*** Rotoworld Top 100 Free Agents for 2016 ***

[Integrity28]

This is the Rotoworld Top 100 Board for 2016 Free Agency. The NFL's negotiating window begins on Monday, March 7, and the signing period opens Wednesday, March 9 at 4pm ET.

The top of these rankings will eventually and inevitably be depleted by franchise tags and re-signings. No more than 70 members of the Top 100 should be expected to actually hit the market on March 9, and the vast majority of those who do will be at the lower end of these rankings.

The Top 100 Board is limited to unrestricted free agents. Restricted free agents like Broncos RB C.J. Anderson very rarely change teams. A complete listing of 2016 free agents -- both unrestricted and restricted -- can be found at this link.

1. Von Miller -- 27 in March. NFL's most fearsome edge rusher. Not leaving DEN.
2. Josh Norman -- 28. Allowed league-low 54.0 QB rating in '15. Will stay in CAR.
3. Kirk Cousins -- Entering age-28 season. Led league in completion rate (69.8).
4. Muhammad Wilkerson -- 26. Top-five 3-4 end at PFF in back-to-back seasons.
5. Cordy Glenn -- Going on 27. Elite pass protector. Has made 57 straight starts.
6. Alshon Jeffery -- Just turned 26. 80+ yards and/or TD in 28 of last 38 games.
7. Olivier Vernon -- Won't turn 26 until October. 25.5 sacks over last 3 seasons.
8. Kelechi Osemele -- 27 in June. Elite guard made 4 starts at left tackle in '15.
9. Eric Berry -- 27. NFL Comeback POY. Playmaker & can cover TEs man to man.
10. Malik Jackson -- Just turned 26. Can play DE & DT. Consistently disruptive.
11. Ryan Fitzpatrick -- 33. Ranked top ten in TD passes (31). Won't leave NYJ.
12. Trumaine Johnson -- Just turned 26. 7 INTs in '15. 6'2/204 with long arms.
13. Janoris Jenkins -- 27. Inconsistent despite elite tools. Had best year in '15.
14. Russell Okung -- 28. Quality LT, but has missed 24 games last six seasons.
15. Sam Bradford -- 28. Average to below-average starter will get overpaid.
16. Alex Mack -- 30. 3-time Pro Bowler. Expected to exercise player opt-out.
17. Brandon Brooks -- Entering age-27 season. Freakishly athletic 6'5/346 OG.
18. Prince Amukamara -- 27 in June. Has missed 13 games the last two years.
19. Jason Pierre-Paul -- 27. Can still beat O-Linemen, but struggles to finish.
20. Eric Weddle -- 31. 3-time Pro Bowler coming off a career-worst season.
21. Alex Boone -- 29 in May. Mauler can play both guard spots & right tackle.
22. Greg Hardy -- 28 in July. Would be a top-3 FA if not for character issues.
23. Danny Trevathan -- 26 in March. 3-down ILB can stop the run and cover.
24. Casey Hayward -- 26. Mainly slot CB but has size to play outside (5'11/192).
25. Sean Smith -- Going on 29. Steady press CB with imposing build (6'4/214).
26. Matt Forte -- 30. His game should age well. Wants to play for contender.
27. Doug Martin -- 27. 2nd in NFL in rushing in '15. Liability in pass protection.
28. Lamar Miller -- 25 in April. Big-play back severely underutilized in Miami.
29. Ian Williams -- 27 in August. Quietly 49ers' best player on defense in '15.
30. Jerrell Freeman -- 30 in May. PFF's No. 2 ILB in '15, behind Luke Kuechly.
31. Donald Penn -- 33 in April. Still one of NFL's steadiest pass-protecting LTs.
32. Kelvin Beachum -- 27 in June. Undersized LT (6'3/303) tore ACL in October.
33. Jaye Howard -- 27. Should attract teams that miss out on Malik Jackson.
34. Mitchell Schwartz -- 27 in June. Consistent RT has made 64 straight starts.
35. Nick Fairley -- 28. Rotational DT only but can still dominate for stretches.
36. George Iloka -- 26. Interchangeable FS/SS can support the run and cover.
37. Jeff Allen -- Just turned 26. Capable starter at both guard spots and RT.
38. Reggie Nelson -- Entering age-33 season. PFF's No. 4 cover safety in '15.
39. Tashaun Gipson -- 26 in August. 11 INTs 2013-2014, injury plagued in '15.
40. Pacman Jones -- Entering age-33 season. Still Bengals' best CB last year.
41. Derrick Johnson -- 33. Virtual lock to finish his career with Kansas City.
42. Antonio Gates -- Turns 36 in June. Virtual lock to finish his career in S.D.
43. Brock Osweiler -- 25. Could become a functional starter in Kubiak's O.
44. Travis Benjamin -- 26. Speedster (4.36) expected to re-sign with Browns.
45. Marvin Jones -- 26 in March. Prototype Z receiver in Donald Driver mold.
