NFL Free Agents 2015: Re-Evaluating the Market After the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl has concluded, leaving all 32 NFL teams to turn their attention toward the offseason. In doing so, the first course of action in adding talent in hopes of being next year’s champion is to bring in at least a few splash free agents.

The 2015 class brings talent in abundance.

One of the most amazing things about this class of free agents is not just the quality of talent, but also the youth the talent is packaged in. When ranking the top available players at each position, you better believe age comes into play.

The younger a player is, the more likely that player is to have untapped potential and upside. Plus, it also means you get a chance to build around that player for several years to come.

Quarterbacks

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1. Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans, 26 years old

2. Mark Sanchez, Philadelphia Eagles, 28 years old

3. Brian Hoyer, Cleveland Browns, 29 years old

4. Ryan Mallett, Houston Texans, 26 years old

5. Jimmy Clausen, Chicago Bears, 27 years old

It’s a sad year for any team looking to upgrade the quarterback position—unless you happen to have one of the first picks in the draft this April. Unfortunately, the crop of free-agent quarterbacks can offer little more than hope if the goal is to attain an above-average starter.

Looking at the list of names above, you would think I left some key names off. Unless Christian Ponder, Mike Vick or Austin Davis is your idea of a QB upgrade, I seriously doubt you can find better signal-callers in this dried-up market.

The truth is teams just aren’t willing to part with even semi-decent QBs these days. That’s why there’s a good chance guys like Mark Sanchez and Ryan Mallett will re-sign with their respective teams.

Running Backs

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1. DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys, 26 years old

2. C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills, 27 years old

3. Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints, 25 years old

4. Shane Vereen, New England Patriots, 25 years old

5. Ryan Mathews, San Diego Charger, 27 years old

This running back class is solid—but if you’re looking to land a true difference-maker in the prime of his career who can carry the ball 22-30 times a game for most of the season, you better land one of the top three names on the list.

After Murray gets his premium contract there should be a significant drop-off in compensation at the position due to the saturated market, but that doesn’t mean this crop won’t provide an abundance of value for several needy offenses.

There should be no excuses for any team looking to shore up their backfield this offseason.    

For the teams looking to rent a quality veteran nearing the end of his career, Frank Gore is an enticing option.

Wide Receivers

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1. Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys, 26 years old

2. Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos, 27 years old

3. Randall Cobb, Green Bay Packers, 24 years old

4. Torrey Smith, Baltimore Ravens, 26, years old

5. Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles, 26 years old

When you can have a list of wideouts like this and still leave off players like Michael Crabtree, Cecil Shorts, Wes Welker, Eddie Royal and Reggie Wayne, you know the free-agent class is strong.

There’s little chance Dez Bryant gets out of Dallas, and we can assume Denver will do whatever it takes to keep at least one of the Thomas weapons (tight end Julius Thomas is also a free agent) from hitting free agency this March.

Thomas finished up a third consecutive season with at least 90 receptions, 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns. If the Broncos place the franchise tag on him, it will be worth roughly $12.7 million.

It’s quite possible each of the top receivers listed here will return to their 2014 teams.

Tight Ends

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1. Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos, 26 years old

2. Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns, 26 years old

3. Charles Clay, Miami Dolphins, 25 years old

4. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals, 26 years old

5. Niles Paul, Washington Redskins, 25 years old

If you can find a great mismatch at the tight end position, you can create instant offense—just ask the Patriots or the Saints about it.

2015 looks to be one of the most promising years for the tight end position since perhaps the inception of free agency.

Julius Thomas leads the list with an incredible combination of speed and size. Linebackers are simply too slow to cover him and defensive backs are too small.

The Browns aren’t expected to let Cameron go without a fight, but he may end up costing too much in the end. He was a fourth-round pick in the Tom Heckert era after playing one year at tight end at USC. In four seasons in Cleveland, Cameron has 130 catches, 1,600 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

There’s no doubt he and Thomas will receive a ton of attention this spring.

Offensive Linemen

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1. Mike Iupati, OG, San Francisco 49ers, 27 years old

2. Bryan Bulaga, OT, Green Bay Packers, 25 years old

3. Rodney Hudson, OC, Kansas City Chiefs, 25 years old

4. Orlando Franklin, OG, Denver Broncos, 27 years old

5. Derek Newton, OT, Houston Texans, 27 years old

This year’s crop of offensive linemen has some solid names at each position.  

Bryan Bulaga, the Packers' 2010 first-round pick, is coming off a productive season in which he was rated by Pro Football Focus as the NFL's second-best pass-blocking right tackle. Overall, Bulaga was rated fourth among right tackles.

Mike Iupati is one of the best run-blockers in the NFL and has been one of the main tone-setters for the 49ers' bruising style for several years. He has had some trouble staying healthy, but when he is, his impact can be lethal in the trenches.

Rodney Hudson came out of nowhere to have one of the best seasons of any center in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, Hudson graded out third overall among NFL centers.

