2014 NFL Free Agents

[ForeverChiefs58]

2014 NFL Free Agents: Safeties

1. Jairus Byrd, S, Bills. Age: 27.
Jairus Byrd is arguably the top safety in the NFL. He's awesome in coverage and is good for collecting a handful of turnovers each season. He won't be 28 until October.


2. T.J. Ward, S, Browns. Age: 27.
Known for knocking out Rob Gronkowski for the year with a torn ACL and MCL, T.J. Ward is a top safety. He thrives in run support and doesn't have any weaknesses. He won't be 28 until December.


3. Donte Whitner, S, 49ers. Age: 29.
Donte Whitner gets into trouble for the occasional illegal hit, but he's still an excellent strong safety. He has missed only one game in the past four seasons.

4. Chris Clemons, S, Dolphins. Age: 28.
Chris Clemons is a very good coverage safety who has missed only three games in the past four seasons. He'll be missed if the Dolphins can't re-sign him.


5. Major Wright, S, Bears. Age: 26.
Major Wright played very well in 2012, but had an awful 2013 campaign. Perhaps he deserves a mulligan, as he battled neck and hamstring injuries all season. He's only 26, so he should be able to rebound.


6. Stevie Brown, S, Giants. Age: 27.
Stevie Brown had an excellent 2012 campaign, but missed all of 2013 with a torn ACL. He'd have a higher ranking if he weren't coming off that knee injury.


7. Antoine Bethea, S, Colts. Age: 30.
Antoine Bethea has been a pretty average starting safety over the past few seasons, but he'll be hitting 30 in July.


8. Brandon Meriweather, S, Redskins. Age: 30.
Brandon Meriweather can sometimes be an effective player when he's not serving suspensions for dirty hits. He just turned 30 though.


9. Husain Abdullah, S, Chiefs. Age: 29.
Husain Abdullah started the final two games of the season, and by watching him, it makes you wonder why Andy Reid didn't play him more earlier. Abdullah picked off Andrew Luck twice in a playoff loss.


10. Michael Mitchell, S, Panthers. Age: 27.
Everyone laughed at Al Davis when he selected Michael Mitchell in the second round, but Mitchell was pretty decent in coverage this past year.


11. Bernard Pollard, S, Titans. Age: 29.
The Patriots' worst nightmare, Bernard Pollard continues to be strong in run support, but somewhat of a liability in coverage.


12. Ryan Mundy, S, Giants. Age: 29.
Ryan Mundy has done well filling in for injured players at the safety position. He's strong against the run, but is somewhat weak in coverage.


13. James Ihedigbo, S, Ravens. Age: 30.
James Ihedigbo, beat out rookie Matt Elam for one of the safety spots to open the 2013 season, but struggled in coverage to close out the year. He's great in run support.


14. Mike Adams, S, Broncos. Age: 33.
Mike Adams has been an average starting safety over the years, but his play could decline soon, given that he'll be 33 in March.


Quintin Mikell, S, Panthers. Age: 34.
Quintin Mikell has been solid at strong safety for Carolina this season, but given that he'll be 34 in mid-September, the Panthers will have to find a new player at that position sometime soon.


16. Kendrick Lewis, S, Chiefs. Age: 26.
Kendrick Lewis got off to a strong start in his career with two solid seasons, but has regressed since. Perhaps he'll be able to recapture what he had in 2010 and 2011.


17. Malcolm Jenkins, S, Saints. Age: 26.
Malcolm Jenkins has never lived up to expectations as a former first-round pick, but he has shown flashes at times. He just turned 26, so there's still plenty of time.


18. Nate Allen, S, Eagles. Age: 26.
Nate Allen has gotten a ton of flak from Philadelphia fans for underachieving as a former second-round pick, but he hasn't been that terrible. He improved a bit in 2013.


Ryan Clark, S, Steelers. Age: 35.
Ryan Clark, 35 in October, is no longer the quality safety he used to be. He has struggled at times this season and has hinted at retirement.


20. Yeremiah Bell, S, Cardinals. Age: 36.
Yeremiah Bell played surprisingly well this past season considering his age (36 in March), but he can't be counted on as a starter anymore going forward.


