Ranking the top 25 available NFL free agents on the market entering this weekend (not including players who have been placed under the franchise tag), ahead of the official opening of free agency March 17:
1. San Francisco OT Trent Williams: A Hall of Fame talent at a premium position, Williams is in line to re-set the market for tackles after the 49ers declined to place the franchise tag on the eight-time Pro Bowler.
2. Tampa Bay OLB Shaq Barrett: A year after leading the NFL with 19.5 sacks, the ex-CSU star and former Denver understudy dominated again in 2020 while helping the Bucs win the Super Bowl, so a big payday is coming.
3. Detroit WR Kenny Golladay: Injury limited the game-breaking wideout to just five games in 2020, but after 1,190 receiving yards and a league-leading 11 touchdown catches in 2019, Golladay will have a hot market.
4. Pittsburgh OLB Bud Dupree: An ACL tear ended Dupree’s season in December, but his value is still high considering his durability (at least 15 starts from 2017-19) and 19.5 sacks over the past two seasons.
5. New England OG Joe Thuney: The Patriots elected not to franchise tag the reliable lineman who has started all 16 games in his five-year career in Foxborough, where Thuney was an important anchor on two Super Bowl teams.
6. Houston WR Will Fuller: The athletic, speedy wideout hasn’t played more than 11 games in a season since his rookie year, and saw his 2020 ended by PED suspension, but is coming off a career-high 8 touchdown receptions.
7. Green Bay RB Aaron Jones: Jones earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2020 after rushing for a career-high 1,104 yards over 14 games, and also led the league with 16 rushing touchdowns in 2019. He’s been explosive and reliable.
8. Cincinnati DE Carl Lawson: With 10.5 sacks over the past two seasons, Lawson is primed to break out somewhere he can be an every-down edge rusher after starting just 14 total games in Cincinnati from 2017-20.
9. New Orleans QB Jameis Winston: The former Bucs QB appeared in four games for the Saints in 2020 and is at the top of the free-agent QB heap. He likely has more in the tank after leading the NFL with 5,109 passing yards in 2019 (and 30 interceptions).
10. Miami QB Ryan Fitzpatrick: Just when it seems like Fitzpatrick had run out of his magic, the 38-year-old resurges, as he did when posting a 4-3 record for Miami last year before being replaced by Tua Tagovailoa.
11. New Orleans DE Trey Hendrickson: He broke out with a career-high 13.5 sacks in 2020, his first full season as a starter, and the potential for continued growth makes him an appealing edge-rushing addition for most teams.
12. Green Bay C Corey Linsley: The former fifth-round pick has been an offensive linchpin the past seven seasons with the Packers, from the time he started all 16 games as a rookie.
13. Buffalo OLB Matt Milano: Strong against the pass and the run, there aren’t many more versatile outside backers on the market, especially after what Milano showed with a career-high 3.5 sacks and 9 QB hits in 10 games in 2020.
14. Baltimore DE Yannick Ngakoue: He’s recorded at least eight sacks in all five of his seasons, and when in the right system — as happened when he had a career-high 12 sacks in Jacksonville in 2017 — Ngakoue can be a force.
15. Chargers TE Hunter Henry: He’s no Travis Kelce, but Henry’s been reliable, with 600-plus yards receiving in consecutive seasons. He’s also racked up 71 first downs across that time frame as a reliable chain-mover.
16. Tennessee DE Jadeveon Clowney: He doesn’t have as much market value as he once did, but Clowney is still a physical beast when at his best. At only 28, the former No. 1 overall pick in 2014 is capable of a revival.
17. Pittsburgh WR JuJu Smith-Schuster: The Steelers’ Pro Bowl playmaker has dropped off statistically from his stellar 1,426-yard receiving season in 2018, but he can still stretch the field.
18. Carolina WR Curtis Samuel: As a Panthers reserve in 2020, Samuel posted career highs with 77 catches for 851 yards and also had 200 yards rushing. He could be an even more dangerous weapon in a full-time role elsewhere.
19. Baltimore DE Matt Judon: Judon recorded 9.5 sacks in 2019 while starting every game for the first time in his career, and his performance in 2020 again underscored his reliable pass-rushing skills.
20. Tennessee TE Jonnu Smith: The 25-year-old set career bests in receiving yards (448), first downs (25) and touchdowns (eight) in 2020, and profiles as a large and reliable third-down and red-zone weapon.
21. Seattle CB Shaquill Griffin: He rode the roller-coaster of development as most young NFL corners do, but emerged out of the ups-and-downs with a Pro Bowl appearance in 2019, six career picks and a solid free agent market.
22. Giants NT Dalvin Tomlinson: After starting all 64 games of his four-year career, Tomlinson’s raw strength in the interior — and ability to consistently plug up the run — should result in a premium payday for the 318-pounder.
23. Denver DE Shelby Harris: A cool market brought him back to the Broncos on a one-year deal for 2020, and Harris followed that up with another strong, pass-deflection-laden season despite missing five games, four due to COVID-19.
24. Arizona OLB Haason Reddick: The former first-round pick struggled to carve out a consistent role with the Cardinals until last year, when he showed his true potential with a career-high 12.5 sacks and also six forced fumbles.
25. Titans ILB Jayon Brown: Brown started 24 games over the past two seasons in Tennessee, where the former fifth-round pick racked up a career-high 105 tackles in 2019. An athletic playmaker against both the run and the pass.