Edge-Rushers

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1. Justin Houston, OLB, Kansas City Chiefs, 26 years old

2. Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, New York Giants, 26 years old

3. Brian Orakpo, OLB, Washington Redskins, 28 years old

4. Greg Hardy, DE, Carolina Panthers, 26 years old

5. Jason Worilds, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers, 26 years old

It was tough leaving guys like Jerry Hughes for the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia’s Brandon Graham off the list, but that’s also a good sign of quality talent along the edges.

Jason Pierre-Paul is a freak of nature who is just 26 years old with a ton of football left to play in his career. All he needs to do is stay healthy.

Brian Orakpo had an off year, even before he was injured. He finished the 2014 season with just half a sack in seven games. But he’s normally one of the better pass-rushers in the game. Plus, the outside linebacker is just 28 years old with a lot of football left in him.

The depth at the edge positions is much deeper for 3-4 outside linebackers rather than true defensive ends. Justin Houston leads the way there after an amazing 2014 season where he racked up 22 sacks. 

Defensive Tackles

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1. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions, 28 years old

2. Dan Williams, Arizona Cardinals, 27 years old

3. Terrance Knighton, Denver Broncos, 28 years old

4. Nick Fairley, Detroit Lions, 27 years old

5. Jared Odrick, Miami Dolphins, 27 years old

According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, the Lions are making it a top priority to re-sign their prized DT, Ndamukong Suh. Sources indicate that Detroit is the favorite to win the Suh sweepstakes.

Arizona's Dan Williams is an unheralded star for that defense and should be in high demand once the frenzy begins.

Some other interesting names to keep an eye on are B.J. Raji, Karl Klug and Devon Still.  Each of these DTs are under 30 and have the potential to become forces inside.

Devon Still has become an interesting story off the field, but it was his unique strength on it that caused me to rank him as one of the best defensive tackles in the draft when he was coming out back in 2012. He has obviously not lived up to his billing, but that doesn’t mean he can’t rechannel that ability once more.  

Linebackers

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1. Rolando McClain, ILB, Dallas Cowboys, 25 years old

2. Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Atlanta Falcons, 27 years old

3. Brandon Spikes, ILB, Buffalo Bills, 27 years old

4. David Harris, New York Jets, 31 years old

5. Malcolm Smith, Seattle Seahawks, 25 years old

The traditional non-rush linebacker seems to be shrinking as more and more defenses are switching to sub-packages to stop the passing game.

There aren’t any elite linebackers available this year, but there are certainly some talented ones.

Sean Weatherspoon is coming off a season-ending injury and could be one of the bigger bargains on the defensive side of the ball. At just 27 years old, Weatherspoon was on his way to becoming one of the best in the game. Let’s see if he can pick up where he left off.

At No. 5 we have a Super Bowl MVP from 2014 against the Broncos.

David Harris is one of the few players listed over the age of 30.

Cornerbacks

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1. Darrelle Revis, New England Patriots, 29 years old (Team Option)

2. Chris Culliver, San Francisco 49ers, 26 years old

3. Byron Maxwell, Seattle Seahawks, 26 years old

4. Kareem Jackson, Houston Texans, 26 years old

5. Brandon Flowers, San Diego Chargers, 28 years old

Though Revis is not a free agent quite yet, he is expected to become one once the Patriots fail to exercise the $20 million option on his contract, as per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Jets are also expected to pursue Revis this offseason.

Revis delivered one of his finest seasons in 2014, his first with the Patriots. Quarterbacks put up just a 70.5 passer rating on passes thrown in his direction, according to Pro Football Focus.

One guy to keep an eye on who just missed the list is 49ers CB Perrish Cox. Cox was an instinctual playmaker this past season and got his hands on a ton of balls.

Overall, this is a strong group of free agents if you’re in the market for a young, talented cover guy. The fastest of the bunch is Chris Culliver. He still displays some rawness with technique, but Culliver may have the most dynamic skill set of the free-agent crop.

Safeties

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1. Devin McCourty, New England Patriots, 27 years old

2. Louis Delmas, Miami Dolphins, 27 years old

3. Tashaun Gipson, Cleveland Browns, 24 years old (Restricted Free Agent)

4. Da’Norris Searcy, Buffalo Bills, 26 years old

5. Rahim Moore, Denver Broncos, 24 years old

The safety market is strong for 2015, led by names like Devin McCourty and Louis Delmas. But really, the top four on this list are all nearly interchangeable.

Tashaun Gipson for the Browns is the only restricted free agent listed in the slideshow.

Da’Norris Searcy is a versatile defender who can play nearly any position in the secondary. He is also just 26 years old, meaning you can build around him for years to come.

Searcy had a solid year for Buffalo in 2014, picking off three passes and not allowing a single TD throw against him, according to Pro Football Focus.

Ryan Riddle is a former NFL player who writes for Bleacher Report.