Best Fits For 10 Notable Pass Rushers Still Available

Free agency is usually picked pretty clean by this time of year, but there’s a notable exception when it comes to the veteran pass rusher market. Ten of the top 40 in our Top 100 Available 2023 Free Agents are relatively big-name edge rushers, including: 

1. Leonard Floyd
2. Jadeveon Clowney
3. Frank Clark
4. Yannick Ngakoue
5. Trey Flowers
6. Kyle Van Noy
7. Justin Houston
8. Melvin Ingram
9. Carlos Dunlap
10. Robert Quinn

That’s uncommon both in the number of impact players still available — using impact in a relative sense compared to what the market usually looks like by June — and overall depth. Teams in need of edge rusher help still have plenty of options, and perhaps that’s why so many are still available given the law of supply and demand. 

There’s not a huge rush right now for veteran free agents to sign, either. All they’re missing is voluntary OTAs and there’s no real reason to lock themselves into any one option with plenty of time until the start of the season still. I would wager at least 90 percent of this list will be on a team this upcoming season and the majority will sign before training camp. 

Here’s a look at the potential landing spots for these 10 players: 

Leonard Floyd – Panthers

Reporting from the Athletic’s Joe Person has indicated the Panthers want to address the edge rusher spot, where they currently have a gaping hole across from OLB Brian Burns, but the price point has been an obstacle. Floyd still had nine sacks for the Rams last season despite battling through injury and was set to make around $10 million before being cut in Los Angeles’ salary purge. It would make sense if he was asking for at least that much given he remained productive in poor circumstances in 2022. 

It also makes sense for teams to be hesitant to make that commitment given Floyd turns 31 this year and has a notable injury history. In Carolina’s case, they can evaluate the other options on their roster to see if anyone emerges over the course of the summer. There are also cheaper options further down this list, and it’s possible other trade or cut scenarios materialize during the preseason. 

Still, there are a lot of reasons Floyd would make sense in Carolina. They aren’t hurting for cap space right now, with $19.7 million in effective cap space per Over The Cap. That’s third-most in the league. New DC Ejiro Evero knows Floyd well from their time in Los Angeles together, so there would be little projection about the fit in the scheme. And clearly Floyd would fill a big on-field need for a pass-rusher across from Burns. Although the Panthers will be starting a rookie quarterback in 2023, the NFC South is open for the taking, and Carolina hasn’t completely shied away from signing veterans this offseason. 

Ultimately it makes enough sense for everyone involved that I think there’s quite a bit of incentive for the two sides to find a way to make the money work for both sides. 

Jadeveon Clowney – Saints

It’s not easy to find a landing spot for Clowney. His mercenary approach is not for every team and it feels like there are some bridges he’s burned. While some of these players will look to sign before training camp, Clowney likely won’t mind joining a team closer to the start of the regular season, which will impact his options. He’s also 30 and coming off a season in which he had just two sacks. It’s not clear what type of contract he’s looking for at this stage of his career but based on history it’s probably fair to assume he won’t be cheap. 

Still, Clowney has the type of physical talent that will entice some teams. I think the Saints are one to keep an eye on. They’ve shown they’re all in on trying to win as many games as possible in 2023 with their actions this offseason, including signing veteran QB Derek Carr. One of the potential weaknesses on the roster that could need shoring up is defensive end. The Saints have Cameron Jordan, but he’s 34 and his production slipped notably in 2022. Former first-rounder Payton Turner has played just 13 games with three sacks in two seasons and second-round DE Isaiah Foskey is an unknown quantity as a rookie. 

New Orleans tried to acquire Clowney back in 2020 in a creative deal with a third team, but ultimately missed out. Many of the same key decision-makers remain in place. Despite the perception, the Saints actually have a little over $11 million in effective cap space, 10th in the league, and could find ways to minimize Clowney’s cap hit this year without overly burdening themselves in the future. All of these factors make the Saints as good a landing spot as any for Clowney at this point. 

