Packers 2022 NFL Free Agency Preview: Outside Linebackers
With NFL free agency officially starting on Wednesday (but the negotiating window opening on Monday), here is a look at the Green Bay Packers’ outside linebacker situation.
Packers Level of Need
Moderate.
Packers Outlook
The assumption is the Packers will keep one of The Smith Bros. – probably extending Preston Smith and releasing Za’Darius Smith. That’s how the Packers played last season, with Za’Darius Smith missing most of the action with a back injury that required surgery. The starting tandem of Preston Smith and Rashan Gary was quite good. The depth contributed little.
Strength of Free Agent Talent Pool
6, on a 1-to-10 scale. There are plenty of contributors available. Many of them are on the wrong side of 30, though.
Best Available Outside Linebackers in Free Agency
Chandler Jones, Cardinals (32): Pro Bowl Voting Is Stupid, Exhibit A: Jones has been picked for only four Pro Bowls in 10 seasons, even though he’s eclipsed 10 sacks on seven occasions and ranks second among active players with 107.5 career sacks and first with 33 forced fumbles. Wrote Conor Orr SI.com’s huge free-agent preview: “While teams were able to take advantage of a depressed market last year to grab elite pass rushers at bargain-basement prices, Jones will provide a fascinating litmus test as to how much teams will be willing to spend. As one GM put it: He’s older, but he’s elite, and there’s an exceptional draft class coming down the pike. On one hand, this could make for the value buy of the offseason. On the other, Jones is smart enough to know his worth and could cost a pretty penny if win-now clubs aren’t interested in developing an edge from scratch.”
Von Miller, Rams (32): Miller, who will turn 33 on March 26, had 9.5 sacks last season – 4.5 in seven games with Denver to start the season and 5.0 in eight games after being acquired by the Rams for second- and third-round picks in the upcoming draft. In four postseason games, he recorded four sacks, six tackles for losses and one forced fumble. He is No. 1 among active players with 115.5 sacks. Is Miller really available, considering all the hints he’s dropped about returning to Denver?
Haason Reddick, Panthers (27): The 13th pick in 2017 recorded 12.5 sacks and six forced fumbles in 2020 and 11 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2021. Nonetheless, of 74 edge defenders with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps, he ranked only 49th in PFF’s pass-rush win rate. He’s an underrated run defender. Wrote Orr in SI.com’s free-agent preview: “Reddick is an interesting test case for where the market is headed. He fit in well with the blitz-happy Panthers, who tried to create exotic looks and manufactured pressure to compensate for their lack of a secondary. But where does he fit in an NFL that is increasingly trying to hang back and accentuate coverage? Quarterbacks are getting better at handling the blitz every waking second. Can Reddick, who has a career completion percentage allowed in the mid-70s but the speed to drop into zones and obscure passing lanes, justify big dollars as a backfield chaos agent?”
Za'Darius Smith, Packers (29): Green Bay released Smith on Monday.
Emmanuel Ogbah, Dolphins (28): Ogbah really has blossomed into an underrated pass rusher. In 2020, he set a career high with nine tackles and 21 quarterback hits. In 2021, he had nine sacks and 24 quarterback hits. He ranked 41st out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate. Ogbah played all 33 games the past two seasons. He’s spent all six seasons as a 4-3 end. EXTENDED: Miami Dolphins.
Jadeveon Clowney, Browns (29): Clowney, a three-time Pro Bowler, made some money this season. After recording three sacks in 11 games for Seattle in 2019 and zero sacks in eight games for Tennessee in 2020, he bounced back with nine sacks in 2021 for Cleveland. He ranked 28th out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate. More than just a pass rusher, he will set a physical edge.
Derek Barnett, Eagles (25): A first-round pick in 2017, Barnett has 21.5 sacks and 36 tackles for losses in five seasons. He had only two sacks in 16 games in 2021. He’s spent all five seasons as a 4-3 defensive end. He ranked 43rd out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate. As Orr noted, Barnett played alongside premier defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and “never managed to dominate, despite an NFC East poor in offensive line play, which also happened to be a quarterbacking black hole.” He is one of the top run defenders in the league, though.
Uchenna Nwosu, Chargers (25): A second-round pick in 2018, Nwosu got his first chance to start last season and responded with career highs of five sacks, 17 quarterback hits and eight tackles for losses. Nwosu ranked 51st out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate. He’s expendable now that the Chargers traded for Khalil Mack. If the Packers had the money, he’d be exactly what they’re looking for in terms of an edge rusher who is comfortable in coverage.
Randy Gregory, Cowboys (29): The greatest ability is availability, a wise man (Mike McCarthy) liked to say. And therein lies the problem with Gregory. His greatest ability is rushing the passer. His greatest liability is being unavailable. A second-round pick in 2015 by Dallas, he started only one game in his first six years as a professional. In 2021, he played in 12 games with 11 starts and matched his career high with six sacks and set a career high with 17 quarterback hits. He ranked 20th out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate. However, he was suspended for 14 games in 2016, all 16 games in 2017, two games in 2018, all 16 games in 2019 and the first six games in 2020. In 2021, he went on IR with a calf injury, then had offseason knee surgery. How much money will a team be willing to spend for sacks or flush down the toilet?
