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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Dalton Schultz, TE

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR

Jamel Dean, CB

Cameron Sutton, CB

Miles Sanders, RB

Yannick Ngakoue, Edge

D.J. Chark, WR

Jonathan Jones, CB

Shaquill Griffin, CB

Ben Powers, G

Dalton Risner, G

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.