Three Best Landing Spots for Ex-Trojan Jurrell Casey in Free Agency

The former pro-bowler will get a lot of interest in free agency this offseason.

Author:
Austin Grad
Publish date:
Mar 15, 2021 11:43 PM EDT

The 2021 free agency period officially begins on Wednesday, March 17.

Former USC star Jurrell Casey will be among the big-name targets after he was released by the Denver Broncos earlier this offseason.

So what teams would be the best fit for the former five-time pro-bowler? Let's dive in.

No. 1 New England Patriots

The first team that has cap space and a huge need for a pass rusher on the defensive line is none other than Bill Belichick's New England Patriots.

Casey would fit New England's defensive scheme perfectly, and would provide a much needed interior pass rush for the Pats.

The Patriots would be able to offer him a substantial amount since team has over $69 million to spend in free agency. Considering the fact that Belichick has praised him in the past, as he terrorized New England while he was with the Titans, this pairing could work for 2021.

No. 2 Cincinnati Bengals

Another team that could benefit from signing Casey this offseason is the Cincinnati Bengals.

If he’s healthy, the 10-year NFL vet makes for an ideal target for the Bengals as an interior disruptor who has 51 sacks since 2011.

Considering the fact that Cincinnati ranked dead-last in sacks with 17 during the 2020 season, Casey could be a huge upgrade on the defensive line. The Bengals also struggled to stop the run, as they finished 4th-worst for rush yards allowed per game.

The Bengals are expected to move on from Geno Atkins in a cost-cutting measure, thus Casey could be solid addition to their roster.

No. 3 Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders had weak production from their interior defensive tackles last year, and Casey could help solve that problem.

Las Vegas finished with the 4th-worst pass rush in 2020, tallying only 21 sacks as a team. It was the Raiders weakness all season long, especially from the defensive tackle position.

Even though he only played three games in 2020, Casey was still effective, finishing with an overall grade from Pro Football Focus of 74.4, which ranked 30th out of all interior defensive linemen.

In his last full season of play in 2018, the former Trojan had a PFF grade of 85.4.

Despite missing 13 games due to a bicep injury last season, expect the market for Jurrell Casey to be very hot, especially with free agency right around the corner.