We’re deep into the second wave of NFL free agency after a quick start with players signed across the league, but there are still plenty of quality players available, including Akiem Hicks – No. 1 among our top players. available.
As teams begin to put pen to paper on these free agent deals, there are still plenty of talented players to snatch from competing teams. Unfortunately for quarterback needy teams, none of them are quarterbacks.
Here are the top 10 remaining free agents, based on Pete Prisco’s Top 100 list.
Hicks isn’t that far off his Pro Bowl season (2018), as the 32-year-old defensive tackle had 3.5 sacks and nine quarterback hits in nine games for the Chicago Bears last season. Hicks’ versatility will have some value for teams as he can play on the edge or line up inside.
Having only 15 pressures in nine games, Hicks had 50 pressures the previous season. The days of Hicks, 32, winning a massive contract seem to be behind him, but he can be a good pass thrower in a rotation and is still a good running stopper (had 17 running stoppages in 2021).
Left tackles are hard to come by in this league, and Brown’s age is concerning at 36. He’s still at the top of his game after making the Pro Bowl last year, when he started all 17 games. The eight sacks Brown has allowed are as many as in his last four years combined, and his five penalties are the most he has committed in four years.
Brown should have a solid market based on the value of offensive tackles. He still has a few good years of football left.
With Tom Brady returning from his 40-day retirement, it’s entirely possible that Gronk will return to the Buccaneers as well. He showed no signs of slowing down. An injury-riddled season caused Gronkowski to miss five games, but he still finished with 55 catches for 802 yards and six touchdowns. He also had nine catches for 116 yards and a touchdown in two playoff games.
Gronkowski is fifth in NFL history in receiving tight-end yards (9,286) and third in receiving tight-end touchdowns (92). His 98 catches for 1,389 yards in the playoffs are third by any player in playoff history, and his 15 receiving touchdowns are second in playoff history.
He finally appeared to return to his pre-injury state last year, but then suffered another serious knee injury during the Super Bowl. That’s why it’s so low.
Beckham has turned his 2021 season around since signing with the Rams after an ugly breakup with the Browns, recording 27 catches for 305 yards and five touchdowns in eight games. He had 21 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns in four playoff games, with two catches for 52 yards and a touchdown in Super Bowl LVI before injuring his knee.
After tearing an Achilles tendon in late 2020 with the Chiefs, he settled in and did a good job for the Colts last season. He’s not a guy who’ll be All-Pro, but he’s a capable starter.
Tartt started 14 games for the 49ers last season, finishing with 66 tackles and one pass defensed. Although Tartt didn’t record an interception last year, he allowed just one touchdown in coverage as opposing quarterbacks completed just 54.8% of their passes and had odds. passer of 71.0 when he was the main defenseman.
Tartt is a solid starter for a team that needs secondary help.
Hightower returned to the Patriots defense last season after retiring from the 2020 campaign. During that time, he didn’t look like the same player who helped New England to multiple Super Bowls. Instead, Hightower was noticeably a step slower than it had been in the past. He finished the season with 64 tackles and 1.5 sacks. The 32-year-old is reportedly still thinking about the next steps in his career, which would indicate retirement could be on the table if the right situation doesn’t present itself.
Anyone still looking for a capable starting linebacker who has also seen their fair share of NFL reps should be onto Johnson. After spending his final four seasons with the Denver Broncos, Johnson saw his 2021 season cut short by a torn pectoral muscle, but was on pace for a career-best campaign before the injured reserve robbed him of his chance to complete the mission. In 2020, he recorded a career-high 124 combined tackles and two forced fumbles, increasing his sack total in 2021 in about a third of starts (he started 16 games the previous year); and as the OTAs begin, needy LB teams should take a look at what he has to offer.
There’s still plenty of tread on Ogunjobi’s tires, considering he’s one of the youngest veterans yet to win in free agency. The 27-year-old is leaving the Bengals after just one season, having started his NFL career as a former Browns third-round pick, and hopes to find a long-term home in his next step. A definite starter on the defensive line and durable, Ogunjobi has rarely missed a game since entering the league in 2017 and has recorded 62 starts in his past four seasons. He’s expected to find another home in the NFL soon enough, bringing 21.5 career sacks and 229 career tackles with him.
10. Riley Reiff
After spending four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Reiff signed a one-year contract to join the Bengals this past offseason. He started all 12 games for Cincinnati at right tackle last season before being placed on injured reserve in mid-December and missing the club’s run to Super Bowl LVI. According to Pro Football Focus, Reiff had a pass blocking efficiency rating of 96.8, allowing 21 total pressures and four sacks.
