The biggest offseason needs for all 32 NFL teams
Tim Hasselbeck and Ryan Clark weigh in on whether Andy Reid and the Chiefs can get it done in the postseason. (1:19)
Several NFL teams are in the process of hiring a new coach, while others need to find new quarterbacks. What do all 32 teams need most this offseason? We asked NFL Nation reporters to assess each situation.
Scan through all 32 teams by division, or click here to jump ahead to your team:
Revamp the offensive line.
After the trade of Cordy Glenn and the retirements of Eric Wood and Richie Incognito last offseason, the Bills’ once-formidable offensive line sunk to 30th in Football Outsiders’ rankings this season. Coach Sean McDermott has already fired offensive-line coach Juan Castillo, while general manager Brandon Beane could replace as many as four starters this offseason. Center Ryan Groy, right guard John Miller and right tackle Jordan Mills are all scheduled for unrestricted free agency. — Mike Rodak
Figure out the quarterback situation.
Miami has waited seven years for Ryan Tannehill to be the guy to lead its franchise out of mediocrity, and it seems the Dolphins have finally seen enough to move in a different direction. They have been scouting quarterbacks ahead of the 2019 draft, and it’s likely they will draft a QB or find a stopgap before picking one in 2020. With a new coach on his way, the Dolphins are headed toward somewhat of a rebuild. An exciting, talented quarterback will give this team legitimate promise and a certain future — two things Miami has missed for the past decade. — Cameron Wolfe
When: April 25-27
Where: Nashville, Tennessee
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Acquire the quarterback of the future.
This could have easily been a vote for adding more explosive options for Tom Brady because that’s equally important. But in the big picture, there is a one-to-four-year window for the Patriots to discover and develop the quarterback who could eventually take the reins from Brady. New England is operating with some margin for error because the 41-year-old Brady is still capable of leading a team to the Super Bowl, and he has said he’s committed to playing in 2019 and beyond. The draft is the most likely avenue to fill this need, with the hope that a Jimmy Garoppolo 2.0 might be available. — Mike Reiss
Find a new head coach.
The Jets took care of the quarterback issue last offseason, but now they need someone who can lead Sam Darnold and the rest of the team back to relevancy. The losing culture must be eradicated, and it’ll take a strong personality to accomplish that. Ideally, they can find a coach with a history of developing quarterbacks, because Darnold is the key to the future. — Rich Cimini
Add a playmaker on offense.
The Ravens produced 57 plays of 20 yards or more, which ranked 24th in the NFL. Baltimore has to add more explosive talent around Lamar Jackson, whether it’s a young wide receiver or a dynamic running back. The Ravens can’t count on marching down the field on 10- and 11-play drives. Baltimore needs someone to generate chunk plays and take pressure off its new franchise quarterback. — Jamison Hensley
Upgrade at linebacker.
The offensive line needs an upgrade as well, but the linebacker play was among the worst in the league this season, and that showed against high-powered offenses like the Saints’ and Chiefs’. The Bengals need to make drafting a linebacker a priority. It’s clear that Vontaze Burfict can no longer be relied upon, and middle linebacker Preston Brown didn’t get to show much due to injuries. The entire group needs to be overhauled in 2019. — Katherine Terrell
Add another impact defender.
Whether it’s a run-stuffing defensive tackle — the Browns ranked 28th in rushing defense — to go with Larry Ogunjobi or an impact linebacker, Cleveland needs a defender who can change a game. Adding one more piece to what is already on the defense helps the team. Close second? A big-play wide receiver to give Baker Mayfield more help. — Pat McManamon
The NFL Live crew breaks down the drama surrounding Antonio Brown and the Steelers and whether he’ll be traded this offseason.
Solve the Antonio Brown situation.
The Steelers must decide whether to keep Brown or find a willing trade partner before his $2.5 million roster bonus is due March 18. Despite Brown’s greatness, the team seems to be over his antics, making his $22.165 million salary-cap number expendable. Getting a high pick in return will be crucial in trying to replace Brown, so expect the Steelers to hold out closer to mid-March. — Jeremy Fowler
Improve the offensive line.
