Six weeks from today, the NFL’s free agent period for 2015 will officially open. By that point, a number of the more notable names on our 2015 free agent list may be off the board, having reached new agreements with their current clubs, or perhaps receiving the franchise or transition tag.
That certainly applies to the players at the very top of teams’ free agent boards for the coming offseason — it’s hard to imagine the Cowboys letting Dez Bryant reach the open market, or the Broncos allowing Demaryius Thomas to test the free agent waters. Still, for now, those players are eligible for unrestricted free agency, and there’s no indication that they’re on the verge of long-term extensions.
Even though players like Bryant and Thomas may not ultimately reach the open market, we can still examine how they’d stack up against the year’s other top free-agents-to-be. In PFR’s most recent free agent power rankings, Dallas Robinson listed those receivers third and fourth respectively, trailing a pair of formidable defenders, in Ndamukong Suh and Justin Houston — Suh is arguably the NFL’s best defensive tackle, while Houston may be the league’s top pass rusher not named J.J. Watt.
The same four players topped the first edition of our FA power rankings as well, and seem to make up the first tier of 2015’s free agent class. Putting aside the fact that they won’t all actually become available, which of these four players would you consider the best free-agent-to-be of 2015?
Obviously, a team stacked on defense may prefer one of the wideouts, while a club heavy on receiving talent would lean toward one of the defenders, but if we assume all else is equal, who do you like best going forward? Suh, Houston, Bryant, or Thomas? After submitting your vote, feel free to weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below.
Wonder if the Bears apparently moving to a 3-4 means they will make a run at Houston