NFL Free Agency 2011: DeAngelo Williams and the 25 Best Skill Players Available
The 2011 NFL free agent market is just waiting for a new collective bargaining agreement to be signed.
Once that agreement takes place, the market will explode with huge names and huge contracts.
Some of these players will remain where they are; others will end up in a new city with a new uniform.
The labor situation makes the speculative nature of this piece even more so, but a new agreement is necessary at some point.
With that in mind, here are the 25 best skill position players available.
25. Matt Leinart
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Matt Leinart was ejected from Arizona for never living up to his draft slot, contract or any kind of expectation put on him.
Leinart could never take the job from Kurt Warner and during the offseason didn't seem to take the competition seriously enough to keep his starting job over Derek Anderson.
If he can convince a team he's been "reborn," he should get a second chance elsewhere.
24. Michael Bush
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Michael Bush has been integral to the Raiders running game. Even withough much attention around the league, he'll command enough to get a better contract.
23. Caleb Hanie
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Caleb Hanie picked the best day of the season to come out of nowhere and play like a winner.
With Hanie's unbelievable off-the-bench performance in the NFC Championship Game, he's now a viable backup and will generate a lot of interest.
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22. Ricky Williams
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Ricky Williams is going to be 34 next season, but with all the time he took off in his career, his body isn't quite as old and beat up as most other running backs his age typically would be.
Still, 34 is 34. He isn't going to be as fast as he was a few years ago. He indicated he's done with Miami, but some team will probably give him one more season to add depth to the backfield.
21. Ronnie Brown
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The other Miami Dolphins running back is also looking for a new contract, and like Williams, his age generates a bit of a concern.
Brown will turn 30 during the 2011 season and the tendency for running backs to hit a wall after they turn 30 is no myth. Brown didn't have a great season, rushing for only 734 yards and averaging 3.4 yards per carry.
Brown will get another contract, but it may not be dollar figures he could've gotten a year ago.
20. Alex Smith
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Alex Smith is done in San Francisco. To think otherwise is just speculating for the sake of covering your backside on the one-percent chance Jim Harbaugh says: "Yeah, I think I can do something with Alex!"
That's not going to happen and Smith will move on. He obviously will want to be a starter, but he most likely will be a backup, waiting for his comeback opportunity on another roster.
19. Matt Hasselbeck
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Age is catching up with Matt Hasselbeck, but if Seattle wants to keep him for one more year, he might get one more chance at the starter's job.
Otherwise, he's probably going to have to settle for a backup role somewhere else and take a pay cut.
18. Darren Sproles
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Darren Sproles constitues a valuable part of the Chargers offense, but there are changes afoot. It's likely the Chargers will try and keep him, but he could get a good offer from a team with a bigger need.
17. Malcolm Floyd
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Malcom Floyd is another piece of the Chargers offense that the front office is going to make a decision on.
The Chargers offense was spectacular in 2010, but when you don't make the playoffs, changes are made. While Floyd will probably be a keeper, once the bids start flying, you never know what can happen.
16. Braylon Edwards
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Braylon Edwards is one of two Jets wide receivers whose contract is up this year.
Edwards can be a great wide receiver, as he showed in several games this year. However, he also can kill your team with bad drops, a poor attitude and a selfishness that rivals any diva wide receiver in the league.
Edwards had a great 2010, but once that new contract is signed, expect his concentration to waver again.
15. Joseph Addai
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Joseph Addai had a rough, injury-plagued year. But the Colts saw just how much they needed him once he was gone, so his contract should adjust upward accordingly.
14. Quintin Mikell
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Quintin Mikell is a quality safety, and he's a big piece of the Eagles secondary. His production dropped a little this year, but look for him to rebound in 2011.
The Eagles have enough rebuilding on their secondary to do without worrying about losing Mikell.
13. Santonio Holmes
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Santonio Holmes has found new life in New York after being exiled from Pittsburgh for off-field issues.
