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Top 2017 Free Agents By Position: Defense

February 24th, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

NFL free agency will get underway on Thursday, March 9th, and while the list of free agents will change between now and then, we do have some idea of who will be available when free agency kicks off. The frenzy is right around the corner and it’s time for us to break down the outlook for each position. After looking at offense, we’ll tackle defense and special teams today.

Listed below are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each defensive position. These rankings aren’t necessarily determined by the value of the contracts – or the amount of guaranteed money – that each player is expected to land in free agency. These are simply the players we like the most at each position, with both short- and long-term value taken into account.

Restricted and exclusive-rights free agents, as well as players who received the franchise tag, aren’t listed here, since the roadblocks in place to hinder another team from actually acquiring most of those players prevent them from being true free agents.

We’ll almost certainly be higher or lower on some free agents than you are, so feel free to weigh in below in our comments section to let us know which players we’ve got wrong.

Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by defensive position for 2017:

Edge defender:

The Cardinals have already made it abundantly clear that Chandler Jones will see the franchise tag this offseason, and Melvin Ingram and Jason Pierre-Paul are also candidates to be tagged by the Chargers and Giants, respectively. If the latter two are able to hit the open market unfettered, however, they both figure to break the bank. Ingram, Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 edge defender, could be a fit for both 3-4 and 4-3 schemes, while JPP will be looking for a long-term commitment after signing consecutive one-year deals.

The rest of this year’s crop of free agent pass rushers is a blend of young defenders searching for their first payday and veterans on the hunt for one last contract. Among the players with youth still on their side, Packers edge defenders Nick Perry and Datone Jones figure to interest different clubs, as Perry is a better match for a 3-4 defense while Jones needs to restart his career as a 4-3 defensive end. John Simon has been overlooked while playing alongside the likes of J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, and Whitney Mercilus but could represent a hidden gem, while the Dolphins are reportedly prioritizing Andre Branch.

After managing nine sacks over the first nine years of his NFL tenure, Lorenzo Alexander busted out with 12.5 quarterback takedowns in 2016, and now could be looking for a double-digit annual salary. James Harrison and Charles Johnson, meanwhile, look like good bets to return to Steelers and Panthers, respectively, but DeMarcus Ware could be something of a wild card — after missing 11 games in the past two seasons, does the 34-year-old have enough left in the tank? The same could be asked of Dwight Freeney, who at age-37 posted three sacks in a rotational role for the Falcons.

Interior defensive line:

Unlike the edge defender market, the 2017 cadre of interior defensive lineman shouldn’t be overly affected by the franchise tender. Head coach Ron Rivera recently confessed the Panthers will “probably” have to use the tag on Kawann Short, but the rest of the defensive tackles listed here should be able to hit the open market. Of the remaining defenders, Campbell is the best overall player, but given that he’s entering his age-31 season, he may not cost as much as Johnathan Hankins, Brandon Williams, and Dontari Poe.

Hankins is only 24 years old, and though the Giants are trying to retain him along with the rest of their defensive core, the 6’3″, 320-pound mauler should represent an attractive option to a number of clubs this offseason. Williams, too, offers a massive presence on the inside, while Poe could intrigue clubs based on his first-round pedigree and athleticism (though his play hasn’t always matched his potential). The Redskins’ Chris Baker is a solid, well-rounded defensive tackle, and could constitute a consolation prize for teams that miss out on their top targets.

The rest of the class offers an interesting mix of nose tackles (Bennie Logan), interior pass rushers (Nick Fairley, Earl Mitchell), and run stoppers (Karl Klug, Alan Branch), so clubs hoping to bolster their defensive line should find no shortage of options. Jared Odrick recently hit free agency after being released by the Jaguars, while Terrell McClain, Lawrence Guy, and Stacy McGee could be underrated finds for the right team. McClain, for what it’s worth, has already been linked to the Falcons.

Linebacker:

As usual, the non-rush linebacker market isn’t exactly overflowing with elite talent, and Dont’a Hightower stands as far-and-away the best player among this group. The Patriots already traded away several of their best defenders, including Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins, an indication that they view Hightower as the best best to stick around long term. Hightower has communicated an openness to the franchise tag, but New England may go in another direction and offer him the transition tender instead.

Coming off a disappointing four-year run with the Titans in 2016, Zach Brown was last year forced to sign a one-year deal with the Bills for less than $1.5MM. That won’t be the case this spring, as Brown finally lived up to his second-round draft status by grading as one of the league’s best ‘backers. Brown especially excelled in pass coverage by using his speed to chase pass-catchers around the field, and in today’s NFL, that’s a skill-set that equals a hefty paycheck.

