Top free-agent edge rushers

Ingram followed up his breakthrough 2015 season with an eight-sack 2016 campaign that established him as an emerging edge rusher after he grappled with injuries in his first two seasons. What separates Ingram from the pack is his work against the run; ProFootballFocus.com ranked him sixth among 59 OLBs as a run defender last year.

Three double-digit sack seasons in the last four years -- including last season's 11-sack tally with the Cardinals -- and eight forced fumbles over the last two seasons established Jones as one of the game's best off the edge. Cardinals president Michael Bidwill told Arizona Sports 98.7 that if the team couldn't work out a long-term deal, it would franchise the five-year veteran.

He wasn't all the way back to his pre-injury form, but with seven sacks, three forced fumbles and eight passes defensed in 12 games last season, he re-established himself as a playmaker off the edge. His blend of speed and size (278 pounds) remains rare.

Perry had long been a solid run defender in rotational work, but his pass-rush work opened eyes last year, as he racked up almost as many sacks in a single season (11) as he did in his first four seasons (12.5). Last year was Perry's first as a full-time starter; he started 16 games in his first four seasons.

Addison will be 30 in September, which could depress his market value, but he heads into free agency coming off the best season of his career -- a 9.5-sack, two-forced fumble campaign. Addison isn't a starter, but as a third-down pass-rush specialist, he's efficient. Plenty of players underachieved with the Panthers last year as they finished a disappointing 6-10; Addison wasn't one of them.

Peppers began showing some signs of age the last two years, but the 37-year-old pass rusher still had 8.5 sacks -- including one in the Packers' playoff-opening win over the Giants -- and has 29.5 sacks in his last 54 games, including postseason. He remains durable, and hasn't missed a game in the last nine seasons.

The Panthers brought him back last year and he responded with four sacks, three forced fumbles and two passes defensed. His double-digit sack seasons are behind him, but he is still a quality every-down presence who is stout at the point of attack against the run.

It would be no surprise if the Steelers brought back Harrison, and that remains a perfect marriage of player and team. Harrison turns 39 in May, but as he demonstrated on the two-point conversion in the divisional round at Kansas City, he still is capable of a burst that either leads to a big play or forces a holding penalty that transforms a game.

After 10 seasons spent mostly as a reserve, Alexander exploded last year, starting every game and finishing with 12.5 sacks -- 3.5 more than he had in his first 10 years combined -- along with six passes defensed, three forced fumbles and an interception.

Sheard is perhaps the most balanced defender on the market; he can generate pressure off the edge, he is strong at the point of attack and can hold his own when asked to work in pass coverage. He seems likely to get a much bigger contract than the two-year, $11 million deal he signed with the Patriots two years ago.

Jones can generate pressure, but struggles to convert that into sacks, with just nine in his four-season career, including one last year. There's still potential in his game, and he'll likely get a one-or-two-year contract to try to tap into that.

Branch was a solid contributor for Miami last season after four years with the Jaguars, posting a career-high 49 tackles and 5.5 sacks while making 11 starts, the most of his career. He's another edge rusher with a balanced skill set that keeps him on the field.

An underrated component of the Texans' dominant defense, Simon has 8.5 sacks in the last two years despite starting just 13 of the 27 games in which he played.

After notching 13.5 sacks in the 2014 and 2015 seasons, Smith tore his ACL in the regular-season opener last year, ending his campaign as it began. He will be nearly 12 months removed from the surgery by Week 1, but will that be enough to get him back to his old form?

After posting three or fewer sacks in seven of his first eight seasons, Walden exploded with 11 sacks last year, a rare late-career burst from nowhere for a 31-year-old player. But when measuring hurries and sacks, his total pressures were just about the same as usual; he just finished the job with sacks last year better than he ever had before.

As a former first-round pick, there's still some upside, but he has started just 16 games in his four pro seasons and with just seven career sacks, his NFL stint has been nothing short of a major disappointment.

His Super Bowl LI sack of Tom Brady reminded everyone that he still has the burst off the edge, and he has handled his pass-rush specialist role with grace and continued flashes of his prime, becoming a model for edge rushers who want to extend their careers. But at 37, does he want to come back for a 16th season?

Jones is solid, but many -- including myself -- thought he would be a much more productive pass rusher than he has been in his four seasons, with just six career sacks

Although he didn't live up to the contract the Browns gave him after he helped guide the Ravens to a Super Bowl XLVII win, he remains a solid contributor and locker-room presence.

Cole's 12th season saw a career-low two sacks as he missed nine games last year because of a back injury. He turns 35 next October and can still provide a rotational contribution when he's healthy.