I started writing this article the day after the Super Bowl, but really started thinking about each team's off season strategy in like October. I love team building and roster management. I’m fascinated by the unique approaches to roster construction that each general manager seems to have. These next few months are when teams can really position themselves to win a Super Bowl as fast as possible. For some teams it’s Super Bowl or bust in 2022, and we’ll see that reflected in their off season moves. Other teams don’t have a prayer of winning the Super Bowl next season, so they get to try and figure out how to best manage their roster and salary cap to give themselves a chance in two-three years. Every team is looking to get better, though, and this is how I think each team should attack this offseason.
All salary cap projections and contract figures are provided by Spotrac.com
AFC EAST:
Buffalo Bills: Receiver Depth
Diggs is a stud, and Dawson Knox is a really good young tight end. Other than that their roster is kind of full of over achieving receivers. Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders aren’t getting any younger, and at least Sanders might not be back on the team next year. Gabriel Davis was fantastic down the stretch this season, but I’m not ready to trust him as the go to number two receiver yet. The Bills don’t have a ton of cap room, but if they can find a way to sign someone on a cheaper contract like Zay Jones or Rashard Higgins, and add at least one receiver in the draft like Christian Watson (NDSU) or Khalil Shakir (Boise State), that will help Josh Allen and the offense not skip a beat in 2022.
Miami Dolphins: Offensive line help in any way, shape, or form
The Dolphins have had probably the worst offensive line in the league over the last few years. They’ve invested plenty of resources into the position, but none of it's panned out. They’ve missed hard on draft picks in particular (Austin Jackson in 2020 was one of my least favorite first round picks in years). Good news for the Dolphins is they have the most cap room in the league this off season so they will be able to add at least one to two guys if they want to. It will be interesting to see how heavily they lean into free agency with first year head coach Mike Mcdaniel. No matter how they handle free agency, as of this writing the Dolphins have eight picks in the NFL draft; at least three of them should be used on offensive lineman. They need to find as many versatile, physical guys as they can if they want to give Tua any chance in 2022.
New England Patriots: Multiple receivers
I really want to say quarterback, because I’m not on the Mac Jones train at all. If Jones is your guy, though, you need to surround him with receivers who can separate. They’ll likely be able to add either Treylon Burks (Arkansas) or Garrett Wilson (Ohio State) at the twenty first pick. I’d like to see them add another receiver later in the draft as well, and push to sign someone like DJ Chark in free agency.
New York Jets: Rebuilding the secondary
Ashytn Davis and Bryce Hall are the only members of the Jet’s secondary I would feel comfortable having on the roster in 2022. Cornerback should be the priority, and with one of their two picks in the top ten I think it’s imperative they come away with either Derek Stingley Jr (LSU) or Ahmad Gardner (Cincinnati). Using part of their cap room to add a young corner like Carlton Davis would be a killer move. Marcus Williams and Justin Reid are two talented young safeties who are free agents and would fit with Zach Wilson’s rookie contract timeline as well.
AFC SOUTH:
Houston Texans: Literally everything, who knows
The Texans are undeniably the worst roster in the NFL. David Culley winning four games last season with the team they gave him should have won him coach of the year (instead he got fired). Basically any position group on the Texans would be a glaring hole that needs to be fixed immediately on any other team. When you’re this devoid of talent all you can do is add as many talented players as you can. Focus on cornerback, edge rusher, receiver, and offensive tackle. Houston is probably going to be in a position next year to draft either Bryce Young (Alabama) or CJ Stroud (Ohio State), so give Davis Mills one more year and use the draft picks and cap room you do have on talented young players at premium positions, and hope they hit.
