As we head into The Trenches' inagural season, what better time than now to get a preview of which of the league's best and biggest stars might be moving come this offseason. Who's going to get a payday, and who is going to free agency? This is a list of the best possible 2020 free agents.
25. Ryan Shazier(PIT), MLB, 84 OVR
If Shazier makes a full recovery, the Steelers will have a tough decision to make regarding the 26 year old linebacker.
24. Emmanuel Sanders(DEN), WR, 88 OVR
An aging vet looking for one more paycheck, Denver has the cap space to do it.
23. A.J. Green(CIN), WR, 90 OVR
Green is getting older now, but he still has the speed that made him dangerous when he first came into the league.
22. Chris Harris Jr.(DEN), CB, 90 OVR
He'll be 31 years old next year, aging and slowing. Will Denver stick with him?
21. Aqib Talib(LAR), CB, 87 OVR
Another aging veteran in the defensive backfield. If he doesn't retire, he probably still has one more contract left in him.
20. Hunter Henry(LAC), TE, 86 OVR
One of the top tight ends in the league is coming off his rookie contract, and he's going to get paid whether he says in LA or not. The Chargers cleared up some cap space by trading away Melvin Gordon, but Phillip Rivers also needs a new contract.
19. Tyler Eifert(CIN), TE, 88 OVR
Eifert, like Hunter Henry, has got to prove that a tight end is worth the investment this year.
18. Devin McCourty(NE), FS, 89 OVR
One of the best veteran safeties in the league, expect a bidding war if he ends up in FA.
17. Mike Daniels(DET), RE, 87 OVR
30 years old and on a one year rental in Detriot, Daniels has got to decide whether he wants to retire or stay for one more contract.
16. Chris Jones(KC), RE, 88 OVR
His rookie contract is up, and the Chiefs have a huge amount of cap space. No-brainer here: re-sign him.
15. Kendall Fuller(KC), CB, 88 OVR
Another young Chief wants his first big payday.
14. Amari Cooper(DAL), WR, 89 OVR
Cooper is only 25 years old right now. Dallas will have to manage their cap carefully considering they will need to pay Dak Prescott and Zeke Elliot soon.
13. Melvin Gordon III(NE), HB, 92 OVR
The newly minted Patriot will get one year to prove to New England that he deserves to be one of the highest-paid halfbacks in the league.
12. Byron Jones(DAL), CB, 91 OVR
Dallas has got to pay a lot of top-tier talent over the next two years. Will they have to let Jones slide to free agency?
11. Kareem Hunt(CLE), HB, 90 OVR
Hunt is only 24 years old. With his past behind him, his ceiling his sky-high, along with his potential payday.
10. Yannick Ngakoue(JAX), RE, 84 OVR
One of the younger names on this list, he's only 24 years old and has a lot of potential.
9. Jason Peters(PHI), LT, 87 OVR
Peters is nearly 38 years old. If he doesn't retire, someone will be getting a one year rental.
8. Brandon Scherff(WAS), RG, 87 OVR
Another top offensive lineman slated to be a free agent. If Washington pays him, it will be a huge contract.
7. Rodney Hudson(OAK), LT, 90 OVR
30 years of age and still dominating defensive linemen, Hudson is going to get one more huge contract.
6. Drew Brees(NO), QB, 92 OVR
If Brees doesn't retire, a one or two year contract from a desparate team is in his future if he leaves New Orleans.
5. Philip Rivers(LAC), QB, 94 OVR
If he leaves LA, he could give a quarterback needy team one or two years to win a Super Bowl.
4. Andrew Whitworth(LAR), LT, 93 OVR
Whitworth remains one of the best offensive linemen in the league, and even a one year contract could pay dividends for the 37 year old.
3. Michael Pierce(BAL), DT, 92 OVR
Pierce is still only 26 years old, and now that his rookie contract is up, the Ravens have got to fork over the dough to keep him.
2. Jadeveon Clowney(HOU), ROLB, 92 OVR
Clowney is looking for a massive paycheck here, with the potential to come close to Aaron Donald's incredible contract.
1. Tyreek Hill(KC), WR, 94 OVR
He lit up the league with Mahomes last year, now he's about to light up the Chief's salary cap.
