1. Jason Gildon, OLB, Pittsburgh. Easily the top guy out there, though he'll be 32 on July 31. But is he the big, strong outside rusher who had 13.5 sacks in 2000 -- or the one who slipped to six in 2003? I know this: He's a great leader who will play hard until he keels over.
2. Zack Bronson, FS, San Francisco. A sign of the weakness of the crop is that Bronson, who's been hurt too much for my liking and who is 30, would be someone's answer in center field. But he's had some great days for the Niners -- like the last month of 2001, when he had five interceptions and made up for some green cornerback play.
3. Kurt Warner, QB, St. Louis. Risky as heck, because he's done absolutely nothing in the last two seasons to make you think he can be an above-average NFL starter anymore, never mind the second coming of John Unitas, which he looked like at the turn of the century. But I put him here for one reason. When the Giants gave him a thorough physical three weeks ago, they found nothing wrong with his right hand. Either that was a pie-in-the-sky exam or the guy really is OK physically. Though I'm skeptical he'll ever be very good again, he'll have a chance to prove it with the Giants.
4. Tim Couch, QB, Cleveland. He's looking for a magic carpet ride to a starting job, but he won't find it. If I were him, I'd walk to Green Bay, but I've been singing that tune for weeks.
5. Eddie George, RB, Tennessee. I suppose logic tells you to stay 500 miles away from George. He has 3.3-yards-a-carry written all over him, and that's not a winning per-rush average in the NFL. Since 2000, he has rushed for exactly 3.3 a carry. In 2003, he rushed for exactly 3.3 a carry. In the postseason last winter, he rushed for 3.3 a carry. So why should a team -- pick one: Dallas, Arizona, Houston (now there's a fascinating thought), Baltimore or the Giants -- take a million-dollar flyer on George? Because he's as proud a man as any in the NFL, and he'll be supremely motivated to give his all for one final season to show Titans owner Bud Adams he still has lots left in the tank.
6. Daryl Gardener, DT, Denver. Good luck, Leslie Frazier. It looks like Gardener, the supremely talented guy who it seems can never be happy in one place for too long, will end up with Cincinnati under Frazier, the young defensive coordinator. Well, Marvin Lewis must know something, because he had Gardener in Washington two years ago. For a guy who's supposed to be such a great interior pass rusher, 10.5 sacks in the last four years doesn't show me much.
7. Jeremiah Trotter, MLB, Washington. He probably has one more season left before chronic knee troubles kick him out of the game. I keep hearing Mike Holmgren and Totter's former coach in Philly, Seahawks defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes, want him for a year.
8. Vinny Testaverde, QB, New York Jets. Smart money says he'll land in Dallas, to back up whoever wins that job for one year. Watch out for a late challenge from the Patriots.
