After more than a month of 2023 NFL free agency moves, there still are a lot of good players unsigned and available to teams looking to fill holes. With the 2023 NFL draft looming, they could find landing spots soon.
So who are the top remaining free agents? We stacked the best of the rest. We factored in each player’s age, positional value (quarterbacks get a boost), expected future production and scheme versatility. Restricted and exclusive free agents are not included. We added a few guys who were released during free agency’s first week, and we will remove players from this list as they are signed.
Let’s jump in, starting with a veteran defender.
See Bowen’s original top 100 list
2022 team: Indianapolis Colts | Age entering 2023 season: 28
Ngakoue had 9.5 sacks in 2022, bringing his total to 65 over eight NFL seasons. Given his subpar tape as a run defender, however, he should be targeted as a situational pass-rusher, a role in which he can use his top-end traits to win on the edge: burst off the ball, hand usage and the ability to bend around offensive tackles. We know NFL teams value edge rushers, and so Ngakoue will have a market even if he tops out as a pass-rusher on nickel snaps.
2022 team: Las Vegas Raiders | Age entering 2023 season: 27
Ya-Sin has just two interceptions over his four pro seasons, but with press-man traits, zone awareness and a competitive playing style, he is a physical corner who can disrupt at the line of scrimmage and tackle. The 2019 second-round pick had seven pass breakups last season, and he allowed just one touchdown catch as the nearest defender in coverage, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
2022 team: Denver Broncos | Age entering 2023 season: 28
Risner fits best in a gap run scheme as a close-quarters mauler with a strong and rugged play style. He ranked 10th in the league in run block win rate (74.4%) among guards. He can anchor in pass protection, but he has some issues when asked to redirect on his edges. He was just average in pass block win rate in 2022 (92.3%, 31st among guards).
2022 team: Cleveland Browns | Age entering 2023 season: 30
Clowney’s production dropped off in Cleveland last season, as he had just two sacks in 12 games. He’s a straight-line power rusher who can set a hard edge versus the run game given his physical tools. He has never fully turned those tools into production, though; the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft has zero double-digit-sack seasons. Clowney could be a rotational addition by a contender.
2022 team: Baltimore Ravens | Age entering 2023 season: 30
Peters hasn’t played a full season since 2018, but he’s a true ball hawk with the coverage traits and excellent backfield vision to finish. Even though the production was down for him last year (one interception, six pass breakups), he has notched 32 interceptions and 93 pass breakups in his eight pro seasons.
2022 team: New England Patriots | Age entering 2023 season: 27
Wynn started just seven games for the Patriots this past season, logging a pass rush win rate of 87.2% (outside the top 40). Despite injuries and an uneven start to his pro career — he started only 40 games during his four years in New England — Wynn has high-end traits. He’s a good mover with upper-body power and the footwork to play inside or on the edge of the pocket.
2022 team: Miami Dolphins | Age entering 2023 season: 30
Bridgewater can be viewed as a potential bridge starter or a dependable and experienced No. 2 next season. He attempted 79 passes for the Dolphins in ’22, completing 62% of his throws with four touchdown passes and four interceptions.
2022 team: Los Angeles Rams | Age entering 2023 season: 31
Floyd notched nine sacks for the Rams in 2022, giving him a total of 29 over his past three seasons in Los Angeles. He’s a long edge player at 6-foot-5, with the closing burst and bend to turn the corner on offensive tackles.
2022 team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Age entering 2023 season: 30
Smith took a step back in 2022, as he posted a pass block win rate of 78.3%, which ranked 63rd among offensive tackles. He also accounted for 12 penalties. But in a shallow market at a premium position, Smith is a durable blocker who will find suitors that want him to play on the left side of the line.
2022 team: Kansas City Chiefs | Age entering 2023 season: 30
Clark logged just five sacks during the regular season for the Chiefs, but the postseason numbers jumped again for the veteran edge rusher. In Kansas City’s playoff run to a Super Bowl title, Clark posted 2.5 sacks and six pressures. Clark, who will turn 30 this summer, can upgrade an NFL front, even if it’s in a nickel pass-rushing role.
2022 team: Baltimore Ravens | Age entering 2023 season: 34
Houston’s market will be impacted by his age, but the production is still there for the veteran to sign with a contending team as a rotational edge rusher. In 2022, Houston finished with 9.5 sacks (tied for 20th) and 32 pressures. He’s a detailed pass-rusher who can win one-on-one.
2022 team: Miami Dolphins | Age entering 2023 season: 34
Ingram produced six sacks and 22 tackles in 17 games this past season. Given his age, Ingram should be targeted as a sub-package rusher who will benefit from a heavily schemed defense, one that uses multiple fronts and stunts to put him in defined one-on-ones.
2022 team: Cleveland Browns | Age entering 2023 season: 27
The on-the-ball production dipped last season for Johnson in Cleveland, as he finished with one interception and four pass breakups. The veteran safety still has the range from the post and split-field alignments, though, and that will open some doors for him on the market.
2022 team: Cleveland Browns | Age entering 2023 season: 28
Hunt has the traits to carry the ball on early downs in a shared backfield approach (3.8 yards per carry), but it’s the pass-catching ability that should help the veteran draw multiple suitors on the market. Last year, he caught 35 passes — and he has logged 211 receptions in his six pro seasons.
2022 team: Los Angeles Rams | Age entering 2023 season: 28
While Robinson isn’t going to generate pass-rush production (seven career sacks), he can command double-teams and create run-game disruption on the front at 6-foot-4, 330 pounds. He totaled 42 tackles in 10 games, with a run stop win rate of 39.5% last season (18th overall).
2022 team: Dallas Cowboys | Age entering 2023 season: 28
Elliott’s short-area acceleration has diminished, and he lacks a second gear in the open field. But he’s still a punishing runner with excellent contact balance and the pass-protection technique to pick up blitzers. Elliott should be targeted as a power back who can win in short-yardage and goal-line situations and catch the ball out of the backfield on screens and swings. In 2022, Elliott rushed 876 yards at 3.8 per carry. It was his seventh season with the Cowboys, who released him as free agency officially opened.
2022 team: Seattle Seahawks | Age entering 2023 season: 27
Ford’s tape against the run game slipped in 2022. But NFL teams can look back to the 2021 season, when Ford registered a run stop win rate of 34.7% (tied for 37th among defensive linemen). He is quick off the ball, with short-area speed and lower-body control. Ford can also provide some interior disruption in passing situations, posting three sacks last season.
