NFL teams are now through one of the most active transaction periods of the league calendar. On Sunday, teams cut their rosters down to 53 players. Then came the waiver claiming period and the building of practice squads. The dust is starting to settle as teams turn their focus to Week 1.The roster churn, however, never really ends in the NFL. There remain several veterans on the open market who could help teams in 2026. Now that active rosters are more finalized, these players have a better chance of finding homes in the near future.As far as specific timing, teams have a financial incentive to wait after Week 1 to sign vested veterans to their active roster. A vested veteran is defined as any player with four or more accrued seasons. If a vested veteran is signed before the start of the regular season and remains on the active roster through Week 1, his base salary becomes fully guaranteed. If a vested veteran is signed to the active roster after Week 1, his base salary is not fully guaranteed. So it could be another two weeks before we see some of the available veterans signing.What does the term “dead money” mean?Daniel Popper and Lauren Morales-JonesHowever, one loophole does exist. Veterans who are signed ahead of Week 1 to the practice squad — such as the Minnesota Vikings adding edge rusher Kyle Van Noy this week — will not have their full-season contracts guaranteed unless they are signed to the 53-man roster ahead of the first game.To set the stage for that next step in roster builds, here are 10 veterans still on the market who could make an impact in 2026.CB Kenny Moore IIThe Indianapolis Colts cut Moore in early May. He spent the first nine years of his career in Indianapolis. It is surprising that Moore still has not found a team for the 2026 season. Though he turned 31 in August, Moore remains one of the better nickel cornerbacks in the NFL. He is sound in coverage. He can defend the run. He can blitz. Nickels should be viewed as starters in the modern NFL. Last season, according to TruMedia, defenses were in nickel or dime packages — five or six defensive backs — on close to 70 percent of snaps. Teams in need of a starting-caliber nickel player should be targeting Moore.Edge Leonard FloydA number of the remaining veteran edge players signed with teams over late spring and summer. Cameron Jordan returned to the New Orleans Saints. Jadeveon Clowney signed with the Houston Texans. Von Miller signed with the Dallas Cowboys. Floyd is one of the last available players from this group. Joey Bosa is also still unsigned, but it’s unclear at this stage if Bosa even wants to play in 2026.Floyd had 36 pressures in 2025 while playing for the Atlanta Falcons, according to TruMedia. His 13 percent pressure rate ranked in the top 50 among players with at least 200 pass rush snaps. He is still a pretty explosive rusher and could fit as a third edge for a team in need of some depth.DL Denico AutryAutry spent the past two seasons with the Texans. He fit well as an interior rusher playing in between Houston’s star edge duo of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. Autry turned 36 in July. He is more of a passing-down player at this stage of his career. Autry is still a handful when he is matched up one-on-one with guards. He is an option for any team requiring some more interior pass rush along the defensive line. He is far more effective rushing inside than from the edge.OT Taylor DeckerDecker underwent right shoulder surgery after the 2024 season, and as our Colton Pouncy reported, the Detroit Lions franchise cornerstone never really recovered from the operation in 2025. Decker missed three games and regularly sat out Wednesday practices as he managed the injury. He requested his release from the Lions in March after contract negotiations broke down. By the end of the year, Decker was essentially playing left tackle with one arm. He used his right arm only when absolutely necessary. Decker was still quite effective, which says a lot about him as a player. Decker’s ability to help a team in 2026 will come down to his health.OT Jonah WilliamsWilliams’ two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals were stunted by injuries. He was limited to six games in 2024 because of right knee issues. In 2025, he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 10. When Williams was on the field, he was still a serviceable starter at right tackle, primarily because he is savvy in pass protection. Like with Decker, Williams’ health is the concern. He will turn 29 in November.CB Marshon LattimoreLattimore suffered a torn ACL in Week 9 of last season while playing for the Washington Commanders. He turned 30 in May. Before the injury, Lattimore still looked pretty capable as a press corner. He has the size and play style to be physical at the line of scrimmage. He was still showing the speed to carry vertical routes in bump-and-run looks. A defense looking to major in man coverage could be interested in Lattimore, depending on how his injury recovery is progressing.If Marshon Lattimore has recovered well from a torn ACL, he’s still capable of helping a team. (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)LB Bobby WagnerWagner turned 36 in June, and last season with the Commanders, his diminishing athleticism affected his performance as a coverage player. He cannot make plays sideline to sideline like he could when he was earning All-Pro recognition six times. Wagner can still make an impact as a downhill run defender and blitzer. He could fit into an off-ball linebacker rotation as an early-down player.G Kevin ZeitlerZeitler remained a reliable run blocker during his one season with the Tennessee Titans in 2025. He turned 36 in March and has been very durable over his career. Zeitler has played at least 15 games in every season since 2015. He had some breakdowns in pass protection on his film last season, but he is still a quality NFL starter. Any team in need of a veteran run blocker should be interested in Zeitler.WR Brandin CooksThe receiver market, like the edge market, has thinned out through the late spring and summer. Stefon Diggs signed with the Commanders. Keenan Allen signed with the Colts. Deebo Samuel Sr. signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Cooks is the best remaining player of this group.Tyreek Hill is still available, of course. But his injury situation is just too uncertain to make a roster at this stage. Hill is unlikely to be an option until much later in the season.Cooks can threaten defenses vertically. He is a refined and deceptive route runner. I like the Miami Dolphins as a fit here. Their offense is extremely thin at receiver. New quarterback Malik Willis needs some veteran help.OT Cam RobinsonRobinson has bounced around in recent seasons from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Vikings to the Texans to the Cleveland Browns. He has become the player teams target if they need a starting replacement at left tackle because of injuries. The Vikings traded for Robinson after starter Christian Darrisaw suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2024. The Browns traded for Robinson after starter Dawand Jones suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2025. Robinson is an imperfect player, but he is functional as a run blocker and a pass protector. The experience — 114 career starts — is attractive. Robinson turns 31 in October.