Who are the best Defensive Players left on the Market?

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

Mario Williams and Cortland Finnegan were just some of the big defensive Free Agents who joined new teams. They joined the Buffalo Bills and the St.Louis Rams respectively.

Best Defensive players left on the Market

Yesterday, we talked about the best available talent on offence but now, we are going to take a look at the best guys on the defensive side of the ball,obviously since Free Agency has been underway for almost a month, most of the top guys are gone. But anyway here's my take on it.



Defensive Tackle


Amobi Okoye: A 5 year veteran but still 24, Okoye hasn't really lived up to his first round status. However, he is still a very capable player and is at least a solid back up to have on a team.


Tommie Harris: I picked Harris here over Albert Haynesworth. Harris wasn't incredibly productive last year, but in the past he has shown explosiveness and big play ability. He is younger than Haynesworth and his salary would come cheaper as well. However, Harris' wife unfortunately passed away recently so Harris may not be in the greatest shape.



Defensive End

Andre Carter: The Patriots end was very good last year. He had 10 sacks and forced two fumbles. He was a tormentor for left tackles all season. Unfortunately, his season ended after 14 games, and he missed out on the Patriots playoff run. His presence was missed in particular against the Giants. He has two things going against him however, his age (32) and he is coming off a pretty serious injury. Carter tore his quadriceps last season.

Shaun Ellis: An older player, he wasn't incredibly productive last season. However he would be a very suitable candidate for mentoring, having been around the league for a while. He is old but has shown flashes of big play potential and would be good in a defensive end rotation scheme.



Middle Linebacker


London Fletcher: Arguably, he has improved his play and consistency as he has gotten older. He has been in the league for 13 years, won a Super Bowl and been to a Pro Bowl. He led the league in tackles last season (stats from NFL.com), had 2 interceptions and forces 3 fumbles. Any team who might draft a middle linebacker or who has a young one (Tampa Bay Buccaneers for example) could do with signing Fletcher. He is a solid starter but more importantly he is a veteran presence in the locker room, another reason why the signing would make sense for the Buccaneers.


Keith Brooking/Bradie James: 2 wily veterans who could help a team. Brooking didn't start for the Dallas Cowboys last year, but was used in a rotation scheme. He still put up decent stats however. James tended to be a starter for the Cowboys last year, he has declined a bit but he still showed signs of being a solid defender and he is certainly capable of being a backup at least. Both players would probably be more suited to the role of backup at this point.


Outside Linebacker:

Rocky McIntosh: He tends to play inside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme but is capable of playing outside in a 4-3 scheme. He didn't have his best of season last year but put together solid numbers. I wonder could he be a starter but he is certainly a backup or could be used as part of a rotation.

Joey Porter: An injury ended his season prematurely last year. At his age (35) coming back from it could be a bit of a problem but I'm sure he has the tools to combat it. Mightn't be starter quality but he could certainly be brought in for schemes and with his experience, he will certainly help younger players along.

Cornerback

Kelvin Hayden: He suffered a season ending injury after 8 games last season. He wasn't a starter for the Falcons last year but recorded 2 interceptions which would be solid numbers for a backup cornerback for the season. He started during his time with Indianapolis Colts, but I wonder is he starter material now. Certainly capable of being a backup for teams with problems defending the pass. He has big play ability too.



Terence Newman: He was destroyed at times last season. Calvin Johnson grabbed the game winning TD grab for Detroit last year while Newman was covering him. Victor Cruz, of the New York Giants, in particular destroyed Newman in their final game last year. He is still an adequate player though, he was reportedly on relatively decent money last season with the Cowboys and was expected to earn close to 8 million this year. His decline last year was pretty rapid, yet he still managed to chalk up 4 interceptions. His time as a starter is probably over, but he could possibly be a good nickel cornerback or be a solid backup


Safety

O.J. Atogwe: If he can overcome his injury problems, he is a very, very good safety. The problem is he has had these problems for a good few seasons. He had a good interception tally last year and his tackling stats were pretty impressive until his season ended with injuries. He was on big money with the Washington Redskins, so this may deter some teams from taking him on. His age may also be a factor to consider.


Bob Sanders: Injuries and age are what's going to go against him. He hasn't play more than 6 games in a season since 2007. He was a very talented safety during his heyday but it looks like his time is coming to an end. He was never an incredibly big safety and you would wonder if his size has led to some of his injuries.

Brian Dawkins: He had a solid enough season last year at 38. The Denver Broncos relied a lot on their defence last year and Dawkins wasn't exposed too much. At his age he probably won't be a starter but he could certainly take some part in the game or on special teams.

no typos in here at all that jump out at me.

All I would say is put a line break inbetween these two lines:

They joined the Buffalo Bills and the St.Louis Rams respectively.
Best Defensive players left on the Market


And maybe underline or put your sub headings in bold? just so they stand out a bit more, but then that could just be my personal preferance!

I don't understand anything about the sport you're wrirting about, but it reads well and seems to give the info that you want it to for what you're talking about. Good stuff

Cheers RD, those last 2 articles were an absolute balls to write. So much research!!!

I can imagine! Good though, and very informative so worth all that effort

"his sizze has led" from the Bob Sanders bit.

Good piece Thomond.

The NY Jets have signed Aussie born ex-Saracens and USA lock Hayden Smith on a 3 year development contract - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1136768-ny-jets-3-key-things-that-new-jets-player-hayden-smith-brings-to-the-table

(I love that the yank author found an RL clip to illustrate "rugby" tackles )