• SLB Adalius Thomas (Baltimore): Wind him up and he plays here, there and everywhere. At least in the Baltimore defense where, at various times, he has played all the linebacker positions, defensive end, safety and even cornerback. Not bad for a guy who, until three years ago, was just regarded as a great athlete and special teams ace. The seven-year veteran is a hybrid-type player who is effective in a 4-3 or a 3-4, and provides a defensive coordinator plenty of imagination. Thomas has 54 tackles and eight sacks so far this season, his third straight year with at least eight sacks, and everyone in the league knows about him now. The only conundrum for the team that signs him is the same one with which Ravens officials have struggled: He's 29 years old and some feel he might only have about three productive seasons left, so there is some question about how big a paycheck to write him.
• OG Kris Dielman (San Diego): After starting no games his first two seasons, Dielman moved into the Chargers' lineup in 2005, in part because of injuries, and was a revelation. He has quickly developed into a terrific in-line blocker, a guy who can maul defenders, and his protection skills have improved, too. A blue-collar, self-made player, the kind of guy who won't allow money to alter his work ethic.
• OG Eric Steinbach (Cincinnati): He's been a starter at left guard since his 2003 rookie season, and is a tough, durable blocker. Steinbach has missed only one game in three-plus seasons. Strong as an in-line presence, he's also a better athlete than some people think, and is an excellent technician. There are a few teams that suspect he might be able to play tackle. They'd be wise to go back and survey the video of the times he's moved outside, because they'll quickly realize it's a flawed notion. Steinbach is a guard, plain and simple, and a very good one. Cincinnati wants to retain him, but has paid out handsomely this year to sign fellow linemen Levi Jones, Willie Anderson and Bobbie Williams to extensions, and feels Steinbach will have a huge price tag it can't afford on top of those deals.
• CB Asante Samuel (New England): He's not real big, not particularly fast, and has never had more than three interceptions in a season. But the four-year veteran, who has been inconsistent at times in 2006, still has a lot of tools and plays a premium position. He'll be just 26 years old at the start of free agency, so Samuel has a lot of good football left. He's played in high-pressure games, is technically solid, and of course, well-coached. The suspicion is that he's more valuable to the Patriots than anyone else in the league. But if he gets on the market, he'll generate interest.
• DE Justin Smith (Cincinnati): The six-year veteran was certainly over-drafted in 2001, when he was the fourth player selected overall, and he'll never play up to that kind of billing. But Smith, hardly the kind of explosive, upfield right end that the computer would spit out if you asked for the perfect model, is still a very solid player. The key question: How much should a team invest in a guy who plays the run tough, but averages only about eight sacks a year? Smith's 8½ sacks in his rookie season still stand as his career high. He's got 6½ sacks through 10 games this season, but three of those came in the opener. A good, not great end, with only modest athletic skills. But a defender who lines up every week and knows how to play the game.
• WR Drew Bennett (Tennessee): Injuries in 2005 dramatically cut his production from the previous year, but the former college quarterback still averaged 69 catches, 993 yards and 7½ touchdowns in a two-year stretch, with 26 catches for 20-plus yards and nine of 40 yards or more. Bennett has struggled some with his consistency this season, dropping balls he normally would catch, but he's still a quality receiver. The lanky wideout should be a solid No. 2 receiver for someone.
• FS Deon Grant (Jacksonville): For a long time, the seven-year veteran toted around the label of not being tough enough. He's outplayed that knock during his tenure with the Jaguars. Still, it's tough to define at times just what Grant is, because he's not the ballhawking-type free safety you expect, but neither is he an in-the-box defender. Grant has 18 interceptions in six-plus seasons now, and hasn't had more than three since 2001. He does, however, get his hands on the ball, as manifested in his 48 passes defensed.
• WR Kevin Curtis (St. Louis): After a breakout 2005 season, in which he registered 60 catches for 801 yards and six touchdowns, with four catches of 40-plus yards, as the Rams' No. 3 wide receiver, Curtis has all but disappeared this season under a new coach and playing in a new system. For a wideout with his kind of speed, it's amazing he is averaging just 9.9 yards per catch. Teams need to go back and study the tapes from 2005, or even from the latter part of the 2004 campaign, to gauge his big-play ability. The guy can flat-out run. Two caveats: Curtis, who has started only 11 career games, might always be best-suited to the No. 3 role. And despite the fact he's only a four-year veteran, Curtis will be 29 years old when training camp opens in the summer. If he loses a step speedwise, his game will diminish, and so will his value.
