Biggest strength: It's not quite the “No Fly Zone,” but Denver has put together a nice collection of talent in its secondary. Pat Surtain II looked like a veteran in his first season out of Alabama last year, as he gave up virtually nothing downfield in 2021 with just one reception allowed into his coverage on 14 targets of 20 or more yards. He and Justin Simmons head the unit entering 2022, but there aren't many weak points to attack with veterans Ronald Darby , K'Waun Williams and Kareem Jackson rounding out the starting group.
Biggest weakness: Linebacker was one of the more common connections for the Broncos in the 2022 NFL draft, but they didn't end up prioritizing the position. That leaves Josey Jewell and either Jonas Griffith or Alex Singleton as the projected starting tandem with little in the way of depth behind them, particularly with Baron Browning transitioning to an on-ball outside linebacker role. When on the field, teams could look to exploit Singleton in coverage over the middle of the field after he earned just a 39.3 coverage grade with the Eagles in 2021.
X factor for 2022: Through four NFL seasons, Bradley Chubb has had two fairly productive seasons with at least 50 quarterback pressures to go with two injury-shortened campaigns (2019 and 2021). He has yet to develop into the kind of player that Denver was looking for when it drafted him fifth overall in the 2018 draft. Offseason additions such as Randy Gregory and Nik Bonitto should provide a spark to the Broncos' pass rush, but they would like to also see more out of a healthy Chubb this season.
Biggest strength: The Colts were one of two NFL teams that averaged a positive EPA per play in the running game during the 2021 regular season, joining the Eagles. That's a combination of an impressive run-blocking unit and arguably the league's top running back entering the 2022 season. Jonathan Taylor ‘s 1,272 rushing yards after contact last season were more than any other running back in the league had before and after contact. That run game and Indianapolis' offensive environment as a whole represents a big positive change for Matt Ryan after his past few years in Atlanta.
Biggest weakness: The Colts added a few pass-catching options in the draft in Alec Pierce and Jelani Woods , but there isn't much proven depth in their receiving corps. They'll be counting on rookies such as Pierce and the oft-injured Parris Campbell to deliver in starting roles. That could work out. Pierce is a big target who can stretch the field, as can Campbell with his speed. It's just a bit of an unknown for a team that fancies itself as an AFC contender.
X factor for 2022: Kwity Paye missed some time early in his rookie season with a hamstring injury, but he bounced back to show some promise as a pass-rusher with a 71.3 PFF pass-rushing grade in 2021. Paye stands out as a potential breakout candidate entering his second season, particularly given the talent around him on that defensive line with DeForest Buckner , Grover Stewart and Yannick Ngakoue .
Biggest strength: Micah Parsons came into the league as a rookie last season and made a legitimate case for not just the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year but also Defensive Player of the Year. He was PFF's highest-graded off-ball linebacker and one of the most effective pass-rushers in the NFL when defensive coordinator Dan Quinn opted to use him as an edge rusher. The Randy Gregory loss in free agency is going to hurt Dallas up front, but few teams can send two pass-rushers as talented as Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence after opposing quarterbacks. Parsons' ability to fill multiple roles at a high level depending on where he's needed most in a given situation provides a lot of flexibility to the Cowboys on defense.
Biggest weakness: As good as Lawrence has been up front for the Cowboys over the past five years, the rest of the defensive line has some concerns. Dallas' defensive tackles combined for a 33.1 PFF run-defense grade last season (30th in the NFL), and the only real addition to the group this offseason was fifth-round pick John Ridgeway . The Cowboys are relying on younger players such as Neville Gallimore and Osa Odighizuwa to take a step forward in 2022.
X factor for 2022: Cornerback Trevon Diggs became one of the most polarizing players in the NFL last season due to his boom-or-bust, risk-taking play style. Diggs' 1,016 passing yards allowed into his coverage in 2021 led the NFL, but he was still a valuable component of the Cowboys' better-than-expected defense because interceptions are such high-leverage plays, and Diggs came away with 11 of them. The question now becomes how replicable those results are this season.
