NFL free agency tiers: Barnwell ranks the best QBs, RBs, ...

What’s Happening

Listen up: NFL free agency is almost here, and we placed players on offense into tiers based on their potential offseason contracts.

2026 NFL free agency: Best players available on offense play Who should Vikings bring in to compete with J. (1:44) Bart Scott and Mike Tannenbaum disagree over which quarterback the Vikings should bring in to compete with J. (it feels like chaos)

(1:44) Bill Barnwell Feb 23, 2026, 06:10 AM ET Close Bill Barnwell is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.

The Details

He analyzes football on and off the field like no one else on the planet, writing about in-season X’s and O’s, offseason transactions and so much more. He is the host of the Bill Barnwell Show podcast , with episodes dropped weekly.

Barnwell joined ESPN in 2011 as a staff writer at Grantland. Follow on X Multiple Authors Email Print Open Extended Reactions NFL free agency is almost upon us.

Why This Matters

As the league attempts to maneuver through the snowstorm blanketing the East Coast and descend on Indianapolis for the combine, there will be plenty of discussions about which players are about to sign where and for how much money. Most organizations have spent the early parts of the offseason sorting out the players who are coming available, and we’re two weeks away from teams being able to negotiate and agree to terms with them. The legal negotiating window opens at noon ET on March 9, and free agency officially opens at 4 p.

Sports fans across the globe are reacting to this news.

Key Takeaways

• So, I’m here to produce my annual free agent tiers.
• This week, I’ll go position the offensive side of the ball.
• Next Monday, I’ll do the same on defense.

The Bottom Line

Which positions might benefit from having some cap casualties hit the market over the next couple of weeks? And where should they be more aggressive, knowing that there’s a huge drop-off from their favorite option to everyone else?

What do you think about all this?