NFL franchise tag 2018: 10 players most likely to be tagged

4. Ezekiel Ansah

Aside from the quarterback, edge rusher may be the most important position on any NFL roster. The last couple of seasons, pass rushers have dominated the Defensive Player of the Year award. Vonn Miller, J.J. Watt, Khalil Mack are all edge rushers, this years winner Aaron Donald plays defensive tackle, but is a great pass rusher. The premium placed on pass rushers is apparent.

The Lions have a new head coach, Matt Patricia, who comes from the Patriots who don’t tend to spend lavishly for defensive players. He has said he is a different coach and will approach things differently, so perhaps that is indicative of his willingness to extend Ansah. With a new staff and new scheme, it could make more sense to give him one year to see if it is a good fit. The worst possible start to Patricia’s tenure would be extending a player who doesn’t fit the new scheme and becomes a liability.

The estimate for defensive ends on the tag this year is around $17.4 million. That number is likely to be slightly higher than the market value for Ansah. Obviously both of those estimates are speculative and subject to change. The one number to really focus on is the almost $47 million the Lions are set to have in cap space, more than enough to take care of Ansah.

Ansah is a talented rusher and is adept at stuffing the run. He could be a pivotal piece in the Detroit defense for several years to come, but they need to lock him down sooner rather than later so he doesn’t taste the open market.