- Quarterback — Miami Dolphins: Miami’s 2025 backup quarterbacks failed to earn even a 50.0 PFF passing grade and the starter is expected to be released.
- Wide Receiver — Cleveland Browns: Cleveland’s No. 1 wide receiver caught just 50 passes this season.
- 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
NFL free agency officially begins on March 11th. Fantasy-relevant players are set to become free agents at the quarterback, wide receiver, tight end and running back positions.
Teams are currently allowed to apply the exclusive and non-exclusive franchise tags, plus the transition tag, to retain players on a one-year deal, though these options make up only a small portion of the impending free agent signings.
The article below identifies the AFC conference’s worst fantasy-relevant position groups. Expect these teams to commit resources in free agency and the 2026 NFL draft to improving their insufficient position groups.
Quarterback: Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are expected to release former starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The position group will contend for the worst among AFC conference teams, even with Tagovailoa on the roster. Among 22 AFC conference quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks in 2025, Tagovailoa grades as the 13th-best passer with a 65.8 PFF passing grade. Among AFC conference quarterback position groups, Miami’s 59.1 PFF passing grade ranks 12th.
Tagovailoa, 28, remains an accurate passer when left to work at his preferred, 17th-ranked average depth of target (7.2), earning fifth-ranked metrics in accuracy rate (63.8%) and adjusted completion rate (76.5%). However, among 14 AFC quarterbacks with at least 50 passes thrown 15-plus yards downfield, his qualifying 38.7% accuracy rate ranks ninth and 43.9% completion rate ranks 10th.
Miami’s three remaining quarterbacks, Zach Wilson (49.1 PFF passing grade), Quinn Ewers (40.5 PFF passing grade) and Cam Miller (37.3 PFF passing grade) failed to earn even a 50.0 PFF passing grade last season. It is the worst quarterback group among AFC conference teams. Dolphins new general manager John-Eric Sullivan is reportedly interested in bringing aboard his former Green Bay Packers backup, Malik Willis, who earned a 90.8 PFF passing grade and is detailed in Best fantasy-relevant free agents at each position, and Los Angeles Rams free agent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who earned a 63.7 PFF offense grade last season while throwing zero passes. Willis could meaningfully upgrade the unit.
Wide Receiver: Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns possess the worst wide receiver corps among AFC conference teams. The group’s 56.4 PFF receiving grade, 34.7% target rate, 2.29 yards per route run (YPRR) and 84.8% catchable pass catch rate rank dead last.
Browns No. 1 wide receiver Jerry Jeudy caught just 50 passes this season, tying for 44th among AFC wide receivers. He is the only player among Browns wide receivers to catch 22-plus passes. Among 37 NFL wide receivers with at least 95 targets in 2025, Jeudy’s 48.5% catch rate ranks 36th, and his 1.02 YPRR ranks dead last. He grades out as the worst player with a 57.9 PFF receiving grade.
Cleveland must improve its wide receiver corps significantly this offseason.
Tight End: Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos’ tight end corps narrowly edges out the New York Jets’ group for the worst unit among AFC conference tight end corps. Denver’s group grades out as the worst receiving unit with a 52.8 PFF receiving grade and the sixth-worst run blocking unit with a 52.9 PFF run-blocking grade. The Jets’ 57.7 PFF receiving grade and 58.3 PFF run-blocking rank 15th and fifth, respectively.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton has failed to find an elite tight end for his featured receiving role since taking over in 2023. Last year’s 31-year-old starter, tight end Evan Engram, produced his second-lowest-graded receiving season (57.6 PFF receiving grade) and YPRR average (1.21) among his nine NFL seasons.
The unit’s 17.6% target rate, 2.6% deep-target rate, 1.12 YPRR and 86.3% catchable pass catch rate all rank in the bottom three among AFC conference tight end corps. It critically grades out as the second-worst receiving group in the play-action passing game with a qualifying 54.3 PFF receiving grade and earned the second-fewest centerfield targets thrown 10-plus yards downfield and between the painted numbers (six).
This is the worst tight end corps in the AFC.
Running Back: Kansas City Chiefs
Offseason reports consistently indicate that the Kansas City Chiefs will allow Nos. 1 and 2 running backs, Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, to leave via free agency. Among AFC conference running back corps, Kansas City ranks second in pass protection (65.5 PFF pass-blocking grade) and in the bottom three overall (68.6 PFF offense grade), plus rushing (73.3 PFF rushing grade) and receiving (54.3 PFF receiving grade).
Among 36 AFC conference running backs with at least 40 rushing attempts, Hunt grades out as the eighth-best player (78.3 PFF rushing grade), yet ties for 23rd in missed tackles forced per rushing attempt (0.17) and 29th in yards after contact per rushing attempt (2.7). Pacheco grades out as the fifth-worst player (67.4 PFF rushing grade) while 2025 seventh-round rookie, running back Brashard Smith, grades out as the worst (57.5 PFF rushing grade).
Smith’s small sample passing game data intrigues, but his inability to earn a sizable role last season is concerning. Among 42 NFL running backs with at least 30 targets in 2025, Smith ranks first in target rate (30.6%), fourth in slot-target rate (6.5%), sixth in YPRR (1.59) and 12th in yards after the catch per reception (9.4). He grades out as the ninth-best player (76.4 PFF receiving grade) and earns a 73.2 PFF pass-blocking grade on two pass-protection snaps.
Smith could operate as a one-dimensional passing game specialist, though his failure to earn that role in year one could reflect coaching concerns. Regardless, Kansas City desperately needs a new starting running back.
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