- The Titans start to plan their future: Tennessee has the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Which star will they draft?
- The Dolphins, Seahawks and Texans have a common purpose: All three need to improve their interior offensive lines this offseason.
Estimated Reading Time: 30 minutes
NFL free agency is just a few short weeks away, and after that, the 2025 NFL Draft is just around the corner.
There isn’t much time for NFL teams to rest and take stock of the season that’s just passed; they’ll all be looking ahead and planning goals for next season and beyond. But first, of course, is the fun of the offseason: What should every NFL team plan for this summer? What’s their purpose?
JUMP TO A TEAM:
ARZ | ATL | BLT | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAX | KC | LVR | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
Arizona Cardinals: Improve the trenches
The Cardinals collapsed after their Week 11 bye, losing five of their last seven games and finishing the season with an 8-9 record. There were definitive improvements in Jonathan Gannon’s second season in charge, and having Kyler Murray for the entire season certainly aided. However, Arizona’s goal now should be to improve the trenches on both sides of the ball.
Will Hernandez, Trystan Colon, and Kelvin Beachum — key contributors on the offensive line — are slated to hit free agency, and all three will need to be replaced in some regard. Paris Johnson Jr., who earned an 80.8 PFF overall grade in his second season, and Jonah Williams are the incumbents at tackle, and Hjalte Froholdt is quietly one of the better centers in the NFL, garnering a 76.1 PFF overall grade in 2024, but there’s room to improve the interior.
Maybe, more importantly, the Cardinals have to improve their defensive line. 2024 first-round pick Darius Robinson played only six games in his rookie season, and the unit generally lacks talent. The Cardinals have the 16th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and could be targeting some help in the trenches.
Atlanta Falcons: Fix the long-standing pass-rushing issue
The Falcons had a pass-rushing problem in 2024. It’s hard to remember a time when the team hasn’t struggled to get after opposing quarterbacks. They’ve averaged just 28.2 sacks per season over the past five years. Even the addition of Matt Judon, who racked up 149 pressures and 35 sacks in three seasons with the Patriots, couldn’t solve their woes. His 43.0 PFF overall grade in 2024 ranked 117th out of 119 edge defenders.
Judon will likely depart in free agency, but even if the Falcons were to keep him in the building, it wouldn’t be enough. They need more. Whether that means doling out cash in free agency and signing a veteran like Khalil Mack or Josh Sweat, or using the 15th overall pick on a top edge in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Falcons have to act.
Baltimore Ravens: Retool the offensive line
A quarterback like Lamar Jackson makes an offensive line’s life a little easier. Few signal-callers can avoid, evade and bypass pass-rushers like the two-time MVP, but that doesn’t mean the Ravens will stand on ceremony. Ronnie Stanley and Patrick Mekari are set to hit the open market in the coming weeks as key pieces of Baltimore’s offensive line over the past few years.
Stanley earned a 70.7 PFF overall grade in 2024, his best mark since 2021, and will be the top left tackle in free agency, while Mekari has played wherever the Ravens have asked him to in his six years in Baltimore. The front office hit on center Tyler Linderbaum, and tackle Roger Rosengarten looks like he’ll be a solid piece for years to come, but retooling the offensive line and replacing potential departures seems key. The Ravens ranked 15th in pressure rate allowed in 2024, and Jackson was sacked just 23 times in the regular season. A lot of that is down to his ability to avoid sacks, but the offensive line play was a piece of the puzzle.
Buffalo Bills: Get bigger on defense
The Bills‘ defense had a productive enough year in 2024. They finished 13th in expected points allowed per play and surrendered 21.6 points per game (12th best). They’re a talented unit with playmakers across the board, but improvements are needed — especially on the defensive line. As of now, Jordan Phillips, Quinton Jefferson, Austin Johnson and Von Miller are all set to hit free agency.