Wrote Gary Gramling in SI.com’s free-agent preview: “He’s a prototypical edge rusher hitting the market at a time when everyone is blitzing less and banking on four-man pass-rush dominance; Gregory could be this year’s Trey Hendrickson. However, multiple suspensions over the course of his career, issues as a run defender and the fact that he’s never played more than 457 snaps in a season mean he is a huge risk on a multiyear deal.”
Jerry Hughes, Bills (33): On one hand, Hughes had seven sacks in 2018, 4.5 sacks in 2019 and 2020, and two sacks in 2021. His seven quarterback hits and one tackle for loss were his lowest marks in a decade. On the other hand, Hughes has missed all of one game over the past 10 seasons and he ranked 10th in PFF’s pass-rush win rate among the 74 edge rushers with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps. He’s played in 4-3 and 3-4 schemes.
Charles Harris, Lions (27): A first-round bust by Miami in 2017, Harris found his form for Detroit last season and figures to make a bundle of money this week. He had 6.5 sacks, 13 tackles for losses and 28 quarterback hits his first three seasons but 7.5 sacks, 10 tackles for losses and 16 quarterback hits for the Lions in 2021. He ranked 14th out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate and is a quality run defender, too.
Melvin Ingram, Chiefs (32): Ingram has 51 sacks in his 10 seasons. He had only two in 15 games last year, which was split between Pittsburgh and Kansas City. He ranked 26th out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate, then applied plenty of heat for the Chiefs in the playoffs. He’s played in 4-3 and 3-4 schemes.
Arden Key, 49ers (25): A third-round pick in 2018, Key had three sacks in his first three seasons but 6.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hits coming off the bench in 2021. He ranked 33rd out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate.
Justin Houston, Ravens (33): Houston led the NFL with 22 sacks in 2014. That seems a lifetime ago. He had 4.5 sacks in 15 games in 2021, though he did post an impressive 17 quarterback hits. Houston ranked 37th out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate. He’s spent most of his career as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
Jason Pierre-Paul, Buccaneers (33): Pierre-Paul remains a solid player but he’s more name than game at this point. He had 30.5 sacks and 50 quarterback hits for the Buccaneers from 2018 through 2020 but only 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hits in 12 games in 2021. JPP ranked last out of 74 edge rushers in PFF’s pass-rush win rate. He played in 3-4 scheme the past three seasons.
Ogbonnia , Rams (26): Okoronkwo has merely 4.5 sacks and five tackles for losses in 33 career games. He missed his rookie season with a foot injury and served stints on injured reserve the past two seasons, too. So, between his injuries and the Rams’ defensive talent, he’s played merely 528 snaps on defense and 341 on special teams. If nothing else, he can be counted on to play good run defense.
Al-Quadin Muhammad, Colts (26): A sixth-round pick by the Saints, Muhammad had five sacks and 17 quarterback hits in his first four seasons but six sacks and 13 quarterback hits in 2021, when he started all 17 games. He ranked 59th out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate. On the other hand, he is tough vs. the run.
Dante Fowler, Falcons (27): The third pick of the 2016 draft, Fowler has played for the Jaguars, Rams and Falcons. He’s shown flashes. Fowler had 11.5 sacks with the Rams in 2018 but perhaps that was a byproduct of their overwhelming personnel. With Atlanta, he had three sacks in 2020 and 4.5 sacks in 2021. He ranked 55th out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate.
Takk McKinley, Browns (26): A first-round pick in 2017, McKinley has 20 sacks in five seasons. He’s been a major disappointment, and injuries haven’t helped. He had one sack in four games with Atlanta in 2020 and 2.5 sacks in 11 games with Cleveland in 2021. Had he garnered the requisite 250 pass-rushing snaps, he would have ranked 24th in pass-rush win rate.
Mario Addison, Bills (34): Addison was bouncing around the league early in this career before finally finding his niche with Carolina. Over the past eight seasons, he’s provided steady pressure with four consecutive seasons of nine-plus sacks and then seven sacks last year in Buffalo. He ranked 30th out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate.
Lorenzo Carter, Giants (26): A third-round pick in 2018, Carter has 14.5 sacks. In 14 starts last year for the Giants, he had five sacks and, impressively, five passes defensed and two forced fumbles. Carter ranked 61st out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate. He has a lot of 3-4 outside linebacker experience.
Rasheem Green, Seahawks (24): Green started eight games his first three seasons but 16 games in 2021, when he set career highs across the board with 6.5 sacks, six tackles for losses, 15 quarterback hits and four passes defensed. Still, he ranked 71st out of 74 in PFF’s pass-rush win rate. A third-round pick in 2018, he’s spent his career as a 4-3 end.
Kemoko Turay, Colts (26): Turay was a second-round pick in 2018 merely as a projection as a pass rusher. That hasn’t quite worked out. Turay has 12 sacks in four seasons. Availability has been an issue; he played in 24 of a possible 49 games the past three seasons.
Jacob Martin, Texans (26): Martin has 13.5 sacks and six forced fumbles in four seasons. After starting one game in his first three seasons, he got the opening call 15 times last year. His four sacks and six quarterback hits were OK. He ranked 41st out of 74 edge defenders in PFF’s pass-rush win rate.