The Texans need to make the O-line an offseason priority after third-round pick Martinas Rankin was the only significant addition to their front in 2018. Quarterback Deshaun Watson was sacked 62 times and under constant duress all season. Not all of the sacks were the fault of the offensive line, but Watson needs more time to stand in the pocket so DeAndre Hopkins and a healthy Will Fuller can make plays down the field. — Turron Davenport
Which teams will undergo the most roster and coaching turnover this offseason? Let’s run through every eliminated team from 1-24.
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The 2018 NFL season came to a close for all non-playoff teams on Sunday. NFL Nation grades each and looks forward.
Bring in a pass-rusher.
The Colts had one of the NFL’s most surprising units this season, finishing 11th in total defense, and had the league’s leading tackler in Darius Leonard (163) but didn’t have a player reach double digits in sacks. Pairing an elite pass-rusher with Leonard and the rest of the team’s young defenders will help the Colts take another step defensively next season. — Mike Wells
Solve the quarterback dilemma.
The Jaguars will likely start fresh after making the decision to move on from Blake Bortles. That could be signing a free agent such as Tyrod Taylor or Ryan Fitzpatrick or potentially Nick Foles, going the aging-veteran route with Eli Manning or Joe Flacco, or drafting a quarterback in the first round. The price for Foles likely skyrocketed after the wild-card games, and the Jaguars might have to part with more than they would like if they were to try to trade up in the draft from the No. 7 spot. Execs Tom Coughlin and Dave Caldwell and head coach Doug Marrone will have to decide if they’re willing to give away part of their future draft capital to end up with the quarterback they believe will get them back into the playoffs in 2019. — Mike DiRocco
Bring in an impact pass-rusher.
The Titans fielded one of the best league’s scoring defenses this season despite registering only 39 sacks. Rookie outside linebacker Harold Landry has a promising future and will begin to see double-teams, so the Titans need to get an edge rusher who can consistently beat one-on-one matchups on the opposite side. Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jurrell Casey is an established player who needs someone to help him collapse the pocket from the interior. — Turron Davenport
Construct a plan at quarterback.
Case Keenum has just one year remaining on his contract, and the Broncos have no quarterback they drafted on their roster, so that puts them in the growing crowd of teams looking for a long-term solution. The coaching change likely means the team will line up with its fourth different playbook on offense in a four-season span. It is difficult to consistently find the right personnel if the team is constantly cycling through playcallers. — Jeff Legwold
Rebuild the secondary.
It’s reasonable to believe that of all of the defensive backs who played for the Chiefs this season, only cornerback Kendall Fuller might remain by 2020. The Chiefs need some long-term solutions at both safety and corner, and the time to get started on that is now, with the Chiefs holding three picks in the first two rounds of the draft. — Adam Teicher
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Acquire depth at linebacker.
With Denzel Perryman, Jatavis Brown and Kyzir White out for the season due to injuries, the Chargers are thin at linebacker and should look to add depth to that position group, either through the draft or free agency. The Chargers have done a nice job of making up for the lack up healthy bodies by playing safeties Adrian Phillips and Jahleel Addae at linebacker, with good results. L.A., however, needs bigger bodies at the second level for defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s Cover 3 scheme to be most effective. — Eric D. Williams
Find a home for 2019.
Sure, we know the Raiders plan on playing in Las Vegas in 2020, but with no lease for a home stadium for next season, the Raiders are literally in Parts Unknown even as they have been linked to San Francisco; San Diego; Reno, Nevada; Santa Clara, California; London; and, yes, even Oakland. The NFL wants to know by early February, at the latest, where the Raiders plan to call home, and you can bet that free agents would also like to know where the Raiders will be playing this fall before signing with the franchise. Tick, tock. — Paul Gutierrez
Maximize Dak Prescott‘s skill set.
