9 best free agent pass rushers after Jadeveon Clowney joined Ravens
The pass rushing market was already thin Friday morning, but got it a little thinner when Jadeveon Clowney decided to join the Baltimore Ravens.
Clowney, 30, previously visited the Jacksonville Jaguars, but left without a contract. The team’s interest in a free agent pass rusher made sense given the Jaguars finished 26th in the NFL in sacks last season and didn’t make many changes at the position in the offseason.
Given the brief interest in Clowney, it’d make sense if the Jaguars peeked at the rest of the market.
Here are the best edge rushers still available with three weeks left until the regular season begins:
Melvin Ingram (34)
A three-time Pro Bowler during his time with the Chargers, Ingram has settled into life as an NFL mercenary. He split the 2021 season between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs, recording two regular season sacks and two postseason sacks, then played 2022 with the Miami Dolphins and recorded six sacks.
While his best days are certainly in the rearview mirror, Ingram had enough juice in the tank last season to earn his best pass rushing grade on PFF in five years. His missed tackle rate was at an all-time high, though.
Kyle Van Noy (32)
Van Noy is perhaps closer to a traditional, off-the-ball outside linebacker than anyone else on the list, but he’s spent his NFL career doing a little bit of everything. That has included rushing the passer, as Van Noy has recorded 22.5 sacks in the last four years.
Like most on the list, he could a little pop to a pass rush. But unlike the rest of the list, Van Noy could help in coverage against running backs and tight ends.
Carlos Dunlap (34)
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Dunlap may be closer to a defensive lineman in the Jaguars’ 3-4 defense at 6’6, 285 pounds. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as Jacksonville enjoys versatility in its defensive front and enjoys having players who can slot in anywhere from defensive tackle to outside linebacker a la Dawuane Smoot.
During his 2022 run with the Kansas City Chiefs, Dunlap recorded four sacks and notched four quarterback hits during the team’s postseason run.
Robert Quinn (33)
After a mid-career lull, Quinn came back with a vengeance in 2021 when he recorded 18.5 sacks with the Chicago Bears. He couldn’t recreate that at all in 2022, though, finishing with one sack and getting traded to the Eagles midseason.
While it was a rough season that included missed time due to minor knee surgery, the flip side is that Quinn still recorded 19 hurries on the year.
Carl Nassib (30)
While he’s younger than a lot of the players on this list, Nassib has never quite put together elite pass rushing stats. His best years were during a two-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2018 and 2019 when he notched 12.5 sacks.
In his return to Tampa Bay in 2022, Nassib managed 3.5 sacks and a career-low 12 total pressures.
Still, he’s been a consistent player throughout his career, recording a PFF grade between 64.7 and 69.2 in each of the last six seasons.
Jason Pierre-Paul (34)
Pierre-Paul is another three-time Pro Bowler who has settled into mercenary life after lengthy tenures with the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During his only season with the Baltimore Ravens, JPP recorded three sacks and 21 total pressures, the lowest total of his career.
While that raises plenty of questions about whether or not he still has gas left in the tank, a team may find a little production if it uses him in a rotational role. Pierre-Paul hasn’t taken less than 500 snaps in a season since his rookie year and could have a little more speed on his fastball if he transitions into a reliever.
Mario Addison (36)
Addison is the oldest player on the list, but he also started his career at age 24 and didn’t get significant play time until he was 26. After the slow start, Addison picked things up and eventually had a four-year stretch with the Carolina Panthers where he recorded 39 sacks. He then had 12 sacks in two years with the Buffalo Bills.
The 2022 season wasn’t as productive, though, as Addison finished with only one sack during his only season with the Houston Texans.
Bruce Irvin (35)
Similar to Van Noy, Irvin offers a little more than just sacks. But the 3.5 sacks he recorded with the Seattle Seahawks during the 2022 season came after back-to-back years with zero sacks.
At his best, Irvin was a player who caused problems behind the line of scrimmage. It’s been a while since a team other than Seattle could get much out of him, though.
Takkarist McKinley (27)
Former first-round pick Takkarist McKinley got off to an underwhelming, but not horrible start to his career with 16.5 sacks through his first three years with the Atlanta Falcons. The last three years were a train wreck, though.
McKinley was waived by the Falcons amid injuries and a trade request, but he failed physicals with both the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals. He finally landed with the Las Vegas Raiders, but never played for the team. He showed signs of getting back on track with the Cleveland Browns in 2021 before an Achilles tear ended his year.
Last season, McKinley played 18 total snaps with the Los Angeles Rams and recorded just one tackle. At this point, he’d be a reclamation project, but one with talent and traits that made him the 26th overall pick.
