Best NFL Free Agents Available at Every Position, Post-Franchise Tags

The NFL free-agency period is in its initial stage; there promises to be a great deal of movement in the next seven to 10 days.

Despite the fact that some of the best players that were set to hit the market received the franchise tag, there is still a ton of top talent available at each position.

This article is going to give you the best players available in free agency at each position.

Note: Many top-tier free agents came off the board on Tuesday. This article is updated to reflect that.

Quarterbacks

Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts

It goes without saying that Manning is the most sought-after free agent on the market. While the future Hall of Fame quarterback had indicated that he wanted to get a deal done prior to the start of free agency yesterday, it seems this is going to be a prolonged process.

The Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos all remain the top candidates to acquire Manning.

According to CBS Sports, the Broncos are one of the two teams that sit atop Manning's wish list.

Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers

It is becoming increasingly evident that the 49ers are going to re-sign the improving quarterback. The only thing that might be holding back a deal at this point is the possibility that Smith is waiting on signing the reported three-year deal so that San Francisco can make a play at other free agents on the market and structure his contract likewise.

Smith was one of the most improved quarterbacks in the NFL last season and will give the 49ers more continuity on an offense that promises to be somewhat different at the wide receiver position in 21012.

Matt Flynn, Green Bay Packers

While Flynn has a great amount of upside at the quarterback position, he is still not a well-know commodity. He has all the talent to be a really good starting quarterback moving forward.

The Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins are reported to be his most likely destinations. The Seattle Seahawks have also had internal discussions about the possibility of bringing Flynn in.

Kyle Orton, Kansas City Chiefs

Many assumed that Orton would have found a starting job somewhere this offseason. That possibility is looking less likely. He met with the Dallas Cowboys yesterday, in which case Orton would be a backup to Tony Romo.

Running Backs

Michael Bush, Oakland Raiders

The former Oakland Raiders running back is going to get a lot of play on the open market. He should find a starting job somewhere.

Reports had previously indicated that the Cincinnati Bengals would be a great fit for the talented young back. He is said to have set up a meeting with the Arizona Cardinals, who are definitely looking at the running back position this offseason.

Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns

Prior to a down 2011 season, Hillis was considered one of the best young running backs in the entire NFL. He regressed a great deal with the Browns last year, as drama seemed to surround the two throughout the duration of the season.

With that said, there promises to be a lot of interest in Hillis this offseason.

The Kansas City Chiefs are planning to visit with the former Browns and Broncos running back.

Brandon Jacobs, New York Giants

There isn't a lot of news surrounding Jacobs. He had indicated a desire to join the New York Jets, but that doesn't seem to likely.

He isn't an every-down back anymore. Instead, Jacobs will come in as a complementary player and give tremendous value short term.

Mike Tolbert, San Diego Chargers

A year after being given the franchise tag, Mike Tolbert hits the free-agent market and he is already garnering a great amount of interest throughout the league.

The Chiefs are going to meet with Tolbert, who would provide a nice change of pace to Jamaal Charles in their backfield. Reports also indicate that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are showing interest.

Either way, he will provide that tough yardage between the hashes.

Tight Ends

Dallas Clark, Indianapolis Colts

It would seem to make sense that Clark would follow Peyton Manning wherever he went. After all, the two have had amazing chemistry over the course of the last decade.

With that said, Clark does provide a great amount of value to a team looking for a veteran presence. Despite a down year, he has a couple years left in those tires.

John Carlson, Seattle Seahawks

Prior to missing the entire 2011 season due to injury, I had Carlson as one of the budding stars at the tight end positions. He had a couple extremely productive seasons with the Seahawks and could provide an excellent target between the hashes.

Jason LaCanfora is reporting that the tight end has visits lined up with the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts. There are also indications that he is going to meet with the Minnesota Vikings today. 

Martellus Bennett, Dallas Cowboys

Extremely talented player that hasn't quite put it all together as of yet in the NFL. Bennett was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft in order to provide Tony Romo with another weapon, but it just never came together for him.

He met with the New York Giants last night and has visits lined up with a couple other teams. There promises to be a lot of interest due to his athletic ability down the field and between the hashes.

Wide Receivers

Mike Wallace, Pittsburgh Steelers (restricted)

It remains to be seen if any team is going to be able to snatch Wallace from the Steelers, but there is going to be a lot of interest in the talented young receiver.

Whoever acquires No. 17 would have to give up a first-round pick as compensation, which might scare some off.