Kevin Minter has captained the Cardinals defense for the past two seasons, and has indicated he wouldn’t mind following Arizona defensive coordinator Todd Bowles to New York. Lawrence Timmons, meanwhile, is talking about a return to the Steelers, but general manager Kevin Colbert admitted an agreement between the two sides could be hard to reach. After years of playing behind Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, A.J. Klein is seeking a starting job, while Mike Morgan and Nick Bellore are more likely to be signed as primary special teamers.

Cornerback:

The Texans are unlikely to use the franchise tag on A.J. Bouye, a decision which sets up the young corner to be the single-most intriguing player on the 2017 free agent market. Only 25 years old, Bouye came out of nowhere to grade as PFF’s No. 3 corner in 2016. But the former undrafted free agent played on less than 900 defensive snaps over the first three years of his career, so he’s going to get paid on essentially one season of production. Bouye earned less than $3MM total during his time with Houston — his next contract could contain five times that amount…annually.

The cornerback market stands as one of the best free agent positional groups this offseason, as strong players permeate the list from top-to-bottom. Trumaine Johnson faces an outside shot of being franchise-tagged, but if he hits the open market, he’ll likely be aiming for a contract similar to that of his former Rams teammate Janoris Jenkins (five years, $62.5MM). Elsewhere among corners, Stephon Gilmore is a more high-profile name than Logan Ryan, but Ryan has simply played better over the last few campaigns, and offers a more dependable output.

Morris Claiborne is a former first-round pick but didn’t play like it until last season. Dre Kirkpatrick is a former first-round pick but has never played like it. The rest of the cornerback list has warts, as well: Prince Amukamara has dealt with injury, Kayvon Webster has only two career starts, Terence Newman is entering his age-39 season, and Sam Shields is coming off multiple concussions. All of these players offer upside, but they are all undoubtedly attached to risk.

Safety:

The Chiefs are working to re-sign Eric Berry, but if the two parties can’t agree to a new deal, Kansas City will likely employ the franchise tag for the second consecutive season. The only problem? Berry is adamant that he won’t play under the tag again, even though it would guarantee him a one-year salary of nearly $13MM. Realistically, Berry won’t have any choice but to sign the tender — given that he’s already 28, he can’t afford to sit out the season and risk hitting the open market at close to 30 years old.

Tony Jefferson, meanwhile, is expected to hit free agency, and could be the second-highest paid safety in this class behind Berry. Jefferson did reach the free agent market in 2016 as a restricted free agent, but he didn’t come with draft compensation attached. Any club could have signed him to an offer sheet, and if the Cardinals declined to match, would have acquired Jefferson scot-free. No team did so, which could be an indication that Jefferson’s 2016 market could be less robust than expected.

Also working against Jefferson is the fact that he plays close to the line of scrimmage, a role that’s relatively easy to fill, as Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus explained on a recent podcast. Duron Harmon, on the other hand, has demonstrated an ability to play deep safety, and thus could be in for a surprisingly high salary. The Cowboys’ Barry Church is “solid at everything, great at nothing,” tweets Andy Benoit of Sports Illustrated, while Jonathan Cyprien and T.J. McDonald are primarily run defenders. Darius Butler may be the most fascinating case among this list of safeties, as the former corner should theoretically offer above-average coverage skills.

Kicker:

The Seahawks don’t figure to re-sign Steven Hauschka after bringing in fellow kicker Blair Walsh, but the longtime Seattle placekicker should be able to quickly find a new home in free agency. Nick Novak attempted the second-most field goals in the NFL last season after many Texans’ drives stalled, while Robbie Gould filled in admirably for the Giants after they released Josh Brown, converting of all ten of his field goal attempts.

Nick Folk was released as a cap casualty, and still has the talent to become another club’s kicker, while Mike Nugent — cut by the Bengals at midseason — may be nearing the end of the road after missing six extra points. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Phil Dawson come back for a fifth season with the 49ers, but Greg Zuerlein could move on from the Rams after the club threatened to bring in competition last offseason.

Punter:

Jeff Locke, 27, managed to pin opposing clubs inside the 20-yard line 34 times in 2016, good for fifth in the league. Britton Colquitt isn’t quite the punter that his brother, Dustin, is, but he found a new club soon after being cut last season and should do so again in 2017. Now 40 years old, Shane Lechler is a seven-time Pro Bowler, but the Texans lost 12.7 points of field position on punts last season, meaning Houston could go in another direction at punter.

Browns Sign Britton Colquitt

September 5th, 2016 at 8:25am CST by Ben Levine

MONDAY, 8:25am: Colquitt’s one-year deal with the Browns is worth $1.7MM, tweets Mike Klis of 9News in Denver.

SATURDAY, 5:54pm: The Browns announced that they’ve waived Palardy to make room for Colquitt.

