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Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press
The most exciting window of the offseason has come and gone. With most valuable free agents off the market and the NFL draft in the books, rosters across the league have been reinvented with hopes of reaching a new level in 2019.
However, resources are finite, and no team was able to patch every hole in its roster. Some teams appeared to willingly forgo addressing a position of need, while other teams had too many deficiencies to cover in one offseason. Barring a noteworthy trade, it will be difficult for teams to fix any of their remaining issues between now and September.
With that in mind, it’s time to look at where each team is still most lacking heading into the new season.
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Ralph Freso/Associated Press
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s vision for an Air Raid offense was evident in the team’s draft strategy. Not only is favoring newly drafted quarterback Kyler Murray over 2018 first-round pick Josh Rosen an indication of where the offense is headed, but the Cardinals drafted three receivers in Andy Isabella (second round), Hakeem Butler (fourth round) and KeeSean Johnson (sixth round). Kingsbury wants to spread the field and throw the ball.
In Kingsbury’s offense, many of the passes will likely come out of Murray’s hand quickly and allow the receivers to do the work. Getting the ball into the hands of skill players in a hurry is a core principle of the Air Raid. However, the Cardinals will still need to execute on their intermediate and deep passes to keep up with better offenses. They do not have the offensive line for that right now.
Per Football Outsiders, the Cardinals had the fourth-worst pressure rate in the league last year at 35.4 percent. Though the free-agent additions of right tackle Marcus Gilbert and guard J.R. Sweezy are upgrades, the bar was terribly low, and the unit as a whole is still a ways away. Considering Arizona did not take swings on offensive linemen until Day 3 of the draft, it is tough to imagine the unit improving as much as it needs to.
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Jeff Haynes/Associated Press
The Atlanta Falcons have unwavering faith in their poor pass-rushing unit. 2015 first-round pick Vic Beasley has just 10 sacks in the past two seasons combined after a breakout year in 2016. Takkarist McKinley, 2017’s first-round pick, has 13 sacks over that span, which is a bit more impressive considering his youth but should not be the type of production that staves off investment at the position.
Atlanta’s only notable moves to address the edge position this offseason were signing Adrian Clayborn, who played for the Patriots last year after three seasons with the Falcons previously, and drafting John Cominsky in the fourth round. After losing Brooks Reed, Bruce Irvin and Derrick Shelby to free agency, the additions of a middling retread defensive end and a rookie fourth-round pick are not enough.
With Ezekiel Ansah now off the market after signing with the Seattle Seahawks, the Falcons’ options to address the position this year are scarce.
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Carolyn Kaster/Associated Press
Defensive coordinator Don Martindale was the Ravens’ linebackers coach from 2012-2017 before being promoted to his current position. Since 2012, the Ravens have had a history of milking production from undrafted linebackers, including Dannell Ellerbe, Jameel McClain, Zach Orr and Patrick Onwuasor. However, Baltimore may have relied too heavily upon it this offseason.
Onwuasor (2016 undrafted), Kenny Young (2018 fourth round) and Chris Board (2018 undrafted) are the Ravens’ top three linebackers right now. Onwuasor came on strong last year, particularly as a blitzer with 5.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits, but he was splitting snaps with Young because he is not a complete player. Likewise, Young, though promising for a Day 3 rookie, still needs to refine his game and grow as a cover player.
Moving forward with Onwuasor and Young as the starters is a gamble. Both have shown particular strengths and stretches of good play, but there is not enough substance to comfortably bet on them as a quality starting duo.
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Rich Barnes/Associated Press
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver was too good a value at ninth overall for the Bills to pass up. He is an elite prospect whose stock took a slight hit as he was miscast during his final season at Houston. In drafting Oliver, though, the Bills had to sacrifice passing up on a top-tier defensive end like Rashan Gary, Brian Burns or Montez Sweat in the first round.
Buffalo then chose to ignore the position until the seventh round, when it finally selected Darryl Johnson. Adding a depth player always helps, but considering he was the only draft pick at the position and the Bills made no defensive end signings in free agency, it is fair to say the Bills skimped on the position this offseason.
