Fantasy Football 2022: Top 5 NFL Free Agent Defensive Linemen
The NFL season just ended, but that doesn’t mean we’re finished talking about football. Truthfully, the NFL offseason can be one of the more exciting times in the sport, with free agency, the draft, and trades, not to mention the rumors and speculation swirling around these events. The legal tampering period for the NFL begins in a week, on March 14, and the gold rush officially begins on March 16 – so we don’t have much time left before free agency hits.
In the final installment of this series, we tackle the defensive lineman position (pun intended). While some of the top five are no longer spring chickens, they offer valuable experience and have shown they can still play at a top level when they are on the field. A younger team in need of a veteran presence could be very interested in the following five players.
While Akiem Hicks was injured for most of the 2021 season, he still totaled five sacks, five quarterback hits, and five hurries in nine games – showing he still has gas in the tank at almost 33 years old. He’s coming off of a four-year, $48 million dollar contract, but last year’s injury is likely to be brought up frequently by teams trying to offer a low-ball deal. The Bears have plenty of cap space if they want to re-sign Hicks to a shorter deal, but they might instead turn their attention to bringing in some offensive weapons to support Justin Fields. If Hicks doesn’t re-up with Chicago, the Chargers could be a prime landing spot after struggled against the run last season. LAC has cap space and Hicks has history with head coach Brandon Staley.
At 35 years old, Calais Campbell continues to impress teams with his defensive abilities – grading ninth among interior defensive linemen in overall defense during the 2021 season. He only had one sack, but he hurried the quarterback 19 times and had 34 solo tackles – making him a great run defense asset to the Ravens. He’s not likely to command any kind of long-term contract at his age, but he should continue to be able to play on one-year deals until he retires. The Ravens have been open about bringing him back if he wants to return but, if he doesn’t, the Patriots could make room for the veteran on their line.
After being traded from the Giants to the Bengals prior to the 2021 season, B.J. Hill put up career numbers. He ended the season with 12 combined sacks and 40 tackles, and he also intercepted Patrick Mahomes during an overtime thriller in the AFC Championship Game. At just under 26 years old, Hill has plenty of playing time left in him to command a multi-year contract. The Bengals have the cap space to sign him to a deal, and they should if they’re trying to repeat as AFC Champions. However, if they elect to spend on the offensive line instead, Hill could end up in Dallas with question marks surrounding the return of several of its defensive linemen.
The 49ers kept D.J. Jones on a one-year deal after his rookie contract expired in 2020, but they could be regretting that decision after the season he just had. He ranked 21st among all interior linemen in overall defensive grade for the 2021 season as he tallied three sacks, 20 hurries, and 48 solo tackles. The 49ers have some cap-space issues and may not work out a new deal with Jones. The Chargers, Browns, and Raiders could all offer up favorable multi-year contracts to lock down one of the top defensive linemen in the league.
Folorunso Fatukasi had a down season in 2021 compared to his previous two with the Jets, but he still managed to rack up 47 combined tackles and a career-high 16 quarterback pressures. The Jets have cap space to offer him a deal, but recent reports have indicated that they aren’t looking to to do so for 2022. In the event Fatukasi walks, the Cowboys or Chargers may be interested in his skill-set.
Information for the free agent series was collected from Pro Football Focus, Pro Football Reference, Over the Cap, and Spotrac.
NFL Top Free Agents By Position
Check out the rest of our Top 5 Free Agent series with breakdowns of each position on both offense and defense!
RELATED LINKS
Looking for the rest of the top unsigned free agents? Check out the links below for what's been published already:
- Free Agent Quarterbacks
- Free Agent Running Backs
- Free Agent Wide Receivers
- Free Agent Tight Ends
- Free Agent Linebackers
- Free Agent Edge Rushers
Player News
Dak Prescott said George Pickens is “more than a 50-50 catcher.”
Prescott in a Wednesday morning radio interview was effusive in his praise of Pickens, who was traded last week from the Steelers to Dallas in exchange for draft compensation. “You put the ball anywhere in his vicinity, very strong hands,” Prescott said of Pickens. “He’s more than a 50-50 catcher. ... I’m excited for him. I know that we need some help at that position.” Pickens, 24, who has 2,841 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns over three NFL seasons, is widely expected to see more single coverage in Dallas than he did as the unquestioned No. 1 wideout in Pittsburgh. Opposing coverage units won’t be able to shade safeties toward his side of the field with CeeDee Lamb threatening the middle of the field. Pickens shapes up as a volatile WR2/3 in 2025.
The Lions will play the Vikings on Christmas Day.
The Week 17 matchup between longtime NFC North rivals will be available exclusively on Netflix. Coming off a devastating Divisional Round loss to Washington last January, the Lions will be prominently featured by the league in 2025. Jared Goff and the Lions beat Minnesota twice during the 2024 regular season: A 31-29 Week 7 victory in Minnesota and a 31-9 Week 18 drubbing in Detroit. Goff combined to throw for 511 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in those games. Justin Jefferson, meanwhile, was limited to ten catches for 131 yards and a touchdown in the Vikings’ 2024 games against Detroit.
The Eagles will face the Chiefs in Week 2.
The NFL’s trickle of 2025 schedule news includes a Super Bowl rematch in Kansas City, where Patrick Mahomes and company will look for a little revenge after getting bulldozed by the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, 40-22. Philadelphia’s elite defense held Mahomes to a mere 226 yards on 32 pass attempts, with much of that production coming in fourth quarter garbage time. Jalen Hurts threw of two scores and ran in another as Saquon Barkley was held in check to the tune of 57 scoreless yards on 23 carries. If the Chiefs are to get back at the Eagles in Week 2, they’ll have to do a far better job of protecting Mahomes.
The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo believes RB Kaleb Johnson is a “schematic fit” for the Steelers offense.
Johnson, a third-round draft pick who last month was listed as a co-starter alongside Jaylen Warren on the Pittsburgh depth chart, was a hyper-productive back in Iowa’s zone-based rushing scheme, a system used frequently in Arthur Smith’s run-first offense. Only three college running backs in 2024 logged more zone rushes than Johnson. Johnson’s goals in offseason practices, according to DeFabo, “are to learn the playbook and earn the coaching staff’s trust with the hope of becoming an ‘every-down back’ sooner rather than later.” That might require Johnson to improve his pass blocking. The rookie said he’s worked on that with Warren — one of the best blocking backs in the NFL — in recent days.
The Chiefs will play the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.
The Week 13 matchup will bring Patrick Mahomes and the AFC champion Chiefs to Dallas for the day’s late afternoon game. It could be a shootout if key players on both sides are healthy. Dak Prescott heads into the season with George Pickens as a legit WR2 behind CeeDee Lamb, and Mahomes — who has talked this offseason about more explosive plays for the KC offense — will have Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce, Rashee Rice, and Hollywood Brown at his disposal. Mahomes has faced Dallas once in his NFL career, a Week 11 win in 2021 in which he threw for 260 scoreless yards. The hope for both the league and fantasy managers is that the Cowboys are still in postseason contention by the end of November.
Free agent Gabe Davis will visit the New York Giants.
Cut by the Jaguars after one season last week, Davis visited the 49ers on Monday. New York would be a reunion of sorts, as he played for Giants coach Brian Daboll in Buffalo. The G-Men already have several wideouts capable of stretching the field, but 26-year-old Davis could still be a decent role player in a strong offense. The problem, of course, is that the Giants profile as anything but, but rookie QB Jaxson Dart is comfortable throwing down the field.