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So a few things have happened across the NFL over the past week or so.
The greatest quarterback to ever play the game decided playing football was better than playing golf. Arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL was traded from a Super Bowl contender to a team with aspirations of being one. A Super Bowl champion quarterback who says he has 10 years left in the tank was dealt.
Oh, and the whole free agency thing started.
The biggest domino of all has yet to fall—Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson will reportedly take the weekend to decide how the next massive trade will play out. But there have already been major signings galore, whether it was edge-rusher Von Miller to the Buffalo Bills, wide receiver Christian Kirk to the Jacksonville Jaguars or cornerback J.C. Jackson to the Los Angeles Chargers.
All the player movement has altered the landscape of the league as a whole. Transformed the AFC West into a Faustian nightmare for the teams now forced to navigate it. And the needs for every team (both in the remainder of free agency and the 2022 draft) have changed—drastically for some.
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The Arizona Cardinals have been relatively quiet in free agency, focusing mostly on retaining players like tight end Zach Ertz and running back James Conner. It’s understandable given the team’s lack of cap space entering the week, but it also means that it hasn’t done much to address the holes on the roster.
The biggest is likely the defensive secondary. The Cardinals were seventh in the league in pass defense last year, but that was done with a patchwork cadre of cornerbacks. The Redbirds need both better talent and more depth there, which makes the position a popular target in mock drafts.
Jeff Gladney is an interesting flier, but the 2020 first-round pick of the Vikings is just that.
There’s also a need along the defensive front, both at the tackle spot and at edge-rusher opposite Markus Golden with Chandler Jones gone.
On offense, the team has the depth at wide receiver to weather the loss of Christian Kirk. But an average offensive line could use an upgrade over Max Garcia (who allowed four sacks and 17 pressures a season ago) at right guard.
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The Atlanta Falcons entered free agency with needs galore and not a ton of cap space with which to fill them.
The Falcons re-upped veteran tackle Jake Matthews, but watching linebacker Foyesade Oluokun sign a fat deal to join the Jacksonville Jaguars was a blow. Still, despite losing their leading tackler from a year ago, the Falcons have even bigger problems.
While Oluokun’s departure leaves a sizable hole in the middle of the defense, Atlanta’s biggest issue on that side of the ball is a pass rush that managed a meager 18 sacks last year—less than Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt managed all by himself. Atlanta released edge-rusher Dante Fowler Jr. in a cost-cutting move, so the Falcons need quantity on the edge almost as much as quality.
The Falcons are also woefully short of offensive firepower. With Calvin Ridley suspended for the 2022 season, the Falcons have arguably the most barren wideout corps in the league. Atlanta also managed just 85.4 yards per game on the ground last year—dead last in the NFC.
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Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has developed a reputation as a shrewd executive, and with good reason. DeCosta has already upgraded the league’s worst pass defense with the addition of safety Marcus Williams and addressed the retirement of Alejandro Villanueva with the signing of veteran tackle Morgan Moses.
However, while some glaring needs have been addressed, there are other bubbling just beneath the surface. The return of Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey will certainly help at cornerback, but after watching injuries devastate the position last year, depth at that spot would be welcome. It’s a similar story at offensive tackle. Ronnie Stanley is an outstanding left tackle when healthy, but after missing 26 games the past two years, having a viable “Plan B” behind him is a must.
The Ravens also didn’t have a lot of success rushing the passer last season, tallying just 34 sacks. Baltimore will be hoping for a second-year jump from edge-rusher Odafe Oweh, but after the Za’Darius Smith deal fell through, adding some youth and athleticism in the early stages of the 2022 draft is another possibility.
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The Buffalo Bills are in an enviable position. An argument can be made that the Bills have the best roster in the league, and there aren’t a lot of glaring holes. Buffalo already addressed one the issues the team did have, adding a pair of low-risk veterans at defensive tackle in Tim Settle and DaQuan Jones.