The Bills’ 36 sacks were the seventh-lowest in the league last year. Though they did not lose any of their top-four edge-rushers in Jerry Hughes, Trent Murphy, Shaq Lawson and Lorenzo Alexander, they should not expect to be much more productive without having made any serious additions on the outside.
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Chris Keane/Associated Press
The Carolina Panthers are banking on a handful of unknown factors going their way for the secondary to be serviceable. A young outside cornerback duo of James Bradberry and Donte Jackson provides a solid foundation, but nickel cornerback and one of their safety positions are huge question marks headed into 2019.
Nickel cornerback Ross Cockrell will return from a broken leg he suffered prior to last season, an especially brutal injury for a position reliant on running to keep up with receivers. Cockrell has shown moments of good play in the past, particularly in 2017 with the Giants when he posted a league-best 77 percent success rate on 51 targets, per Football Outsiders. However, he is on his fourth team since being drafted in 2014, and there is no telling how he will respond to injury.
At safety, the Panthers are replacing Mike Adams with 2018 third-round pick Rashaan Gaulden. He only played roughly 14 percent of the team’s defensive snaps as a rookie, picking up just one pass defended. While Gaulden may prove to be effective, that he could not unseat a struggling, 37-year-old Adams is not the best first impression.
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Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press
Through the scope of a team’s starting four or five line-of-scrimmage defenders, the Chicago Bears have one of the fiercest units in the league. Outside linebacker Khalil Mack is a star, and his counterpart, Leonard Floyd, is a worthy No. 2. Along the interior, Akiem Hicks remains one of the most underrated forces in the league, while Eddie Goldman has come into his own as a hulk over the center.
The concern is what happens when players need rest or if someone goes down with an injury. Chicago’s depth across the defensive front, particularly on the outside, is not up to par. Jonathan Bullard and Roy Harris-Robertson are not bad rotational players inside, but they should not stop the Bears from investing at the position.
Likewise, the outside trio of Aaron Lynch, Isaiah Irving and Kylie Fitts is a poor insurance policy if anything were to happen to Mack or Floyd. Lynch is a talented yet inconsistent player, while Irving and Fitts are largely unproven. The Bears could look to sign a free agent like Nick Perry to get a better rotational pass-rusher on the roster.
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Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Across the board, Cincinnati’s roster screams mediocrity. They are not overwhelmingly bad in many areas, while they only have a few stars in wide receiver A.J. Green, defensive tackle Geno Atkins and maybe cornerback William Jackson III. Most of the other players on the roster a team can get by with, but it should be looking to upgrade.
Perhaps the position that encapsulates that sentiment most on the Bengals roster is offensive guard. Clint Boling and free-agent signing John Miller project as the starters next year. Boling is a below-average player who has bounced between center and guard with the Bengals but somehow maintained a starting position.
Miller, on the other hand, is a solid though uninspiring upgrade over Alex Redmond. Miller did well in Buffalo’s downhill scheme that often allowed him to either play in a phone booth or be a puller.
The Bengals favored the tackle position in the draft, selecting Jonah Williams in the first round. It was not until the fourth round that the Bengals went for a guard in Michael Jordan, who does not project as someone who should be thrust into action as a rookie. While the Bengals’ guard play may not be as atrocious as it was a year ago, they still need to continue their search for upgrades.
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Ron Schwane/Associated Press
Few positions were as perplexing as the Browns’ left tackle spot last year. Not only was it their first season without future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas, but their initial plan to replace him was with undrafted rookie Desmond Harrison. The talent drop-off was steep, to say the least.
To his credit, Harrison held his own for the first couple weeks before tapering off. Cleveland then turned to 2014 second-overall pick Greg Robinson, who signed with the team in the offseason after one season in Detroit. He surprisingly fared relatively well in pass protection, but only by his standards as a player who had been labeled a bust.
Oddly enough, the Browns actually improved their adjusted sack rate from 7.6 percent to 6.7 percent in transitioning from Thomas to Harrison and Robinson, but that was more about the quarterback switch. 2017 starter DeShone Kizer was prone to holding the ball for far too long, while current starter Baker Mayfield is much sharper and more alert.
Given the strength of the rest of the unit, Cleveland can get by with Robinson for now, but expect him to be replaced sooner rather than later.
