A look at the best and worst NFL free-agent additions from last offseason showed a useful pattern. The teams responsible for making the 10 best additions were operating from positions of strength, having combined for a 98-61-1 record during the previous season (2013). The teams associated with the 10 worst additions had gone only 63-97.
NFL teams in the best position to spend in free agency frequently are the ones in the worst position to maximize their free-agent investments. The typical veteran addition can make a good team better, but he is not going to turn around a bad one. I'll have that in mind as weaker teams such as Oakland and Jacksonville enter free agency armed with salary-cap space to spare and strong motivation to spend. How much can they improve their fortunes by adding players who were, by definition, deemed expendable by their previous teams?
The 10 players on my "buyer-beware" list below are talented and/or productive enough to command more than minimum salaries. Some could be worth the risk at the right price and in the right situations, but there are reasons to question whether they're worth a significant investment.
(For a complete look at the 2015 free-agent class, check out Bill Polian's best available FAs list and Insider's team guides.)
Buyer-beware free agents
1. Nick Fairley, DT, Detroit Lions
Fairley is supremely talented, but he has never played a 16-game season. The Lions were worried enough about his health and consistency to refrain from exercising a fifth-year option on his rookie contract. That is a red flag.