The most improved NFL position groups from this offseason
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Aaron Rodgers has turned the Jets into a captivating team, giving them a massive quarterback upgrade. But other teams made multipronged efforts to improve certain areas. Here are the most improved position groups around the NFL this offseason.
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Given their dogged Aaron Rodgers pursuit, it is not certain the Jets would have ventured into the same ballpark the Saints ended up going for Derek Carr. But New Orleans paid up for the longest-tenured QB1 in Raiders history, authorizing a four-year, $150 million deal with a $100M practical guarantee. This puts the Saints in a better position to win the NFC South, but they had Andy Dalton on the books for $3M last year. Is Carr that much better than Dalton? While the Dalton-Carr gap certainly is not as wide as these contracts suggest, the Saints have upgraded. This is still a big bet, though the signing probably makes the Saints the NFC South favorites.
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The Colts’ quarterback search has obviously overshadowed this, but kicker stability eluded them for nearly as long. Since Adam Vinatieri finally faded in 2019, the Colts have struggled to locate his replacement. They have needed an in-season kicker replacement in three of the past four seasons, with 2020 undrafted free agent Rodrigo Blankenship not panning out. Although the Colts took a risk with Anthony Richardson to fix their top issue, they signed a safer bet in Matt Gay to address another longstanding concern. The Super Bowl-winning kicker is 60-for-64 over the past two seasons and secured the second-richest kicker deal from a desperate team.
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The debate about the Texans football ops staff’s interest in the non-Bryce Young wing of this quarterback class led to owner Cal McNair needing to deny a question about his potential meddling. Regardless of how he ended up there, C.J. Stroud represents Houston’s first genuine post-Deshaun Watson QB bet. Stroud is viewed as a safer prospect compared to Richardson or Will Levis, passers the Texans will view up close in the coming years. Justin Fields’ Ohio State successor brings a much higher ceiling than Davis Mills, the Texans’ placeholder as they meandered through the NFL’s basement.
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17. Houston Texans, defensive end
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Perhaps the top Texans target in Round 1, Will Anderson Jr. joins a team that did not make much of an effort to staff its pass-rushing positions post-J.J. Watt. The Texans did not put much money into their front seven since Watt requested his release, and its second- and third-best sack artists last season (Obo Okoronkwo and Rasheem Green) signed elsewhere in free agency. DeMeco Ryans will hope Anderson, the two-time reigning Nagurski award winner, will make a Nick Bosa-type impact. The Alabama product totaled 27.5 sacks from 2021-22, and while pre-draft questions emerged about his ceiling, the Texans traded a bounty to acquire him at No. 3.
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The Seahawks zagged with Devon Witherspoon. The Pete Carroll-John Schneider regime has preferred to coach up late-round cornerbacks rather than pay for talent here or draft it early. Rumored as the Jalen Carter destination, the Seahawks will pair standout rookie Tariq Woolen with Witherspoon, the first corner off this year’s board. The physical Illinois product doubles as the Seahawks’ most notable corner investment since Richard Sherman’s 2014 extension. The Carroll regime had never chosen a corner than the 90th overall pick (Shaq Griffin, 2018). They are deeper in the coverage game now with Witherspoon.
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The Bears fetched a premium haul for the No. 1 overall pick, prying several high Panthers picks. But as negotiations intensified, Chicago demanded D.J. Moore. The five-year Panther target joins a Bears team that has struggled for decades to find quality receiving talent. The Bears will bet on Moore helping Justin Fields in a way Stefon Diggs aided Josh Allen and A.J. Brown boosted Jalen Hurts. Moore is accustomed to thriving with sub-average quarterbacks, producing three straight 1,100-yard seasons despite the Panthers scuffing at QB since Cam Newton’s injuries. At 26, Moore will join Darnell Mooney in a suddenly interesting receiving corps.
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Last summer, Orlando Brown Jr. turned down a six-year Chiefs offer that would have made him the NFL’s highest-paid tackle. The contract was backloaded, and Brown balked. He has now switched sides in the AFC’s rivalry of the moment, contacting the Bengals about becoming their left tackle. The Bengals have waded deeper into free agency waters since Joe Burrow’s arrival, and Brown went 2-for-2 in Pro Bowls as the Chiefs’ blindside bastion. This supplies a team that has faced steady issues holding up in pass protection with an upper-crust option, and it sets up a crowded right tackle competition — headlined by the displaced Jonah Williams — teams are certainly monitoring.