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Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press
Jason Witten’s return from the Monday Night Football booth is a fascinating story, but it does not solve Dallas’ issues at tight end. Witten was not serviceable beyond 10 yards the last time he was a Cowboy, and none of the players who tried to fill his shoes last year did so with much success.
Blake Jarwin led the team’s tight ends with 307 receiving yards. In Witten’s 15-year career, he only ever dipped below 500 receiving yards during his rookie season in 2003. Furthermore, the Cowboys’ four tight ends only totaled 710 yards last year, which Witten eclipsed by himself in 11 of his 15 seasons.
The Cowboys are now in a position where they are coming off their least productive tight end season in nearly two decades and are relying on a 37-year-old who is one year removed from playing to save the day. It may be a slight upgrade now, but Dallas still desperately needs a makeover at the position.
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Jack Dempsey/Associated Press
This time a year ago, the Denver Broncos had one of the deepest pass-rushing units in the league. Von Miller and 2018 rookie Bradley Chubb were set to lead the way, while Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett would provide quality play off the bench. Miller and Chubb return as starters this season, but the depth pairing of Barrett and Ray left in free agency, leaving a gaping hole on Denver’s bench.
As of now, Jeff Holland, an undrafted rookie last year who played just 43 snaps, and fifth-round rookie Justin Hollins are front-runners to be the team’s rotational outside linebackers. Holland has precious little evidence to suggest he will be a capable backup given his undrafted status and lack of experience.
Hollins, on the other hand, sports an impressive athletic profile with a 4.50-second 40-yard dash and 7.06-second three-cone drill, but his lack of refinement coming out of school lends to him needing time to develop.
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Rick Scuteri/Associated Press
As right guard T.J. Lang battled with injury through the back half of last season, Kenny Wiggins assumed the starting role. Though Lang had not been as good as the team was hoping when they signed him in free agency, Wiggins reminded everyone why they signed Lang in the first place.
Early this offseason, Lang was cut and retired shortly thereafter. In turn, Wiggins would likely be the starting right guard if the season started today. With as poorly as that worked out last season, inserting him into the starting lineup again is asking for disaster. The Lions ranked 18th in adjusted line yards up the middle and 30th toward the right tackle last season, the two areas Wiggins was most responsible for.
Oddly enough, the Lions did little to bolster the offensive line this offseason. They signed journeymen Oday Aboushi and Andrew Donnal, but Aboushi is a tackle, and Donnal does not project much better than Wiggins. The Lions did not draft a single offensive lineman, either; not even in the later rounds. Detroit either believes in Wiggins far more than the rest of us or has chosen to take a loss at the position for the year.
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Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press
For as much of a makeover as Green Bay’s outside linebacker unit got, their inside linebacker corps is incomplete. Blake Martinez is a rock solid run defender and added blitzing to his repertoire last year as he notched a career-high five sacks and six quarterback hits, but his linebacking partner is a question yet to be answered.
The most likely scenario is for 2018 third-round pick Oren Burks to slide into a starting role beside Martinez. Burks, a lanky and athletic player for the position, was primarily a special teamer last season. He notched over 50 percent of special teams snaps while only playing around 11 percent of defensive snaps. His prospects are still largely unproven.
Conversely, the Packers could move safety Josh Jones down to a linebacker position. In signing free agent Adrian Amos and drafting Darnell Savage in the first round, there is no need for Jones to start at safety. That being said, moving a safety to linebacker full time, while often exciting, seldom works out the way many hope it will.
The Packers’ two main options to solve their second starting linebacker position are both gambles.
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Matt Patterson/Associated Press
In a world free of injury, Houston would comfortably have one of the better wide receiver units in the NFL. DeAndre Hopkins is a bona fide star, Will Fuller is one of the best deep threats in the league, and Keke Coutee was electric as a gadget and short-area player as a rookie last year.
Unfortunately, Fuller has yet to play all 16 games in any of his three seasons in the league and finished last season with a torn ACL in Week 8. Coutee also struggled to stay healthy last year, constantly flipping between the injury list and the active roster as he battled hamstring issues.