He has a tremendous ability to stretch the field and was one of the best deep threats in the entire league last season. Wallace has also become a lot more consistent over the course of the last year, which indicates he is definitely ready to take on a No. 1 receiver role.

The San Francisco 49ers have been linked to Wallace. Depending on what happens with the remainder of the free-agent class, this idea could be brought back up in relatively short order.

Mario Manningham, New York Giants

The talented receiver is said to be looking for No. 1 wide receiver money, but that doesn't seem too likely at this point. He is more of a nice complementary guy for a really good offense. If Manningham gets that idea, he will draw more interest.

It had been reported that he would "probably" sign with the Buccaneers. This has since changed due to the fact that they acquired Vincent Jackson yesterday.

Brandon Lloyd, St. Louis Rams

Prior to the start of free agency it had been considered imminent that Lloyd would reunite with Josh McDaniels in New England, but things have changed recently.

Lloyd was en route to the Bay Area to meet with his original team, the 49ers. It remains to be seen if he has already met with them or plans to today. Either way, this is an extremely interesting development.

He has the talent to be a true No. 1 receiver and could provide San Francisco with that deep threat they have been looking for.

Laurent Robinson, Dallas Cowboys

Prior to a breakout season with the Cowboys in 2011, not many people had even heard of Robinson. With that said, I really like the way he played with the Rams a few years back. This is a receiver that gains separation at the line and has some of the softest hands I have seen.

In short, he is probably one of the most unheralded receivers in the league.

The Jacksonville Jaguars met with Robinson on Tuesday night. He would seem to be a great fit for the receiver-needy franchise. Other teams are said to be in the hunt as well.

Offensive Tackles

Eric Winston, Houston Texans

I was as surprised as anyone when the Texans decided to release Winston. He is one of the best run-blocking right tackles in the entire NFL. He also anchored the right side of one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.

It goes without saying that there is going to be a tremendous amount of interest in Winston in the open market.

He currently has visits with the Miami Dolphins, St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs lined up. There promises to be more teams get involved as well.

Marcus McNeill, San Diego Chargers

Another surprise addition to the free-agent market, McNeill has been one of the best pass-protecting offensive tackles in the NFL over the course of the last five seasons. When healthy, he can dominate opposing defenses at the line and give a clean pocket to his quarterback.

There are no reports of substance that indicate McNeill is planning to meet with anyone, but that promises to change in the near future.

Guards

Carl Nicks, New Orleans Saints

I think it is safe to say that Nicks is headed out of the Big Easy. He has pretty much been priced out of their range at this point. The All-Pro guard is one of the best interior linemen in the entire NFL. He is just as good in pass protection as he is in run-blocking, which indicates that the value is definitely there.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have quickly become the favorites to land the talented guard.

Evan Mathis, Philadelphia Eagles

He promises to provide more value than Nicks at this point and isn't too far below the former Saints guard in terms of ability. Mathis played extremely well for the Eagles in 2011, consistently opening up holes for LeSean McCoy on the inside and showing that he can be one of the best guards in the entire National Football League.

Pro Football Talk is reporting that Mathis has drawn interest from the aforementioned Buccaneers, as well as the Indianapolis Colts.

Ben Grubbs, Baltimore Ravens

At the start of the 2011 season I considered Grubbs one of the best guards in the entire NFL. He struggled with consistency and couldn't stay healthy last season.

With that said, Grubbs is still one of the best run-blocking guards out there and will provide great value along the interior of the line.

The New Orleans Saints are said to be most interested in the former Baltimore Ravens guard.

Steve Hutchinson, Minnesota Vikings

The former All-Pro guard has slowed down a little bit over the course of the last two seasons since being one of the most dominant in the league at his position. This is one of the primary reasons that Minnesota decided to cut ties with him. 

At this point, it would seem that the Tennessee Titans are the favorites to land Hutchinson. This makes a lot of sense considering they struggled at guard last season and Jake Scott is a free agent.

Centers

Chris Myers, Houston Texans

He was the best center in the league last season and anchored one of the most unheralded units. Despite being good at what he does, the Texans don't appear to be prepared to break the bank in order to retain Myers.

ESPN is reporting that the Tennessee Titans have talked to Myers. There promises to be more teams enter the fold as the free-agent bonanza plays out.

Scott Wells, Green Bay Packers

I still think that the Packers stand a good chance at retaining the services of Scott Wells. He came on strong during the 2011 season, solidifying their offensive line a great deal along its interior.

With that said, Scout.com has indicated that Wells is going to depart Green Bay. It remains to be seen who has talked with the Pro Bowl center.

