The final days of February were filled with big-name cuts across the league as NFL teams make room under the salary cap by parting ways with high-salaried players.

Cuts are always part of the business of the NFL, but there is one slight advantage that players cut in February are given by their former teams. Those players get a head start on some of their peers and have a week to find a new job before the market becomes flooded with free agents.

One such player, former Bucs quarterback Josh McCown, who was cut by Tampa Bay on February 11, has already rebounded and signed a three-year contract with the Cleveland Browns on Friday. Here are franchise fits for eight other recently cut players who could benefit from their early releases and find a new home before the market opens in a week.

Darnell Dockett to the Washington Redskins

The Arizona Cardinals released Dockett on Friday after he would not agree to a pay cut from his nearly $7 million salary for 2015, which carried a cap hit of nearly $10 million for the Cardinals. Depending on what Dockett can find on the open market, the two sides may reconvene to discuss a reduced deal, but the three-time Pro-Bowler will certainly have other suitors. Though he will be 34 when the season begins and is coming off an ACL tear that cost him the entire 2014 season, Dockett had proven to be an exception to the aging rule, and played in all but two of Arizona’s games over 10 seasons before the knee gave way last summer.

Plenty of teams will be seeking pass rush help this offseason, but one of the teams with the most glaring need up front will be the Redskins, who released Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen this week and also may watch Brian Orakpo walk via free agency. We all know Dan Snyder likes to make splashy moves and isn’t afraid to bring in aging vets. Dockett fits the bill in both cases. The outspoken Dockett, a Maryland native, has professed a lack of desire to come play for his hometown team in the past. But anyone who follows Dockett on Twitter also knows that money talks and Snyder’s checkbook could change his tune.

A.J. Hawk to the San Francisco 49ers

Hawk was phased out by his former team, the Green Bay Packers, in-season, leaving the writing on the wall of an impending cut long before it actually happened. Hawk’s production, or lack thereof, had a large impact on his ouster from the Packers starting group. The nine-year veteran was so ineffective and the inside linebacker situation in Green Bay got so dire, that he was essentially benched late in the season, and the Packers were forced to move outside pass rush specialist Clay Matthews inside.

What is on tape of Hawk the last few seasons won’t appeal to many teams in need of help at linebacker. That’s why I don’t like the idea of Hawk winding up on a team that has serious needs to address at linebacker. Instead, I think he’s a better fit in a place like San Francisco, where Patrick Willis and Navorro Bowman are both expected to return from injury for 2015. Hawk could take a short-term deal to serve as insurance and spell both players, while using the competition with two of the better inside linebackers in the game to try and prove himself worthy of one more long-term deal down the road.

Kendall Langford to the Dallas Cowboys

Langford is another player who was phased out of his role and starting position last year, overtaken in St. Louis by rookie sensation Aaron Donald, the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. With Donald playing so well at the 3-technique, and Michael Brockers, Robert Quinn, Chris Long and later William Hayes holding down the other positions on the defensive front, Langford started just four games for the Rams. For that reason, his production was limited and his $6 million salary was an easy cut from the St. Louis payroll.

But there’s been no real indication that Langford isn’t still capable of producing. The Cowboys have big needs along the defensive line. They thought they were filling one with Henry Melton last offseason, but after a fast start Melton declined and Dallas did the same with his option. The Cowboys believe they’ve found a centerpiece to the line in Tyrone Crawford at 3-technique, but they could swing the versatile Langford outside to five-technique defensive end where he played with the Miami Dolphins before heading to St. Louis, or place him alongside Crawford at the 1-tech. He’d been an upgrade at either spot.

Steven Jackson to the Pittsburgh Steelers

Jackson, who ranks 16th in NFL history in rushing yards, is searching for his third NFL team after parting ways with the Falcons on Thursday. Jackson spent two seasons in Atlanta and was never able to establish the rhythm that led him to eight straight 1,000-yard seasons with the St. Louis Rams. But running behind a porous Falcons offensive line, Jackson showed he still has something left in the tank at age 31. His 3.7 yards per carry in 2014 essentially matched the YPC number put up by his peers in the Falcons backfield, including rookie Devonta Freeman.

