Top WR's
Vincent Jackson (SD) – The Chargers still have a lot of progress to be made in retaining their own players. Philip Rivers found great success even without his big name receivers earlier in the year, which seems to make Vincent Jackson more expendable. Coach Norv Turner has paid complements to his star receiver, saying he’s a better player this year than he was last, which sends a message to the front office that they shouldn’t hesitate to bring him back in 2011 and onward.
Sidney Rice (MIN) – Coming back from a pretty serious hip injury, Rice continued to impress with his athletic ability and added to his highlight reel. His per game numbers didn’t mimic his dominant 2009 season, but that’s expected with lesser quarterback and offensive line play. Rice figures to play a large role in the organization’s future, making his re-signing every bit the priority of finding a playoff-caliber quarterback.
Santonio Holmes (NYJ) – Aside from the “character concerns,” the Steelers were quick to send Holmes packing to the highest bidder because of the expected cost in retaining Holmes this offseason. Now that decision will fall squarely on the shoulder of the Jets. Holmes is the best receiver in a very talented corps. He’s a good route runner and is known to come up big late in games. If the Jets have to choose only one of their two big name receivers, you’d have to think it would Holmes, who has the most targets and receptions on the team since week 5.
Braylon Edwards (NYJ) – Edwards has been the big play threat on an offense that is most explosive when the running game opens up the playaction to him down the field. Of the Jets’ star free agents this offseason, Edwards is the most likely to be let go though.
Malcom Floyd (SD) – Floyd was given the highest tender last offseason and proved worthy of the contract in the games he played. After Philip Rivers’ performance in the absence of both Floyd and Jackson, the Chargers may decide to only keep one of the two and trade the other to make improvements elsewhere (maybe a new special teams coach). Floyd is a tall, athletic downfield threat with the body control to become a number one receiver in the league.
Steve Smith (NYG) – Smith was the perfect slot receiver for the Giants’ terrific threesome and was on his way to his second consecutive 1000-yard season before an injury derailed him in the middle of the year and leaves the start of his 2011 season in jeopardy. The Giants will know his situation best and are therefore the frontrunners for Steve Smith.
Terrell Owens (CIN) – It looks like the mouth on this man is directly correlated with his performance. The minute he starts putting up some decent numbers, he begins sharing his nonsense again. Production for the 37 year old TO surprised many this season, but by late season, he began blaming the coaching staff for its’ offensive struggles which many have reported will keep the Bengals from bringing him back. If he can find a new home next year, it would be his 6th different team in 9 seasons. He’s burned plenty of bridges and already had plenty of difficulty finding a team last offseason and no team has proven to be more kind to players looking for another chance than the Bengals. Given the talented receiver free agent class, I have a feeling this could have been the last season from TO in the NFL.
Randy Moss (TEN) – No one predicted this 2010 season for Moss. Just as loudly as he entered the league over a decade ago, he seems to be going away just as quietly. The Titans placed the only waiver claim on Moss who was released after a catering incident in Minnesota. Like TO, has he burned too many bridges too? If there’s any team that can light a fuse in Moss, it’s his old Patriots, but do they want the headache? Brady certainly doesn’t seem to need the help anyway.
Mike Williams (SEA) – Is there anyone out there—Lions fans excluded—that didn’t love to see Mike Williams playing some good football for his old college coach? Let’s keep it simple, he’s staying in Seattle.
James Jones (GB) – Will the Packers be willing to pay Jones like a starting receiver? If not, he may be one of the first ones out of Green Bay if he becomes an unrestricted free agent. He’s as talented as any number of starting wideouts and has shown flashes that he could be just that. He has a knack of dropping passes here and there, but aside from that, James Jones is a complete receiver who can run the entire tree.
Steve Breaston (ARI) – The Cardinals know the health of Breaston’s knee better than any other teams. If it checks out clean, they also know his abilities better than anyone else. He’s a breakout star in the making and would form a formidable duo with Larry Fitzgerald if the team could get their quarterback situation untangled.
Top Cornerbacks:
Champ Bailey (DEN) – With the Broncos in a period of transition, this may very well be Champ Bailey’s final season in Denver. While injuries have lessened his effectiveness the last couple years, he returned to form this season to stay among the league’s 5 best corners. There have been no talks of a contract extension so far, but Champ remains committed to returning to the Broncos if the interest is mutual.
Nnamdi Asomugha (OAK) – It should say something about the importance of statistics when a player can have an All-Pro season, yet not achieve minimal performance marks, which renders the rest of his contract null and void. The Raiders are unable to place the franchise tag on Asomugha, making the league’s best corner the prize of free agency. There’s some buzz that he wants to go to a Super Bowl contender such as the Jets or Packers (where he has ties with Woodson). The Packers seem like an unlikely destination given their strong, highly paid secondary and the Jets may want to pursue him, but that would leave holes in their roster elsewhere. This will be the most exciting story to follow this offseason.
