RELATED: See the offensive players who will define the 2025 season.
It has already been a wild and wacky offseason for individual defensive players--and the fun has only just begun.
For a brief time, Cleveland Browns edge-rusher Myles Garrett was the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL after inking a four-year, $160 million extension that included over $120 million in guarantees. Defensive tackle Milton Williams received the largest contract given to a player who changed teams in free agency, joining the New England Patriots on a four-year, $104 million pact.
Of course, there's still much that will change with the NFL Draft looming. Some consider Penn State edge-rusher Abdul Carter the No. 1 overall prospect in this draft class. Many of those who don't believe that honor belongs to Colorado phenom Travis Hunter, whose ability to play both ways could impact IDP leagues in a way we have never seen before.
The impact of this offseason will continue after the draft. There are still a number of IDP-relevant veteran players who remain unsigned. Once the festivities are over in Green Bay, many of those players will find homes with teams that weren't able to fill needs in the draft.
All this is to say that while a lot has changed in IDP leagues over the past month or so, much more will between now and fantasy draft day. But the only thing better than IDP speculation is early IDP speculation. So, while the IDP landscape will look quite a bit different in June than it does now, it's never too soon to point out some players who could define IDP leagues in 2025--for better or worse.
EDGE T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh
Over his eight seasons in the NFL, Watt has become one of the most feared pass-rushers in the game--with 108 career sacks, Watt has probably already stamped his inclusion into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. However, as Watt told reporters recently, there is one accomplishment he craves greatly that has eluded him to date--a victory in the Super Bowl.
"There's definitely an aura and a sense to a guy that has won a Super Bowl. There's a togetherness," Watt said. "There's a close-knit group of guys that when they come back for those alumni weekends, they hang out and they bond, and they talk about their successes on and off the field and that Super Bowl run. We want that."
Watt may want a Super Bowl, but he ain't getting one--not with this iteration of the Steelers. The bigger issue for IDP managers is that Watt is the wrong side of 30 and coming off a season where he recorded his fewest sacks (11.5) in a full season since his rookie year and fewest total tackles (40) in a full season ever. Watt was still a top-five defensive lineman last year in the Godfather's Default IDP Scoring, and he'll be the first defensive lineman taken in most leagues this summer. But his status as the overall DL1 is on shakier ground than it has been in years.
EDGE Andrew Van Ginkel, Minnesota
Not long ago, Van Ginkel was an off-ball linebacker with the Miami Dolphins. But in his first season with the Minnesota Vikings, the 29-year-old exploded, racking up a whopping 79 total tackles, adding 11.5 sacks, and finishing first in fantasy points among defensive linemen in fantasy points by a sizable margin. It was an eruption that led Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon to call Van Ginkel one of the league's most underpaid players.
"A rare veteran with a $10-million-a-year contract on this list, Van Ginkel outperformed his free-agent deal by a massive margin in a second-team All-Pro 2024 campaign," Gagnon said. "He would have landed a much bigger contract than $20 million over two years had he done that one season earlier in Miami. If he proves it wasn't a fluke in '25, he could double that AAV as a free agent again."
That Van Ginkel had a fantastic 2024 season isn't in question. What is in question is whether a player who will turn 30 before the 2025 campaign begins and who had never had more than six sacks in a season before last year can repeat those monster numbers. Van Ginkel will likely come off the board as a top-10 (or even top-five) defensive lineman--and in that spot, he's a prime candidate to be overdrafted.
LB Zack Baun, Philadelphia
Baun pulled a reverse Van Ginkel last year--after playing mostly as an edge-rusher in New Orleans, Baun moved to off-ball linebacker in Philadelphia and had a monster season--151 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and more fantasy points than any linebacker in fantasy football. That monster season earned Baun a three-year, $51 million extension from the Eagles, and the 28-year-old told reporters that he's eager to show that his coming-out party was more than a one-year deal.
"I really actually didn't want to leave," he said Wednesday via The Philadelphia Inquirer. "What we built here, the culture here, and honestly, now that I'm thinking about it, I was just a piece of the puzzle that was put into a great culture already established. I felt like, toward the end of the season, I was playing so confidently that I knew I was going to make a play. I just couldn't tell you what it was going to be or when or where, but I'm excited to build off of that confidence and continue to find myself in this scheme."