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Praised for his football IQ, decision-making and pocket presence, Bryce Young needed to check these boxes due to his stature. The 5-foot-10 QB, who plays at around 190 pounds, is a historically odd first-round passer, but the Panthers believed in the latest Alabama prize to the point they traded their best receiver (D.J. Moore) in a blockbuster Bears swap. Cam Newton’s career began to sink after Super Bowl 50, and the Panthers have not had a reliable option since the former MVP’s injuries accelerated his decline. Bringing a higher upside compared to the Sam Darnold-Baker Mayfield platter, Young will be entrusted to elevate a team with an interesting nucleus.
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Seeing their 2022 receiver plan go up in smoke, the Giants have both brought in outside help and circled back to some Daniel Jones favorites. Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard are back, but the team should be deeper at receiver. Slot players Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder signed, and the team did not stop at two injury-prone receivers. Darren Waller, one of just eight tight ends in NFL history with two 1,100-yard seasons on his resume, will hope to shake his injury issues. Third-round pick Jalin Hyatt, the reigning Biletnikoff winner and one of this draft’s fastest players, rounds out a physically unimposing wideout crew (feat. Waller).
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The gap between the Ravens’ Odell Beckham Jr. guarantee and the incentive-laden Jets offer revealed how eager Baltimore was to appease Lamar Jackson. The Ravens have failed to equip Jackson with receiving talent — though Jackson’s run-oriented skillset is partially responsible for this — and they went all out to stick the landing this time. Beckham received $15 million locked in despite missing a full season, and first-rounder Zay Flowers joins him in an intense Rashod Bateman supplementation effort. Nelson Agholor is in the picture as a WR4 candidate, too. Will this finally be enough for a long-receiver-starved team?
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Only the Bears generated fewer sacks than the Falcons’ 21 last year. Although Atlanta still features questions about its edge-rushing capabilities, the team loaded up inside. Calais Campbell and David Onyemata, a longtime pupil of new DC Ryan Nielsen, are in town to help Grady Jarrett this year. Onyemata provided Cam Jordan with interior support, while Campbell is one of this era’s best D-linemen. The team did take a flier on Steelers first-rounder-turned-Titans castoff Bud Dupree, loading up to help Nielsen as he takes the reins in what will be a more important Falcons season compared to recent years.
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9. Chicago Bears, offensive line
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The Bears found promising pieces in left tackle Braxton Jones and tackle-turned-guard Teven Jenkins last year. They fortified their front by signing four-year Titans right guard Nate Davis before drafting right tackle Darnell Wright. The former was a constant during Derrick Henry’s Hall of Fame push; the latter won his matchup with Will Anderson Jr. during Tennessee’s win over Alabama last year. The Bears passed on Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, but Wright is a better bet to stick at tackle than the short-armed Northwestern blocker. Two years after disbanding their Charles Leno- Bobby Massie pair, Chicago will bet on a Jones-Wright tackle tandem sticking.
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Isaac Seumalo might have been the best guard available in free agency; he joined the Steelers for less than $9 million a year. Pittsburgh, which also added a depth piece in guard Nate Herbig, doubled down on Kenny Pickett protection by trading up for Georgia tackle Broderick Jones. Outfoxing the Jones-seeking Jets, the Steelers made their first Round 1 tackle pick since 1996. Seumalo started on a top-tier Eagles O-line, though he did battle injuries in 2020 and ’21. And Jones should bring an upgrade on Dan Moore at left tackle. These additions could drive Pittsburgh’s O-line out of mediocrity.
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The Broncos paid a higher price compared to the Bears and Steelers, but Sean Payton was rarely timid with O-line staffing in New Orleans. From the Jahri Evans-Carl Nicks payments to the deals given to Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk, the Saints paid up for blocking talent. The Broncos are now, giving Mike McGlinchey a top-five right tackle deal and moving ex-Raven Ben Powers into the eight-figure-per-year guard club. Injuries ravaged Denver’s O-line during Russell Wilson’s debut, leading to a whopping 63 sacks. The Broncos especially need McGlinchey to pan out. They have experienced rampant trouble finding a right tackle over the past decade.
