Los Angeles Chargers v Las Vegas Raiders - NFL 2025
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New veteran acquisitions, either by trade or signed as free agents, paying dividends were highlighted last week. The opposite end of the spectrum gets the focus this time around. 

Several veteran newcomers who haven't lived up to expectations so far have been identified. Contribution, availability, salary and draft capital to acquire were taken into account when making the selections. 

Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson aren't included because each was expected to be replaced by a rookie quarterback at some point this season. It happened sooner than anticipated. 

Wilson was benched for New York Giants first-round pick Jaxson Dart, who was taken 25th overall, after three games. Flacco lasted four games before Cleveland Browns third-round pick Dillon Gabriel took over. Obviously, neither was playing well. Both ranked near the bottom in completion percentage and passer rating. Flacco's six interceptions when he was benched were the NFL's second most through four games.

Justin Fields, QB, New York Jets

Fields' preseason struggles were dismissed instead of being seen as a warning sign after he played well against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the regular-season opener. It's been downhill for Fields ever since the Steelers game. Fields had a dubious distinction in Week 6's loss to the Denver Broncos, which dropped the NFL's only winless team to 0-6. Fields was sacked nine times in producing a franchise-worst minus-10 net passing yards. The 2021 first-round pick has a tendency to hold the ball too long and doesn't see the field as well as he should in his fifth NFL season.

Coach Aaron Glenn was taken aback at questions about whether Fields should be benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor. Fields may have a fairly long leash because of economics. The Jets signed him to a two-year, $40 million deal with $30 million fully guaranteed as an unrestricted free agent in March.

Geno Smith, QB, Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders dealt a 2025 third-round pick to the Seattle Seahawks for Smith in March to provide quarterback stability after having six players start at quarterback since releasing Derek Carr, following the 2022 season. Shortly after the trade, Smith was given a two-year, $75 million contract extension, averaging $37.5 million per year with $50.5 million in guarantees where $42.5 million was fully guaranteed at signing. Incentives and salary escalators make the deal worth as much as $84 million.

The trade reunited Smith with Pete Carroll, who was hired as Raiders coach in January. Carroll was Smith's coach during the first five years of his six years in Seattle. 

Smith hasn't resembled the player who was named 2022's NFL Comeback Player of the Year. He leads the NFL with 10 interceptions while the Raiders are off to a 2-4 start. Smith is the first to throw 10 interceptions in the first six games since Kirk Cousins in 2020. His 77.6 passer rating is 31st in the NFL.

Smith could have a short stint in Las Vegas if he can't get the interceptions under control like Cousins did. Cousins only had three more passes picked off for the rest of the 2020 season. 

Out of Smith's $26.5 million base salary in 2026, $18.5 million was fully guaranteed at signing. The Raiders would pick up $8 million of 2026 salary cap space by releasing Smith before the remainder of his base salary becomes fully guaranteed next March 13 on the third day of the 2026 league year.

Dan Moore Jr., OT, Tennessee Titans

Moore received a four-year, $82 million contract with $50 million in guarantees, of which $42.51 million was fully guaranteed at signing to be a key upgrade for the Titans on the offensive line. The signing allowed JC Latham, 2024's seventh overall pick, to move to right tackle, his position in college at Alabama. Things haven't gone as planned. The four sacks Moore has surrendered are tied for the NFL's fourth most among left tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. The 18 quarterback pressures (combined sacks, quarterback hurries and quarterback hits) Moore has allowed are also the sixth most for a left tackle as tracked by PFF. 

Evan Engram, TE, Denver Broncos

Engram quickly found a home in Denver after being a salary cap casualty of the Jacksonville Jaguars in early March. He signed a two-year, $23 million contract worth up to $26 million through incentives with $16.5 million fully guaranteed. 

Coach Sean Payton envisioned Engram operating in the "Joker" role as an offensive weapon who moves around to create mismatches like he utilized to great success with his offenses during his 15 years coaching the New Orleans Saints. Engram, who has been slowed with calf and back issues, has 17 receptions for 137 yards and one touchdown in five games this season. The Broncos will need to get Engram more involved in the offense to reach his potential.

Paulson Adebo, CB, New York Giants

The Giants signed Adebo to a three-year, $54 million deal (worth up to $57 million through incentives) with $38.5 million in guarantees where $34.75 million was fully guaranteed at signing to be their No. 1 cornerback. Adebo has allowed the second most receptions (29) and the fifth most receiving yards (308) among cornerbacks this season, according to PFF.