46. William Hayes -- 31 in May. Had 5.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles in 11 starts.
47. Bruce Irvin -- 28. Played SAM in Seattle's 4-3. Overrated as pass rusher.
48. Damon Harrison -- 27. Mammoth run-stopping 3-4 nose tackle at 6'3/339.
49. Richie Incognito -- 33 in July. Coming off arguably his career-best year.
50. Robert Ayers -- Entering age-31 campaign. Coming off 9.5-sack season.
51. Anquan Boldin -- 35. Can still win with old man strength & crisp routes.
52. Ladarius Green -- 26 in May. Runs 4.56 at 6'6/238. Underutilized in S.D.
53. Dwayne Allen -- 26. Do-it-all TE has missed 21 games the last 3 seasons.
54. Haloti Ngata -- 32. No longer a superstar but still a plus starter at DT/NT.
55. Walter Thurmond -- Entering age-29 season. Had breakout year at safety.
56. Patrick Robinson -- 28. Ex-draft bust turned career around with Chargers.
57. Akiem Hicks -- 26. Massive (6'5/318) DT/DE. Was difference maker in NE.
58. Tamba Hali -- 32. Can still rush the QB. Has spent his entire career in K.C.
59. Coby Fleener -- 27. Finesse tight end improved as a run blocker in 2015.
60. Rodney McLeod -- 25. Undersized (5'10/186) but was top-ten safety at PFF.
61. Cedric Thornton -- 28 in June. Two-down, edge-setting 5-technique DE.
62. Tyvon Branch -- 29. Shined as Chiefs 3rd safety, should get starting job.
63. Ramon Foster -- 30. PFF's No. 17 guard among 82 qualifiers last season.
64. Rashad Johnson -- 30. Calling card is his ball skills. 12 INTs last 3 seasons.
65. Mark Barron -- 26. Successfully transitioned from SS to WLB in St. Louis.
66. Rishard Matthews -- 26. Should interest teams that miss on Marvin Jones.
67. Chris Long -- 31. 14 missed games last 2 seasons. 3 sacks in last 16 games.
68. Geoff Schwartz -- 29. Good player, bad luck. 19 missed games last 2 years.
69. Brandon Boykin -- 26 in July. Feisty slot corner with playmaking ability.
70. Jahri Evans -- 32. Cut by Saints. Declining but still a capable starting guard.
71. Leon Hall -- 31. His play outside has declined but still a quality slot corner.
72. Evan Mathis -- 34. Was PFF's No. 1-rated run-blocking guard last season.
73. Adrian Clayborn -- 27. Rehabbed value as interior pass rusher in Atlanta.
74. Tahir Whitehead -- 26 in April. Ascending run stuffer can play OLB & ILB.
75. Jeremy Lane -- 25. Good slot CB when healthy. 19 missed games last 2 years.
76. Terrance Knighton -- 30 in July. 2-down nose tackle disappointed in WAS.
77. Zach Brown -- 26. Speedy linebacker best suited for weak side on 4-3 team.
78. Steve McLendon -- 30. Early-down NT only tends to fade late in seasons.
79. Chris Ivory -- 28 in March. Physical RB limited in pass game, often nicked.
80. Tyrunn Walker -- 26 in March. Promising DT broke fibula/ankle in October.
81. Zach Miller -- 31. Shined in place of Martellus Bennett down 2015 stretch.
82. Will Beatty -- 31 in March. Missed 2015 with shoulder and pectoral tears.
83. Brandon Mebane -- 31. Stocky 1-technique NT best utilized in a rotation.
84. Stephen Tulloch -- 31. Has devolved into late-career two-down thumper.
85. Joe Barksdale -- 27. Able pass protector. Chargers most reliable OL in '15.
86. James Laurinaitis -- 29. Lauriniatis' name was always bigger than his game.
87. B.J. Raji -- 30 in July. Chronic underachiever gets pushed around in Run D.
88. Bobby Massie -- 27 in August. Inconsistent RT, especially in pass protection.
89. Andre Smith -- 29. A liability at RT in Cincinnati each of the last two years.
90. Kroy Biermann -- Entering age-31 season. Best used as early-down LE/SLB.
91. Michael Griffin -- 31. Cut by Titans. PFF's No. 77 safety out of 88 last year.
92. Courtney Upshaw -- 26. Run-stopping OLB only. Does not rush the passer.
93. Ben Watson -- 35. Set career highs in catches, yards, and TDs last season.
94. Vernon Davis -- 31. Still a great athlete. Got benched in Denver for drops.
95. Nick Perry -- 26 in April. Former first-round bust. Rotational OLB in a 3-4.
96. Stefen Wisniewski -- 27 in March. Can pass protect, struggles in run game.
97. Jason Jones -- 30 in May. Useful role player at LE, can also play on interior.
98. William Moore -- 31 in May. Box safety has missed 14 games last 2 seasons.
99. Mohamed Sanu -- 26. Overrated gadget/slot receiver likely to get overpaid.
100. Chase Daniel -- 29. Look for him to follow Doug Pederson to Philadelphia.

