2007 Free Agent Look (Early)

[kubs-elway]

If you scan through this list, there are some difference makers in key areas that could help the texans. One thing I know for sure Kubs will look for in the mold of Belichick and shanahan will be veterans cut, who have won and have 2-3 years left. Locker room presence will be a huge priority, the texans lack a proven leader on the team. In my oponion getting turner, and max starks would lend the draft to defense. They could dump the first pick if they signed these two and get another 2cd and 3rd round pick.


Top 3 Free Agent Running Backs

Ahman Green, UFA, Green Bay Packers
Michael Turner, RFA, San Diego Chargers
Chris Brown, UFA, Tennessee Titans

Free Agent Wide Recievers and Tight Ends

Drew Bennett, UFA, Tennessee Titans
Kevin Curtis, UFA, St. Louis Rams
TE Eric Johnson, UFA, San Francisco 49ers
Other Free Agent Wide Receivers
Marc Boerigter, UFA, Green Bay Packers
David Boston, UFA, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tyrone Calico, UFA, Tennessee Titans
Patrick Crayton, RFA, Dallas Cowboys
Andre' Davis, UFA, Buffalo Bills
Bobby Engram, UFA, Seattle Seahawks
Justin Gage, UFA, Chicago Bears
D.J. Hackett, RFA, Seattle Seahawks
Keenan McCardell, UFA, San Diego Chargers
Shaun McDonald, UFA, St. Louis Rams
Samie Parker, RFA, Kansas City Chiefs
Jerome Pathon, UFA, Atlanta Falcons
Willie Ponder, UFA, New York Giants
Edell Shepherd, RFA, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Travis Taylor, UFA, Minnesota Vikings
Scottie Vines, RFA, Detroit Lions
Bobby Wade, UFA, Tennessee Titans
Peter Warrick, UFA, Seattle Seahawks
Kelley Washington, UFA, Cincinnati Bengals
Alvis Whitted, UFA, Oakland Raiders
Ernest Wilford, RFA, Jacksonville Jaguars

Free Agent O-Line .

Max Starks RFA Pittsburgh Steelers
Starks is a starting tackle for a Super Bowl champion. That’s enough in itself to get some teams a little excited about the prospects of acquiring him. The fact that Starks is young, talented, and massive in stature—listed at 6’8”, 337 lbs.—just adds to the excitement pile. Another lineman that shouldn’t be going anywhere as the Steelers will not let Starks go without a fight. The best bet is that Starks will decide he wants to stay in Pittsburgh and sign an extension. If he hits the market, there will be a team or two willing to pay a big amount to entice the tackle to relocate.

Leonard Davis UFA Arizona Cardinals
Davis is a massive tackle that the Cardinals can’t afford to lose to free agency. The Arizona offensive line is already suspect, and losing Davis would be a huge step in the wrong direction, but the team may have to let him go and find a replacement if they aren’t prepared to offer decent money. Davis has shown the ability to simply be a wall of protection for his quarterback and while teams might not line up for the chance to sign him, anyone looking for a tackle will have him high on the list. The Cardinals are more than likely going to push to re-sign him before he hits the market.

Mike Gandy, UFA, Buffalo Bills
A relatively young starting left tackle, Gandy had been blocking for Willis McGahee over the past two seasons, and this season could go a long way in making Gandy an appealing free agent. He has talent, but isn’t considered among the league’s best linemen. However, a decent starting left tackle doesn’t just drop from the sky, so expect him to garner interest from a handful of teams, if Buffalo doesn’t re-sign him before the market opens.

