NFL Free Agents 2020: Latest Buzz on Eric Berry, Xavier Rhodes, Top DBs

Much of the sports world has pressed pause on, well, everything, but the NFL is about to reach a busy time on the offseason calendar.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the NFL plans to start the new league year as scheduled. Whether it's a good idea is up for debate. However, it means that NFL free agency will command a ton of headlines in the immediate future.

And several well-known defensive backs will be on the market.

NFL Network's Mike Garofolo reported in late January that former Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry plans to return for the 2020 campaign. He wasn't on a roster last season.

Stephen Holder of The Athletic said the Indianapolis Colts are interested, though other suitors are unknown. According to Holder, one factor working in the Colts' favor is that Berry's close friend Justin Houston plays for the team.

Berry totaled only three appearances in 2017 and 2018 because of a torn Achilles and setbacks in his recovery. The hope is a year on the sideline will facilitate a return to his All-Pro form.

Xavier Rhodes is working a similar goal, though he spent 2019 on the field. The problem is he would probably like to forget it.

Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus notes Rhodes allowed a disastrous 84.3 completion rate last season. As a result, the Minnesota Vikings understandably released him. Rhodes would have counted $12.9 million against the cap, per Spotrac, so Minnesota saved $8.1 million by cutting him loose.

Rhodes' regression is a reminder of how risky high-dollar contracts can be, but elite players will never be cheap.

Byron Jones—arguably the best cornerback in this free-agent class—is set to command a hefty salary.

According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo, the market will start at $16 million-17 million per season. In addition to his team, the Dallas Cowboys, other potential landing spots are the Denver Broncos, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.

Denver is an option because, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic, longtime Broncos corner Chris Harris Jr. doesn't expect to return.

"Nah, I think it's pretty much that door has been closed," Harris said. "So it's just trying to move on to the next situation that's best for me and trying to figure out who's excited to have me in the building and have me a part of the team."

The comments signal the Broncos are prioritizing a pursuit of Jones, 27, over retaining Harris, who turns 31 in June.

Harris won't be short on options, though. Troy Renck of Denver7 reports 10 teams—including the Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs—have strong interest in Harris. Last year, he tallied 56 tackles, six pass defenses and an interception.

Among cornerbacks, Jones and Harris are the most important dominoes to fall in free agency. Their respective decisions will dictate how Dallas and Denver proceed this offseason.

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.