More Noteworthy Unrestricted Free Agents: QBs Matt Moore, Tarvaris Jackson, and Colt McCoy; RBs Alfred Morris, Bilal Powell, LeGarrette Blount, James Starks, Ronnie Hillman, and Chris Johnson; FBs Mike Tolbert,John Kuhn, and Darrel Young; WRs Rueben Randle, James Jones, Jermaine Kearse, Brian Quick, Andre Holmes, and Percy Harvin; TEs Marcedes Lewis, Jermaine Gresham, and Jared Cook; OTs Jermon Bushrodand Donald Stephenson; G/Cs Ben Jones, Ryan Wendell, J.R. Sweezy, Chris Chester, Amini Silatolu, and Mike Harris; DLs Henry Melton, Jared Crick, Al Woods, and Mike DeVito; EDGE players Dwight Freeney, Mike Neal,Wallace Gilberry, Derrick Shelby, and Junior Galette; ILBs Craig Robertson, Demario Davis, and Rolando McClain; 4-3 LBs Vincent Rey, Chad Greenway, Emmanuel Lamur, Nigel Bradham, and Sean Weatherspoon; CBs Antonio Cromartie, Jerraud Powers, Greg Toler, Tracy Porter, and Terence Newman; safeties Roman Harper and Husain Abdullah.

[Integrity28]

Post because I thought it might be a good resource for those getting psyched for the FA period. If possible, I'll try and update it to reflect player movement. We'll see how that goes... I know there are some other posters that like to do something similar and have more time to keep track. 

Either way, it's a good list!

[Beerfish]

I think we are going to be pretty quiet in fa to be honest.  Our guys (at least fitz and wilk) will be the top priority.  i just don't see a lot of wiggle room to get any of the Tier 1,2 guys.  I think we will be bargain hunting on the 3rd and 4th day left overs.