21. Charles Woodson, S, Raiders. Age: 37.
Charles Woodson is playing on his last legs. He'll be 38 in October.


22. Ed Reed, S, Jets. Age: 35.
Ed Reed should be a 1.5-star player, but I'm giving him two starts so I can post a write-up for him. Reed is done. He can't cover anymore. He should retire.



Cornerbacks

1. Brent Grimes, CB, Dolphins. Age: 31.
It's very difficult to return to form coming off an Achilles tear. Brent Grimes did just that, as he was one of the NFL's top cornerbacks in 2013. He'll be 31 in July and is still recently removed from that Achilles injury, but he's still one of the top free agents this spring.


2. Vontae Davis, CB, Colts. Age: 26.
It could be argued that Vontae Davis is the No. 1 free agent cornerback. He's coming off a great 2013 campaign and will be only 26 in May, compared to Brent Grimes, who's in his 30s already and is also recently removed from a torn Achilles. Davis struggled in a playoff victory against the Chiefs, but wasn't healthy.


3. Captain Munnerlyn, CB, Panthers. Age: 26.
Captain Munnerlyn wasn't even starting at the beginning of the 2012 season, yet he's turned into a terrific corner for the Panthers. He'll only be 26 in April.

4. Sam Shields, CB, Packers. Age: 26.
The Packers have struggled to cover this year as a team, but Sam Shields hasn't been responsible for that. Shields was terrific in 2012 and solid this past season. He's an excellent starting cornerback.


5. Alterraun Verner, CB, Titans. Age: 25.
A former fourth-round pick, Alterraun Verner had an excellent 2013 campaign, though he faded down the stretch. A solid No. 2 corner going forward, Verner won't be 26 until December.


6. Aqib Talib, CB, Patriots. Age: 28.
Aqib Talib is awesome when he's on, but he can have meltdowns when he's struggling, which is what happened against the Panthers in a Monday night loss. He's a legitimate No. 1 corner though, provided he stays out of trouble.


7. Tarell Brown, CB, 49ers. Age: 29.
Tarell Brown has been an excellent cornerback for the 49ers over the past few years. However, he missed some time with a rib injury this past season and lost his job to the emerging Tramaine Brock.


8. Chris Harris (RFA), CB, Broncos. Age: 25.
Chris Harris entered the 2013 season as the team's nickel, but he officially entered the starting lineup halfway through and never looked back. He put together a great third year in the NFL.


9. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Broncos. Age: 28.
"DRC" stands for Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, but it could just as easily mean "Doesn't Really Care." The former Cardinal and Eagle had a stellar 2013 campaign, but he plays hard only when he feels like it. He can't be counted on to give maximum effort, though he's a stud when he actually does.


10. DeAngelo Hall, CB, Redskins. Age: 30.
DeAngelo Hall has been overrated throughout his entire career. He's just an average No. 2 corner at this point of his career, but some team will likely overpay him.


11. Charles Tillman, CB, Bears. Age: 33.
Charles Tillman used to be known as one of the NFL's top cornerbacks, but he struggled mightily in 2013 before tearing his triceps. Perhaps he'll be able to rebound, but given that he'll turn 33 in February, there's a chance he has completely fallen off.


12. Corey Graham, CB, Ravens. Age: 29.
Corey Graham has been solid for the Ravens the past year and a half. He should be viewed as an average starter going forward.


13. Nolan Carroll, CB, Dolphins. Age: 27.
Nolan Carroll sustained a number of injuries (knee, concussion, rib) throughout his 2013 campaign. Despite this, he didn't miss a single game.


14. Walter Thurmond III, CB, Seahawks. Age: 27.
Walter Thurmond had a quality 2013 campaign, minus a four-game suspension for marijuana. Thurmond would be higher on this list, but he's one more violation away from being gone for the season.


15. Brandon Browner (RFA), CB, Seahawks. Age: 30.
Brandon Browner is more talented than 2.5 stars, but he's in danger of missing a lot of time with a suspension relating to violating the league's substance abuse policy.


16. Chris Cook, CB, Vikings. Age: 27.
Chris Cook is a skilled cornerback, but has never lived up to his talent level. He also has some off-the-field baggage.


17. Josh Wilson, CB, Redskins. Age: 30.
Josh Wilson is one of the few Redskin defenders who didn't play terribly this past season. He's a mediocre starting cornerback.


http://walterfootball.com/freeagents2014S.php