Biggest strength: When both are healthy, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen make up one of the better receiving tandems in the league. The only player with more red zone touchdown receptions than Thielen over the past five seasons (33) is Davante Adams , and Jefferson has quickly become one of the league's top receiving threats in all situations. Jefferson's ability to beat press is particularly impressive, as his 3.3 yards per route run against press coverage ranks second among all qualifying wide receivers since 2020.
Biggest weakness: As has been the case for several years now, it's hard to feel all that confident about Minnesota's offensive line heading into the 2022 season. It finished last season ranked 27th as a unit in PFF pass-blocking grade, and it is expected to return the majority of that group. Maybe Christian Darrisaw takes a step forward in his second season out of Virginia Tech, and perhaps players such as Ezra Cleveland and Garrett Bradbury do too. That's a lot of “ifs” though.
X factor for 2022: A healthy Za'Darius Smith profiles as a very nice addition at the edge defender slot opposite Danielle Hunter . Across his first two seasons in Green Bay, Smith recorded 144 total pressures (fourth in the NFL) with PFF pass-rushing grades above 85.0 in both seasons. However, he played just 18 snaps in 2021 before his season was cut short by back surgery. It remains to be seen if the soon-to-be 30-year-old can get back to his pre-injury form in Minnesota.
Biggest strength: The four former first-round selections who make up Washington's starting defensive line remain the strength of this roster entering this season. Jonathan Allen has the fourth-highest PFF pass-rushing grade among interior defensive linemen over the past two seasons, and the return of a healthy Montez Sweat is no small addition to the Commanders’ defense. The same can be said for Chase Young when he comes off the PUP list. The only concern is if injuries strike again, particularly on the interior after Tim Settle and Matt Ioannidis went elsewhere in free agency this offseason.
Biggest weakness: Washington's linebacker corps is among the worst in the league on paper. Recent first-round selection Jamin Davis (46.8 PFF grade last season) underwhelmed in his rookie season. The Commanders need more out of him in Year 2 as well as the rest of this linebacker unit that ranked 30th out of 32 units across the league last season.
X factor for 2022: Curtis Samuel joined Washington last season off a career year with the Panthers in 2020, when he caught a career-high 77 passes for 851 yards while tacking on another 200 yards on the ground. Unfortunately, Samuel wasn't able to carry over that momentum into last season with Washington, as injuries limited him to just five appearances on the year. The Commanders will be hoping that he and Jahan Dotson offer more support to Terry McLaurin than he has received across the first three years of his career.
Biggest strength: The Titans have some uncertainty at the cornerback position, but they have one of the best playmaking safeties in the league to help clean things up in the secondary. Since 2017, Kevin Byard ranks first among safeties in interceptions (23) and is tied for second in pass breakups (29), behind only Adrian Amos . He is joined by Amani Hooker , who had an extremely impressive 2021 season (85.9 PFF grade) in his own right.
Biggest weakness: The Titans replaced A.J. Brown and Julio Jones at wide receiver with Robert Woods and Treylon Burks this offseason. There are certainly worse ways to go about replacing that talent at wide receiver, but Tennessee will now be heavily reliant on a 30-year-old coming off a midseason torn ACL and a rookie who spent most of his time in the slot against off coverage at the college level. It’s not a great sign that Burks is working behind fifth-round pick Kyle Philips and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine early on.
X factor for 2022: Caleb Farley , Tennessee's 2021 first-round pick, wasn't able to escape an injury history that was his biggest concern coming out of Virginia Tech in his first season with the Titans. Farley appeared in just three games before a torn ACL cut his rookie season short. He has the size, speed and ball skills to develop into a true No. 1 cornerback, but he has to remain on the field to do so.
Biggest strength: New England's secondary has its concerns, but it also has one of the deeper safety groups in the NFL. Devin McCourty and Adrian Phillips both finished last season as top-12 safeties in PFF's wins above replacement metric, and Kyle Dugger is essentially a third starter at the position. Dugger improved his PFF coverage grade by over 20 points in his second season out of Lenoir-Rhyne while playing nearly 750 defensive snaps. The Patriots quadrupled down on the position this offseason by adding Jabrill Peppers to the group, as well.
