2020 NFL free agents: Edge rusher

With the NFL's franchise tag deadline in the past, attention moves to the opening of the league's free-agent negotiating window on March 16.

These are the best edge rushers slated to hit the market.

By position
QB | RB | WR | TE | OL
DL | ED | LB | CB | S
Top 100

Edge rusher

1. Jadeveon Clowney

Clowney will likely never be an elite pass-rusher after topping out at 9.5 single-season sacks over his first six NFL campaigns. But the former No. 1 pick is capable of being the top dog in a solid rotation and is arguably unmatched against the run among edge players. Though Clowney's injury history may be concerning for some teams, someone will almost certainly be willing to give him the biggest defensive deal of the free-agency period.

2. Dante Fowler Jr.

Everything finally clicked for the former No. 3 pick in 2019. Fowler racked up career highs in sacks (11.5) and tackles for loss (16) in his first full season with the Rams following a 2018 trade from the Jaguars. The pass-rusher won't turn 26 until August, which makes him even more appealing, but teams could wonder how much playing alongside Aaron Donald helped spark Fowler's breakout year.

3. Arik Armstead

Armstead racked up 10 sacks in a contract year as part of the 49ers' dominant pass rush - one more than he managed over his last four seasons combined. The 26-year-old was always known to possess rare physical talents, but the additions of Nick Bosa and Dee Ford gave Armstead far more opportunities to showcase those abilities than he received in years past.

4. Jason Pierre-Paul

Pierre-Paul's 21 sacks in his two seasons with the Bucs tie him for the 11th-most over that time. While the pass-rusher was inconsistent in 2019 (five of his 8.5 sacks came in the final two games), he's still a great run defender.

5. Robert Quinn

Quinn, the league's 2013 sacks leader, looked reinvigorated during his first season with the Cowboys. The 29-year-old racked up 11.5 sacks in 2019, but he'll likely be too expensive for Dallas to retain. He should be Plan B for teams interested in Clowney.

6. Everson Griffen

Griffen opted out of his contract with the Vikings after bouncing back from a down year that included concerns about his mental health. Minnesota wants him back, but the team is unlikely to pay big money for a 32-year-old at the tail end of his career.

7. Shaq Lawson

Though Lawson hasn't unlocked the potential that made him a first-round pick in 2016, the pass-rusher had a career-high 6.5 sacks last year despite playing only 47% of the snaps on the Bills' deep defensive line.

8. Vic Beasley

Beasley led the NFL with 15.5 sacks in 2016, but the former first-rounder has barely exceeded that mark since, managing just 18 sacks over the last three seasons combined.

9. Mario Addison

Addison, 32, has produced a late-career surge. Despite never playing more than 70% of the Panthers' snaps, he's one of only two players to record at least nine sacks in each of the past four years.

10. Michael Bennett

Bennett recorded 6.5 sacks in a 2019 campaign split between Patriots and Cowboys. The veteran can still add depth to a defensive line, though he isn't the disruptive force he once was.

11. Markus Golden

Golden quietly enjoyed a spectacular season with the Giants, posting 10 sacks in 2019 following a pair of write-off years with the Cardinals.

12. Kamalei Correa

Correa came on strong at the end of 2019. Four of his career-high five sacks came in the final five weeks of the regular season. He added another two during the Titans' shocking playoff run.

13. Emmanuel Ogbah

Ogbah's 2019 campaign ended in Week 10 due to a pectoral injury, but the 26-year-old still tied his career high with 5.5 sacks while primarily playing a secondary role on the Chiefs' defensive line.

14. Carl Nassib

Teams looking for a rotational pass-rusher could do a lot worse than Nassib. He had 12.5 sacks in two seasons with the Bucs and is only 26 years old.

15. Cameron Wake

Wake has been one of the NFL's most rarefied athletes during his standout career, but at 38 years old, the pass-rusher has slowed down considerably. After racking up 22 sacks from 2016-17, Wake has only managed 8.5 over the last two seasons.