8 2024 NFL Free Agents Who Could Strengthen a Division Rival This Offseason
Whether it's a big name like Richard Sherman going from the Seattle Seahawks to the San Francisco 49ers or more of a role player like Drue Tranquill leaving the Los Angeles Chargers for the Kansas City Chiefs, free agents signing with a division rival is common in the NFL.
It makes sense, too, since front offices and coaching staffs watch a player terrorize their team twice a year, making it easy to scout the player as the organization is already familiar with their game. Plus, if the team can't stop the guy, why not bring him on to work with him instead of against him?
So, with free agency just around the corner, who are a few impending free agents who would be a good fit with another team in the division?
Each player selected fills a need for the corresponding division rival, and we'll take a look at each of the NFL's eight divisions.
AFC East: Josh Uche to Miami Dolphins
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After putting together an impressive 11.5-sack campaign in 2022, Josh Uche didn't live up to the hype this past season and regressed with just three quarterback takedowns. He didn't end up having the contract year necessary to earn a lucrative second deal in the offseason, so the 25-year-old pass-rusher might look to recoup some value in 2023.
That's a big reason why Pro Football Focus is projecting Uche to receive a one-year, $7.25 million contract on the open market.
"Uche's role diminished despite injuries to key contributors such as Matthew Judon in New England," PFF explained. "Uche is a pure designated pass-rusher who can be deployed on late downs to pin his ears back and get home for timely pressures and sacks, which is still valuable. A one-year flier to boost his stock back up may be the best route at this juncture."
That would be a perfect fit for the Miami Dolphins seeing as edge rushers Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb are coming off of late-season injuries and Andrew Van Ginkel is an impending free agent. So, Miami could use another edge to play behind Phillips or Chubb at least, or fill in for either of them if they aren't ready for the beginning of the season.
While other teams might be hesitant to bring in a young free agent on a one-year deal, it would make sense for the Dolphins since Chubb is signed through 2027, and signing Uche for just a season wouldn't get in the way of reaching a long-term deal with Phillips.
In other words, the Phins don't need the former Patriot for the long haul, they just need him to help make another playoff/Super Bowl run in 2024.
AFC North: Chidobe Awuzie to Baltimore Ravens
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Chidobe Awuzie might not be the biggest name in the cornerback market this spring, but make no mistake about it, he's a quality player. According to Pro Football Focus, Awuzie allowed just 38 completions on 446 coverage snaps last season which amounts to one every 11.7 opportunities and about 2.5 per game, and that was coming off of a torn ACL.
The seven-year veteran has served as the Cincinnati Bengals' No. 1 corner over the past few years, but the Bengals have a handful of other in-house free agents to take care of like Tee Higgins and D.J. Reader. Also, they have invested a lot of draft capital in the secondary over the past few years, making Awuzie a good candidate to hit the open market.
If he does become available, the Baltimore Ravens should swoop in.
The Ravens' top cornerback, Marlon Humphrey, has battled the injury bug in two of the past three seasons, and while Brandon Stephens stepped up last fall, Stephens is about to enter a contract year. Also, the team has five impending free agents at the position, so the front office will be looking for some depth at the least.
Awuzie could go to Baltimore as the No. 2 corner, providing an insurance policy if Humphrey struggles to stay healthy or Stephens walks next spring while bolstering the defense's secondary for another Super Bowl run.
AFC South: Kenny Moore II to Houston Texans
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After asking for a contract extension last offseason, Kenny Moore II and the Indianapolis Colts were unable to reach an agreement on a new deal. The Colts have made a push to get younger recently and Moore II just hit his 30s at the beginning of the year.
That may prove to be a costly decision for Indianapolis, as they have several other impending free agents like Michael Pittman Jr., Grover Stewart and Julian Blackmon to make decisions on, and the veteran corner's value increased after this season.
"[In 2023, Moore] earned a career-high 79.3 coverage grade along with a 71.5 run-defense grade (his sixth straight season going above 65.0)," Pro Football Focus wrote. "At 5 foot 9 and 190 pounds, Moore never backs down from a tackle opportunity, doing a good job as the force defender to keep ball carriers inside or running the alley to make the tackle himself when called upon...Moore became just the 28th player in NFL history to record two pick-sixes in the same game with his outstanding Week 9 performance and can now look to capitalize on a strong season."
Meanwhile, the Houston Texans are a young up-and-coming team that could use a veteran defensive back to cover the slot. Desmond King II and Tavierre Thomas were Houston's top nickelbacks last fall and both are unrestricted free agents.
Also, Moore II would be an upgrade over those two to help improve the Texans' secondary, which ranked 23rd in passing yards allowed per game (234.1) last season.
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AFC West: Chris Jones to Las Vegas Raiders
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The Kansas City Chiefs have a couple of impending free agents that one of the franchise's oldest rivals would be interested in, Chris Jones and L'Jarius Sneed, since defensive tackle and cornerback are two of the Las Vegas Raiders' biggest needs this offseason. So, expect the Raiders to pursue the player between those two that the Chiefs let test the market.
From the sounds of it, Sneed is more likely to get franchise-tagged, meaning Jones could hit the open market. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Jones would be due about $32 million on the one-year tender because of his 2023 cap number, making him unlikely to get tagged. Sneed's figure would be much cheaper at about $19.8 million, per Over The Cap.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas' defensive tackles as a whole accounted for 9.5 sacks last season with Adam Butler, Bilal Nichols and John Jenkins accounting for 7.5 of them. Those three are impending free agents this spring, so the Silver and Black are going to need to add some interior pass-rushers this offseason.
