The 2017-2018 NFL season ended just a month ago, but the 2018 offseason is already well underway. Here’s a look at the current status of free agency and several questions to be answered at the draft.
Top Free Agents:
QB:
Drew Brees
Kirk Cousins
AJ McCarron
Teddy Bridgewater
Case Keenum
RB:
Dion Lewis
Jerick McKinnon
Carlos Hyde
WR:
Allen Robinson
Sammy Watkins
Marqise Lee
DB:
Malcolm Butler
Kyle Fuller
Morgan Burnett
Trumaine Johnson
Rashaad Melvin
DL:
Sheldon Richardson
Star Lotulelei
Dontari Poe
Muhammed Wilkerson
Notes:
Allen Robinson was not tagged by the Jacksonville Jaguars, so he will be an unrestricted free agent. He’s coming off of a torn ACL, which he suffered early in Week 1 last year. A-Rob certainly has the potential to be a top five WR (as he was in 2015), and the San Francisco 49ers are the best fit for his talents. Pairing Robinson with a WR1-less Jimmy Garoppolo would be absolutely electric.
Pittsburgh Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell was given the franchise tag yet again. He promised early on that he would retire or sit out if he got tagged again, and it seems that he is going to put up a fight as promised. This will certainly be interesting to see--not just for the Steelers, but for all the teams with elite RBs. How much are these guys really worth? Tucker offers an answer in his latest article, The NFL Wage Gap.
Patriots RB Dion Lewis is an unrestricted free agent, and sadly for us Patriots fans, it appears that Lewis has played his last game with New England. I think the Indianapolis Colts would be a good fit for Lewis, as an injury-riddled Andrew Luck will need someone who can catch and carry the ball out of the backfield. Dion Lewis is an incredible talent, and any team that acquires him will be lucky to have his services.
Draft Questions:
Who should the Browns take #1 overall?
The right play for Cleveland is signing Kirk Cousins and drafting Barkley #1, but this outcome seems increasingly unlikely as the Vikings and Jets are frontrunners to nab Kirk Cousins. Kirk is being extremely overrated in this free agency cycle, but I’m not surprised. You don’t often get QBs of his magnitude (top 15 or so) available in free agency, so the excessive hype is to be expected. These two moves would make the Browns an instant playoff contender, and they could pick Mayfield at #4 and develop him under Cousins while giving their fan base something to cheer for. Assuming Cousins is out of play, I think the Browns should go Barkley at #1 and Mayfield at #4. Most mock drafts have Darnold going #1, but he’s iffy and Cleveland needs a sure thing with its first pick. Taking Saquon would give the Browns a huge boost on offense. Barkley and the great WR Josh Gordon would give Cleveland elite talent at their RB1 and WR1 positions. If the Browns do take Barkley, I would advise them to go with Mayfield at #4. I think he’ll still be there, and he’s my favorite QB in this draft.
Patriots strategy: QB or defense in the first round?
This is a fascinating question, mostly because I think the Patriots could make a run at Baker Mayfield. Many mock drafts don’t have him going until at least late first round, so it’s not like the Patriots would need to give up a ton to go up and get him. Honestly, I could imagine the Pats dealing Gronk for a top 15 pick, but even if the Patriots acquire Brady’s successor, they’d still lack the defensive pieces the team so desperately needs. Here’s the deal: if the Patriots think Mayfield is the next guy, then they have to go get him and sacrifice short term success. On the other hand, if they think they can get the next face of the franchise in a later round, then by all means stand pat and draft a defensive player.
(Photo via NFL.com)
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