Free Agents

[Stealth]

Here is a list of free agents in our suckyiest positions, Oline, DLine, RB...what do you guys think? I picked one in each group in bold...Cheers

OL

1) Willie Colon (T/Pittsburgh), RFA*: Last year, the Steelers tagged Max Starks as their franchise player, then eventually negotiated a long-term deal to the tune of four years and $26.3 million. Colon is a four-year starter at right tackle and -- some Pittsburgh coaches believe -- maybe the team's best lineman. The franchise number this year is nearly $8.5 million. Unfortunately for Colon, with the uncapped-year rules, he'll probably make around $2.5 million under his tender.

2) Jamaal Brown (T/New Orleans), RFA*: The former first-round draft choice and two-time Pro Bowl selection went on injured reserve (sports hernia) in September and watched an unknown fellow named Jermon Bushrod do the blindside thing for Drew Brees, as the Saints rolled to the Super Bowl. Before that, Brown had started 58 straight games at left tackle, dating to his 2005 rookie season. The Saints, with more than 20 players facing some form of free agency, have some decisions to make.

3) Jahri Evans (G/New Orleans), RFA*: This is not one of those decisions. Evans is one of the best interior lineman in the game, having been voted to his second straight Pro Bowl. His one-year tender will be in the $3 million range, but the Saints need not mess around -- lock him up long term.

4) Marcus McNeill (T/San Diego), RFA*: Two years ago, McNeill was close to signing a nice contract extension, but talks broke off after he injured his neck. The Chargers should know they were fortunate to find a franchise-type left tackle in the second round of the '06 draft.

5) Chad Clifton (T/Green Bay), UFA: He had Brett Favre's back for eight years and has done the same for Aaron Rodgers the last two. Clifton is not the lock-down force he was in his 20s -- he's 33 now -- but if the Packers don't want to re-sign him (they might have another option with backup T.J. Lang, a promising rookie last season), someone will.

6) Logan Mankins (G/New England), RFA*: Two-time Pro Bowler not only has been terrific since being selected with the final choice in Round 1 in '05, he's been durable. Mankins has started every game during those five seasons.

DL

1) Julius Peppers (DE/Carolina), UFA. Maybe the No. 1 unrestricted player out there, period. Peppers, who has 25 sacks the last two seasons, made $16.8 million under a franchise designation last year -- that's more than $1 million per game -- and under CBA rules a second straight tag will require a one-year deal of more than $20 million. Nobody is worth that. But Peppers, 30, probably will settle for a fair-market deal (with a big bonus, of course) from a contending team, such as New England or Philadelphia.

2) Elvis Dumervil (DE/Denver), *RFA. He led the NFL with 17 sacks in '09 and would have been poised for a monster pay day, but as a fourth-year pro heading into the uncapped year the Broncos can assign him RFA tender at around $3.2 million. Can't be happy.

3) Vince Wilfork (DT/New England), UFA. A lot of teams could be in the bidding for a 325-pound run-stuffer, but the Pats hold the cards.

4) Casey Hampton (NT/Pittsburgh), UFA. Speaking of run-stuffers, this guy is one of the best in the business, having manned the inside of the Steelers 3-4 through a pair of Super Bowl titles. Pittsburgh usually takes care of its own, but the Steelers also don't overspend very often. Hampton's situation bears watching.

5) Ray Edwards (DE/Minnesota), *RFA. Tony Romo's newest best friend (kidding) is a fourth-year guy, like Dumervil, whose timing would have been perfect if it wasn't so imperfect. With Edwards opposite Jared Allen, the Vikings have the best duo of ends in the league. Why mess with a great thing?

6) Aaron Kampman (DE/Green Bay), UFA. After ringing up 37 sacks the previous three seasons, Kampman looked lost in '09 when Dom Capers came on as defensive coordinator and went from a base 4-3 to 3-4, moving Kampman to outside linebacker. The Packers still had the No. 2 defense in the league, but Kampman finished with only 3 1/2 sacks. If Green Bay lets him wade into free agency, Kampman, still just 30, could make some team very happy.

7) Richard Seymour (DT/Oakland), UFA. The Pats held the cards with Seymour last year, but traded him to the Raiders for a first-round pick in 2011. Al Davis would be foolish to let him walk given what the club gave up, so look for the Raiders to lock up the five-time Pro Bowler one way or another.

Ryan Pickett (NT/Green Bay), UFA. Mostly an underachiever during his first five seasons in St. Louis, Pickett has developed into a pretty reliable obstacle in the middle. The Packers led the league against the run in '09.

Among the rest:

Mark Anderson (DE/Chicago), *RFA. Had 12 sacks in his '06 rookie season, but just 9 1/2 total in the three seasons since.

Tony Brown (DT/Tennessee), UFA. Started all but two games for the Titans the last three seasons.

Derrick Burgess (DE/New England), *RFA. Had better years with the Raiders than the one he had with Pats.

Barry Cofield (DT/NY Giants), UFA. Four-year starter since being drafted by the Giants in '06.

Ryan Denny (DE/Buffalo), UFA. All eight of his seasons in Buffalo.

Jason Ferguson (NT/Miami), UFA. Bill Parcells has sworn his defensive fronts by this guy in New York, Dallas and now Miami ... but he is 35.

Aubrayo Franklin (DT/San Francisco), UFA. His blue-collar work up front has made Patrick Willis look All-World at linebacker.

Tank Johnson (DT/Cincinnati), UFA. Once a disgraced Bear, he's behaved himself for Marvin Lewis.

Johnny Jolley (DE/Green Bay), *RFA. Two-year starter who made the 3-4 transition better than Kampman did.