Where Jackson will likely find a fit is with a contender that has a lead back already in place. Enter the Steelers, who have Le’Veon Bell leading the way. Jackson can serve as change of pace to the workhorse Bell, while also providing the Steelers with great protection for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger when he’s in the game as a pass blocker. Additionally, if Bell is suspended for the first two games of the season as is expected, Jackson can step in and carry the load in his stead.

Reggie Bush to the San Diego Chargers

The Detroit Lions released the enigmatic Bush after an injury plagued 2014 season during which he rushed for just 297 yards despite playing in 11 games, though that somehow wasn’t a career low. Bush turns 30 on Monday and has never been able to match the hype in the NFL that he created in high school and then college at USC. But he’s just one-year removed from a solid 2013 campaign in which he rushed for over 1,000 yards in 14 games for the Lions.

If he can find a franchise with a plan to get him into the open field and utilize him there, where he’s still among the best in the league at making people miss, he could still have a lot left to give. Of course, Bush must also get healthy to make that happen. But heading home to San Diego might be just the ticket to revitalize him mentally. And the Chargers under Mike McCoy have already proven able to put a running back in position to succeed in that role, as evidenced by Danny Woodhead’s 76 receptions out of the backfield in 2013. Bush can be used in a similar role, as well as on gadget plays, to give Philip Rivers one more weapon and make the Chargers offense even more difficult to handle.

Brian Hartline to the Denver Broncos

Hartline found himself somewhat phased out of the Miami Dolphins plans in 2014. The six-year veteran finished with just 63 targets, 39 catches and 474 yards receiving despite playing in all 16 games, after back-to-back 130-target, 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 2012 and 2013. With the downturn in usage, it came as no surprise that the Dolphins sent Hartline packing this week. Still, at just 28 years old with a mostly impressive résumé from his time in Miami, Hartline has a lot to give some franchise.

Plenty of teams will be in the market for a receiver of Hartline’s skillset, but the destination that stands out as the best fit is Denver, where the offense is in a state of flux, even with Peyton Manning expected to return. Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker and Julius Thomas are all free agents, and while Demaryius Thomas is expected to return via the franchise tag, if not a long-term deal, the other two are far from certain. Enter Hartline, who can complement D. Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, and take the majority of the targets that previously went to J. Thomas and Welker.

Jacoby Jones to the Detroit Lions

Jones was about as big a part of the Baltimore Ravens’ success over the last several seasons as a return man can be, but after he slid down the depth chart at receiver in 2014, his salary was deemed to be too big a cap hit for use in that role alone. Still Jones’ numbers as a returner in 2014 were fairly comparable to those of previous years, complete with a 108-yard kick return touchdown against the Steelers. Though he also had a few fumbles on punts, that’s always been part of the Jacoby Jones experience, and 2014 marked his third straight season with two giveaways.

Teams should have learned by now what they get with Jones. He’ll never be a guy that can excel at wide receiver, but he’s a game-changing return man and for the right price, I think that’s worth it for several contending teams. The one with the most glaring need is Detroit. Lions returners only brought the ball out of the end zone 20 times last year and their 544 kick return yards were second worst in the league. Jones had 32 returns for 978 yards for the Ravens and averaged better than 30 yards per return. Field position is a big part of setting an offense in the right direction in the NFL and if Jones can help the Lions improve theirs, he’s worth signing up.

Harry Douglas to the Seattle Seahawks

The Atlanta Falcons are cleaning house and trying to get younger under new coach Dan Quinn and one of the first casualties was Douglas, who met and often exceeded expectations during his six years with the franchise. Douglas was hampered by injury in 2014, which limited him to parts of 12 games. But he still caught 51 balls, the second highest total of his career and had a few big games down the stretch to help the Falcons stay in contention.

The 30-year-old receiver shouldn’t be looking for work for long, as his production, experience and talent will put him on the radar of a number of teams. The Seahawks desperately need to upgrade their talent at the wide receiver position to make Russell Wilson’s life and decision-making a lot easier. They’ve gotten solid production out of the likes of Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Paul Richardson, but Douglas is a cut above those receivers. Perhaps if it’s Douglas, not special-teamer Ricardo Lockette, on the receiving end of that ill advised slant late in the Super Bowl, Seattle wins another championship in spite of the play call.