Indianapolis Colts: Replacing Carson Wentz
I cannot believe that the Carson Wentz experience went this bad for the Colts, 2017 seems like a lifetime ago for Wentz. Getting a third round pick and a conditional second rounder for Carson Wentz from Washington was a great move by general manager Chris Ballard. The problem now is they don’t really have any way to replace Wentz. Right now Sam Ehlinger is the best quarterback on the Colt’s roster. The Colts traded their first round pick this season to the Eagles for Wentz, so adding a rookie would either be hoping someone like Same Howell (North Carolina) falls to the late first and trading back into that round, or nabbing someone like Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati) in the second round. The Colts can try and trade for a veteran like Derek Carr or Jimmy Garoppolo, but what good would that do? Either of them might be an upgrade over Carson Wentz, but significant enough to go from missing the playoffs to winning the Super Bowl? GM Chris Ballard has done such a good job building this roster where it’s almost going to force his hand to try and trade for one of those guys. Sam Ehlinger was a great college quarterback, but he won’t ever be an NFL starter. I had high hopes for Jacob Eason when they drafted him, but he’s not even on the roster anymore. The Colts are in the exact opposite situation as the Texans; where the Texans are so bad they almost don’t want to find a quarterback and start their clock yet, the Colts NEED to find one to take advantage of this roster. Trying to trade for Kirk Cousins is probably their best option, which indicates how bad their options at quarterback are.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Young talent who can contribute in 2022.
It seems like a lifetime ago that Trevor Lawrence was coming out of Clemson as the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck. All the talk is about how much of a mess Jacksonville is, which is all true, but I still think new head coach Doug Pederson got the best gig in the NFL right now. We just saw Cincinnati go to the Super Bowl in the second year of Joe Burrow’s rookie contract. The Jags are much further behind than the Bengals were last offseason; if the Jags don’t at least win the AFC South by 2024, the year before Trevor’s fifth year option, it will be a complete organizational failure. Now is the time to load up on young defensive backs and receivers, and be smart with the over fifty million in cap space to add key veterans at key spots like the secondary and offensive line. There probably won’t be much of a market to trade down from the first overall pick, so they’ll likely add either Aiden Hutchinson (Michigan) or a young offensive tackle like Evan Neal (Alabama). Tackle Cam Robinson is likely to walk in free agency, so even if they draft Neal or another tackle they will still need to address the offensive line. Now is the time for Jacksonville to be aggressive and take advantage of Trevor Lawrence’s rookie contract, because we’ve seen over and over again that roster construction only gets more difficult after the first quarterback extension.
Tennessee Titans: Get younger at key positions, specifically quarterback
Even with key players like Derrick Henry and Julio Jones missing significant time this season, the Titans still finished with the best record in the AFC. Success can be blinding though, and if this roster isn’t managed carefully they’re about two seasons away from being in a really bad spot for a really long time. Ryan Tannehill will be thirty four this season, and realistically he has two to three more seasons of at least average play left. The backup, Logan Woodside, is a free agent and the Titans seemed pigeonholed into bringing him back just because of a lack of options. Edge rusher Harold Landry is a free agent, and bringing him back should be a priority even with minimal cap room. Even if they bring Landry back though, edge is still a position that can go from a strength to weakness very quick for the Titans. We saw the offense struggle without Julio Jones with multiple receivers who couldn’t create separation. It’s just a top heavy, older roster that doesn’t have a lot of options to improve. They don’t have their second round pick this year because of the trade for Julio, trading back in the draft and trying to add darts to throw at young receivers to give A.J. Brown some help and taking a swing on a mid round quarterback in the draft is really all they can do to improve the offense. It’d be easy to think that because they did so well last year that they should just try to patch up the roster for another run. What they need to do though is try to add as much young talent as possible, particularly at quarterback.