The front office has an opportunity to make Buffalo’s defense a little bigger and meaner this offseason. The current crop of edge defenders, highlighted by Greg Rousseau, are more long and rangy. Rousseau is the heaviest edge on the roster at 266 pounds. The Bills’ defense needs to become harder to move after allowing 4.6 yards per carry in the run game in 2024, as the NFL’s best offenses were the ones that effectively ran the ball.
Carolina Panthers: Find talent on defense
No one expected a Bryce Young and Panthers U-turn in the second half of the season after the former No. 1 pick was benched early in the campaign. But that’s what happened. Young earned an 86.7 PFF overall grade from Week 9 onward — the sixth-highest mark among quarterbacks. The offense is moving in the right direction, but the defense needs help. And a lot of it.
Carolina’s defense allowed 31.4 points per game in 2024, far and away the most of any team in the NFL, and the most by a defense since the Lions in 2020. The front office just released Shaq Thompson, too, and now there is a hole to fill at nearly every position. The unit is in dire need of talent and playmakers. And it doesn’t matter how the Panthers get it. They own the No. 8 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and have been linked to a litany of high-caliber defenders in the class. The goal is to find talent however they can.
Chicago Bears: Start building the offense in Ben Johnson’s vision
The Matt Eberflus era is over, and the Bears pushed hard to get the top coaching candidate on the market in Ben Johnson. The former Lions offensive coordinator helped craft one of the best offenses in the NFL over the past few years, and now he will try and salvage a unit that struggled in 2024. The Bears have their quarterback of the future, spending the No. 1 pick in 2024 on Caleb Williams, and some key pieces on offense, but the goal this offseason should be to build the foundation for Johnson’s offense.
That likely means heavily investing resources in the offensive line, which struggled in 2024. Williams was sacked 68 times in the regular season, more than any other quarterback in the NFL, and the Bears allowed a 30.2% pressure rate. Chicago will have the fourth-most available cap space ($79.7 million) and the 10th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to dedicate to the offensive line, and there’s a strong chance the team will draft another running back to improve the rushing game, too.
Cincinnati Bengals: Bring back their guys
The Bengals‘ offseason goal is clear: Retain their main guys. It starts with franchise-tagging Tee Higgins and then trying to negotiate a long-term deal for the star receiver. The offense is undoubtedly better with Higgins on the field, as he earned an 88.2 PFF overall grade in 2024 (sixth highest among receivers) after catching 73 passes for 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games. There will be discussions about signing Ja’Marr Chase to a long-term deal, too. Chase had a career year in 2024, catching 127 passes for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns and earning an 85.8 PFF overall grade while winning the receiving triple crown.
Joe Burrow has been vocal about keeping Higgins and Chase in the building, and the Bengals would be wise to ensure their franchise quarterback is happy. Cincinnati will hope to extend edge defender Trey Hendrickson, too. The Bengals have a lot of holes, but retaining their stars will go a long way toward building a successful roster that can compete for a Super Bowl once again.
Cleveland Browns: Keep Myles Garrett in the building
The Browns were rocked early in the offseason by the bombshell news that Myles Garrett requested a trade. Garrett is arguably the best player in the NFL and the cornerstone of Cleveland’s franchise. He earned a 92.3 PFF overall grade in 2024, the second highest among edge defenders, marking his fourth straight season above 92.0. He’s in a tier of his own.
Garrett made it clear that he wants to win a Super Bowl and doesn’t see the Browns doing so any time soon. His stance is hard to argue with — Cleveland has made the postseason just three times since 2000 and won just three games in 2024. However, the Browns have been firm in acknowledging that Garrett isn’t going anywhere. And that sentiment should remain. They have faced too many hard times in recent years, and trading away their star player would set the tone for another rebuild. That’s something fans and the front office just might not be able to handle.
