Kelvin Beachum could be NFL Free Agent bargain
Kelvin Beachum was released and replaced by the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he could end up being one of the top free agency bargains in 2017…
The NFL Free Agent market is always an interesting roller coaster ride. Many teams will overpay for average talent, while some teams will sit back, and wait for the smoke to clear before taking more calculated risks.
More often than not, it’s the patient teams that ‘win’ in free agency, and one player that could be on the radar of such teams this year is 27-year old left tackle Kelvin Beachum. Beachum just had his four-year option declined by the Jacksonville Jaguars, making him a free agent when the new league year opens on March 9th.
The Jaguars swiftly moved to add Miami Dolphins left tackle Branden Albert after hearing he was about to be released to the open market. Jacksonville didn’t want to get in a bidding war, and traded a late-round pick for Albert.
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Beachum played just one season with the Jaguars on a fairly low-risk deal for the team, considering he was coming off of ACL surgery the year prior. The former seventh round pick out of SMU showed he could be a starting tackle in the NFL when he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but didn’t stick in Jacksonville after struggling with concussions early in the season, and having knee issues flare up in the later portion of the season.
Players are usually not their best just one year (or less) removed from major knee surgeries, but the year after that, are typically back at full strength. Hopefully that’s the case with Beachum, who reportedly played with pain for at least half of this past season.
That would explain his struggles, but will also be a major factor in why he will be available at much lower than market price for a young left tackle. There will be risk involved in signing him, but there aren’t many great options available at left tackle on the open market, and this was once a pretty highly coveted free agent.
If he can get himself fully healthy, he could wind up being a very nice bargain for some team on the lookout for a sneaky risk/reward move on the free agent market.