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Top 2018 NFL Free Agents By Position: Offense

March 5th, 2018 at 10:09pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL free agency will get underway on Wednesday, March 14th, 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. We’ll start today on offense, before getting to defense and special teams later this week.

Listed below are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each offensive position. The rankings aren’t necessarily determined by the value of the contracts that each player is expected to land in free agency, they 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 are not listed here since they are unlikely to actually reach the open market. The same goes for players who have been franchise tagged or transition tagged.

We’ll almost certainly be higher or lower on some guys than you are, so we encourage you to make your voice heard in our comments section to let us know which free agents we’ve got wrong.

Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by offensive position for 2018:

Quarterback:

There were many difficult calls when putting this list together, but ranking Kirk Cousins as the No. 1 QB available was not among them. Cousins is the best quarterback to reach free agency in recent history and he’ll become the highest-paid player of all-time – at least, for some period of time – in mid-March. Who will make history with Cousins? That’s anyone’s guess right now. The Browns have more cap room than any other team, but a recent report from Adam Schefter of ESPN.com listed the Broncos, Cardinals, Jets, and Vikings as the final suitors for Cousins. Of those four, the Jets have the most money to work with, but they’re concerned about the Vikings winning out and Cousins’ desire to win could point him in another direction. If the Broncos and Cardinals want in on the Cousins sweepstakes, they’ll have to get creative with the books.

Drew Brees is included here, but by his own admission, he’ll be re-signing with the Saints rather than testing the open waters of free agency. Unless the Saints lowball their franchise QB, it’s hard to see him leaving New Orleans.

Case Keenum put together a tremendous season for the Vikings, but he doesn’t have a history of success beyond 2017. There will be plenty of interest in Keenum, but only after QB-needy teams strike out on Cousins. The incumbent Vikings could re-sign Keenum, but right now, it seems like they are intent on exploring the Cousins waters first.

There isn’t a ton of footage on A.J. McCarron, which made his placement on this list awfully tricky. We know this much: McCarron did well in place of Dalton in the home stretch of the 2015 season and his former offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was salivating at the chance of landing him before the Browns bungled the trade with the Bengals. McCarron’s relative youth is a plus (he won’t turn 28 until September) and his lack of experience can be looked at as a positive. Unlike some of the other names on this list, he hasn’t run up his NFL odometer.

What will NFL teams make of Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford this offseason? Not long ago, both seemed like quality starting options. However, there are serious injury questions about both players and any team signing them will either look to backstop them with another decent option or ask them to come onboard as a QB2. With that in mind, one has to wonder if Bradford would consider retirement if asked to hold the clipboard for another signal caller. Bradford has earned upwards of $110MM over the years in the NFL, so it’s safe to say that he has enough money in the bank to call it quits if he wants. For now, he’s intent on playing.

Colin Kaepernick‘s placement on this list is sure to draw some strong reactions from his fans and detractors alike. Looking purely at his football ability, there’s no question that he belongs on someone’s roster. At minimum, Kaepernick profiles as a high-end backup, even after a year out of the game.

Quarterbacks coaches have long believed that Mike Glennon is capable of great things, due in part to his height. At 6’7″, he can see over any defensive line, but he hasn’t done much on the field to prove that he is a quality Week 1 starting option. Josh McCown, who is a decade his senior, edges him here for his surprisingly strong performance in 2017 at the helm of a weak Jets offense.

Running back:

We’re in the illegal tampering period which, frankly, is just as active as the legal tampering period. Already, Dion Lewis is attracting attention from a number of teams and it’s speculated (wink wink) that the Jets, Texans, 49ers, Raiders, and Colts will have interest in him when things get underway next week. Le’Veon Bell has a franchise tag coming his way, so Lewis stands as the most attractive RB option out there.

Carlos Hyde didn’t have the kind of platform year he was hoping for, but he’s still just 26 and could headline a running back by committee group.

Jerick McKinnon‘s placement on this list figures to be controversial, but his athleticism and pass-catching ability can blow a game wide open. No one will bank on McKinnon to carry the ball 20 times per game, but he can be a real difference maker for a team out there.

Can Frank Gore outrun father time? History indicates that he can’t and so does his 3.7 yards per carry average in 2017. You have to give credit where credit is due, however. Gore has been ruled out by many for years, but he has not missed a regular season game since the 2010 season. He’s also just one year removed from cracking 1,000 yards and he almost did the same last year.

