While most of the significant NFL free agents have already either re-signed with their teams or found new homes, there are still some decent names available.
That particularly applies to the wide receiver position.
There are numerous wide outs remaining on the free-agent market who can potentially be of a big help to a new ballclub, and they probably won’t cost too much, either.
Here are the the top three bargain receivers still left in free agency.
D.J. Chark
There was a time when it looked like D.J. Chark was about to ascend into the upper echelon of receivers in the NFL, but injuries ended up derailing him.
However, Chark is still just 27 years old and is coming off of a solid 2023 campaign in which he logged 35 catches for 525 yards and five touchdowns with the Carolina Panthers.
Chark represents a great red zone target with his 6-foot-3 frame, and he has a 1,000-yard season under his belt back in 2019 with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Will he ever reach those numbers again? Probably not, but teams in need of an auxiliary option in their aerial attack can’t go wrong with adding Chark.
It should also be noted that Chark played in 15 games in 2023, so he was healthy most of this past year.
Josh Reynolds
Josh Reynolds was never really on anyone’s radar until this past season, when he displayed big-play ability by catching 40 passes for 608 yards and five touchdowns for the Detroit Lions.
Reynolds has been in the league since 2017, and prior to 2023, he only achieved over 500 yards receiving once, which came in 2020 when he totaled 618 yards with the Los Angeles Rams.
So, is Reynolds an elite guy? No, and he never will be.
However, like Chark, he is a big target at 6-foot-3, and he averaged 15.2 yards per catch this past season.
Reynolds just turned 29 years old last month, so he surely still has a few good years left in the tank, and for a team in need of a decent No. 2 or very high-end No. 3 receiver, Reynolds would be a fine addition.
Tyler Boyd
Tyler Boyd is the most obvious name on this list.
Boyd has a pair of 1,000-yard seasons to his name, which occurred in back-to-back campaigns with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018 and 2019.
The 29-year-old has been the Bengals’ No. 3 option the past couple of years, and even as the tertiary guy behind Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Boyd still managed to haul in 67 receptions for 667 yards and a couple of touchdowns in 2023.
While he has never hit the 1,000-yard mark again since 2019, he has totaled over 800 yards twice, most recently doing so in 2021.
Boyd is a beacon of consistency and has been mostly healthy for his career, so whoever gets him will be adding a very reliable weapon.
The fact that Boyd is still available is pretty odd, but maybe he is asking for a multi-year deal that no team is willing to give him at this point.
Honorable Mention: Odell Beckham Jr.
You’re probably wondering where Odell Beckham Jr. was on this list.
He was bumped off in favor of Chark, who is four years younger and does not come with the same baggage.
Now, Beckham probably won’t cause too many locker-room issues at this stage of his career, if any at all. Even he knows he is no longer a No. 1-caliber receiver, and he isn’t even really a No. 2 anymore.
Beckham had a very disappointing 2023 campaign with the Baltimore Ravens, finishing with 35 grabs for 565 yards and three touchdowns.
The 31-year-old also has a very bad knee, so any team that signs him will be taking on a pretty significant injury risk.
Beckham will land somewhere, but the chances of the 1,000-yard Beckham of old returning are basically zero at this point.
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