It may well just be that Baun finally found a role that suits his skill set better. But after his dominant performance in 2024, Baun will be in the conversation to be the first linebacker drafted--and possibly the No. 1 IDP overall. That's a steep price to pay for a player who had more than 60 more tackles in 2024 than his first four seasons combined. Should Baun regress in 2025, some IDP managers are going to have a real problem.
LB Cody Barton, Tennessee
The Tennessee Titans have no shortage of team needs in 2025. The team addressed their need at linebacker by signing seventh-year veteran Cody Barton to a three-year, $21 million contract. The 28-year-old had 106 total tackles last year in his lone season in Denver, but Matt Schauf of Draft Sharks was wholly unimpressed by the signing.
"If you look just at his numbers, the deal might seem to make sense," Schauf wrote. "Barton has logged 38 starts over the past three seasons, topping 105 tackles each of those years and supplying 5 INTs amid 12 passes defensed. But each of those three seasons also found his employing team letting him walk. Seattle did so after the first year it had elevated Barton to a starting role, following Bobby Wagner's departure. Barton played every snap of his 13 healthy games with Washington in 2023, but then the Commanders let him walk and signed two big-money LBs in free agency. Last year found Barton opening as a part-timer and then taking on full-time duty after LB Alex Singleton tore an ACL. Barton did earn career-best Pro Football Focus grades for total defense, run defense, and tackling last year. But among 100 LBs who played at least 200 snaps, Barton ranked just 52nd in overall grade and 71st in coverage grade."
Schauf isn't wrong--Barton is an average talent on a good day who has bounced around the NFL over the past few years. But the Titans didn't give Barton reserve money--$7 million a season would appear to show that Tennessee views him as an every-down starter. Now, the Titans could add some competition for Barton in the draft, but back in 2022, Barton was a top-20 fantasy option in Seattle. Matching (or bettering) those numbers with the Titans is a distinct possibility, and Barton should be available relatively cheaply.
S Nick Cross, Indianapolis
Each and every year in IDP leagues, there are defensive backs who come from nowhere to become fantasy stars. Last year, Nick Cross was one of those surprise stars--after starting just four games over his first two seasons, Cross topped 140 total tackles and finished as a top-three defensive back. Former teammate Julian Blackmon told reporters that he wasn't surprised to see Cross blossom in his third season.
"You never want to really tank a guy for not succeeding early because I think you don't get better until you get thrown into the fire," Blackmon added. "It might not be a year — some of your best players had terrible years and came out to be Hall of Famers. Like, your best players. So it's one of those things where, if you're not on the field, then how do you get better? And then when you get out there on the field, it's different from someone being hurt and filling the gap from being a starter and being consistent in that role."
The problem with Cross' breakout season is that we have also seen more than a few defensive backs erupt into prominence one year and then fade back into obscurity just as quickly. The Colts have already plucked down big bucks for Camryn Bynum in free agency, and there has been speculation that Indianapolis could also add a safety in the 2025 draft.
CB Travis Hunter, Rookie
Hunter is one of the most talked-about prospects in the 2025 draft--largely because he played both as a wide receiver and a cornerback at Colorado. One of the biggest questions regarding the 6-0, 188-pounder is whether teams view Hunter primarily as a cornerback or a wide receiver. In the eyes of Bleacher Report's Cory Giddings, Hunter is the former first and foremost.
"His combination of length, athleticism, and football intelligence makes him a valuable asset in both man and zone coverage schemes," Giddings said. "While he will need to refine his technique and develop more consistent footwork to handle NFL-level slot receivers, his rare physical gifts and ball skills give him a high ceiling as a defensive playmaker. Hunter's willingness to tackle and high motor add to his appeal, making him a well-rounded prospect with the potential to be a cornerstone of an NFL secondary. With proper development, Hunter has the tools to become a perennial Pro Bowler and one of the top cornerbacks in the league."
In IDP leagues where Hunter receives dual eligibility and the scoring awards points for both offensive and defensive achievements, Hunter has the potential to afford a massive advantage if he plays significant snaps--especially if that league requires cornerbacks. But with so much uncertainty regarding how NFL teams will make use of Hunter at the next level, there's also a real chance that Hunter could be overdrafted--especially in earlier drafts.
Gary Davenport ("The Godfather of IDP") is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year. Follow him on Twitter (Can't make him call it X) at @IDPSharks.