Wide receiver:

For most teams, Allen Robinson would be a franchise tag candidate. However, that may be too much of a luxury for the cash-strapped Jaguars. He presents a fascinating free agent case. Robinson missed all but three snaps of the 2017 season after suffering a torn ACL, but he’s the most talented wide receiver on the board in the eyes of many. His 2015 season – 80 catches, 1,400 yards, and a league-leading 14 touchdowns – makes GMs drool. His quieter year in 2016 (73 catches, 883 yards, and six touchdowns) is less worthy of salivation. His 2017 season, of course, was a lost cause. For all the question marks, you can expect Robinson to see more dollars than any other free agent WR this year, particularly since Jarvis Landry has been held back by the tag.

Some in the football world may prefer Sammy Watkins for his big-play ability, but his down contract year amidst a capable offense is cause for concern. His injury history doesn’t do him any favors either. No matter your feelings on Watkins, there’s no debating that this year’s WR market has a top tier comprised of just two players – Watkins and Robinson. With few quality receivers out there, they’ll both get paid.

Marqise Lee represents a much less sexy option (speaking in football terms, of course), but he had the most receptions of any Jaguars receiver in 2017 (56) and finished second in receiving yards (702). Teams looking for a quality WR2 in free agency could do a lot worse than Lee and he’ll be far cheaper than the two-man top tier.

Danny Amendola hauled in 61 receptions for 659 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season and continued his strong play in the playoffs. However, teams will wonder if he can thrive in his age-33 season while playing outside of the Patriots’ offense. It’s also quite possible that he never tests the market as his stated preference is to remain in New England.

After that, you’ll notice a pretty significant drop off. That’s because this year’s WR class isn’t all that deep. Terrelle Pryor had to settle for a one-year prove-it contract last year and, to put it mildly, he did not prove it. Paul Richardson caught 44 passes for 703 yards and six touchdowns in 2017, but that marked his first NFL season of real note.

Tight end:

Trey Burton spent most of the year behind Zach Ertz on the Eagles’ depth chart, but he emerged late in the season and set himself up nicely for free agency. Given his age and potential, there’s no question that he is the belle of the ball at tight end.

The rest of the tight end crop is not nearly as inspiring. Jimmy Graham has enjoyed back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons with the Seahawks, but he’ll turn 32 in November and he’s no longer the monster playmaker that he was in New Orleans. He had ten touchdowns in 2017, but his 9.1 yards per reception average is a career low.

Odds are, you have Tyler Eifert ranked over Austin Seferian-Jenkins given the fact that Eifert has played just ten games over the last two years. ASJ, meanwhile, rebounded from personal issues to post a 50-catch season for the Jets. Personally, I’m picking Eifert based on upside. Hopefully, we can still be friends.

Virgil Green, Darren Fells, and Lee Smith aren’t exactly fantasy football superstars, but they are quality blocking tight ends that will draw more dollars than expected.

With some uninspiring names towards the backend of the list, you may be wondering where former Ravens notable Crockett Gillmore is on this list. Gillmore is transitioning to the offensive line, so he did not warrant consideration here.

Fullback:

Jon Gruden may go eagerly shopping for fullbacks, but they’re not nearly as popular as they once were.

Offensive tackle:

Offensive line play is down across the board and evaluators around the league have been openly complaining about an increasing dearth of tackles coming out of college. That makes for a generally uninspiring lot in free agency.

Nate Solder battled through injuries in 2017 and did not miss a game. He’s no longer a top-flight option, but he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 32 tackle last year, meaning that he’s starter quality at left tackle. You’ll notice that three of the top five tackles on this list are Patriots. There’s little chance that the Pats let all three get away.

Justin Pugh offers the ability to play both guard and right tackle, though he might not do either one particularly well.

Interior offensive line (guard/center):

Andrew Norwell is the undisputed king of this category after netting an All-Pro selection in 2017. Norwell also earned a career-high 88.8 overall score from Pro Football Focus, which positioned him third in the entire NFL amongst guards. A team with greater means than the Panthers might have used the franchise tag on him. Fortunately for rival teams in need of interior help (such as the Giants), they won’t cuff him with the one-year placeholder.

Bills Express Interest In RB Frank Gore

March 5th, 2018 at 7:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills have expressed interest in veteran running back Frank Gore, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Gore himself was “eyeing” the Packers, per Barrows, but Green Bay has indicated its comfortable with its current running back depth chart.

The Colts have no intention of re-signing Gore, but the 34-year-old believes he can play for at least one more NFL campaign, reports Barrows. However, he has specific conditions for which he is searching in his next team. First, Gore wants to be a contributor — while it doesn’t sound as though Gore will require a starting role, he clearly wants to be significantly involved in an offense. Second, Gore prefers to play for a contender in what could be his final NFL season.