Dallas Cowboys: Dedicate resources to the run game
Not many offenses struggled more than the Cowboys‘ in 2024, and those woes were firmly rooted in Dallas’ lack of a running game. The Cowboys averaged just 100.3 rushing yards per game, 27th in the NFL, and were in the bottom five in expected points added per rush. The goal this offseason should be to dedicate resources to improving the run game, and with Brian Schottenheimer taking the reins, that could be in the cards.
Selecting Ashton Jeanty with the No. 12 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft is one option, but co-owner Stephen Jones indicated the Cowboys are keen on re-signing Rico Dowdle, so that isn’t a given. However, don’t be shocked if Dallas drafts another offensive lineman early or dips into the deep running back class to pair with Dowdle.
Denver Broncos: Add more offensive playmakers
The Broncos were the surprise of 2024. They finished with a 10-7 record, ending their long playoff drought, all with rookie quarterback Bo Nix under center. The defense led the charge, earning a 77.9 PFF grade as a unit, but the offense surprised. Nix earned a 78.3 PFF overall grade, throwing for 3,775 yards and 29 touchdowns in the regular season. Despite the lofty numbers, the Broncos are still lacking playmakers on offense.
Courtland Sutton caught a career-high 81 passes for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns, earning a 75.5 PFF overall grade, and Marvin Mims and Devaughn Vele each showed promise, but Denver needs more. The team owns the No. 20 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and could target a receiver, running back or tight end. But the Broncos should be using multiple picks in the draft to add more playmakers and help Nix take the next step.
Detroit Lions: Add one more top edge rusher
The Lions had another strong year, finishing with a 15-2 record in the 2024 regular season and entering the playoffs as the NFC’s top seed. Ultimately, they met their demise at the first hurdle, losing to the Washington Commanders, but there were a lot of positives. The goal now will be to get over the hump. Even with all of the injuries suffered in the 2024 season, the Lions were still Super Bowl contenders. They’ve lost their two primary coordinators, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, but the goal will be the same in 2025. And another top edge rusher can help them get a step closer.
The obvious candidate is Myles Garrett. The legendary edge rusher has requested a trade, but as of now, the Browns aren’t budging. Can Detroit entice Cleeveland with a king’s ransom? Maybe, but if they can’t, we could see the Lions make a play for Josh Sweat, Khalil Mack or Haason Reddick. And if that doesn’t happen, there’s always the 2025 NFL Draft.
Green Bay Packers: Get more aggressive on the defensive line
The Packers‘ defense finished the 2024 season strong, placing fourth in expected points allowed per play, and held opposing offenses to less than 20 points in five of their final eight games. Despite that, the defensive line didn’t meet expectations in 2024. Seven players in the rotation earned PFF overall grades under 70.0, with only Rashan Gary surpassing that benchmark. And even Gary played well below his usual level this past season.
Devonte Wyatt had the best season of his career, but Kenny Clark, Karl Brooks and T.J. Slaton struggled. Lukas Van Ness, the Packers’ first-round pick in 2023, tallied just 20 pressures in 2024 and has struggled early in his NFL career. The Packers need some bite on the defensive line to recapture the fire of a great defense. They could draft another defensive lineman in a deep class in the first round while investing in the position in free agency. They need game-changers, people-movers and maulers.
Houston Texans: Fix the offensive line
The Texans’ offense took a step back in 2024. They suffered several key injuries, losing Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs to season-ending ailments, while Nico Collins and Joe Mixon also missed time. However, those injuries weren’t the real culprit of their downfall: It was the offensive line. C.J. Stroud was sacked 52 times in the regular season, the second most in the NFL, and the 31.9% pressure rate allowed by the offensive line was the 10th highest.
Fixing the offensive line is a must for the Texans in the offseason. Laremy Tunsil had a down year, but he’s still one of the best pass-blocking left tackles in the NFL. Tytus Howard, who earned a career-high 70.2 PFF overall grade in 2024, has positional versatility, but things begin to fall apart after that. A player like Grey Zabel, who can play center, guard or tackle, would be a smart addition in the 2025 NFL Draft, but Houston will need more than that and could dip into free agency to strengthen the offensive line even more.
