Alberta Spruce: brown needles and dead spots

Today I picked up 12 Alberta Spruce that were on clearance and paid almost nothing. Some of them have some brown needles and/or dead spots. Should I plant them right away, or leave them potted for a while in order to try to revive them? They are about 2 ft tall.

Get them in the ground! I think the pots are most likely the problem. Rough up the root ball so that any roots growing in a circular fashion are pointed outward as much as possible.