of some bigger names who remain available with training camps set to open.

The majority of names on that list dealt with some kind of injury issues during the 2019 season, so the fact they remain unsigned is not a surprise as teams have been unable to have players into their facilities for free agent visits and the corresponding physicals. To dig into the details, here is a quick summary of the players on the list and the injuries they dealt with:

• Jadeveon Clowney: sports hernia
• Everson Griffen: quad injury
• Devonta Freeman: foot and knee injuries
• Darqueze Dennard: started 2019 on PUP following knee surgery and had a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars fall apart after agreeing to terms in March
• Damon Snacks Harrison: groin and knee injuries
• Delanie Walker: ended 2019 on IR due to an ankle injury
• Dre Kirkpatrick: ended 2019 on IR with a knee injury
• Timmy Jernigan: suffered a broken foot in 2019

There are, of course, plenty of other recognizable names who remain free agents, including Mike Daniels, Marcel Dareus, Jabaal Sheard, Brandon Mebane, Vinny Curry and a long list of others. With the salary cap situation for 2020 and 2021 gaining a little clarity in recent days, teams will now have a better understanding of where they stand both this season and going forward, so a flurry of activity in the coming days should not be unexpected.