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Adrian Kraus/Associated Press
The 2022 NFL offseason has seen an arms race unlike any other, as teams have been more aggressive than usual in beefing up. We’ve seen trades for Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson, and that’s just the major quarterback acquisitions.
J.C. Jackson, Khalil Mack, A.J. Brown, Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams all switched jerseys too.
Yet pressure remains to maximize rosters as the season creeps closer, and some high-quality free agents are still waiting to find a home.
Here’s a look at the top Super Bowl favorites based on the latest odds from Draftkings Sportsbook and a free agent who could help each.
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Winslow Townson/Associated Press
Super Bowl Odds: +600
It’s no surprise that the Buffalo Bills are the Super Bowl favorites, as they have the league’s most complete roster.
Their biggest concern is depth. They have it in a lot of spots, but the interior of the offensive line is one area where it could be better.
Rodger Saffold (left) and Ryan Bates (right) project to be the starters at guard. Per Pro Football Focus, Saffold was ranked 31st among eligible guards last year. Bates is more of a project. He made four starts last season and earned a respectable 64.3 grade from PFF while giving up no sacks.
If either of them gets hurt or Bates fails to grow into his role, the options are bleak. Cody Ford couldn’t hold down a starting job last season, and Ike Boettger was a liability in 10 starts.
The team has not re-signed Daryl Williams, but it’s worth considering. The 29-year-old has been in Buffalo for the last two seasons, knows the offense and can play both guard and tackle. That could prove incredibly useful as the Bills go after their first Lombardi Trophy.
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Matt Durisko/Associated Press
Super Bowl Odds: +700
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the league’s best linebacker tandems in Devin White and Lavonte David. After that, the positional picture gets murky.
Kevin Minter saw the most work as a backup off-ball linebacker for the team with 29 percent of the defensive snaps. He remains unsigned, though.
The fact that A.J. Johnson is still a free agent is a bit of a surprise.
It’s obviously a concern that the linebacker missed all but six games in 2021 with a torn pectoral muscle, but Josey Jewell suffered the same setback and the Broncos still handed him a two-year $11 million contract in March.
Johnson is 30 years old, but he’s only been in the league for four years. When he’s been healthy, he’s been a solid starter, especially against the run. Per PFF, he had two seasons with a run defense grade of 90.0 or higher in Denver.
A season in a part-time role with a Super Bowl contender such as Tampa could make him a sought-after starter in 2023 free agency.
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David Dermer/Associated Press
Super Bowl Odds: +1000
No reason to get complicated here. The Kansas City Chiefs acquired Melvin Ingram for the back end of the 2021 season, and he played an important role, including getting two sacks and three quarterback hits in the playoffs.
The Chiefs have not brought him back but did place the rare unrestricted free-agent tender on the pass-rusher, per Field Yates of ESPN. The tender is a one-year contract worth $4.4 million and demonstrates at least some interest retaining him.
The Chiefs did draft George Karlaftis, who was the No. 8 player on B/R’s final big board, in the first round, but that shouldn’t keep them from pursuing Ingram. Defensive end is one of those positions where depth is key.
The ability to rotate in fresh legs to get after the quarterback is critical to sustained success.
Bringing Ingram back would ensure a strong three-man rotation of him, Frank Clark, Karlaftis.
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Gary McCullough/Associated Press
Super Bowl Odds: +1000
The Green Bay Packers have taken their time to address the receiver position this offseason, but all hope is not lost.
Since the Davante Adams trade in March, the question of who Aaron Rodgers will throw to has been prevalent. Fortunately for the Packers, there’s a solid group of available receivers who are likely to end up taking team-friendly deals.
Odell Beckham Jr. and Julio Jones are the biggest names in that group. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network noted on The Pat McAfee Show that he expects the Packers to be involved in the free agency of those pass-catchers.
Since then, Beckham has declared his interest in re-signing with the Rams. He tore his ACL in the Super Bowl, leaving his timeline for a return in question. Julio Jones has only played in 19 games in the last two seasons because of injuries.
But intriguing options exist outside those two. The most reliable of whom is Emmanuel Sanders. The 35-year-old has been a consistent target and is coming off a season in which he played 14 games for the Bills and had 626 yards and four touchdowns.
The Packers already have big, fast receivers who can win at the catch point downfield in Allen Lazard (6’5″, 227 lbs) and Christian Watson (6’5″, 208 lbs). Sanders thrives in working the short and intermediate areas of the field and would work well with Rodgers.