AFC NORTH:
Baltimore Ravens: Cornerback depth
The easiest way for a season to go downhill fast in the NFL is having multiple injuries at the same position. That’s exactly what happened to Baltimore this season. They had injuries all over the place, but multiple cornerbacks went down before the season even started and they never had a real chance. Jimmy Smith is going to be a free agent, and Marcus Peters will be after the 2022 season. For the last few years the Ravens have had the deepest, if not the best, defensive backfield in the NFL. They need to use this off season to reload the secondary. Jimmy Smith will be thirty four this season, which is a little sketchy but I’d still try to bring him back. The Ravens have about $10 million in cap room, and on top of bringing back Jimmy Smith they should bring in a young free agent corner like Kevin King or Mike Hughes to compete. As of right now the Ravens have ten picks in the NFL draft, I’d like to see them add a couple of corners in the draft and at least another safety.
Cincinnati Bengals: Protecting Joey B
Last year the biggest draft debate heading into the 2021 draft was should the Bengals draft Ja’Marr Chase or Penei Sewell. The Bengals went with Chase, who was incredible as a rookie, and early in the second round drafted offensive lineman Jackson Carman from Clemson; which I thought was the right move. Carman played a lot of the year at guard for the Bengals, and was one of several suboptimal options they had all year at that position. Offensive line is one of those positions where it’s better to have five average players instead of one Pro Bowl caliber player. The Bengals have almost fifty million in cap room this off season and there are plenty of at least average offensive lineman the Bengals can plug in this season. Receiver right now is a position of strength, I think the best one through three corps in the league, but they should still attack that position at least in the middle rounds of the draft. The priority though should be adding one or two young offensive lineman through the draft, and a couple veterans who can help take advantage of Joe Burrow’s rookie contract.
Cleveland Browns: Restocking positions of strength
The Browns last year had maybe the best top to bottom, non quarterback, roster in the NFL. Myles Garrett is one of the best edge rushers in the entire league, they have a very deep and talented young secondary, and a good offensive line built for what they want to do offensively. Baker is going to be the quarterback in 2022 so there’s no point in worrying about that. The Browns have already been at work making sure Baker is surrounded with as many weapons as possible this season. Tight end David Njoku was franchised tagged and hopefully they can get a long-term extension in place. He’s an athletic pass catcher who the Browns can line up in-line next to the offensive tackle or out wide as a receiver. Tight ends who can line up anywhere create personnel matchup nightmares for defenses. The Browns also traded essentially nothing for Amari Cooper, who is somehow an underrated player and maybe the best route runner in the NFL. Myles Garrett is under contract for a few years, but multiple starters on the defensive line are heading into free agency. Edge rusher is the deepest position in the draft, so at least one of the Brown’s picks in the first two rounds should be used to keep adding young talent on the defensive line so they're not forced to keep signing veterans to short term deals.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Replacing Ben
This is the most obvious need in the NFL, to be honest I don’t know why they’re just starting the process now. Other than drafting Mason Rudolph in the third round a few years ago what have the Steelers done? This is a huge problem that they’ve known they were going to have for years and just seemed to ignore it and hope it would go away. Now that Ben is actually retired the Steelers are going to be cornered into either taking a quarterback in the first round this year, possibly even giving up draft capital to trade up, or trying to also give up draft capital to trade for a quarterback like Derek Carr or Jimmy Garoppolo. This is a problem that Pittsburgh should have at least been trying to get ahead of, now they head into 2022 with a pretty good roster but no good quarterback options.
AFC SOUTH:
Denver Broncos: Take Advantage of Russell Wilson
All the Chips are in, the Broncos are in win-now mode as much as any team in the league after trading for Russell Wilson. They have one of the deepest receiving corps in the league and there’s no reason to use off season resources to try and keep Melvin Gordon. Javonte Williams is a stud, and he’s way cheaper. Draft another running back in the fifth round if you want someone behind Williams, even if Melvin Gordon signs for cheap it won’t be as cheap as a late round pick. Take shots on secondary players, add depth to the offensive line, sign a veteran edge rusher; anything but shell out unnecessary money for a running back. Denver pulled the trigger, they’re all in; now more than ever is the time to be smart with how you manage the roster around Wilson. In a division with Mahomes and Herbert, it’s going to take a lot more than just adding Wilson to win the division. The Broncos have a roster in place where if they’re smart with their cap space and draft picks then they can contend in the AFC West.