The Broncos new head coach Logan Riley has indicated that Drew Lock has looked impressive enough in camp and the preseason to be named Denver's starting quarterback heading into the 2019 season. The 42nd overall pick in the draft, Lock has had issues with his footwork and accuracy on short throws. "Drew has a lot of room grow, but every single one of his problems are coachable and I believe this coaching staff will be able to make him the best quarterback he can possibly be," said coach Riley in a press conference last weekend.
Logan Riley is known for molding young quarterbacks into stars, but that was during his time as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at colleges like UTSA, Arizona, and Tennessee. Landing an NFL head coach job when his only past experience is as a coordinator at the college level has left many Broncos fans with doubts, but supporters of the hire point to the Bronco's recent struggles with developing quarterbacks, and offensive struggles as a whole, as justification for the risky hire.
The Broncos open the season on Monday Night Football against the Raiders, September 9th.
The Cardinals' #2 ranked defense this year is the antithesis of everything the Falcons' #1 defense is. While the Falcons dominate with proven veteran talent and incredible physicality, Arizona is content to let the some of the youngest players on their roster take the reins and lead the defense. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than by the coach's decision to name Budda Baker a team captain during training camp, solidifying his role as the leader of one of the youngest defenses in the VFL.
At a mere 24 years old, Baker has become one of the best safeties in the league. He's racked up 12 interceptions over his first three seasons so far, and has turned 4 of them into touchdowns. He covers deep, he mans up, and he even blitzes off the edge. Baker can command the defense from anywhere and everywhere on the field. He has veteran talent in Tre Boston and Jamar Taylor guiding him along the way, but they say he's a natural. "When he's out there directing traffic, making adjustments, nobody questions him. He never second guesses himself, he's got his teammates' respect on and off the field," said Boston, who lines up at free safety opposite of Baker.
Baker is nowhere near the youngest player on the defense though. In the trenches, rookie Zach Bulman is performing like a 1st round pick should. He has 9 sacks through 12 games. His sheer strength overpowers linemen on the edge as he bull-rushes his way to the QB. Opposite of him is Marcus Davenport, added through a trade with the Saints. Davenport has moved inside to replace veteran Chandler Jones, who has moved outside to play at OLB in Arizona's 3-4 package. With both 23 year-olds on each edge, Arizona's rush has been fierce. They are #2 in the VFL with 51 sacks so far. In Davenport's three games with Arizona he's already had a sack-fumble.
Moving up a level, the linebackers are guided by 26 year-old Dylan Cole, a free agent pickup for Arizona last offseason. In his last season with Houston, he had 10 tackles and 1 interception. This year he's a candidate for DPOY, with 39 tackles, 9 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception. Cole spoke about his turnaround in a press conference last week, "My coaches here are just incredible. It's very humbling to be able to have this opportunity, after being afraid I'd never get a chance after my first two seasons were, well, let's be honest. They were mediocre."
Cole is flanked by two more rookies from last year's draft. In the 3rd and 4th rounds, Arizona drafted Percy Wiley and Carter Horn for added depth at linebacker. Instead, they development so well that Arizona felt confident enough to trade away Deone Buccanon for Marcus Davenport mid-season. Wiley and Horn have less volume stats than Cole, but both have shown incredible flashes of talent. Wiley in particular has looked promising. He already has 23 tackles, 3 sacks, and an interception despite not getting as many snaps as Cole due to Buccanon being in front of him on the depth chart for the first half of the season.
The secondary for Arizona is their 'weakest' point. They're #2 in passing defense, which is technically worse than their #1 rushing defense. Charles Hearst, another rookie, just moved up to #2 on the depth chart behind only Jamar Taylor. He and sophomore Myron Levens have provided a level of coverage Arizona has been missing since Patrick Peterson was traded away to Atlanta. Hearst has actually become a surprisingly good pass rusher. He's collected 3 sacks this year, thanks to his quick bursts off the edge that get him into the backfield unblocked. He's only played in 8 games so far this season, so expect even more out of him now that he's playing opposite of Taylor.
Overall, the Cardinals are starting 4 rookies on defense, and 7 of their starters are 25 or younger. They can only develop and get better from here, which is a scary prospect for Arizona's NFC rivals. Expect great things as these young players grow into seasoned veterans.