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Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
Super Bowl Odds: +1000
Watching Von Miller leave for the Buffalo Bills was the worst aspect of the Los Angeles Rams’ offseason. With limited cap space, it’s hard to replace someone who made the kind of impact Miller did in his short time with Los Angeles.
He posted nine sacks after Denver traded him in November, including four in four playoff games on the way to a Super Bowl win.
Now, the Rams are left to trust in the development of Justin Hollins to play opposite Leonard Floyd. The 26-year-old appeared in just eight games last season and registered two sacks.
Carl Nassib won’t light the world on fire, but he does provide a decent floor. The former Raider is two seasons removed from posting six sacks as a part-time starter with the Buccaneers.
He never panned out as a free-agent signing in Las Vegas, but he’s at least worth a look for the Rams. They are 28th in available cap space at $5.4 million, per Over the Cap, so they likely won’t have the money to sign the bigger names on the market.
But Nassib can give the Rams a veteran option to take some reps and likely won’t come at a high cost.
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Rick Osentoski/Associated Press
Super Bowl Odds: +1400
Since the Los Angeles Chargers drafted Justin Herbert in 2020, they have done a great job of working toward putting a great offensive line in front of him.
That’s why it’s surprising the team has acted as though there shouldn’t be questions about the right tackle.
That’s not the case. Storm Norton was the starter there last season and blocked as though he had a personal beef against Herbert at times, giving up nine sacks, per PFF.
The Chargers used their first-round pick to get a starting guard in Zion Johnson. He’ll likely man that spot on the right side, but Trey Pipkins III looks like the presumptive starter at right tackle. He could work out, but the 2019 third-round pick only played 173 snaps in 2021.
He served a much bigger role in 2020 when he played 571 snaps. Still, he posted a subpar grade of 54.8 and allowed five sacks, per PFF.
Riley Reiff would at least work as a great insurance plan if Pipkins doesn’t rise to the occasion. The 33-year-old was solid for the Bengals last season in posting a 67.3 PFF grade before an ankle injury ended his campaign.
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David Becker/Associated Press
Super Bowl Odds: +1600
The San Francisco 49ers have one of the best tight ends in the NFL in George Kittle, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t benefit from another pass-catching option at the position.
The 49ers were among the teams that utilized 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) the least, only running out the personnel grouping on 10 percent of their plays, per Sharp Football Stats.
Part of that is because the 49ers use their fullback, Kyle Juszczyk, more than most do theirs. But it’s also because backup tight end Ross Dwelley, who’s a fine blocker, doesn’t bring much as a pass-catcher. He only had four catches for 51 yards last season.
Kittle hasn’t always been the most durable tight end either. He only played in eight games in 2020 and has missed a few contests nearly every season because of a variety of ailments, including knee, calf and foot injuries.
Jared Cook carries injury risk himself at 35 years old, but he’s coming off a season with 564 yards and four touchdowns. That would be useful Kittle insurance.
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David Richard/Associated Press
Super Bowl Odds: +1600
Another offseason is going by with Jadeveon Clowney waiting until late in the process to sign with a team.
Clowney and the Cleveland Browns are a no-brainer match. The Browns defense has a significant need for a pass-rusher to pair with Myles Garrett. Clowney is running out of teams that have the cap space to hand him something like the $9 million he made last season.
According to Over the Cap, the Browns have the most cap space with $27.4 million. That’s plenty of cash to get a deal done and have enough left over to get through the season.
The defensive end knows he can be successful with the Browns too. Playing opposite Garrett, he notched nine sacks in 14 games. It’s a number he’s only reached two other times in his career, and he did it in fewer games with the Browns.
Without Clowney returning, the most sacks by a returning Browns player is Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah with 1.5.
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D. Ross Cameron/Associated Press
Super Bowl Odds: +1600
The moment the Denver Broncos traded a treasure trove of draft picks and three players for Russell Wilson, they were officially in win-now mode.
That means they should be aggressive in addressing areas they can improve. After losing Shelby Harris in the Wilson trade, they acquired defensive tackle D.J. Jones. That’s a start, but the interior of the line could still use some pop.
Jones is a good run defender but only had two sacks and has never topped three in a season. Akiem Hicks had 3.5 and was limited to nine games last year.
Dre’Mont Jones and Harris were the sack leaders on the Broncos last season, so they relied heavily on their interior defenders to get a rush. Even at 32 years old, Hicks can wreak havoc when healthy.
According to Sports Info Solutions, he had 14 total pressures and six tackles for loss in nine games last year. In the loaded AFC West, the Broncos could use all the pass-rush help they can get, and Hicks has the flexibility to provide it from multiple alignments on the inside.
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