2012 NFL Free Agency: Defensive Ends on the Market

by Adam Stites on Feb 2, 2012 9:00 AM EST in 2012 NFL Free Agency

With Jeremy Mincey, Leger Douzable and Matt Roth all set to hit free agency and Aaron Kampman's time in Jacksonville almost surely done, the defensive end position is certainly one that could be in flex for the Jaguars this offseason. Without a single player with a double digit amount of sacks in five consecutive seasons, perhaps it's about time.

What the Jaguars do in free agency about the defensive end position could also be very telling as to which direction the team will go during the 2012 NFL Draft where it is very possible that they could be staring North Carolina DE Quentin Coples down when they're on the clock at 7th overall. Here's a look at the potential top free agent defensive ends and their current contract situations with their respective teams:

2012 Free Agent Defensive Ends
Rank	Player		College	Height	Weight
1		Mario Williams	North Carolina State	6-6	283
When the franchise tag is used on a player, by rule, that player must get a pay raise. Since Williams made roughly $18 million in 2011, the tag would mean he would be due $22.9 million. That astronomical number is unrealistic for the Texans and means that they have only weeks left to come to a long-term deal with Williams before he reaches the open free agent market. With 53 career sacks, Williams would be a top commodity on the market and demand a very high amount from teams that are needy for an elite pass rusher.
2		Calais Campbell	Miami (FL)	6-8	300
Calais Campbell was drafted between Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves in the 2008 NFL Draft and has quietly become a dominant force in the league. He has steadily improved in all facets of his game and recorded eight sacks in 2011, which is a very impressive number for a DE in a 3-4 system. The likelihood of the freakishly talented 25 year old reaching the open market is slim, though. Said Tyler Nickel of SBNation's Arizona Cardinals blog, Revenge of the Birds: "While I have full confidence that Campbell will come to a new agreement with the team, the franchise tag always remains a possibility."
3		Cliff Avril	Purdue	6-3	260
A 25 year old Jacksonville-native, Avril has improved steadily over his four seasons in the NFL and recorded the most forced fumbles from the DE position (6) in 2011 along with 11 sacks. Avril told the Detroit Free Press that he's getting "positive vibes" that a deal will be reached that allows him to stay in Detroit where his teammates voted him defensive MVP for 2011. The Lions also have no reason not to use the franchise tag if they can not reach a deal in time, although Avril has openly expressed his wishes that they don't.
4		Jeremy Mincey	Florida	6-3	270
Mincey had a breakout season in 2011 after several frustrating years of dealing with injury and was a great every downs player for the Jaguars. While he isn't an elite pass rusher, he did record eight sacks (albeit five were against the Colts) and he did a good job of pressing the pocket consistently. The key for Mincey's future in Jacksonville will be how much he believes he is worth and whether or not the Jaguars will be willing to spend a lot to keep him in teal. He has already said that he will not give the Jaguars a hometown discount in contract negotiation.
5		Robert Mathis	Alabama A&M	6-2	245
Mathis has put up better and more consistent pass rushing numbers in his career than arguably every player above him on this list. Despite being much smaller than the average defensive end he has also played well enough in run support to make a very good every downs defensive end. But with less than four weeks until his 31st birthday and a career that benefited from having Dwight Freeney across from him, he falls in at 5th on my list of potential FA defensive ends. The Colts have a lot of decisions to make and it wouldn't be shocking if they chose to rebuild by allowing all their 30+ year old free agents to walk.
6		Michael Bennett	Texas A&M	6-4	274
Michael Bennett is still very young (26) and not quite a dynamic pass rusher yet, but in his three years in the league he has quickly become a very strong run defender and a decent pass rusher with upside still to reach. With just three years in the league though, Bennett is likely to re-sign with the Buccaneers or at the very least, get a restricted free agent tender that would force a team to spend a draft pick to sign Bennett.
7		John Abraham	South Carolina	6-4	266
At age 33, Abraham's play hasn't yet tailed off as he has put together an impressive 112 sack career. But with his 34th birthday coming in May and a large amount of his 2011 sacks coming against subpar teams (3.5 against the Jaguars in week 15), the end is clearly on its way. Any team that signs Abraham to more than a one or two year deal is diving head first into something that is probably not going to benefit them much at all. However, if he can have another 2011-like year for a team in 2012 Abraham could be worth having for a year or two.
8		Frostee Rucker	USC	6-3	280
A former 3rd round selection, Rucker's development has been painfully slow for Bengals fans, but he has reached the point where he is worth having in the game as starter for every down. He's limited as a pass rusher due to his lack of speed, but he's a strong run defender. Think of him as a better version of Jaguars DE/DT Leger Douzable, although SBNation Bengals blogger Joe Goodberry says he expects the Bengals to want to re-sign Rucker.
9		Mark Anderson	Alabama	6-4	255
Although a little undersized for a DE with his hand on the ground, Anderson has had a strong season for the Patriots recording 10 sacks despite playing in less than half of the offensive snaps for the team. In the New England hybrid 3-4/4-3 defense, Anderson found himself on the field for pass rushing downs but did so with his hand on the ground. As a pass rusher, Anderson could fill the John Chick type of role for a team on the lookout for a pass rushing specialist or a rotational player. Maybe they might even get surprised with a player that stops the run well enough to stay on the field full-time.
10		Matt Roth	Iowa	6-4	275
Roth signed with the Jaguars for a one year, $3 million deal in August and the thought from many was that he would serve a rotational role for the Jaguars. But with injuries to Aaron Kampman that never allowed him to return to starting form and a season ending injury to Austen Lane who may have been able to fill a starting role, Roth became the every down starter at LDE. In nine starts before a concussion ended Roth's season he was a strong run defender, but only a decent pass rusher. If the price is right, the 29 year old is a reliable player that can fill in as a starter.

