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Top 2017 NFL Free Agents By Position: Offense

February 23rd, 2017 at 9:57pm CST by Zachary Links

[UPDATE: CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST EDITION OF THE TOP 2017 NFL FREE AGENTS BY POSITION]

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. 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.

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 2017:

Quarterback:

Honorable mention: Shaun Hill

As of this writing, Kirk Cousins is far and away the best potential free agent quarterback in this year’s crop. By the time March gets here, we’re fully expecting Cousins to be spoken for. Ultimately, the Redskins could franchise tag him, work out a long-term deal with him, or swing some type of trade that nets them a massive haul of talent and picks. That will leave a crop of retread quarterbacks that would probably best serve as transitional options for QB-needy teams.

Mike Glennon hasn’t done much in his 18 career starts, but talent evaluators are still in love with his size and potential. The 6’7″ quarterback will get more money this spring than you might expect, particularly since there are no surefire QBs in this year’s draft.

Teams looking for stopgap QBs will find a plethora of experienced, though perhaps uninspiring, signal callers. Nick Foles, Brian Hoyer, and Ryan Fitzpatrick all have their best football behind them, but they could hold down the fort for a team in 2017 and maybe even find some success if the defense is strong enough. Of course, the ideal role for those guys would probably be as a backup to a better, younger quarterback.

Running back:

Consider Le’Veon Bell‘s name written in Etch-A-Sketch, because he is very unlikely to get near the open market. That could leave Eddie Lacy as the best tailback available in March. Lacy has struggled with weight issues in recent years and he lost much of the 2016 season to injury. Still, he is a bruising back that could nicely complement a quicker ball carrier. Before he was shut down for the year, Lacy was averaging 5.07 yards per carry in five games for Green Bay.

In the last two years, LeGarrette Blount seems to have put his off-the-field troubles behind him. Whether that’s a sign of his maturity or a product of the Patriots’ culture remains to be seen. Teams can ignore his past indiscretions, but they will be wary of his age. Blount turns 31 in December.

Latavius Murray has shown glimpses of being a special running back, but he has been inconsistent and his 4.0 yards-per-carry average of the last two years isn’t overly impressive. Darren McFadden ran for more than 1,000 yards in 2015, but 2016 was pretty much a lost year for him. Jacquizz Rodgers seemed to break out last year, but he wound up succumbing to the same injury bug that took down a host of other Buccaneers running backs. Speaking of injuries, Rashad Jennings was initially brought to the Giants to be a workhorse back, but two of his three years in New York were marred by ailments. Everyone in this tier has the potential to make a difference, but none should be counted on as anyone’s main guy in 2017.

Fullback:

Kyle Juszczyk graded out as the best fullback in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus. The Ravens would be wise to keep him, but if they don’t, he’ll draw interest from teams all over the league. Juszczyk earned his first career Pro Bowl nod as he caught 37 passes for 266 yards. His exceptional 92.1 pass blocking score from PFF led all other fullbacks by a wide margin.

Mike Tolbert is ranked lower than you might expect due to his age and diminished blocking skills. He’ll turn 32 in November and it’s not a given that he’ll find another NFL home after getting released by the Panthers.

Wide receiver:

Alshon Jeffery has had two down years (by his standards) but he is still the cream of the wide receiver crop. His weak production and PED suspension in 2016 probably killed his chances of getting Dez Bryant-money, but he could still get a multi-year deal with a nice amount of guaranteed cash given the dearth of WR1 types available. Jeffery hasn’t set the world on fire lately, but plenty of GMs will chalk that up to the Bears’ quarterback situation.

Few saw Terrelle Pryor‘s standout season coming. The former Buckeyes quarterback now stands as one of the best pending free agent receivers out there. We would be surprised if the Browns allow him to reach the open market, but if he does get there, he’ll get money thrown at him by teams looking for a No. 2 wide receiver.