Brent Grimes (ATL) – Grimes had a fantastic season for an improved Falcons defense. Going into the final week, he’s one back of the leader in deflected passes. As an undrafted player, he’s worked his way and improved each season to become one of the league’s better corners now. With the secondary struggles in Atlanta over the past few years, they’ll show their appreciation for Grimes in the offseason.
Carlos Rogers (WAS) – Rogers has been a solid cover corner for years now and one of the leaders in Washington’s secondary. Still, I’ve never seen anyone in the league with worse hands than Rogers. An average set of hands would have allowed him at least a couple more picks per season and that’s why he doesn’t generally get the credit he deserves. Some Redskins fans will cringe if the Redskins bring him back, but in reality, they could do much worse from a starting corner.
Johnathan Joseph (CIN) – The Bengals’ corners awakened in 2009 to help lead a good pass defense, but 2010 turned out to be a different story. Both Joseph and Hall regressed and the results in the Bengals secondary showed. Joseph is physical and aggressive and good in any scheme. If the Bengals do hit him with the franchise tag, Joseph has said he’ll sign it on the first day, though he’s holding out hope that the two sides can reach a deal before that point.
Ronde Barber (TB) – Though Barber and the Buccaneers haven’t discussed a new contract, he’s returned to playing at a high level and Coach Raheem Morris has given Barber plenty of praise asking him to return to the team in 2011. It should just be a matter of getting the business side sorted out if Barber decides he wants to continue playing.
Antonio Cromartie (NYJ) – Cromartie is one of several big names hitting the market this year for the Jets. He hasn’t panned out as the elite playmaker many media outlets expected he would opposite Darrelle Revis, but he has given the Jets some flexibility at cornerback. Cromartie’s stiffness and long strides makes him an ideal candidate to be victimized by smaller, elite route running receivers, but he’s effective defending down the field. Because Kyle Wilson hasn’t lived up to expectations, the Jets may look to re-sign him with more urgency.
Ike Taylor (PIT) – Ike Taylor has been the lone, consistent cornerback for the Steelers over the past 5+ years. His ability to shadow receivers effectively and come up in run support has allowed the Steelers to do a little more creatively up front. With a lack of depth behind him, it would be surprising to see the Steelers let Ike Taylor to leave, even though he has lost a step.
Richard Marshall (CAR) – Marshall has been okay in coverage over the years, but good in run support. He won’t be at the top of the Panthers priority list, but if they do offer him a fair long-term deal, Marshall is ready to sign immediately.
Vincent Jackson (SD) – The Chargers still have a lot of progress to be made in retaining their own players. Philip Rivers found great success even without his big name receivers earlier in the year, which seems to make Vincent Jackson more expendable. Coach Norv Turner has paid complements to his star receiver, saying he’s a better player this year than he was last, which sends a message to the front office that they shouldn’t hesitate to bring him back in 2011 and onward.
Sidney Rice (MIN) – Coming back from a pretty serious hip injury, Rice continued to impress with his athletic ability and added to his highlight reel. His per game numbers didn’t mimic his dominant 2009 season, but that’s expected with lesser quarterback and offensive line play. Rice figures to play a large role in the organization’s future, making his re-signing every bit the priority of finding a playoff-caliber quarterback.
Santonio Holmes (NYJ) – Aside from the “character concerns,” the Steelers were quick to send Holmes packing to the highest bidder because of the expected cost in retaining Holmes this offseason. Now that decision will fall squarely on the shoulder of the Jets. Holmes is the best receiver in a very talented corps. He’s a good route runner and is known to come up big late in games. If the Jets have to choose only one of their two big name receivers, you’d have to think it would Holmes, who has the most targets and receptions on the team since week 5.
Braylon Edwards (NYJ) – Edwards has been the big play threat on an offense that is most explosive when the running game opens up the playaction to him down the field. Of the Jets’ star free agents this offseason, Edwards is the most likely to be let go though.
Malcom Floyd (SD) – Floyd was given the highest tender last offseason and proved worthy of the contract in the games he played. After Philip Rivers’ performance in the absence of both Floyd and Jackson, the Chargers may decide to only keep one of the two and trade the other to make improvements elsewhere (maybe a new special teams coach). Floyd is a tall, athletic downfield threat with the body control to become a number one receiver in the league.
Steve Smith (NYG) – Smith was the perfect slot receiver for the Giants’ terrific threesome and was on his way to his second consecutive 1000-yard season before an injury derailed him in the middle of the year and leaves the start of his 2011 season in jeopardy. The Giants will know his situation best and are therefore the frontrunners for Steve Smith.
Terrell Owens (CIN) – It looks like the mouth on this man is directly correlated with his performance. The minute he starts putting up some decent numbers, he begins sharing his nonsense again. Production for the 37 year old TO surprised many this season, but by late season, he began blaming the coaching staff for its’ offensive struggles which many have reported will keep the Bengals from bringing him back. If he can find a new home next year, it would be his 6th different team in 9 seasons. He’s burned plenty of bridges and already had plenty of difficulty finding a team last offseason and no team has proven to be more kind to players looking for another chance than the Bengals. Given the talented receiver free agent class, I have a feeling this could have been the last season from TO in the NFL.
