There are still nearly two weeks until Super Bowl LX, but teams and fans should already be thinking about the off-season: NFL free agency opens at 4 p.m. ET on March 11, and teams can begin negotiating with players during the March 9–10 tampering window. With the market approaching, I evaluated players who are on track to reach unrestricted free agency and ranked the top 50 who could become available. The evaluation considered age, positional value, projected future production, versatility in different schemes and league chatter. Many of these players could be re-signed or receive franchise tags before hitting free agency, so the list will likely shift before and after March. A top-100 update is planned for March; for now, here are the top 50 impending free agents — only two quarterbacks made the cut — starting with the 2024 sack leader.
Quick navigation: QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB
1) Trey Hendrickson — 2025 team: Cincinnati Bengals | Age in 2026 season: 31
Hendrickson is a high-effort edge defender with a varied pass-rush toolkit and a tendency to make game-changing plays late in downs. He led the league in 2024 with 17.5 sacks and 65 pressures across the season, and would boost almost any defensive front.
2) George Pickens — 2025 team: Dallas Cowboys | Age in 2026 season: 25
Pickens is a true vertical threat who consistently creates explosive plays — he had 22 catches of 20-plus yards through 2025 and finished the year with 1,429 receiving yards (third in the NFL). His ability to run routes at all levels makes him a strong free-agent candidate if he avoids a franchise tag.
3) Tyler Linderbaum — 2025 team: Baltimore Ravens | Age in 2026 season: 26
Linderbaum sets the tone inside with quick feet and excellent body control, able to mirror pass rushers or climb to the second level in run blocking. His 2025 pass-block win rate (97.2%) ranked tied for second among qualifying centers.
4) Anthony Richardson Jones? (likely Malik Willis listed later) — 2025 team: Indianapolis Colts | Age in 2026 season: 29
(Note: the text describes a quarterback with a Week 14 Achilles injury and a 64.1 QBR through Week 13 — that was Sam Ehlinger? The original named “Jones”—rewritten generically.)
This quarterback showed growth under coach Shane Steichen before suffering an Achilles tear in Week 14 that could delay his availability next season. Through Week 13 he had strong timing and a QBR inside the top 10, fitting well in run-first offenses where he serves as an efficient game manager.
5) Haason Reddick/Patrick? (edge/Phillips) — 2025 team: Philadelphia Eagles | Age in 2026 season: 27
Phillips (the edge rusher acquired Nov. 3) demonstrated improved play under Vic Fangio, adding two sacks and 27 pressures after the trade. At 6’5″, he can set the edge and collapse the pocket, and owns 28 sacks and 150 pressures through five NFL seasons.
6) Alec Pierce — 2025 team: Indianapolis Colts | Age in 2026 season: 26
Pierce posted a league-best 21.3 yards per reception in 2025 and surpassed 1,000 receiving yards with six touchdowns. He’s a vertical threat who can clear coverage downfield and, with more targets, could become a reliable three-level route runner.
7) Breece Hall — 2025 team: New York Jets | Age in 2026 season: 25
Hall is a fluid, three-down back with contact balance, vision and receiving chops; he’s totaled 188 career receptions and averages roughly 90 total yards per game. He’s also shown big-play rushing ability, with many runs of 10+ yards across his first four seasons.
8) David Bakhtiari? (OT Walker) — 2025 team: Green Bay Packers | Age in 2026 season: 26
Walker graded well in pass protection (93.8% pass-block win rate, 11th among qualifying tackles). Though he can still refine his anchor, his footwork and mobility help him handle quick edge rushers, and his premium position should attract interest on the open market.
9) Odafe Oweh — 2025 team: Los Angeles Chargers | Age in 2026 season: 27
Oweh is an explosive edge defender with a fast first step and an ability to lower his pad level to bend around tackles. After being traded from Baltimore, he posted 7.5 sacks and 27 pressures with the Chargers and added three sacks in the wild-card game.
10) Braden Smith — 2025 team: Indianapolis Colts | Age in 2026 season: 30
A 6’6″, 312-pound right tackle, Smith is a powerful drive blocker who also gives sturdy pass protection. Durability has been a concern (missed 17 games over three seasons), but his pass-block win rate improved in 2025 and he started 13 games.
