Fans love free agency, NFL personnel people tolerate it.
To the devotee of any organization, it's human nature -- sizzle sells, not the steak, and the aging big names with the impressive resumes in other cities are the ones who get the general public humming in March.
Understand, though, significant salary-cap space may as well be a synonym for fool's gold. Players hit the open market for a reason and if an organization is forced to spend a boatload in the unrestricted free agent sweepstakes, it's a pretty clear indication that it has failed in a far more important aspect of the business -- the draft.
Player development is the lifeblood of any successful NFL franchise and the better path is to draft successfully and then reward your own rather than attempt a plug-and-play fantasy football scheme.
When the 2015 free agency class hits the market on March 10, there will be plenty of contributors available and more than enough money to bring them in for most teams. (The NFL's salary cap will rise to just over $143 million, up $10 million from last year and $20 million from '13.)
Dreams of acquiring players like Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Justin Houston, Jason Pierre-Paul or Stephen Gostkowski evaporated Monday, however, as their respective teams all placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on them, meaning anther team would have to not only shell out big bucks to lure them away but also forfeit two first-round picks.
That still leaves plenty of talent but while you're picturing the 35-year-old Michael Vick piloting your team to the postseason or the 34-year-old Darnell Dockett during up the defensive line, understand that's not what any organization wants.
If players like that do end up in your town, it's only as a stop-gap while the search for the real answer continues on April 30 (the first day of the NFL Draft).
Targeted strikes are always the way to go.
If a team feels it's on the verge of being a true Super Bowl contender, that's when you take the chance on the aging veteran who may put you over the top. If you're in rebuilding mode, though, it's best to pursue younger, ascending players in the hopes they can reach their ceilings as players in a new environment.
Following is a look at the top unrestricted free agents available at each position.
Quarterbacks
1. Jake Locker, Tennessee - The injury prone former Titans starter still has an impressive skill set and is the best of a bad lot.
2. Mark Sanchez, Philadelphia - Sanchez is what he is at this point but he's certainly still among the top 32 QBs in the world, meaning he should be an NFL starter somewhere.
3. Ryan Mallett, Houston - Bill O'Brien will value Mallett more than anyone else so figure on a return to south Texas.
4. Brian Hoyer, Cleveland - The Browns signing of Josh McCown means the Cleveland kid will be moving on. Should be a top-tier backup for someone.
5. Christian Ponder, Minnesota - A lot like Locker in that he has the skills to excel but Ponder drops the eyes at the first sign of trouble. Buyer beware.
6. Matt Moore, Miami - A decent backup with little upside as a starter.
7. Colt McCoy, Washington - Showed a little more than expected when he got a chance late last season.
8. Shaun Hill, St. Louis - At 35, nothing more than a solid veteran second- team type.
9. Michael Vick, NY Jets - His reputation far exceeds the results at this stage.
10. Jimmy Clausen, Chicago - Proved he still belongs in this league.
Running Backs
1. DeMarco Murray, Dallas - A true bell-cow back but team's will be wary after all the touches last season.
2. Ryan Mathews, San Diego - Would be a star but can't stay healthy.
3. Mark Ingram, New Orleans - Ascending player. Only 25 and coming off a 964- yard year.
4. Justin Forsett, Baltimore - Journeyman broke out in Baltimore, amassing nearly 1,300 yards.
5. C.J. Spiller, Buffalo - A home-run threat who probably can't handle a 20-touch load.
6. Shane Vereen, New England - If you want a third-down back, this is your guy.
7. Frank Gore, San Francisco - Eight 1,000-yard seasons in the Bay Area but he's 31 with a ton of mileage on those legs.
8. Stevan Ridley, New England - Only two seasons away from a 1,200-yard campaign and he's only 26.
9. Reggie Bush, Detroit - Big name on the downside.
10. Ahmad Bradshaw, Indianapolis - One of the best pass blockers in the backfield has had trouble staying healthy and now has a weed charge mucking things up.
Fullbacks
1. Jerome Felton, Minnesota - One of the best lead-isolation blockers in football.
2. John Kuhn, Green Bay - Not really a great lead blocker. Lambeau chants have made him. More valuable to the Packers.
3. Henry Hynoski, NY Giants - Not much athletically but can handle the load straight ahead.
Wide Receivers
1. Dez Bryant, Dallas (franchised) - Despite all the whispers, Dallas franchised Dez as expected.
2. Demaryius Thomas, Denver (franchised) - The Broncos chose Demaryius over Julius.
3. Randall Cobb, Green Bay - Versatile player who dominates from the slot and can still play outside the numbers. Also can help in the return game and could command $9 million a year.
4. Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia - Coming off a career year with 1,318 yards and 10 TDs just one year removed from a second ACL surgery.