Still, there’s work to be done. The postseason coming-out party for young wide receiver Gabriel Davis was a welcome sight for the Bills, but with Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders moving on, Buffalo could use some youth and depth at wideout.
If the Bills don’t grab a wide receiver like Treylon Burks of Arkansas with the 25th overall pick, many mock drafters have listed cornerback as the position Buffalo will target, especially after Levi Wallace bolted for the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency. Kaiir Elam of Florida, Trent McDuffie of Washington and Andrew Booth of Clemson have all received run as potential options.
Von Miller joining the Bills on a six-year, $120 million whopper of a contract is a big get for the pass rush, but after the J.D. McKissic deal fell apart, Buffalo could stand to add depth at running back behind Devin Singletary.
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The Carolina Panthers were one of the teams in hot pursuit of Deshaun Watson in free agency. But Carolina’s push to land Watson was unsuccessful, and that makes its biggest need equal parts glaring and obvious.
With all due respect to Sam Darnold, the Panthers need a quarterback. And the odds just increased exponentially that the first quarterback taken in the 2022 draft will be selected no later than Carolina’s sixth overall pick.
Malik Willis, please pick up the blue courtesy phone.
Carolina’s issues under center played a big part in the team’s 5-12 2021 campaign, but there are no shortage of other issues as well. The addition of guard Austin Corbett and center Bradley Bozeman should help fortify the interior of the offensive line a bit, but a line that ranked last in the NFC last season (per Pro Football Focus) badly needs more fortification.
The same can be said of the Panthers secondary. Carolina has high hopes for young corner Jaycee Horn and a pair of quality safeties in Jeremy Chinn and Xavier Woods. But outside of Horn and CJ Henderson, there’s isn’t much on the roster at cornerback.
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The Chicago Bears are starting a new era under head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles. One of Poles’ first big moves was trading edge-rusher Khalil Mack. It’s a move that created a hole opposite Robert Quinn in the Windy City.
But there are plenty of other issues to address as well.
It can be argued that the team’s biggest priority in 2022 is putting Justin Fields in position to take a major step forward in his second season.
In tackle Teven Jenkins and guard Cody Whitehair, the left side of Chicago’s offensive line is in at least adequate shape. But whether it’s at guard or tackle, the right side of the line could badly use an upgrade.
With Allen Robinson II gone, the wide receiver position is frankly a mess. The Bears don’t have a first-rounder in 2022, but one of their pair of second-rounders could well be slated for help at wideout in a deep and talented class.
Just as with the pass offense, the pass defense needs improvement—Jaylon Johnson and Duke Shelley aren’t an especially imposing pair of starters at cornerback. However, given the Bears’ draft capital, the best way to get better there is likely through free agency.
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Credit where it’s due. The Cincinnati Bengals wasted no time addressing their biggest need in free agency this season. Within hours of free agency opening, the Bengals had added a pair of veteran linemen in guards Alex Cappa and Ted Karras.
Of course, Mr. Magoo could have seen the Bengals needed to upgrade the offensive line. Counting the playoffs, Joe Burrow was sacked a staggering 70 times last year. Improving the protection in front of their young franchise quarterback went miles past “need.”
And while Cincy has taken steps in the right direction, those steps should not preclude the Bengals from adding more linemen, potentially with the 31st overall pick.
There’s no such thing as too much depth on the offensive line.
On defense, Chidobe Awuzie wound up being quite the find for the Bengals at cornerback last year. But the Trae Waynes signing in 2020 was an abject disaster, and there’s not much on the depth chart behind Awuzie, even with the Bengals bringing back Eli Apple.
If the Bengals are going to make another deep postseason run, then improvements at cornerback are necessary.
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The blockbuster trade that brought Deshaun Watson to Cleveland means big changes under center for the Browns this year.
But regardless of who begins the season at quarterback, he is going to need help to have success in 2022.
The Browns already made one aggressive move to bolster the team’s pass-catchers, adding veteran wideout Amari Cooper in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys. But the Browns also released wide receiver Jarvis Landry and tight end Austin Hooper in an effort to clear cap space.