Adebo struggled in coverage against both CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens in Week 2's game with the Dallas Cowboys. A.J. Brown got the better of Adebo in Week 6's contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Under PFF's lockdown percentage metric, which measures how well a defender prevents a receiver from getting open, Adebo is at 31.07%. By contrast, Charvarius Ward, who signed a similar $18 million per year deal with the Indianapolis Colts, has a 55.56 lockdown percentage this season.

Haason Reddick, EDGE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Reddick was one of the NFL's most effective pass rushers before an ill-convinced 90-day holdout that ended during the latter part of October last season. He had one sack in the 10 games he played with the Jets after ending his holdout. 

NFL teams didn't give Reddick the benefit of the doubt for his 2024 performance as a big payday in free agency eluded him. Reddick signed a one-year, $14 million contract where $12 million was fully guaranteed with the Buccaneers. 

Reddick has yet to resemble the two-time Pro Bowler who was coming off four straight seasons with double-digit sacks prior to his holdout. The 31-year-old has 1.5 sacks in six games this year, which puts him on pace for four sacks.

Dre Greenlaw, LB, Denver Broncos

The Broncos ignored durability concerns about Greenlaw when signing him to a three-year, $31.5 million contract, averaging $10.5 million per year worth up to $34.5 million. Greenlaw looked great when making his short-lived 2024 season debut in Week 15 after recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in Super Bowl LVIII. Left knee soreness sidelined Greenlaw during the third quarter of his return game. A calf injury the following week landed Greenlaw on injured reserve. Greenlaw was on the field for just 34 defensive snaps last season. He was also limited to three games in 2021 because of a groin injury.

Greenlaw is on IR with a quad injury. He initially hurt his quad while training and couldn't participate in the offseason workout program because of the injury. A setback during training camp kept Greenlaw out of action in preseason games and the first two regular-season games before landing him IR. Greenlaw is now eligible to be activated from IR after missing the requisite four games after going on the list. He is expected to give an already stingy Broncos defense a boost once he returns. 

Cam Robinson, OT, Houston Texans

Robinson was signed to a one-year, $12 million contract worth a maximum of $14.5 million through incentives as a part of wholesale changes the Texans made in revamping the offensive line. The assumption was Robinson would replace Laremy Tunsil, who was traded to the Washington Commanders in March, at left tackle. Robinson's minor left knee injury during training camp opened the door for 2025 second-round pick Aireontae Ersery to take the starting role. Robinson had started all of the 101 games he had played in his eight NFL seasons prior to this year.

The Cleveland Browns losing starting left tackle Dawand Jones to a season-ending knee injury in Week 3 led to a trade for Robinson. The Texans acquired a 2027 sixth-round pick in exchange for Robinson and a 2027 seventh-round pick. Robinson was a healthy scratch in his final game with the Texans against the Titans in Week 4 before the trade. The Texans paid $9,415,032 for his four-game stint, which mostly consisted of an $8.75 million signing bonus.

Najee Harris, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Harris signed a one-year prove-it deal for a fully guaranteed $5.25 million, with an additional $4 million in incentives, despite rushing for over 1,000 yards in each of his four NFL seasons. An eye injury sustained in a Fourth of July fireworks mishap cost Harris practically all of the preseason. He wasn't cleared for full contact until a couple of days before the Chargers' regular-season opener. The Chargers were starting to gradually increase Harris' workload when he tore his left Achilles in Week 3 against the Broncos. Harris, who was expected to split time in the backfield with 2025 first-round pick Omarion Hampton, had 61 yards on 15 carries in the three games he played prior to his injury. 

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S, Houston Texans

The Super Bowl champion Eagles sent Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Texans for offensive guard Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth-round pick in March. Only $2 million of Gardner-Johnson's $7.75 million base salary was fully guaranteed until $6.58 million of this $7.75 million was converted to signing bonus a few days before Houston's regular-season opener. The remaining $1.17 million left as base salary was fully guaranteed.

Gardner-Johnson, who tied for the NFL's third most interceptions with six in 2024, started Houston's first three games, before he was released. Key missed assignments in those games, all one-score losses, and reported locker room friction led to Gardner-Johnson's departure. Gardner-Johnson joined the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad ahead of Week 6's games. He was granted his release after the Ravens subsequently acquired safety Alohi Gilman from the Chargers in a trade.