NFL Free Agent Pairings Part 2
DANIEL JONES
NEW YORK GIANTS
The New York Giants had a great season with rookie HC Brian Daboll but the more surprising result from this season was the development of QB Daniel Jones. Jones had a few shaky seasons to start his young career but during his year with Daboll he put up career numbers and led the Giants to the playoffs. Whether its through the franchise tag or a multi-year extension, the only real conclusion seems to be Jones staying in New York.
JAVON HARGRAVE
HOUSTON TEXANS
Houston is beginning a new era of football with new HC DeMeco Ryans and one upgrade that he will surely implement is brining in help on the DL. Veteran Javon Hargrave would be an immediate upgrade for the Texans following an 11 sack season with the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles. Not only would Hargrave bring a veteran presence to the young Texans roster but he would likely garner a decent contract, one that could allow him to finish his career in Houston.
JESSIE BATES III
ATLANTA FALCONS
In a previous article I matched CB James Bradberry to the Atlanta Falcons and his go around I add another DB to their defense in S Jessie Bates III. The Falcons defense allowed over 230 passing yards per game and bottom five in the league in takeaways which is why Bates would be a good addition to their secondary. Pairing Bates with Bradberry and AJ Terrell would give the Falcons a much-improved secondary and aid them in creating more turnovers and providing more spark and stability to the defense.
JOSH JACOBS
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Not a lot went right for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022 but one bright spot for the team was RB Josh Jacobs. The bell cow RB finished with a league best 1,653 rushing yards on 340 attempts, meaning he was a big reason for offensive success in Las Vegas. The future of the QB position is up in the air in Vegas so it be smart for the organization to secure Jacobs for at least another season until they have their signal caller for the future.
JAMEL DEAN
DETROIT LIONS
The Lions defense has some young pieces that will have bright futures like Aidan Hutchinson, James Houston and Kerby Joseph but the unit finished 2022 in the bottom of most major defensive categories. The secondary could certainly use an upgrade at CB and Jamel Dean could great a great addition. The Tampa defender is arguably the top free agent CB available this off-season and with the Detroit playing like a young team on the rise, adding a talent like Dean would go a long way for their secondary.
JAKOBI MEYERS
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
New England is known to let impending free agents walk in the past like JC Jackson and Trent Brown but in this instance I think they try to keep WR Jakobi Meyers for the future. The playmaker is the most reliable receiver the Patriots have and with Nelson Agholor hitting free agency it would be smart to invest in one of their own not just for 2023 but for the foreseeable future.