Cooper needs help.
The Browns also surprisingly released Pro Bowl center J.C. Tretter, opening a hole in one of the league’s better offensive lines. Not that long ago the idea of drafting Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum (the draft’s top center) would have been the longest of long shots. Now? Perhaps not so much.
Most mock drafts continue to have the Browns taking a wideout 13th overall. But an edge-rusher is a possibility as well. Jadeveon Clowney’s solid 2021 season priced him right out of Cleveland, and Chase Winovich (acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots) is at best a rotational piece opposite Myles Garrett.
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Things are never boring in Dallas, and the 2022 offseason has been no exception. At wide receiver, Amari Cooper was traded to Cleveland while Michael Gallup was re-signed. Tight end Dalton Schultz got the franchise tag. Edge-rusher Randy Gregory was set to re-up with the team as well, but a dispute over a clause in his deal that would have voided the guarantees if he were suspended resulted in Gregory signing with the Denver Broncos instead.
That kerfuffle opened up a hole on the edge opposite Demarcus Lawrence. The team signed Dante Fowler Jr. on Friday in an effort to fill that hole, but after logging 11.5 sacks with the Rams in 2019, Fowler has just 7.5 sacks over the past two seasons combined.
He can’t be counted on.
There’s also a need along the interior of the defensive line. Dallas was light-years better defensively in 2021 than the year before, but the Cowboys still ranked in the middle of the pack against the run, surrendering 112.8 yards per game.
Also, while cornerback Trevon Diggs led the league in interceptions last season, the pass defense was just 20th in the league.
Getting Diggs some help on the back end is advisable.
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There isn’t a team in the league that made a bigger offseason splash than the Broncos. The trade that brought Russell Wilson to the Mile High City cost Denver a lot, but it also turned the Broncos from tomato can to real threat in the AFC.
Wilson doesn’t solve all the team’s problems, though.
Defensively, the Broncos added Randy Gregory to boost the pass rush and re-upped off-ball linebacker Josey Jewell. The latter deal (two years, $11 million) would appear to indicate that Denver views Jewell as a starter opposite Baron Browning. But given Jewell’s season-ending injury in 2021 and the carousel the team went through afterward inside, adding some depth and athleticism at linebacker would be wise.
So would bolstering the secondary. Young cornerback Patrick Surtain II has the makings of a star, but outside of Ronald Darby, the team is thin at the position.
Given what the Broncos have invested in Wilson, keeping him upright is probably a good idea. PFF ranked Denver’s offensive line just inside the top 20 last season, so using a Day 2 pick on an offensive lineman or making a relatively inexpensive free-agent signing is worth the investment.
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For another year at least, Jared Goff is going to be the starting quarterback for the Detroit Lions. There’s next to no chance that Detroit will use the second overall pick in the 2022 draft on a quarterback, either—that pick will probably be either an edge-rusher or offensive tackle. But soon enough, decision time is coming.
However, there are more pressing issues to address in the Motor City.
The first is weapons for Goff (or whoever). The Lions brought back Kalif Raymond and have a promising youngster in Amon-Ra St. Brown. But that’s not a group that strikes fear in the hearts of opposing defensive coordinators. Quality. Quantity. You name it, Detroit needs it where pass-catchers are concerned.
The same can be said about their counterparts on the defensive side of the ball. Bringing back veteran safety Tracy Walker was a solid move, but Detroit’s cornerbacks are shaky. Jeff Okudah has missed a whopping 23 of 33 possible games over his professional career, and outside of promising youngster Amani Oruwariye, the rest of the position group is less than impressive.
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The good news for the Green Bay Packers is that quarterback Aaron Rodgers is back for 2022.
That’s about it so far.
The Pack re-signed linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, but Green Bay was forced to part ways with edge-rusher Za’Darius Smith in an effort to create cap space.
Green Bay still has a couple of capable starters on the edge in Preston Smith and Rashan Gary, but there’s not much behind him. Adding some depth at the position is high on Brian Gutekunst’s to-do list.