While Buffalo would meet that second criterion after earning a postseason berth in 2017, the Bills wouldn’t be able to offer Gore anything close to a starting job. LeSean McCoy finished second in the NFL with 287 carries a season ago, and he’s likely to be Buffalo’s offensive focal point in 2018. The Bills might aim to limit McCoy’s touches as he enters his 30s, but Mike Tolbert — Buffalo’s No. 2 running back last year — handled only 66 carries in 2017.

That Green Bay would not be interested in adding Gore shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as the club has several young running backs on its roster. The Packers drafted three running backs in 2017, and two of them — Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones — showed the upside of a long-term starter in their rookie seasons. The other rookie, Devante Mays, is still in Green Bay, as is Ty Montgomery, the wideout-turned-back who was the Packers’ starter to open the year.

Now hoping to play his 14th NFL campaign, Gore averaged only 3.7 yards per carry on 261 rushes while scoring three times last season. While he wasn’t a key part of the Colts’ passing attack, he did manage 29 receptions for 245 yards and one touchdown. If he’s active in 2017, Gore will almost certainly pass Curtis Martin for fourth on the all-time rushing yards list.

Colts To Move On From Frank Gore

February 28th, 2018 at 2:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Frank Gore wants to continue playing in 2018. However, it will not be with the Colts. Colts GM Chris Ballard had a conversation with Gore and told him that they are planning on going in a different direction in order to get younger at the running back position, according to coach Frank Reich (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Wells).

Gore will turn 35 in May, which is well past the expiration date for most running backs. However, he was still reasonably productive last year, running for 961 yards with three touchdowns plus 29 catches for 245 receiving yards. Gore has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in all but four of his NFL seasons and topped 1,000 all-purpose yards in every campaign but his rookie year.

Here’s the bad news: Gore’s yards per carry average has dipped as of late and he has not had more than 4.0 yards per tote since he left San Francisco after the 2014 season. In 2017, Gore matched a career worst with 3.7 yards per attempt.

It’s hard to see Gore getting a shot as a Week 1 starter, but teams will reach out with the idea of having him on the lower end of a timeshare. Chris Ivory, who is coming off of a rough couple of years in Jacksonville, is already picking up interest, so that’s a good indicator that Gore’s phone will be ringing in March.

Frank Gore Intends To Play In 2018

December 27th, 2017 at 6:42pm CST by Micah Powell

Colts running back Frank Gore reiterated on Wednesday that he expects to return in 2018 for his 14th NFL season and that quarterback and offensive line will factor into his decision, ESPN’s Mike Wells writes.

“Quarterback, O-line, have to be my type of style of team,” he said. “Nasty, physical, punch you in the mouth. I don’t want to finish like this. I know I can still play. I want to help a team.”

Gore, an impending free agent, would be 35 years old at the start of the 2018 campaign and hasn’t averaged at least 4.0 yards per carry since 2014, his final season in San Francisco. Still, if a team needs an experienced back to groom a a first- or second-year ball carrier or a physical, goal-line back, it’s hard to bet against the veteran.

Gore has cracked 1,000 yards nine times in his career and enters Week 17 just 139 yards away from his 10th such campaign. If he were to reach the mark, Gore would join Emmitt Smith, Walter Peyton, Curtis Martin and Jerome Bettis as players to achieve the feat 10 times.

Though he is among the league’s elder statesmen, Gore is sure to impress some general manager with his passion for the game. That’s what happened with Colts first-year GM Chris Ballard, who planned on cutting the back before the start of the season, MMQB’s Peter King writes.

“Frank picks up the phone in the middle of a party he was attending, and I could feel his passion and love for football,” Ballard told King. “He went on for 10 minutes about how much he wanted to win. So the next day I went to the office and watched all of his carries from 2016 and came to the conclusion that there was absolutely no way I was letting him out of the building.”

Gore is determined to go out on a high note and there’s no reason to think he won’t have the opportunity in 2018.

Colts’ Frank Gore Wants To Play In 2018

December 13th, 2017 at 11:28am CST by Zachary Links

Frank Gore turns 35 in May, but he’s not thinking about retirement. The Colts running back says that he wants to continue playing in 2018, though not necessarily in Indianapolis.

“I want to finish strong to give myself an opportunity for a team to want me,” he said (via Stephen Holder of the Indy Star). “If there’s a great situation, I’m gonna play.”

This season, Gore surpassed LaDainian Tomlinson for fifth place on the league’s all-time rushing yards list. If he can rack up 238 yards on the ground in the next three games (and if he can play through his hand injury), he’ll have his tenth career season with at least 1,000 yards. That won’t be easy, but 80 yards per game is doable and Gore is certainly motivated to hit that milestone for the second year in a row.