As such, Fuller and Coutee cannot be trusted to play a full season, even if they are wonderful talents. If either of them go down again, the Texans will have to rely on Vyncint Smith, Jester Weah and DeAndre Carter to fill their shoes. That is a thin line for the Texans to be walking—the same one that led to their offensive demise last year.
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Mark Zaleski/Associated Press
Margus Hunt and Denico Autry were the NFL’s most unlikely stud interior one-two punch. Prior to 2018, Hunt had spent five years in the NFL, including one with the Colts in 2017, with little to show for it. Autry was a free-agent signing by way of the Raiders—he was a solid piece in Oakland but one they felt comfortable moving on from. Despite their reputations, both players reached career highs in sacks and tackles for loss in 2018.
While the sudden breakout was beneficial in the short term, it may be misleading in the long term. Defensive linemen do not tend to break out during their age 31 (Hunt) and age 28 (Autry) seasons. By that time, a player should more or less be who they are, and any sudden spike in production should be taken as an outlier rather than their new standard.
In turn, the Colts should look to bolster the defensive line. Hunt and Autry may have done uncharacteristically well last season, and may still carry over some of that success into this year, but their production relative to their respective norms was so extreme.
Additionally, defensive production, both individual and team-wide, tends to not be as fluid year to year as offensive production. It is fair to caution that the Colts duo will come back to earth and need to be prodded by younger, more talented competition.
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Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press
The Jaguars found one of the biggest steals in last year’s draft when they took Ronnie Harrison in the third round. He needed a few weeks to grow into his role, but by midway through the season, Harrison had established himself as a do-it-all safety with a mean streak near the line of scrimmage. His success and potential are part of why the team was comfortable moving on from Barry Church.
However, Harrison’s partner in the defensive backfield, Tashaun Gipson, left in free agency to sign with the Texans, leaving a vacancy at safety. Jacksonville did not address safety in the draft at all, not even in the later rounds. The Jags also chose not to make any notable additions in free agency despite the slew of safeties who were on the market such as Tyrann Mathieu, Earl Thomas and Eric Weddle.
Instead, 2016 undrafted free agent and career special teamer Jarrod Wilson is slotted to play alongside Harrison. With slim pickings left on the free-agent safety market, it would appear the Jaguars are stuck with this high-risk gamble of starting Wilson.
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Ed Zurga/Associated Press
There is always the possibility that a player surprises or progresses exponentially, but on paper, the Chiefs have one of the worst cornerback depth charts in recent memory. Aside from Kendall Fuller, who can play both outside and in the slot, it is difficult to pick out who on this roster is supposed to win their matchups.
Bashaud Breeland and Charvarius Ward are set to start on the outside. Breeland started off his career with promise in Washington but has since bounced around the league struggling to stick anywhere, last starting five games for the Packers in 2018.
Ward, on the other hand, was an undrafted rookie last year who failed to make the Cowboys roster before joining the Chiefs. Though targeted only 17 times, Ward held just a 35 percent success rate and allowed 10.1 yards per attempt, both of which rank worse than 160th in the league, per Football Outsiders. He may develop this season, but there is little evidence to suggest he will make large enough strides.
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Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press
Losing Tyrell Williams to the Oakland Raiders in free agency is going to hurt more than many realize. Williams’ skill set as a field stretcher, especially sideline to sideline with intermediate crossers, was unique among the Chargers receivers. His efforts took attention away from Mike Williams on the outside and Keenan Allen underneath.
The Chargers previously relied on Travis Benjamin as a vertical field stretcher, but his 2018 season was clouded by a foot injury in Week 1. In 12 games, Benjamin posted his lowest receptions per game (1.0), catch percentage (50 percent) and yards per target (7.8) across his three seasons as a Charger. He was physically not himself, and he may rebound, but a speed receiver with a foot injury is nothing to brush off.
Thankfully for quarterback Philip Rivers, the pairing of Allen and Williams can take on a heavier burden and still produce. Allen is a proven Pro Bowler when healthy, while Williams blossomed into a legit threat on the sideline in his second season. Still, barring Benjamin making a full recovery, the Chargers will be without a third dynamic receiver to help spread the ball around.
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Jae C. Hong/Associated Press
For as good a roster the Rams have constructed across the board, their outside pass rush has been lacking for years. The unit was given some life halfway through last season by trading for former Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., but the expected hike in production did not come until the playoffs, when Fowler notched 1.5 sacks and four tackles for loss in three games.