5. Cecil Shorts, Jacksonville - The kind of player free agency is about. Just 27 with some upside.
6. Torrey Smith, Baltimore - Strictly an outside-the-numbers deep threat.
7. Michael Crabtree, San Francisco - Very talented receiver who had a bad QB in '14 and is less than two years removed from an Achilles injury.
8. Kenny Britt, St. Louis - Injury and off-field issues will hurt him.
9. Brian Hartline, Miami - Still has a chance to be a good possession receiver.
10. Eddie Royal, San Diego - Has proved to be a steady, productive receiver for Philip Rivers.
Tight Ends
1. Julius Thomas, Denver - Thomas has 24 touchdown receptions in 27 games over the past two seasons. He's getting paid.
2. Charles Clay, Miami - Very versatile h-back, movement-type who the Dolphins placed the transition tag on.
3. Jordan Cameron, Cleveland - Concussions are an issue with Cameron but he was an emerging star in 2013.
4. Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati - A solid two-way tight end who drops a few too many.
5. Niles Paul, Washington - Didn't play all that well last season but teams see upside because he can catch the football and is only 26.
6. James Casey, Philadelphia - Versatile player who was underutilized in Philly.
7. Anthony Fasano, Kansas City - Probably the best traditional tight end outside of Gresham.
8. Virgil Green, Denver - Really just a blocker.
9. Owen Daniels, Baltimore - Aging but still provided solid production last season.
10. Lance Kendricks, St, Louis - Former second-round pick who has caught 30 balls a season in St. Louis.
Offensive Tackles
1. Bryan Bulaga, Green Bay - A former first-round pick won't wow you athletically but has starting experience on both sides and is only 26.
2. Doug Free, Dallas - Has been a solid right tackle but is on the wrong side of 30.
3. Joe Barksdale, St. Louis - A natural, road-grading right tackle.
4. Byron Bell, Carolina - Converted right tackle struggled on the left side last season but his athleticism will interest some.
5. Derek Newton, Houston - Another right tackle who performed better than expected last season.
6. Jeremy Parnell, Dallas - Stepped in for an injured Free and showed he was a battler.
7. Ryan Harris, Kansas City - A journeyman best served as a backup swing tackle.
8. Marshall Newhouse, Cincinnati - A former starting left tackle in Green Bay who never panned out.
9. Michael Oher, Tennessee - Best known for "The Blind Side" at this point.
10. Charlie Johnson, Minnesota - Has been playing left guard for the Vikings but also started as a left tackle for Indy and Minnesota. Has started 115 career games and versatility could prove valuable.
Interior Offensive linemen
1. Mike Iupati, San Francisco - Three-time Pro Bowl selection has been one of the best guards in football.
2. Rodney Hudson, Kansas City - Chiefs want him back but Hudson is the best center on the market
3. Orlando Franklin, Denver - A ton of starting experience inside and outside on a very good team.
4. Stefen Wisniewski, Oakland - Has started 61 games for the Raiders in the pivot.
5. Todd Herremans, Philadelphia - Has started up and down the line for the Eagles but injuries have begun to take their toll.
6. James Carpenter, Seattle - Carpenter is no star but he's only 26 and has already started two Super Bowls. That says he is good enough to win with.
7. Clint Boling, Cincinnati - Pedestrian player who can hold down the fort if needed.
8. Justin Blalock, Atlanta - An eight-year starter in Atlanta who could play stop-gap.
9. Brian De La Puente, Chicago - Surprisingly effective after being pressed into service last season.
10. Joe Berger, Minnesota - Versatile player who can play center or guard and solidified right guard for the Vikings after Brandon Fusco's injury.
Edge Defenders
1. Justin Houston, Kansas City (franchised) - Guys who get 20 sacks aren't going anywhere.
2. Greg Hardy, Carolina - A pass rusher like this gets to the open market for a reason. The issues are obvious with Hardy but someone will bite because of the talent.
3. Jason Pierre-Paul, NY Giants (franchised) - When JPP's healthy, he's a force and the Giants tagged him.
4. Jerry Hughes, Buffalo - Two 10-sack seasons in Buffalo will garner Hughes a huge deal.
5. Jason Worilds, Pittsburgh - Has 15 1/2 sacks over the prior two seasons. Someone will bite and give him a big number.
6. Pernell McPhee, Baltimore - Excelled as a part-timer on a very deep Baltimore front seven.
7. Brian Orakpo, Washington - Was franchised a year ago but had just one-half sack in an injury-plagued season. The talent is there.
8. Brandon Graham, Philadelphia - Tremendous innate pass-rushing skills. Needs a chance.
9. Jabaal Sheard, Cleveland - May have been hurt by the ping-ponging between schemes in Cleveland. A decent natural pass rusher.
