Houston Texans defensive end/outside linebacker Mario Williams is the rock star of this year's defensive free agent class, but that doesn't mean that there aren't many other intriguing options at all positions for teams feeling the need to improve their defenses beyond the draft. Here's our offensive free agency primer ; we now turn our attention to those players charged with the task of keeping the scores down Defensive Ends Williams will likely demand and receive a contract in line with what Julius Peppers got from the Chicago Bears in 2010: Six years and $84 million, with half of that figure guaranteed. He's the sure quarterback demolition machine in any 4-3 defense, and the fact that he was coming around at pass-rushing outside linebacker in Wade Phillips' 5-2 scheme before a season-ending injury in 2011 puts his value even higher. One of the most interesting players in this FA class is end Red Bryant of the Seattle Seahawks. Originally drafted as a tackle. Bryant became a real game-changer when Pete Carroll moved him to five-tech end and let him blow up everyone else's running game. 3-4 teams looking for more run defense out of their ends, like the Packers and Steelers, will surely give Bryant a look. Beyond that, look for John Abraham to get a lot of play as a rotational end in a 4-3, and Kendall Langford perhaps shopping his skills to teams missing out on Bryant but still in need of a hybrid player, Jaguars DE Jeremy Mincey is one of the most underrated players in this FA class; look for the smarter teams around the league to check him out. Add Chicago's Israel Idonije, Peppers' longtime bookend, to the underrated list. Mike Anderson proved that he could play in multiple fronts with the Pats in 2011, as did Andre Carter. Defensive Tackles A very interesting group here. With Sione Pouha's re-signing with the Jets, Miami's Paul Soliai is the best pure 3-4 nose tackle on the open market. At 6-fot-4 and 355 pounds, he can play in different spots inside, but Soliai's primary value is in soaking up blockers so that others can make plays. The Dolphins thought enough of Soliai to franchise him last year -- with their move to a predominant four-man front, some other team will benefit greatly from his abilities, even and especially when that team switches to nickel defenses and required their nose tackle to move around. Brodrick Bunkley was a hidden factor on Denver's defense in 2011, but the few people who looked past Tim Tebow on the Denver roster knew his value. Bunkley can play a role as a light tackle in a 3-4, but his best role is as a space-eater in a 40 front. At 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, Tennessee's Jason Jones could get looks at many positions -- straight end, straight tackle, or as a hybrid player capable of creating havoc all over the line. He's best-suited to a creative defensive coordinator with multiple fronts in his playbook. Those looking for more defensive tackles might be interested in the possibility of three former Saints -- according to some reports, Shaun Rogers, Aubrayo Franklin, and Sedrick Ellis could all be up for grabs. Linebackers Stephen Tulloch is probably the most versatile and effective linebacker in this class, but Seattle's David Hawthorne should be an attractive option -- he's played very well at middle and strong-side linebacker, and as it's become on the defensive line, versatility is important at the linebacker position as well. Hawthorne is not a pass-rusher, per se -- more a savvy run-stopper who can spy gaps in certain packages.
