In the lead-up to the start of free agency on March 17 and opening day of the 2021 NFL Draft on April 29, we'll be taking a position-by-position look at all 32 NFL teams with a focus on the starting spots that have question marks heading into next season.
ARZ | ATL | BLT | BUF | CAR | CIN | CHI | CLE | DEN | DAL | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAX | KC | LVR | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WFT
AFC East
BUFFALO BILLS
The Buffalo Bills finally ended the reign of terror in the AFC East last season, advancing to the AFC championship game where they lost 38-24 to the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the first time that the New England Patriots weren’t AFC East champions in over a decade and just the second time New England hadn’t come in first since the turn of the century … Read more
MIAMI DOLPHINS
There’s plenty to talk about after a season in which the Miami Dolphins made a surprise run at the postseason in Brian Flores’ second year as head coach. With Ryan Fitzpatrick hitting free agency, Tua Tagovailoa is the quarterback in Miami at the moment, but there are still plenty of questions about the situation around him and whether he’s set up to succeed … Read more
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
The New England Patriots are in unfamiliar territory. Not only do they lack stability at the quarterback position that Tom Brady provided for so many years, but they also have questions throughout their roster. Even if the Patriots are able to land an average to above-average quarterback this offseason, arguably the thinnest receiving corps in the NFL and few returning starters along the offensive and defensive lines make this an important offseason for the franchise … Read more
NEW YORK JETS
The good news is that New York is well-positioned to make some major additions with the third-most projected cap space in the NFL and six top-100 picks in this year’s draft. What the team does with those resources will go a long way toward determining the franchise's course over the next several years … Read more
AFC North
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
The Steelers are faced with a balancing act this offseason. On one hand, their 11-0 start to the 2020 season highlights the many pieces in place on this roster for the Steelers to be a contender next season. However, they enter the offseason as losers of five of their last six games — including a first-round loss to a shorthanded Cleveland Browns team in the postseason — and they are faced with one of the worst cap situations in the NFL … Read more
BALTIMORE RAVENS
Things didn’t come quite as easily for the Ravens this past season as they did in 2019 when they lit the league on fire en route to a 14-2 record. Lamar Jackson and company did pick things up over the back half of the season — winning a playoff game for the first time since 2014 — but they’ll have their sights set higher next year … Read more
CLEVELAND BROWNS
The Browns' first postseason victory in nearly 30 years is a win looking back at the 2020 season, but Cleveland will have its sights set higher in Kevin Stefanski’s second year. The offense will remain largely intact with Odell Beckham Jr. slated to return from injury. The Browns’ top priority this offseason will be adding pieces on the defensive side of the ball to fill out their starting 11 … Read more
CINCINNATI BENGALS
The Cincinnati Bengals are a clear underdog in a competitive AFC North, but they do provide several sources of optimism heading into next season — none bigger than Joe Burrow. Cincinnati will look to beef up one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL and continue to add to a defense that was a priority last offseason … Read more
AFC West
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
It’s rare that you can say a Super Bowl appearance qualifies as a disappointing season for any team, but it did for the Kansas City Chiefs this past year. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed the world that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs weren’t invincible. Now, Kansas City is tasked with proving that the performance was an aberration and that there is no true “blueprint” out there on how to beat them … Read more
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
For the second time in as many years, the Las Vegas Raiders started the season relatively strong but faltered down the stretch. The squad was flying high following three straight victories over Cleveland, Los Angeles and Denver, but they ended the year on a 2-5 skid that included a near loss to the then-winless New York Jets … Read more
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
For seemingly the fifth straight year, the Los Angeles Chargers will garner the “potential sleeper” label heading into the 2021 season. They appear to have found their young quarterback of the future in Justin Herbert, and there is reason to believe that new head coach Brandon Staley can lead a defense that is plenty talented to become one of the most productive units in the NFL … Read more
DENVER BRONCOS
The Denver Broncos‘ offseason will come down to which direction they choose to go at the quarterback position, as Drew Lock has shown very little through the first 18 starts in his NFL career. Luckily, the Broncos have cap space and a top-10 draft pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to work with, meaning that Denver could take several different paths if they plan on adding competition at the position … Read more
AFC South
TENNESSEE TITANS
The Tennessee Titans are in a good spot to compete for another AFC South title, with the Houston Texans barreling headfirst into a rebuild and the Indianapolis Colts hoping that Carson Wentz can recapture his 2017 form. However, the Titans do have some roster decisions to make this offseason, and they don’t have much cap space to work with … Read more
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
The Indianapolis Colts entered this offseason in need of a new quarterback following Philip Rivers’ retirement, but they’ve since found their man by reuniting Carson Wentz with former offensive coordinator Frank Reich … Read more
HOUSTON TEXANS
