- The Patriots should kick off their 2026 run by adding free agency's premier edge defender: New England came up short of winning the Super Bowl, but their edge unit never got going. Trey Hendrickson would fix that and then some.
- Caleb Downs is a perfect fit for the Cowboys: The star Ohio State safety could drop in the 2026 NFL Draft due to positional value, in which case Dallas may acquire a player who earned an elite 93.6 PFF overall grade during his three college seasons.
- 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
The offseason is such an important time in the NFL calendar because it gives every team a chance to retool for a postseason run. The two most recent Super Bowl participants, the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, jump-started their 2025 success by making several significant acquisitions last offseason.
Here are five potential additions this offseason that could highly influence certain teams’ success in the 2026 season.
New England Patriots: EDGE Trey Hendrickson
Leading off are the New England Patriots, who rode an incredible first season under Mike Vrabel all the way to a Super Bowl berth. They aren’t without flaws, though. While much of the focus will be on how to improve the offense around Drake Maye, they could use further help on defense.
The Patriots put together arguably the best interior pass rush in the NFL this season. However, their edge defender unit ranked 29th in PFF pass-rush grade and 32nd in pass-rush win rate. Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson has been one of the best pure pass rushers in the NFL for five seasons. He battled through injuries this past year but still earned an elite 90.0 PFF pass-rush grade. Armed with a decent amount of cap space, New England should take a swing at the best pass rusher on the market.
Cincinnati Bengals: LB Devin Lloyd
The Bengals’ front seven is in dire need of assistance, especially if Trey Hendrickson departs in free agency. Their linebacker unit was a massive problem this season in all facets. Led mostly by rookies Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter, Cincinnati’s linebackers ranked last in the NFL in PFF overall grade. They need a true leader in the middle of their defense, and the free-agent market is flush with options.
Cincinnati could be wise to aggressively pursue Jacksonville’s Devin Lloyd, who is fresh off a career-best season at 27 years old. Lloyd’s 88.4 PFF overall grade ranked third among qualified linebackers this season. He was also one of just three linebackers to rank in the top 12 in PFF run-defense grade and PFF coverage grade. Assuming he can maintain something close to that level of production, Lloyd would be a great fit as the new leader of the Bengals’ defense.
Los Angeles Chargers: C Tyler Linderbaum
The Chargers' porous interior offensive line was the main reason that the team fell short of its postseason expectations. Justin Herbert was under pressure more than 43% of the time. Only the Browns garnered a worse PFF pass-blocking grade than Los Angeles. The Chargers’ 37.3 team PFF run-blocking grade is the worst by any team in a season in the PFF era (since 2006). Their Super Bowl aspirations won’t be fulfilled without major improvement up front.
Los Angeles is armed with the second-most effective cap space in the NFL. That should allow the front office to approach a top-of-market option like Baltimore center Tyler Linderbaum. Since being drafted in 2022, Linderbaum ranks fourth among qualified centers in PFF overall grade. He has also played 1,000 snaps in each of his first four seasons and would be a perfect fit in Mike McDaniel’s outside-zone run scheme. McDaniel acquired an impact center in Aaron Brewer last season in Miami. He should vouch for doing the same with Linderbaum in Los Angeles.
Denver Broncos: RB Kenneth Walker III
The Super Bowl 60 MVP is likely to have a robust market this offseason. Not only was his performance in the season’s final game outstanding, but his 91.5 PFF rushing grade this season led all qualified running backs. Including the postseason, he racked up the second-most missed tackles forced and explosive runs in the NFL.
Seattle will almost certainly make Walker’s retention a priority, but a team like the Denver Broncos could change the complexion of their offense with him in the fold. Denver’s rushing production cratered after J.K. Dobbins’ midseason injury. Their inability to run the ball was a big reason they couldn’t finish a championship run. Adding an explosive back like Walker to the mix would finally give Sean Payton’s offense some balance.
Dallas Cowboys: S Caleb Downs
Draft season will be littered with debates about the value of safeties and the lengths that teams should go to acquire elite players at the position. Ohio State’s Caleb Downs will be at the center of that conversation. Downs earned an elite 93.6 PFF overall grade during his three college seasons, split between Alabama and Ohio State. He is arguably the best football player in the 2026 class, but we have seen elite safety prospects like Kyle Hamilton and Derwin James Jr. fall into the middle of the first round before.
If Downs were to experience a similar fall, several teams would sprint the card in for his services. Perhaps nobody would improve more during the draft than the Dallas Cowboys if they selected Downs with the 12th overall pick. As a team, Dallas ranked last in the NFL in PFF coverage grade in 2025. The Cowboys' safeties, specifically, ranked 31st in the NFL in PFF overall grade, so that unit could be overhauled under first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Downs could be the new foundation of Dallas’ secondary.
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