NFL Free Agents: Does Jeremy Mincey Become a Key Player on the Open Market?

For a man who only had eight sacks last season, Jeremy Mincey may get a lot of attention in this year's free-agent market.

Mincey was the Jaguars' leader in sacks the last two seasons, posting five in 2010 and eight in 2011. While he stated he wanted to remain in Jacksonville and iron out a deal with the Jaguars, he was not willing to hand his team a "hometown" discount.

Now, with the deadline to only negotiate with the Jaguars having passed, will Mincey be of interest to other NFL teams?

At the present time, if Mincey does sign with another team, the defensive line that was good last season will become a weak area for the team. Mincey led the team in sacks. Free-agent pick up Matt Roth played well before a major concussion took him out of action. Aaron Kampman barely saw the field all season dealing with injuries. The team's two defensive tackles, Terrance Knighton and Tyson Alualu, played well and stuffed the run, but did not take a step forward.

Roth, incidentally, is also a free agent. The Jaguars can negotiate with both of them, but now must deal with other suitors.

Losing your main source of pass rush could be devastating.

In a story written Tuesday on jacksonville.com, Tania Ganguli stated the Jaguars were still "status quo" with Mincey and defensive back Dwight Lowery.

Other teams in the NFL could use an edge rusher like Mincey and someone who can help from the outside to contain the run. New England, the New York Jets, Miami and Dallas could all use help with their pass rush.

The Jaguars started negotiating with Mincey and his agent at the end of February.