Jevon Kearse (DE/Tennessee), UFA. At least one of his four tackles last season was a sack.

Leonard Little (DE/St. Louis), UFA. Even at 35, Little can still rush the passer and come up with the splash play (6 1/2 sacks, interception return for TD in '09).

Chike Okeafor (DE/Arizona), UFA. Seven straight seasons with at least 4 1/2 sacks, including four seasons with at least eight.

Cory Redding (DT/Seattle), UFA. His best days were as a Lion ... seriously.

Fred Robbins (DT/NY Giants), UFA. Like the rest of the Giants, his productivity dipped in '09.

Marcus Spears (DE/Dallas), *RFA. Taken nine picks after DeMarcus Ware in Round 1 of '05 -- and he has 56 1/2 fewer sacks.

Darryl Tapp (DE/Seattle), *RFA. Pete Carroll may want to keep him around.

Jason Taylor (DE/Miami), UFA. League's active sacks leader with 127 1/2, but he'll be 36 on opening day and and has that whole acting Jones going on.

Kyle Vanden Bosch (DE/Tennessee), UFA. With no strings attached (and still only 31), might be worth a close look.

RB

1) Pierre Thomas (New Orleans), RFA: He was a Godsend for the Saints in '09 and now may be their back of the future, given that Reggie Bush is slated to make a whopping $13.5 million in the final year of his contract (the Saints don't really want to pay it, either). Thomas, who was huge in the Super Bowl, should get a high tender, but he's the kind of all-purpose guy that might warrant a sniff from another team. Don't think for a second that Sean Payton will let him go, though.

2) Jerome Harrison (Cleveland), RFA*: Few outside the Midwest had even heard of Harrison; for good reason. His 301 yards through the first 14 weeks of the '09 season didn't exactly capture our imaginations. But his 561 in the final three weeks -- including a near-NFL single-game record 286 against Kansas City -- definitely got our attention. Ditto for new Browns President Mike Holmgren. The club may not know what to do at quarterback, but look for Holmgren to build the running game around Harrison.

3) Le'Ron McClain (Baltimore), RFA: He rushed for more than 900 yards in '08, but the emergence of Ray Rice -- who, along with Willis McGahee, makes up the two-headed Ravens running game -- relegated McClain back to mostly a blocker (only 46 carries) in '09. McClain can do a little bit of everything.

4) Darren Sproles (San Diego), RFA: Diminutive bolt of lightning who is easy to cheer for and, at times, dazzles like one of the game's most exciting players.

5) Leon Washington (NY Jets), UFA: The change-of-pace guy to Thomas Jones suffered a grotesque broken leg in Week 7. Washington has averaged 4.8 yards for his career and is a good receiver, but potential employers will want to see if his speed and ability to change direction are back.

6) Chester Taylor (Minnesota), UFA: After signing a nice free-agent deal to jump from Baltimore, Taylor rushed for 1,216 yards in '06 ... then Adrian Peterson showed up in '07. Taylor went from featured to third-down back. Teams will have to determine how good he is at either.

Among the rest:

Mike Bell (New Orleans), RFA*: Even with Thomas and Bush, Bell got 172 carries for the Super Bowl champs.

Ronnie Brown (Miami), RFA*: "Mr. Wildcat" suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 7, so he'll have to show he's healthy enough and worth the investment.

Kevin Faulk (New England), UFA: He's been a productive and consummate third-down back for 11 seasons as a Patriot, but he's 33.

Larry Johnson (Cincinnati), UFA: Roll the dice with this guy.

Jerious Norwood (Atlanta), RFA*: Averaged 5.8 per carry through first three seasons, but just 3.3 in an injury-plagued '09.

Willie Parker (Pittsburgh), UFA: Slowed by a slew of injuries in each of the last three seasons.

Tony Richardson (NY Jets), UFA: The 2000 version would be worth a look. The '10 version is 38.

LenDale White (Tennessee): RFA*: Had a nice view of Chris Johnson's season from the sidelines.

Carnell "Cadillac" Williams (Tampa Bay), RFA*: His comeback from two devastating knee injuries showed his heart and determination. But how much does he have left?

http://blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks/2010/02/15/morning-links-too-early-for-2010-nfl-rankings-of-course-not/

[Dave Hamilton]

Clifton and Kampman sound like Ashworth and Kerney to me. In the case of Clifton, didn't Rodgers spend a lot of time on his backside this year? With regards to Kampman, the team already has a 30+ DE that is overpaid.

Those picks strike me as rooting around in the bargain bin.

[CamasMan]

I'd put the secondary ahead of the RB position. While our backs don't break away like Gore does against us, they can get reasonable yards when the o-line does its job. Besides, I'd rather get a young hungry guy from the draft than a free agent for that position. We got Forsett in the 6th round, and he had the 4th best quality per down in the league.

If the team fixes the O-line, D-line and shores up the secondary for the 2010 season, I'll be pleased. Give me a good fullback too. I don't think too much of Justin Griffith. Besides, he's a Mora/Knapp guy. I can't believe Ruskell let them talk him into getting rid of (now Pro Bowler) Weaver.
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-CamasMan
~ The Murder of Dirk Snowglobe ~

[DM]

Clifton wasn't the problem with Rodgers being on his back. I would supect that Green Bay will resign him in some form. Kampman was hurt pretty bad, ACL, and most likely will not be ready before the start of the season. He did not seem to do real well in the switch to the 3-4 The Pack will probaly not resign until he is healthy if they do at all. I would suspect that he won't be signed by anyone until after the start of the season.
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