Fansided

The Armchair Quarterback’s Guide To The NFL: Man Of The Year

By Lyle Graversen

Jan 31, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Thomas Davis (left), Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely (center) and Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman are named finalists for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award at a press conference at Rose Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Thomas Davis (left), Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely (center) and Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman are named finalists for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award at a press conference at Rose Theater. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next

The Armchair Quarterback’s Underrated Defensive Free Agents

Last week I gave you my list of offensive free agents that I think may be the best value for the money. While some of these players may not be had for bargain basement pricess, I don’t believe any of them will require massive deals to sign and may perform just as well as some of the bigger “name” players that do. Here’s my defensive list:

Defensive Tackle – Linval Joseph

Joseph isn’t an elite player, but at 325 pounds and only 25 years old he will be a valuable player for any team to add to their interior defensive line. The past two seasons Joseph has finished ranked exactly 21st in the NFL in Pro Football Focus’s DT rankings. Even if you were to say half the teams run a 3-4 (it’s actually a little less than that) that would still be about 48 starting DT/NT, so being ranked 21st puts him in the top half of starters at his position. You add in his age and size and Joseph would be a wise investment.

Defensive End – Everson Griffen

The Vikings have both of their starting defensive ends due to hit the open market this offseason in Griffen and Jared Allen. While Allen will command the attention and possibly bigger dollars, PFF actually had Griffen rated 15 spots higher than Allen last season. You add to it the fact that Griffen is six years younger than Allen and Griffen is the better option for a team in need of a defensive end. While he’s not elite at either run defense or pass rushing, he’s not a liability either.

Outside Linebacker – Jason Worilds

Pittsburgh always seems to churn quality OLBs through their system. While Worilds may not be a dominant player, he did perform well enough to keep former first round pick Jarvis Jones on the bench for most of the season. Worilds would likely need to either stay in a 3-4 scheme or switch to DE if he went to a 4-3 team because he lacks the range to handle OLB in an even front. However, 3-4 teams will likely target him because while not spectacular, he is a reliable starting caliber LB against both the run and pass.

Inside Linebacker – Akeem Jordan

Akeem Jordan is a two down run stopping linebacker. In today’s pass happy NFL that’s a job that has seen it’s importance decline. However, there is still value in being able to stop the run and Jordan proved very good at it last season for Kansas City. In fact, Jordan was PFF’s number five rated ILB against the run last season, scoring a higher run defense score than big names like NaVorro Bowman and Karlos Dansby. While Jordan’s inability to cover or rush the passer will prevent him from landing a big payday, his quality run defense will be a valuable asset to a team at a discount price.

Cornerback – Tarell Brown

There are a lot of quality names at CB available this offseason. Because of that, a solid starter like Brown may get overlooked while teams throw dollars at bigger names like Brent Grimes, Vontae Davis, Aqib Talib, and Charles Tillman. Brown is 29 and has played very well overall for the 49ers. However, a rib injury slowed him this past season and may have dropped his stock a little, but he is just one year removed from being PFF’s fourth rated CB in terms of pass coverage. If Brown looks fully healthy a team could land a great starting coverage corner for a price much smaller than that of some of the other “big name’ free agent CBs.

Safety – Chris Clemons

While some teams throw top dollars at free agents like Jairus Byrd, TJ Ward, and Donte Whitner one lucky team will sign Clemons for significantly less and get themselves a really good coverage safety. Clemons finished ranked PFF’s ninth rated safety in coverage last season. That was only one spot behind Byrd and three spots ahead of Ward. While Clemons isn’t a big hitter, he’s solid in run support making him a great starting caliber safety at a cheaper price tag than the top names on the market.

So there’s my list of underrated defensive free agents. Anyone I overlooked? Not sold on one of these guys? Think one of these guys will actually fetch a huge contract on the open market? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Now on to the Armchair Quarterback Odds and Ends of the Week……

Home/Arizona Cardinals