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John Froschauer / Associated Press
Slowly, the free-agency dominoes of the NFL continue to fall.
Cam Newton landed with the New England Patriots in a high-profile case, and Jason Peters agreed to return with the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday.
These are two of the biggest names left on the market when approaching training camps. And with a former MVP quarterback and one of the best attacking tackles, it could start a little rush as the teams fill the areas of need.
The best free agents that remain are not just recognizable names. They are also proven, could provide instant impact and will not break the bank against the value they will bring.
Here is a ranking of the best names based on these factors, as well as ideal team adjustments for each.
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Butch Dill / Associated Press
It is not surprising that Eric Reid remains on the open market.
The NFL continues to receive an influx of modern safety in recent projects, which means that guys can effortlessly play either a safety point, or even kick inside the slot or the like.
Reid is rather a player closer to the best, who certainly still has a role to play in today’s game. He is only 28 and achieved a career record of 130 tackles last season. But coverage is the problem: he allowed eight touchdowns and a completion percentage of 77.1 last season on 70 targets.
At this point in the market, adding Reid as a spinning piece and leveraging his strengths against racing near the line of scrimmage is good value. Although many teams do not explicitly suffer from such a contributor, he is one of the most productive players on the market, and the presence and stability of the veterans he would add creates a positive net.
Better adjustments: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars
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Lynne Sladky / Associated Press
Reshad Jones was simply not compatible with the Miami Dolphins and was removed in March to cut costs, but it will eventually be adapted somewhere in 2020.
Jones only played four games in 2019 due to multiple injuries and is now 32, two potential red flags. But as recently as 2018, he had a total of 72 tackles with three interceptions, allowing only a completion percentage of 56.1 and finishing with a score of 72.1 from Pro Football Focus on 76% of the shots in the defense.
Although Jones will probably no longer flirt with his Pro Bowl form (he was more recently Pro Bowler in 2017), it is an excellent potential added value for almost all teams looking to improve the depth table. Teams will want to see that he is in good health before entering, but the productive and long CV speaks for itself.
Better adjustments: Washington, Indianapolis Colts
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Chris O’Meara / Associated Press
It always seemed like Larry Warford should line up behind Jason Peters.
Peters played the most valuable tackle position and could even kick inside, while Warford is strictly a goalkeeper (for the moment).
Although he was retained late by the New Orleans Saints to save money, Warford will have many contenders. He is only 29 years old and is in the middle of his peak, and a winning team now chooses to pass on the big salary he could command after recruiting offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz in the first round is not a red flag.
That helped Warford stay solid last season ahead of Drew Brees, finishing with a score of 73.1 PFF on 970 snaps. While teams in need of competition will want to do their due diligence to see if Warford is in good health, a veteran who can come in and play right away is of great value right now given the unknowns of 2020 and the season itself.
Better adjustments: Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans
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Steven Senne / Associated Press
Some notable defensive backs have struggled in free agency thanks to a very heavy market with a lot of depth, as well as another incoming rookie class of versatile players.
Logan Ryan is a notable example who will no doubt still find work for the 2020 season.
Undoubtedly, because Ryan is an excellent slot machine player who posted a career record of 113 tackles last year while holding up well, allowing 68 catches and five scores on 103 targets for the Titans’ Tennessee. All five scores look bad, but he only dropped two the previous season, and the hiccups here and there are not a major test given that the Titans asked him to fluctuate between inside and outside .
Versatile defensive backs that can move all over the field, stay strong on cover and still build strong defense against the race are not easy to find. At this stage of free will, the rebuilders and the suitors should have an interest in such a veteran at 29 years of age.
Better adjustments: Washington, Miami Dolphins
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Brynn Anderson / Associated Press
Darqueze Dennard had signed a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars shortly after the free entry started for a reason.
Certainly, things collapsed for unknown reasons. But a three-year deal for a 28-year-old first round pick in 2014 made a lot of sense for a team that needed secondary help.
Dennard, after all, is a superb slot machine player who only achieved a 48.6% completion rate last year on the path to a solid 72.2 PFF rating. He has also shown throughout his career that he can play both indoors and outdoors, although the role he wants may be one of the reasons for his strange market trips in the past two seasons.
Either way, attendance was the biggest negative for Dennard. He has played in a single season of 16 games since his draft and has only played nine games last year.
But as the racing theme shows, at this point in the NFL calendar, it is incredible value as a guy who can get in and be an effective starter right out the doors.
Better adjustments: Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press
It is a little easy to forget Cameron Wake, even if he offers a premium in the way he creates pressure.
Wake is now 38 and speculation about retirement occurred earlier this year, although his agent closed it tightly.
You’d think the teams would flock to Wake, who played nine games last year with the Tennessee Titans and had 2.5 sacks and 13 presses on just 195 snaps, resulting in a 83.5 PFF grade. For those who need more evidence, Wake left the game in Miami the previous year with more than 517 snaps and put 33 hits with six bags and a score of 81.7 PFF in 14 starts.
Although Wake is no longer an all-time player, he is clearly still a powerful situational hunter, let alone the veteran presence he brings to unknown circumstances this summer and during the season.
Better adjustments: New England Patriots, Cleveland Browns
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Bruce Kluckhohn / Associated Press
It is a matter of time before a team gets a massive flight in Everson Griffen, which provides a premium skill: pressure.
In fact, Griffen, 32, still creates a whole lot pressure.
Last year alone, he pressed 35 bags and eight bags, achieving a score of 77.6 PFF along the way. Call it normal for the course, as the 2010 fourth-round pick has missed significant games only once since becoming a full-time starter in 2014 and has released at least eight sacks in a season six times since 2012 , with vertices of 12 and 13..
If Griffen had just had a low season, it might make more sense for him to have a long wait. But a large influx of talent for the hobby via the draft and a muted off-season for veterans of the 30 and over range means that there is still a massive flight to do for a team ready to invest.
Better adjustments: Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns
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Chris Szagola / Associated Press
Unlike some of the other advanced defenders available, Jadeveon Clowney has a big problem: he doesn’t create a ton of pressure.
This is probably the main culprit behind his availability, because the same problem appeared during negotiations over the beacons while the teams were debating the position he actually plays.
Aside from the technical details, Clowney doesn’t have the numbers to nail down the elite’s money. He had only three sacks in 13 games in Seattle last season, and he posted nine or more sacks only twice in six seasons. Last year, he suffered only 30 pressures.
This isn’t to demolish Clowney, of course, but to contextualize why one of the biggest defenders in the league is still around. It is elite in most other facets, which sums up well with its stellar 87.3 PFF last season, not to mention the 89.2 from the previous year.
At this point, Clowney is going to be a robbery for the team signing it, even if it’s a one-year contract before trying the market again next season.
Better adjustments: Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns
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