• RB Ahman Green (Green Bay): The nine-year veteran is in the midst of a tremendous rebound season, one that not even his staunchest supporters could have predicted, given that a serious quadriceps injury limited him to five appearances in 2005. Going into last season, Green had posted five consecutive years of 1,000-plus yards, and was the Packers' workhorse in the running game and a solid receiver. He's got 155 rushes for 644 yards and three touchdowns in 2006 and doesn't seem to have lost much. But he hasn't played a full 16-game season in four years, and will turn 30 a few weeks before the start of free agency.
• TE Daniel Graham (New England): The former first-round pick (2002) has suffered through injuries at various junctures of his career, but given the resurgence of the tight end position around the league, he is going to be a player in demand. Graham is a very good blocker at the point of attack, and can seal off the edge, and he's a physical receiver, one who can run over people in the secondary when he gets rolling. He had 68 combined receptions in 2003 and 2004, but his numbers have fallen off as the Patriots have focused more on getting the ball to their other tight end, Benjamin Watson.
• DE Bryan Thomas (New York Jets): Regarded as a disappointment for much of his career, the 2002 first-rounder had just 6½ sacks in his first four seasons. But the switch to a 3-4 front has really benefited him, and Thomas has emerged as an edge player who can make a difference. He's already got a career-high 54 tackles, has played the run better than ever, and posted three sacks.
• SS Michael Lewis (Philadelphia): A starter since midway through his 2002 rookie year, and a former Pro Bowl defender, Lewis has fallen into disfavor with the Philadelphia staff this season, and lately has been relegated to playing linebacker in nickel and dime situations. It's hard to believe, though, that Lewis' game has regressed that much. He's got obvious shortcomings in coverage, and surrendered a lot of big plays early in the year, which cost him his starting job. But Lewis is a good tackler, a pretty aware defender, and a guy who usually averages around 100 tackles.
• DE/DT Cory Redding (Detroit): Might be the most anonymous player on this list, in part because he plays in a city that has become an NFL hinterland, but an interesting defender who can provide a team snaps at end or tackle. Redding has some quickness and he uses his hands pretty well. This season, he has 31 tackles and 4½ sacks. If he plays regularly for someone, he could average 50 tackles and about 7-8 sacks. He won't break the bank, but teams need players like him, and he'll provide nice return on investment.
• DT Michael Myers (Denver): Basically a throw-in to the 2005 trade that sent tailback Reuben Droughns to Cleveland and brought the Broncos defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban, but has played like anything but a spare part. An active, one-gap type lineman, but can play the two-gap style when necessary. Quicker than a lot of 300-pounders, but probably not as disruptive as some teams might want. He's never registered more than 3½ sacks in a season, but still provides some inside push. He won't get rich in free agency, because he is 30 years old and has some limitations, and his best bet might be to re-sign in Denver. A pretty interesting defender, though, at the right price.
• QB Damon Huard (Kansas City): The Chiefs will certainly attempt to retain Huard, who essentially salvaged their 2006 season, posting a 5-3 record as the starter after Trent Green was sidelined by a severe head injury in the opener. But given the shaky quarterback situations in a lot of NFL precincts, and the possibility he might be able to go somewhere and actually compete for a starting job, no one could blame Huard if he was tempted by the perception of greener grass elsewhere. Entering this season, Huard had just six starts in nine years and only one since 1999. But in eight-plus games, he has completed 146 of 241 passes for 1,824 yards, with 11 touchdown passes, just one interception and a passer rating of 97.6.
• Some sleepers: DE Dewayne White (Tampa Bay), CB Roderick Hood (Philadelphia), FS Ken Hamlin (Seattle), LB Matt Wilhelm (San Diego), OG Cosey Coleman (Cleveland), OT Tony Pashos (Baltimore), TE Eric Johnson (San Francisco), CB Travis Fisher (St. Louis), FB Justin Griffith (Atlanta), RB Ladell Betts (Washington), OG Vince Manuwai (Jacksonville), LB Kawika Mitchell (Kansas City), FS Kevin Kaesviharn (Cincinnati), CB David Macklin (Arizona).