11) Dre’Mont Jones/Franklin Myers? — 2025 team: Denver Broncos | Age in 2026 season: 29
Franklin-Myers is an active interior rusher who can play multiple fronts — inside or as a five-technique — though he doesn’t have elite bend or lateral burst like some edge rushers. He recorded 7.5 sacks and 23 pressures in 2025.
12) Paul Taylor — 2025 team: New Orleans Saints | Age in 2026 season: 27
Taylor’s versatility stands out: he can match receivers on the perimeter, operate in the slot and make plays with urgency. Over four seasons with the Saints he’s compiled four interceptions, 40 pass breakups and seven sacks.
13) Christian Watson/Walker? (WR Walker previously listed) — 2025 team: Green Bay Packers | Age in 2026 season: 26
This defensive or offensive “Walker” (context indicates a different player) — as described — is an explosive playmaker who covers ground effectively and contributes in run support and pass defense. In 2025 he tallied 2.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss and four pass breakups.
14) Devon Uhl? (Uhlen) — 2025 team: Seattle Seahawks | Age in 2026 season: 27
Uhlen has excellent ball production (12 career interceptions and 36 pass breakups in four years). He needs to tighten his eye discipline but his size and speed make him a strong fit for defenses that play a lot of man coverage or two-deep shells.
15) Mike Evans — 2025 team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Age in 2026 season: 33
Despite missing half of 2025 through injury, Evans still reached 1,000 receiving yards for the 11th straight season. A classic boundary receiver at 6’5″ with strong catch skills, he remains a valuable red-zone target and productive secondary option.
16) L’Jarius Sneed/Watson? — 2025 team: Kansas City Chiefs | Age in 2026 season: 27
Watson isn’t a high-end playmaker but offers length to battle press and the route recognition to play downhill in zone. His career includes three interceptions and 23 pass breakups, making him a solid role corner.
17) Malik Willis — 2025 team: Green Bay Packers | Age in 2026 season: 27
Willis showcased dual-threat capabilities and efficient passing in limited action — completing 85.7% of attempts across four games with one start, while adding 123 rushing yards and four rushing TDs. He’s likely to earn a starting opportunity in free agency and could be signed as a starter in March.
18) Travis Etienne — 2025 team: Jacksonville Jaguars | Age in 2026 season: 27
Etienne flashed more explosiveness as a runner in 2025, producing 26 rushes of 10+ yards (tied for 12th) and contributing as a receiver (36 catches). He remained a playmaker late in the season, including a 116-yard, one-touchdown showing in the wild-card loss.
19) Anthony Lloyd/Lloyd? — 2025 team: Jacksonville Jaguars | Age in 2026 season: 27
Lloyd increased his stock with ball production — five interceptions in 2025 (one returned for a TD) — and has proven to be a reliable starting defender capable of high-level play.
20) Isaiah Likely/Riley? — 2025 team: Baltimore Ravens | Age in 2026 season: 26
Riley’s flexibility lining up and his catch-and-run traits make him a threat on high-percentage targets. He profiles as a mobile tight end who can create mismatches; in 2025 he posted 27 catches for 301 yards and one touchdown.
21) (Video segment) — brief Ravens/Lamar Jackson content summarized separately in article.
22) Christian Dowce/Douce? — 2025 team: Green Bay Packers | Age in 2026 season: 26
Douce (Dowce) shows crisp route technique and quickness in the middle of the field, trusting himself in creative concepts. With injuries to other Packers receivers, he averaged 13.2 yards per catch and scored five touchdowns on six red-zone targets, signaling reliability as a pass-catcher.
23) Joey Bosa/Mack? — 2025 team: Los Angeles Chargers | Age in 2026 season: 35
Mack (Khalil Mack) had elbow issues early in 2025 but still finished with 5.5 sacks and 28 pressures. At this stage, he’s better used situationally as a pass-rush weapon but still brings game-changing edge play.
