10. Jakobi Meyers

By many metrics, 2022 was Jakobi Meyers’s best season so far. Yes, he had more overall yardage in 2021, but he had a higher yardage per reception in ’22 and four additional receiving touchdowns despite playing in three less games. At 26, he’s also in the midst of an athletic prime that should last 3-4 more years.

Meyers has improved in each of his NFL seasons with the New England Patriots and looks to make a solid free agent acquisition for somebody this offseason.

9. Jessie Bates III

Former second-team All-Pro free safety Jessie Bates III has had a solid tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals, having a career high four interceptions in 2022. He’s been a big player in the emergence of the Bengals as one of the better defensive units in the NFL over the last couple of seasons.

It seems the Bengals’ focus will be on extending quarterback Joe Burrow this offseason and that probably means Bates winds up on a new team.

8. Jamel Dean

Jamel Dean may not be the greatest ballhawk to ever play the cornerback position, but he is a solid pass defender at his best. With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beginning a new era post-Tom Brady, that probably means not resigning free agent pieces which would further complicate the team’s salary issues.

Dean would make a solid addition to a team looking to strengthen their depth in the defensive secondary and, as a Super Bowl champion, would bring solid leadership to any locker room.

7. Lavonte David

He may now be 33 years old, but Lavonte David remains one of the better linebackers in the NFL. His entire career has been spent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but like with Jamel Dean, it’d be nearly impossible for the team to keep him this offseason. Somebody’s likely to get a excellent veteran addition to their roster.

David routinely puts up seasons with well over 100 tackles, including last season when he racked up a total of 124. He’ll surely be able to do that again in 2023.

6. Jordan Poyer

Will the Buffalo Bills bring back Jordan Poyer in 2023? They may not, and the veteran safety who will be 32 by season’s start, could get a decent short-term contract somewhere else. His best seasons have been had in recent years, which is the upside for this safety. The downside is that he spent much of 2022 dealing with injuries that limited his production.

Poyer is one of the NFL’s best safeties and that means he’ll be a hot commodity this offseason regardless of the injuries he dealt with in ’22.

5. Javon Hargrave

One of the defensive anchors for the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, Javon Hargrave had a career best 11 sacks. Because it appears the Eagles intend to resign C.J. Gardner-Johnson, is it likely that the defensive tackle ends up somewhere else for the 2023 season? Keep in mind, the Eagles have several other soon-to-be free agents to contend with.

Simply put, there’s no defense in the NFL who couldn’t use a player like Hargrave on their roster. He’s going to get paid by somebody and immediately improve their defense.

4. Derek Carr (Signed with the New Orleans Saints)

Derek Carr seems to be one of the current villains of the NFL, only more fitting having played for a franchise known for its villainy. But the Raiders are done with him. He’s always been pretty good, just not good enough to make a whole lot of noise across the league. Not that the Raiders ever did much to support his efforts (signing of Davante Adams excluded, naturally).

With Carr, it’ll be interesting to see what some team is willing to put around him. The New York Jets have been mentioned and that makes a lot of sense. The Jets are a good young team, and they would benefit immensely from the free agent quarterback.

3. Josh Jacobs (Signed franchise tag with the Las Vegas Raiders)

Remember when Zamir White was supposed to surpass and bench Josh Jacobs? What a laugh that turned out to be. The disrespected Jacobs only led the NFL in rushing yards, rushing yards per game, and yards from scrimmage in 2022. But the Raiders need a quarterback, so might the running back be found somewhere else in 2023?

Jacobs’s ascendance from average running to one of the league’s best happened seemingly overnight. Having just turned 25, somebody had better pay him now, because his ascendance may not be finished yet.

2. Lamar Jackson (Signed franchise tag with the Baltimore Ravens)

Lamar Jackson is a great football player. That said, he’s now missed a lot of playing time in each of the last two seasons and that’s an undeniable problem. His place among the NFL’s best quarterbacks isn’t in question, but his ability to stay on the field now is. What are the Baltimore Ravens going to do?

Jackson’s move to a different roster for 2023 would be the story of the offseason, but it may well happen. Talent and ability have never been an issue with the former MVP, but he needs to stay healthy.

