NFL free agency 2025: Landing spots for top defensive free agents available
We released the best fits for the top 10 offensive free agents, and now it's time to reveal the best fits for the top 10 defensive players available when free agency opens.
Teams can begin negotiating with free agents during the legal tampering period which starts on March 10 at 12 p.m. ET. Free agents can officially sign with clubs when the new league year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 12.
Jevon Holland, D.J. Reed, Khalil Mack and Josh Sweat are four of the top free agents available on the defensive side of the football. Will they be wearing different uniforms at the start of the 2025 season?
Paste BN Sports examines the best landing spots for the top free agents on defense:
Jevon Holland, S (2024 team: Dolphins)
Best fit: Carolina Panthers
Holland is an impact player in the defensive backfield. He’s a sure tackler with the speed and range to cover a lot of ground. The Oregon product has registered 301 tackles, 25 pass breakups, five forced fumbles and five interceptions in 60 regular-season games.
The Panthers need a defensive overhaul after having the worst total defense in the NFL last season. Panthers safeties Jordan Fuller and Xavier Woods are both pending free agents.
Holland and cornerback Jaycee Horn would give Carolina two building blocks in the secondary.
D.J. Reed, CB (2024 team: Jets)
Best fit: Atlanta Falcons
Reed is in his prime at 28 years old. The corner is a bit undersized at 5-foot-9 but has good coverage skills. He allowed a 57% completion percentage and two touchdowns when targeted during the 2024 NFL season.
Reed could reunite with former Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich in Atlanta. The new Falcons DC knows Reed's skillset well.
Khalil Mack, EDGE (2024 team: Chargers)
Best fit: Los Angeles Chargers
Mack has been the Chargers' best and most consistent pass rusher over the last three seasons. The veteran turned 34 in February but is still disruptive coming off the edge. He’s a nine-time Pro Bowler and was invited to the Pro Bowl for three straight seasons as a Charger.
The Chargers cut Joey Bosa, which saved the club approximately $25 million in salary cap. They could use some of the extra cash on Mack. Tuli Tuipulotu is the team’s only starting-level edge rusher. Mack isn’t quite the force he once was, but the veteran still makes plays and is a leader in Los Angeles’ locker room.
Josh Sweat, EDGE (2024 team: Eagles)
Best fit: Los Angeles Rams
Sweat led the Eagles with eight sacks and tallied 54 pressures during the regular season. The edge rusher produced a game-high 2.5 sacks in a dominant Super Bowl 59 performance.
Sweat changed his representation, which signifies he's seeking a significant pay raise. Will the Eagles be able to re-sign him? Sweat gained leverage following his superb performance in Super Bowl 59. Pairing Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse with Sweat would form an imposing pass-rush duo.
Haason Reddick, EDGE (2024 team: Jets)
Best fit: Las Vegas Raiders
Unfortunately for Reddick, most of the news he made during the 2024 season came from his lengthy holdout. Reddick tallied just one sack in 10 games after skipping part of the season, snapping a streak of four straight seasons with at least 11 sacks.
Reddick desires a Pro Bowl-level salary. The Raiders have over $80 million in salary cap space via Over the Cap. Las Vegas has enough money to splurge on a pass rusher to pair with Maxx Crosby.
Nick Bolton, LB (2024 team: Chiefs)
(Editor's note: Bolton signed an extension with the Chiefs on Sunday.)
Best fit: Kansas City Chiefs
Bolton led the Chiefs with 106 tackles and 11 tackles for loss during the regular season. He's recorded at least 100 tackles in three of his last four seasons
The linebacker has been steady and productive in all four seasons in Kansas City. He wears the green dot and is the captain of the Chiefs defense. It would be a significant loss for Steve Spagnuolo and the Chiefs' defense if he bolts in free agency.
Justin Reid, S (2024 team: Chiefs)
Best fit: Kansas City Chiefs
Reid is an anchor in the defensive backfield for the Chiefs. His nine passes defended ranked second on the team in 2024. He’s a reliable safety and one of the best tacklers on the squad. He’s produced over 80 tackles in all three seasons in Kansas City. He’s by far the team’s best safety.
The veteran declared he wants to return to Kansas City after the team’s blowout Super Bowl 59 loss.
Milton Williams, DT (2024 team: Eagles)
Best fit: Arizona Cardinals
Williams registered career-bests in sacks (5) and QB hits (10) in 2024. He matched a career single-game high with two sacks in the Super Bowl. The defensive tackle turns 26 years old in April and has a high upside.
Arizona allowed 126 rushing yards per game and ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in total defense. They are without a disruptor upfront, and Williams could fill the void.
Talanoa Hufanga, S (2024 team: 49ers)
Best fit: Denver Broncos
Injuries have hampered Hufanga the past two seasons. The defensive back has played a combined 17 games in two years while dealing with a torn ACL and other bumps. However, Hufanga is one of the NFL’s better safeties when he’s on the field. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2022.
The Broncos ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in pass defense. Defensive Player of the Year cornerback Pat Surtain and Hufanga would be a scary duo in Denver’s defensive backfield.
Joey Bosa, EDGE (2024 team: Chargers)
Best fit: San Francisco 49ers
The Bosa brothers have both expressed a desire to play together. They have an opportunity now that Joey is a free agent. Injuries have taken a toll on the older brother. Various ailments have limited him to only 18 starts in the past three seasons.
Still, Joey is a productive pass rusher when healthy and on the field. Playing with his brother, Nick, might rejuvenate him.
Joey has 72 sacks, 87 tackles for loss and 17 forced fumbles in 107 career regular-season games over nine seasons.
Follow Paste BN Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.