Jones has had at least nine sacks in six out of nine years, including back-to-back double-digit performances over the last two campaigns. He'd be a great compliment to Maxx Crosby, and Crosby has already vocalized his support for the Chief to flip sides of the rivalry.
"I mean, I would take Chris Jones in a heartbeat," Crosby told Heavy Sports' Austin Boyd in an interview during Super Bowl week. "I know Chris really well. So I mean, there are a lot of guys in free agency, a lot of great defensive tackles. It would be it would be awesome. I mean, Chris Jones is one of the best in the game, if not the best at what he does. I know he's a Chief, but at the end of the day, if you want to come to the Raiders, come on down. I'm all for it."
NFC East: Tyler Biadasz to Washington Commanders
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While the Washington Commanders signed center Nick Gates last offseason, Gates struggled this past season by giving up five sacks in the team's first seven games, per Pro Football Focus. He ended up getting benched in favor of Tyler Larsen, whose contract expires at the beginning of the new league year.
The Commanders are widely expected to spend the No. 2 overall pick on a quarterback and can't afford to put the future of the franchise behind a center that struggles in pass protection. That's where Tyler Biadasz can come in and help the rookie sign-caller.
"Biadasz's extensive starting experience dating back to his Wisconsin days shows up with clean technique and good hand usage," PFF wrote. "... He could help a young quarterback adjust to the NFL by calling out protections, and he reacts well to twists and stunts."
According to Over The Cap, Washington will head into free agency with the most cap space available in the NFL at about $79.6 million. So, the three-year, $21 million ($7 million per year) deal PFF is projecting for the Cowboys center would be a drop in the bucket.
Also, Gates' contract only carries a little more than a $5.3 million dead-cap hit in 2024 and contains an out in 2025, per OTC, or he could be moved to guard to help replace Saahdiq Charles if need be.
NFC North: Danielle Hunter to Detroit Lions
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Fresh off of winning the organization's first NFC North title and making it to the conference championship for the first time since 1991, the Detroit Lions head into the offseason with about $57.6 million of cap space, according to Over The Cap. That could make the Lions big players in free agency and lead them to target one of the best edge-rushers available, Danielle Hunter.
While Aidan Hutchinson has quickly become a star, racking up 21 sacks and a Pro Bowl appearance in just two seasons, Detroit needs to get him some help on the other side. After Hutchinson, John Cominsky had the most sacks among the team's defensive ends during the regular season last year with just two.
Meanwhile, Danielle Hunter has terrorized the Lions for years and has posted double-digit sacks in five out of eight seasons, including 16.5 during the 2023 campaign. He's also approaching his 30s and has a better chance at winning a Super Bowl in the Motor City than Minnesota.
The Lions' roster doesn't have many holes, and the front office has plenty of funds available to give Hunter the three-year, $65 million ($21.67 million per year) contract Pro Football Focus is projecting for him. Meanwhile, the Vikings have just $35.8 million of cap space and don't have a veteran starting quarterback under contract since Kirk Cousins' deal is about to expire.
NFC South: Frankie Luvu to Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might have to replace both of their Week 1 starting off-ball linebackers this offseason, as Lavonte David and Devin White are impending free agents. While David and the club might reach an agreement on a new deal, it feels like White will be playing elsewhere next season.
The 2019 first-round pick lost his starting spot toward the end of the year and saw his playing time take a hit during the playoffs. White's biggest claim to fame in Tampa Bay is his unique skill set as an off-ball linebacker who can be an effective pass-rusher with 23 sacks in five seasons. So, if he does walk, Frankie Luvu could step right in and fill that role.
"Luvu burst onto the scene in 2021 and has continued to be one of the best pass-rushing off-ball linebackers in the NFL, with his 43 pressures since 2022 ranking fourth at the position and his 9.5 sacks ranking first," Pro Football Focus wrote. "Luvu has also amassed 62 defensive stops against the run since 2022, which ranks 12th among linebackers over the span. Luvu has limitations in coverage but is a menace coming forward and rushing the passer or shooting through gaps to rack up tackles for loss."
With about $43.7 million of cap space available, per Over The Cap, the Bucs can afford to cover Luvu's projected contract of three years, $30 million ($10 million per year), via PFF. Also, if they bring back David, they won't have to worry as much about the Panther not holding up in coverage.
NFC West: Chase Young to Los Angeles Rams
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Listing Chase Young here kind of feels like cheating since he was traded to San Francisco mid-season and only participated in one 49ers-Rams rivalry game. However, he still fits the criteria and would fill a big need in Los Angeles.
While Byron Young racked up eight sacks as a rookie in 2023, the team's exterior pass rushers as a whole struggled to win consistently. According to Brett Kollman, the Rams had the second-lowest collective pass-rush win rate (15.0 percent) among edge defenders heading into the final week of the regular season.
Meanwhile, the 2020 No. 2 overall pick is trending up after a bounce-back campaign last fall.
"Finally healthy in 2023 after spending the better part of two seasons recovering from a torn ACL, Young exploded early in the year and finished among the top edge defenders in pass-rush win rate on the season," Pro Football Focus explained. "A strong run defender as a rookie, Young does lose contain at times and occasionally gets guided upfield beyond the play, but a half-season of working with defensive line coach Kris Kocurek in San Francisco is the best free agency preparation around."
PFF also projects Young to receive a "bet on yourself" type of contract this spring, to the tune of one year, $15 million. The Rams have just under $40 million of cap space available this offseason, per Over The Cap, and stars like Aaron Donald and Matthew Stafford are getting close to retirement.
It'd be worth it for them to swing big this offseason and make one last push for another Lombardi Trophy before Stafford and Young hang 'em up.
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