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Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney Sr. used to have a saying about paying his players. He said he never had a problem paying $20,000 to a player who performed at a $20,000 level. What he minded was paying that kind of money to a $10,000 player.
When it comes to NFL free agency, teams are working under that same premise, but they are also mindful of those situations in which they might get a player for a lower cost who will give them high-dollar on-field performance.
Here are 10 players who could fit that description:
Offense
Teams are always looking for a good bell cow running back, and Green-Ellis is by far the best candidate for that role in this year's free-agent crop. He is young (will be 27 years old in July), doesn't have much wear and tear (only 510 career carries), is durable (hasn't missed a game in the past two years) and has never fumbled the ball in his NFL career.
That's more than enough to justify giving him a starter-level contract, but it also should be pointed out that he is superb at getting the ball into the end zone (24 rushing touchdowns in the past two years). The Law Firm also has proved to be solidly productive in the good blocking yards per attempt (GBYPA) metric by posting 6.1 and 6.0 marks in this category the past two seasons.
Campbell posted fantastic numbers in a wide variety of metrics last year before his injury, but, as has been the case his entire career, circumstances cost him a longer-term shot as a team's starter. Some club is very likely to pay Matt Flynn a big contract, but combine the question marks surrounding Flynn with the upside Campbell has shown time and again throughout his career, and it illustrates why Campbell could end up as the better free-agent choice. At least as long as he doesn't suffer another unlucky break.
QB Kyle Orton
The general perception of Orton is somewhat marred by the fact that two teams (Chicago and Denver) had him as a starting quarterback and decided he wasn't a long-term solution.
Although that may indicate that he isn't ever going to be a top-10 quarterback, let's not forget that he had a winning record under center in three of his four full seasons as an NFL starter and is only 29 years old. More than a few teams saw their playoff hopes go down the drain last year when their starting quarterback got hurt, and Orton is just the type of backup quarterback who could resolve that issue.
TE John Carlson
Carlson is only two seasons removed from posting a double-digit yards per attempt (YPA) total on vertical routes, which is a sign of above-average performance at that position. What makes this extra significant is that the Seahawks' playcallers often weren't very aggressive with their use of Carlson and tended to use him on screens and underneath routes. If Carlson goes to a team that will be aggressive with the route calls for its tight ends (say, the Giants), he has the potential to rank in the top 10 at his position.
TE Jacob Tamme
To get an idea of Tamme's upside, consider how well he played when he was asked to fill in as the starting tight end for the last 10 games of the 2010 season after Dallas Clark was lost to an injury.
Tamme posted a 7.1 YPA mark in those contests, a total that actually bested the 6.9 YPA Clark had posted in those first six games. Although that was a bit of an off year for Clark, it shows what Tamme is capable of -- plus, he is a solid blocker.
Defense
CB Justin Tryon
When gauging Tryon, start by forgetting that the Colts inexplicably released him three games into the 2011 season.
Instead, remember his superb 2010 metrics (highlighted by a 5.4 YPA, ninth-best in the league among cornerbacks) and the fact that he played 2½ quarters with a broken arm when the Giants hosted Miami back in October. It isn't easy to find a player with that combination of coverage ability, toughness and special-teams skills.
CB Ronde Barber
There usually isn't much of a market for 37-year-old cornerbacks (the age Barber will be by the kickoff of the 2012 season), but this case is quite the exception. Barber has posted superb YPA marks in each of the past two campaigns (5.1 in 2010, 6.6 in 2011) and is a pro's pro whose leadership could prove quite helpful to any locker room.
CB Tim Jennings
He may have been benched by the Bears for the start of the Week 16 contest last year, but Jennings also posted a very good YPA (6.8) and had five near interceptions to go along with his two interceptions. Few cornerbacks are able to post quality coverage and interception totals, and Jennings has the capacity to do both.
Grant is very much what one would expect out of a box safety in a Perry Fewell system. He has good one-on-one coverage skills (5.8 YPA), is a solid tackler (his 64 total tackles ranked seventh on the Giants last year) and throws in ball hawking (at least two picks in all but one of his NFL campaigns). He also provides assistance in coverage calls. Age does look to be a concern in that he will turn 33 this offseason, but Grant also has never missed a ballgame in his 12-year career, so he should still offer ample short-term value.
How is this for a statistical line for a defensive end? Mincey led the Jaguars with eight sacks, was fourth on the team in tackles (57), was sixth in percentage of snaps played (93.5 percent), was second in tackles for loss, tied for first in number of forced fumbles and threw in an interception to boot. Productive, high-motor players like Mincey are worth their contract weight in gold.