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Comments

Nice write up

As suspected, Avril and Campbell most likely won’t be options. Personally I say resign Mincey and Douz if we can. Then we need to either make a run for Mario Williams or draft Coples. Elite pass rushers are tough to come by in this league.

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by kterr on Feb 2, 2012 9:13 AM EST reply actions

Why not do both?

Make a run for Mario Williams, and also draft Coples (if he’s the player we want). Douzable should come back for much less than Mincey is looking for. Imagine a front 4 of Williams, Alualu, Knighton, and Coples. Seems like a great combination of pass rush and run stopping.

by mab0270 on Feb 2, 2012 10:14 AM EST up reply actions

you'd think with all of those high draft picks over the years that Detroit would be in cap trouble

Guess not. Of the list, I would not be shocked if our big splash is made at DE. My thoughts are that we are going to get at least 1 high dollar game changer. I could really see Williams in teal next year and Mincey elsewhere, perhaps Miami or even Atlanta or New England. I think Roth’s concussions are going to scare off a lot of suitors as will Kampman. It would not shock me at all if we waived Kampman, he did not get a deal elsewhere and he was a camp invitee at vet minimum. This is put up or shut up time for a guy like Austen Lane. Douzable made the most of his opportunity last year as did a couple of other hybrid guys who play both DE and DT.

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by Joe Fisher on Feb 2, 2012 10:15 AM EST up reply actions

I agree

The Jaguars are 1 of only 7 teams in the league without a player thats recorded 10 or more sacks in season since 2006. 5 seasons is to long. We need to fix our pass rush asap

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by kterr on Feb 2, 2012 11:11 AM EST up reply actions

I think Kampman's going to retire

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by Adam Stites on Feb 2, 2012 11:23 AM EST up reply actions

Id rather keep away from Mario Williams, I know we have a lot of cap room but Id rather resign Mincey and draft a DE in the draft because it will be cheaper and we can get more needs like WR and CB OL and we have to resign some players as well

by fan7 on Feb 2, 2012 1:34 PM EST up reply actions

Random question

what’s with the masked man sitting on a bear rug in background of this site?

Shake and Bake
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by theMAGICman on Feb 2, 2012 9:46 AM EST reply actions

Looking at it, it would appear to be an advertisement for a show on Adult Swim.

by Sourwine on Feb 2, 2012 10:03 AM EST up reply actions

You're doing a great job on these Adam...very informative and nice to read

by StylezMcKoolaid on Feb 2, 2012 9:46 AM EST reply actions

My ideal situation would be re-sign Mincey

than go after Williams or Avril (if he’s available). Even if we draft Coples, he doesn’t have to be a starter right away. He can learn the position while still getting playing time because of the way we rotate our D-linemen.

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by duuuvaaalll on Feb 2, 2012 10:31 AM EST reply actions

Why is Mincey so high on this list?

