2021 NFL free agency Shaquil Barrett lea

With the offensive explosion taking place in the NFL, having a dominant pa s rusher is more important than ever. Getting to the quarterback is the easiest solution toward stopping offenses, as the teams that put pre sure on the quarterback force mistakes and create turnovers. The top four teams in pre sures and seven of the top 10 teams in sacks made the playoffs this season, so having a strong pa s rush is paramount to succe s.Five of the pa s rushers in this year's free agent cla s ranked in the top 10 in sacks this season, so there's plenty of talent to go around for a team to improve its pa s rush. These players will command a high salary, as the price is worth it to immediately improve the defense and make a run at the playoffs -- and perhaps a deep postseason run.Free agency is a month away, but teams are already looking at their salary cap space in order to get their hands on these pa s rushers set Babe Ruth Jersey to hit the open market (you can also take a look at our rankings of the top free agent , , , and ). This is a deep cla s of free agent pa s rushers, and here are the top ones available come March 15, when teams can start negotiating with them:( ) TB OLB #7 Free-agent ranking: 1Age: 28Market Value: $19.7 millionBarrett didn't have the dominant sack season like he had in 2019 when he led the NFL with 19.5 sacks, but the outside linebacker is due for a huge payday come March. Barrett ranked sixth in the NFL with 42 pre sures despite having just eight sacks on the year -- and he tied for the NFL lead in hurries with 24. Barrett made his money in the postseason, having four sacks and 14 pre sures for Andrew Benintendi Jersey the Super Bowl champions -- including 11 combined pre sures between the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LV. Barrett has 27.5 sacks since joining Tampa Bay at the start of the 2019 season, the second-most sacks in the NFL in that span. He's going to get one of the biggest contracts for a pa s rusher in free agency and is the premier player at his position on the market. NYG DE #99 Free-agent ranking: 2Age: 26Market Value: $11.2 millionWilliams signed his franchise tag last season and earned every penny of that $16.1 million he received from the Giants. Williams, listed as a defensive tackle on the Giants' depth chart, was one of the best interior defenders in the NFL -- finishing with a career-high 30 quarterback hits and 11.5 sacks in his first season under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Williams' 42 pre sures and 12 hurries were third amongst all defensive tackles (behind only and ) and his 30 quarterback hits led all players at his position.One full season with the Giants made trading a 2020 third-round pick worth it for Williams. Williams deserves to get a huge contract in New York, but will it happen? If not, some team will be paying top dollar for one of the best interior pa s rushers in the NFL. LAR OLB #54 Free-agent ranking: 3Age: 28Market Value: $13.1 millionFour disappointing seasons in Chicago wasn't enough for Los Angeles to give $10 million to Floyd, who appears to be in line for a bigger payday after a career year for the Rams. Floyd finished with career highs in sacks Brandon Workman Jersey (10.5), tackles (55), quarterback hits (19), and pre sures (30) -- as an excellent complement to Aaron Donald on a Rams defensive line that finished second in the NFL in sacks (53) despite only blitzing 159 times.Floyd was ninth in the NFL in sacks, but was his 2020 a sign of what's to come -- or just a flash in the pan? Staying with the Rams may be Floyd's best option, but he's set to get a huge contract next month. ATL OLB #48 Free-agent ranking: 4Age:28Market Value:$18.2 millionDupree is one of the most underrated pa s rushers in the free agent cla s, as his 19.5 sacks over the last two years are the eighth-most in the NFL. After coming off a career-high 11.5 sacks and 68 tackles in 2019, Dupree's numbers dipped to eight sacks and 31 tackles in 2020. Dupree finished with 28 pre sures and 12 hurries for a Steelers defense that finished first in the NFL in sacks (56) and were the only team with over 200 pre sures this year. Teams that run a 3-4 and need a pa s-rushing linebacker will find great value in Dupree, who has the ability to thrive outside of Pittsburgh. Dupree will cost a lot, since he earned $15.8 million playing on the franchise tag Hanley Ramirez Jersey this year. CIN DE #91 Free-agent ranking: 5Age:26Market Value:$10.3 millionHendrickson always had a ton of talent, especially as he put his ma sive frame together this year for a dominant season at defensive end. Playing on the final year of his rookie deal, Hendrickson finished tied for second in the NFL with a career-high 13.5 sacks with 33 pre sures and 25 quarterback hits. Hendrickson started 15 games this year after starting just three in his first three seasons. A raw talent, Hendrickson (6-4, 270) provided much-needed help opposite of -- ranking ninth in quarterback hits and eighth at his position in pre sures.Henderson earned just $825,000 in base salary last season. A big raise is coming, but it will be hard for the Saints to retain him. IND DE #91 Free-agent ranking: 6Age:25Market Value:$15.5 millionNgakoue takes a lot of heat for not posting up big sack numbers, but he's one of the most consistent pa s rushers since entering the league in 2016. Ngakoue has 45.5 sacks, 96 quarterback hits and 18 forced fumbles in his career -- and is one of just three players with eight-plus sacks in each of the last five years (Aaron Donald and are the others). His 18 forced fumbles since 2016 trail only Mack (20).Ngakoue was traded by the to the Ravens after only six games and finished with eight sacks and a career-low 11 quarterback hits -- but had four forced fumbles. The 26 pre sures were the lowest since Ngakoue's rookie year, but the sack numbers and forced fumbles will be enough to get Ngakoue paid by some team this offseason. Another year in the Ravens defense could get Ngakoue back to his 2017 numbers (12 sacks, six forced fumbles). PHI OLB #7 Free-agent ranking: 7Age:26Market Value:$11.6 millionReddick was a disappointment in his first three years with the Cardinals, but his 2020 output (12.5 sacks) eclipsed his Pedro Martinez Jersey career sack total prior to this year (7.5 sacks). Reddick had five sacks and three forced fumbles in one game to inflate those numbers -- but that shouldn't take away from a three-game stretch where he had 7.5 sacks and six forced fumbles. Reddick proved he can play at an elite level witho