It’s clear that Gore still has some football left in the tank and there could be even more history for him to make if he continues playing next year. He could also give himself an opportunity to win his first ever Super Bowl ring and solidify his place in Canton.

Eagles, Seahawks Had Interest In Frank Gore

October 31st, 2017 at 6:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Both the Eagles and Seahawks expressed some level of interest in Colts running back Frank Gore prior to the trade deadline, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.

The Colts had reportedly been gauging interest in the 34-year-old Gore this week, and two mystery teams had engaged in talks. Philadelphia and Seattle appear to be those two clubs, although no deal ever came to fruition. Gore — and the rest of his $3.5MM base salary — will remain on Indianapolis’ roster, although he’ll presumably lose time to rookie Marlon Mack as the season progresses.

The Eagles were clearly eyeing running backs in advance of the trade deadline, and ultimately shipped a 2018 fourth-round pick to the Dolphins in exchange for Jay Ajayi. But before acquiring Ajayi — who is a decade younger than Gore — Philadelphia spoke about picking up the veteran Indy back. This isn’t the first time Gore has been linked to the Eagles in recent years, as he nearly signed with the Birds as a free agent in 2015.

Seattle, meanwhile, has four running backs on its current roster, but none of Thomas Rawls, Eddie Lacy, C.J. Prosise, or J.D. McKissic has been successful this season. The Seahawks rank 19th in rushing DVOA and 24th in yards per attempt, and the club’s backs finished with negative yards rushing in Sunday’s victory over the Texans. But Seattle will hope that its acquisition of left tackle Duane Brown will aid its lackluster run game more than a Gore addition would have.

Two Teams Discussing Frank Gore Trade

October 30th, 2017 at 7:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

At least two clubs have discussed the concept of trading for Colts running back Frank Gore, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. At present, it’s unclear if those deliberations were internal in nature, or if the Colts have in fact explored Gore’s trade value via trade negotiations.

Without quarterback Andrew Luck available, Indianapolis isn’t seriously contending for a playoff spot, and Gore isn’t the only Colts veteran who’s been mentioned in trade rumors this week. Cornerback Vontae Davis, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, and offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo have all been tossed out as potential trade chits, and while some of those potential deals could be more likely than others, Gore makes sense as a player who could be on the move.

Now in his 13th NFL season, Gore would likely be open to playing for a contending team going forward, per Holder. Any club that acquires Gore would do on the cheap, at least from a financial perspective. The 34-year-old back is earning $3.5MM this season, so an acquiring team would be responsible for just $1.75MM for the remainder of the year.

Whether Gore is worth that salary (plus whatever draft compensation the Colts can wrangle) is a fair question. Gore has managed just 3.8 yards per carry since joining Indianapolis in 2015, and has recently ceded work to rookie Marlon Mack. He’s also been ineffective in the passing game, as he’s posted just 14 receptions and earned poor pass-blocking grades from Pro Football Focus. Of course, Gore’s disappointing numbers have come behind an offensive line that ranks just 27th in adjusted line yards.

Frank Gore Could Be Playing Final Season

September 22nd, 2017 at 6:17pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The 2017 season represents Colts running back Frank Gore‘s age-34 campaign and a contract year. Given those two realities, the 13th-year man realizes he could be approaching the very end of his illustrious NFL career.

Looking ahead to the offseason, Gore told Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star: “I will really think about how I feel after the season and how I feel I played this year. If I feel good, a team wants me and I wanna play? Then I’ll play. But if I can’t do it no more, I won’t do it no more.”

Gore is one of only six NFLers still around from the 2005 draft, notes Keefer, who adds that he has outlasted the five running backs who went ahead of him that year by at least four seasons apiece. The former Miami star joined the 49ers as a third-round choice (65th overall) and evolved into one of the premier players in the franchise’s storied history. Gore spent a decade in San Francisco and totaled 11,073 rushing yards, nearly 4,000 more than second-place Joe Perry, on 4.5 yards per carry and made five Pro Bowls.

Gore left the 49ers in 2015 to sign a three-year, $12MM deal with the Colts, who had Super Bowl aspirations at the time. Unfortunately for the Colts and Gore, though, they haven’t made the playoffs with him in the fold and, at 0-2 and with Andrew Luck injured, look likely to extend their postseason drought to three years this season. Still, Gore doesn’t regret making Indianapolis his second (and potentially final) NFL stop.

“If I had to do it again, I still would make the same decision,” Gore said. “Things just didn’t go our way the last two years, starting with our leader. He got hurt. I’ve played with, what, five quarterbacks?”