The Rams still came in at 15th with 41 sacks in the regular season, which may not suggest they desperately need outside pass-rush help, but 20.5 of those sacks came from defensive tackle Aaron Donald alone. No other player had more than 4.5, and it was fellow defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh who came in second place with that mark.
Veteran free-agent signing Clay Matthews may add another slight bump to the unit’s strength, but not enough to truly matter. The Rams still need to invest in a more prominent talent on the outside to pair with Donald’s prowess inside.
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Lynne Sladky/Associated Press
The Dolphins’ 31 sacks were fourth-fewest in the league last year with veteran Cameron Wake leading the way. An already poor unit has now lost Wake to free agency and, through the course of the offseason, have done nothing to replace him. Trading for quarterback Josh Rosen on draft weekend may have signaled this team is not embracing a full-blown tank effort, but it seems as though they are comfortable sandbagging a few positions like pass-rusher.
Charles Harris and Jonathan Woodard are primed to see the most playing time among Miami’s defensive ends. In three years of combined experience, the two have just four total sacks and nine tackles for loss. Furthermore, neither player saw more than one-third of the team’s defensive snaps, with Harris topping out at 31.86 percent.
Not only are the Dolphins leaning on inexperience on the edge, they are leaning on inexperience that has shown little potential. The Raiders’ league-low 13 sacks last year were no doubt embarrassing, but the 2019 Dolphins may rival them as one of the worst pass-rushing units in recent history.
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Jim Mone/Associated Press
The Minnesota Vikings have the most lopsided wide receiver group in the league. Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen spearhead the unit as dynamic receivers who could each be regular All-Pros if not chipping away at each other’s production.
The rest of the unit, however, is a mosh pit of undrafted free agents, late-round picks and 2016 first-round flop Laquon Treadwell. Treadwell hit career highs with 35 receptions, 302 yards and one touchdown last year, but that is low-volume, inefficient production that can be easily replaced. Soon, the Vikings intend to do just that, as they declined Treadwell’s fifth-year option.
Given their two star wide receivers and two viable tight ends in Kyle Rudolph and rookie Irv Smith Jr., Minnesota may simply move toward more 12-personnel sets (one running back, two tight ends, two wide receivers) as an answer to their lack of receiver depth.
However, Rudolph’s contract extension talks have died down, and he may even be traded, the NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports, leaving Smith to start as a rookie and potentially nixing a 12-personnel approach. Even if Rudolph is not traded, the Vikings would still benefit from more receiver help to lend to more variety—but it would become necessary if he leaves Minnesota.
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Jeff Roberson/Associated Press
In lieu of Rob Gronkowski‘s retirement, many assumed the Patriots would hurry to find a replacement at tight end. Instead, New England mostly ignored the position this offseason.
They did not draft a tight end with any of their 10 picks, and the only notable free-agent signings they made were journeyman Austin Seferian-Jenkins and 38-year-old Benjamin Watson, who briefly retired this offseason.
Additionally, the Patriots traded backup tight end Jacob Hollister to the Seahawks for a seventh-round pick next year. Effectively, the Patriots lost both an impact starter and valuable depth, only to replace them with two middling free agents.
Granted, it is not unlike Bill Belichick to completely change course. The Patriots have endured countless scheme changes and adjustments throughout the years, both on offense and on defense, and this movement away from tight ends is no different. Still, one must imagine the Patriots would like to be better equipped at the position than they are.
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Roger Steinman/Associated Press
Head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees have been running a pseudo Air Raid down in New Orleans for over a decade. Though they have gone through many iterations, their pass-game philosophies revolve around abusing vertical tunnels, spreading the ball around and getting the ball to playmakers as quickly as possible.
However, the Saints’ wide receiver depth chart is one mystery after another aside from Michael Thomas. Speedster Ted Ginn Jr., for example, is a 34-year-old coming off a knee injury that kept him out for most of last season. Tre’Quan Smith showed some promise as a rookie last year, but more than 60 percent of his 427 yards came during two games versus Washington (Week 5) and Philadelphia (Week 11). He did not top 50 yards in any of his other 13 games.
