Free Agency: Linebackers

While many positions have been hit hard with the lack of a CBA, there is plenty to get excited about at linebacker, with some top-tier free agents about to hit the open market. Pro Football Focus' Khaled Elsayed breaks down the top free agents at the linebacker position while considering some interesting possibilities with one of the most talented restricted free agents …

Teams in need of some help at linebacker, either at 3-4 inside linebacker or anywhere in a 4-3, will find the potential free agents an opportunity to find a variety of linebackers to help their cause. Restricted free agents like DeMeco Ryans and Thomas Davis are young and talented players unlikely to hit the open market, but there’s more than enough in the unrestricted free agent pool to get excited about.

1. Karlos Dansby
One of the top unrestricted free agents regardless of position, Dansby is likely to command a great deal of attention, considering some of his main competition are likely to be tendered restricted free agents. While Dansby is the type of player who can have bad games (he was poor against the Colts in Week 3 and had a stinker of a game against the Saints in the playoffs), he is generally a consistent player comfortable in run support or coverage. He is a sure tackler (missing seven of 113 makeable tackles) with an ability to shed blockers who will generate plenty of interest from 3-4 teams looking for help inside or a 4-3 team looking for help at outside linebacker. While he was exposed by the Saints passing attack, he has the proper tools and is not often caught out of position. Even if his completion percentage against is relatively high (81), he is the most complete linebacker available. Someone is going to put a lot of money in front of Dansby, and most intriguing may be which defensive alignment he ends up in (at PFF, we see him as a better fit as an OLB in a 4-3).

2. Larry Foote
Detroit wasn’t exactly great last year, so it’s no surprise that a good season by Foote went unnoticed by many. He didn’t look quite as good in the middle of a 4-3 as he did in the Steelers' 3-4, but the difference was negligible enough to demonstrate he is capable to play in either formation. His greatest strength is his run defense, where his ability to recognize plays and get to the ball carrier yielded a number of strong performances, notably against New Orleans (when all around him faltered), Cleveland and Cincinnati. He didn’t put up eye-catching stats, and his performance in coverage was weaker in 2009 than 2008 — which could suggest he is on the decline. But Foote's coverage still good enough that it made sense for the Lions to keep him on the field on every down. He doesn’t have the longevity some teams may be looking for, but he proved a capable middle linebacker and could provide an immediate upgrade inside for a team built to win now.

3. Gary Brackett
Brackett is a player whose value to the Colts is likely greater than to any team on the open market, so it makes most sense for him to resign with the Colts. Nevertheless, players want to get paid and there’s always a chance that a team looking for a defensive leader could overpay and make Brackett an offer he can’t refuse. While he isn’t a bad player, he is the definition of an inconsistent player, with some out-of-this-world performances against Baltimore, Denver and Houston and some “get-him-out-of-this-league” showings at Houston, St Louis and Miami. The most consistent aspect of his play is how solid he is in coverage. Brackett’s tactical nous is evident by rarely getting caught of position, evidenced by the fact that he gave up just 69.4 percent of throws at him/his zone for just 8.2 yards per attempt. Teams lacking organization or leadership may see Brackett as the kind of guy who can make players around him better, and with his winning pedigree it’s not inconceivable that a team makes a serious play for him.

4. Keith Bulluck
It’s hard to tell how Bulluck will come back from the injury that prematurely ended his 2009 season, but given the paucity of talent at outside linebacker you’d have to think that — barring serious recovery problems — then a player with Bullucks talent and experience will be able to help a team out. Bulluck had the odd bad game (it didn’t help that the Titans tried to cover the Colts' three-receiver set with a base defensive package in Week 5), but even as the Titans were dealing with a losing streak he put on the kind of show that quality players do. This was true against the Jets, when his five tackles didn’t tell the story of just how disruptive he can be to a team’s running game. You can imagine teams being scared off by both injury and age with Bulluck, but if he tests out well with regards to fitness then he could be an excellent find and excellent value.

5. Danny Clark
Clark was the forgotten man in New York’s linebacker group last year with the injuries to Antonio Pierce and Michael Boley. Clark actually had a very decent season; it just went unnoticed because he’s not the type of player who made big plays and it was clear (with the drafting of Clint Sintim) that he was merely a stopgap in 2009. Still, after a few years not really doing much, Clark has used the Giants to rebuild his reputation so that even at his age teams looking for some help at the strong-side linebacker position could do a lot worse. Ideally used as a two-down linebacker (the Giants did a great job of negating his weaknesses), Clark is stout at the point of attack and does a good job of keeping containment. His low tackle count is not likely to appeal to teams who haven’t watched him closely, because Clark is a player who is going to facilitate his teammates' playmaking rather than standing out himself. Looking for a no-frills player to do a job in run support? Clark is likely to offer the best value for money in this respect.

Diamond in the Rough – Rashad Jeanty (RFA)
With the Bengals' depth at linebacker (in addition to the three penciled-in starters there is Brandon Johnson, a situational linebacker and primary backup at WLB), there is every possibility that Jeanty is deemed surplus. He didn’t see much action in '09 before taking over for the injured Rey Maualuga, but he saw significant playing time in 2008 when he showed tremendous potential as a two-down backer. His work in run defense was excellent, as highlighted by a strong performance against Baltimore in Week 13 when he notched up nine tackles (eight of which were stops) and was a real sideline-to-sideline force. The drawback to Jeanty is his work in coverage, where he wasn’t the first linebacker to be exposed by Peyton Manning. So it will be interesting to see what a year as a backup has done to help him in this regard. If the Bengals don’t retain Jeanty, he has the upside to start for a team and is at worst a guy who will provide good competition on the strong side.

Wild card – Derrick Johnson
For whatever reason, Todd Haley just doesn't appreciate Johnson. Initially it seemed like his benching was designed to motivate him, but over the course of the season Johnson was never able to work his way back into the base defense despite being the most talented inside linebacker on the Chiefs' roster. It wouldn’t surprise us terribly if Haley allowed Johnson to leave as he continues to stamp his own mark on the Arrowhead outfit, even if we believe this move would be naive. In his 344 snaps Johnson was exceptional, bringing pressure when he blitzed, making stops when he tackled (24 of his 25 tackles were positive defensive plays) and picking up three interceptions (along with three passes defensed). He also allowed just 8.7 yards per reception on 26 catches. Following a rather disappointing '08 season, there was more than enough from Johnson in '09 to show he still has the kind of talent that made him a first-round pick. As such, there’s sure to be a big market for Johnson if the Chiefs decide to part ways with him.