2025 NFL free agency matchmaker for NFC teams: Commanders beef up pass rush with Khalil Mack

We are now mere days away from the start of NFL free agency, and the market is beginning to take shape. Franchise tags have been handed out (or not). Contract extensions are being doled out left and right. Players are flying off the board in a free agent class that wasn’t expected to be all that impactful.

But still, everybody needs to find a way to upgrade their roster to compete with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, and the first step in doing so is figuring out a way to import talent by way of other teams. There are intriguing fits to be found, if you put your mind to it.

So that’s what we’re doing here today. We’re playing free agency matchmaker, identifying one potential target for each team in the NFC. The only rules are that the player has to be an outside free agent, and that we have to keep things within the realm of possibility when it comes to the salary cap. (So no, the Saints are probably not going to sign Milton Williams, for example.)

Got it? Ready? Good. Without further ado …

The Cards could really use some help in the pass-rush department after checking in 25th in the NFL in pressure rate, via TruMedia. Sweat has picked up at least six sacks in each of the last five seasons and is entering his physical prime at 28 years old. It doesn’t hurt that he had his best seasons under then-Eagles defensive coordinator and now-Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon.

The Falcons haven’t had a good pass rush basically since John Abraham was still playing there. They don’t have a ton of cap maneuverability, so taking a low-cost shot on a player with whom head coach Raheem Morris is familiar due to their shared time with the Rams makes sense.

Carolina really needs some help on defense. Recent rumors have the Panthers pursuing basically everyone at the top of the market on that side of the ball, but I like the fit of Holland here as a versatile chess piece on the back end. He didn’t have his best season in 2024 so he might come at a slight discount compared with what his ceiling is as a player.

The Bears have already begun their offensive line makeover with a pair of trades for Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney, but they still need a center. Dalman is pretty much a zone-blocking center only, but Ben Johnson’s Lions ran a ton of zone scheme runs last year. And if, as it seems, the Bears are setting themselves up to draft a running back early on, they need to get that center position solidified.

If you’re reading this, you have about as much chance of playing linebacker for the Cowboys next season as anybody else. They have Marist Liufau and Damone Clark on hand and that’s basically it, unless Demarvion Overshown makes a miraculous recovery from his devastating, multi-ligament knee injury. They brought in Eric Kendricks on a one-year deal last offseason, but could go for a bit more of a multiyear solution here with Spillane. 

Detroit Lions: EDGE Dante Fowler Jr.

Detroit really needs to give Aidan Hutchinson some help up front. There have been some Myles Garrett rumors out there from time to time, but general manager Brad Holmes said he doesn’t really see the Lions adding another elite edge. Instead, we’ll give them a pass-rush specialist who has shown for the last two years that he still has plenty of juice left in the tank.

If the Packers are going to move on from Jaire Alexander, they’re going to need somebody else to man one of their outside cornerback spots. Reed has been damn good for a few years now, albeit while being overshadowed by Sauce Gardner in New York.

I debated between giving the Rams Adams and Chris Godwin, with the theory being that the latter could slide easily into Cooper Kupp’s old role. But the Rams probably want to have Puka Nacua do more of that stuff, and getting someone who has more inside-outside versatility (and a better track record of health, given the health concerns they already have with Nacua) might make more sense. Either way, giving Matthew Stafford two elite receivers is always fun, so let’s do it again.

The Vikes are going to need to refortify their secondary this offseason. They’re going to lose Stephon Gilmore, probably going to lose Byron Murphy and might also lose Camryn Bynum. So, they need to bring in players who are both scheme versatile and have positional flexibility. Stephens fits the bill on both fronts, given his experiences with the Ravens.

How will the Saints actually create the space to sign a free agent? Who knows. But we have to give them one in the matchmaker process, and adding Onwuzurike to help the defensive interior seems like a nice direction in which to go.

For seemingly the millionth straight year, the Giants need help along the offensive line. Becton is coming off the best season of his career after kicking inside to guard in Philadelphia, but his ability to play either guard or tackle would make him a good fit here, as the Giants really need to throw bodies at their offensive line issue and figure out their “best five” later on. 

Philadelphia Eagles: DT Poona Ford

Milton Williams is probably going to be plying his trade elsewhere next year. The Eagles have Moro Ojomo to pick up some of those snaps, but they could still use another interior defensive lineman. They always figure out a way to get a low-cost guy to come in and outperform his contract, and Ford could fit the bill as that type of player.

Javon Hargrave is probably going to be a cap casualty, so the Niners are going to need some help on the defensive interior as well. In an ideal world they would get someone who has been a more consistent pass rusher during their career, but Wharton is coming off career highs in sacks and quarterback hits, and he’s heading into his prime. Give him more snaps, and maybe he can be even better.

Seattle’s interior offensive line is in desperate need of help. If Kelly elects to keep playing rather than retire, he is probably the better option at center. But if he decides to call it a career, then dipping into Green Bay and coming away with Myers is a solid enough backup plan.

The Bucs really need to get back to rushing the passer at a high level. Young hasn’t quite turned into the kind of player who Washington thought it was getting with the No. 2 overall pick back in the day, but he’s finally tapped into some of his pass-rush promise over these last two seasons, during which he’s notched 14 sacks and 36 quarterback hits. Tampa doesn’t have much cap room, but Young probably isn’t getting paid at the very top of the market anyway.

Dan Quinn can scheme up a pass rush with the best of them, but it’s better if he doesn’t need to. Give him some more talented players coming off the edge and he can do even better than he did a year ago. Mack also brings elite run defense to the table, which would be of major benefit to the Commies.