Frank Clark – Chargers

I would not necessarily rule out a return to the Chiefs for Clark, as star DT Chris Jones has been lobbying for it all offseason. Kansas City also could use a veteran presence at edge rusher as insurance for a group of young players the team is hoping step up into a bigger role. That role would seem to fit Clark at this stage in his career but it could be difficult for him to accept that in Kansas City when he’s been such a big part of their success for the past few seasons. Salary remains a major part of the equation, too. 

If the Chiefs decide they’re happy with George Karlaftis, first-rounder Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Charles Omenihu and perhaps a cheaper veteran, then it’ll be interesting to see what happens with Clark. Could he stick in the AFC West with another contending team looking for revenge? I could easily see it. The Chargers are set with Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack as bookend edge rushers but the depth behind them is suspect even after using a second-round pick on DE Tuli Tuipolotu. Clark could be a force coming off the bench and help maximize both Bosa and Mack.

It’s hard in the NFL to have too many pass rushers, especially against some of the potent offenses and quarterbacks in the AFC right now. The Chargers have a little bit of cap space to work with right now before things get really tight in 2024, both with their current financial situation and the expected mega-deal for QB Justin Herbert. So that puts extra importance on maximizing the window they have in 2023. 

Yannick Ngakoue – Bears

For as active as the Bears have been this offseason with the biggest war chest of cap space and draft resources we’ve seen in some time, they didn’t make many moves to address one of their biggest weaknesses at edge rusher. Chicago signed DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green and still has Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson, fifth-round picks in 2020 and 2022 respectively who have been working as developmental rushers. 

Walker and Green fit the mold DC Matt Eberflus has usually looked for as bigger strongside ends who are better against the run. There’s not a player you can point to as a double-digit sack producer on the roster right now, though. Gipson had seven sacks and five forced fumbles in 2021 as a rotational rusher but pressed into a bigger role last season, he took a step back. 

The Bears have enough cap space that they could double-dip in this deep edge rusher market. I don’t think they’ll do that, as they seem to be higher on Gipson than outside observers. They’re also still rebuilding and don’t need to chase one year of production for veterans over 30 at the expense of evaluating Gipson or other players. But at just 28 years old, Ngakoue is young enough that he could be a piece for both the present and future.

He’s a one-dimensional player but he’s very good at the one thing the Bears don’t have on their roster right now — taking down the quarterback. He has 35.5 sacks over the past four seasons, though those have been with five different teams. He didn’t overlap with Eberflus in Indianapolis but they were close enough in proximity for the coach to get some intel on the fit. Ngakoue likely will sign a one-year deal, and that gives the Bears some options. If he has a big season, he’s young enough to be a key piece for the Bears moving forward or to potentially sign a big enough deal elsewhere to net Chicago a comp pick. 

Trey Flowers – NA

For players like Flowers who have played several seasons successfully in the NFL and made millions of dollars, the decision-making process is a little different at this point in the offseason. Due to injuries, Flowers’ market will likely be tepid. He’s played in just 18 games over the past three seasons. Any team that wants to sign him likely won’t want to commit much more than the veteran minimum to protect itself. For an established player like Flowers, he has to ask himself if going through the grind of preparing for and playing in an NFL season, risking further injury, is worth it for relative chump change. 

For some players, it is, either for love of the game or because they could use the money. Sometimes it’s worth it to be on a winning team as well. Other times, players have gotten all they need or want from the NFL. I don’t know how Flowers would answer all of these questions, but based on his injury history and the teams that would likely be interested, my hunch is he’s played his last snap.  

Kyle Van Noy – Raiders

What’s interesting about Van Noy is his best fit on the field has always been with the various branches of the Patriots’ defensive coaching tree. That system makes the best use of his unique skillset as a linebacker/edge rusher tweener. However, there have been times when he’s chafed under the stricter coaching style. There are also fewer teams running that system now than there have been in the past. 

