Free agency has taken on a slightly different meaning in the NFL over the past two years, each of which have seen a team loaded with name-brand journeyman veterans win the Lombardi Trophy. However, the Bengals’ presence in Super Bowl LVI will change that perception again. Their run was also bolstered by a mastery of the previous years’ free agent classes but in a far different way. The additions of Trey Hendrickson, Eli Apple and Chidobe Awuzie were less celebrated but more directly applicable to the schemes they were going to play. The pipeline between coordinator, coach and pro scouting department was strategically much shorter. The payoff was evident.
And so, this year’s list and the next few to come may look a little different. Some teams will still spend for attention. But others will spend because their schemes necessitate it. This year, we have another few branches in the gigantic Shanahan coaching tree multiplying at the head-coaching position. We have more teams playing coverage-heavy defenses. All of this will matter in some real and significant way when we start seeing who comes off the board first—and why.
One more note about the list: It won’t take you very much scrolling to see it includes players who have already received the franchise tag. Even though not all of these players will actually be available for bidding, we’ve decided to leave those players in. They are all technically free agents until they sign their tenders, and they have opportunities to negotiate longer-term contracts, which can still impact the free-agent market.
