Any NFL club aiming to seriously upgrade its roster through free agency in June is clearly not adept at personnel management, but small tweaks can still be made as the summer begins. While headliners such as Colin Kaepernick and Anquan Boldin remain unsigned, it’s often lesser-known players that can make incremental differences once the season gets underway.
After looking at offense on Saturday, let’s examine the best remaining free agents on the defensive side of the ball:
Edge defender
Now entering his age-37 campaign, Dwight Freeney had to wait until August to find a contract last offseason, and it’s possible he’ll be on the market until late summer once again in 2017. He’s made it clear that he intends to play, however, and the Falcons could conceivably be interested in a reunion. Atlanta will see Derrick Shelby return from an injury-plagued campaign, and the club also spent a first-round pick on Takkarist McKinley, so it’s unclear if the Falcons are searching for another pass rusher.
Mario Williams is the bigger name, but Erik Walden has actually drawn more interest on the free agent market. While Williams hasn’t been mentioned in connection with any team, Walden has been linked to both the Titans and Jets. Per Pro Football Focus‘ grades, Williams was the far more effective player in 2016, as he ranked roughly 50 spots higher than Walden and earned positive marks in run defense.
One edge rusher who didn’t quite make this list is former Buccaneer Howard Jones, who is still recovering from a torn ACL. Jones is only 27 years old and managed five sacks in limited snaps as recently as 2015. He met with the Jets earlier this year and was expected to make a decision on a new team, but still has yet to land a deal.
Interior defensive line
Dan Williams is the type of defensive lineman that is slowly being removed from the field as NFL offense move to more spread-based looks. The 6’2″, 330-pounder played on only a third of the Raiders’ defensive snaps a year ago before being released in the spring, and hasn’t met with any clubs since. Massive run-stuffers aren’t a need for most clubs in 2017, but if a team wants a force in the middle, Williams is the best available.
Like Williams, Jared Odrick received his walking papers earlier this year, but he’s drawn a bit more interest than the former Oakland defender. Odrick has been linked to the Seahawks, Eagles, and Giants, and also met with the Patriots (although Odrick may not want to play in New England). Although he played in only six games in 2016, Odrick has been a reliable defender for much of his career and isn’t yet 30 years old.
Arthur Jones and Vance Walker are very similar players: classic 3-4 defensive ends who probably are best in a two-gap scheme. Unfortunately (at least for them), NFL teams are exponentially moving towards one-gap fronts, meaning Jones and Walker might fit better as defensive tackles. Both have dealt with injuries in recent seasons and could struggle to find much — if any — guaranteed money.
Linebacker
Based solely on 2016 production, Perry Riley may be the single most notable player who’s still on the free agent market. In fact, he’s one of only two of PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents who has yet to find a contract (the other being offensive tackle Ryan Clady). The Raiders seem to want Riley back, especially after not adding much to their linebacking unit this offseason, and given that some rumblings of retirement seem to have been unfounded, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Riley in silver and black by the time the season gets underway.
While Riley posted a breakout season in 2016, DeAndre Levy regularly posted excellent campaigns for the Lions before injuries severely limited his production. In 2013-14, Levy was one of the best off-ball linebackers in the NFL, but he’s appeared in only six games over the past two years. Levy was reportedly planning a health grievance against the Lions earlier this year, which could suggest his knee condition won’t allow him to play any time soon.
D’Qwell Jackson and Rey Maualuga are essentially worse versions of fellow linebacker David Harris, who signed with the Patriots last week. Harris landed a two-year, $5MM deal that contains only $1.25MM guaranteed. The former Jet graded as the league’s No. 35 linebacker in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, while Jackson and Maualuga ranked as bottom-10 at the position. Maualuga, for what it’s worth, did meet with the Chiefs earlier this year.
Cornerback
Darrelle Revis will earn $6MM in guaranteed base salary from the Jets in 2017 even though he’s no longer on their roster, and that money could complicate his free agent market. Any salary he makes from a new team will offset his New York cash, and no club is likely to offer Revis more than the $6MM he’s earning from Gang Green. Two clubs reportedly showed interest in Revis in May, but his market may be limited. I ran down the top eight fits for Revis earlier this year.
Given that both are best served in the slot, Alterraun Verner and Leon Hall are very similar players. Hall may still be the more talented defensive back, but given that Verner is four years younger, the former Buccaneer figures to draw more free agent interest. Indeed, Verner worked out for the Jaguars in May and expects to sign with a club this summer.
One player who should be listed here based on talent is former 49ers cornerback Tramaine Brock. Brock, 28, posted a superb 2016 campaign but was released after being arrested on domestic violence charges. Teams were reportedly “keeping tabs” on Brock and may have been interested if the charges had been dropped, but given that Brock was officially charged earlier in June, his NFL career may be over.
Safety
Corey Graham has been consistently excellent since becoming a starter in 2012, posting positive marks for the Ravens and then Bills while playing both corner and safety. He’ll be 32 years old later this summer, which could limit his appeal, but Graham would add a veteran presence to any team in need of experience in the back end. The Giants, Browns, and Buccaneers stand out as potential fits for the 10-year pro.
Both Jairus Byrd and Marcus Gilchrist were recently released from large contracts with the Saints and Jets, respectively, but both players could still contribute as deep safeties on cheap deals. Most depth safeties are going to be asked to play special teams, and Byrd (103 snaps) and Gilchrist (45 snaps) both did a little of that in 2016. If clubs are searching for more pure special teamers, however, Steven Terrell, Kelcie McCray, and Jonathan Meeks could be of interest.
As with the cornerback list, there’s one safety who isn’t included here based on non-performance reasons: former Dolphins defensive back Isa Abdul-Quddus. IAQ was released in March after suffering a serious neck injury last year. Certainly, Abdul-Quddus shouldn’t risk his future health in order to return to the field, but if he can get medically cleared, he should be able to contribute to a safety-needy club.
I would love to see Wilfork back with pats and Williams come to the pats
I agree with wilfork coming back that would be great.
Corey Graham has been consistently excellent ? Like hell he has. If he was so excellent the Bills would have kept him. He was mediocre at best.