The Dolphins can replace Kenny Stills in-house and they need to save their dollars for Jarvis Landry‘s next deal, so we envision Stills testing the open waters. Despite his age, Pierre Garcon could reportedly garner $9MM+ per year on his next pact. Because of his maddening inconsistency, we have slotted Garcon one spot ahead of teammate DeSean Jackson. There’s also this: Jackson can break a game wide open with his blazing speed, but speed doesn’t usually age well. Jackson, who reportedly wants to return to the Eagles, turns 31 in December.

Each player ranked No. 6 through No. 9 here offers potential and question marks in equal measure. Those around Kenny Britt have been questioning his work ethic and attitude since his Rutgers days, but his talent is undeniable. Markus Wheaton appeared destined for big things as the Steelers No. 2 wide receiver last year before an early season shoulder injury landed him on IR. Cordarrelle Patterson has all the physical tools to succeed and he put himself on the map last year as a kick returner. Will some team out there sign him to a multi-year pact and try to mold him into a receiver? Michael Floyd‘s rocky year ended with a Super Bowl ring, though he was not on the active roster in Houston. Floyd will be looking for a one-year, prove-it deal and there will be teams curious to see if he can reprise his 2013 season.

Tight end:

Martellus Bennett sounds like a man who is eager to cash in on the open market. There’s a “real possibility” he winds up elsewhere, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, and he’ll get a monster deal if that happens. Filling in for Rob Gronkowski, Bennett caught 55 passes for 701 yards and seven touchdowns in 2016.

In his first season with the Packers, Jared Cook appeared in ten regular season games and caught 30 of 51 targets for 377 yards and a touchdown. In the Packers’ two-game playoff run, he really turned it on with a total of 13 receptions for 181 yards and two scores. Cook will be a priority for the Packers to re-sign, but it’s not clear if they’ll get a deal done between now and March 9.

Anthony Fasano finds himself ranked higher than some bigger names due to his blocking ability. PFF gave Fasano an 88.1 score for run blocking, which was the best of any tight end last year. His 72.9 pass blocking score was fourth-best among TEs.

Offensive tackle:

Andrew Whitworth spent some time at guard last season but his best (and most profitable) position is on the outside. He’s 35, but he is our top-ranked free agent tackle after turning in another stellar year.

Ricky Wagner could reportedly fetch around $10MM/year. The former fifth-round pick put it all together this year in Baltimore and he won’t turn 28 until October.

Russell Okung was thrust into the free agent market in February when the Broncos declined his option. This time around, it will be interesting to see whether he hires an agent. His previous deal was effectively a one-year pact with a club option for a four-year, $48MM deal with $20.5MM in guaranteed cash. After a so-so year, the Broncos wisely turned it down.

Austin Pasztor is listed as a tackle here, though it’s quite possible he reverts to the interior line in 2017. Mike Adams, a former second-round pick, makes the cut for his natural talent, even though he hasn’t shown much at the professional level. Will Beatty also found his way to the Top 15, but his market will be capped after two injury-ridden years.

Interior offensive line (guard/center):

Kevin Zeitler is the only offensive lineman to crack our Top 10 Free Agents list from late January. Zeitler, 27 in March, was PFF’s No. 7 ranked guard in the NFL this year. After three consecutive strong seasons, he is going to get big bucks.

Ronald Leary, who once pushed for the Cowboys to trade him, recognizes that a return probably isn’t in the cards. The Cowboys will go with La’el Collins in 2017 and beyond, but don’t cry for Leary. After making 12 starts in Collins’ place and ranking No. 25 among Pro Football Focus’ 76 qualified guards, Leary will find an eager market in March.

J.C. Tretter graded out as a top 10 center last year, according to PFF, and he just turned 26. Stefen Wisniewski offers experience at both guard and center and there should be at least a few teams looking at him as a potential starter.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

NFC South Notes: Newton, Evans, Shorts

September 9th, 2016 at 5:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Quarterback Cam Newton took at least four helmet-to-helmet hits in the Panthers’ season-opening loss to Denver on Thursday, but officials only flagged the Broncos once. That led Panthers head coach Ron Rivera to opine Friday that refs discriminate against the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Newton because of his size (via David Newton of ESPN).