Gore has played with six quarterbacks in Indianapolis, to be exact, including the uninspiring duo of Scott Tolzien and Jacoby Brissett this year. While Gore still managed at least 260 carries, 957 yards and four rushing touchdowns in each of his first two seasons as a Colt, they’ve scaled back his workload in 2017. He only has 24 carries through two games, putting him on pace for 192 (which would be his fewest since a 127-attempt rookie season), and 88 yards.

Despite his slow start this season, Gore’s overall output as a Colt has helped him vault into eighth on the all-time rushing list, 10th in carries and a 23rd-place tie in ground TDs, and he could ascend to the top five in each of the first two categories by year’s end. That wouldn’t be a bad way to exit for Gore, who already has a plan for the next chapter of his football life.

“I want to help in the front office,” he revealed.

AFC Rumors: Chargers, Gore, Broncos, Browns

October 3rd, 2015 at 7:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer did some scouting before this week’s critical Los Angeles-related owners’ meeting, in paying visits to three owners and commissioner Roger Goodell, according to David Garrick of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Along with Goodell, Faulconer met with John Mara (Giants), Robert Kraft (Patriots) and Jerry Richardson (Panthers) — each a member of the six-owner committee in charge of assessing Los Angeles’ feasibility as the Chargers, Raiders and Rams vie for relocation — and has requested summits with the committee’s other members, Clark Hunt (Chiefs), Bob McNair (Texans) and Art Rooney II (Steelers).

The prior trio of owners, however, did not say to Faulconer which way they were leaning, or if they did, Faulconer is not communicating that sentiment to the media. Per Garrick, the mayor’s expressing confidence thanks to a joint-county $1.1 billion stadium plan that would call for the prospective new Chargers’ home to be built over Qualcomm Stadium.

No votes are expected on Los Angeles at this week’s meeting, with a final decision likely coming around Super Bowl week, according to Garrick.

Here is some news from the facilities of the Chargers’ AFC brethren.

Due to Ty Sambrailo‘s shoulder injury, Peyton Manning will have another first-time blocker Sunday when Michael Schofield joins the Broncos‘ starting offensive line, per Arnie Stapleton of the Associated Press. A third-round pick in 2014, Schofield’s been deactivated for each of the 20 games he’s been on the active roster, counting Denver’s divisional playoff loss last season, and he will take Ryan Harris‘ place at right tackle as Harris shifts to the left side.
Colts running back Frank Gore remains miffed 49ers GM Trent Baalke didn’t communicate with him this offseason he left the team after 10 years this winter, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. “The only thing I was hurt by was that I thought we could have (separated) better,” Gore told the Indianapolis Star’s Stephen Holder. “I don’t know if I even wanted to go back. But I would have felt better if we would have sat down and had a conversation. I mean, I was going to test the market no matter what. Me and the head coach talked and he basically told me I’d be in a certain situation. But I wanted to hear it from the GM.“
In addressing the issues with the Browns‘ offensive line, Terry Pluto of cleveland.com doesn’t think Joel Bitonio and Alex Mack are performing to the level they did at this point last year. The Browns rank 26th in rushing yards, and Football Outsiders grades the Cleveland front as the 27th-best power-blocking quintet thus far.

Dolphins Notes: Crabtree, Ridley, Gore, Skrine

April 5th, 2015 at 11:01am CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent receiver Michael Crabtree turned down approximately $3MM from the Dolphins, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, who adds that Crabtree is seeking at least $4.5MM. We had heard that Miami was interested in the former 49er, and it appears as though they had serious enough interest to offer a contract. The 27-year-old Crabtree is reportedly in no rush to sign, but he will head to Oakland this week to meet with the Raiders.

Let’s check out some more Dolphins notes, all courtesy of Jackson…

Running back Stevan Ridley‘s visit with the Dolphins was simply “exploratory,” writes Jackson, but Miami has not ruled out signing the free agent. Ridley is coming off a torn ACL, so the club was presumably checking out his medicals.
Oklahoma defensive tackle prospect Jordan Phillips met with the Dolphins last week, reports Jackson, who points out that Miami probably isn’t in need on interior defensive line help given the presence of Ndamukong Suh and Earl Mitchell, among others. Phillips ranks as the fifth-best available defensive tackle according to the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock.
Miami showed “some interest” in running back Frank Gore, but not as much as some other clubs, Gore told Jackson. The 31-year-old Gore added that he would have liked to team with current Fin running back Lamar Miller, who like Gore is a University of Miami product.
One of the Dolphins’ top targets on defense was cornerback Buster Skrine, but the defensive back ultimately chose the Jets over Miami.