The NFL Free Agency is fast approaching. The new league year begins on March 18th and will begin the free agent frenzy that allows teams to grab new players to help them improve their team. This year’s free agency has many talented players available for teams to sign and should make for an interesting off-season. While some teams will be more active in free agency than others, most teams will inquire about at least one free agent this off-season. Here are five perfect landing spots for pending free agents.
Landing Spots for Pending Free Agents:
Amari Cooper, Wide Receiver – New York Jets:
The New York Jets are a perfect landing spot for Amari Cooper. They have a young quarterback in Sam Darnold who needs more weapons to further his development. They also have over $50 million in cap space to sign him to the deal he wants. Cooper would become the top option in New York’s offense and would see a consistent target share. The Jets currently lack much of anything on offense with their top receiver, Robby Anderson, leaving for free agency this off-season. If the Jets keep Le’Veon Bell, they would then have Cooper and Bell as a perfect duo of weapons for Darnold to help return the Jets to a winning culture.
Yannick Ngakoue, Defensive End – Buffalo Bills:
Yannick Ngakoue is one of the best available edge rushers in the free agency and would fit perfectly on the Bills’ explosive defense. The Bills had one of the best defensive units in 2019 and they have very few needs on the defensive side of the ball. Edge rusher is Buffalo’s biggest defensive need with Shaq Lawson currently a free agent and Jerry Hughes approaching 32-years-old. Ngakoue is only going to be 25 this season and he is coming off of four consecutive seasons of eight or more sacks.
Ngakoue’s 37.5 sacks in those 4 seasons are more than any current Bills pass rusher over their last four seasons. Buffalo has plenty of cap space to sign Ngakoue to a multi-year deal that would satisfy the young pass rusher. Ngakoue is leaving Jacksonville due to the culture that exists there and Sean McDermott is a big believer in culture. Ngakoue would fit perfectly on Buffalo with a great locker room and a defensive-minded head coach.
A.J. Green, Wide Receiver – New England Patriots:
The Patriots’ top priority this off-season is to retain the services of Tom Brady. To do that, they need to prove to Brady that they are going to surround him with the proper weapons to have success. The defense has proven itself to be a top unit in the NFL, but the skill players around Brady have been hit or miss in recent times. Signing a receiver like Green would be a great way to entice Brady to return to Foxborough.
Green has been looking to get out of Cincinnati for a while and has been sidelined with injury for a large amount of his last few seasons. His desire to return to the field and have success would draw him toward the Patriots organization. Communication between Green and Brady would likely be needed since one would likely not come without the other, but pairing them together with Sony Michel and James White would bring new England’s offense back to the upper echelon of the NFL. A leap in development from N’Keal Harry would make New England a dangerous team in the AFC for 2020.
Philip Rivers, Quarterback – Indianapolis Colts:
Now that Rivers has moved on from the Los Angeles Chargers, he will need to find a new team for the 2020 season. The Colts are a great option for Rivers. They have a large amount of cap space to make other moves to better their team around Rivers. In addition, he would be a great mentor for Jacoby Brissett or a rookie they might draft. Rivers would have a solid offensive line protecting him and a strong running game to give him the ability to spread the offense. Rivers would have T.Y. Hilton available to him which is a nice piece to have after leaving Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
The Colts have draft capital in addition to their cap space. This will allow them to make more additions to their roster in the draft. A receiver from this loaded draft class would be great for Rivers and their overall offense. Continuing to build their defense needs to be Indy’s biggest concern if they want to be successful in 2020. However, bringing in Rivers to compete with Brissett is also a potentially important step towards success in 2020.
Byron Jones, Cornerback – Philadelphia Eagles:
The Dallas Cowboys are currently in a situation where they have a lot of key players with expired contracts and less than enough cap space to bring them all back. This includes Amari Cooper and Dak Prescott. With Dallas’ offense seemingly being their main concern, Byron Jones may be the odd man out in Dallas. If this is the case, Jones would make a great addition to the Eagles’ roster. Philly has struggled to get healthy, talented cornerbacks on the field consistently. This Eagles roster is coming off a division title and could make noise in the playoffs again. Only if they make the necessary additions to remain competitive in the NFC.
Jones would be a great step towards making those additions. Jones is a talented cornerback who needs a change of scenery to excel in the NFL. He is a hybrid type player who could play safety if needed. Also, he has the ability to lock down some of the best receivers in the NFL. While his interception totals have been low throughout his career, his overall coverage has been solid. He would be a major improvement to their current talent pool at the position.
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