Some nice defensive FA's even with the CBA

Ogunleye? Seymour?

Franklin, Hampton, Wilfork are nice prospects

Dansby kampman, Foote, brackett. Bullick


Dunta Robinson, Sharper, Ryan Clark




Defensive ends
You have to go to the other side of the ball to find something resembling depth at a position. Defensive end has some intriguing names with Kyle Vanden Bosch and Julius Peppers among them (Peppers could get franchised again or extended, though). I would expect the Buccaneers to try to get Jimmy Wilkerson extended before March, and Adewale Ogunleye is still productive for the Bears. I also expect the perpetually heavy spending Raiders to throw a lot of money Richard Seymour's way to try to keep him off the market after trading a first-round pick for him.

Jason Babin, Alfonso Boone, Tyler Brayton, Phillip Daniels, Ryan Denney, Nick Eason, Dwan Edwards, Jarvis Green, James Hall, Reggie Hayward, Vonnie Holliday, Jevon Kearse, Travis Kirschke, Leonard Little, Adewale Ogunleye, Julius Peppers, Cory Redding, Richard Seymour, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Jimmy Wilkerson, Renaldo Wynn.

Defensive tackles
I don’t know anyone in the league who doesn't expect the Patriots to franchise or extend Vince Wilfork, the cream of the defensive tackle crop. So we might as well take him off the list. The Steelers could opt to draft Casey Hampton's replacement rather than re-sign him, and he and Tank Johnson would have ample suitors as well. The strength of this free agent class is defensive linemen, but you're not going to see any Albert Haynesworth deals floating around.

Justin Bannan, Kendrick Clancy, Marques Douglas, Jason Ferguson, Aubrayo Franklin, Casey Hampton, Tank Johnson, Jimmy Kennedy, Ryan Pickett, Fred Robbins, Bryan Robinson, Ian Scott, Kenny Smith, Hollis Thomas, Vince Wilfork, Jeff Zgonina.

Linebackers
Linebacker has a few stars, most notably Karlos Dansby. Again, I foresee the Cardinals getting a deal done with him and not just letting him walk. Aaron Kampman has not been a great fit as a 3-4 linebacker but could make an impact elsewhere.

Tully Banta-Cain, Bertrand Berry, Gary Brackett, Keith Bulluck, Derrick Burgess, Khary Campbell, Brandon Chillar, Vinny Ciurciu, Danny Clark, Angelo Crowell, Karlos Dansby, Chris Draft, Larry Foote, Ryan Fowler, Scott Fujita, Tony Gilbert, Nick Greisen, Larry Izzo, Aaron Kampman, Paris Lenon, D.D. Lewis, Darrell McClover, Chike Okeafor, Junior Seau, Jason Taylor, Chaun Thompson, Pisa Tinoisamoa, Jeremiah Trotter, Jeff Ulbrich, Mike Vrabel, Tracy White, Matt Wilhelm, Sam Williams, Jamie Winborn.

Cornerbacks
The defensive backs are not nearly as strong. Leigh Bodden has been a good fit with the Patriots and he's another guy who may receive a new deal from his current club. Dunta Robinson tried to get a guarantee from the Texans not to franchise him again. Most of the rest have been barely hanging on, and age is particularly critical at these positions. Many have been cut recently already, and are nickel guys at best.

Dre' Bly, Leigh Bodden, Ralph Brown, Demarcus Faggins, Travis Fisher, Nick Harper, Walt Harris, Anthony Henry, Roderick Hood, William James, Nate Jones, Ken Lucas, Hank Poteat, Keiwan Ratliff, Dunta Robinson, Allen Rossum, Benny Sapp, DeShea Townsend, Frank Walker, Dante Wesley, Brian Williams.

Safeties
Among the safeties, Ryan Clark is a heavy hitter who is having another strong year for the Steelers. He'd have options with several clubs. But with Tyrone Carter, the Steelers' quality third safety, also able to hit the market, I’d expect the Steelers to keep one of them around. Jermaine Phillips would be a good addition to some teams, but the full list is not glamorous.

Will Allen, Mike Brown, Tyrone Carter, Ryan Clark, Nick Ferguson, Todd Johnson, Sean Jones, Kevin Kaesviharn, Ty Law, Marquand Manuel, Lawyer Milloy, Donnie Nickey, Jermaine Phillips, Pierson Prioleau, Mark Roman, Brian Russell, Bryan Scott, Darren Sharper, Matt Ware, Roy Williams.