Indianapolis Colts: Put Anthony Richardson in a position to succeed
The 2025 season won’t quite be “put up or shut up” time for Anthony Richardson, but things could be getting a little tentative if there’s not substantial growth. The case of Richardson is a curious one. He might be the most athletic quarterback to ever play the position, but he has been as raw as they come while also missing a lot of game time through injury. He needs reps to improve and grow. And there have been growing pains when he has played, with his 62.2 PFF overall grade in 2024 ranking 35th out of 42 quarterbacks and his 47.7% completion rate slotting in as the lowest in the NFL since 2013.
That wasn’t all of his doing, though. Richardson’s 12.3-yard average depth of target led the league by almost 3 yards and was the highest since Tim Tebow in 2011. Not so coincidentally, Tebow also had the worst completion rate in the NFL that year. The Colts haven’t exactly put Richardson in the best schematic place to succeed. They need to start dialing up more friendly concepts and asking him to air the ball out less. On top of that, they have to better protect him, as he’s played only 15 games in two seasons.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Build a competent offense around Trevor Lawrence
The Jaguars hired Liam Coen as their new head coach in the offseason, ending Doug Pederson’s three-year stint with the team. Pederson won nine games in back-to-back seasons before winning just four games in 2024. The goal now for the Jaguars is simple: They have to build a competent offense around Trevor Lawrence, especially after handing him a five-year, $275 million contract last offseason.
The former No. 1 pick played in just 10 games in 2024, missing the second half of the season due to injury. Coen could be the coach to get the best out of Lawrence. He helped Baker Mayfield deliver a career year in 2024 and will install an offense that will aid Lawrence’s development. The Jaguars also hit on Brian Thomas Jr. in the 2024 NFL Draft and could add another star like Travis Hunter or an offensive lineman in the first round this year. Whatever they do, it should be with Lawrence in mind.
Kansas City Chiefs: Retool for another Super Bowl run
The Chiefs were blown away in Super Bowl 59, losing to the Eagles 40-22 in a game that was only close after the coin flip. It was an unlikely humbling for a team that has endured nothing but the sweet taste of success over the past two seasons, and it’s a feeling they won’t forget any time soon. However, it’s worth noting the obvious: The Chiefs will be competing for a Super Bowl as long as Patrick Mahomes is under center. The goal now should be to retool and prepare for another run.
Tagging Trey Smith at guard is a step in the right direction, but the Chiefs will need to likely address the left tackle position and add another playmaker or two on offense. The bulk of a Super Bowl-winning roster is still there; it’s just about adding a few more pieces.
Las Vegas Raiders: Introduce the bones of a new culture
It’s no secret that the Raiders missed out on their top head coaching choice, Ben Johnson, in the offseason. The consolation prize, though, was Pete Carroll — a pretty good place to land for the Raiders. Caroll is a Super Bowl-winning head coach who has been successful wherever he goes, and it all starts with the culture. That’s what the Raiders will be looking for this offseason.
Las Vegas had just two winning seasons since 2010, and both ended with abrupt losses in the wild-card round. Carroll’s influence on the team should be dialed up to 11. The Raiders haven’t had an identity on the field for a while, and Carroll can instill that. His leadership and work ethic can make this a team worth paying attention to.
Los Angeles Chargers: Fix the run game
The Jim Harbaugh era got off to a strong start in Los Angeles. The Chargers finished with an 11-6 record, making the playoffs in Harbaugh’s first season in charge, before losing 32-12 to the Texans in the wild-card card. That loss highlighted the problems with the Chargers’ offense and where the team needs to improve, mainly in the running game. Los Angeles rushed for just 50 yards against the Texans and finished 22nd in expected points added per rush play in 2024. The problem exists on two fronts: The interior of the offensive line struggled, and the running backs struggled — especially without J.K. Dobbins.