It’s not that the Cowboys have not made an effort to play to Prescott’s strengths, but can they do more? The only quarterback to win more games the past three seasons has been Tom Brady. Prescott will not challenge the passing leaders in the league, especially with Ezekiel Elliott‘s success on the ground, but the Cowboys can do more with Prescott on the move and getting him on the run. No team would want to expose its quarterback too many times to big hits, but Prescott knows how to take care of himself on the field. Jerry Jones has said the Cowboys need to be “Dak-friendly,” but he was talking mostly about personnel. They don’t need to completely change their offense, but they need to be more “Dak-friendly” in terms of using his skill set. — Todd Archer
Start the search for a franchise quarterback.
It’s the most important position on any team, and the Giants need to set in motion a plan to succeed Eli Manning. All these weapons will mean nothing if they don’t find a quarterback sooner rather than later, whether it be via the draft, free agency or trade. Manning is 38 and might not even return for 2019. Kyle Lauletta is a fourth-round pick who was buried on the depth chart as a rookie. The draft appears to be the Giants’ best avenue to Manning’s long-term successor. They have the No. 6 overall pick, and none of the five teams ahead of them is likely in the QB market. — Jordan Raanan
Ryan Clark recaps the Philadelphia secondary’s struggles vs. the Saints in the regular season and discusses how that unit needs to change for the Eagles to win.
Add edge rushers.
The Eagles could use a speed receiver and a running back, but this team’s strength is derived from the offensive and defensive fronts. With defensive end Brandon Graham set to become a free agent, the Eagles need to either find a way to re-sign him or sign a veteran who can help fill the void. — Tim McManus
Find a quarterback … again.
There’s uncertainty surrounding Alex Smith‘s future because of the compound spiral fracture in his right leg, and it could be some time before the Redskins and Smith know if or when he might return. Washington must plan for life without him, but the question is how? Smith’s contract makes it difficult because he’d count more than $40 million in dead money if cut this offseason; the Redskins have only around $20 million in cap space now. Their options include signing or trading for another veteran quarterback — but they’ll have to be creative. They could draft one to team with Colt McCoy and possibly Josh Johnson, though it’s not considered a strong or deep draft class. Still, if there’s a quarterback they like, they need to pounce. The Redskins expect to have nine picks after the compensatory selections are announced, so they’ll have options. Coach Jay Gruden remains confident in McCoy, but the veteran backup must prove he can stay healthy and also that he can reward that confidence. — John Keim
Sign a reliable kicker.
The Bears probably can’t keep Cody Parkey — even if they wanted to — after he missed the game winner in Chicago’s playoff loss to the Eagles. He missed 11 total kicks on the season after the Bears signed him to a four-year deal that included $9 million in guaranteed money. The Bears have struggled at kicker ever since they released the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, Robbie Gould, who coincidentally will be a free agent after making 82 of 85 field goals over the past three seasons for the Giants and 49ers. — Jeff Dickerson
Acquire a star pass-rusher.
The Lions need better pressure against opposing quarterbacks, and with Ezekiel Ansah unlikely to return next season, this becomes their No. 1 need, much like it was a season ago, even when the team had Ansah. They’ll have multiple options to fix it, either through free agency or through the draft, where pass-rushers are plentiful in this class. If Detroit wants to build a stellar defense, that’s the biggest hole to fill. — Michael Rothstein
Get Aaron Rodgers to buy in to what new coach Matt LaFleur brings in.
Hiring the head coach was just the first part of the solution. Now, it’s up to the offensive-minded LaFleur to mesh with Rodgers. LaFleur has built-in credibility working with Matt Ryan and Jared Goff, two quarterbacks who Rodgers respects, so that should help. — Rob Demovsky
Address the offensive line.
The same storyline that haunted the Vikings throughout 2018 is one that remains the top priority this offseason. After surrendering a league-high 227 pressures, Minnesota needs to upgrade the offensive line, particularly its guard spots. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Vikings completely overhaul the line and move on from the likes of Tom Compton, Mike Remmers (who has no guaranteed money left on his deal), Brett Jones, Danny Isidora and Rashod Hill. Minnesota has several ways it can create the cap space needed to go after a lineman or two in free agency, but it also needs to use a chunk of its draft capital in the higher rounds to begin to fix the problem. — Courtney Cronin
Hire an offensive coordinator to get the most out of the team’s weapons.