1. Saquon Barkley (Signed franchise tag with the New York Giants)

The New York Giants went as far as Saquon Barkley took them in 2022 and the running back proved himself more than capable of coming back from past injury-plagued seasons. There are a few notable teams in the NFL who are a piece away from Super Bowl contention, and if the Giants don’t bring Barkley back, he could easily find his way to one of those teams.

The 26-year-old is reaching his athletic prime and now that any lingering questions about his durability seem to be put to rest, some team in the league is going to get one of the best running backs in the game.

The post Top 10 NFL Free Agents for 2023 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Lavonte David is a name well-loved by all Tampa Bay fans, and rightfully so because since he was drafted in 2012 and he’s been one of the best linebackers in the NFL every single year.

Despite not being voted into the Pro Bowl since 2015 as an alternate, David has put up Hall of Fame type numbers throughout his career. As of right now, David has 806 solo tackles which puts him at 30th all time and he still has plenty left in the tank.

In 2020, David is starting to finally see some of the public praise he has deserved in his career, much of which can be attributed to the attention that comes with Tom Brady and a winning season. David finished the 2020 season tied for 10th in solo tackles with 86, second in forced fumbles with three, and with a PFF grade of 81.6.

The spotlight couldn’t have brightened on David at a better time either as his current contract with Tampa Bay runs out at the end of this season. Lavonte David has spent his entire career with the Buccaneers and there has already been some talk of trying to work out a new deal but things change in the NFL every day. Here are some of the places he could end up if the Bucs tackling machine decides to test the waters.

Dallas Cowboys

Not many teams love to make splash signings the way Jerry Jones and the Cowboys do. And this move blatantly makes a lot of sense for them. The Cowboys ranked in the bottom half in the NFL in almost every defensive category this season (even with a lot of young talent across the board).

They decided to address this by firing their previous defensive coordinator and bringing in former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn as their new one. While Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch have looked great so far in their NFL careers, they both have also had trouble staying on the field due to injury concerns.

While you don’t bring in someone like Lavonte David for depth, his leadership skills and experience would be irreplaceable to the Cowboys young defense. With Dak Prescott back in time for the beginning of next season, the Cowboys will have all the tools to make a playoff push.

Bringing in David to be a leader to help improve their defense would go a long way into turning them into a Super Bowl ready team.

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers have already shown they’re willing to invest cap space in their defense after signing both Chris Harris Jr. and Linval Joseph last offseason.

While everyone was expecting the Chargers to have a good defense, the offense led by Justin Herbert was a complete surprise. This team quickly went from a rebuilding franchise that just lost their star QB, to a playoff-caliber roster again.

After losing Derwin James to a season-ending injury along with multiple other defensive studs on their roster throughout the year, the Chargers defense underperformed expectations. While their first-round pick Kenneth Murray Jr. looked great this season and led the team in tackles with 68, their linebacking core is their clear weakness to the defense.

Adding Lavonte David to their crew of defensive stars like Derwin James, Casey Hayward, and Joey Bosa would give them an elite talent at every single layer of their defense. They also have the cap space to afford it. Whatever head coach inherits this roster will be like a kid in a candy store with the talent they have, and bringing in Lavonte David would make it just that much sweeter.

Cincinnati Bengals

If we’re talking about what team could benefit the most from David’s services it would be the Bengals. The lack of talent on the defensive side of the ball outside of Jessie Bates III is glaring, while I expect them to invest a large amount of their draft capital in players to protect Joe Burrow.

This means if they want to improve their defense drastically they’re probably going to have to look towards free agency. Cincinnati isn’t necessarily the dream spot for a veteran like David who may want a shot at a Super Bowl ring (if Tampa Bay misses out this year, but if they do win or David is more worried about the size of his retirement fund, Cincy makes a lot of sense).

The Bengals have the most cap space in 2021 out of anyone on this list and already have a lot of their main offensive stars under contract. If Zac Taylor and company really believe they are close to a playoff-ready roster after the 2021 off-season, making Lavonte David an offer he can’t refuse would bring a lot of veteran leadership and a great locker room presence to the team.

The post Top Three Lavonte David Landing Spots appeared first on Pro Football Mania.