“There’s a little bit of prejudice to that,” stated Rivera. “It’s kind of like what happened to [former NBA star] Shaquille O’Neal. Here’s a big, physical basketball player and he goes to set a pick, a guy falls down and they call a foul on him. He goes to shoot a little layup and gets hacked and hammered and they don’t call it.”

The NFL admitted Friday that a helmet-to-helmet shot Newton took from Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall should have been called, per Judy Battista of NFL.com (on Twitter).

On whether proper concussion protocol was followed with the banged-up Newton, Rivera added, “I’m not going to question the doctors. OK?” There is a protocol. There is a set of rules that these doctors, these trained professionals have to follow. The understanding is when everything first happened, they followed the protocol.”

According to Battista (Twitter links here), medical officials checked on Newton during a stoppage late in the game and determined that he did not have a concussion. Officials have since examined Newton several more times, including Friday, and still haven’t seen concussion symptoms.

Here’s more from the NFC South:

Guard Jahri Evans’ one-year deal with the Saints is worth $1MM and contains no guarantees or signing bonus, Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets.
Wide receiver Cecil Shorts‘ contract with the Buccaneers is a one-year, $1.05MM pact, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). He’ll also earn a $15K+ roster bonus for each game he’s active.
Former Alabama quarterback Blake Sims worked out for the Falcons as a running back, but it doesn’t sound like they’ll be signing him at this time, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

Saints Re-Sign Jahri Evans

September 7th, 2016 at 5:48pm CST by Zachary Links

5:48pm: The Saints announced their reunion with Evans, via Twitter.

11:35am: Jahri Evans is back with the Saints. The team agreed to bring the offensive guard back into the fold today on a one-year deal, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Over the course of ten seasons in New Orleans, Evans started in all 153 of his appearances and earned four first-team All-Pro nods. However, knee and ankle injuries limited him to 11 games in 2015 and he was cut loose this offseason for cap reasons. Evans hooked on with the Seahawks in early August, but he was released last week after he failed to win a starting job.

Now, New Orleans is expected to move former first-round pick Andrus Peat to left guard, placing Evans on the right side. Evans, 33, may or may not start ahead of Tim Lelito.

The Saints freed up a roster spot this morning when they cut quarterback Garrett Grayson.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Payton: Jahri Evans A “Realistic Possibility”

September 7th, 2016 at 9:04am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have made a couple of post 53-man cutdown moves but they might not be done tinkering with the roster. On Tuesday, the Saints met with old friend Jahri Evans and coach Sean Payton says that his return “is a realistic possibility,” as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets.

Over the course of ten seasons in New Orleans, Evans started in all 153 of his appearances and earned four first-team All-Pro nods. However, knee and ankle injuries limited him to 11 games in 2015 and he was cut loose this offseason for cap reasons. Evans hooked on with the Seahawks in early August, but he was released last week after he failed to win a starting job.

Now, he could circle back to New Orleans on a cheaper deal. If the Saints do in fact move former first-round pick Andrus Peat to left guard, Evans could start on the right side. Based on Payton’s comments, it sounds like a deal could go down by the end of the weak.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jahri Evans Visits Saints

September 6th, 2016 at 5:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Veteran guard Jahri Evans visited with the only club with which he’s ever seen regular season action, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link) that Evans had a meeting with the Saints today.

The 33-year-old Evans was released by the Seahawks over the weekend after losing out in a battle to become one of the club’s starting guards. New Orleans had previously cut him earlier this offseason, given that the team is considering moving former first-round pick Andrus Peat to left guard, Evans could make sense on the right side. Seattle signed Evans for the minimum salary benefit with $80K guaranteed, so he should be pretty cheap if the Saints are interested in a reunion.

