Free Agency Preview 2021: Linebackers
February 5, 2021
by Steve Thomas
This is the second installment of our free agency preview series. So far, we’ve covered the following:
This week, I’m going to review the linebacker group. Because of the limited time before free agency starts, we will preview all of the linebackers in this column, not inside and outside linebackers separately, with a particular emphasis on those who may be a good fit for Washington this coming season. Therefore, we’ll primarily cover players who are a fit in the team’s 4 – 3 system rather than 3 – 4 outside linebackers who are really just edge rushers, which Washington doesn’t really need. I’ve also automatically eliminated anyone who is age 35 or older and anyone who is not an unrestricted free agent.
Washington’s 2021 linebacker group consists of Jonathan Bostic as the presumed starter in the middle, with Josh Harvey-Clemons, who is returning from his coronavirus opt-out year, third-year outside backer Cole Holcomb, 2020 rookie Khaleke Hudson, Jordan Kunaszyk, and 2020 practice squad player Justin Phillips as the remaining players in the group. Last year’s starter Kevin Pierre-Louis is a free agent, as is Reuben Foster. As a result, Washington is almost certainly in the market for one new starter on the outside, and could use depth as well. However, considering the uncertainty at quarterback and the need to re-sign Brandon Scherff, it doesn’t seem likely that Washington will spend big money on a linebacker. With that as a backdrop, let’s take a look at some of the available free agent prospects.
Lavonte David (6’1”/233, 31 years old): David was the 2nd round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of the University of Nebraska in 2012. He’s played and started 137 games in 9 seasons, making 1125 total tackles, including 806 solo, 24 sacks, and 12 interceptions. He was a First Team All Pro in 2013, a Second Team All Pro in 2016 and 2020, and a 2015 Pro Bowler. In 2020, he had 117 total tackles, including 82 solo, 1.5 sacks, and 1 interception. David is Tampa’s right inside linebacker in their current 3 – 4 system, but he was a weakside, outside linebacker when the Bucs used a 4 – 3. He’s probably the #1 non-edge rushing linebacker on the market and the star of Tampa’s linebacker group, so it’s hard to image him leaving the Buccaneers. His current contract paid him $10.05M in average annual value, so Washington would most likely need to go over $12M at a minimum, and probably much more, to have any shot at signing him.
K.J. Wright (6’4”/246, 31 years old): Wright was Seattle’s 4th round pick in 2011 from Mississippi St. He earned Second Team All Pro honors in 2015 and was a 2016 Pro Bowler. In his 10 year career, Wright has played 144 games, starting 140, with 941 total tackles, including 593 solo tackles, 13.5 sacks, and 6 interceptions. In 2020, he made 86 tackles, with 60 solo tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 interception. He was Seattle’s strongside linebacker, so he would fit nicely into Washington’s defensive system. Wright is coming off of a 2 year, $14M contract, so he’ll demand a big raise to come to Washington. Wright’s destiny most likely lies with the Seahawks.
Jayon Brown (6’0”/226, 25 years old): Brown was drafted in the 5th round of the 2017 draft out of UCLA by the Tennessee Titans. He’s played in 55 games in his four-year career, starting 33, and has 330 total tackles, including 216 solo, plus 9.5 sacks and 3 interceptions. In 2020, Brown played and started 10 games before going to injured reserve with a dislocated and fractured elbow, but made 76 total tackles, including 45 solo, 1 sack, and 1 interception. He was an inside linebacker in Tennessee’s base 3 – 4 system. He played well for the Titans, even considering his injury, so the Titans probably want him back but have a big salary cap problem. Brown is also expected to command a contract in the $12M – 13M range, so he may also be too expensive for Washington.
Matt Milano (6’0”/223, 26 years old): Milano was a 5th round pick by the Buffalo Bills out of Boston College in 2017. He’s played in 54 games in his career, starting 38, with 273 total tackles, including 184 solo tackles, 6 sacks, and 5 interceptions. Milano played in just 10 games in 2020, starting 5, as a result of a pectoral injury, but made 45 total tackles, including 35 solo, 3.5 sacks, and 1 interception. Milano was Buffalo’s weakside backer. He is a quality starter who the Bills want back, and there will also be competition for his services, so he’s probably going to require a deal in the same range as that of David and Brown.
Nicholas Morrow (6’0”/225, 25 years old): Morrow was a 2017 undrafted free agent out of Greenville University who fought his way onto the Raiders’ active roster as a rookie. In total, he’s played 62 games in his career, starting 29, with 254 total tackles, including 185 solo, 4 sacks, and 2 interceptions. In 2020, Morrow played 14 games, starting 11, and made 78 total tackles, including 62 solo, with 3 sacks and 1 interception. Morrow was principally on the strong side for the Raiders. Morrow did say that he’d like to stay with Las Vegas in 2021 and has been an important cog in their wheel; however, the Raiders have serious salary cap problems for this coming season, so it doesn’t seem likely that they will be able to bring him back. He played 2020 on a $3.2M restricted free agent tender contract.
