4 risky NFL free agents worth taking a shot on

With NFL free agent season heating up, teams get set to spend their salary cap money on players they hope will put them over the top. There’s always a gamble in acquiring outside talent this time of year — some players end up not being a good fit for the system, while others will simply be too expensive and not live up to their salary number.

This year’s class is interesting on a number of levels. The cap number rose again, so several teams have more money than ever to spend on free agents. On the other hand, many of the top-shelf stars (Le’Veon Bell, Eric Berry, Jason Pierre-Paul, Chandler Jones, Kirk Cousins) have already been locked up through the franchise tag. With money to spend and not many great players to spend it on, we could see a lot of wacky contract numbers handed out over the next several days.

With few sure things on the open market, teams will have to take risks on players who have a history of production, but struggled in recent years. The free agents on this list all have various questions about their future, but could easily bounce back in the right scenario. Winning the lottery on risk-reward signings can make a huge difference in the NFL, so let’s take a look at six players who could reward teams for taking a chance.

After a promising two years, the shine is off Lacy a bit following a disappointing 2016 campaign. Injuries limited him to just five games, while questions about his weight and conditioning persisted. Meanwhile, the Packers scraped together a viable running attack with converted wide receiver Ty Montgomery.

But all hope is not lost for Lacy, who is just 26 years old. When healthy and in shape, he’s a punishing runner who can grind out yards and move the chains with his bruising style. Despite undergoing ankle surgery, he should be ready for training camp. There are a lot of red flags with Lacy, but if the Green Bay Packers decide not to bring him back, he’ll be a good value signing for a team looking to upgrade its run game.

With all the controversy over the national anthem protest and the general tire fire that is the San Francisco 49ers, something slipped under the radar — Kaepernick can still play, sort of. At 29 years old, he is what he is: a gifted athlete who will struggle with accuracy and doesn’t really bother to look beyond his first read. However, he put up some pretty decent numbers last year, throwing 16 touchdowns to just four interceptions, and racking up 468 yards on the ground.

This year’s free agent QB market is so barren that Mike Glennon of all people could command $15 million a year. Instead of overpaying Glennon or trading a king’s ransom for Jimmy Garoppolo, why not take a shot on Kaepernick? It’s not like the other options are that much better.

Shields’ concussion history is legitimately scary, and a severe one cost him nearly the entire 2016 season. It’s fair to wonder if he should even continue playing at this point. But if he’s able to get fully cleared and resume his career, he’ll be a fine under-the-radar signing. The 29-year-old has proven himself to be a solid No. 1 cornerback with the Packers when he was healthy.

Freeney is near the end of the line at age 37, and he’ll probably have to settle for one-year offers in free agency. But he’s not completely washed up yet — even in limited snaps, Freeney still had three sacks and was a calming presence on the Atlanta Falcons’ young defensive line. The beloved veteran will mostly be coveted for his locker room leadership, but Freeney still has a little production left to provide on the field. It’s entirely possible that Atlanta brings him back for one more run.