Randy Moss (TEN) – No one predicted this 2010 season for Moss. Just as loudly as he entered the league over a decade ago, he seems to be going away just as quietly. The Titans placed the only waiver claim on Moss who was released after a catering incident in Minnesota. Like TO, has he burned too many bridges too? If there’s any team that can light a fuse in Moss, it’s his old Patriots, but do they want the headache? Brady certainly doesn’t seem to need the help anyway.
Mike Williams (SEA) – Is there anyone out there—Lions fans excluded—that didn’t love to see Mike Williams playing some good football for his old college coach? Let’s keep it simple, he’s staying in Seattle.
James Jones (GB) – Will the Packers be willing to pay Jones like a starting receiver? If not, he may be one of the first ones out of Green Bay if he becomes an unrestricted free agent. He’s as talented as any number of starting wideouts and has shown flashes that he could be just that. He has a knack of dropping passes here and there, but aside from that, James Jones is a complete receiver who can run the entire tree.
Steve Breaston (ARI) – The Cardinals know the health of Breaston’s knee better than any other teams. If it checks out clean, they also know his abilities better than anyone else. He’s a breakout star in the making and would form a formidable duo with Larry Fitzgerald if the team could get their quarterback situation untangled.
Top Cornerbacks:
Champ Bailey (DEN) – With the Broncos in a period of transition, this may very well be Champ Bailey’s final season in Denver. While injuries have lessened his effectiveness the last couple years, he returned to form this season to stay among the league’s 5 best corners. There have been no talks of a contract extension so far, but Champ remains committed to returning to the Broncos if the interest is mutual.
Nnamdi Asomugha (OAK) – It should say something about the importance of statistics when a player can have an All-Pro season, yet not achieve minimal performance marks, which renders the rest of his contract null and void. The Raiders are unable to place the franchise tag on Asomugha, making the league’s best corner the prize of free agency. There’s some buzz that he wants to go to a Super Bowl contender such as the Jets or Packers (where he has ties with Woodson). The Packers seem like an unlikely destination given their strong, highly paid secondary and the Jets may want to pursue him, but that would leave holes in their roster elsewhere. This will be the most exciting story to follow this offseason.
Brent Grimes (ATL) – Grimes had a fantastic season for an improved Falcons defense. Going into the final week, he’s one back of the leader in deflected passes. As an undrafted player, he’s worked his way and improved each season to become one of the league’s better corners now. With the secondary struggles in Atlanta over the past few years, they’ll show their appreciation for Grimes in the offseason.
Carlos Rogers (WAS) – Rogers has been a solid cover corner for years now and one of the leaders in Washington’s secondary. Still, I’ve never seen anyone in the league with worse hands than Rogers. An average set of hands would have allowed him at least a couple more picks per season and that’s why he doesn’t generally get the credit he deserves. Some Redskins fans will cringe if the Redskins bring him back, but in reality, they could do much worse from a starting corner.
Johnathan Joseph (CIN) – The Bengals’ corners awakened in 2009 to help lead a good pass defense, but 2010 turned out to be a different story. Both Joseph and Hall regressed and the results in the Bengals secondary showed. Joseph is physical and aggressive and good in any scheme. If the Bengals do hit him with the franchise tag, Joseph has said he’ll sign it on the first day, though he’s holding out hope that the two sides can reach a deal before that point.
Ronde Barber (TB) – Though Barber and the Buccaneers haven’t discussed a new contract, he’s returned to playing at a high level and Coach Raheem Morris has given Barber plenty of praise asking him to return to the team in 2011. It should just be a matter of getting the business side sorted out if Barber decides he wants to continue playing.
Antonio Cromartie (NYJ) – Cromartie is one of several big names hitting the market this year for the Jets. He hasn’t panned out as the elite playmaker many media outlets expected he would opposite Darrelle Revis, but he has given the Jets some flexibility at cornerback. Cromartie’s stiffness and long strides makes him an ideal candidate to be victimized by smaller, elite route running receivers, but he’s effective defending down the field. Because Kyle Wilson hasn’t lived up to expectations, the Jets may look to re-sign him with more urgency.
Ike Taylor (PIT) – Ike Taylor has been the lone, consistent cornerback for the Steelers over the past 5+ years. His ability to shadow receivers effectively and come up in run support has allowed the Steelers to do a little more creatively up front. With a lack of depth behind him, it would be surprising to see the Steelers let Ike Taylor to leave, even though he has lost a step.
Richard Marshall (CAR) – Marshall has been okay in coverage over the years, but good in run support. He won’t be at the top of the Panthers priority list, but if they do offer him a fair long-term deal, Marshall is ready to sign immediately.
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