10. George Selvie, Dallas - A breakout 2013 didn't carry over but could be a fit in a most rotations.
Interior Defensive Linemen
1. Ndamukong Suh, Detroit - Best interior lineman in football, hands down -- a beast.
2. Terrance Knighton, Denver - "Pot Roast" could have his eye on reuniting with Jack Del Rio in Oakland.
3. Nick Fairley, Detroit - A knee injury limited him to eight games but Fairley has Pro Bowl-type talent.
4. Jared Odrick, Miami - Can play tackle or end and is just 27.
5. Darnell Dockett, Arizona - At 34 and coming off an ACL, Dockett would be best served going back to Arizona as a 5-technique.
6. Dan Williams, Arizona - A natural nose tackle who can stuff the run.
7. C.J. Mosley, Detroit - He's past 30 but often outperformed the talented Fairley.
8. Tom Johnson, Minnesota - Came out of nowhere to record 6 1/2 sacks as a rotational player. Very quick under tackle.
9. Stephen Paea, Chicago - Coming off a career year where he showed some life as an interior pass rusher.
10. Cory Redding, Indianapolis - The veteran is considering retirement but is still a serviceable player.
Inside Linebackers
1. David Harris, NY Jets - Consistent player who may be looking to hook up with Rey Ryan in Buffalo.
2. Brandon Spikes, Buffalo - Two-down, downhill run stopper.
3. Rolando McClain, Dallas - McClain has serious talent but is facing a four- game fine for violating the substance-abuse policy.
4. Mason Foster, Tampa Bay - Coming off a down season but he 's just 26 and could have a resurgence away from the Tampa-2 philosophy.
5. Nate Irving, Denver - Some like his skill set but it rarely transferred to the field in Denver.
6. Rey Maualuga, Cincinnati - Another two-down middle linebacker who can't play in obvious passing situations.
4-3 Outside Linebackers
1. Malcolm Smith, Seattle - The former Super Bowl MVP is 26 and has scary athleticism.
2. Sean Weatherspoon, Atlanta - Has played just seven games in the past two seasons but was Falcons best defensive player before that.
3. Lance Briggs, Chicago - He's 35 and could be the final piece for a contender.
4. Bruce Carter, Dallas - Has always shown flashes but isn't consistent and seems to lack instincts for the position.
5. Justin Durant, Dallas - Durant was having a good season with the Cowboys in '14 until a torn biceps derailed things.
Cornerbacks
1. Byron Maxwell, Seattle - The typical long, lengthy corner Seattle loves but he's no Richard Sherman or even Brandon Browner.
2. Brandon Flowers, San Diego - A really good zone-coverage corner.
3. Kareem Jackson, Houston - Solid corner with experience who should have many suitors.
4. Antonio Cromartie, Arizona - Big-play, man-to-man coverage guy who takes chances.
5. Buster Skrine, Cleveland - A gritty, undersized corner who kept top-10 pick Justin Gilbert from seeing the field in 2014.
6. Perrish Cox, San Francisco - After finally getting a chance Cox performed admirably and a little better than No. 7 on this list.
7. Chris Culliver, San Francisco - Culliver did a nice job in his first season as a full-time starter.
8. Tramon Williams, Green Bay - At 32, Williams is clearly on the downside at a demanding position.
9. Walter Thurmond, NY Giants - Was a solid nickel corner in Seattle before tearing his pec with the Giants last season.
10. Charles Tillman, Chicago - The world's most physical corner is 34 and hasn't finished the past two seasons. Strictly a one-year option for a legit contender.
Safeties
1. Devin McCourty, New England - Versatile, coverage safety who should stay put in a system which understands his strengths.
2. Tyvon Branch, Oakland - Looked like he was becoming a star until injuries took things off the rails. Branch has played only five games in the prior two seasons but is only 28 and could still get it back.
3. Louis Delmas, Miami - Delmas is ultra-talented but injuries are always an issue and he tore his ACL in December.
4. Da'Norris Searcy, Buffalo - Solid if unspectacular against both the run and the pass.
5. Rahim Moore, Denver - Moore had his best season and at just 25 that bodes well for him.
6. Antrel Rolle, NY Giants - An aging, former Pro-Bowler with a nose for the football.
7. Nate Allen, Philadelphia - A ton of starting experience but his lack of physicality has the Eagles looking elsewhere.
8. Dawan Landry, NY Jets - Strictly an in-the-box safety who will struggle in coverage.
9. Mike Adams, Indianapolis - Veteran has been bouncing around the league and always seems to end up as a starter.
10. Marcus Gilchrist, San Diego - Proved to be a capable starter with the Chargers last year.
[SportsNetwork.com]
