Jeremy Maclin's surprising Friday night release by the Kansas City Chiefs saves the team $10 million on this year's salary cap and makes Maclin the best available free-agent wide receiver for teams still looking to add veteran help at that position. And there are a few such teams.
Maclin just turned 29 in May. And while he had an unproductive and injury-plagued season in 2016, he caught 172 passes for 2,406 yards and 18 touchdowns in the previous two seasons. He was healthy enough to participate in Kansas City's OTA workouts, and his track record indicates that he can expect to find work somewhere for 2017. The question is: where?
So here's a partial list of teams that make sense from the outside as possible Maclin landing spots, along with a quickie explanation. In no particular order:
Buffalo Bills. No one knows whether 2014 first-round pick Sammy Watkins will be or stay healthy. The Bills drafted Zay Jones in the second round, but none of the veterans they brought in this offseason -- Andre Holmes, Philly Brown, Rod Streater -- come with Maclin's resume. The Bills coaching staff also has plenty of familiarity with Maclin. Quarterbacks coach David Culley was the Chiefs' wide receivers coach for both of Maclin's years in Kansas City, and of course, Bills head coach Sean McDermott and assistants such as Juan Castillo and Chad Hall were in Philadelphia when Maclin spent the early part of his career there.
Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore's current depth chart at wide receiver looks like a fence someone forgot to finish painting. The Ravens have still-unproven 2015 first-round pick Breshad Perriman, veteran Mike Wallace and nothing but question marks. They didn't even draft a receiver. Add in Friday's loss of tight end Dennis Pitta -- their leading receiver in 2016 -- to another hip injury, and you have a team that needs to add passing-game weapons for Joe Flacco. Baltimore offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg served in the same capacity in Philadelphia when Maclin was there. The only issue is cap space. As of Friday morning, the Chiefs and Rams were the only teams with less cap space than Baltimore, and now it's probably just the Rams. Speaking of which:
Los Angeles Rams. They signed Robert Woods away from Buffalo and still have 2013 first-rounder Tavon Austin. They drafted wide receivers in the third and fourth rounds of this year's draft and sound high on third-rounder Cooper Kupp. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't look to add a veteran. If they can afford him, Maclin would be the best receiver on their roster.
Cleveland Browns. If you're still dreaming of a Josh Gordon return, you haven't been paying attention. Cleveland's starters appear to be 2016 first-rounder Corey Coleman and free-agent signee Kenny Britt. They also picked pass-catching tight end David Njoku in the first round in April. But none of that prevents them from adding a veteran wideout for depth.
San Francisco 49ers. Even after adding Pierre Garcon, Marquise Goodwin and old Kyle Shanahan favorite Aldrick Robinson to a nearly empty wide receivers room, the Niners had hoped to draft a receiver early. They didn't take one until the fifth round (Louisiana Tech's Trent Taylor) and are still piecing together one of the league's thinnest rosters.