The official start to the new NFL league year is here, with a new collective bargaining agreement and all. It also comes at a time when the world is upended by the coronavirus pandemic, but other than changes to travel and locking down team facilities, NFL free agency is continuing unabated.
With the legal tampering period beginning on March 16, many deals were already agreed upon before free agency actually began. Some became official right at 4 p.m. ET when the new league year kicked off, while others have yet to be finalized until teams can conduct physicals. We’ve also seen a high number of franchise tags this offseason, with players like Dak Prescott and Chris Jones sticking with their teams.
Even after all that, there are a slew of free agents looking for a landing spot in 2020. Below, we’ll point you to the best available players at each position, with updates throughout free agency. Note that not every signing is included, namely for players at the bottom of the roster.
Quarterback
Signed: Kyle Allen, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, Chase Daniel, Chad Henne, Taysom Hill, Case Keenum, Marcus Mariota, AJ McCarron, Nick Mullens, Nathan Peterman, Dak Prescott, Philip Rivers, Nate Sudfeld, Ryan Tannehill
Best available: Jameis Winston, Josh McCown, Blaine Gabbert, Blake Bortles
A strong group of free agent quarterbacks has been quickly depleted, with Dak Prescott getting the franchise tag and Tom Brady, Teddy Bridgewater, and Marcus Mariota landing with new teams.
Running Back
Signed: Matt Breida, Kenyan Drake, Austin Ekeler, Derrick Henry, Jordan Howard, Kareem Hunt, Jeff Wilson
Best available: Ameer Abdullah, Peyton Barber, Devonta Freeman, Melvin Gordon, Frank Gore, Carlos Hyde, Dion Lewis, LeSean McCoy, Lamar Miller, Ty Montgomery, C.J. Prosise, Wendell Smallwood, Chris Thompson, DeAndre Washington, Jonathan Williams
The value of the running back position continues to swing wildly, but that didn’t stop the Titans from putting the franchise tag on Derrick Henry. Other names like Austin Ekeler and Jordan Howard were quickly locked down, too.
Wide Receiver
Signed: Danny Amendola, Kendrick Bourne, DeAndre Carter, Randall Cobb, Keelan Cole, Amari Cooper, Keelan Doss, Larry Fitzgerald, A.J. Green, David Moore, Zach Pascal
Best available: Nelson Agholor, Geronimo Allison, Robby Anderson, Travis Benjamin, Phillip Dorsett, Devin Funchess, Taylor Gabriel, Rashard Higgins, Johnny Holton, Breshad Perriman, Demarcus Robinson, Emmanuel Sanders
We already saw two blockbuster wide receiver trades involving DeAndre Hopkins and Stefon Diggs. The Cowboys didn’t let Amari Cooper hit the open market, as they signed him to a lucrative long-term deal. The Bengals tagged A.J. Green, but that still left some compelling names on the market.
Tight End
Signed: Ross Dwelley, Darren Fells, Jimmy Graham, Demetrius Harris, Hunter Henry, Jacob Hollister, Austin Hooper, Blake Jarwin, Greg Olsen, Quinton Spain, Levine Toilolo, Jason Witten
Best available: Eric Ebron, Luke Stocker, Geoff Swaim
A weak draft class at tight end put a premium on the free agents who became available. Hunter Henry got the franchise tag, while Austin Hooper was quickly snatched up. Veterans Greg Olsen, Jimmy Graham and Jason Witten had no troubles landing with teams, either.
Offensive Line
Signed: Daniel Brunskill, Bryan Bulaga, Anthony Castonzo, Jack Conklin, Rashaad Coward, George Fant, Ereck Flowers, Graham Glasgow, D.J. Humphries, Joey Hunt, Ted Karras, Alex Lewis, Connor McGovern, Justin Murray, Brandon Scherff, Matt Skura, Xavier Su’a-Filo, Joe Thuney, Ricky Wagner, Andrew Whitworth, Elijah Wilkinson, Andrew Wylie
Best available: Demar Dotson, Cordy Glenn, James Hurst, Ronald Leary, Jason Peters, Ty Sambrailo, Daryl Williams
The Colts held on to left tackle Anthony Castonzo with an extension. Guards Joe Thuney and Brandon Scherff would have been next to new deals, but both received the franchise tag fairly quickly. Still, there’s a lot of beef out there!
