NFL season wrap: What went wrong, what’s next for non-playoff teams
The NFL regular season came to a close on Sunday. What’s next for the teams that didn’t make the playoffs? NFL Nation digs in.
What went wrong: The Dolphins’ season was doomed from the start in terms of competing for a playoff spot. Miami had arguably the NFL’s least talented roster thanks to an offseason full of shipping away veterans and choosing not to adequately replace them. The trade of tackle Laremy Tunsil and receiver Kenny Stills a week before the season and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick a week later put out a message the Dolphins were planning for 2020 and beyond. But coach Brian Flores’ bunch refused to quit, somehow winning five of their last nine games after being one of the worst teams in NFL history in terms of point differential. Wins over the AFC East champion Patriots and NFC East leading Philadelphia Eagles are signs of the team’s growth. Gaping talent holes were too much to make more progress in 2019, and there will be plenty of work to do in the offseason, but they have the money and draft capital to take a significant step in 2020.
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Biggest offseason question: How will they utilize their three first-round picks, and will one be on a franchise quarterback? Dolphins general manager Chris Grier will be the most important decision-maker in April’s draft with the power to make a significant push toward reshaping his team closer to being a contender.The Dolphins are the only team with three first-round picks with the first of those selections will be No. 5 overall. Quarterback, offensive tackle and edge rusher are clearly the Dolphins’ biggest needs, and they should address those spots at least once in the first two rounds. If LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is off the board, Grier will have to decide whether they feel strongly enough about injured Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama or Justin Herbert of Oregon to take them or punt their search for a franchise quarterback to 2021. Culture appears to be set. Now they have to find the players. Though quarterback is the most notable hole for Miami, the Dolphins are likely to spend most of their significant resources to solidify the lines. — Cameron Wolfe
What went wrong: Adam Gase’s first season was weird. The Jets won six of their last eight to finish 7-9, averting total disaster, but they did it against the NFL’s easiest schedule. Beware of fool’s gold. The team, unable to cope with Sam Darnold‘s three-game illness, was out of contention by Halloween. The offense, under Gase’s direction, was non-competitive until it perked up in November. Injuries were a factor on both sides of the ball. The defense adjusted, the offense not as much. Somehow, Gase held the team together when it sank to 1-7, but he must do a better job in several areas. Darnold improved, but he didn’t make the big, second-year leap that was expected. The pressure will be on him and Gase in 2020.
Biggest offseason question: Can first-year GM Joe Douglas save the Jets? Yeah, it’s a broad question, but the hopes of this moribund franchise rest on him. His first order of business is making decisions on running back Le’Veon Bell (possible trade), wide receiver Robby Anderson (free agent) and safety Jamal Adams (possible trade or contract extension). Ideally, you’d like to keep all three, but economics play a big role. Predictions: Adams stays, Bell and Anderson do not. Douglas must focus heavily on the offensive line decimated by injuries and age. The Jets never will get an accurate read on Darnold until they put a capable line in front of him. Don’t be surprised if they have four new starters in 2020. — Rich Cimini
What went wrong: Everything went south when wide receiver A.J. Green suffered a season-ending ankle injury during the first practice of the preseason. The combination of a relatively green coaching staff, aging veterans and unproductive years from recent draft picks led to the worst season in franchise history. The two good things to come from this season: establishing the culture first-year coach Zac Taylor wanted and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft.
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Biggest offseason question: Last offseason, the Bengals made their first coaching change since 2002 but kept the rest of the roster relatively intact. Now the question will be how much the front office will overhaul the team now that Taylor has been on the job for a full season. The Bengals have a key decision to make with Green, an unrestricted free agent who will be eligible for the franchise tag. And running back Joe Mixon could be looking for a new deal after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. — Ben Baby
What went wrong: Where to even begin? Freddie Kitchens struggled to adapt as first-year head coach. Quarterback Baker Mayfield took a step back after solid rookie season. Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was injured all year, and the Browns couldn’t get him the ball. The offensive line was a mess. Myles Garrett swung a helmet at Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and got suspended indefinitely. An overhyped offense never found its footing with Kitchens calling plays, other than handing off to running back Nick Chubb. And a depleted defense capitulated down the stretch.