Biggest weakness: The Patriots’ starting outside cornerbacks are Jalen Mills and Jonathan Jones , who is transitioning to an outside role after playing just 15% of his snaps on the outside across the first six years of his career. That talent doesn't line up with what New England has done on defense in recent years, including last season, when it ranked second in Cover 1 rate. It doesn't require much imagination to see that cornerback group getting exposed in a man-heavy scheme. That could force the Patriots into more zone coverage in 2022.
X factor for 2022: Last offseason, the Patriots offered tight end Jonnu Smith a four-year, $50 million contract with over $30 million guaranteed. Smith proceeded to run just 158 routes (52nd most at the tight end position) and post fewer receiving yards than Albert Okwuegbunam , Durham Smythe and Dan Arnold despite appearing in 16 games. That's not the kind of return on investment that the Patriots were looking for, and they'll be looking for more from Smith this season.
Biggest strength: The Davante Adams addition gives the Raiders' passing attack the receiver that it was really missing. Derek Carr ranked first in PFF passing grade on throws between the numbers in 2021 as compared to 22nd on throws outside the numbers, but now he has one of the truly elite route runners in the league who can win consistently on the outside at his disposal. Add in Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller , and Las Vegas' passing game has the potential to be explosive in 2022.
Biggest weakness: The counterargument to the explosive passing game argument above is that the Raiders didn't do much to improve Carr's pass protection this offseason. The right side of Las Vegas' offensive line allowed more pressures than any other right guard and tackle duo in the NFL in 2021 (124), and it introduces two new starters in Lester Cotton Sr. and Jermaine Eluemunor who don’t inspire a ton of confidence.
X factor for 2022: Trayvon Mullen recorded a 73.9 PFF coverage grade across the first three games of the 2021 season before a foot injury derailed his campaign. There was at least some intrigue for him heading into the 2022 season, but the Raiders decided they had seen enough, shipping Mullen to Arizona for a late-round pick. That puts a lot of pressure on Anthony Averett to produce in a full-time starting role. Averett allowed 739 yards into his coverage (sixth most in NFL among cornerbacks) in 2021 in a starting role with Baltimore last season.
Biggest strength: It's hard to find many better duos along the defensive front than T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward . Over the past three seasons, both Watt and Heyward rank among the top three players at their respective positions in both quarterback pressures and run stops. Their ability to make impact plays regardless of the situation is at the center of Pittsburgh's defensive success over that three-year stretch.
Biggest weakness: The Steelers' offensive line has deteriorated from a unit that five-plus years ago was one of the best in the league under offensive line coach Mike Munchak. Now it profiles closer to the bottom of the league. This group was aided in pass protection by Ben Roethlisberger ‘s 2.2-second average time to throw over the past two seasons (fastest in the NFL), making how it fares in what should be a different-looking 2022 offense something worth monitoring.
X factor for 2022: The two-year, $8 million contract Ahkello Witherspoon signed to remain in Pittsburgh this offseason doesn't scream No. 1 outside cornerback, but that's what the Steelers are counting on him to be when looking at the rest of their roster. From Week 13 through the end of the season, Witherspoon allowed a passer rating of just 20.2 on throws into his coverage. His play has been hot and cold throughout his five-year career, but the Steelers will be hoping he carries over that momentum into 2022.
Biggest strength: Over the past two seasons, Kyler Murray has completed 75% of his passes when targeting DeAndre Hopkins for a 122.5 passer rating. It's one of the best quarterback-wide receiver duos in the NFL when both players are healthy. However, both players being healthy hasn't been a given, and Hopkins is scheduled to start the 2022 season on a six-game suspension because he violated the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. If the Cardinals do end up making a run in the NFC, it will be, in part, because that combination is back at full strength down the stretch.
Biggest weakness: For a team that has had some success over the past two seasons, there are a lot of holes on this roster. Cornerback was a concern heading into last season, but the Cardinals managed to get by with a solid season from Robert Alford . He is no longer on the roster, and Arizona's cornerback concerns remain entering 2022. Marco Wilson and the newly-acquired Trayvon Mullen are the favorites to start alongside Byron Murphy Jr. while Antonio Hamilton is on the NFI list. Wilson allowed a 129.8 passer rating on throws into his coverage as a rookie last year.
