These are the best NFL free agents on the offensive side of the ball.
With the franchise tag behind us, we now really seriously dive into NFL free agency. The official signing window won't open until March 16, but we'll know a lot more about who's going where before that.
It's called the hilarious "legal tampering period," which allows teams to contact players and initiate conversations 48 hours before the start of free agency. The names may not be formally put on paper until that March 16th date, but many times the biggest names on the market have a pretty good idea of where they're going to sign.
Today we are looking at the six best players in each offensive position. Let's take a look at what Premier players are on offer, and discuss how these groups look as a whole.
Quarterback
- Jameis winston
- teddy bridgewater
- Mitch Trubisky
- Marcus Mariota
- Jacoby Brissette
- Andy Dalton
Understand why so many teams are trading for quarterbacks now? Honestly, that's a pretty shallow set of potential passersby this year. Jameis Winston could very well re-sign with the Saints, but when he's leading the group you know it's not great.
What we're really seeing here is a bunch of bridge players. Winston, Bridgewater, Mariota, Brissette and Dalton aren't really starting caliber QBs at this point - but they can help a team waiting to develop a rookie.
Note that I have left Mitch Trubisky out of this list. That's because he's really in his class. Trubisky hasn't shown enough to be considered a reliable bridge QB, but there's a slight lack of hope that maybe the bear destroyed him, but he still has potential. It's not a good plan to sign him in the hope that he will become a "boy", but someone is going to do it.
Rushing back
- Melvin gordon
- Leonard Fournet
- James Conner
- Cordarell patterson
- Sony michelle
- Rashad Penny
Based on production alone, the Cordarelle Patterson is the best in this class. With 618 rushing yards and 548 receiving yards he proved to be a wonderful all-purpose weapon in Atlanta's offense. However, I don't have him number 1 here because he's not really running backwards, in the strict sense of the word. It would be an offense to want a player to work it out with his skill.
The safe choices here are Gordon, Fournet, and Connor—all of them with good-to-decent starting caliber backs in the traditional RB mold. The gem on this list for me is Rashad Penny. He's young, dynamic, and if he can stay healthy (a big one if he's been bitten by an injury) he'll be the best runner in the class.
Wide receiver
- Alan Robinson II
- Juju Smith-Shuster
- Odell Beckham Jr.
- Michael Gallup
- Christian Kirkee
- DJ Charak Jr.
Tagged to the Davante Adams franchise and Mike Williams re-signed with the Chargers, these are the best players we have left. It was a brutally down season for Robinson II in Chicago, but it really wasn't his fault. Bear's crime was a dumpster fire, and he never got along with Andy Dalton.
JuJu Smith-Schuster was also a victim of the conditions, and I hope he can return as a top 15 receiver in a team that can use him properly. Seriously, put him on the heads and he'll eat the teams alive.
Obj acts as the credible veteran here, though I expect him to return to Ram unless someone is willing to throw huge money at him.
Offending line
- Terron armstead
- Brandon Sheref
- Ryan jensen
- Laken Tomlinson
- Conor Williams
- James Daniels
Good News Bengal! This is a good year to need an offensive lineman and have a lot of money. I don't expect Cincinnati to put its entire purse line, but a significant amount should go here.
Obviously Terron Armstead is the big prize. He would make huge money in free agency, and be worth every penny. Brandon Sherf is the top defender who can add some clumsiness in a row, and Ryan Jensen is the best center available - after anchoring down the middle for the Buccaneers.
Tight end
- Rob Gronkowski
- Zach Ertz
- Evan Engram
- Gerald Everett
- Max Williams
- cj uzomah
It's Gronk, it'll be Gronk for a while until he gets the hang of it. He's not a top-tier, every-down tight end at the moment, but no one is better at taking big catches in the end zone. I hope he signs with a Super Bowl contender and scores a run in the other ring, because why not?
A young team needs a quality start, should probably look at the draft here. Ertz, Engram, and Everett are all good players, but whichever team takes them, they should be considered 4th or 5th weapon, not a focal point.
It's been a relatively weak year for tight ends in both free agency and the draft, which is due to how many teams use their franchise tags on the position – with the Browns, Dolphins and Cowboys all retaining their players.
Who is the gem of this free agency on crime?
The easy answer is Terron Armstead. He is the best offensive player on the market, and he will be paid as such.
That said, I think I like JuJu Smith-Shuster best here. He probably won't make massive money, especially if Amari Cooper is released by Dallas (since he'll jump to No. 1 WR), and it makes JuJu a really good pickup for a team with a solid receiver or two. Just want to add more weapons. I think he can make a huge impact in that role.