Mathis/Abraham are clearly better. Sure they’re old, but Mincey isn’t 23 so there is a limited upside. Sign Roth and Mathis (if Avril etc are not available). Draft a DE…I hate even saying those words after our past failures but we can’t just give up on drafting them.

by bigcats on Feb 2, 2012 10:41 AM EST reply actions

I don't want Abraham because as you pointed out

he is old (33) and can’t have much left in the tank. At absolute most he can give us maybe one or two more productive years. Mincey despite being 28 doesn’t have much wear on his body physically, might still have a little room for improvement, and probably has another good 5 seasons worth of football left in him. I think he could truly excel playing LE with a guy like Williams or Avril opposite of him.

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by duuuvaaalll on Feb 2, 2012 10:59 AM EST up reply actions

Abraham = Hugh Douglas?

I dont think he’d be anywhere near the PATHETIC BUST hughie pooey was but I would be afraid to throw any mount of money at a 34 yr old DE. I would say 99.9% he isn’t signed by the Jag’s

by Jags85 on Feb 2, 2012 1:08 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

the ranking of this list is very odd

Teach me how to Deji

by Pocket Hercules on Feb 2, 2012 10:57 AM EST reply actions

Gene Smith

Can’t draft DE or WR’s to save his life. FACT.

I need my meds.

by viralencore on Feb 2, 2012 12:06 PM EST reply actions

Because he's drafted so many.

by kjones407 on Feb 2, 2012 11:01 PM EST up reply actions

Getting Mario would be like Christmas in March!

by muddyballs on Feb 2, 2012 12:18 PM EST reply actions

Would love Williams and Coples but...

Don’t they both play LDE? Coples is your prototypical LDE and I don’t know if Williams has ever played RDE or has he? I was hoping for Avril he’d be the perfect RDE to play opposite of Coples. Not that I’m making a big deal of it I’d gladly take Williams and Coples in the offseason. Just wanna put everyone where they can be most productive.

by J.James29 on Feb 2, 2012 1:18 PM EST via mobile reply actions

Williams plays RDE

It’s where he has played exclusively, up to last year, when he was placed into that hybrid OLB/DE role.

by mab0270 on Feb 2, 2012 1:35 PM EST up reply actions

Random, irrelevant thought: it would be nice to have the 1st Overall pick and the player who Thought he should have been selected #1 (MJD) in the draft on the same team

by Jags85 on Feb 2, 2012 1:52 PM EST via mobile reply actions

lol i dont get it, im just wondering is this suppose to be a joke

by fan7 on Feb 2, 2012 2:15 PM EST up reply actions

Lol yeah, kinda. Mario Williams was #1 pick same year we drafted MJD.

But MJD thought he should have been the #1 pick. I was just saying it would be nice to have both of them on our roster

by Jags85 on Feb 2, 2012 2:52 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

oh now I get it lol

by fan7 on Feb 2, 2012 3:11 PM EST reply actions

Lol yeah...shoulda explained it better the first time

by Jags85 on Feb 2, 2012 3:28 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

I guess i would not mind seeing Mario Williams wooping the crap out of the texans O line and there QB twice a year and every other team if we do get him

by fan7 on Feb 2, 2012 3:14 PM EST reply actions

Williams / Coples = savvy

by JohnnyBiceps on Feb 2, 2012 6:09 PM EST reply actions

those guys have tremendous resolve

a very dynamic tandem for sure.

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by Joe Fisher on Feb 2, 2012 9:44 PM EST up reply actions

Their resolve

is second fiddle only to their scruples

by JohnnyBiceps on Feb 2, 2012 11:22 PM EST up reply actions

I liked your info

But I don’t think that what the Jags do in FA has a correlation on who they want to take in the draft. The draft is too much hope that a player your depending on to be there will still be there. Maybe if they sign an older guy or two that might mean they want to potentially look at the draft to try to fix those needs, but it might be they get older guys to plug in til next year. Its very hard to say.

Dammit just go out there and play to win and I'll be here to cheer!!!!

by Vegasjags on Feb 2, 2012 10:01 PM EST reply actions

Jags At D E

I say we get Mario Williams and pick up Coples with our 7th Pick …… That will enable us to be good on the D line for a while ……… after that then we can go and get free agent WR with the rest of our cap money !

L F J

by Daddycrapper on Feb 2, 2012 10:32 PM EST via Android app reply actions