As the 2026 season nears, NFL teams are closing in on key defensive free agents. Here’s a list of 5 guys that would elevate any teams defense, and where they might end up. After all, defense wins championships.
#1 Marshon Lattimore -> New England Patriots
Marshon Lattimore has had a long and successful career. After winning Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2017, Lattimore would go on to be a four-time Pro Bowler in nine years. New Orleans is where the 11th overall pick shined. Marshon would record 15 interceptions from 2017–2023.
Although he’d miss some time due to injury toward the tail end of his tenure with the Saints, Washington took the risk, sending New Orleans a third-, fourth-, and sixth-round pick back in 2024. After only a season and a half with the Commanders, Lattimore would unfortunately tear his ACL in Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season.
As he recovers this offseason, Marshon and his agents, Tory Dandy and Jimmy Sexton, aim to secure him the highest contract possible due to his veteran presence and experience.
New England, after just falling short of a Super Bowl last year, would be the perfect fit for Marshon Lattimore. The Patriots, currently fifth in cap space, have more than enough money to sign the savvy vet. He’d play as the corner opposite young standout Christian Gonzalez and give New England a second chance at a ring in their new era.
#2 Haason Reddick -> San Francisco 49ers
After shining as one of the league’s premier edge rushers in Philadelphia in 2022–23, Haason Reddick has yet to replicate his All-Pro performance. The nine-year veteran, after an underwhelming season with Tampa Bay, is now looking for a new home, one that can unlock his forgotten talent.
The San Francisco 49ers find themselves at number one in cap space currently. And if you know anything about Kyle Shanahan, he cannot stay away from a forgotten edge rusher. In 2023, the 49ers took a chance on a similar story in Randy Gregory. Gregory’s, like Reddick’s, best season also came earlier in his career.
As a role player in the 49ers system, and not starting a single game, Gregory still made his presence known, recording 2.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits. This proves Shanahan’s ability to identify lost talent and recycle it into a defense that attacks the quarterback.
If the 49ers take the shot and spend some of the money everyone knows they have, the addition of an edge rusher like Reddick, regardless of his role or playing time, would make a huge impact and give them an opportunity to capitalize on a closing Super Bowl window.
#3 Joey Bosa -> Washington Commanders
When interviewed by the San Francisco 49ers, Joey Bosa made it clear that he would not take a pay cut to play with his brother, Nick Bosa. If contract negotiations continue the way they have between San Francisco and Bosa, the 49ers may instead pursue Haason Reddick, who was previously mentioned. Last season, Joey Bosa’s production remained consistent, showing little sign of regression. Over the past four years, despite not playing a full season during that stretch, Bosa recorded 19 sacks and 81 total tackles. He was also named a Pro Bowler in 2024, another indication that he can still perform at a high level.
Head coach Dan Quinn of the Washington Commanders utilizes a “LEO” rusher in his defensive scheme. A LEO rusher is a hybrid defensive end/outside linebacker who is typically the team’s best pass rusher. Quinn likes to give the LEO freedom in how he attacks the quarterback, similar to how he used Micah Parsons during his time with the Dallas Cowboys. This would make Washington an excellent fit for Bosa, as he is a decorated edge rusher with the athleticism and versatility to pressure quarterbacks in a variety of ways.
#4 L’Jarius Sneed -> Los Angeles Rams
As the Los Angeles Rams sit at tenth in cap space for the 2026 offseason, defensive holes are something they should look into filling. And with their two starting cornerbacks already former two-time Super Bowl winners with the Kansas City Chiefs in Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie, they might as well add their old teammate in L’Jarius Sneed.
Sneed was a large part of three Super Bowl runs for the Chiefs from 2020–2023. His best season came in 2022, where he played an interesting role. Recording 3.5 sacks and 107 tackles from the starting cornerback position is phenomenal production. L’Jarius Sneed is never afraid of contact, and that is both a blessing and a curse for him. Throughout the course of his career, Sneed has experienced recurring quad injuries and a lingering chronic knee condition. The injury history is a large part of why the 29-year-old is still a free agent this far into the offseason.
Regardless of injury concerns and a dip in productivity in recent years, the Rams see an experienced postseason corner who is willing to put his health on the line for his team. Head coach Sean McVay, ahead of the 2026 season, is hoping for another shot at a championship before the retirement of future Hall of Fame quarterback and Rams signal-caller Matthew Stafford.
L’Jarius Sneed could be the boost this defense needs to get them there. Regardless of his role, Sneed wins and would fit a growing winning culture in L.A.
#5 Trevon Diggs -> New York Jets
The New York Jets are in full rebuild mode. After trading their star defensive back Sauce Gardner last season, the cornerback position is now a glaring hole. Trevon Diggs offers a possible replacement.
In 2021, Diggs had his best, and most controversial, season. Though he led the league in interceptions with 11, he also allowed the most receiving yards, with 907.
I think Stanford alum and Super Bowl–winning corner Richard Sherman put it best when he said:
What Sherman meant was that turnovers in today’s NFL often carry less weight in conversations about the “best” defenders. When people mention the top cornerbacks, you hear names of players who are rarely targeted because of their lockdown ability. But what about the type of corners who thrive on creating turnovers?
After all, the goal of a defense is to get the ball back to your offense, not necessarily to “lock down everyone.”
I think if the Jets, who sit sixth in cap space, took a chance on a ball hawk like Diggs, it wouldn’t hurt, especially during a rebuilding period. If New York were to acquire Diggs, they could begin forming an identity built around turnovers after becoming one of the first teams to finish a season with zero interceptions.
Other Notable Free Agents:
- David Onyemata
- Leonard Floyd
- Jimmie Ward
- Kyle Van Noy
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