New York Giants

Free agency primers: Defensive line

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, Chris Burke/Sports Illustrated

The 2017 draft is loaded with edge rushers. The 2017 free-agent class could be chock full of outstanding interior defenders.

Just how exciting the D-line group looks when free agency begins on March 9 (after the “legal tampering window” opens on March 7) will depend in large part on how many of the big-name defensive tackles actually make it to the market. Carolina is expected to use the franchise tag on Kawann Short, but Johnathan Hankins (Giants), Brandon Williams (Ravens), Bennie Logan (Eagles) and Dontari Poe (Chiefs) are among the others who may be allowed to walk.

Many of the possibilities off the edge technically qualify as linebackers—we’ll get to them in a separate post. But the Giants and Panthers also face decisions on DEs Jason Pierre-Paul and Charles Johnson, respectively. Those calls depend on what goes down with Hankins and Short.

More on the D-line group about to hit free agency:

Cream of the Crop: Calais Campbell

Cardinals president Michael Bidwell said earlier this month on Arizona Sports 98.7 that his team’s franchise tag will be set aside for OLB Chandler Jones. If that holds true, it’ll be borderline impossible for Arizona to squeeze in a hefty contract for Campbell, too. A Pro Bowler in 2014 and ’15 and a consistent performer up front for the past eight seasons, Campbell (31 in September) will have no shortage of suitors as a free agent.

Campbell should be the top target for any base 3–4 team, as he spent the majority of his Arizona career excelling as an end in that scheme. However, he is a fit for any system, because of his experience playing out of a DT alignment.

Campbell has averaged 7.0 sacks per season since 2009, and he had 8.0 last year, with three fumble recoveries and six pass deflections. He remains an impact performer.

Ideal team fit: Titans. Again, name just about any team and Campbell makes sense. That said, the Titans have the money available to make a couple of big splashes this off-season. Nabbing Campbell certainly would count. A Campbell–Jurrell Casey combo would be hard for opponents to handle.

Bargain Bin: Alan Branch

Non-pass rushing tackles approaching their mid-30s tend to find the pickings rather slim when free agency calls. That will likely be the case for Branch, 32, should the Patriots fail to re-sign him. They might make it a priority in the coming days, though, considering how important the 350-pounder has been as an anchor inside for them.

Branch’s most notable contribution to the 2016 season came during the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LI, when he pounced on a fumble forced by teammate Dont’a Hightower. The Patriots trailed by 16 at the time, but the turnover flipped the game’s momentum for good. Of course, the Patriots’ defense may have been weaker all season were it not for Branch. With him filling up space inside, New England held its opponents below 4.0 yards per carry.

Per Football Outsiders, Branch played about 59% of the Patriots’ defensive snaps this season—second on the team to Chris Long’s 64%, but hardly an excessive workload. He is a rotational defender, built to force teams into third-and-long by wiping out early-down run plays.

There’s less a market for that type of player than for a dominant pass rusher, but Branch still appears to have gas left in the tank.

Ideal team fit: Broncos. Far too ineffective up the middle on defense last season, Denver was recently in the hunt for Earl Mitchell, who signed with San Francisco. Branch, who has about 50 pounds on Mitchell, actually has been the better player the past two seasons.

KING: Mike Mayock previews the 2017 combine | Q&A with Mel Kiper

Overpay Alert: Jason Pierre-Paul

As is often the case, this has as much to do with the market as it does the player. In other words, Pierre-Paul deserves to be a coveted player—he’s a high-effort pass rusher, capable of producing double-digit sacks and is still just 28—but let’s talk about the price. If the Giants opt to use their franchise tag on him, that’s going to run them close to $17 million for the 2017 season; if he walks, his spot atop the free-agent DE pecking order combined with the league-wide desperation to find edge rushers could push his contract north of $15 million per year.

If a deal like that lands a team the 2011 version of Pierre-Paul (16.5 sacks, first-team All-Pro) or even the ’14 version (12.5 sacks), great. Consistency, though, has not been his calling card. Neither has health—Pierre-Paul had the fireworks incident, then missed games last season due to sports-hernia surgery.

Best team fit: Buccaneers. A team with money to spend. Current Buc Robert Ayers and Pierre-Paul combined for 17.5 sacks in 2014. Reuniting them, alongside up-and-coming star Noah Spence would solve Tampa Bay’s depth issues at DE.

Teams most in need of defensive line help: Cardinals, Falcons, Bills, Bears, Bengals, Broncos, Lions, Colts, Chiefs, Patriots, Saints, Giants, Raiders, Eagles, Seahawks, 49ers, Buccaneers, Titans, Redskins.