If you take a look through the lists of the top off-ball linebackers set to hit free agency, many start with names such as
C.J. Mosley and
Anthony Barr, but neither of those names top our
list of the top ten free agent linebackers available in 2019. That honor belongs to the 26-year old linebacker out of Texas who spent his first four seasons with the
Philadelphia Eagles:
Jordan Hicks.
Hicks rebounded from an Achilles injury that limited him to just 268 snaps in 2017 to record an overall grade of 80.7 in 2018, tenth-best among 92 qualifying linebackers. It was the second time in his first four seasons that Hicks has found himself among the top ten at the position. In 2016, he graded at 88.3, which put him behind only
Luke Kuechly and
Jerrell Freeman. His only two seasons that didn’t end on injured reserve produced two campaigns where Hicks showed himself to be among the top ten players at the position.
The problem is that two of Hicks’ four seasons have ended on injured reserve. In 2015 and 2017, he was able to play a combined 714 snaps before being sidelined with pectoral and Achilles injuries, respectively. Those potential durability concerns aside, though, Hicks’ production in his time on the field should be a massive draw to linebacker-needy teams across the league. It’s not often that a player with Hicks’ talent hits free agency, set to be just 27 at the start of next season. He may not be the highest-profile name on the market, but he should be highly coveted, particularly given the skillset he possesses in coverage.