2009 Free Agents -- DL Help

[raleigh-panther]

Given Panthers draft rounds available due to the Otah trade-up and our finish, here's the list of 2009 free agents which might help our line problems.

http://www.footballsfuture.com/2009/fa/dl.html

Julius Peppers, UFA, Carolina PanthersA freakish athlete, Peppers struggled in ’07, but has come back strong in ’08. Teams will be lining up to try and lure him away from Carolina with a huge contract offer. The 6’7” end has nine sacks and five forced fumbles through ten games. He could be the top free agent player as teams look to add an end that has had double-digit sack totals four times in six seasons, including 13 in ’06. He also has four career interceptions and has been making quarterback’s lives miserable since he entered the league. Peppers probably shouldn’t be able to do some of the things that he can and many teams would prefer to have those things happening for them rather than against them.

Albert Haynesworth, UFA, Tennessee TitansHaynesworth has had his share of controversy surrounding him, but lately he’s turned things around and has focused on simply playing the game. He has improved upon his ’07 season when he made six sacks and 40 tackles in 13 games. Through week eleven he has 39 tackles, seven sacks, and two forced fumbles. The Titans look like a different team on defense depending on whether or not Haynesworth is on the field; with him on the field they are one of the best defenses in the league because of the pressure he took off of others. Expect Tennessee to work hard to keep him in hopes that he continues to bolster their defensive play as a whole.

Terrell Suggs, UFA, Baltimore RavensBeing a converted linebacker has helped Suggs become a defensive end that can track the ball above average. In his first five seasons, Suggs had 299 tackles and 45 sacks to his credit. Through eleven weeks of the current season he is putting together another strong showing with 47 tackles, five sacks, and two interceptions. Suggs may not be as rewarded as Peppers or Haynesworth will be in free agency, but he will certainly be pursued by a number of teams who want to save a little money and still come away with a quality defensive end. Baltimore is constantly pumping out quality defensive players, so they may not be willing to match a big offer if one comes along, but they will miss Suggs if they lose him.

Bertrand Berry, UFA, Arizona CardinalsBerry has four sacks and two forced fumbles for the Cardinals in eight games of action. He may not be the most coveted potential free agent at his position, but he’s definitely effective when he’s healthy and playing his best. He’ll be looked at as a role player on the market and there’s a decent chance that the Cardinals will move on.

Other Defensive Linemen

Jonathan Babineaux, UFA, Atlanta Falcons

Rocky Bernard, Seattle Seahawks

Kevin Carter, UFA, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chris Canty, UFA, Dallas Cowboys

Shaun Cody, UFA, Detroit Lions

Jovan Haye, UFA, Tampa Bay Bucs

Tank Johnson, UFA, Dallas Cowboys

John Thornton, UFA, Cincinnati Bengals

Marcus Tubbs, UFA, Seattle Seahawks

[unicar15]

How about we resign Pep and keep the line we have now? I agree that we need some mid-level FA to spell the starters but right now our starters are solid as long as we have Peppers. I'm not disappointed with Charles Johnson and Brayton at all...they have stepped up the last couple of weeks and IMO will only get better. Drafting a second rounder to play some backup DT would be a kick in the right direction as well.

[SorthNarolina]

lol GIVE UP ON FAs!!!!

it will be all we can do to resign our own guys

start looking at early scouting reports for help in the draft, we will lean on that heavily this year

[ShutDwn]

Guys on there that I really like are Chris Canty and Bertrand Berry. Canty is technically a defensive end, but has pass rush abilities and the size to play inside as well, he would be a great rotation option and keep people fresh.

Berry has very good pass rush abilities and is getting a little older, so his price will be a lot lower and he would be excellent coming in on pass rush situations. He isn't too terrible against the run either, just not fantastic.

Then I would draft a DT in the second round and have him rotate in as well. I wouldn't expect him to start, we aren't dying at the position, but we need better rotation for sure.