There are, however, even bigger priorities. The wideout position in Titletown has long been a problem—one that went from troublesome to terrifying when the Packers shockingly traded Davante Adams to Las Vegas.
Suddenly, arguably the league’s best quarterback may have the NFL’s weakest cadre of wideouts.
Offensive tackle Billy Turner is also gone after making 59 starts over the last four seasons at guard and tackle, leaving the Packers with a hole along the offensive front.
At least Green Bay picked up two extra picks in the Adams trade.
The team is going to need them.
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That might seem like a cop-out. Or a wisecrack. It’s not. As the Houston Texans prepare for life after Deshaun Watson, there are a lot more positions that need help than those that don’t.
Davis Mills was actually something of a pleasant surprise as a rookie, but there’s a long way between pleasant surprise and long-term solution at quarterback. Houston’s leading rusher last year was a 31-year-old scatback (Rex Burkhead). There’s all of one proven option in the passing game (veteran wideout Brandin Cooks), and the team’s offensive line graded out as the fourth-worst in the league a season ago.
It’s not much better on defense. Edge-rusher Jonathan Greenard was another pleasant surprise last season, but Houston was 31st in the NFL in total defense, 31st in run defense, 23rd in pass defense and 27th in scoring defense. Whether it’s up front, at linebacker or in the secondary, the Texans need to improve at every level of the defense.
This is, by many estimations, the worst roster in the league by a fair margin. It’s good that Houston has so many draft picks over the next few years.
Houston will need them.
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The biggest need for the Indianapolis Colts is all but certainly going to be addressed before the 2022 NFL draft starts on April 28. After Carson Wentz was shipped out following one disappointing season, just about everyone expects the Colts to bring in a veteran quarterback.
It’s simply a matter of when and who.
With more cap space than any team in the league, the Colts have the money to be aggressive filling other needs, but as has usually been the case under general manager Chris Ballard, the Colts haven’t been spending money just to spend it.
Indianapolis added one impact player via trade, acquiring edge-rusher Yannick Ngakoue from the Las Vegas Raiders. But that deal cost them a promising young cornerback in Rock Ya-Sin, so the secondary has become a spot that will need to be strengthened with more than just the signing of a journeyman like Brandon Facyson.
The Colts also re-signed Matt Pryor, but Pryor is more depth and “swing” option than weekly starter at left tackle. Acquiring an upgrade could be tricky, though—the Colts’ first-round pick belongs to Philadelphia as part of the Wentz fiasco.
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The Jacksonville Jaguars entered free agency among the league leaders in salary-cap space, and new general manager Trent Baalke didn’t waste any time putting all that money to work.
On the first day of the legal tampering period alone, Baalke gave huge money to the likes of linebacker Foyesade Oluokun (three years, $45 million), guard Brandon Scherff (three years, $50 million), defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi (three years, $30 million) and wide receiver Christian Kirk (four years, $72 million).
Those big-name additions have injected quite a bit of enthusiasm into Jacksonville’s fanbase, but there’s still substantial work to be done.
The addition of Scherff is a substantial upgrade along the interior of the line, and the Jaguars applied the franchise tag on tackle Cam Robinson. But whether it’s at right tackle or at center, the team still needs to improve the league’s ninth-worst offensive line in 2021. Tagging Robinson doesn’t preclude the team from using the first overall pick on an elite tackle like Alabama’s Evan Neal.
If the Jaguars don’t use that No. 1 pick on an offensive tackle, it will probably be an edge-rusher like Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson. The Jaguars also need to improve a pass rush that managed just 32 sacks, the sixth-fewest in the league.
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The Kansas City Chiefs are showing how hard it can be to stay on top. Patrick Mahomes’ massive contract puts a big dent in the team’s salary-cap space, and it affects Kansas City’s ability to retain its own free agents.
