Last Friday, Lions GM Bob Quinn observed the heightened challenges that undrafted free agents (UDFAs) will face this offseason due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Quinn also observed that his team will likely not have a huge number of UDFAs due to already having 78 players on the roster. Combine that with the nine draft pick the Lions currently hold, and it’s easy to do the math to see why Quinn comes to that prediction.
After reading that, I decided it would easy enough to calculate estimations on the number of UDFA signings for all 32 teams. The table below and to the left has very simple math: take the sum of current rostered players as estimated by OTC and draft picks each team holds, and subtract that from 90 to provide the estimated UDFA signings each team could make.
Team | Current Rostered Players | Current # Of Draft Picks | Estimated UDFA Signings |
Chargers | 58 | 7 | 25 |
Ravens | 57 | 9 | 24 |
Rams | 61 | 7 | 22 |
Titans | 62 | 7 | 21 |
Falcons | 64 | 6 | 20 |
Buccaneers | 64 | 7 | 19 |
Cardinals | 66 | 6 | 18 |
Panthers | 64 | 8 | 18 |
Vikings | 60 | 12 | 18 |
Saints | 69 | 5 | 16 |
Bengals | 67 | 7 | 16 |
Bears | 67 | 7 | 16 |
Seahawks | 67 | 7 | 16 |
Eagles | 66 | 8 | 16 |
Packers | 64 | 10 | 16 |
Chiefs | 70 | 5 | 15 |
Browns | 68 | 7 | 15 |
Cowboys | 70 | 7 | 13 |
Bills | 70 | 7 | 13 |
Patriots | 66 | 12 | 12 |
Texans | 72 | 7 | 11 |
Colts | 72 | 7 | 11 |
Jaguars | 67 | 12 | 11 |
Redskins | 73 | 7 | 10 |
Giants | 70 | 10 | 10 |
Steelers | 76 | 6 | 8 |
49ers | 78 | 7 | 5 |
Jets | 77 | 8 | 5 |
Raiders | 79 | 7 | 4 |
Lions | 78 | 9 | 3 |
Broncos | 79 | 10 | 1 |
Dolphins | 78 | 14 | -2 |
Now, obviously these estimates will not be exact. Numerous trades will be executed during the draft that will change these numbers. Teams may also terminate the contracts of some currently rostered players to make room for more UDFAs than they currently have available. Nonetheless, these estimates can provide us some insight on what teams may be planning for UDFAs, both during and after the draft.
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