10:12am: It didn’t take long for punter Britton Colquitt to find a new team. Days after being cut by the Broncos, the 31-year-old has signed a one-year deal with the Browns, reports ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). As our own Zach Links noted, as a vested veteran, Colquitt wasn’t subject to waivers.

Colquitt is only the latest punter to join Cleveland this offseason. After trading away punter Andy Lee for another punter in Kasey Redfern, the Browns also brought in Michael Palardy. Considering Colquitt’s track record, the team will presumably be going with the 31-year-old. The veteran has averaged 45.2-yards-per-punt during his career, and he’s placed at least 20 punts per season within the 20-yard-line.

Colquitt, who was the Broncos longest-tenured player, was replaced by rookie Riley Dixon in Denver. At the time of his release, his agent said the veteran was willing to take a $1MM pay cut on his $3.25MM salary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Broncos Cut Britton Colquitt, Others

August 30th, 2016 at 3:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Another member of the Broncos’ Super Bowl winning team has left Denver. Punter Britton Colquitt was among the players released today, according to a team announcement. As a vested veteran, Colquitt is free to sign with any club and is not subject to waivers. Rookie Riley Dixon now figures to be the Broncos’ punter in 2016.

Colquitt has been with the Broncos since late in the 2009 season and was the Broncos’ longest-tenured player. Now, 2010 first-round pick Demaryius Thomas stands as the longest-tenured player in Denver. Colquitt’s agent tells Mike Klis of 9NEWS (on Twitter) that he was willing to take a $1MM cut from his $3.25MM salary. Last year, he accepted a pay cut from $3MM to $1.6MM.

Yesterday, it was reported that the Broncos were gauging trade interest in Colquitt. Apparently, Denver could not find any takers. The Vikings, Cardinals, and Bears are among the teams that could show some interest in the punter now that he is available.

The Broncos also waived offensive tackle Kyle Roberts and wide receiver Bralon Addison. Tight end Garrett Graham has been placed on season-ending IR.

Broncos Shopping Britton Colquitt

August 28th, 2016 at 6:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

6:39pm: The Broncos are now gauging trade interest in Colquitt, according to Klis, who lists the Vikings, Cardinals, Panthers, and Bears as plausible suitors for Colquitt.

5:56pm: The Broncos have asked punter Britton Colquitt to accept a pay cut, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. Vic Lombardi of Altitude Sports (Twitter link) was the first to report that Denver was discussing a restructure with Colquitt.

Colquitt, 31, is scheduled to earn a $3.75MM base salary, and will count $4MM against the Broncos’ salary cap. If Colquitt refuses a pay decrease and is released, Denver would take on $750K in dead money on its 2016 cap. For what it’s worth, Colquitt told Lombardi (Twitter link) that expects the Broncos to cut either him or sixth-round rookie Riley Dixon today or tomorrow, as Colquitt doesn’t think the club would carry two punters into the final preseason game.

Colquitt didn’t play in Saturday night’s preseason game against the Rams, as the Broncos told him before the contest that Dixon would handle punt and holding duties. “Usually they tell you a little sooner but I knew all week that could be a possibility,’’ Colquitt told Mike Klis of 9NEWS. “I’ve only punted six times (in the first two preseason games), he had only punted five times. You can’t take a chance on somebody if you haven’t seen him punt. I had a feeling that would probably happen, which is fine.’’

After accepting a pay cut prior to last season and lowering his base salary by about $1.4MM, Colquitt proceeded to appear in all 16 games, averaging 39.7 net yards per punt, good for only 20th in the NFL.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Goff, Rams, Hardy, Cowboys

May 8th, 2016 at 4:14pm CST by Zachary Links

We’re only a few days into rookie minicamp, but it sounds like Jared Goff might be setting himself up for the Rams‘ starting job already.

“He’s doing a great job picking up our offense,” coach Jeff Fisher told the team’s website. “We’ve given him a lot more information than we did at the private workout and then that we did here at our meeting, and he’s handled it without any problem. And that’s the impressive thing…I passed him last night walking to the room and he was leaving the meeting room at 10 o’clock. He’s that kind of guy. He’ll spend the time. It’s important to him.”

Here’s more from the NFC:

With Greg Hardy and Jeremy Mincey no longer in the mix at defensive end in Dallas, the Cowboys will be counting on unsung pass-rushers to get after opposing quarterbacks during the 2016 season, as Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram details.
After their former punter, Brad Nortman, headed to Jacksonville in free agency, the Panthers will head into camp with Swayze Waters and Michael Palardy competing for the 2016 job. However, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer observes, there should be veteran options out there if Carolina wants to go in that direction. Former San Diego punter Mike Scifres is already a free agent, while Denver’s Britton Colquitt is a release candidate.
The Eagles are set to hire Joe Douglas as their personnel chief. Douglas, who joined the Bears approximately a year ago, spent the previous 15 years with the Ravens, serving as Baltimore’s national scout from 2012 to 2015.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Spiller, Scherff, Lanning, Giants

August 15th, 2015 at 3:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

C.J. Spiller became the latest key performer to have an injury end his preseason and potentially put the start of his regular season in doubt.