Peppers, Johnson, Kemo, Lewis, Taylor, Brayton plus those guys I mentioned would be a straight up nasty defensive line. Very versatile

lol GIVE UP ON FAs!!!!

it will be all we can do to resign our own guys

start looking at early scouting reports for help in the draft, we will lean on that heavily this year

No, you don't ever give up on free agents. You just don't go out and blow money on one guy.

The best strategy for free agents is to use it as a role player system. You look for solid contributors like Brayton has been, then you try and develop stars. Signing low to mid level guys is how you stay afloat, sometimes they don't work out, but oh well you only paid them a very low amount.

We aren't looking for stars, we aren't even really looking for starters, I think we are just fine with Peppers, Kemo, Lewis and whoever wins Brayton and Johnson. But we need depth, and depth that can hold its own.

I think with Taylor and Brayton developing we could have some really nice pass rushers on the team.

[zebrainz]

Given Panthers draft rounds available due to the Otah trade-up and our finish, here's the list of 2009 free agents which might help our line problems.

Albert Haynesworth, UFA, Tennessee TitansHaynesworth has had his share of controversy surrounding him, but lately he’s turned things around and has focused on simply playing the game. He has improved upon his ’07 season when he made six sacks and 40 tackles in 13 games. Through week eleven he has 39 tackles, seven sacks, and two forced fumbles. The Titans look like a different team on defense depending on whether or not Haynesworth is on the field; with him on the field they are one of the best defenses in the league because of the pressure he took off of others. Expect Tennessee to work hard to keep him in hopes that he continues to bolster their defensive play as a whole.

Other Defensive Linemen

Jonathan Babineaux, UFA, Atlanta Falcons - listed as DE-DT, 6-2, 285

Rocky Bernard, Seattle Seahawks - 6-3, 293

Kevin Carter, UFA, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, listed as DE-DT, 6-5, 290, 14 year vet (too old)

Shaun Cody, UFA, Detroit Lions - 6-3, 294,

Jovan Haye, UFA, Tampa Bay Bucs, 6-2, 284, doubt he'd come back

Tank Johnson, UFA, Dallas Cowboys, not an option with current ownership

John Thornton, UFA, Cincinnati Bengals, 6-3, 294, 10 yr vet, only played 13 games this yr so far

Marcus Tubbs, UFA, Seattle Seahawks - 6-4, 324 hasn't played since '06, there's a story there, but I don't know it

Fixed with DEs removed (I don't think we need one).

With the exception of Haynesworth, I don't see a real run stuffer unless we're willing to take on a project. Someone else thought we might approach this like we approached the o-line this past off season. I like that idea. Bring in a bunch of projects, injury reclaimations etc. and see if we can find a Vincent type veteran for the d-line.

[hdevonxz]

Albert Haynesworth would be a great addition.

With him we coud put the Dominace back in defense.

[frash.exe]

Rocky Bernard looks like an intriguing low cost run stuffer.

Seattle had a very productive DT rotation a few years back, that helped take them a long way. We could use Bernard, Kemo, and Lewis on a continuous rotation and help keep each guy fresh, Kemo has been known to get winded and I think a play on the sidelines here and there will keep him from getting exhausted.

[littlebigman89]

The Panthers have bad luck in FA for the most part, at least with high dollar ones. I don't trust them spending much money on free agents.

[raleigh-panther]

Kemo was a free agent....so is Troy Vincent.

I think they learned their lesson with Sean Gilbert (God I can't believe I remembered his name) Hartwig and a few others.

We do not have enough draft picks in 2009 to fix the lack of depth and we will be drafting very low. Defensive tackles, ones that are worth anything, typically are gone by Round 3. They are hot commodity...sure, there are some that get through 4-7 but they are rare.

We need bodies...better bodies then we have now to backup Lewis and Kemo. Johnson and Taylor are more DEs.

[SorthNarolina]

I think we can definatley find servicable back ups/future starters in the draft

if we can find some mid/lower level FAs that would be welcome as well

but in no way will we be able to get any sort of stud free agent, we already have two studs to resign, you gotta be realistic there

hell we really dont even NEED a stud DT or a 1st round rookie, we've done fine without jenkins when we had a good rotation, we just need better back ups who can play closer to the level of our starters

we have a ton of guys to resign this year