Fixing the running game in the offseason, or at least putting in the pieces to do so, will benefit the Chargers’ offense as a whole. Less will be on Justin Herbert’s plate, and it will give the team more of Harbaugh’s identity as a tough, hard-to-beat squad. It could start with selecting a running back in the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Chargers are likely heading toward improving their interior offensive line.
Los Angeles Rams: Replace Cooper Kupp
With the Matthew Stafford saga seemingly solved, the Rams should now turn their attention to improving the offense. The unit ranked 15th in the NFL in expected points added per play in 2024 and will continue to go from strength to strength with Stafford under center. The offensive line is in a good place, though replacing the tackles with a long-term scope in mind might be on the agenda. That puts replacing Cooper Kupp, who earned a 71.4 PFF overall grade in 2024 and could be on his way out of Los Angeles, atop the to-do list.
Kupp is a former Offensive Player of the Year with the Rams but is now 31 and has missed 18 games in the past three seasons. His production has waned as a result of those injuries, as well as the breakout of Puka Nacua. Los Angeles has permitted Kupp to seek a trade, and if he leaves, they’ll be a bit short on receivers. Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell are both unrestricted free agents, and if they and Kupp leave, the Rams will be left with Nacua and Jordan Whittington as their only receivers who played significant snaps this past year.
Could the Rams target Chris Godwin, who played a similar role to Kupp in the Buccaneers‘ offense in 2024, or could they look further afield and in the 2025 NFL Draft? Time will tell, but replacing Kupp is key.
Miami Dolphins: Reinvigorate the offensive line
The Dolphins‘ offense took a step back in 2024. The unit that finished sixth in expected points added per play in 2023 struggled with injuries, losing Tua Tagovailoa for six games, and ranked 24th in EPA per play in 2024. The running game struggled, and the offense felt a little too one-dimensional as teams clued in on how to handle its dynamic speed. The Dolphins’ focus should be on the offensive line.
Terron Armstead could likely be out the door in 2025, and there’s a good chance Miami will be targeting interior offensive line help in the 2025 NFL Draft and free agency. Starting guards Liam Eichenberg and Robert Jones earned 56.1 and 53.1 PFF overall grades, respectively, in 2024, and if the Dolphins want to be more than just a point-and-shoot passing offense while also finding ways to run the ball more effectively, they’ll look at improving the situation upfront.
Minnesota Vikings: Set the stage for J.J. McCarthy
The Vikings had an unlikely successful season with Sam Darnold under center in 2024, finishing with a 14-3 record while Darnold earned an 80.7 PFF overall grade and set career highs across the board. The direction for the team now is a little murky. Darnold is a free agent and could potentially be commanding a big contract, so the Vikings need to decide if they’re willing to pay that deal or if it’s time to look toward a future with 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. The latter option might be preferred.
Darnold had an excellent year in 2024, but Kevin O’Connell’s offense and play calling did a lot of the heavy lifting, putting Darnold in a favorable position that many NFL quarterbacks aren’t afforded. His inefficiencies later in the season showed up, too, with him earning 45.8 and 54.9 PFF overall grades in the final two games of the season.
Darnold was always meant to be a short-term option before McCarthy took the reins in Minnesota, and while there’s a chance the former comes back on a three-year deal, the Vikings should be looking to move forward with their 2024 first-round pick.
New England Patriots: Improve the offensive line
The Patriots have found their guy in Drake Maye. The 2024 No. 3 overall pick shone in his rookie season, earning a 70.1 PFF overall grade and giving fans a taste of what’s to come. New England has its future of the franchise, so the goal should be doing everything possible to put Maye in a position to succeed. Luckily, the Patriots have the resources to make it happen. They own the most cap space in the NFL, as well as the No. 4 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Using those resources to heavily invest in the offensive line is paramount to improvement.