Losing safety Tyrann Mathieu was a blow, but the team was at least able to soften it somewhat with the signing of Houston’s Justin Reid. However, it’s a different story with cornerback Charvarius Ward, as his signing with the San Francisco 49ers leaves a hole in the secondary that will be difficult to fill given the team’s limited resources.
The Chiefs restructured several contracts to get under the salary cap, including edge-rusher Frank Clark’s. What the Chiefs haven’t been able to restructure is a pass rush that managed just 31 sacks last season—fourth-fewest in the league.
On the other side of the ball, the addition of veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster will hopefully finally address the Chiefs’ longstanding need for a dependable No. 2 wide receiver opposite Tyreek Hill. But adding some depth (and potentially competition for Lucas Niang on the right side) at tackle is an advisable course of action.
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The AFC West has been wild this offseason. The Raiders got in on the fun Wednesday, signing Chandler Jones to a three-year, $51 million contract and then flipping fellow edge-rusher Yannick Ngakoue to the Indianapolis Colts for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin.
It was a big day for the franchise, but there are still quite a few areas that need to be addressed.
In fairness, the Raiders already blasted one of those areas Thursday, swinging a blockbuster trade to add star wide receiver Davante Adams. That trade came at a price, though. With no picks in the first two rounds, Las Vegas has limited draft capital with which to address the needs that remain.
The Raiders used to have one of the better offensive lines in the AFC, but those days appear long gone—PFF graded Las Vegas as having the fifth-worst O-line in the league last season. The guard positions are a particular area of interest, but whether it’s a guard, center or tackle, the Raiders should hit the O-line in the 2022 draft.
That may mean punting on an off-ball linebacker until Day 2 or making a low-cost veteran signing. But after cutting loose Cory Littleton and Nick Kwiatkoski, the Raiders need to add some talent at the position behind Denzel Perryman and second-year pro Divine Deablo.
Ya-Sin’s addition helps a shaky cornerbacks room, but some more talent and depth in the secondary would be helpful as well, especially with Casey Hayward gone.
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The Los Angeles Chargers are not playing around this offseason. After narrowly missing the playoffs in 2021 and watching the Denver Broncos deal for Russell Wilson, the Bolts went to attack mode. There was the trade that brought edge-rusher Khalil Mack to Los Angeles. And the big money the Chargers shelled out for young cornerback J.C. Jackson. The addition of defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day as well.
It’s an impressive haul, but some holes remain. The most glaring appear to be along the offensive line—a line that quietly ranked inside the top 10, per PFF.
Despite that ranking, both the right tackle and right guard spots were weak a season ago. The Chargers may not be able to add an elite tackle with the 17th overall pick, but the team could still bring up a player who is a Day 1 starter and an upgrade at one of those spots.
If there’s one other spot where the Chargers could use help, it’s at tight end. The Jared Cook experiment last year was mostly a failure, and while Donald Parham has shown a flash or two, he’s hardly a sure thing.
Keep building around Justin Herbert.
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The Los Angeles Rams went all-in on winning a Super Bowl in 2021, and it worked. However, the bill always comes due in the NFL, and that has happened for the Rams.
Given the precarious salary-cap position the Rams found themselves in, there wasn’t a whole lot they could do when the Bills offered Von Miller $20 million per season. Or when the Jacksonville Jaguars gave cornerback Darious Williams $10 million per campaign. Or when after a fantastic 16-season NFL career, offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth retired.
The problem is there’s precious little the Rams can really do about any of it. Quite a bit of financial wrangling went into just getting them into compliance with the salary cap. There’s just no money to add any free agents of note, although the Rams will likely milk a few more million with restructures and add a player or two.
Add in that the Rams don’t have a draft pick inside the top 100 this season, and the team that takes the field in the season opener will be more or less the one we see right now.
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According to the rankers at Pro Football Focus, there wasn’t a worse offensive line last year than the one in Miami.
In fairness to the team, Miami hasn’t completely sat on its hands in that regard in free agency. The Dolphins signed guard Connor Williams, who started 14 games for the Dallas Cowboys last year, to a two-year, $14 million pact.