I think the Raiders would be interested in Van Noy because of his proven fit with the scheme. From a personnel perspective, they could certainly use him as well. The question is whether Van Noy wants to sign up for what could be a rough season in Las Vegas. All else being equal, I could see him preferring the Broncos, who have an attacking defense that could put him in position to make plays, or even a reunion with Vikings DC Brian Flores in Minnesota despite the coach cutting him after one year in Miami. 

Justin Houston – Giants

Houston has signed with the Ravens late in the summer each of the past two seasons and remains a candidate to return to Baltimore, as they’re looking for veteran edge rusher insurance to keep the depth in their room strong. However, Houston could have options. He remained remarkably efficient despite a career-low 44 percent of the snaps last season, notching 9.5 sacks for the Ravens and adding 17 QB hits for the second straight season. 

Giants DC Wink Martindale only coached Houston for one season in 2021 but Baltimore has continued to run a similar defense. New York could use a veteran presence behind youngsters Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari, and Houston would be a textbook fit if the Giants can recruit him out of Baltimore. The Bears would be another team to watch, though they’d likely have to outbid the Ravens and Giants to get Houston to play on what’s expected to be a worse team. Houston played for Eberflus for two seasons in Indianapolis and GM Ryan Poles was with the Chiefs when Houston was starring in Kansas City earlier in his career. And speaking of the Chiefs, a reunion there to finish out his career would make some sense as well. 

Melvin Ingram – Ravens

If the Ravens miss out on Houston, they’ll still have options to add a veteran edge rusher to their group. Ingram had what appears to be significant interest from the Browns before they traded for DE Za’Darius Smith from the Vikings. I’m not sure Ingram will get eight figures from another team but he’s remained a useful player since the Chargers cut him after the 2020 season. 

The sack totals haven’t been overwhelming. Ingram had just two in 2021 splitting the season between the Steelers and Chiefs, then six last season for the Dolphins. But he’s been disruptive, with 21 total QB hits and 77 total pressures over the past two seasons, the latter number via PFF which also continues to grade him as a solid run defender. 

Carlos Dunlap – Broncos

After 10 and a half years with the Bengals, Dunlap has become a bit of an NFL mercenary, spending a year and a half with the Seahawks after being traded midseason by Cincinnati, then signing on with the Chiefs to chase a ring last season. He’s 34, won a Super Bowl and hit 100 career sacks last season, both of which he identified as goals he was chasing back when he signed with Kansas City last July. So it’s quite possible Dunlap is happy with his career to this point and decides to call it quits. 

If another team comes calling with a decent deal, however, he could keep playing. Dunlap is best suited to a rotational role at this point in his career, but he still has rare size and athleticism at 6-6 and 285 pounds. Broncos DC Vance Joseph overlapped with Dunlap for a few seasons in Cincinnati and Denver could use more help in their front seven. Broncos HC Sean Payton alluded to looking at signing more players recently when asked about the surprising release of veteran K Brandon McManus. 

Robert Quinn – Chiefs

A season after recording a massive 18.5 sacks, Quinn fell off the map in 2022 with just one sack. That came with the Bears where he played over 300 snaps and started seven games before being traded to the Eagles. In Philadelphia, Quinn battled injuries and played just 88 snaps with two tackles, which is probably not the impact the team had in mind. 

At 33 years old in 2023, it’s quite possible Quinn is done, as the age cliff can hit players fast. But to be fair to Quinn, last year was not ideal in a number of ways, from starting out on a bad Bears team to trying to reorient himself after a midseason trade. It’s worth pointing out he had just two sacks in 2020 before rebounding for his massive 2021 season. 

Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo was the head coach for the Rams all the way back in 2011 when they took Quinn in the first round. As mentioned previously, the Chiefs might need some veteran insurance at edge rusher and Quinn could be a nice fit, especially since he’s unlikely to cost much. This past postseason with the Eagles is the deepest Quinn has ever advanced in the postseason in 12 years in the NFL, so he might welcome the chance to chase a ring with the Chiefs.