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From left, impending free agents Jadeveon Clowney (Seahawks), Byron Jones (Cowboys) and Chris Harris (Broncos). USA TODAY Sports: Steven Bisig | Joe Nicholson | Mark J. Rebilas

Three free agents who could turbocharge defenses

By Michael Nania, Sam Robinson and Chris Mueller | Last updated 3/2/20

The NFL scouting combine is over. Now the focus turns to free agency, which begins officially March 18. Yardbarker's Chris Mueller, Sam Robinson and Michael Nania each offer his most intriguing free agent not named Tom Brady.

Jadeveon Clowney: Why he fits with Colts

MUELLER: Although Clowney’s six-year NFL career with the Texans and Seahawks has been more solid than spectacular, he is the best all-around edge rusher in the free agent crop. The term all-around matters, too, because Clowney impacts games off the edge in myriad ways.

With Seattle in 2019, Clowney's defensive grade from Pro Football Focus was 87.3, nearly identical to his career-high 88 in 2018. That he posted that number while his sack total dropped to three (from nine in 2018) speaks to his overall impact. Clowney is outstanding against the run -– a 91.3 PFF grade since 2017 -– while still posing a threat as a rusher.

The perfect suitor for Clowney is a team that needs help with its pass rush and run defense. Enter the Colts, who were the definition of mediocre on defense in 2019. Indianapolis was 18th in the league in points allowed (23.3 ppg), and its rush and pass defense grades from Pro Football Focus were 19th and 20th, respectively. Only one Colts defender, defensive end Justin Houston, posted double-digit sacks (11) in 2019.

The Colts were tied for 15th in the league with 41 sacks but generated pressure on just 21.3 percent of dropbacks (23rd in NFL). Indianapolis has $86 million in cap space, second most in the league, and its defense is in desperate need of another star to complement linebacker Darius Leonard and emerging safety Malik Hooker.

Clowney is a good bet to improve his sack total from last season and continue to stand out against the run. Even if he doesn’t post big sack numbers, there’s a strong likelihood Clowney will still disrupt passing games. He had 13 quarterback hits in 2019, down from 21 each of the previous two seasons, but the Seahawks’ defense was seriously depleted, and opponents were able to key on Clowney.

The Colts faded late last season. But with the Jaguars still flailing, the Titans a possible candidate to regress, and the Texans -- Clowney’s former employer -- staring at a draft pick deficit, 2020 could be Indianapolis’ year. Signing Clowney would be a major step in the right direction.

Instead of playing against the Eagles twice each regular season, impending free agent Byron Jones could play for Philly, which desperately needs help at cornerback. Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Byron Jones: He makes perfect sense for Dallas rival

ROBINSON: The Cowboys' top offseason priorities are QB Dak Prescott and WR Amari Cooper. This multi-offseason contract puzzle will force Jones to leave Dallas in free agency. The former first-round safety has become a high-end cornerback, changing positions in 2018 and re-routing his career.

One of the best corners to hit free agency in recent years, Jones will receive immense interest. One fit would allow him the chance to join a strong roster, make top-market money and spend the rest of his prime showing the Cowboys they made a mistake. When free agency opens, Jones should sign with the Eagles.

Since being reinstalled as Philadelphia’s GM in ahead of the 2016 offseason, Howie Roseman has built one of the league’s best rosters. It allowed the Eagles to claim their first Super Bowl title. But the team needs younger talent. Eleven members of Philadelphia’s 2019 starting lineup are either over 30 or will be by 2020’s end.

While Chris Harris is more accomplished than Jones, he is three years older. The Eagles must ensure their splashiest 2020 signing is young enough to be a reliable presence for several years. Jones, 27, checks that box. The physical defender has proven dependable in containing outside wide receivers -– a skill the Eagles have lacked for years. Although Jones has not recorded an interception since 2017, he graded as a top-15 cornerback -– per Pro Football Focus –- in each of his two seasons playing the position. No Eagle corner has sniffed that level of consistency in that span.

The Eagles’ defenses ranked 15th and 19th in opponents’ passer rating in 2018 and ’19, respectively, but its defensive line talent far outflanked its corner contingent during their late-2010s rise. No Eagles corner ranked higher than 86th in PFF’s assessment last year.

The Eagles are set to enter free agency with the 25th-highest salary cap allocation to cornerbacks, at just $6.9 million. Roseman curiously did not upgrade at corner last offseason. By the trade deadline, the Eagles pursued Harris and offered first- and second-round picks for Jaguars All-Pro Jalen Ramsey. The Rams’ two-first-rounder proposal saved the Eagles, who can now sign a premier corner in Jones while retaining vital draft capital.

After trading draft picks for talent in recent years, the Eagles must shift philosophies now that Carson Wentz is attached to a franchise-quarterback contract. Jones could opt for slightly more money with a worse team, and franchises that play in locales without a state income tax will be interested.

But the Eagles have $41 million-plus in cap space, a talented roster and one of the NFL’s best front offices. The Eagles have played in 21 nationally televised games over the past three seasons -– three against the Cowboys. Exposure shapes perception, which is critical for All-Pro and Pro Bowl acclaim at a position where stats fail to tell much of the story.

An Eagles deal would give Jones the opportunity to be a contender’s missing piece while annually helping the Cowboys’ top modern rival compete for NFC East supremacy and more Super Bowl titles.

Longtime Broncos cornerback Chris Harris excels in slot coverage, a major need for the Texans. Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Harris Jr.: An ideal fit for Texans

NANIA: For nearly a decade, Harris Jr. provided the best slot coverage in the NFL for the Broncos. He ranked top 12 in fewest yards allowed per slot cover snap in every season from 2012-18. Opponents posted a passer rating of 69.4 (2012-18 league average 88.4) when targeting him, as they averaged a minuscule 5.8 yards per target (league average 7.2) and managed a brutal 13-to-18 touchdown-to-interception ratio (league average: 1.79-to-1).

But after outside cornerbacks Tramaine Brock and Bradley Roby left the Broncos in free agency, Denver moved Harris Jr. to the outside in 2019. He played a career-low 30 of his 638 coverage snaps in the slot last season -- the first time in his career that he logged less than 200 snaps in slot coverage.

While Harris Jr. managed to perform decently at his new position, he was not close to the same player. He yielded career-worsts of 9.9 yards per target and a 109.4 passer rating. His 69.9 overall grade at Pro Football Focus was still good enough for 33rd at the position (out of 119 qualifiers), but that mark was also a career-worst.

If a team has a spot for Harris Jr. on the inside, he can get back to playing at an elite level. The Texans are a perfect fit.

Houston can ascend to Super Bowl-contender status with an improved pass defense. The Texans may have defeated the eventual champion Chiefs on the road if not for their brutal secondary, which allowed a 97.6 passer rating in the regular season (worst among playoff teams). Houston was especially awful at covering slot receivers. Texans cornerbacks allowed 9.5 yards per target, eight touchdowns, and no interceptions out of the slot.

Houston has the ninth-most cap space in the NFL, via Over The Cap ($61.3M), so it can afford to win the bidding war for Harris Jr.

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