The Saints‘ presumed passing-down back underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Friday but is expected to make his Saints debut in Week 1, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, on Twitter.

Spiller, who did not play in the Saints’ initial preseason game, joins Zach Ertz, Julius Thomas and Jonathan Cyprien among the contingent that’s seen injuries make August a rehabilitation month.

Here are a few other items from around the league, beginning in Washington.

No. 5 overall pick Brandon Scherff may no longer play a position worthy of that kind of draft expense, with Washington coach Jay Gruden noting the Iowa product’s future will be at guard, per the Washington Post’s Mike Jones (on Twitter). Scherff’s currently slotted at right guard on Washington’s depth chart to accommodate 2014 third-rounder Morgan Moses, who sits atop the right tackle pecking order despite starting just one game last year. Gruden told media, including Jones (Twitter link), Scherff’s permanent move inside is due to Moses’ progression, not the decorated rookie’s inability to stick at right tackle.
Jones also points out Zach Miller isn’t a realistic option for Washington’s tight end crisis, with the former Raiders and Seahawks starter still not fully recovered from the ankle injury that ended his 2014 season (Twitter link).
Tom Coughlin confirmed Mykkele Thompson‘s Achilles’ tendon tear and noted higher-profile Giants rookie safety Landon Collins has a sprained MCL, per NJ.com’s Jordan Raanan. Collins is expected back by Week 1 but will probably miss most of the preseason, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Vacchiano, on Twitter, also offers that Collins being back for the start of the Giants’ season isn’t a lock, with the recovery time for MCL sprains being 2-6 weeks.
Vying for the Broncos‘ kicker job after each had it for parts of last season, Brandon McManus and Connor Barth combined to go 5-for-5 in field goals Friday night, but Mike Klis of 9News notes that the Denver kicking competition now includes Spencer Lanning, should the team opt to go with one kicker and Lanning as a punter/kickoff specialist. The Browns’ punter before June’s Andy Lee trade, Lanning also poses a threat to longtime punter Britton Colquitt, who seemed safe after agreeing to reduce his salary by $1.4MM earlier this month.
Fifth-year outside linebacker Gabe Miller will work out for the Browns, tweets Adam Caplan of NFL.com. A fifth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2011, Miller’s only played in seven games in four years, each coming last season with Washington.

Broncos, Britton Colquitt Rework Deal

August 3rd, 2015 at 12:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos and Britton Colquitt have agreed to rework their deal for the upcoming season, according to Jeff Legwold and Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Colquitt had a 3.75MM cap figure and his salary will now be closer to $1.6MM, Legwold tweets.

Until the pay cut was agreed to, Colquitt had the ninth-highest salary cap figure on the Broncos for this season. The reworked contract, Yates tweets, will give Denver an additional $1.4MM in cap space. Colquitt, 30, has appeared in every regular season game for the Broncos over the last five seasons.

Cap Work Remaining For Broncos

July 5th, 2014 at 8:59am CST by Matt Feminis

Until rosters are cut down to 53 players, teams are required to be under the $133MM salary cap with their top 51 salaries. In the wake of an aggressive offseason which included signing big-ticket free agents Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, DeMarcus Ware and Emmanuel Sanders, the Broncos’ top 51 costs $132MM, meaning John Elway and Co. have some bookkeeping to do between now and the end of training camp, explains ESPN’s Jeff Legwold.

Key points:

The team is trying to lock up free agents-to-be Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas long-term.
Including rollover, the team has about $4.6MM of workable cap space.
“Quarterback Peyton Manning has the team’s highest cap figure, at $17.5 million and the Broncos have the biggest cap gap of any position between starter and backup with No. 2 Brock Osweiler, still on his rookie deal, coming in at $959,094 against the cap.”
The team has seven tight ends on the roster, five of which — including Thomas, Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen — are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents in 2015.
“Dead money” hits include Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie ($2.1MM), Chris Kuper ($1.83MM) and Willis McGahee ($500k).
Terrance Knighton‘s representatives were seeking a renegotiation of his contract which calls for him to make $2.75MM in 2014 before the big defensive lineman hits free agency, but the team did not acquiesce.
Kicker Matt Prater and punter Britton Colquitt will cost a combined $7.4MM against the cap this season.