Other Free Agent Offensive Linemen
Jordan Black, UFA, Kansas City Chiefs
Dwayne Carswell, UFA, Denver Broncos
Derrick Dockery, UFA, Washington Redskins
Nat Dorsey, RFA, Cleveland Browns
Chris Gray, UFA, Seattle Seahawks
Norm Katnik, RFA, New York Jets
Ryan Lilja, RFA, Indianapolis Colts
Sean Locklear, RFA, Seattle Seahawks
Vincent Manuwai, UFA, Jacksonville Jaguars
Roman Oben, UFA, San Diego Chargers
Brian Rimpf, RFA, Baltimore Ravens
Eric Steinbach, UFA, Cincinnati Bengals
Todd Steussie, UFA, St. Louis Rams
Floyd Womack, UFA, Seattle Seahawks

Free Agent D-Line

Dwight Freeney, UFA, Indianapolis Colts
Freeney originally signed for seven years in 2002, but having reached certain incentive levels in his contract has voided the final two seasons, making him a free agent at the end of this season. Freeney has posted double-digit sack totals in each of his four seasons, and has forced 23 fumbles in that time. He’s arguably the best defensive end in the league, and at worst is one of the top pass rushers around. He’s missed just one game in his career and plays with an incredible motor. With some of the best speed at his position, many teams will be lining up for a shot at a player that can apply pressure on the quarterback quite often.

Jared Allen, RFA, Kansas City Chiefs
The top defensive lineman that will see the market, Allen, has posted totals of 9 and 11 in the sack department over the past two seasons. The Chiefs will do everything in their power to keep him, but teams on the outside looking in could see Allen as a free agent must. He’s young, plays with a big motor, and puts pressure on the quarterback often, evidenced by his 7 forced fumbles last season. Teams will line up for the type of player that Allen is, and being an RFA doesn’t change that much. Allen makes the list because of his talent, but it’s difficult to imagine that the Chiefs would allow him to slip away on the market. Expect the Chiefs to negotiate a contract extension or possibly use the franchise tag if Allen has another great season.

Vonnie Holliday, UFA, Miami Dolphins
He’s been an effective defensive tackle throughout his career, and when Holliday hits the market, his experience, talent, and size will make him a desirable option for teams that need defensive interior run support. Miami won’t want to lose him, as they have a collection of veteran players who could help make a Super Bowl push in the next few seasons, but Holliday can command a decent dollar amount if he seeks a new employer. Don’t be surprised to see the Dolphins re-sign him before free agency.

Other Free Agent Defensive Lineman
Edward Jasper, UFA, Philadelphia Eagles
Chad Lavalais, RFA, Atlanta Falcons
Cory Redding, UFA, Detroit Lions
Terdell Sands, UFA, Oakland Raiders
Hollis Thomas, UFA, New Orleans Saints

Top 2007 Free Agent LB


Lance Briggs, UFA, Chicago Bears:
Briggs benefits from having Brian Urlacher as a teammate, but that’s no reason to doubt that Briggs is a really good linebacker in his own right. He may be the most sought after linebacker in this free agent class, and the Bears will have difficulty in retaining all of the defensive talent they have in the next few seasons if they wish to spend more money on offensive help and re-sign other current players. The Bears could slap the franchise tag on Briggs to keep him around, but if they don’t, expect him to be leaving the Windy City and taking up residence for a new team that will try and feature him on defense. Teams needing a tough linebacker to plug holes and make tackles will put Briggs high on their list. Given the Bears history in this type of matter, it’s likely that Briggs will find a new place to punish offenses.

Na'il Diggs, UFA, Carolina Panthers
Diggs has been a steady linebacker for the Green Bay Packers since his second season in the league. Injuries forced him to miss seven games last season and he now has just a single season to prove to the Panthers that he deserves a larger contract. Diggs, while steady, isn’t necessity for Carolina, so expect to see him hit the market in the hopes that someone appreciates what he does on the field, maybe even over-appreciates what he does on the field. Staying healthy will be the first step towards a successful contract year, and if he can perform like he did in Green Bay, a handful of teams should be interested in bringing Diggs into the fold. Anyone looking for a veteran linebacker to make some tackles and hold his own will show an interest.