Biggest offseason question: The Browns first have to decide whether they want to proceed with Kitchens, whose head-coaching debut was marred by turmoil while his offense was discombobulated. If the Browns do move on, they should be able to attract a big-name head coach; despite its underachieving season, Cleveland has playoff-caliber talent. Beyond that, the Browns will have to address a limited offensive line that did its part to handcuff the downfield passing game, and they’ll have to add some desperately needed depth along the defensive line and at safety. — Jake Trotter
What went wrong: Entering Week 17, the Chargers had a minus-16 turnover differential, tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for worst in the NFL. Quarterback Philip Rivers must do a better job of taking care of the football if he returns in 2020. His 23 turnovers, including 18 interceptions, are the most Rivers has had in a single season since 2016.
Biggest offseason question: Rivers is 38 years old and in the final year of his deal. Although Rivers has said he wants to continue playing, the Chargers’ brass has not said it wants him back. The Chargers also move into SoFi Stadium next season, and they could be looking for star power at the quarterback position to help build the fan base in Los Angeles. — Eric D. Williams
What went wrong: Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky regressed in Year 2 under coach Matt Nagy, who struggled to find any rhythm calling plays. The offensive line went through spells when it blocked poorly. Highly paid and/or highly drafted tight ends Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen were complete busts. The Bears never truly committed to running the ball with rookie David Montgomery. Outside of team MVP Allen Robinson and the late emergence of wide receiver Anthony Miller, the offense was a total disaster.
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Biggest offseason question: Trubisky. The Bears have to figure out the next step with the disappointing former second overall pick. Do they move on? Do they exercise Trubisky’s fifth-year option and bring in real competition for him in the offseason? Chase Daniel, whom Chicago paid $6 million in 2019, is not real competition. It seems highly unlikely the Bears sign Trubisky to any sort of extension — he hasn’t earned it. Until the Bears fix quarterback — where have you heard that before — they will never be a perennial playoff team. The quarterback wasn’t the only issue, but Trubisky’s limitations were a big reason the Bears missed the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons. — Jeff Dickerson
What went wrong: The Lions’ defense struggled all year long on defense, allowing quarterback after quarterback to shred them. The defense has been almost historically awful, giving up an average 400 yards per game — close to the average Detroit allowed in its winless 2008 season. Offensively, the Lions found something until quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a season-ending back injury against Oakland on Nov. 3. Detroit, which had hovered around .500 with Stafford playing at a Pro Bowl level, gradually fell apart and didn’t win a game in November or December. Coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn will return for 2020, but expect other staff changes to be coming as early as this week.
Biggest offseason question: There are a few, starting with who will be running Detroit’s defense, but the underlying pressing question is where does cornerback Darius Slay play in 2020? Slay had been a possible trade candidate earlier this season. With one year left on his contract, do the Lions try to move him or keep him with a new deal? What makes this more intriguing is the reality Patricia and Quinn have of needing to win in 2020 — Lions ownership said Detroit must be a playoff contender next season — and Slay, a three-time Pro Bowler, is one of the better corners in the league. There’s much to be sorted between now and the draft in April, and what the Lions choose to do with Slay could dictate a lot of Detroit’s offseason. — Michael Rothstein
What went wrong: The Falcons got off to a bad start at 1-7 and couldn’t recover. There were holes on both both sides of the ball, with the offensive line failing to do it’s part to protect Matt Ryan or open holes in the run game, and the defense struggling to stop opponents and create turnovers. Coach Dan Quinn made significant changes going into the season by appointing himself the defensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter the offensive coordinator and Bob Kotwica the special teams coordinators. Those changes, however, weren’t enough to spark a turnaround. Quinn even surrendered the defensive playcalling to focus on head-coaching duties, and it seemed to help later in the season. Moving assistant head coach Raheem Morris from wide receivers coach to defense to work with the defensive backs provided the biggest spark. But by that time, it was too late. Yes, the Falcons played much better in second half of the schedule, including road wins over New Orleans and San Francisco after the bye. Maybe that will create some momentum for next season.
