NFL Free Agency: Where’s the Defensive Line Depth?
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Philadelphia Eagles won the NFC due in part to their deep and dominant defensive line. The Green Bay Packers’ defensive line is neither deep nor dominant.
The depth could be a major problem. Jarran Reed, who signed a one-year deal with the team last offseason and finished second on the squad in quarterback hits, is set to hit free agency. So is longtime starter Dean Lowry. Combined, they played close to 1,200 defensive snaps.
If they leave, the new starting front would be Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt and TJ Slaton. They might be OK with that trio but the depth, literally, is nonexistent. The final two players on the roster are Jonathan Ford, a seventh-round pick last year, and Chris Slayton, a seventh-round pick by the Giants in 2019. They have not played a single regular-season snap.
Who’s Off the Market?
The Washington Commanders tagged and then signed standout Daron Payne to a massive deal worth $22.5 million per season. The Baltimore Ravens re-signed run-stopping Michael Pierce.
Strong or Weak?
Strong. This might be the best group of free agents in the NFL. There are some stars available, such as Philadelphia’s Javon Hargrave, and plenty of quality depth at a position group where it really is the more, the merrier.
Our Top 12
Javon Hargrave, Philadelphia Eagles: Always a high-quality starter, Hargrave really blossomed during his three seasons in Philly with 4.5 sacks in 2020, 7.5 sacks in 2021 and a career-high 11 sacks in 2022. Over those three seasons, his pass-rush win rate ranked third at the position, according to Pro Football Focus. In 2022, he was third in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap.
Dre’Mont Jones, Denver Broncos: A third-round pick in 2019, Jones has 22 sacks in four seasons – including 6.5 in 2022, when he started a career-high 13 games. He finished 11th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity and had 12 stuffs – most among the interior free agents. Just 26, he’s going to get a monster contract.
Dalvin Tomlinson, Minnesota Vikings: A second-round pick by the Giants in 2017, Tomlinson has started all but four games in his seasons. While he has only 13 career sacks, he is one of the top run-stopping defensive tackles in the league. Since entering the NFL, he is third among interior defenders with 55 stuffs (a tackle at or behind the line vs. the run). He had eight last year; for reference, Kenny Clark had six.
David Onyemata, New Orleans Saints: A 17-game starter, Onyemata was close to his career highs with five sacks and 43 tackles. With 11 quarterback hits, he reached double figures for a third consecutive season. He finished 22nd in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity and had six stuffs.
Fletcher Cox, Philadelphia Eagles: The 32-year-old is still a workhorse. He started all 17 games and has missed only four games in his 11 seasons. Cox tallied seven sacks and 14 quarterback hits, his best figures since 2018. He finished 22nd in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity and had four stuffs.
Sheldon Rankins, New York Jets: A first-round pick in 2016, Rankins re-emerged after starting a total of four games the previous three seasons. He started 15 games and set a career high with 43 tackles. Of 59 interior defenders with at least 300 pass-rushing opportunities, he finished 31st in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity. He’ll turn 30 next month.
Larry Ogunjobi, Pittsburgh Steelers: After setting career highs with seven sacks and 16 quarterback hits for Cincinnati in 2021, Ogunjobi had only 1.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits for the Steelers. While he was a disappointing 39th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, he was a disruptor with 11 stuffs. He’ll turn 29 in June.
Jarran Reed, Green Bay Packers: Here’s our pre-free agency feature on Reed.
A’Shawn Robinson, Los Angeles Rams: Robinson is a two-down run defender. After setting a career high with 67 tackles in 2021, he had 42 in 10 games in 2022. He had zero sacks and only three quarterback hits and contributed three stuffs. A second-round pick in 2016, he’ll turn 28 next week. He’ll be healthy following knee surgery.
Khalen Saunders, Kansas City Chiefs: A third-round pick in 2019, the 324-pounder with the athleticism to do a backflip started only five games in four seasons. After collecting one sack and two quarterback hits in his first three seasons, he had three sacks and eight hits in 2022. He was 44th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity and had four stuffs. Maybe he's on the rise.
Matt Ioannidis, Carolina Panthers: Ioannidis had a total of 16 sacks for Washington in 2018 and 2019 but only five in 32 games the last three seasons. With Carolina last year, he had one sack and nine quarterback hits in 13 games. The 29-year-old was 25th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity and had seven stuffs.
Jerry Tillery, Las Vegas Raiders: Draft grades still matter, so Tillery should have some demand as the Chargers’ 2019 first-rounder. He had a total of 7.5 sacks and 28 quarterback hits in 2020 and 2021 but one sack and four hits for the Chargers and Raiders in 2022.
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