American Football
Kenneth Walker, Alec Pierce, Trey Hendrickson: best free agency landing spots
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How often do we see a Super Bowl MVP, a wide receiver in his prime and one of the most dominant edge rushers of his generation all hit free agency at the same time?
That’s exactly the situation set to unfold next week, when Kenneth Walker III, Alec Pierce and Trey Hendrickson hit the open market on March 11.
With teams expected to line up for their services, we take a look at the most likely landing spots for each.
Kenneth Walker, RB
Landing spot: Denver Broncos
Despite the game-changing talent Walker brings to the table, identifying a franchise that meets the criteria to pursue him was tough.
While running backs have been devalued in recent years, Walker's next team would need to have ample cap space and the desire to commit far more than the league average for his position.
That means narrowing the options to a team that truly emphasises the ground game, rather than simply stating that they want to.
In the end, Denver made the most sense, narrowly pipping the Cardinals, Commanders and Panthers.
The Broncos were interested in David Montgomery, but the Houston Texans seemed determined to offer the Lions more compensation.
Walker would be an excellent consolation prize, and while he will likely command more money than Montgomery, he is just as talented and has fewer miles on the clock.
With J.K. Dobbins set to depart in free agency, I can see Sean Payton making a strong case to GM George Paton to secure the services of the Super Bowl LX star.
Alec Pierce, WR
Landing spot: Las Vegas Raiders
Equipping Fernando Mendoza, assuming he is the next Raiders QB, with pass-catching weapons will be critical to his early success.
Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers provide an excellent situation for any rookie QB to walk into, but Las Vegas needs a field-stretcher to force defenses to respect the deep threat.
Enter Pierce, whose 21.3 average yards per reception led the league last year.
The 25-year-old will want to be paid handsomely, and he has made no secret of wanting to be a WR1, but the Raiders are one of a handful of teams with both the cap space and a dearth of talent at receiver to satisfy both demands.
With that said, outbidding the Commanders, Jets and Titans could be easier said than done.
Trey Hendrickson, Edge
Landing spot: New England Patriots
Initially, it appeared New England would be targeting wide receiver help in free agency. Finding more wideout help seemed a certainty after they released Stefon Diggs.
But unless Vrabel's comments about finding a WR1 in the Draft were a smokescreen, it appears they will focus on reinforcing other areas in free agency.
The other area they should address, and which I’ve discussed at length here at DAZN News, is the edge position.
Hendrickson would not only fill a glaring need, but he would also give them the kind of player who could take their defense to the next level.