Defensive Ends

Mario Williams, Houston Texans

The biggest free-agent prize outside of Peyton Manning, "Super Mario" continues to tour the league in hopes of becoming its highest-paid defensive player. If you ask me, this is exactly what he is going to be.

This is a player that can change the entire dynamic of a defense. He is as dominating of a pass-rusher that you will come across, consistently making his way into the offensive backfield.

The Buffalo Bills had first crack at Williams, but he left their facility without a contract. It appears that Williams will look at other options before coming to a decision.

John Abraham, Atlanta Falcons

At this point I am not sure what the market for Abraham is. He definitely has a lot left in the tank and would be a nice addition in a 4-3 defense.

That is the issue for me: He is a scheme-specific player, which lessens possible destinations.

Andre Carter, New England Patriots

One of the best under-the-radar free agents last offseason, Carter is once again on the market. He led the New England Patriots in sacks last season with 10, while playing a more situational pass-rush role.

Defensive Tackles

Paul Soliai, Miami Dolphins

One of the best pure nose tackles in the entire league, Soliai was a victim of circumstance in Miami. They have switched to the 4-3 defense, which makes his role less important.

They are still showing some interest in retaining the massive player, but that is uncertain at this point. The Denver Broncos seem to be interested in him, as do the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jason Jones, Tennessee Titans

He surprised a lot of people with relatively strong play over the course of the last two seasons and is drawing some interest out there. I do like what Jones does in terms of bringing pressure from the interior of the defensive line. He has also been decent in regards to stopping the run.

Pro Football Talk is reporting that the St. Louis Rams are showing interest in Jones.

Linebackers

Curtis Lofton, Atlanta Falcons

The talented linebacker is one of the most unheralded defensive players in the league. He has been stout against the run for the Falcons over the course of the last few seasons and is improving a great deal in pass defense.

I still have a hard time understanding why Atlanta didn't make a stronger push to retain Lofton prior to the start of free agency.

Reports came out on Tuesday that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had agreed to terms with Lofton, but they have since been proven wrong. This doesn't mean that they won't sign the talented linebacker.

Stephen Tulloch, Detroit Lions

I was pleasantly surprised by the play of Tulloch for the Lions last season. He seemed to have made a real difference for their struggling linebacker group.

This is a player that does extremely well in run defense and has the ability to go sideline-to-sideline.

Cornerbacks

Brandon Carr, Kansas City Chiefs

It appears as though the Dallas Cowboys are making a full-court press to sign Brandon Carr. At this point, I would hedge my bets that he ends up signing with them.

The San Francisco 49ers are also reported to be showing a tremendous amount of interest in the talented young corner. We should have a resolution to this today.

Terence Newman, Dallas Cowboys

Teams are going to wait to see how the market plays out before showing interest in Terence Newman. He still does have a lot left in the tank, but is nowhere near the player that he was three short seasons ago.

Probably nothing more than an average No. 2 corner or really good nickel guy at this point.

Richard Marshall, Arizona Cardinals

The veteran corner was one of the primary reasons why the Cardinals improved a great deal in pass coverage as the 2011 season progressed. He was extremely good on the outside opposite of Patrick Peterson and showed outstanding on ball skills.

These are two things that were lacking from Marshall's game in Carolina with the Panthers.

He visited with the Miami Dolphins last night.

Eric Wright, Detroit Lions

The talented corner came up big time for the Detroit Lions last season after having a disappointing 2010 campaign in Cleveland. He is as physical of a defensive back that you will find and showed tremendous ability to play man last season—something that he had struggled with in the past.

The San Francisco 49ers appear to be the front runners to land Wright, even after they signed Perrish Cox and retained Carlos Rogers.

Safeties

LaRon Landry, Washington Redskins

Despite injury concerns, Landry is receiving a lot of play on the free-agent market and for good reason. He has the talent to be a top-five safety when healthy. This is a player that hits with reckless abandon and is actually pretty decent in coverage outside of the box.

Jason Cole is indicating that Landry plans to start making visits today and has drawn interest from multiple teams, including the New York Jets.

Reggie Nelson, Cincinnati Bengals

After a disappointing tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars came to a premature end, Nelson stepped it up big time last season in Cincinnati. He has a keen awareness for the ball in the box and acts as the quarterback in the secondary—two things that you look for from the safety position.

Cincinnati is hoping to retain the services of Nelson, but he is sure to draw interest from other teams on the free-agent market.

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