24) Kyle Pitts — 2025 team: Atlanta Falcons | Age in 2026 season: 25
Pitts operates like a large receiver and saw his receiving numbers climb in 2025 (88 catches, 928 yards, five TDs). He needs to improve as an in-line blocker, but his matchup skills and pre-snap versatility remain rare for the tight end position.
25) Kenneth Walker III — 2025 team: Seattle Seahawks | Age in 2026 season: 25
Walker is a decisive, explosive runner who attacks the edges and finds cutback lanes in zone schemes. He ranked sixth in the regular season with 33 runs of 10+ yards and has been a consistent receiving option with at least 25 catches in every season.
26) Justin Reid/Cook? — 2025 team: Kansas City Chiefs | Age in 2026 season: 27
Cook is a rangy safety with top-down speed who fits in split-field and single-high schemes. Drafted in 2022, he’s the highest-ranked safety on this list and played over 82% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps in 2025, breaking up six passes.
27) Jaxon Smith-Njigba/Shahid? — 2025 team: Seattle Seahawks | Age in 2026 season: 28
Shahid stretches defenses vertically, turns screens into big plays and provides special-teams value as a dynamic kickoff returner. He has 29 career receptions of 20+ yards over four seasons.
28) Matthew Judon/Chaisson? — 2025 team: New England Patriots | Age in 2026 season: 27
Chaisson flashes a second gear off the edge, using burst to beat tackles and quickness to exploit stunts. He had a career-high 7.5 sacks and 32 pressures in 2025, also adding three sacks through the early playoff stretch.
29) Brandon Aiyuk/Jennings? — 2025 team: San Francisco 49ers | Age in 2026 season: 29
Jennings is a precise route-runner at 6’3″, 213 pounds who attacks the quarterback with in-breaking routes and holds up through contact. He finished 2025 with 55 catches and nine TDs for San Francisco, building on a strong 2024 season.
30) Ezekiel Elliott/Williams? — 2025 team: Dallas Cowboys | Age in 2026 season: 26
Williams looked more explosive in 2025, finishing with a career-high 1,201 rushing yards and 26 carries of 10-plus yards. He produces after contact and contributed 35 catches, projecting as a lead back who can handle the pass game.
31) Uchenna Nwosu/Maffett? — 2025 team: Seattle Seahawks | Age in 2026 season: 27
Maffe’s first step lets him attack edges and create backside pursuit sacks. While his pass-rush arsenal needs refinement, he generated 33 pressures and two sacks in 2025 and plays well within multi-front schemes.
32) David DeCastro/Seumalo? — 2025 team: Pittsburgh Steelers | Age in 2026 season: 32
Seumalo, a veteran interior lineman, combines quickness to redirect defenders and sound body control. His pass-rush win rate of 97.3% ranked second among qualifying guards, and his run-block win rate (76.9%) ranked fourth.
33) (Another video item about Steelers coaching hire) — summarized in the original.
34) Reed Blankenship — 2025 team: Philadelphia Eagles | Age in 2026 season: 27
Blankenship plays primarily as a split-field safety who looks top-down to steal passes and defend deep. Over four years with the Eagles he totaled nine interceptions and also contributes as a solid run-support defender.
35) Zion Johnson — 2025 team: Los Angeles Chargers | Age in 2026 season: 26
Johnson is a durable, mobile inside blocker who fits both zone and gap schemes and is just entering his prime. His career pass-block win rate is about 90.7% through four seasons.
36) Greg Newsome II — 2025 team: Jacksonville Jaguars | Age in 2026 season: 26
Newsome has produced 33 pass breakups over five seasons and thrives in zone coverage where his instincts and backfield vision shine. He has fewer interceptions but offers quality man-match tools as well; he was traded to Jacksonville midseason.
37) Mitch Morse/Connor McGovern? — 2025 team: Buffalo Bills | Age in 2026 season: 28
McGovern is a reliable center in pass protection who can climb to the second level and handle linebackers. His pass-block win rate was 97.2% in 2025, tied for second among qualifying centers.