[Bocajetfan]

44 minutes ago, Beerfish said:

I think we are going to be pretty quiet in fa to be honest.  Our guys (at least fitz and wilk) will be the top priority.  i just don't see a lot of wiggle room to get any of the Tier 1,2 guys.  I think we will be bargain hunting on the 3rd and 4th day left overs.

There can be value players available mostly these Guy's are not over priced. 

[Sperm Edwards]

57 minutes ago, Beerfish said:

I think we are going to be pretty quiet in fa to be honest.  Our guys (at least fitz and wilk) will be the top priority.  i just don't see a lot of wiggle room to get any of the Tier 1,2 guys.  I think we will be bargain hunting on the 3rd and 4th day left overs.

Or even if we don't make Wilkerson a top priority to bang out a long term deal (i.e. even if the goal is to tag & trade him) he will still eat up $15M of cap space during the crucial early part of free agency.

I don't know that we'll necessarily be quiet, but compared to last season of course we will. That goes without saying, though, since we won't see the Jets have a shopping spree like that (in one free agency period) for a long, long time.

[HessStation]

Mention Vernon Davis and you should be auto banned for life.

[Integrity28]

2 hours ago, Beerfish said:

I think we are going to be pretty quiet in fa to be honest.  Our guys (at least fitz and wilk) will be the top priority.  i just don't see a lot of wiggle room to get any of the Tier 1,2 guys.  I think we will be bargain hunting on the 3rd and 4th day left overs.

That's kind of okay, imo.

It's rare that a true stud becomes available, gets that fat new contract, and ever plays up to the level of it. The loser teams are usually the spend big, spend early types. That's why I like this list, it gives me awareness of names outside of the top 20 FA's, which is all most sites focus on. I would hope we're at the back-end of the list, purely from the standpoint that we don't want to give out contracts based on who did what the past 3 years, and more want to find guys that just need the right opportunity to have their best "next 3 years" as part of this team.

 

[T0mShane]

I'd like this year's big-ish money signing to be an offensive lineman. Thanks. Or Money-earnin' Vernon Davis.

[Integrity28]

Examples of guys that fit the description I just made above: Ladarius Green, Lamar Miller, Chase Daniel, Tashaun Gipson, Dwayne Allen, Zach Brown.

[Beerfish]

2 hours ago, Integrity28 said:

Examples of guys that fit the description I just made above: Ladarius Green, Lamar Miller, Chase Daniel, Tashaun Gipson, Dwayne Allen, Zach Brown.

Miller thinks hes hot sh*t and wants dollars.  He's in for a surprise as is the rb dude from tampa that thinks he is going to cash in,

[SenorGato]

10 hours ago, T0mShane said:

I'd like this year's big-ish money signing to be an offensive lineman. Thanks. Or Money-earnin' Vernon Davis.

Mitchell Schwartz 

 

[T0mShane]

21 minutes ago, SenorGato said:

Mitchell Schwartz 

 

Osemele would be my first choice, but you always wonder about players that Ozzie allows to walk away. Schwartz and Alex Boone as consolation prizes. Upgrading the right side should be Job Uno.

[T0mShane]

11 hours ago, Integrity28 said:

Examples of guys that fit the description I just made above: Ladarius Green, Lamar Miller, Chase Daniel, Tashaun Gipson, Dwayne Allen, Zach Brown.

Gipson would be a sneaky-good signing, but safeties who will pick it off are getting paid like kings these days. The Chargers have been giving Green every chance in the world to become their #1 TE and he's failed every time, even with the great Phil Rivers who turns every receiver on the field into stars. I like the idea of Miller or Forte over both Ivory and Powell, but I think their money will get to $7m per. The sneaky RB signing would be Fred Jackson, who can pick up the blitz and still has enough speed to terrorize Buffalo's slow LBs. 