Cato June, UFA, Indianapolis Colts
Recent legal trouble could hurt his stock, but June was a first time starter in the Pro Bowl this past season. He’s relatively young and a tackling machine, so it’s likely that the Colts will do what they can to retain his talents. There’s good chance that June hits the market, though, to see what other organizations have to offer him financially; the Colts inability to reach the Super Bowl may also factor into a decision to leave. June’s not an overpowering player, so a team interested in him will be looking at utilizing his speed as a top priority, in the same way that the Colts have done. June will be the most sought after linebacker on the market, and perhaps the most sought after defensive player.

Adalius Thomas, UFA, Baltimore Ravens
It could be difficult to keep Thomas around because of his emerging status as one of the better linebackers in the NFL. Last season, with Ray Lewis lost to an injury for ten games, Thomas shined for the Ravens defensive unit. Credited with 86 total tackles, nine sacks, and a returned touchdown on one of his two interceptions, he boosted his free agent potential and he could be one of the top two or three pursued players if he has a successful ’06 campaign. Someone will throw big dollars his way, which means he could be lured away from Baltimore.

Other Free Agent Linebackers
Chase Blackburn, ERFA, New York Giants
Chad Brown, UFA, New England Patriots
James Darling, UFA, Arizona Cardinals
London Fletcher, UFA, Buffalo Bills
Randall Godfrey, UFA, San Diego Chargers
Kawika Mitchell, UFA, Kansas City Chiefs
Rob Morris, UFA, Indianapolis Colts

Top 2007 Free Agent DB

Nate Clements, UFA, Buffalo Bills:
Clements should be the top target of teams looking for help in the secondary. He’s young, highly regarded, and very talented. Buffalo would like nothing more than to have him signed to an extension as quickly as possible, but his talent—he does have two Pro Bowl selections—may lead him to test the market. Without an extension, the Bills must decide if they are willing to franchise tag Clements once again to guarantee his presence on the gridiron for one more season. Since Clements has not been adversely affected by NFL officiating changes, most NFL teams will pursue the cornerback if he hits the market.


Other Free Agent Cornerbacks
Roc Alexander, RFA, Denver Broncos
Jordan Babineaux, RFA, Seattle Seahawks
Jason David, RFA, Indianapolis Colts
Randall Gay, RFA, New England Patriots
Nick Harper, UFA, Indianapolis Colts :
David Macklin, UFA, Arizona Cardinals
Asante Samuel, UFA, New England Patriots

Other Free Agent Safety
Tyrone Carter, UFA, Pittsburgh Steelers
Deon Grant, UFA, Jacksonville Jaguars
Ken Hamlin, UFA, Seattle Seahawks
Michael Lewis, UFA, Philadelphia Eagles:
John Lynch, UFA, Denver Broncos
Donnie Nickey, UFA, Tennessee Titans
Tony Parrish, UFA, San Francisco 49ers
Ernest Shazor, ERFA, Arizona Cardinals
B.J. Ward, RFA, Baltimore Ravens
Gibril Wilson, RFA, New York Giants

[kcwilson]

On the offensive side, almost none of those names does anything for me... Turner is the most intriguing, but he is RFA and won't come cheap, $ and draft picks.

WR and TE, I think we are covered there. Maybe another #3, but we don't spread the ball enough for that to make a difference. Depth would be nice behind aging Moulds and therefore could do that in the draft.

Defensively, I see us doing what we seem to like... always take a look at the Ravens defense to see if we can get any of them, and mostly at a premium, because of the previous success in the Ravens system and our requiring a little extra incentive to play for a losing organization.

I imagine we look at Thomas at LB, maybe Briggs of Chicacgo.

We better be swapping out for an almost entirely new hand in the secondary, spare Robinson, and I am not sure that he isn't off limits at times.

[ThaShark316]

Could you guys imagine the $$$$$ Freeney's gonna see...wow.

[Bubbajwp]

I say we just sign Freeney and Nate Clements. Thats not asking to much is it.

[BuffSoldier]

Originally Posted by Bubbajwp

I say we just sign Freeney and Nate Clements. Thats not asking to much is it.