X factor for 2022: Linebacker Isaiah Simmons hasn't lived up to the expectations that come with being a top-10 overall pick across his first two NFL seasons. He showed some promise in coverage in a limited role as a rookie in 2020 but was ineffective against the run and saw his PFF coverage grade drop over 10 points in an every-down starting role last season. Arizona needs both Simmons and Zaven Collins to become the reliable players that they were drafted to be in Vance Joseph's defense.
Biggest strength: The only real question about the Panthers' supporting cast on offense was their offensive line, and the Ikem Ekwonu , Bradley Bozeman and Austin Corbett additions should go a long way toward putting that unit on the right track. A receiving corps consisting of D.J. Moore , Robbie Anderson , Rashard Higgins and Christian McCaffrey has potential with better quarterback play. Moore ranks 17th among all wide receivers in PFF's wins above replacement metric since 2019.
Biggest weakness: Carolina has, without a doubt, one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL entering the 2022 season. The first few weeks of the 2021 season teased Sam Darnold potentially turning the corner, but that quickly came crashing down as the season progressed. No quarterback has earned a lower PFF grade since entering the league in 2018 than Darnold. The addition of a healthy Baker Mayfield improves the outlook of the group, but there’s still a strong likelihood that Carolina is looking for another answer at the position next year.
X factor for 2022: The Panthers lost Haason Reddick and his 44 quarterback pressures from 2021 in free agency without making a big splash on the edge to replace him. That puts more pressure on third-year edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos to pick up some of the slack after playing fewer than 400 defensive snaps in each of his first two seasons. Gross-Matos looks the part of an impact player at the position, but the high-end production has never been there. He has just one season with a PFF pass-rushing grade above 70.0 at the NFL or college level (his final season at Penn State in 2019).
Biggest strength: You won't often find a team this low on the list that has a top-five positional unit, but Detroit's offensive line is in that conversation. It's not difficult to see Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell both being top-10 players at their respective positions in 2022. From a PFF grading standpoint, Sewell was a top-10 graded right tackle as a rookie in 2021, and Decker finished 15th among qualifying left tackles. Throw in one of the NFL's best centers (Frank Ragnow ) and a promising young guard (Jonah Jackson ), and the Lions have a nice core to build around up front.
Biggest weakness: There's reason to be excited about the direction that this Detroit roster is trending, but the hole at quarterback makes it difficult to set expectations too high. Across his past two seasons with the Rams and Lions, Jared Goff ‘s passes have traveled fewer than 7 yards downfield on average (6.8), and his 8.8 yards per attempt on throws 20 or more yards downfield is a bottom-five mark among 31 quarterbacks with at least 50 such attempts. There's not going to be much of an explosive, downfield element to this passing attack with Goff at quarterback unless he gets back to 2018 form.
X factor for 2022: The Lions have a couple of interesting, young cornerbacks but few sure things. That's true for Jeff Okudah more than anyone. The former No. 3 overall pick struggled in limited action as a rookie in 2020, battling injuries and difficult coverage responsibilities in Matt Patricia's defense. Last season, Okudah played just 48 defensive snaps before a left Achilles tendon injury ended his season. Okudah looked like a can't-miss prospect coming out of Ohio State given his size, skill set and production, but he hasn't lived up to his reputation through two seasons. Detroit will be hoping that changes for a healthy Okudah this season.
Biggest strength: Robert Saleh's defenses in San Francisco were known for deep D-lines that could generate consistent pressure without the blitz. It's clear that he is trying to accomplish something similar in New York. Carl Lawson is expected to return at full strength after tearing his Achilles tendon in his first offseason with the team. Lawson earned an 84.9 pass-rushing grade with 64 quarterback pressures (sixth in NFL) in his final season with the Bengals in 2020. He joins John Franklin-Myers , first-round pick Jermaine Johnson II and Jacob Martin in an edge rotation that has starting-quality depth.