After returning from suspension, Holmes had an immediate impact on the Jets' passing game. He finished the year with 746 receiving yards in 12 games, averaging 14.3 yards per carry and catching six touchdowns.
The Jets are certain to prioritize his re-signing.
12. Seneca Wallace
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Brought in as Jake Delhomme's backup, Seneca Wallace found himself pressed into service quickly after Delhomme suffered a high ankle sprain.
Wallace looked good before going down with the same injury. Unfortunately for Wallace, Colt McCoy stepped in as backup and kept the starting job.
Wallace indicated to the media that he wasn't going to come back if head coach Eric Mangini stayed. With Mangini now gone, it comes down to what he thinks he can do in Cleveland under a new head coach, or if he's better served going elsewhere.
Wallace is good enough to generate interest from many teams.
11. Zach Miller
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Zach Miller is a great tight end who thrived despite the quarterback carousel the Raiders have been on recently.
Miller is the kind of athlete Al Davis will pay to stay in Oakland, so it's doubtful he ends up anywhere else. But, you never know.
10. Roman Harper
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The New Orleans safety posted 98 tackles, forced six fumbles and totaled three sacks from his strong safety slot last year. He's a valuable piece to any secondary.
9. Champ Bailey
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Champ Bailey is a free agent and Denver is making a lot of changes. His chances of staying in Denver at this point are probably 50/50, and a lot will depend on the new head coach.
Bailey still has a few good years left in him, and he should still get a decent contract.
8. Sidney Rice
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The Vikings have needs to attend to in the draft, so if they can sign Sidney Rice to a new contract, that alleviates the need to find a new wide receiver.
That's assuming there's a labor agreement before the draft, but again, we're thinking positively here.
7. Vincent Jackson
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Vincent Jackson made it clear he wasn't happy with the Chargers' tender last year and sat out most of the season.
Whether or not they make him happy this offseason depends on a lot of factors, but Jackson most likely will be playing elsewhere next year.
6. DeAngelo Williams
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With all the problems the Panthers had this year and all the holes they'll have to fill, not signing DeAngelo Williams would classify as a bone-headed move.
But if Panthers owner Jerry Richardson insists on going cheap in the near future, then Williams probably will be playing elsewhere next year.
5. Marcedes Lewis
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Marcedes Lewis is one of the crucial parts of the Jacksonville offense, so the Jaguars lose him at their peril, especially with the questions at the quarterback position.
Lewis will command a good price on the market due to his talents, and it will be interesting to see who wins the arms race.
4. Nnamdi Asomugha
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Nnamdi Asomugha is out in Oakland and there won't be a new contract negotiated. The Raiders' loss is the rest of the league's gain.
While Asomugha didn't hit milestones in the contract, there will be a long line of teams at his door bidding for his talents.
3. Antonio Cromartie
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Antonio Cromartie is looking like a better signing for the Jets since Kyle Wilson isn't developing as fast as they hoped, and Cromartie can play the position.
He's criticized for not being able to keep up with some elite receivers, but he's good enough to be a guy you want on your team.
2. Michael Vick
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Michael Vick will get a good contract after this season, almost certainly with the Eagles.
There are a lot of moving parts in play here, including Kevin Kolb, but the Eagles would be foolish to let Vick go.
The latest rumors are that Vick will get the franchise tag until a new CBA is worked out.
1. Peyton Manning
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Given how Jim Caldwell doesn't appear to be able to coach his way out of a cardboard box the more you watch him, it might be in Manning's best interests to go elsewhere.
Money aside, if Manning wants another Super Bowl, it's doubtful he gets it in Indianapolis as long as Caldwell is the coach.
The Irsay family will make sure he's the highest-paid quarterback in the league, but it won't matter if the head coach has little control over the team and doesn't understand clock management and the simple concept of letting a young quarterback who is being rushed beat himself while time runs out.
Manning will finish his career as a Colt, but if he gets another ring, it will be in spite of Caldwell and not because of him.
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