By Sam Sindell
Number One: Dak Prescott: QB
Team Prediction: Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott has shown that since he came into the league in 2016, he is a franchise quarterback. After taking over a 4-12 team, he has posted at least a 500 record in each of his four seasons. He is a very versatile player that is impressive in all aspects of the quarterback position. It would be a shocker if the Cowboys don’t bring back their star quarterback
Number Two: Amari Cooper: WR
Team Prediction: Dallas Cowboys:
One of the reasons Dak Prescott has been so impressive is because of this guy. After once being called a bust on the Oakland (Now Las Vegas) Raiders, Cooper has completely turned his career around. After playing his first full season in Dallas, he had his career bests, in receptions, yards and touchdowns and was the true leader of the Cowboys lethal passing game, which ranked second in the NFL. If the Cowboys resign Cooper, he and rising star Michael Gallup could continue the success the Cowboys had in the passing game.
Number Three: Chris Jones: DT
Team Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs:
I’m going to be real here, the Chiefs defense is a totally different monster when Jones in the lineup compared to when he is not. Jones is a must resign player for the Chiefs. In a day when nose tackles are expected to stop the run, and get one to three sacks, Jones has proved otherwise, with a mind blowing 24.5 sacks from his interior position, in the last two years. He is able to apply pressure in the middle of the field and helps other standouts such as Frank Clark to be single teamed. The Chiefs will be making a big mistake if they dont bring him back.
Number Four: Drew Brees: QB
Team Prediction: Saints:
Although I don’t think Dak Prescott is better than Brees, on a free agent level, Prescott’s age makes him a more highly ranked candidate. There can’t be enough good things to say about Brees, and I can’t see a situation where the Saints don’t bring him back. Don’t be surprised if he is signed to a one year deal and then the Saints draft a Quarterback in the first round. If this is his last year, the Saints could quickly transition to any other Quarterback who is sitting behind him either this year or next year or next year depending on the contract, weather it is Teddy Bridgewater or any other Quarterback in the 2020 class. This would give the player a great opportunity to learn from one of the best.
Number Five: Bryon Jones: CB
Team Prediction: Eagles, Giants, Colts, Buccaneers, Dolphins:
Because the Cowboys have other high radar free agents, they may not have the money to resign their number one cornerback. Jones is a converted safety and in his two years of being a cornerback, he has really lived up to his expectations. I can see him going to any of these cornerback needy teams and would be a number one corner on all these teams. An interesting match could be with the Buccaneers, pairing him with young corners, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis, to create a dangerous secondary. It will be interesting where Jones ends up going.
Number Six: Shaq Barrett: Edge
Team Prediction: Buccaneers, Ravens, Colts
If early this year you told me that Shaq Barrett would have 19.5 Sacks, more than he in each of his previous four years combined, I would have said your crazy. But Barrett has had maybe the best breakout season this year, and established himself as one of the league’s best pass rushers. There is a risk of him being a one year wonder, but he does have huge upside. He may be overpaid, but team needing pass rush will not pass the chance to get Barrett.
Number Seven: Yannik Ngakoue: Edge
Team Predictions: Giants, Jets, Buccaneers, Seahawks
Since coming into the league as a third round pick, Ngakoue has proven to be an above average, but not elite pass rusher. I see him as a tier below Barrett, although his younger age may help him get more interest from teams. He has never gotten below 8 sacks but has never exceeded 12 sacks, which shows he is a very consistent pass rusher, but nothing too special. Teams that may not have enough per year for Barrett may try to sign Ngakoue to a longer, but cheaper contract.
Number Eight: Tom Brady: QB
Team Predictions: Chargers, Patriots
Although he is still arguably the biggest name in Football, it was clear that Brady took a step back in 2019. He is still a capable Quarterback, but there are many other ones that are better than him now. Brady will not be signed to more than a 2 year deal, but a team like the Chargers, who could draft a rookie Quarterback, could definitely use Brandy for a year and let the rookie learn from him, a similar situation that I put Brees in earlier in the list. Besides resigning with New England, the Chargers seem to be the only other team interested in Brady.
Number Nine: Derrick Henry: RB
Team Predictions: Titans
Yes, I know this may seem way too late to put maybe the best running back of the year, but I feel like a lot of his success came from his offensive line. That saying, if they are able to get Conklin back, I see no reason why Henry would not resign. He has a great relationship with his offensive line, and they fit each other very well. If Henry was to go to a team with a poor offensive line, I believe he would not be the same player we saw this year.
Number Ten: Justin Simmons: S
Team Predictions: Broncos, Colts
Like Barrett, Simmons also had a great breakout season. He was a great tackler and had excellent coverage. He had a career best 4 interceptions. PFF thinks he is one of the best safeties in the league, but I would say he is really good, but not great. Simmons should be seen as a top free agent for secondary needy teams.
| Team | CapSpace | Effective CapSpace ℹ️ | # | ActiveCap Spending | DeadMoney |
| Colts | $91,846,470 | $91,846,470 | 61 | $143,484,660 | $6,748,683 |
| Dolphins | $91,374,423 | $91,374,423 | 67 | $116,068,382 | $12,042,227 |
| Bills | $81,852,046 | $81,852,046 | 53 | $140,513,407 | $1,042,884 |
| Buccaneers | $81,507,284 | $81,507,284 | 51 | $124,167,665 | $130,241 |
| Cowboys | $81,058,773 | $79,528,773 | 48 | $136,407,186 | $1,989,029 |
| Broncos | $61,947,764 | $61,947,764 | 63 | $153,301,059 | $497,486 |
| Giants | $61,887,216 | $61,887,216 | 58 | $135,334,095 | $3,999,121 |
| Seahawks | $59,407,722 | $57,877,722 | 48 | $142,860,457 | $822,167 |
| Raiders | $57,315,594 | $56,295,594 | 49 | $160,756,308 | $2,203,070 |
| Texans | $55,192,118 | $55,192,118 | 56 | $160,264,071 | $3,040,071 |
Inside Sports Journal 
Great article. One question regarding Derrick Henry – is he ranked so low because you feel it’s his line that has a lot to do with his success, because generally speaking RB’s have less value in today’s NFL (both because of their short career span as well as how replaceable they can be with mid-late round picks) or possibly both?
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