Biggest weakness: New York has done a good job of plugging the glaring holes on its roster over the past few offseasons. Linebacker still stands out as a position where the team needs to be better in 2022, though. Returning starters C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams both earned sub-45 PFF grades last season, stemming largely from how they performed against the run.
X factor for 2022: The Jets have set up quarterback Zach Wilson to have success in 2022. Whether he takes advantage of the talent that has been added around him this offseason will play a large role in determining if New York is able to improve on its four wins from a season ago. A preseason knee injury isn’t an ideal start on that road to improvement.
Biggest strength: It's not surprising to see the former Bills' brain trust invest in the defensive line in its first draft with the Giants, given how the Bills have attacked the position over the past few years. The Kayvon Thibodeaux addition to a defensive front that already had Leonard Williams , Dexter Lawrence and 2021 draft pick Azeez Ojulari gives New York a nice collection of talent that can defend the run and get after opposing quarterbacks. Thibodeaux's 23% pass rush win rate ranked ninth among FBS edge rushers with at least 250 pass-rushing snaps in 2021.
Biggest weakness: New York's once-deep secondary has thinned considerably over the past year. Two important veteran starters from last year's group are gone in James Bradberry and Logan Ryan . Safety Jabrill Peppers also is elsewhere. That will likely push second-year cornerback Aaron Robinson to the outside as the favorite to replace Bradberry. Robinson earned a 58.4 PFF coverage grade across 170 coverage snaps as a rookie while splitting time between the slot and outside.
X factor for 2022: Wide receiver Kadarius Toney has had an eventful first year-plus in the NFL, including being at the center of trade rumors earlier this offseason that have since died down. When he was on the field as a rookie last season, Toney looked like the dynamic playmaker the Giants drafted him in the first round to be. He was one of just 15 wide receivers in the league to average over two receiving yards per route run on at least 100 routes.
Biggest strength: Not many numbers will reflect it, but there were promising takeaways from Trevor Lawrence ‘s rookie performance in about as bad a situation as he could have been thrown into. One such takeaway was the way that Lawrence avoided sacks when under pressure. He took a sack on just 14% of his pressured dropbacks last season, sixth among 32 qualifying quarterbacks. His supporting cast still leaves a lot to be desired, but the Urban Meyer subtraction and Doug Pederson addition as head coach should have a positive impact on Lawrence and this entire offense.
Biggest weakness: Left tackle Cam Robinson is coming off a career-best 67.4 PFF grade in 2021 (31st among 39 qualifying left tackles), and that was enough for Jacksonville to give him a three-year extension worth over $50 million. That speaks to where Jacksonville's offensive line is as a unit. Brandon Scherff was a quality free-agent addition, but that is balanced by Brandon Linder ‘s retirement at center. On paper, Jacksonville's offensive line remains one of the weaker units in the league, unless Robinson, Jawaan Taylor and Ben Bartch take a step forward.
X factor for 2022: Safety Andre Cisco ‘s first start last season didn't come until Week 16, but he had several strong showings in those final three games of the 2021 season. Cisco's range and playmaking ability were his biggest strengths coming out of Syracuse, though his aggressiveness puts him in bad positions at times. The Jaguars' defense could make use of his tools in a starting role next to Rayshawn Jenkins this season.
Biggest strength: Life isn't going to be as good for DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in 2022 without Russell Wilson . No quarterback has graded higher on throws 20-plus yards downfield than Wilson over the past five seasons, which has played to Metcalf and Lockett's strengths. However, that wide receiver duo still looks to be the strongest point on Seattle's roster entering this season. Both are top-20 receivers in PFF's wins above replacement since 2019.
Biggest weakness: A quarterback competition between Drew Lock and Geno Smith isn't where any team wants to be entering a season. Smith didn't look completely out of place when he had to fill in for Wilson last season; he was PFF's 12th-highest-graded quarterback from Weeks 6 to 8 and averaged 7.3 yards per attempt across those three weeks (12th out of 32 qualifiers). That performance, along with a strong showing in the preseason, locked up the starting job. It’s still difficult to see Smith winning too many games for Seattle in 2022.
