Sheldon Rankins

When the Bengals signed DJ Reader away from the Houston Texans in 2020, it demonstrated a rare willingness to aggressively pursue defensive talent via the free agent market. Reader is now in Detroit, but the Bengals hope that they've struck gold with another former Texan in Rankins, who had 37 tackles and six sacks last season. The Bengals hope that Rankins, B.J. Hill and rookie Kris Jenkins can improve an interior defensive that was frequently exploited in 2023.

Rankins signed with the Texans during the offseason after his most productive season since 2018. The 29-year-old recorded a career-high 43 tackles, three sacks and added a forced fumble. He'll join another experienced tackle, Maliek Collins, to form the starting interior of Houston's 4-3 defense.

Rankins is a run-stuffing presence on the interior of the Jets' defensive line. He saw the field for 57 percent of New York's defensive snaps last season, totaling 32 tackles (15 solo) and three sacks in his first year with the team.

Rankins signed a two-year deal with the Jets in the offseason. The interior defensive lineman dominated to the tune of 40 tackles and 8.0 sacks with the Saints in 2018, but that season was a major outlier, as he's eclipsed 20 tackles and two sacks just one other time each over the course of his five-year career.

After his 2019 season was cut short due to an ankle injury, Rankins is expected to be at full health for the 2020 campaign. In 10 games last season, he managed just 10 tackles and two sacks and appeared limited due to a ruptured Achilles suffered the previous offseason. He started all 16 games in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and in 2018, he managed eight sacks and a forced fumble, displaying his on-field talents. Rankins should provide a boost to New Orlean's defensive front in 2020 if he can stay on the field.

Rankins fell short of earning a Pro-Bowl nod, but his 2018 season amounted to a breakout. Despite seeing the majority of his snaps at an interior-line spot, Rankins amassed career highs in tackles and sacks, both in raw totals (40 and eight) and on a per-game basis (2.5, 0.5). In recognition of Rankins' improved performance, the Saints exercised his $7.69 million fifth-year option this offseason, likely setting the stage for player and team to reach a long-term extension. With four-time Pro Bowler Cameron Jordan and up-and-coming 2018 first-round pick Marcus Davenport terrorizing opposing quarterbacks off the edge, Rankins shouldn't be subject to regular double teams. That offers hope that those 2018 numbers may be something Rankins can build on, rather than a one-year anomaly.

After registering four sacks and six quarterback hits during a promising but injury-shortened nine-game rookie season, Rankins recorded only two sacks, 26 tackles and nine quarterback hits in 16 starts a year ago. As a sophomore, however, Rankins was asked to split time between defensive tackle and defensive end for portions of the season, filling in for Alex Okafor (Achilles), who ended up on injured reserve. With Okafor's return to health and the Saints drafting Marcus Davenport in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Rankins is expected to return to an every-down role on the interior of the line, where he can hopefully use his elite quickness to harass opposing quarterbacks and regain the form he flashed as a rookie.

Rankins was selected by the Saints with the 12th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft but missed the first seven games of the season after suffering a leg injury during training camp. When he finally took the field, the rookie proved to be a disruptive defensive force, notching 20 tackles (15 solo), four sacks, and one forced fumble in nine games. Although most defensive tackles have only limited fantasy appeal outside of deep, position-specific IDP leagues, Rankins flashed an innate ability to rush the passer that may give him some value even in more traditional IDP formats.

Rankins, one of the top defenders on a tough Louisville defense the last two years, was selected by the Saints with the 12th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Though he lacks prototypical size for a defense tackle, Rankins is an explosive athlete who could start immediately alongside Nick Fairley on the Saints' retooled defensive line. Still, outside of position-specific IDP leagues, he likely has limited fantasy appeal in most formats.