Denzel Perryman (5’11”/240, 28 years old): Perryman was the Chargers’ 2015 second round pick from the University of Miami. He’s played 69 games in 6 seasons, starting 51, with 349 total tackles, including 250 solo, plus 5 sacks and 3 interceptions. In 2020, he played in 13 games, starting 6, with 48 total tackles, including 25 solo, and 1 sack. He has played in both a 3 – 4 and a 4 – 3, lining up at an inside position in the 3 – 4, and has played both in the middle and on the weakside in their 4 – 3 system, although he’s primarily known as a middle linebacker. One of Perryman’s problems has been injuries – he’s never played a full 16 game season in his career, and had back problems in 2020. Perryman is coming off of a 2 year, $12M contract extension. He can probably be signed for a reasonable contract if Washington wants to gamble on his health.
Eric Wilson (6’1”/230, 26 years old): Wilson was a 2017 undrafted free agent from the University of Cincinnati who made the Vikings’ active roster as a rookie. He’s played in a total of 64 games in 4 seasons, starting 25, with 234 total tackles, including 134 solo tackles, 8 sacks, and 3 interceptions. In 2020, Wilson played in all 16 games, starting 15, and made 122 total tackles, with 62 solo, 3 sacks, and 3 interceptions, which was by far his best season. He played the strongside position for Minnesota in their base 4 – 3 defense. Wilson has good coverage skills, but is weaker against the run. Contract-wise, Wilson played on a $3.2M restricted free agent tender contract in 2020, and Minnesota may or may not be able to bring him back considering their salary cap situation. Most analysts think Wilson’s price tag is going to be in the $9M/$10M per year range, which may be too rich for Washington.
B.J. Goodson (6’1”/241, 27 years old): Goodson was a 2016 4th round pick by the New York Giants from Clemson, signing a 4 year rookie contract. He spent three seasons with the Giants but was traded to the Green Bay Packers in September, 2019. Goodson then signed a one-year, $2.4M contract with the Cleveland Browns for the 2020 season. In total, he’s played in 66 games, with 43 starts, 251 total tackles, including 168 solo tackles, 1 sack, and 4 interceptions. He was a full-time starter for Cleveland in 2020, playing and starting 14 games at middle linebacker, making 91 total tackles, including 59 solo tackles, and 2 interceptions, and was also credited with a half of a sack. Goodson is a middle linebacker who is viewed as a solid starter but not as an elite player, so in that respect he may not be a big upgrade over Washington’ incumbent starter, Jon Bostic.
Kevin Pierre-Louis (6’0”/231, 29 years old): Pierre-Louis was originally a 4th round pick by the Seahawks out of Boston College in 2014. He spent 3 seasons in Seattle before being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2017 offseason. He then signed a 2 year deal with the New York Jets in 2018 that included a team option for the second year. Pierre-Louis was suspended for the first game of the 2018 season, then went to injury reserve that December, and the Jets declined their option for 2019 as a result. He then played the 2019 season on a 1 year, minimum salary deal. Washington signed him for 2020 on a $3M contract. In total, Pierre-Louis has played 84 games in 7 seasons, starting 15, with 184 total tackles, including 125 solo, with 2 sacks and 1 interception. This past season as Washington’s starting weakside backer, he made 56 total tackles, including 36 solo, and 1 sack. Pierre-Louis may have increased his value somewhat this past season, but he probably isn’t a high-demand player and thus could end up back with Washington for another season.
Reuben Foster (6’1”/228, 26 years old): Foster was San Francisco’s 1st round pick out of Alabama in 2017. He had a well-documented series of off-field personal conduct issues in San Francisco which led to the 49ers putting him on waivers in November, 2018. Washington, under former team president Bruce Allen, defied the rest of the NFL and claimed Foster despite him still being under NFL investigation. He was quickly placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, but the NFL concluded in April, 2019, that they had no evidence to support a suspension, which led to Foster’s reinstatement. Then, Foster suffered a very serious knee injury early in his first practice with the team on the first day of OTAs in May, 2019, tearing both his ACL and LCL, and went to injured reserve. He was subsequently placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list in late July, 2020. Foster was briefly activated in August but quickly placed back on injured reserve in early September for the entire season. In two years, Foster never played a single down for the Redskins Washington. Washington declined his fifth year option, making him an unrestricted free agent. It’s hard to imagine a team signing him for anything more than a minimum salary deal. That having been said, head coach Ron Rivera had complementary words for Foster at the time he was put back on injured reserve, so it’s not impossible to think that Washington brings him back if he can show that he’s healthy. Foster has an immense amount of athletic ability and talent, so if a miracle happens and he can get anywhere close to his early-career form, he could be a big contributor to a team.
Those are the major names on the market at the linebacker position (again, ignoring the 3 – 4 outside linebackers who are primarily edge rushers and thus not a fit in DC). Washington has to do something considering that last year’s starter, Pierre-Louis, is a free agent, and Khaleke Hudson probably isn’t a starting candidate at this point. The biggest question will be how much money they are willing to spend, and the answer is . . . probably not a ton considering that priority #1 for the team will be a big contract for Brandon Scherff. I’d probably angle for Nicholas Morrow, then Kevin Pierre-Louis as the primary alternative.
Let me know what you think in the comment section below.