Only the Seahawks allowed a higher pressure rate than the Patriots in 2024, and only Mike Onwenu earned a PFF overall grade above 60.0 on the Patriots’ offensive line. New England could feasibly be in the market for three or four new offensive line starters, potentially headlined by LSU’s Will Campbell in the draft. That would be a statement of their intent to protect Maye, who was sacked 34 times in 13 games in 2024.
New Orleans Saints: Get younger across the board
The Saints had one of the oldest rosters in the NFL entering 2024, and though the season started well, they lost 12 of their last 15 games, finishing with a 5-12 record — their worst since 2005. To make matters worse, New Orleans is in a precarious cap situation once again. Making big moves this offseason seems unlikely. With Kellen Moore and a new coaching regime on board, the Saints should look to start rebuilding and getting younger across the board.
Cutting or moving on from older players like Taysom Hill and Cam Jordan while letting free agents such as Juwan Johnson walk is a good start. The Saints have the ninth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and will need to hit on whichever prospect they elect to take to start the slow rebuild. Building through the draft is, right now, the only real way the Saints have of improving and getting younger.
New York Giants: Draft the quarterback of the future
The Giants are, once again, in a tough position. They currently have the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and, once again, have a glaring need at quarterback. On paper, there’s a chance they land one of the top two quarterbacks in the draft, Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, but considering the Titans and Browns are both quarterback-needy teams, they could be on the outside looking in. Unfortunately, this current regime doesn’t have the safety net of being able to sit tight, take the best player available and wait to acquire a quarterback next year. Joe Schoen’s and Brian Daboll’s seats are unnervingly hot.
Taking a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft has to be the goal for the Giants, and they will rightly be trade-up candidates if they believe Ward and Sanders could be gone by the time they’re picking at No. 3.
New York Jets: Figure out what’s going on at quarterback
Things across the corridor at MetLife Stadium aren’t much better. The Aaron Rodgers experiment was an unmitigated disaster for the Jets, and the team is swiftly moving on from the veteran quarterback. When that time comes, Jordan Travis and Adrian Martinez will be the remaining signal-callers on the roster. There might be some intrigue with Travis, but he likely won’t be the long-term starter in New York. So, who is? That’s what the Jets need to figure out this offseason.
They’re currently in possession of the No. 7 pick, and the only way they get a quarterback with that selection is by hoping one of Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders falls past the Titans, Browns, Giants and Raiders — all feasibly quarterback-needy teams. The other option could be reaching for a quarterback such as Jaxson Dart or Will Howard, which comes with its own risks.
It’s more likely that the Jets will wait until the second round before choosing a quarterback. However, like with their MetLife neighbors, they need a solution.
Philadelphia Eagles: Allow Howie Roseman to go to work again
The Eagles are in an envious position. They’re heading into the offseason after a dominant Super Bowl win and, even with a few key free agents departing, will likely have the strongest roster in the NFL ahead of the 2025 season. Now, it’s Howie Roseman’s time to shine. The Eagles’ general manager is arguably the best in the league and has done an excellent job at building this roster over the past few years.
With the likes of Milton Williams, Josh Sweat and Zack Baun hitting free agency, the Eagles have to face the reality that they won’t be able to retain all of their key free agents, but Roseman has done an excellent job of drafting. Philadelphia picked up Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft and snagged Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith the year before. The team has the 32nd pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and around $22 million in cap space. What can Roseman conjure up this offseason?
Pittsburgh Steelers: Devise a long-term plan at quarterback
The Steelers did Steelers things in 2024, finishing with a 10-7 record and making the playoffs despite expectations, this time with Russell Wilson under center. Wilson likely won’t return to the Steelers in 2025, though, which begs the question: What’s the long-term plan at quarterback in Pittsburgh? The Steelers have struggled to truly address the quarterback position since Ben Roethlisberger retired, whiffing on their selection of Kenny Pickett in 2022 and then relying on stop-gap starts from Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields and Wilson.