38) Jaylon Johnson/Wright? — 2025 team: Chicago Bears | Age in 2026 season: 27
Wright, a 6’4″ corner, posted a career-high five interceptions in 2025, returning one for a touchdown and breaking up seven more passes. While lacking elite recovery speed, his length, instincts and production make him valuable in man-heavy or Cover-2 schemes.
39) Nick Bosa — 2025 team: Buffalo Bills | Age in 2026 season: 31
Bosa missed significant time in recent seasons but has been durable enough over the past two years to play 14+ games. With the Bills he averaged about 36.3 snaps per game, totaling five sacks, five forced fumbles and 42 pressures in 2025; he projects as a situational, speed-versus-power rusher.
40) Chigoziem Okonkwo — 2025 team: Tennessee Titans | Age in 2026 season: 27
Okonkwo profiles as a movement tight end who can motion to create mismatches and work seams, corners and screen/crossing concepts. He caught 56 passes for 560 yards and two TDs in 2025, with a strong chunk of yardage coming after the catch.
41) Isaiah Robinson/Robinson? — 2025 team: New York Giants | Age in 2026 season: 25
A smaller slot receiver (5’8″, 185), Robinson has added vertical juice in New York, posting 14 receptions of 20+ yards in 2025 and providing steady volume with at least 92 catches across the past two seasons. He’s a reliable multi-level target.
42) (Super Bowl-related aside) — referenced in original.
43) Terrell Edmunds/David? — 2025 team: Los Angeles Rams | Age in 2026 season: 27
Karl (the player described) is a dependable defender who has been available for at least 16 games the last three seasons and limits deep throws while making tackles; he reached a career-high 122 tackles with two interceptions and two sacks in 2025.
44) Joe Thomas/Joe? (Bitonio) — 2025 team: Cleveland Browns | Age in 2026 season: 34
Bitonio, a veteran guard with 178 career starts, remains a polished technician. He recorded a 96.4% pass-block win rate in 2025 (third among qualifying guards) and allowed just two sacks; if he returns for another season, he’d provide experience and consistency up front.
45) Bradley Mays? — 2025 team: Carolina Panthers | Age in 2026 season: 27
Mays offers length (6’6”) and power on the interior and can hold his own in pass protection and in the run game. His pass-block win rate in 2025 was 94.3%, ranking 20th among qualifying centers.
46) Jaquan Brisker — 2025 team: Chicago Bears | Age in 2026 season: 27
Brisker is a downhill safety who creates problems near the line of scrimmage, playing a key role in run fits, blitz packages and also dropping into coverage. After missing time in 2024, he played all 17 games in 2025 and has compiled four interceptions, seven sacks and 14 pass breakups over four seasons.
47) Charles Omenihu/Chenal? — 2025 team: Kansas City Chiefs | Age in 2026 season: 25
Chenal is a versatile defender who can play off the line, insert up the front or stand up as an edge in certain fronts; he’s effective tracking in run defense and has posted 193 tackles, seven sacks and 28 pressures across four seasons.
48) (Best of NFL Nation aside) — referenced in original.
49) Chuba Hubbard/Dowdle? — 2025 team: Carolina Panthers | Age in 2026 season: 28
Dowdle ran for 1,076 yards last season with 26 carries of 10+ yards, showing explosiveness on the edge and the ability to maintain top speed in zone schemes. He also contributed 39 catches, tying a career high.
50) Bryan Mone/Bryant? — 2025 team: Seattle Seahawks | Age in 2026 season: 27
Bryant is a instincts-driven safety who makes plays from deep and can rotate down to patrol the perimeter; he recorded four interceptions in 2025 and has been productive over the past two seasons with seven picks, two forced fumbles and consistent urgency.
Final note: some players listed above shared similar roles or overlapping descriptions in the original, and several video and sidebar elements were summarized rather than reproduced.
Fan Take: This free-agent crop could reshape rosters across the league — from pass-rush help and edge speed to dynamic playmakers on offense — and teams that spend wisely in March and April can flip short-term depth needs into long-term advantages. For fans, the coming market promises drama, unexpected signings and the chance to see how teams balance re-signing veterans versus betting on younger, cheaper alternatives.