Kansas City Chiefs: Secondary depth
The Chiefs have started an arms war in the league of amassing as many receivers as possible to keep up with Kansas City offensively, and getting as many defensive backs as you can to somehow cover all the weapons the Chiefs will throw at you. Positions of strength can turn into a weakness very quickly in the NFL, and the secondary hasn’t even been a position of strength for Kansas City. Multiple starters in the defensive backfield are free agents, including safety Tyrann Mathieu. Without making some roster moves they likely won’t have enough to bring Mathieu, who is probably going to sign a pretty big contract this offseason. Even without Mathieu there are still definite ways to improve the secondary for 2022. Resigning corner Mike Hughes is the first step they should make, and there are several corners available in free agency they can likely sign for relatively cheap: Kevin King, Sidney Jones, Ahkello Witherspoon are all above average corners (in my humble opinion) who are young enough the Chiefs could get on team friendly two-three year deal. There are also a ton of defensive backs in the draft who will be on the board when the Chiefs are drafting. Cornerback Jalen Pitre (Baylor), safety Kirby Joseph (Illinois), or cornerback Roger McCreary (Auburn) are guys they can get with their first couple of picks. Cornerbacks Coby Bryant (Cincinnati), or Derion Kendrick (Georgia) are likely mid-round picks that could compete for playing time right away next season for Kansas City.
Las Vegas Raiders: Replace patchwork players with a more stable roster
Every Time I watched the Raiders this season all I could think of was the guy from the Flex Seal commercials plugging a hole in a boat with some glue, instead of actually fixing the boat. Casey Hayward, Desmond Trufant, KJ Wright, Desean Jackson, Jonathan Hankins, and Quinton Jefferson are all players over thirty who were playing on a one year contract this season (Jefferson will be twenty-nine this season, but same deal). For contending teams like the Rams or Chiefs, one year vet deals sometimes or often make a lot more sense. For the Raiders though, who aren’t close to winning a championship, what's the point? Great job sneaking into the playoffs in the last thirty seconds of the season and losing in the first round, you haven’t won a playoff game for twenty years. The Raiders completely bungled the draft picks they got in the Khalil Mack trade, and have been a case study of poor evaluations and not understanding value for years. The Raiders should use every off season resource to get younger and more talented at positions of value: cornerback, receiver, edge, offensive tackle. Any more one year deals to thirty-something vets are a waste of roster space that could be used to take a shot on a younger player, who might whiff but could also hopefully be a multi-year starter.
Los Angeles Chargers: Start looking for the next WR1
The Chargers had one of the worst run defenses in the league last year, and every fan I’ve talked to is zeroed in on improving the interior defensive line and front seven. That’s definitely an issue, but I think getting ahead of a potentially even bigger problem in the future should be the top priority. Keenan Allen is awesome. He’s also going to be thirty this season and thirty-two in the final year of his contract. Josh Palmer is a young receiver on a rookie contract, and Tre’ McKitty flashed enough potential in college that I think he has a shot at being a good tight end option whenever Jared Cook moves on. Other than that, though, I don’t love the options that Justin Herbert has to throw to. I’m not in love with Mike Williams, who signed a sixty million dollar deal to stay with the Chargers. If nothing else, Williams helps Los Angeles maintain the depth that they’ve already built. From there Los Angeles can use the second highest cap space in the league to get very dangerous, very fast at receiver. I’d love to see them go after a guy like Allen Robinson, but even adding players like DJ Chark or Christian Kirk can do a lot for an offense. With Justin Herbert on his rookie contract for a couple more years, the Chargers have a real shot at a Super Bowl in the next few seasons. An upgraded receiving corps would take the offense from good to scary and is the best thing they can do to compete with Kansas City.