With Wilson and Fields set to hit free agency, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Pittsburgh target someone like Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins. They could even be in the Sam Darnold sweepstakes. The 2025 NFL Draft class has a few intriguing Day 2 prospects that the Steelers could also target, but whatever the direction, they’ll be looking to end their quarterback woes.
San Francisco 49ers: Pay Brock Purdy
The 49ers were disappointing in 2024. Injuries held the team back, but the overall play of the group, especially on defense, was below expectations as they finished with a 6-11 record. The main takeaway from the 2024 season is that the 49ers are set with Brock Purdy as their franchise quarterback. Purdy earned an 82.4 PFF overall grade, ranking 10th among quarterbacks, and is coming into the final season of his rookie deal. The goal is clear for the 49ers in that they should tie Purdy down to a long-term deal.
John Lynch and the front office have been vocal in their aspirations to re-sign Purdy, and that’ll likely come between now and the start of training camp. The question is how big the contract will be, but the sentiment remains that San Francisco will want to build around Purdy.
Seattle Seahawks: Fix the interior offensive line
The Seahawks had their best season since 2020, finishing with a 10-7 record, but it still wasn’t enough to make the playoffs. Losing two of their final four games was the nail in the coffin, but Seattle isn’t too far from competing in the NFC. To make it happen, they’ll need to improve one of the worst interior offensive lines in the NFL. Geno Smith was sacked 50 times in the regular season, the third most in the NFL, and the Seahawks’ 38.1% pressure rate allowed was by far the league’s highest. The problems persist mostly up the middle.
The problem is the Seahawks won’t have much money to spend in free agency, so they’ll likely turn their attention to the 2025 NFL Draft. They could draft an offensive lineman, maybe Tyler Booker or Grey Zabel, with the No. 18 pick in the first round.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Draft an edge rusher in Round 1
The Buccaneers have had back-to-back winning seasons behind quarterback Baker Mayfield, and the former No. 1 overall pick had a career year in 2024, earning an 85.9 PFF overall grade and throwing a career-high 41 touchdowns. The offense is in a good position and will look to bring back Chris Godwin in the offseason. On defense, Tampa Bay needs to improve its situation at edge rusher — and picking at No. 19 in the 2025 NFL Draft gives the team the perfect opportunity to do so.
Edge defender prospects abound for the Buccaneers, from Shemar Stewart and Jalon Walker to James Pearce Jr. and Mykel Williams. The team’s standout rusher right now is Yaya Diaby, who earned a 78.0 PFF overall grade in 2024, but the Buccaneers need to pair him with another rusher.
Tennessee Titans: Use the No. 1 pick to draft a star
The Titans have the No.1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft for the first time in franchise history, and it’s a coveted position to be in. The team has a lot of holes to fill, but there will likely be three players to consider taking with the top pick: Abdul Carter, Cam Ward and Travis Hunter. Each presents a different path, but all would be excellent choices for the Titans.
Carter is the best player in the draft and a force on the edge, where Tennessee desperately needs help. Hunter is a two-way freak and a generational prospect in his own right, while Ward is the best quarterback in the class. All three would give Titans fans hope.
Washington Commanders: Take a swing on a top edge defender
Although their situations aren’t the same, the Commanders can’t rest on their laurels like the Giants after their 9-7-1 finish in 2022. Washington’s front office must continue to build this team and understand that it’s far from a finished product, despite being just one game away from the Super Bowl in 2024. It’s a strong roster, but adding a top edge rusher would go a long way.
The obvious choice is Myles Garrett. The Browns’ star edge rusher wants out and could be on the Commanders‘ radar. He’s the best defender in the NFL and would help take an interesting defense to the next level. If they can’t get a deal done for Garrett, they could swoop in for one of the free-agent edge rushers like Josh Sweat while also using the 29th pick in the draft to address the position.
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