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NFL free agency bargains: Giants DE Robert Ayers

By Sayre Bedinger

Dec 6, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) is sacked by New York Giants defensive end Robert Ayers (91) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the Giants 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) is sacked by New York Giants defensive end Robert Ayers (91) during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the Giants 23-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NFL free agency market is full of great players this year, and one that could be had for a nice bargain is New York Giants defensive end Robert Ayers…

As we peruse the list of 2016 NFL free agents, one of the names that is sticking out to me as a possible bargain is New York Giants defensive end Robert Ayers, a former first round pick of the Denver Broncos.

Ayers notched a career-high 9.5 sacks this past season, 8.5 of which came after the return of Jason Pierre-Paul. Were the two directly correlated? Does it matter?

The answer to the first question is probably ‘yes’ but the answer to the second one is ‘no’. It doesn’t matter if he benefit from having a great player on the opposite side of the line as him, because he took advantage of opportunities better than he has in his entire NFL career.

Ayers was selected in the first round by the Josh McDaniels regime in Denver back in 2009. He was selected with the thought that he would play OLB in a 3-4 defensive alignment, and that was a horrible fit from the start. John Fox came along a couple of years later, and Ayers flourished as a run defender and occasionally flashed as a pass rusher before eventually being let go by Denver.

The Broncos, coming off of a Super Bowl loss, couldn’t afford to bring Ayers back after they pursued DeMarcus Ware in free agency. Now, coming off of a season where he logged 9.5 sacks in just 12 games, Ayers is set for another nice little pay day in free agency, but he’s also already 30 years old. No team is going to sign him to a huge contract, especially considering there are a lot of talented defensive linemen in this year’s free agent class.

One of the things that makes Ayers such a valuable player in this free agent market is his ability to play in any defensive look, in an odd or even front, and from either edge. He proved this past season his versatility, and the way he can make plays off the edge and from the interior.

Ayers is able to win with speed, and he’s able to win with power. His best trait is probably quickness and violent hands, but as a bigger DE, Ayers’ combination of speed and power is often hard for offensive tackles to handle.

If your team is in need of a very good starting defensive end, but you don’t want to pay $10 million or more per season for some of these big name guys who are coming off of rookie contracts, Ayers is a player who will be a nice free agency bargain, whether for the Giants or some other team.

This is a great look at his sacks from this past season…

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