In the NFL, there are quarterbacks, and there are the men who chase them.
The best teams have both. The good teams are at least solid in each area. This offseason, a multitude of teams should be aiming to address those positions. In that vein, there are a few impact edge rushers who are slated to hit the open market.
None better than Josh Allen and Brian Burns.
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Allen, 26, had an All-Pro caliber year, leading the Jacksonville Jaguars with 17.5 sacks. Allen was a consistent force despite having little help around him, racking up a career-best 33 quarterback hits.
Meanwhile, Burns went through a down year statistically while on the league’s worst team in the Carolina Panthers. With Carolina often trailing, Burns was seldom able to freely rush the quarterback, and he notched just eight sacks and 18 quarterback hits. Still, at 25 years old, he’s an elite talent who could be on the move.
Taking the Jaguars and Panthers out of the conversation (although in reality, they could both be looking to use the franchise tag or sign long-term deals), here are five teams worth watching in the bidding for the two edge rushers’ services.
5. Chicago Bears
The Bears have approximately $67 million in cap space, despite spending aggressively last winter with the signings of linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards.
If general manager Ryan Poles is power-ranking the roster issues, edge rusher should be chief among them. The Bears ranked 31st in sacks (30) and tied for 26th in pressure rate (18.8%). Chicago’s top sack artist was Montez Sweat, who produced six in nine games after coming over from the Washington Commanders in a midseason trade.
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While Sweat is a terrific player, he needs a running mate. After Sweat, defensive tackle Justin Jones ranked second for the Bears in sacks with 4.5. Not good enough. If Poles wants Sweat to avoid constant double-teams, he needs to make another investment in his front seven.
4. New York Giants
The Giants are moving forward without former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, now going with Shane Bowen instead. While Bowen may prove excellent, he doesn’t have the experience of Martindale and will almost certainly blitz less, as his predecessor was one of the more aggressive play-callers in the league.
In 2023, the Giants thrived off one edge with second-year star Kayvon Thibodeaux, who amassed 11.5 sacks. However, there was little pressure from the other side, with nobody else on the roster accumulating more than five sacks.
Although New York has a host of offensive needs (including an improved offensive line and the looming contract question of Saquon Barkley), general manager Joe Schoen could attempt to build a dominant defense while figuring out the long-term plan at quarterback and beyond.
3. Arizona Cardinals
In his second year at the helm, coach Jonathan Gannon must lean into his expertise. A former defensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles, Gannon implemented his zone-heavy approach in Arizona last year, but the talent wasn’t there to achieve results.
If Gannon’s defense is going to work, it starts with getting home sans blitzing. In 2023, the Cardinals ranked 31st in pressure rate (17.1%) and 30th in sacks (33) without any notable names dotting the front seven.
Armed with cap space and a glaring need off the edge, Arizona should be ultra aggressive in landing either Burns or Allen, even if it means overspending a bit. With Kyler Murray now healthy, the Cardinals have to make progress in Gannon’s second season. It won’t happen without a far better pass rush.
2. Minnesota Vikings
Don’t sleep on the Vikings, who need to be prudent with Danielle Hunter potentially leaving in free agency.
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In 2023, Hunter finished fifth in the NFL with 16.5 sacks. D.J. Wonnum is also a scheduled free agent, meaning Minnesota could watch 24.5 sacks walk out the proverbial door. For general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, that’s a disaster which sets the defense back to ’22 levels.
Although the Vikings will always manufacture pressure under coordinator Brian Flores, in his blitz-for-days scheme, having an elite talent to center everything around certainly helps. With Hunter approaching his age-30 season, Minnesota could replace Hunter with a younger option.
1. Washington Commanders
After trading away Sweat and Chase Young at the trade deadline last season, the Commanders essentially punted on their edge rush.
Now, with the defensive-minded Dan Quinn taking over as head coach, Washington has to address the issue quickly. And, with the league’s worst pressure rate in 2023 (16.8%) paired with the most cap space ($73.6 million), there’s no more obvious fit than in the nation’s capital.
Quinn enjoyed the tandem of Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence with the Dallas Cowboys. While the coach won’t have that luxury in Washington, bringing in a talent like Allen or Burns would be a huge step forward when being paired with the interior presences of Da’Ron Payne and Jonathan Allen.