Edge
Signed: Mario Addison, Arik Armstead, Shaquil Barrett, Vic Beasley, Ronald Blair, Bud Dupree, Dante Fowler Jr., Bruce Irvin, Quinton Jefferson, Matt Judon, Roy Robertson-Harris, Branden Jackson, Carl Nassib, Yannick Ngakoue, Robert Quinn, Stephen Weatherly, Leonard Williams
Best available: Jadeveon Clowney, Markus Golden, Everson Griffen, Cameron Wake
Getting to the quarterback is becoming more and more important as crazy-athletic passers continue to enter the league. The 49ers gave Arik Armstead a huge extension, while the Jaguars were quick to tag Yannick Ngakoue.
Defensive Tackle
Signed: Michael Brockers, Adam Butler, Maliek Collins, Tyeler Davison, Brandon Dunn, Javon Hargrave, Chris Jones, Linval Joseph, Star Lotulelei, Gerald McCoy, Mike Purcell, D.J. Reader, Jarran Reed, Danny Shelton, Josh Tupou, Antwaun Woods
Best available: Damon Harrison, Margus Hunt, Brandon Mebane
Chris Jones got the franchise tag, which is unsurprising because of how important he was to the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win. After him, D.J. Reader got a huge contract with the Bengals, and the market is beginning to be pretty depleted.
Linebacker
Signed: Vince Biegel, Jon Bostic, Jamie Collins, Thomas Davis, Kyler Fackrell, Leonard Floyd, Devon Kennard, Christian Kirksey, Nick Kwiatkoski, Sean Lee, Cory Littleton, Blake Martinez, David Mayo, Nicholas Morrow, Denzel Perryman, Kevin Pierre-Louis, Elandon Roberts, Joe Schobert, Danny Trevathan, Kyle Van Noy, Eric Wilson
Best available: Mark Barron, Anthony Chickillo, De’Vondre Campbell, Kareem Martin, Alec Ogletree, Nick Vigil, Tahir Whitehead
There are a lot of tackling machines available this year, even after guys like Jamie Collins, Cory Littleton, Thomas Davis, and Joe Schobert got big deals elsewhere.
Cornerback
Signed: Eli Apple, James Bradberry, Anthony Brown, Michael Davis, Darqueze Dennard, Grant Haley, Vernon Hargreaves, Chris Harris Jr., Byron Jones, Nevin Lawson, Jalen Mills, Emmanuel Moseley, Brian Poole, Bradley Roby, Levi Wallace, Trae Waynes
Best available: Prince Amukamara, Bashaud Breeland, Ronald Darby, Johnathan Joseph, Jalen Mills, Xavier Rhodes, Nickell Robey-Coleman, Logan Ryan, Jimmy Smith, Desmond Trufant
It’s unbelievable that someone as good as Byron Jones hit the open market, and he wasn’t there for long, signing a megadeal with the Dolphins. There are still quite a few corners worth kicking the tires on, however.
Safety
Signed: Tre Boston, Chuck Clark, Anthony Harris, Jeff Heath, Eddie Jackson, Malcolm Jenkins, Devin McCourty, Jordan Poyer, Justin Simmons, Jimmie Ward
Best available: Vonn Bell, Morgan Burnett, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Blake Countess, A.J. Howard, Colin Jones, Reshad Jones, Karl Joseph, Damarious Randall, Eric Reid
Several big names at safety, like Devin McCourty, Anthony Harris, and Jimmie Ward, were scheduled to be free agents. Unfortunately for teams in need of safety help, all three are staying put, leaving the next tier of safeties for the rest of the league.
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