Not at all

[jparrish]

I hope we get a shot at drafting Adrian Peterson. I wouldn't pick up a FA running back if the asking price was too much. Rumors have San Diego wanting a first round pick for Turner. I think Adrian Peterson would be much more beneficial for a first round pick. And yeah it would be pretty amazing if we could add a top FA on defense at DE or CB.

[AtheGreat]

I think a proven saftey would be worth his weight in gold for our young D. A Michael Lewis, Parish, or Lynch would be a HUGE step in the right direction. If we could go out and grab a very good , i really think that would help us out not having to worry abt that in the upcoming draft. If we did that, we could grab a Joe Thomas in the 1st to anchor our Oline, and get a RB in the 2nd round (or trade up), and then go from there. Think about this for a second : a member of our secondary not named Robinson that will lay the wood....i know it sounds sweet to me too. Either way, we still got alotta time to think about it, till then, work with what you have.

[michaelm]

Realistically, I'd like to get Briggs, and any reasonable help we can get in the secondary.
It may sound strange, but I wouldn't mind if we picked up Bobby Ingram. He most surely won't be retained by Seattle after the additions of Branch and Burleson, and IMO he is one of the better WR3s in the league. I was high on Kevin Walter in the preseason, but he has mostly disappeared in our offense.

[YoungTexanFan]

Originally Posted by ThaShark316

Could you guys imagine the $$$$$ Freeney's gonna see...wow.

it doesn't matter, he probally won't terrorize us twice a year now.

[Samer]

If anything there are really a few guys who I'd love to see in a Texans uniform and they are:
Lance Briggs
Nate Clemants
Asante Samuel
Michael Lewis
John Lynch

[run-david-run]

I think Asante Samuel would be a realistic target that wouldnt break the bank. New England dosnt like to spend and if he is asking for too much, they'll give him the Branch treatment and let someone else pick him up. Anyway, Drob and Samuel would be a very good combination of cornerbacks without a clear number 1 or 2 too pick on.

[edo783]

Swap our first for the Bolts first and Turner. Works for me. They will be picking in the high 20s-32. We keep a 1st round pick and pick up a good back.

[ArlingtonTexan]

Oh no, I really don't want a repeat of looking to next year not even half way through this year

[wenskek]

I think it would be worth taking a look at Ken Hamlin from seattle.

[run-david-run]

Definately worth a look at Hamlin, not sure how old he is though. In regards to Turner, its going to take more then just swaping picks to get him. I doubt he leaves San Diego this offseason.

[TexansSeminole]

Originally Posted by Bubbajwp

I say we just sign Freeney and Nate Clements. Thats not asking to much is it.

Hey if we did that, then drafted O lineman, a safety, a linebacker and running back we'd be much improved next year.

[hot pickle]

i think the texans will take serious looks at briggs, clement, and hamlin, and then they will look at those depth guys as usual

and an OT from denver, lol

[SF49erFaithful]

Yes there definitely is a lot of players on the defensive side of the ball who interest me.

Adalius Thomas
Lance Briggs
Ken Hamlin
Asante Samuel
Deon Grant

[wolfscar]

I don't think we need a RB for 2007, but Starks or Davis at O-Line would be more than welcome.

Other than that, I'd love to see Adalius Thomas suit up for the Texans. Seeing what he does for the Ravens and given how far we have to go on D, he could be used in a lot of ways to fill a lot of gaps.

[TK_Gamer]

this is a great wish list but dont look for many of these guys to be available, most will be offered new contracts and sign this year. myself, I'm gonna wait to see the list come febuary. I can see us taking a RB in the 2nd round possibly trading up to a late first rounder. prolly a corner or safety with the first round pick, and o-line or linebackers for for the middle picks. but we still have to see how this O-line matures by the end of the season. we could possibily move the o-line pick down to the middle picks if the line starts to gel, then we could use the 3rd round for defense (LB, DE, CB)