But while Miami has taken steps to improve the ground game by signing running backs Raheem Mostert and Chase Edmonds and added a wide receiver in Cedrick Wilson, there hasn’t been a lot done to bolster a line that was a major weakness last season.
The Dolphins still have some maneuvering room to make additions. The team has over $24 million in cap space available, and while Miami doesn’t have its own first-round pick in this year’s draft, the team does have San Francisco’s at No. 29.
If Mike McDaniel is going to coax improvement from the Dolphins in his first season as head coach, the line has to be a priority for the remainder of free agency and the draft.
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Whether you believe it’s a good idea or a bad one, the Minnesota Vikings have hitched their offensive wagon to Kirk Cousins through at least 2023. The 33-year-old has substantial skill-position talent at his disposal in running back Dalvin Cook and wide receivers Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson.
With that said, the offensive line in front of Cousins in 2021 ranked in the bottom 10, according to Pro Football Focus, with the interior a particularly weak spot. Minnesota added one guard in free agency in Austin Schlottmann, but he’s more depth than impact signing.
Where Minnesota really needs to improve is defensively. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers had more sacks a year ago than Minnesota, but no one had more than eight, and the team’s best edge-rusher (Danielle Hunter) has played just seven games over the last two seasons combined.
The need is even larger at the cornerback position. Patrick Peterson and Mackensie Alexander both remain unsigned, and the Vikings aren’t in a favorable position relative to the salary cap.
Given those financial realities, a young cornerback such as Derek Stingley Jr. of LSU or Cincinnati’s Ahmad Gardner is a trendy pick in mock drafts for the Vikings at No. 12.
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Last year, the New England Patriots were major players in free agency. The Pats got back to the postseason in 2021, but the impact of those new additions was a mixed bag.
The Patriots spent a substantial amount of money on pass-catchers, but while tight end Hunter Henry at least emerged as a red-zone threat, wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne didn’t make an impact commensurate to their salaries.
Mac Jones needs a go-to wide receiver. As of yet, he doesn’t have one.
The Patriots added a veteran cornerback in free agency in Terrance Mitchell, but that doesn’t come close to offsetting the impact of losing top cornerback J.C. Jackson. The odds that New England looks at the top available cornerbacks with the 21st overall pick skyrocketed the moment Jackson agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Matthew Judon had an excellent season for the Patriots last season, notching 12.5 sacks. But the Patriots are thin on the edge behind the 29-year-old, and that lack of a secondary pass-rusher was magnified when the Pats traded Chase Winovich to the Cleveland Browns.
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The first need on this list will likely be filled soon. The New Orleans Saints have reportedly discussed re-signing Jameis Winston, and whether it’s Winston or another veteran, the team will all but certainly sign a veteran quarterback after failing in their pursuit of Deshaun Watson.
But they also may have a major need along the offensive line should three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead depart. Armstead was reportedly waiting to see where Watson landed before making a decision on his own future.
Those aren’t the Saints’ only problems, either.
They pulled all sorts of financial machinations to free up the money to pursue Watson. There’s cap space, but playing kick the can every year is going to catch up to general manager Mickey Loomis at some point.
It cost the team its best safety in Marcus Williams. And whoever starts at quarterback for the Saints in 2022 will throw to wideout Michael Thomas (who missed all of 2021 and played only seven games in 2020) and not much else.
New Orleans badly needs not only to fill needs but also hit on its draft picks this year.
The team needs quality players on reasonable contracts.
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According to Pro Football Focus, the New York Giants had the third-worst offensive line in the NFL last year.
That may be generous.
To be fair, the Giants addressed the offensive line as soon as free agency kicked off, signing veteran guards Mark Glowinski and Jon Feliciano. But neither of those players is more than a middling starter on a good day, and there remains a major void at tackle.
With two draft picks in the top seven, one of those selections will all but certainly be a tackle.