So much of what the Houston Texans will do this offseason comes down to what happens with Deshaun Watson. The two sides currently seem to be in a stalemate — Houston is showing no interest in trading the star quarterback while Watson remains adamant that he will not play another down for the franchise … Read more
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
The Jacksonville Jaguars will enter the 2021 season with a new coaching staff across the board, headed by Urban Meyer making his NFL debut at the helm. The Jaguars are set up for an eventful offseason in the player personnel department, as well … Read more
NFC East
WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM
The Washington Football Team will look to repeat as NFC East champions in 2020, but the odds are that it will be difficult to do so with another 7-9 season. Ron Rivera and his staff have seemingly built a solid foundation in Washington, as the team exceeded preseason expectations … Read more
NEW YORK GIANTS
A second-place finish in the 2020 NFC East sounds more impressive than the New York Giants’ season actually was. The group showed some feistiness under first-year coach Joe Judge, particularly on defense, but the Giants' roster still isn't ready to truly compete for a playoff berth … Read more
DALLAS COWBOYS
Heading into the 2020 season, there was reason to believe that the Dallas Cowboys could become real contenders in the NFC behind a high-powered offense. Unfortunately, season-ending injuries to both starting tackles early, along with the catastrophic loss of Dak Prescott at quarterback, quickly halted the optimism … Read more
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The Philadelphia Eagles are in a tough spot this offseason. Their biggest cap hit this season is for a player who isn’t on the team — a $33.8 million payment to the recently traded Carson Wentz. That’s a big contributor to what projects to be one of the worst salary cap situations in the league … Read more
NFC West
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
The Seattle Seahawks are next on our list, and there has been no shortage of drama already this offseason thanks to trade talks centered around franchise quarterback Russell Wilson. As fun as drawing up potential deals may be, Wilson is not going anywhere unless things reach Deshaun Watson–Houston Texans level of tension … Read more
LOS ANGELES RAMS
The Los Angeles Rams have come to be defined by Sean McVay’s offense since he took over as head coach, but it was the Rams’ defense under first-year defensive coordinator Brandon Staley that stole the show in 2020. Their play on that side of the ball, allowing a league-low -0.15 expected points added (EPA) per play, was critical to their 10-6 record in a competitive NFC West … Read more
ARIZONA CARDINALS
The Arizona Cardinals got off to a hot start to the 2020 season — riding high at 6-3 following their “Hail Murray” win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 10 — but they lost five of their final seven games to close the season and missed the playoffs. There are solid building blocks in place on this roster —this team can have success in 2021 … Read more
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a disappointing 2020 season in which their roster was ravaged by injuries. Key players Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa and Richard Sherman all missed significant time due to injuries. The result was a 6-10 record just one year after the franchise represented the NFC in Super Bowl 54 … Read more
NFC North
GREEN BAY PACKERS
The Green Bay Packers‘ potential regression that was discussed last offseason never materialized. The team once again finished the regular season with a 13-3 record on the back of Aaron Rodgers playing some of the best football in his career … Read more
CHICAGO BEARS
The Chicago Bears are in an interesting position. On the one hand, they have the makings of a team that will be aggressive this offseason in the hopes of remaining competitive in a make-or-break year for Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy. On the other hand, there is no clear-cut answer at quarterback on this roster, their best offensive player is a free agent and the Bears don’t have a ton of cap room or draft capital to work with … Read more
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
The Minnesota Vikings are next on the rundown, and they once again find themselves navigating the waters between playoff contention and a seemingly inevitable turning of the page on this roster … Read more
DETROIT LIONS
The Detroit Lions have already made their biggest move of the offseason. Not only will they enter the 2021 season with a new coaching staff and front office, but they’ll also enter next year without Matthew Stafford, their starting quarterback since he was taken at the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft … Read more
NFC South
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
The New Orleans Saints pushed all their chips into the middle of the table to put a championship-caliber roster around Drew Brees in his final years. That Super Bowl never came. Now, the Saints are left to pick up the pieces with the worst salary cap situation in the NFL … Read more
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are next on the list following a victory in Super Bowl 55 over the Kansas City Chiefs. Tom Brady picked up the sixth Super Bowl ring of his illustrious NFL career, bringing a second Lombardi trophy home to Tampa Bay in his first year with the franchise … Read more
CAROLINA PANTHERS
The Carolina Panthers got out to a strong 3-2 start to the 2020 season before faltering down the stretch, looking more like the team that many people expected entering the year. Still, there were positives to take away from their 5-11 campaign … Read more
ATLANTA FALCONS
The Atlanta Falcons underwhelmed in 2020 despite Matt Ryan grading out as a top-12 quarterback and Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage and Julio Jones (when healthy) all grading out as top-30 receivers across the NFL. A defense that struggled to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks and hold up on the back end in coverage was once again the biggest thorn in Atlanta’s side … Read more
