Chase Young, J.K. Dobbins, Curtis Samuel Among At Least 17 Former Ohio State Players Becoming NFL Free Agents This Week

At least 17 Buckeyes who played for NFL teams this past season are set to become free agents this week when the new NFL league year begins Wednesday. They’re allowed to begin negotiating with other NFL teams at noon Monday, when the so-called “legal tampering” period for impending free agents begins ahead of the official start of the league year at 4 p.m. Wednesday, when players can begin signing contracts with new teams.

This year’s free agency class includes plenty of Ohio State alums who should quickly receive interest from teams throughout the league.

The headliner among them might be 2020 No. 2 overall pick Chase Young, who becomes a free agent for the first time in his NFL career after the Washington Commanders traded him to the San Francisco 49ers last season. While Young hasn’t become the All-Pro he was expected to be as a draft prospect, he’s still flashed game-wrecking ability, earning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2021 and recording 7.5 sacks this past season with a sack in the Super Bowl. He won’t receive the massive contract he might have been expected to get a few years ago, but he should still generate significant interest based on his upside, as he is only 24 years old.

Young is one of six Buckeyes in his draft class who are set to become free agents for the first time this week. The most consistently productive players among them have been Jordan Fuller, who’s started 46 games at safety for the Los Angeles Rams over the past four years even though he was only a sixth-round pick, and Jonah Jackson, who’s been a rock-solid left guard for the Detroit Lions in his first four NFL seasons. Both of them rank among the top free agents at their respective positions and should command considerable interest in the open market if they don’t re-sign with their current teams.

Another notable Buckeye hitting free agency from that draft class is J.K. Dobbins. The former Ohio State running back had the unfortunate timing of tearing his Achilles in the final year of his rookie contract, which will hurt his market value as he has played in only 10 total games over the past three seasons due to multiple injuries. Dobbins’ recovery appeared to be going well in a video he recently posted to social media, but he’s a likely candidate to sign a one-year deal in 2024 with the potential to earn a bigger contract in 2025 if he can return to his pre-injury form.

5 1/2 months out #LaVuelta pic.twitter.com/2mr3Ku3K8S

— Jk dobbins (@Jkdobbins22) February 29, 2024

Jeff Okudah, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft, will also hit free agency this week after the Lions traded him to the Atlanta Falcons last season. Like Young, Okudah’s NFL career to date hasn’t lived up to the high expectations that come with being a top-three overall pick, but he’ll still garner some interest as a 25-year-old cornerback with 31 NFL starts under his belt, including nine with the Falcons in 2023.

Malik Harrison, who’s recorded 120 tackles in four seasons as a rotational linebacker and special teamer with the Baltimore Ravens, is also hitting free agency for the first time from the 2021 draft class. The only Buckeye from that draft class who has already signed a second contract with the team that drafted him is Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, who signed a three-year, $34.5 million contract extension last offseason to stay in Jacksonville.

Among Buckeyes who are now hitting free agency for the second time, the most coveted target will likely be Curtis Samuel, who is coming off back-to-back seasons in which he has topped 60 receptions and 600 receiving yards for the Washington Commanders. Still only 27 years old entering his eighth NFL season, Samuel’s ability to make plays as both a receiver and runner should make him an attractive second-tier option for teams looking to add another playmaker to their offense.

Curtis Samuel is set to hit free agency for the second time in his NFL career after three years with the Washington Commanders. (Photo: Eric Hartline – USA TODAY Sports)

Samuel is one of three Ohio State wide receivers set to hit free agency this week along with Noah Brown and Parris Campbell. While Campbell was the more coveted player when both hit free agency last year, Brown is likely to have a bigger market this year after catching 33 passes for a career-high 567 yards and two touchdowns in just 10 games with the Houston Texans. Campbell caught only 20 passes for 104 yards and zero touchdowns last season as a New York Giant.

Former Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott is also set to be a free agent for the second straight year. While Elliott is no longer the star running back who will command big money that he once was, he should land a short-term contract as a rotational back after leading the New England Patriots with 955 yards from scrimmage in 2023.

Cameron Johnston is hitting free agency for the second time in his NFL career and is one of the top punters in this year’s market after averaging 44 net yards per punt, the fourth-best average in the league, for the Houston Texans last season.

Tyquan Lewis, who signed a one-year deal to remain with the Indianapolis Colts last season, is testing the open market for the first time in his career and should be in a better position to attract free-agent interest after a career-best 2023 season in which he recorded 25 total tackles with nine tackles for loss, four sacks and three pass breakups.

The elder statesmen among Ohio State’s impending NFL free agents are defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, who is entering his 12th NFL season, and long snapper Jake McQuaide, who is entering his 14th NFL season. While both of them are only likely to receive short-term deals in the twilight of their careers, both of them continued to be effective starters this past season and should land new deals this offseason as a result.

Eli Apple, Nick Vannett and Jalyn Holmes round out the list of Buckeyes officially becoming NFL free agents this week after playing on one-year contracts last season.

Those 17 Buckeyes join Jerome Baker in the free-agent pool after he was released by the Miami Dolphins last week. Although he was cut by the Dolphins, who released him to save nearly $10 million in cap space, he should still be one of the most coveted linebackers in free agency after recording 78 total tackles with two interceptions.

Former Ohio State wide receiver Michael Thomas also appears likely to become a free agent as the New Orleans Saints are reportedly set to release him on Wednesday. According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the deal Thomas signed with the Saints last season was structured so that they would be required to release him on Wednesday, allowing him to test the open market for the first time in his NFL career.

Vonn Bell could also end up joining the Buckeyes’ free agent crop as the Carolina Panthers reportedly informed him Monday that he will be traded or released.

The full list of Buckeyes who are set to become free agents on Wednesday unless they agree to deals with their current teams before the new league year begins:

That list doesn’t include Justin Fields, who could be the most high-profile NFL Buckeye to change teams this spring if the Chicago Bears end up trading him. While Fields still has one year remaining on his rookie contract with the Bears, the Bears are expected to replace him by drafting USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft. A trade is not necessarily imminent this week, however, as ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler wrote Sunday that the Bears could wait until the top free-agent quarterbacks come off the board to trade Fields as they have not yet received the offer they’re looking for.