X factor for 2022: The Seahawks are going to need one of their young edge rushers to take a leap this season because their most experienced player at the position — free-agent acquisition Uchenna Nwosu — has a career PFF pass-rushing grade of just 67.3. Darrell Taylor is one of the more likely players to step up to that challenge. The former Tennessee Volunteer missed his rookie season in 2020 with injury, but he recorded 36 quarterback pressures in a rotational role last year.
Biggest strength: The cornerback duo of A.J. Terrell and Casey Hayward Jr. could be one saving grace on a roster with a whole lot of question marks. Sixty-five cornerbacks played at least 400 coverage snaps during the 2021 regular season, and no two players in that group allowed fewer receiving yards per game than Terrell (12.5) and Hayward (22.8). Another season like that from Terrell would further cement his status as one of the league's top corners at just 24 years old.
Biggest weakness: The Falcons' defensive line is in a better spot than it was a season ago. However, it still has the potential to be Grady Jarrett and a bunch of other guys if second-round pick Arnold Ebiketie doesn't hit the ground running. Even Jarrett wasn't quite as effective last season as he has been throughout much of his career. Jarrett's 67.6 PFF grade in 2021 was his first sub-80 grade since the 2016 season (62.7).
X factor for 2022: There's a reason that the Falcons were repeatedly linked to wide receivers leading up to the 2022 draft. They were in desperate need of playmakers to complement Kyle Pitts after losing Julio Jones , Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage over the past few seasons. Drake London was billed as a contested-catch receiver, but that's not all he can do. He was the only wide receiver in the 2022 draft class with top-five marks in contested catches (19) and missed tackles forced after the catch (22) last season — and he did it in just eight games.
Biggest strength: There’s a chance that the Texans have transformed the cornerback position from a weakness to a relative strength in one offseason. The additions of Derek Stingley Jr. , PFF's highest-graded cornerback in college football as a true freshman in 2019, and Steven Nelson give them two quality starting options on the outside. And Houston has several options to turn to in the slot, including Desmond King II and rookie safety Jalen Pitre , who specialized in the slot while at Baylor.
Biggest weakness: During the 2021 season, the Texans' interior offensive line graded lower than any other interior offensive line in the NFL. Their interior defensive line didn't fare much better, ranking 25th out of 32 positional groups. The Texans made a few additions this offseason, including guards Kenyon Green and A.J. Cann , to help matters, but they could be headed for problems on the interior again this season.
X factor for 2022: Rookie running back Dameon Pierce wasted no time in winning the lead back role in Houston’s offense this offseason. He averaged nearly eight yards per attempt in the preseason after coming in as PFF’s highest-graded FBS rusher in 2021 in a limited role at Florida. The Texans have emphasized improving the running game this offseason, and Pierce will be a driver in that effort in 2022.
Biggest strength: It shouldn’t be surprising for a team coming in at 32nd overall on this list, but there isn’t a whole lot to choose from here. Chicago’s secondary has an opportunity to be much improved following the additions of Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon in the draft. But even that requires a fair bit of projection. Jaylon Johnson improved his PFF grade by nearly 10 points to 64.3 in his second season out of Utah, and the Bears will be looking for another jump this season.
Biggest weakness: Describing the supporting cast around Justin Fields entering this season as ugly might be putting it kindly. The Bears lost their two highest-graded offensive linemen (Jason Peters and James Daniels ) from a unit that finished the 2021 season ranked 21st in overall PFF grade. And Chicago's top four wide receivers on the depth chart are Darnell Mooney , Equanimeous St. Brown , Velus Jones Jr. and Byron Pringle . That's putting a lot of pressure on Fields' shoulders to carry the offense to success in 2022.
X factor for 2022: The 2022 season for the Bears will be about finding positives to take away from their young core of players, including Teven Jenkins . Jenkins played meaningful snaps in only three games as a rookie last season after missing the beginning of the campaign with a back injury. He allowed seven pressures in his first taste of action in Week 14 against the Green Bay Packers, but he settled in a bit in two matchups against the Vikings. A strong season from Jenkins, now at right guard, in 2022 would go a long way toward improving confidence in this offensive line moving forward.
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