The Falcons need to find a seasoned coordinator to pair with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones & Co. Former Tampa Bay coach Dirk Koetter, who previously served as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator, appears to be the top choice after interviewing Saturday. Koetter knows how to play to Ryan’s strengths and bring his playcalling expertise to the zone scheme head coach Dan Quinn wants to keep in place. Once the coordinator is hired, the Falcons can focus on beefing up the three spots on the offensive line outside of center and left tackle. — Vaughn McClure
Catch up on what’s happening heading into the playoffs:
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Acquire and develop a backup quarterback.
If this question had been asked in early December, an edge rusher would have been the easy answer. But with quarterback Cam Newton being shut down the final two games for a sore right shoulder that has limited him in practice much of the past two seasons, a backup quarterback who could replace Newton has to move to the top of the list. An edge rusher still is important; this defense thrives off pressure from the front four and it didn’t get that consistently this season. But Newton’s shoulder makes a reliable backup even more of a priority. — David Newton
Build up depth at tight end.
This was an area of need even before veteran starter Benjamin Watson announced he is retiring at the end of the season. The Saints need depth at the position, and they could especially use another reliable pass-catcher to go with receivers Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr. and running back Alvin Kamara. It should be a draft priority, but it might be a big enough need to address it in free agency, especially since the Saints don’t have a first- or third-round pick this year. — Mike Triplett
Hire a coach to solve the Bucs’ issues.
In a week since firing Dirk Koetter, the Bucs interviewed four candidates in Eric Bieniemy, George Edwards, Bruce Arians and Kris Richard. Who can get Jameis Winston on the right track and best relate to the 25-year-old quarterback? Who can resuscitate a defense that showed signs of life after Mike Smith’s firing but still has major work to do? Who can restore order in a locker room where, according to Jason Pierre-Paul, players “didn’t keep it real with each other?” — Jenna Laine
Find the right head coach.
For a multitude of reasons, Steve Wilks didn’t work out, going 3-13 in his only season with the team before getting fired Dec. 31. This time around, the Cardinals need to get it right. Not only have they missed the playoffs the past three seasons, but they have seen their roster depth diminished and now have the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. They do have a young quarterback to build around in Josh Rosen. Cardinals execs said over and over during their end-of-season news conference that they were going to keep their search close to the vest. As reports of interviews trickle out, however, it’s clear Arizona is focused on finding an offensive-minded coach, which should immediately help Rosen blossom in Year 2. — Josh Weinfuss
Acquire an edge rusher.
The Rams added Dante Fowler Jr. in a midseason trade with the Jaguars, but he’s a free agent this offseason. A solid edge rusher is crucial to the success of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ 3-4 scheme. Before Fowler’s addition, the Rams were unable to consistently apply pressure from the edge. — Lindsey Thiry
Add an elite edge rusher.
The 49ers have tried to add an outside complement to DeForest Buckner since Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch arrived, but they haven’t had the spot in the draft to select one, and the top outside rushers haven’t hit the free-agent market. An attempt to trade for Khalil Mack also came up just short. The Niners know what a top outside pass-rusher could do for their defense, and they’ll explore every avenue — especially with the No. 2 overall pick — to make it happen. — Nick Wagoner
Continue to build up the defense.
The Seahawks have a handful of young building blocks and still have an All-Pro middle linebacker in Bobby Wagner, but there are holes to be filled. Seattle’s No. 30 ranking in yards allowed per rush (4.95) and No. 18 ranking in yards allowed per pass attempt (7.51) highlight the needs for another run-stuffer to play alongside Jarran Reed, another edge player to complement Frank Clark and perhaps an upgrade at safety to team with Bradley McDougald, assuming Earl Thomas isn’t back. The Seahawks will also need to determine how much linebacker K.J. Wright, an impending free agent, can continue to be an impact player with his troublesome knee. — Brady Henderson