Evans appeared in and started 153 games with the Saints from 2006-15. The 316-pounder racked up four first-team All-Pro nods in New Orleans, but he only logged 11 appearances last year as a result of arthroscopic knee surgery. However, Evans’ performance during an abbreviated campaign earned him plaudits from Pro Football Focus, which ranked him 27th among 81 qualifying guards.

Seahawks’ Roster Now At 53

September 3rd, 2016 at 6:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Seahawks haven’t officially released their moves today, but as Curtis Crabtree of KJR noted (Twitter link), the club has listed their transactions on their official team depth chart.

Cut:

G Jahri Evans (story)
FB Will Tukuafu
DT Brandin Bryant
TE Clayton Echard
QB Jake Heaps
LB Steve Longa
WR Douglas McNeil III
WR Uzoma Nwachukwu
WR Kasen Williams
RB Troymaine Pope
G/C Will Pericak
WR Antwan Goodley
DE Tylor Harris
S Keenan Lambert
WR Kenny Lawler
LB Kache Palacio
DE Ryan Robinson
CB Tye Smith
DT Tani Tupou

Waived/injured:

TE Joe Sommers
CB Marcus Burley
DTJordan Hill
LB Eric Pinkins
T Terry Poole

Waived From IR:

RB George Farmer
DB Trovon Reed
WR Kevin Smith
DT Sealver Siliga

The Seahawks also announced that they’ve acquired defensive back Dewey McDonald (for a conditional 2017 pick, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com) from the Raiders, and, as we previously noted, acquired safety L.J. McCray from the 49ers.

Seahawks To Release Jahri Evans

September 2nd, 2016 at 7:16pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Seahawks will release guard Jahri Evans, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). Evans inked a one-year deal with just $80K in guarantees last month, so moving on from him won’t be difficult for Seattle from a financial standpoint.

Despite his successful 10-year career in New Orleans, where he started in all 153 of his appearances and earned four first-team All-Pro nods, Evans garnered minimal interest after the Saints released him in February. Evans only logged 11 appearances last year as a result of arthroscopic knee surgery, though his performance during an abbreviated campaign earned him plaudits from Pro Football Focus. Nevertheless, the 33-year-old didn’t do enough this summer to carve out a role in Seattle, which appears poised to start Mark Glowinski and first-round pick German Ifedi at the two guard positions.

Evans is the second prominent veteran the Seahawks will move on from this weekend, joining defensive tackle Sealver Siliga. The Seahawks reached an injury settlement with Siliga earlier Friday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Eagles, 49ers, Giants, Seahawks

August 24th, 2016 at 5:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have been shopping defensive lineman Taylor Hart around the NFL, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Hart doesn’t have an overly appealing track record in the league, however. The 2014 fifth-round pick from Oregon was on the Eagles’ 53-man roster throughout his rookie year, but he failed to log any appearances. In 14 games last season, the 6-foot-6, 281-pounder partook in 27 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps and made 27 tackles.

Here’s more from the NFC:

When asked to characterize his association with Trent Baalke, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said he and the GM have a “business relationship” (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). Further, in response to Baalke’s comment last week that he and Kaepernick broke their months-long silence with a” good conversation,” the signal-caller simply referred to it as a “conversation.”
Giants owner John Mara the Josh Brown situation on Wednesday and said the club was in fact aware of both the domestic allegations against the kicker and his arrest (via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). Nothing has happened since to change the Giants’ opinion on re-signing him in April.
Because the Seahawks made such a minimal investment in Jahri Evans (one year, minimum salary benefit with $80K guaranteed), it’s uncertain if the veteran guard is a lock for the club’s final roster. As Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes, Seattle is pleased with the play of left guard Mark Glowinski and first-round right guard Germain Ifedi, so a starting spot for Evans might not be available.
As of now, the Saints and contract-year quarterback still aren’t progressing toward an extension.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

Seahawks Sign Jahri Evans

August 6th, 2016 at 7:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

7:29pm: As expected, it’s a one-year deal for Evans, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.

