Top-20 available players in 2016 NFL free agency

By HOGAN LEPORE

The NFL games are now done with, however the NFL season never stops. As scouts look ahead to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis to watch the potential draft picks, fans and analysts who love to speculate look forward to free agency.

NFL Free Agency is very unpredictable due to the fact that no one knows what is going through the minds of all the 32 general managers across the league.

Also, free agency is more about the drama than it is about the production as a result of free agency. NFL free agency is quality over quantity when it comes to signings. As previous years have shown, teams who spend the most money in free agency do not see those investments pay off on the field.

The Miami Dolphins finished last season 8-8. According to Sports Cheat Sheet, in the 2014 free agency period the Dolphins spent a little under $460 million. $155 million on outside acquisitions, $126 million on extending contracts, $28 million on draft selections and $28 million on undrafted rookies. With a great deal of money spent on talent, the Dolphins seemed to be trending upward… until the actual games rolled around.

This past season Miami finished 6-10, two wins short of their previous record of 8-8. The point is free agent signings do not always work. In fact, many successful organizations ignore outside hires and stick in-house and sign their own impending free agents, such as the Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks.

Even though free agency is not all it is cracked up to be, it is still fun to speculate. Although most of these impending free agents will be either re-signed by their previous organizations or franchised tagged, here are the top 20 soon-to-be free agents for the 2016 NFL Offseason.

Top 20 2016 NFL Free Agents

1. Von Miller OLB

2. Muhammad Wilkerson DE

3. Alshon Jeffery WR

4. Malik Jackson DE

5. Josh Norman CB

6. Eric Berry S

7. Olivier Vernon DE

8. Matt Forte RB

9. Russell Okung OT

10. Cordy Glenn OT

11. Lamar Miller RB