ESPN Insider: Nose tackles at a premium among FAs

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Nose tackles at a premium among FAs

With free agency set to open Friday, Scouts Inc. takes a look at the top defensive players available in a position-by-position breakdown.

Defensive line

If you are in the market for 3-4 nose tackles, well, it is time to start really scouting the draft. The prime NFL veteran candidates have either been franchised or re-signed.

With about half the teams playing an odd front in 2010, obviously this is a position in great demand across the league. Simply put, there are not enough of these big bodies to fill all those starting spots -- and successfully running this scheme without a difference-maker on the nose is very difficult to accomplish. Richard Seymour somewhat fits into this category as well, but needless to say, in Oakland, things are a little backward. The premier 3-4 defensive end was franchised by the Raiders, who employ a 4-3 scheme. But the point is Seymour -- like the franchised nose tackles -- is unlikely to leave town. Jason Ferguson and Fred Robbins are aged interior presences who can be had on the unrestricted market, but neither resembles a long-term solution. There are a few other vets, though, who bring good value to the table in Justin Bannan, Jimmy Kennedy, Hollis Thomas and Dwan Edwards. These four would make a lot of sense for contenders.

At end, everyone knows the prize is Julius Peppers, who should break the bank. He will have several suitors and might make the switch to a 3-4 outside linebacker. For my money, if I were running a 4-3 scheme, Aaron Kampman would be the more attractive option. The caveat: Kampman is a great buy assuming he is healthy. Kyle Vanden Bosch, Leonard Little and Adewale Ogunleye are not the players they once were, but if used in a rotation to best utilize their skill sets, all could be effective. That's especially true of Little and Ogunleye. Jarvis Green might get more attention than many realize, as he has had success in the 3-4, and a few under-the-radar guys like Jimmy Wilkerson and Ryan Denney should still give their respective 2010 clubs productive snaps.

Linebackers

Two Patriots outside linebackers, Derrick Burgess and Tully Banta-Cain, are up for free agency. Burgess might be considered more of a 4-3 end, as that is where he played much of his career. Both players were quite productive rushing the passer last year and should be sought after. Miami's Jason Taylor still fits this mold as well, but would be best with limited snaps, while fellow Dolphin Joey Porter looks to have less left in his tank and brings more baggage than the three established vets named here before him.

Keith Bulluck is probably the most interesting name among the true 4-3 outside linebackers, while Karlos Dansby is the overall linebacker prize. He is a playmaker who fits in just about any system; that versatility will be very attractive for many clubs willing to open their wallets. Gary Brackett is another very productive player, but he is a true 4-3 middle linebacker and isn't overly impressive physically. There might not be a ton of teams beating down his door, but that doesn't take away from what he brings to the field. Larry Foote and Danny Clark each had a pretty good year. Scott Fujita could be scooped up off the Super Bowl champ Saints.

Defensive backs

At safety, it came as a bit of a shock that the Saints would not use the franchise tag on Darren Sharper and it could come back to bite them. His veteran leadership and obvious productivity could be welcome in many cities around the league. Overall, there is a bit of a drop-off after Sharper, but Steelers star Ryan Clark is an intimidator who had a respectable year even without Troy Polamalu around for much of the season. That is about it. Clark's teammate Tyrone Carter might also get some looks on the open market, but his best days are behind him and he is a liability in coverage. If Philadelphia's Sean Jones can stay healthy, he might make for a nice find at a decent price. Jermaine Phillips might also come cheap as a useful in-the-box safety. Roy L. Williams is a similar player, but his liabilities in coverage are now well-documented.

At corner, Houston's Dunta Robinson also was not franchised. While he remains very talented, his play really did not warrant the franchise tag again this offseason. Quietly, Leigh Bodden had a very good year in New England and clearly getting out of Detroit and Cleveland did him some good. Brian Williams is an established corner, but he might project better to free safety. Nick Harper really struggled this past season and he might be washed up, but it wasn't long ago that he was playing at a pretty high level. Along those lines, some older statesmen like Deshea Townsend, Dre' Bly, Ken Lucas and Anthony Henry should get an opportunity to latch on somewhere. Oh yeah, Adam Jones is still available!

Special teams

The Steelers franchised Jeff Reed and the Seahawks did the same with Olindo Mare. For teams looking to improve on their current kickers, that really leaves only Neil Rackers, Shayne Graham, Matt Stover and Jay Feely. But, as shown in the playoffs, there are several prominent teams that certainly could use an upgrade at that position. Stover's career might be over, but the others are sure to garner plenty of attention. Mitch Berger, Matt Turk, Chris Hanson, Jeff Feagles, Craig Hentrich and Hunter Smith make up the list of punters, which is quite light. Turk and Hentrich are the two most appealing options to sign from that list, but neither lit the league on fire in 2009.

[HailToTheRedskins14]

I'd be all for signing a lesser known DT and a lesser known OLB.

If we could buy a year of time for both of those positions, it could definitely help us to coach up anyone we draft in the mid-to-later rounds this year or look for an early round pick in next year's draft. Or of course, free agency next year. It would just give us so many options. Defense is not the place we need to focus all of our picks on this year, but we do need help, especially if/when we go to the 3-4.

I think we're okay at safety, personally. Doughty, Moore, Horton, and Landry should be able to hold it down at least one more year.