3:16pm: The Seahawks hosted Jahri Evans on a visit Friday and saw enough to sign the former perennial All-Pro guard, announcing the signing on Saturday. They waived guard Kona Schwenke to make room on the roster.

Despite Evans’ stellar run of play with the Saints, he did not generate consistent interest this offseason, visiting the Bills in March and then four months later making a trip to Seattle. The Seahawks’ offer, we heard earlier, wasn’t believed to be anything substantial. But the 33-year-old guard agreed to join a line that lacked for veteran talent.

The Seahawks lost both Russell Okung and J.R. Sweezy this offseason and were set to enter the preseason with Mark Glowinski and 2016 first-rounder Germain Ifedi as their projected starting guards. Evans is no longer the player who booked four straight All-Pro honors from 2009-12 but has been a consistent presence in lineups and looks to be an upgrade for the otherwise-well-stocked Seahawks.

Evans started 16 games in a season eight times in his 10-year career, with the outliers being 2013 and ’15, when he logged 14 and 11 starts with New Orleans, respectively. He missed five games last season due to arthroscopic knee surgery.

His 153 starts are 17 more than the rest of the Seahawks combined, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. Formerly a third-round pick out of Division II Bloomsburg, Evans consistently lined up at right guard with the Saints. Ifedi currently slots in there for the Seahawks, but the former Texas A&M blocker has extensive tackle experience. Journeyman J’Marcus Webb is tentatively projected to start at right tackle for Seattle.

The Seahawks entered Saturday with $8.8MM in cap space, however, they do not have a notable veteran contract on their offensive line. They’ve notably allocated most of their resources to fortifying their homegrown defense, along with the chief cogs in charge of elevating the passing game.

Evans’ exit path out of Louisiana came after he refused to take a pay cut after doing so for the Saints in 2015. He was set to carry an $8.2MM cap figure for the Saints this season. He almost certainly won’t approach that figure in Seattle.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jahri Evans To Visit Seahawks

August 6th, 2016 at 8:40am CST by Connor J. Byrne

SATURDAY, 8:40am: Sources told ESPN’s Adam Caplan that Evans had a “good visit,” but no contract has been signed (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets that the Seahawks made the veteran an offer, although it wasn’t a “big one.”

THURSDAY, 4:13pm: Free agent guard Jahri Evans will visit the Seahawks on Friday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The soon-to-be 33-year-old Evans has been on the open market since the Saints released him in February.

Evans would bring vast experience to Seattle, having appeared in and started 153 games with the Saints from 2006-15. The 316-pounder racked up four first-team All-Pro nods in New Orleans, so he’d easily be the most accomplished O-lineman on the Seahawks’ roster. Evans only logged 11 appearances last year, though, as a result of arthroscopic knee surgery. Notably, Evans’ performance during an abbreviated campaign earned him plaudits from Pro Football Focus, which ranked him 27th among 81 qualifying guards.

Despite losing stalwart left tackle Russell Okung and No. 1 right guard J.R. Sweezy in free agency, the only starting-caliber veteran the Seahawks added during the winter was right tackle J’Marcus Webb. While the team did use its first-round pick on Germain Ifedi, who’s slated to start at right guard, its leading option on the left – Mark Glowinski – has a less impressive pedigree. Glowinski was a fourth-rounder in 2015 who recorded nine appearances and one start as a rookie. Interestingly, Evans has primarily played on the right side, so it’s unknown what signing him would mean for Ifedi or the rest of the Seahawks’ O-line. It’s worth pointing out, of course, that Ifedi was a right tackle during his Texas A&M tenure.

Thanks to the departures of Okung and Sweezy, the Seahawks could clearly use more proven veteran aid along their line. The unit surrendered the sixth-most sacks in the league (46) and ranked 30th in Football Outsiders’ adjusted sack rate metric, so adding a healthy Evans would seem to be a step in the right direction. It’s up in the air how much Evans is capable of contributing at this point, however, evidenced by the fact that he has drawn minimal interest since the Saints released him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.