7 Best Tier 2 Edge Rushers Hitting the Market This Offseason Part 1

BY ADAM GREENE

We’ve already released our listing of Tier 1 edge rushers hitting the market, but who lands in Tier 2?

As I described in the opener to this series, Tier 1 rushers are worth a franchise tag, whether they get one or not. They’re young, probably hitting their second contract or just had a breakout season.

TIER 2 are elite rushers that come with a little dead weight. Perhaps they’ve had an injury history or an off year, but they have the pedigree that makes them worth a solid look and a multi-year deal. You might be rolling the dice a little, but if it works out, you’ve got Tier 1 ability at a Tier 2 price.

So who fits that bill?

1. ROBERT QUINN, DE, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT

2019: 34 tackles, 13 for a loss, 11.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, three passes defended

Quinn had his best season in years in the Dallas Cowboys defense, hand picking that team as the Miami Dolphins sought to cut him and his contract loose after an off 2018.

If Quinn had been healthy for most of his career, we’d be talking about him in terms of Canton, not in Tier 2 of an edge rusher list. Unfortunately, since his fifth season he’s played exactly one 16-game season and it was his lone year with the Dolphins.

Quinn did that damage in 14 games with the Cowboys. He’s a guy that racked up three straight seasons of double-digit sacks in his heyday with the then St. Louis Rams, led the NFL with 23 tackles for a loss in 2013 and five forced fumbles in 2014. He’s 29 years old and has one more good contract in him and, if he stays healthy, could rack up 30-plus sacks in the next three years.

Where he should end up: Buffalo Bills

The Bills are a team which no elite free agents will want to play. That means they’ll have to pony up the cash and hope for the best with guys that have a little wear and tear on them. Quinn is an instant upgrade on a team that saw no edge rusher record more than 6.5 sacks last season and that guy, Shaq Lawson, is a free agent and will appear later on this same list. There’s a window in Buffalo, especially with Tom Brady possibly exiting New England and they better capitalize on it now.

2. MATT JUDON, OLB, UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT

2019: 54 tackles, 14 for a loss, 9.5 sacks, four forced fumbles

Judon blew up at the right time for his next contract and exactly the wrong time for the Baltimore Ravens to keep him. By virtue of consistently being pretty good, the Ravens are never in great salary cap shape and finding room for a guy that just made his first Pro Bowl when you’ve got other monster contracts on the horizon might not be a priority.

What makes Judon Tier 2 instead of Tier 1? It’s because, as good as he is, this might be where he tops out, a solid, upper level 3-4 outside linebacker capable of high single-digit sack totals. He’s a guy you want on your team. He’s not a guy you feel you must have on your team.

Where he should end up: Baltimore Ravens

There’s a chance the Ravens could hit Judon with some kind of tag. As a former fifth rounder, he has no incentive not to hit the open market and get paid what he’s worth. Baltimore will probably want to get something out of it other than a compensatory pick if he does. But, I don’t see anything more than a tag that allows the Ravens to match and, at his age and consistency, they might get priced out of keeping him.

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