The Giants weren’t much better at pressuring quarterbacks in 2021 than in protecting their own, managing just 34 sacks. So that other top-10 pick might go toward acquiring one of the class’ top edge-rushers.
There has been quite a bit of speculation that veterans such as running back Saquon Barkley and cornerback James Bradberry could soon be traded. But while they might create holes that need to be addressed, tight end Evan Engram is definitely a goner as part of Jacksonville’s free-agent spending spree.
He will need to be replaced.
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It has been an up and down offseason for the New York Jets. They made improvements in free agency, adding guard Laken Tomlinson and safety Jordan Whitehead. Unfortunately, there have also been losses, including safety Marcus Maye and right tackle Morgan Moses.
That last departure created possibly the team’s most pressing need. It’s going to be difficult for Zach Wilson to improve in his second season if he’s running for his life. With a pair of picks in the top 10 this year thanks to the Jamal Adams trade, a tackle such as Alabama’s Evan Neal could be awfully tempting for Gang Green at No. 4.
That second selection could then be used on an edge-rusher. New York’s 33 sacks were the league’s seventh-fewest in 2021, and options such as Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson II could be available.
The Jets are also sitting on a hefty amount of salary-cap space. That $29.1 million in wiggle room could be used to add a pass-rusher or strengthen a shaky secondary that allowed 259.4 yards per game through the air last season—third-most in the league.
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With three first-round picks, all inside the top 20, the Philadelphia Eagles are in as good a position to do damage in the draft as any team.
Not bad for a club that made the playoffs.
There are a number of directions the Eagles could go with those picks. It’s possible (even likely) they will use one to improve the passing game options alongside wide receiver DeVonta Smith, tight end Dallas Goedert and a whole lot of “meh.”
The addition of free agent Haason Reddick knocked edge-rusher down the list of priorities in the draft, but off-ball linebacker has seemingly been a sore spot for years. The question is whether Philly is willing to invest big-time draft capital in a pick such as Utah’s Devin Lloyd or if a Day 2 prospect such as Pen State’s Brandon Smith is more the team’s speed.
Then there’s the defensive backfield. Whether it’s at cornerback opposite veteran Darius Slay or safety where both 2021 starters are free agents, the Eagles need to make sure their pass defense doesn’t take a step backward.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering the dawn of a new era: the age of Mitchell Trubisky.
Jokes aside, how Pittsburgh does (or does not) address the quarterback position next month will go a long way toward determining if it views Trubisky as a long-term replacement for Ben Roethlisberger or just a stopgap.
Of course, Trubisky’s odds of having success can only increase if the Steelers improve the team around him. To be blunt, the offensive line was just that last season. Pro Football Focus ranked the unit as the NFL’s seventh-worst, and the Steelers fielded a bottom-five ground game for the fourth straight season.
The Steelers already added some interior help in guard James Daniels and center Mason Cole and re-upped right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. But left tackle (and depth up front) remain question marks.
With JuJu Smith-Schuster reportedly gone, the wide receiver depth behind Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool could use a boost. Pittsburgh could also stand to add along the defensive line. Cameron Heyward and Tyson Alualu aren’t getting any younger, and Stephon Tuitt just missed the entire 2021 campaign.
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The San Francisco 49ers made it to the NFC Championship Game in 2021, but taking the proverbial next step won’t be easy. The Niners are tight against the salary cap, and thanks to the Trey Lance trade, San Francisco won’t pick until the back end of the second round.
It’s possible that could change in both regards if the 49ers find a trade partner for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, but as things stand, they are short on resources with which to fill holes.
The team’s biggest is probably at cornerback, where it wasn’t especially strong last season and where San Francisco had multiple veterans hit free agency this week. Signing Kansas City’s Charvarius Ward to a three year, $40.5 million pact was a good start, but the Niners still need to add talent.
The other two holes have opened in recent days. San Francisco has expressed optimism that second-year pro Aaron Banks can step in for Laken Tomlinson at guard, and the team invested a first-rounder in Javon Kinlaw two years ago.