Aside from those three players, two of whom need to prove themselves in 2019, the rest of the roster is littered with undrafted free agents or cheap veteran free agents who provide little more than capable emergency play. With Brees on the last leg of his career, the middling options at receiver could hinder the Saints offense.
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Darron Cummings/Associated Press
The New York Giants’ right tackle position has been one of the worst starting spots over the past few years. Whether it was Marshall Newhouse, Bobby Hart, Ereck Flowers or Chad Wheeler, the starter at that position has been detrimental to quarterback Eli Manning.
For whatever reason, the Giants have decided to run it back with Wheeler as the starter. He has been with the team since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2017, but he has not impressed when thrust into action. In starting 14 games last year, Wheeler was a primary culprit in the Giants finishing 20th in adjusted sack rate and 29th in adjusted line yards, per Football Outsiders.
By drafting a quarterback sixth overall and using most of their other picks on defense, the Giants made a decision to put off tackle help. The retooled defense and young quarterback may pay dividends down the line, but Manning and Saquon Barkley will still be yearning for help off the right side this season.
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Lynne Sladky/Associated Press
Though the Jets traded for Raiders guard Kelechi Osemele and drafted developmental tackle Chuma Edoga in the third round, there is still work to be done on the offensive line. Left tackle Kelvin Beachum is solid and Osemele will provide good play next to him, but from the center over to the right tackle, New York’s line is shaky.
Center Jonotthan Harrison, right guard Brian Winters and right tackle Brandon Shell are all returning as starters after a poor 2018 season together. While they managed a decent 18th-place ranking in adjusted sack rate, they were dead last in adjusted line yards and stuffed rate, per Football Outsiders. New York’s running backs had no chance.
Until at least a couple of those three are replaced, the Jets are going to struggle up front.
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Frank Victores/Associated Press
Oakland tried to band-aid the linebacker spot by signing Vontaze Burfict and Brandon Marshall in free agency, but both players are coming off the worst year of their respective careers.
Burfict’s constant injuries and rule-breaking conduct used to be worth the headache because of how good he was, but that player is long gone. After a slow decline, Burfict hit or tied career lows in sacks (zero), tackles for loss (one) and quarterback hits (zero) in 2018 as he only played seven games due to hip issues. Similarly, Marshall missed five games with a knee injury, lending to him losing his playmaking edge the way Burfict did.
Both players could rebound, but given both signed one-year deals barely worth more than $1 million each (Burfict, Marshall), it would be a stretch to assume they will provide a long-term answer. The Raiders need to stop scraping the bargain bin in free agency and invest in young talent.
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David Banks/Associated Press
It is difficult to poke holes in the Eagles roster. They are not elite across the board, but they either sport high-quality starters or impressive depth at almost every position. That said, if there was a valuable area the Eagles could still upgrade, it is the left guard spot.
Isaac Seumalo is a 2016 third-round pick who has been in and out of the starting lineup since entering the league, notching a career-high nine starts last season. He is not a bad player and would be of great value as a backup, but he is not an impact starter. There is a reason the Eagles tried multiple options, including Stefan Wisneski and Chance Warmack, before resorting to Seumalo.
Some may call for rookie first-round pick Andre Dillard to slide into the guard spot, but not every offensive tackle can make that transition. Dillard comes from an Air Raid system, which tend to play with wider splits and different protection goals, and he only ever started at left tackle in college. Trying to use him as a patchwork solution at guard would likely be a waste of time.
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Don Wright/Associated Press
T.J. Watt stands a clear tier above his teammates on the Steelers’ edge. In just two seasons, Watt already has as many sacks (20) as Bud Dupree has racked up in four seasons.
In fairness, that is more a testament to Watt’s ability than a slight to Dupree. Dupree has been a solid, if unexciting, second pass-rush threat for the Steelers. He is a viable starter, but the Steelers would be better off slotting him into a rotational role. Right now, Anthony Chickillo is the main rotational player, and knocking Dupree down a peg into that role would be an upgrade.
Furthermore, Dupree’s contract is up after this season. If the Steelers choose to let him walk instead of paying him, an already lacking position will turn into a glaring need.