Biggest offseason question: Owner Arthur Blank made a commitment to Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff for 2020 by retaining both, but will the Falcons make the necessary adjustments to be contenders next season? One of the most significant changes is having Quinn and Dimitroff report to team president Rich McKay, who will monitor matters four times a week at the team’s practice facility. Both McKay and Dimitroff expressed no concern about the team’s salary-cap situation despite so many high-dollar contracts awarded to top players. The Falcons started the process of creating cap room by restructuring the contract of quarterback Matt Ryan and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Blank told ESPN the team needs to continue to prioritize addressing the offensive and defensive lines, the same areas that were the main focus last offseason. — Vaughn McClure
What went wrong: It began when quarterback Cam Newton suffered a foot injury in the third preseason game and then aggravated it in a Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay, ultimately resulting in him being shut down for the season. Backup Kyle Allen held things together after the 0-2 start to get Carolina to 5-3, but then he began turning the ball over and costing the Panthers shots at winning close games. What was consistent with Newton and Allen was the inability to score potential winning or tying touchdowns inside the 5-yard line in the closing minutes with arguably the league’s best offensive weapon in running back Christian McCaffrey. Injuries also were a factor. Pro Bowl defensive end/tackle Kawann Short (rotator cuff) played two games. Tackle Dontari Poe (quad) went on injured reserve. The defensive pressure that had Carolina leading the league in sacks midway through the season went away and led to breakdowns across the board, particularly in the run defense. All this cost coach Ron Rivera his job. Tight end Greg Olsen summed it up best after the team’s seventh straight loss, saying it was a “collective failure” from players to management to coaches.
Biggest offseason question: What to do with Cam Newton? If healthy, do you keep him for the final year of his contract in a prove-it year? Do you release or trade him to clear $19.1 million under the cap, room that could be used to extend McCaffrey and help rebuild the roster? Ultimately, this will be up to the new coach and if he wants Newton or a fresh start. There are no guarantees the answer is with Kyle Allen or third-round pick Will Grier. After the quarterback dilemma, solidifying the offensive and defensive fronts has to be a priority, particularly the left tackle spot that has been a disaster. Whether to stick with tight end Greg Olsen, 34, also is a factor because of his age and salary-cap figure ($11.8 million) for 2020. The skill positions with McCaffrey and wide receivers DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel are solid. But it all begins with figuring out the quarterback spot. — David Newton
What went wrong: In his first year in coach Bruce Arians’ offense, quarterback Jameis Winston threw for career-high 5,109 passing yards and 33 touchdowns. But Winston struggled with turnovers, throwing a league-high 30 interceptions and turning the ball over a total of 39 times. Opponents scored 112 points off Winston’s turnovers this year — more than any player in the league, according to Elias. On defense, Arians infamously proclaimed “the secondary is fixed” in training camp, before seeing his young group surrender a league-leading 298.9 passing yards and 31 points per game in Weeks 1-10. They struggled to hold leads and close out games, blowing an 18-point lead against the Giants and a 14-point lead at Seattle. They showed significant improvement in Weeks 11-17, though (some of it due to a lower level of competition), allowing 224.3 passing yards and 23.67 points a game, but it wasn’t enough to offset the losses of receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin against the Texans in Week 16.
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Biggest offseason question: Will the Bucs bring back Winston, and if so, what will be their level of commitment? A franchise tag? Transition tag? A multiyear contract extension? And if the Bucs bring him back, will Winston reward their faith in him with substantial improvement in the turnover department or is this truly who he is as a player? “It’s about 50-50. The corrections have been made, but the results aren’t happening,” Arians said, adding he thinks a full offseason of studying his own cut-ups might help. “That’s the best lesson you can have. You’ve been watching someone else. You’ve been watching Carson [Palmer] run the offense or whatever, but [now] you see yourself do it.” — Jenna Laine