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Jalen Ramsey’s desire for more guaranteed money slashed his trade value, leading the All-Pro cornerback to Miami for a modest return. The ex-Jaguars and Rams star provides new defensive boss Vic Fangio with an elite cover man opposite Xavien Howard, creating — in the short term, at least — a high-ceiling coverage duo. A troublesome Byron Jones injury kept Howard’s previous sidekick out of action throughout last season. A three-time first-team All-Pro, Ramsey brings a big upgrade even on a healthy Jones. He equips Fangio with tantalizing options as the defensive maestro begins his Dolphins run.
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Despite rostering Arik Armstead and being ready to give Nick Bosa a contract that will eclipse the $30 million-per-year threshold, the 49ers splurged for Javon Hargrave. The career-long Pennsylvanian provides San Francisco with scary possibilities, considering the upgrade he will provide on Javon Kinlaw alongside Armstead. Not a stat stuffer in Pittsburgh, Hargrave (11 sacks last season) became an interior-rushing menace in Philly’s 4-3 scheme. Considering the impact the 49ers’ previous D-line nucleus has made, Hargrave ratchets up the fear factor associated with the perennially strong defense. A big win for new DC Steve Wilks.
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4. Chicago Bears, linebacker
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It is debatable whether the Bears needed to allocate this level of resources to their linebacking group, but Matt Eberflus did see Shaquille Leonard dominate in Indianapolis. The ex-Colts DC authorized a top-five ILB payment to Tremaine Edmunds and added ex-Eagle T.J. Edwards to accompany the (somehow) still-25-year-old former Bill. Edmunds and Edwards will be counted on in Chicago, which does not have similar talent up front yet. The Bears ranked last defensively during their 3-14 cellar descent. They will make the unusual move to build from the second level to begin the recovery effort.
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3. Atlanta Falcons, running back
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The Falcons already ranked third in rushing last season, though they needed to depend on the run thanks to starting Marcus Mariota in 13 games. Fifth-round pick Tyler Allgeier surpassed 1,000 yards, but he will take a backseat to Texas phenom Bijan Robinson, whom many labeled as this draft’s safest bet. The Falcons have now taken skill-position prospects in the top 10 over the past three drafts, with the do-it-all ex-Longhorn following Kyle Pitts and Drake London. Robinson, who totaled 35 touchdowns and 3,316 scrimmage yards since 2021, represents one of the biggest run-game upgrades any team has made in years.
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For all the praise the Lions earned down the stretch last season, their defense still ranked last in yards allowed. They responded with a bevy of resources allocated to coverage. Detroit gave versatile ex-Steeler Cam Sutton an $11 million-per-year deal and capitalized on ex-Aaron Glenn Saints charge-turned-Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson misreading the market. Multiyear 49ers starter Emmanuel Moseley is in town now, too. Second-round pick Brian Branch seems to overlap with Gardner-Johnson’s safety-slot corner toolbox, but Glenn has considerably better options to deploy to contain opposing wideouts now.
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Although this trade cost them far more than the Brett Favre package did 15 years ago , Aaron Rodgers made it to the Big Apple and has transformed the team’s reputation. The Jets earned one national TV game last season; Rodgers garnered them six. (Hopefully, they shape up and wear green again after last year’s black-panted stubbornness.) Gang Green going from the Zach Wilson-Mike White-Joe Flacco platter to Rodgers could be an AFC-altering transaction, with the team with major American sports’ longest playoff drought suddenly a destination. Equipped with better receivers and a superior defense compared to the 2022 Packers, Rodgers has a legit chance to follow in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady’s relocation footsteps.
Sam Robinson is a Kansas City, Mo.-based writer who mostly writes about the NFL. He has covered sports for nearly 10 years. Boxing, the Royals and Pandora stations featuring female rock protagonists are some of his go-tos. Occasionally interesting tweets @SRobinson25.