But the departures of Tomlinson and defensive tackle D.J. Jones raised significant questions.
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The Seattle Seahawks have hit the reset button. And while they can talk up Drew Lock as a viable starter until they are blue in the face, the reality is that the quarterback position is an obvious need.
There are others, though—needs that may be even more pressing.
Seattle re-signed free safety Quandre Diggs and cornerback Sidney Jones IV. But the Seahawks fielded the worst pass defense in the NFC in 2021. Additional talent at cornerback is sorely required, especially with D.J. Reed (the team’s best player at the position last year) off to the Jets.
Those struggles weren’t solely the fault of the secondary. The Seahawks averaged just two sacks per game, making one of this class’ top edge-rushers a possibility with the No. 9 pick Seattle received from Denver as part of the Russell Wilson trade.
Signing Uchenna Nwosu was a step in the right direction. But he hardly solved the pass-rush problem.
On the offensive side of the ball, the line has long been an issue, ranking 25th last year, per Pro Football Focus. There isn’t a player who is an above-average blocker; the unit needs to be rebuilt.
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offseason turned Sunday, when Tom Brady changed his mind about retirement and decided to return for a 23rd season.
To say that changed the tenor is an understatement. Much like one year ago, rather than reset the roster, the Buccaneers are making an effort to retain as many key players as possible.
To some extent, they have been successful in that regard. Wide receiver Chris Godwin signed an extension after he was franchise-tagged. Center Ryan Jensen re-signed. So did cornerback Carlton Davis III.
But this won’t be a repeat of 2021, when Jason Licht retained all 22 starters. Guard Ali Marpet retired, and fellow guard Alex Cappa signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. Licht pulled a rabbit out of his hat in addressing those losses with the trade for Shaq Mason, but the interior offensive line remains an area of need.
Can’t have Tom Brady getting his hair messed up.
Even with Davis back, Tampa Bay could also use help at cornerback after the pass defense struggled last year. The defensive line could be an issue as well. Nose tackle Vita Vea is signed through 2026, but the starters to either side of him (Ndamukong Suh and William Gholston) are unrestricted free agents.
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The Tennessee Titans made a big splash last offseason by adding veteran wide receiver Julio Jones in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons. One (very disappointing) year later, the team made another splash by letting the 33-year-old go.
That release saved the Titans $9.5 million. But it also created the same problem they had before Jones came to town: a wide receivers room that is thin on talent behind star A.J. Brown.
Wide receiver might be the newest need for Tennessee, but it isn’t the only one. Its No. 1 cornerback (Caleb Farley) is a second-year pro who is coming off a torn ACL. The rest of the position group has some potential, but it’s unproven—especially after the release of Jackrabbit Jenkins.
Then there’s the linebacker position—both inside and out. With Rashaan Evans and Jayon Brown both unrestricted free agents, off-ball linebacker Nakobe Dean of Georgia has been touted in mock drafts. The Titans could also look to add to a pass rush after just one player (edge-rusher Harold Landry III) eclipsed 10 sacks last season.
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For the sake of argument, we’ll go glass half-full here and assume Carson Wentz is more than a temporary fix for the Washington Commanders at quarterback. Optimism leads to a long and healthy life.
In any event, the Commanders have enough problems even if quarterback isn’t one of them.
There are many who believe they will look to add a complement to Terry McLaurin at wide receiver in the draft. Pairing McLaurin with another former Buckeye in Curtis Samuel has yet to pay dividends, but Washington could hit the Ohio State well yet again with Chris Olave or Garrett Wilson.
As is the case with so many teams in this age of three- and four-wide sets, depth in the secondary is also a need, especially after the team released safety Landon Collins to create cap relief.
The Commanders were able to offset the loss of veteran guard Brandon Scherff by signing former Jaguars guard Andrew Norwell. That moved the offensive line to the back burner, which could afford the team an opportunity to go after a linebacker to pair with second-year pro Jamin Davis.
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