Newsday's Top 32 unrestricted NFL free agents 

You can tell a lot about folks by looking at the items they put out for yard sales. You can tell even more by looking at what they won’t.

As the NFL opens its annual swap meet with the start of official free agency talks on Monday (no deals, other than those with players who have been released, can be finalized until Wednesday), a close inspection of the wares that will be available — and more interestingly those that aren’t — paints a very clear picture of what is valued among front offices. In the market for quarterbacks, edge rushers and wide receivers? Good luck finding them without some well-worn flaws. The best of that bunch have already been locked up and won’t be seeing the light of day this time around. Need a safety, defensive lineman or running back? Have we got a deal for you!

While we await word on what could be the biggest quarterback move of the offseason with Aaron Rodgers’ potential move from Green Bay, most of the top strictly free agent-based movements at the position have already been made. Derek Carr signed with the Saints, Daniel Jones re-signed with the Giants, Geno Smith re-signed with the Seahawks and Lamar Jackson was franchise tagged by the Ravens (he can still be had, of course, with a huge offer and two first-round picks given to Baltimore). That leaves a somewhat unappetizing menu of available afterthoughts that includes Jimmy Garoppolo, Baker Mayfield and Jacoby Brissett.

Among the running backs, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard all received franchise tags as well, an indication teams like having top-tier running backs but aren’t necessarily in love with paying them or extending them for a number of years. They’re more disposable than recyclable. But there are some very good options that could be on the move including Miles Sanders, Jerick McKinnon, David Montgomery and Jamaal Williams.

Perhaps the deepest position in free agency is safety. Couple that with what figures to be a pretty good draft class at the position and teams should be able to find some buyer-friendly deals there.

With that said, here are Newsday’s Top 32 (one for everybody!) unrestricted free agents for 2023.

Happy shopping!

Javon Hargrave, DT
A big body in the middle (he’s listed at 6-2, 305) who can also get to the quarterback? Every team needs one of those. Hargrave has been a bit of a late bloomer in his career and has flourished the last two seasons with the Eagles. He posted a career-best 7.5 sacks in 2021 and then topped it with 11.0 in 2022, just in time for a new contract. According to ESPN he had a pass rush win rate of 17.2% when lined up in the interior, which was third-best in the NFL.

Orlando Brown, OT

Most thought Kansas City would use the franchise tag to keep their left tackle in place and protect Patrick Mahomes, but Brown will instead hit the open market. He’ll be 27 years old this season and coming off a year in which he allowed just four sacks on 769 pass-blocking snaps according to Pro Football Focus.

James Bradberry, CB

Released by the Giants last spring, he signed a one-year “prove it” deal with the Eagles. Then he went out and proved it. Bradberry has been one of the top corners in the league for three straight years and may wind up with his third team in four seasons. His now infamous holding penalty in the Super Bowl led to one of the most stand-up moments in postgame history and provided just a glimpse of the character teams can expect if they sign him.

Dre’Mont Jones, DL
Despite some lapses as a run-stuffer and a season-ending hip injury, Jones will entice many teams because he can create pressure from the middle of the line. He played just 13 games in 2022, his breakout season, but since entering the league in 2019 PFF says he has 138 quarterback pressures (19th best among interior defenders) and a pass-rush win rate of 14.5 percent (11th best). Pair him with a solid edge rusher the way he had Bradley Chubb in Denver and those numbers could go even higher.

Eric Kendricks, LB 
While part of the Vikings’ decision to part with the perennial 100-tackle linebacker is due to an overhaul of their suspect defense that past two years, Kendricks is also a salary cap casualty. While he may not be as spry as he once was when PFF rated him among the top coverage linebackers in the league, he can certainly make up for it with veteran wiles and still be a force in the middle of most of the defenses around the league.

Jessie Bates III, S (Good fit for Jets) 

After playing 2022 on the franchise tag, Bates gets to taste free agency after being one of the main reasons for the defensive renaissance in Cincinnati over the past few seasons. He’s the most well-rounded safety on the market combining athleticism with adherence to detail. In five seasons he has posted 479 tackles, 14 interceptions, three forced fumbles and 43 pass defenses.

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S

One of the most versatile secondary players in the league who can line up deep, in the box, or in the slot, Gardner-Johnson was traded from the Saints to the Eagles last offseason and helped lead them to the Super Bowl. Despite playing just 12 regular season games he had 67 tackles and a league-leading six interceptions. He returned for the playoffs and at age 25 will undoubtedly improve someone’s defense in 2023.

Bobby Wagner, LB
It isn’t often a second-team All-Pro and future Hall of Famer hits free agency for the second time in two seasons, but after not quite fitting with the Rams’ scheme in 2022 Wagner will be on the move again. Perhaps he will reunite with the Seahawks but whoever signs him gets a player who has been the preeminent inside backer for the past decade with very few if any signs of a fade in production.

Odell Beckham Jr., WR (Good fit for Giants)

There was probably more buzz about Beckham signing with a team in November and December than there has been so far in March, but the now 30-year-old had a workout for teams in Arizona this week to show exactly what he and his twice reconstructed knee are still capable of doing on the field. Thirteen months removed from that second ACL surgery he suffered in the Super Bowl with the Rams, it’s unlikely Beckham can be the superstar he was early in his career but he can certainly be a strong addition to a team looking to bolster its passing attack.

Frank Clark, DL

The two-time Super Bowl champ with Kansas City recorded five sacks, 35 tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in the 2022 regular season, but turned it on even more with 2.5 postseason sacks. His overall production dipped in 2022 – per NextGen Stats he had a sack rate of just 1.2 percent last season, his lowest since 2016 – but still just 29 he ranks third with 13.5 career postseason sacks (only HOFers Willie McGinest and Bruce Smith have more).

Rounding out the list (good fits for Jets in bold):

Mike McGlinchey, OT

Zach Allen, DE

Jakobi Meyers, WR

Jamel Dean, CB

Jordan Poyer, S (good fit for Jets)

Dalton Schultz, TE

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB (good fit for Jets)

Jamel Dean, CB

Cameron Sutton, CB

Tremaine Edmunds, LB (good fit for Giants)

Miles Sanders, RB

Mike Gesicki, TE (good fit for Giants)

Yannick Ngakoue, Edge

Ben Jones, C (good fit for Jets)

D.J. Chark, WR

Jonathan Jones, CB

Shaquill Griffin, CB

Ben Powers, G

Dalton Risner, G

Allen Lazard, WR (good fit for Jets)

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.