2022 Free Agent Fits: Reddick, Ogbah, Jensen, Ingram, Trubisky

We’re breaking down some potential fits for our top pending 2022 NFL free agents with the start of the league year and free agency coming up soon on March 17. Using our Top 2022 NFL Free Agents list, we’re examining the possible landing spots for the top 50 or so players who are expected to be available this offseason. 

This is based both on reported interest by particular teams and by connecting the dots between team needs, coaching staff connections, scheme fits and available players. 

Keep an eye out this week for the rest of our Free Agent Fits series! 

• James Daniels, Christian Kirk, Austin Corbett, Alex Cappa, Marcus Maye
• Brian Allen, James Conner, Rasul Douglas, Cam Robinson, Trent Brown
• Laken Tomlinson, Rob Gronkowski, Calais Campbell, D.J. Reed, De’Vondre Campbell
• Amari Cooper, DJ Chark, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Darious Williams, Connor Williams
• Casey Hayward, Charvarius Ward, Donte Jackson, Derek Barnett, Leonard Fournette
• Melvin Gordon, Cordarrelle Patterson, Morgan Moses, Eric Fisher, Justin Houston

Panthers DE Haason Reddick

Best Fit: Eagles

The Eagles have made it crystal clear they feel like their pass rush has degraded to an unacceptable level and are willing to be aggressive to fix it. Reddick has 23.5 sacks in his past two seasons and is still just 27, so while he’s looking at cashing in big-time a rebuilding team like Philadelphia could still see him as a strong long-term investment. He also has some ties to the area as a Temple grad. 

Dolphins OLB Emmanuel Ogbah

Best Fit: Dolphins

Ogbah has come on in a big way the past two seasons with the Dolphins, recording nine sacks each in 2020 and 2021. He’s been a great value for the two-year, $15 million deal Miami signed him to, and he’s due for a raise. He has a decent argument to match the $15 million a year Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson signed for, as Hendrickson also had 18 sacks in the two years prior to signing that deal. Miami has enough cap space to get pretty close to that, which might be enough for Ogbah given how he’s been such a great fit compared to his previous two teams. 

Buccaneers C Ryan Jensen

Best Fit: Bengals

Playing with Tom Brady finally helped Jensen get some of the notoriety he deserves. Defenders absolutely hate playing against Jensen, partially because he’s the master of pushing the envelope and provoking retaliation, partially because he’s really, really good. He’s turning 31 this offseason but he still has an outstanding chance of becoming the highest-paid center in the NFL in the range of $14-$15 million a year.

The Bengals’ contract policies with guaranteed money might be a hindrance to snaring some of the top free-agent linemen, but Jensen just seems like an AFC North player. Cincinnati might be able to get him with a deal like what they signed DE Trey Hendrickson to last offseason. 

Chiefs DE Melvin Ingram

Best Fit: Browns

The stat sheet unfortunately doesn’t show just how big an impact Ingram had on the Chiefs after being traded ahead of the deadline. He was far more disruptive than his two TFLs, one sack and one forced fumble in Kansas City would indicate. He’s still got a lot of juice as a rotational pass rusher and a team like the Browns could offer a compelling mix of role, salary and chance to contend if the Chiefs don’t bring him back. 

Bills QB Mitchell Trubisky

Best Fit: Giants

This is not the way most people who cover the Giants expect things to go but let me lay out why I think there might be a greater chance of it happening than people may think. New York is hard up against the cap and the mounting buzz from the Combine was that Trubisky would get a deal worth $10 million a year or more. The connections to the Giants are obvious with new GM Joe Schoen and HC Brian Daboll coming over from Buffalo, but on the surface it seems incomprehensible to spend that much on a passer when they already have Daniel Jones.

That same report mentions the Commanders, Panthers, Steelers and possibly the Broncos as teams interested in Trubisky. Two of those teams just traded for other starting quarterbacks, the Panthers might be waiting out Deshaun Watson and the Steelers beat is skeptical the team will invest a lot of money in a bridge quarterback when they already have Mason Rudolph. Perhaps Trubisky’s market isn’t as big as the rumors make it out to be. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened for a pending free agent. 

So if the money won’t be crazy for Trubisky, that puts the Giants back in play. There’s still a lot of buzz tying the two together, and it’s worth mentioning Trubisky already turned down more money and clearer avenues to playing time last offseason to sign with Buffalo and Daboll. If he really values that relationship and thinks staying with it presents the best path toward long-term growth over shorter-term considerations, maybe Trubisky landing with the Giants isn’t as far-fetched as it seems.