Top Potential Free Agents - Offense
May 12th, 2020
Top 15 Potential Free Agents - Offense
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This offseason, the free agency merry-go-round is due to be more frenetic than ever, with a number of high profile free agents hitting the market.
This article looks at the offensive side of the ball and lists the top free agents at each position.
Quarterback
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QB Chad Pennington: Age 28 - Pennington has 27 TDs, 15 INTs and over 3000 yards this season. Only 4 years played so is coming into his prime. Arguably the top QB available and will no doubt have many suitors. Career passer rating of 90.3 puts him solidly in the top tier of QBs.
QB Jake Plummer: Age 30 - Plummer has 13 TDs, 10 INTs and over 2200 yards this season. Only 7 years played but is a scrambler. However, during the SFL, he has not posted a passer rating over a season of less than 80. Plummer will be in demand and some may even spend the activity points to convert the tendency, just as an assurance.
The quality drops off quite markedly after these two. The next tier contains the likes of David Garrard, Charlie Batch, Damon Huard and Sage Rosenfels. Backups are available but no-one you'd hang your hat on after Plummer and Pennington. I would expect some crazy money to be thrown at the 2 guys at the top of the tree here - wouldn't surprise me to see 4+ years at well over $10m a season.
Tailback
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6 players with over 1000 yards - in the current season - become free agents. The market will be saturated with talent - but buyer beware, there is some tread on them there tyres.
HB Tiki Barber: Age 29 - 1400+ yards this year and hasn't had a season with less than that number. Averages over 5 yards per carry over his career. 7 years played. Barber is an elite talent and worth a 2-3 year rental on a hefty contract.
HB Ricky Williams: Age 27 - 1400+ yards this year and hasn't had a season with less than than 1100 yards. On years played, he is arguably the best investment - and has the physical tools to be a top 5 back every year. Averages over 4.5 yards per carry over his career. 5 years played. Williams has prime years left and has all the metrics, physically, you'd look for. He underperformed, comparatively, in Miami but has helped turned Cleveland into a contender for the postseason.
HB Corey Dillon: Age 30 - 1000+ yards this year and hasn't had a season with less than than 1300 yards but remains to be seen if he maintains that impressive stat. Averages over 4.2 yards per carry over his career. 7 years played. Dillon is a workhorse back that will help an offense out. Again, a short 1-2 year rental, but well worth it for a franchise looking for a difference at the position.
Garrison Hearst is having an indian summer but has 11 years played. However, his performance may make other veterans, such as Eddie George and Terrell Davis more attractive.
The top back outside this bracket is Buffalo's Travis Henry. Only 26 and 3 years played, Henry has flashed in Buffalo with 2 consecutive 1000 yard seasons - and stands at 999 yards this season. Any team considering drafting a back in the first two rounds HAS to consider Henry, who has produced on a team which itself, has not.
Receiver / Tight End
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There aren't too many standouts, statistically, when looking at the receivers coming on the market, outside of Moulds. However, Smith is a phenom and Crumpler is a top tier tight end.
WR Eric Moulds: Age 31 - 1400+ yards and 18 - yes eighteen - touchdowns this year and hasn't had a season with less than 1000 yards, although this year he really has exploded. 8 years played. Moulds is the only top tier receiver coming into free agency and could really make a difference to any offense.
WR Steve Smith: Age 26 - 700+ yards and 6 touchdowns this year and hasn't had a season with less than 1200 yards. Only 3 years played. Sits at #1 on the Panthers depth chart but hasn't had quite the same year as the past 2 seasons. Attributes off the board - someone will covet a speedster like Smith and will likely pay a sum for his services.
TE Alge Crumpler: Age 27 - 600+ yards and 5 touchdowns this year and hasn't had a season with less than 400 yards. Only 3 years played. Tight end is a peculiar position - some teams value them more highly than others, but Crumpler should find plenty of willing suitors.
Offensive Line
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C Matt Birk: Age 28 - Birk has anchored the 'fins line for 2 seasons now and has not relinquished a sack this year, with 44 pancakes. At 28, and with just 6 years played, he is entering his prime.
RT Todd Steussie: Age 34 - Steussie, although not as athetically gifted as say Tony Boselli, has 186 pancakes and just 14 sacks over 3 seasons compared to 225 and 20 for Boselli. At 10 years played, he is on the downside but of all the tackles manning the right side, he has the better career stats. You sometimes have to trust the production and not the attributes.
RG Jermane Mayberry: Age 31 - Mayberry is arguably the best guard, manning the more treacherous right side to boot. he has 41 pancakes and 0 sacks this year and has given up just 6 sacks in his career - a phenomenal stat. At 8 years played, he has plenty left in the tank and at 366 lbs is a big ol boy. Any team wanting to improve their run offense should take a look.
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