NFL free agents: Trey Hendrickson leads top 5 edge defenders available

Pass rushers are always in demand in free agency, and there’s a deep group of them available this season.

The list is led by Trey Hendrickson, who had back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons with the Bengals in 2023 and 2024, but there are more enticing players behind him. All teams could use more pass rushing help, and those pass rushers will dominate this free-agency cycle.

Here are the top five edge defenders available in free agency:

1. Trey Hendrickson

Hendrickson is one season removed from leading the NFL with 17.5 sacks and finishing second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting. There’s a reason he’s the No. 1 overall available free agent this offseason. Hendrickson is 31 years old and coming off an injury-plagued season with the Bengals in which he recorded only four sacks, but getting out of Cincinnati after a prolonged contract dispute could rejuvenate him.

2. Jaelan Phillips

Phillips has an injury history that limited him to seven games between 2023 and 2024. But he did play all 17 games last season between the Dolphins and Eagles, including a midseason trade to Philadelphia, and will be just 27 years old next season. Phillips is a productive pass rusher if healthy and his prime age is a plus as well.

3. Odafe Oweh

Oweh is a former first-round pick who just turned 27 and has 30.5 career sacks, including a 10-sack season in 2024. The Ravens traded him in the middle of last season to the Chargers, which was curious, but Oweh had 7.5 sacks in 12 games with Los Angeles. He plays a prime position, has a good draft pedigree and is still relatively young. He’ll get a nice contract.

4. Khalil Mack

Mack just turned 35 and now that he has said he’ll return for another season, he’ll have plenty of teams interested. Mack is coming off another solid season with the Chargers and is still a productive veteran. He has nine Pro Bowls and an NFL Defensive Player of the Year award on his résumé. He can still be an asset in his mid-30s.

5. K’Lavon Chaisson

Chaisson seemed to be on his way out of the NFL not long ago. He didn’t pay off as a first-round pick of the Jaguars, he was cut by the Panthers before the 2024 season but then had a promising year with the Raiders. Then he signed with the Patriots before last season and was a big part of an AFC championship defense with 7.5 sacks. As he enters his age-27 season, he looks like a classic case of a first-round talent who needed time and the right scheme to finally thrive.