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Jason Behnken/Associated Press
While the 49ers netted themselves a handful of new weapons for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense, it was disappointing to see them almost entirely ignore the secondary this offseason. The team’s two notable moves at cornerback were signing a talented but oft-injured Jason Verrett and drafting Tim Harris in the sixth round. Unless Verrett can suddenly stay healthy, neither addition moves the needle.
Richard Sherman is still a force on the outside, but the unit around him is a mess. Ahkello Witherspoon, who plays opposite Sherman, is a nasty press corner, but if he happens to lose at the line or is asked to do anything else, he too often looks pedestrian. Likewise, 2014 first-round pick Jimmie Ward feels like he has regressed each season and has struggled to remain healthy. His last interception was in 2016.
Barring exponential progression out of 2018 third-round pick Tarvarius Moore, which should not be expected, the 49ers do not have reliable cornerback play aside from Sherman. With as many dynamic passing offenses as there are in the NFC West, a shaky cornerback group could spell disaster for a 49ers team looking to finally take the next step.
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Paul Sancya/Associated Press
The Seahawks have four tight ends who would be reasonable No. 2s, but none who make for a good starter. Even if they will never be without a competent tight end, they will not get impact play from the position.
Nick Vannett is set to be the starter again. His 269 yards were the most among Seahawks tight ends last year but 34th in the league, sandwiched between Vikings backup Rhett Ellison (272) and Falcons backup Levine Toilolo (263). Behind Vannett is Will Dissly, an unathletic fourth-round pick last year who did not even crack 200 yards as a rookie.
The Seahawks also roster Ed Dickson, a career backup, and traded for Jacob Hollister, a backup tight end and H-back hybrid via the Patriots. Neither should be expected to surpass Vannett much less be a legitimate threat to defenses.
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Jeff Haynes/Associated Press
Offensive line was a pain point for Tampa Bay last season. Per Football Outsiders, the Bucs finished 31st in adjusted line yards, 30th in stuff rate and 27th in second-level yards, all of which led to a 24th-place rushing DVOA ranking. Few teams were as dismal across the board in run blocking.
Pass protection was not quite as ugly, as they managed to slot in at 15th in adjusted sack rate, which accounts for down and distance, penalties and quality of opponent. Still, they ranked worst in the NFC South in that category, which is a problem in a division loaded with talented quarterbacks who lead good passing offenses.
Right guard is a particular position of need. Caleb Benenoch earned his first full season as a starter there last year but was one of the key culprits in Tampa Bay’s offensive line struggling the way it did. The Bucs chose to focus heavily on secondary in the draft, which makes sense given their dire need there, but that means the offensive line upgrades will be delayed another year.
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James Kenney/Associated Press
The Titans made the right move in signing Cameron Wake as a free agent this offseason, but their needs at outside pass-rusher are more than a declining 37-year-old can solve by himself.
Harold Landry is set to start opposite Wake on the edge. Landry was a steal in the second round of last year’s draft and put up a decent rookie season with 4.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hits. That said, with Wake more of a rotational pass-rusher at this point who is being thrust into a starting role, it would be a stretch to ask Landry to be a dominant double-digit sack guy.
The starting pair of Landry and Wake could be much worse, but the depth behind them could not be. Kamalei Correa, LaTroy Lewis and rookie fifth-rounder D’Andre Walker will likely make up the rotational corps behind the starters. Neither of the two veterans has proven much thus far in his career, while a Day 3 rookie such as Walker should not be expected to contribute in a valuable way.
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Mark Tenally/Associated Press
Signing strong safety Landon Collins away from the Giants was a solid start to building a more complete secondary. Collins is a versatile, high-potential player whose presence near the line of scrimmage and in shallow coverage will be felt. However, he could use a better partner in the back end.
Barring a surprise from one of Washington’s young backups, Deshazor Everett will start at free safety alongside Collins. Everett went undrafted as a cornerback in 2015 before converting to more of a safety role. He has started 11 games over the past two seasons but never as the primary option for the job. Why this year is different remains a mystery.
It is more likely than not that slotting Everett as an opening day starter will become a problem for Washington. They could still sign Tre Boston to take over the starting free safety position, but they may be willing to roll the dice on Everett.
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