Now that rosters have been cut there are a number of free agents on the market and names like Stephen Hill and Michael Sam could be options for teams like the Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, as the season gets closer to starting up on Thursday and this weekend.
Sam was released by the Rams and made it through waivers without anyone claiming him, while the Jets parted ways with their second round pick after a couple years of disappointment and another subpar training camp. According to ESPN.com, Sam may have some interest from teams in need of depth at defensive end or at the linebacker position in certain defensive schemes and if he doesn't make a roster he could be placed on a practice squad for teams, possibly the Rams.
Sam was a longshot to make the Rams roster as a seventh round pick and the fact that they were deep at defensive end did not help his chances. ESPN.com reports that the team may not be able to add Sam to the practice squad either, as they are dealing with injuries at multiple positions and will need those spots for other areas. Jeff Fisher said Sam did all that was asked of him and that he performed very well in the preseason and during training camp for the Rams after being taken in the seventh round from Missouri.
Hill and the Jets parted ways after two years of disappointment on both sides, as the team waived Hill and opted to move on after taking him in the second round in 2012. Hill was touted as a potential game changing player for the Jets, but he never could get things going on a consistent basis. Hill has great size and athleticism and some even compared him to Calvin Johnson, but he never came close to producing at that pace. The team traded up to take Hill and he dealt with issues catching the ball and Rex Ryan never seemed to take a liking to him, which in Rex's world is bad news.
Hill's agent said after the move that the Jets never gave Hill a fair shake and he has a point. The Jets had the Mark Sanchez-Tim Tebow situation in 2012 and that wasn't Hill's fault and the team now has given up on him after just two years. Receivers can often take time to develop in the NFL and with the QB situation the way it was in 2012 and with geno Smith as a rookie last season, the Jets may have been better off allowing some patience with Hill, at least for one more season.
The Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles or Cleveland Browns could be interested in either Sam or Hill, with Hill being more likely. Hill could be a perfect size receiver for Chip Kelly in the Eagles offense, while the Browns need depth at the position. The Browns let go of Nate Burleson and they have Josh Gordon suspended for the year and they could use another option behind Miles Austin and Andrew Hawkins.
