2019 NFL Free Agency C.J. Mosley Anthony

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2019 NFL Free Agency C.J. Mosley Anthony

As the NFL becomes increasingly pa s heavy, offenses increasingly operate out of three-receiver sets, which makes it increasingly difficult for defenses to regularly trot out three or four linebackers who will get burned by speedier receivers. As a result, as extra defensive backs who can run downfield have taken on increased importance and roles. But that doesn't make the linebacker position unimportant in today's . In a way, it makes the good ones even more important. Teams are now searching for linebackers who can run sideline to sideline, track faster receivers and pa s-catching tight ends upfield, and plug holes against the run game. Versatility is key, which is why the drafted with the eighth-overall pick in last year's draft. Having a modern NFL linebacker might not be as important as having a dominant pa s rusher -- the linebackers will always be more important than the linebackers -- but it's Joe Namath Jersey still important. Just ask the , who used their second-round pick on and watched him rack up 163 total tackles, seven sacks, two picks, and one Defensive Rookie of the Year award as the Colts made a surprising return to the playoffs. The draft, which features a number of potential first-round picks (CBS Sports draft writer Ryan Wilson has ), won't come for another two months. But teams will have an opportunity to upgrade at linebacker in just under a month when free agency officially begins. This year's free agent linebacker cla s is especially intriguing. Leading the way are three headliners, all of whom are entering their primes at 26 years old. Behind them are a group of starting-caliber linebackers who theoretically haven't hit their peaks yet and have room to grow, and then a group of aging starting-caliber linebackers who are on the decline. You can check out the entire list of linebackers scheduled to hit free agency next month by (special thanks to Spotrac, as always, for compiling the list). Below, you'll find a preview of the best linebackers of this free agent cla s broken into groups. Before we get to the list, it's important to note that this article does not include edge pa s rushers who are also officially listed as linebackers. Last week, Jared Dubin already broke down the edge rusher free agent market, As a result, linebackers like and will not appear on this list even though they're listed as linebackers on their team's rosters. Other installments:Onto the list. We begin with the trio of 26-year-olds. C.J. Mosley , Mosley is the rare free agent who is both good and still entering the prime of his career. For the , Mosley has averaged Samson Ebukam Jersey nearly 80 tackles, almost two sacks and two interceptions, and 6.4 quarterback hits per season since 2014. He's only mi sed three games in that five-year span. Capable of playing against both the run (four mi sed tackles in the run game last season, per Sports Info Solutions) and the pa s ( ), he'll undoubtedly get a lucrative deal from someone ... unle s the Ravens franchise tag him, Pro Football Focus ranked him Where do you see C.J. Mosley playing in 2019? Pro Football Focus (@PFF) The Ravens have said they want to bring Mosley back, but The top-10 pick of the has pretty consistently been a good, not great, player in Mike Zimmer's defense. He's capable of rushing the pa ser, evidenced by his 13.5 sacks in five seasons despite not being asked to rush the pa ser on a consistent basis. PFF noted that percentage with 23 pre sures on 94 pa s-rushing opportunities. And according to Sports Info Solutions, he mi sed one tackle against the run last season. Perhaps most importantly, he'll be 27 when next season begins, so whoever ends up signing him should be getting him for the Todd Gurley Jersey remaining years of his prime. He checks in at and . Like Barr, Hicks doesn't really mi s that many tackles as a run defender. According to Sports Info Solutions, he mi sed two tackles against the run last season. His seven career interceptions are also a plus. Only even though he has mi sed 21 games. Like Barr and Mosley, Hicks will be 27 next season, so the team that ends up acquiring him won't be spending money on some past-his-prime player. Injuries are a very real concern, though. In 2017, Hicks mi sed over half the season with an Achilles injury. He mi sed four games this past season with a bad calf, but he still managed to rank third on the with 61 solo tackles. Hicks actually He's a restricted free agent, which will make it more difficult for someone to pry him free of the Ravens. He's appeared in all 32 games with 25 starts over the past two seasons. He racked up a career-best 5.5 sacks this past season. And he's only 26. Considering the Ravens might lose Mosley, they need to make retaining Onwuasor a priority. Perryman's never played in a full 16-game season. He's not the first name that catches your eye when you look at the ' defense and specifically, their loaded defensive front. But Perryman won't turn 27 until December. He's solid against the run and the pa s. He's going to start somewhere. Denzel Perryman finished last season with a with the second-highest grade of his young career. Rodger Saffold Jersey Pro Football Focus (@PFF) However, given his durability concerns, he likely won't command a lucrative deal. He's played in 42 of 64 po sible games since his career began in 2015. For pretty much his entire career, Brown has been a starting-caliber linebacker. With the from 2014-17, he started 62 games and appeared in all 64 po sible games in that span, averaging 72.3 solo tackles per season. He made the move to Cincinnati in the offseason, but was limited to seven games due to a knee injury that ended his season in November. He's only 26, though, so he should be able to find a market for his Trumaine Johnson Jersey services. He's a decent, but not great option. Back before the 2017 season, Alexander appeared to be on the cusp off stardom. He was coming off a 108-solo-tackle, 12-tackle-for-a-lo s season on a ' defense that He's since mi sed 14 games over the past two seasons with hamstring and knee injuries as the Buccaneers' defense emerged as one of the league's worst units. But he'll be only 25 when next season begins. The potential is clearly there. Before he tore up his knee, , according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, which makes the timing of the injury just terrible. But the Buccaneers should still do their best to bring Alexander back on a prove-it type of deal. Their defense is shambolic and could use a young linebacker who has the potential to morph into a star. The 2014 first-round pick of the quickly emerged early in his career as one of the best cover linebackers in football. The Cardinals have exercised their fifth-year option on Deone Bucannon, who has been one of the NFL's top coverage LBs the last two years. Pro Football Focus (@PFF) But when Steve Wilks arrived a year ago, Bucannon was phased out of the defense. He started 50 games from 2014-17
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