2015 NFL Free Agents: Rumors and Predictions Heading into Wild Card Round

The annual NFL coaching carousel is dominating football-related headlines as we head into the new year, but there is still plenty of intrigue bubbling just below the surface when it comes to ever-shifting roster situations from around the league.

The NFL free-agency period doesn't begin until March and won't hit peak frenzy until then, but there are still a handful of rumors floating around regarding the futures of a few defensive studs. 

For those football fans too heartbroken or apathetic to take much interest in the coming postseason gauntlet, let's cast our gaze beyond this season and look at the latest rumors regarding potential free agents who could be on the move this spring.



Ndamukong Suh

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Headlining the early free-agent rumor roundup is the indomitable Ndamukong Suh, who figures to test the free-agent market as one of the best defensive lineman in the league in the middle of his prime years.

Suh tallied 53 total tackles, 8.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss for a Lions defense that had the fourth-best run defense efficiency of any team since 1989, per FootballOutsiders.com. Suh's gnarly, churning playmaking in the middle of the defensive line made him the undisputed focal point of an extremely talented Detroit defense.

It's unlikely Suh returns to the Lions, as defensive tackle Nick Fairley is a potential unrestricted free agent and presumably cheaper and easier to re-sign.

Players like him don't often hit the open market, and at least one team, the Cleveland Browns, appears ready to make a big play for the Warren Sapp-esque star, per ESPNCleveland.com's Tony Grossi: 

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I have heard the Browns are considering Suh as a prime free agent target. They are once again among the league leaders in projected salary cap room and may be willing to make him the highest-paid defensive lineman in NFL history. That’s the type of contract it will take to attract Suh. His defensive line teammate, Nick Fairley, also is a free agent and would be considered a consolation prize to teams failing to land Suh.

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Landing a player like Suh would be quite the coup for the long-tormented franchise. Cleveland ranked just 27th in the league in sacks (31) and dead last in rushing yards allowed per game (141.6). Suh would be the absolute perfect player to shore up the run defense and provide up-front assistance for a talented secondary that too often had to deal with quarterbacks biding their time until a receiver popped open.

However, the perpetually adrift franchise might not be a very attractive option for Suh, especially since he would be leaving a 10-win playoff team. The Browns quarterback situation is dicey at best, they have to sort out the Josh Gordon mess, and Cleveland isn't much more of an enticing locale than Detroit. Suh is possibly thinking bigger if he's willing to leave a winning situation.

If teams aren't scared away by Suh's penchant for courting controversy—and with his talent level, it's doubtful they will be—he should have a bevy of suitors more attractive than the Browns. Look for Suh to take his talents to the New York Jets, who should have ample cap room to sign Suh and pair him with the excellent Muhammad Wilkerson.

Prediction: New York Jets

Jerry Hughes

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

The Buffalo Bills made mincemeat out of many opposing quarterbacks in 2014. Signal-callers posted a 74.5 quarterback rating against the Bills this season, the second-toughest mark in the league behind only Cleveland, per ESPN.com. They even managed to knock MVP-candidate Aaron Rodgers out of his high-velocity orbit and bring him back down to Earth for at least one week this season.

Plenty of credit should go to a fantastic pass rush that produced 54 sacks on the year. While Mario Williams and Marcell Dareus grabbed most of the attention for the Bills' defensive success, defensive end Jerry Hughes was no small part of their success, racking up 9.5 sacks on the season.

Excuse me, make that 10 sacks, per Buffalo Bills PR: 

The Bills were feeling pretty good about their future, but recent events may call that future into question. Head coach Doug Marrone opted to skip town, and veteran quarterback Kyle Orton abruptly retired at season's end.

Buffalo is also moving forward with a new owner in Terry Pegula, a situation that often brings some uncertainty as to what top-down changes might be made. ESPN's Mike Rodak believes the Bills might be one of the most in-flux teams in the league:

With everything up in the air, it would seemingly be in the Bills' best interest to keep together the corps of players with their hands on the ground. Hughes wouldn't be against returning to the team if it placed a franchise tag on him, although he hardly seemed open to the idea of a discounted salary for sticking around, per Syracuse.com's Matthew Fairburn:

The Bills would be wise to sign up Hughes one way or the other and keep together this vicious defense. It would make for one less headache as they sort through the quarterback and coaching situations.

Prediction: Bills place the franchise tag on Hughes

Buster Skrine

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

If there is one unit on the Cleveland Browns that is safe from criticism, it's the team's suffocating secondary. They had the lowest quarterback rating against and gave up just 225 passing yards per game while snaring 21 interceptions as a team.

Cornerback Buster Skrine was an integral part of the unit's success in the best season of his young career, picking up four interceptions and 18 passes defensed. The fourth-year man out of Tennessee-Chattanooga is also a very durable player; he has yet to miss a regular-season game in his career.

Apparently, Skrine—who has spent his entire career with the Browns—has his heart set on staying in Cleveland, although the organization's position on him is unclear, according to Cleveland.com's Tom Reed.

"Skrine made it clear he wants to return and spoke of his friendships with Joe Haden, Tashaun Gipson, Donte Whitner and [Justin] Gilbert," Reed writes. "He declined to discuss anything about contracts or what his agent is telling him about the Browns' stance."

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Skrine isn't without his faults, as Fox Sports Ohio's Zac Jackson points out:

However, the early tribulations of rookie cornerback Justin Gilbert do indeed put pressure on the Browns to commit to Skrine.

Let's say the Brown fail to sign a big-name player like Suh. This should leave them with enough cap room, and desperation, to re-sign Skrine to a contract of his liking.

If his connection to his teammates is as strong as he suggests, then it's possible he could give the Browns the hometown discount that they might need in order to re-sign him. Should Skrine reach free agency, expect him to be a coveted target in a league constantly shifting more and more toward the pass. 

Prediction: Re-signs with Cleveland