30 best NFL free agents in 2023: Lavonte David, LB
This is it. This is the move you make if you’re a team wanting to add a highly-respected veteran, with plenty left to offer, en route to a Super Bowl run. Lavonte David has been doing it for years, and the guy just doesn’t slow down.
He may be 32 years old, but David is still one of the highest-graded linebackers in the game today if you ask PFF. His ability to hang in coverage, as well as stop the run, is unrivaled. David, though, hasn’t earned the rightful respect he’s deserving of throughout his career. His only All-Pro nod came in 2013, and the last Pro Bowl appearance we’ve seen from him was back in 2015.
Yet, all David has done is lead his defense time and time again. This is a guy who has averaged over 120 tackles per season — in 13 years in this league! There are very few linebackers who can say they have done the same, and the ones who can are mostly represented in the Hall of Fame.
David could be that missing piece just like Von Miller with the Rams a year ago; someone who comes in and changes the landscape of the defense just enough to tip the scale. He may be getting older, but David can still play at a high level, and he’ll get at least one more generous contract.