[SenorGato]

5 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

Osemele would be my first choice, but you always wonder about players that Ozzie allows to walk away. Schwartz and Alex Boone as consolation prizes. Upgrading the right side should be Job Uno

I'd probably lean Osemele too, and generally agree that a higher quality OL signing is a must.

[section314]

51 minutes ago, SenorGato said:

I'd probably lean Osemele too, and generally agree that a higher quality OL signing is a must.

I'd go with Jeff Allen. 

[Integrity28]

2 hours ago, T0mShane said:

Gipson would be a sneaky-good signing, but safeties who will pick it off are getting paid like kings these days. The Chargers have been giving Green every chance in the world to become their #1 TE and he's failed every time, even with the great Phil Rivers who turns every receiver on the field into stars. I like the idea of Miller or Forte over both Ivory and Powell, but I think their money will get to $7m per. The sneaky RB signing would be Fred Jackson, who can pick up the blitz and still has enough speed to terrorize Buffalo's slow LBs. 

I was giving examples of guys where you'd be paying for the best years to come, not paying for the best years they've already had.

Ladarius stat'ed pretty well when Gates was out this year. He's ready. He's just stuck behind a first ballot HOFer that can still get it done. He'd be a Jet for his prime.

Miller, from an investment standpoint, is probably one of the better FA RBs to target, because he's got obvious talent and has been underutilized. Again, his best years would come as a Jet.

Jackson would be nice... for about 4 games. Helluva guy, but too many injuries.

[Jetsfan80]

# 88 Bobby Massie is a must-sign. 

By "Inconsistent in pass blocking" they clearly meant to say "Beastly run-blocker, which matters more and something the Jets haven't had since Damien Woody retired.  Also familiar with zone blocking scheme.  Meanwhile, Breno is useless in both run and pass-blocking". 

[Jetsfan80]

We should also probably sign that # 4 guy.  He's pretty good and seems to fit our any scheme. 

And it goes without saying, # 11 also.

[Beerfish]

9 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said:

# 88 Bobby Massie is a must-sign. 

By "Inconsistent in pass blocking" they clearly meant to say "Beastly run-blocker, which matters more and something the Jets haven't had since Damien Woody retired.  Also familiar with zone blocking scheme.  Meanwhile, Breno is useless in both run and pass-blocking". 

He was ghastly in the playoffs, pass blocking wise.

[JiFtheOracle]

With as much work as the Jets have to do internally, I wouldnt expect much from FA.

That said, it's good to see that it's a pretty talented FA class with depth.  The #2 and #3 guys at certain positions could be had on what I would think is a reasonable contract. 

 

[Jetsfan80]

17 minutes ago, Beerfish said:

He was ghastly in the playoffs, pass blocking wise.

Understood.  Still a significant upgrade over Breno.  Won't find a stellar pass AND run blocker at the pricetag we need him to be. 

If I have to choose, I'll take the RT who is a road grader.  Fitz gets the ball out quick, unlike Palmer.  Palmer threw more deep balls than anyone not named Cam Newton this past season. 

[Beerfish]

10 minutes ago, Jetsfan80 said:

Understood.  Still a significant upgrade over Breno.  Won't find a stellar pass AND run blocker at the pricetag we need him to be. 

If I have to choose, I'll take the RT who is a road grader.  Fitz gets the ball out quick, unlike Palmer.  Palmer threw more deep balls than anyone not named Cam Newton this past season. 

No argument there that he is better than Breno.  It will all depend on price asked, we need to save a few bucks on that position imo.

[Jetsfan80]

2 minutes ago, Beerfish said:

No argument there that he is better than Breno.  It will all depend on price asked, we need to save a few bucks on that position imo.

Don't forget that Massie is only 26 and stands to improve.  And from a financial perspective, we could also sign him to a 4 or 5-year deal and reduce the cap hit for 2016. 

[pointman]

Upshaw is 26 already? Feels like yesterday I was begging for us to take him in the draft.