NFC EAST:
Dallas Cowboys: Figuring linebacker out
The Cowboy’s linebackers are the perfect example of how a position of strength can go to a position of weakness VERY fast in the NFL. Leighton Vander Esch is a free agent who is looking more and more like he’ll walk, Jaylon Smith is already out the door, and Micah Parsons can play linebacker but should be playing defensive end. Keanu Neal was a safety his entire career until Dan Quinn brought him in to play linebacker this season. Dallas doesn’t really have any cap flexibility, so their only real option is sticking with what they have and taking a couple of shots on rookies to bolster the position in the future. Troy Anderson (Montana State), Micah Mcfadden (Indiana), and Nephi Sewell (Utah) are a few mid or late round guys the Cowboys can take fliers on while still addressing other needs at the top of the draft.
New York Giants: Getting ready for 2023
The Giants have been the worst team in the NFL the last few seasons. I've gotten heated at the Giant’s decision making under Dave Gettleman and I’m not even a Giants fan. Drafting Saquon Barkley at number two overall and trading multiple draft picks for the privilege of paying Leonard Williams nineteen million dollars a year with a cap hit over twenty-seven million are the two that stand out, but it felt like every week there was some new mistake they were making. The Giant’s have to decide this off season if they want to pick up Daniel Jones’ fifth year option in 2023, declining that is the first step forward to getting ready to revamp the roster starting in 2023. This season is about adding young players at positions of need, in particular the defensive line and receiving corps. In the next two years there are multiple bad contracts coming off the books for New York, who have a decent amount of cap space this off season already. They are in a great position to be a winning football team within a few seasons, but the first step is recognizing that it ain’t happening this year.
Philadelphia Eagles: Finally find top-level playmakers
The Eagles have been trying so desperately to find a top receiver that they’ve completely ignored putting high-end resources into the secondary. Trading for Darius Slay has really been their only big move, everyone else has been added with just mid-round picks or short term veteran contracts. I’m a bigger Jalen Reagor truther than anyone in the country, but it’s getting more and more difficult to be optimistic, even for me. DeVonta Smith is the only receiver who’s shown legitimate upside, and Slay will be thirty-two and the end of his contract in a couple of years. Striking out on receivers the last few years at the top of the draft is no reason to stop swinging, and maybe start swinging at the secondary while they’re at it. They have three first round picks this year as it stands now. I’d love to see them go corner, edge, and offensive line in some combination; and then with their second round pick take advantage of the receiver depth in this draft to take a shot on someone like David Bell (Purdue) or Skyy Moore (Western Michigan) who should be available.
Washington Commanders: Don’t do anything else* stupid
First of all: Commanders is such a dumb name, sounds like something that a dude from the G.I. Joe marketing department came up with to sound cool for six year olds. Before free agency and the draft last year, I said that if I could be the GM of any team it would be Washington. Jacksonville was a close second, because of Trevor Lawrence and all the picks/cap space the Jaguar’s had last season and this season though. The point of draft picks and cap space though is to try and build a championship level roster; and Washington already has that. Washington had a top-ten offensive line last season, according to pro football focus. They have one of the best young front sevens in the league, particularly on the defensive line. I loved the signing of corner William Jackson the III from Cincinnati last offseason, to add to a good secondary. By no means though should they consider their roster a finished product. Two of the starters on the offensive line are free agents; Tyler Larsen and Brandon Scherff. The option at receiver behind Terry McLaurin is hoping that Curtis Samuel can have a bounce back year after struggling with injuries basically all of last season. They’ll also have to dedicate a lot of their off season resources to rebuilding secondary depth, and trying to improve safety in particular. The Carson Wentz trade was a bad decision that didn’t make sense, but doesn’t mean they can’t make good decisions the rest of the offseason.
NFC SOUTH:
Atlanta Falcons: Add young talent, doesn’t really matter where
If you had a boat that kept leaking and breaking down, it’d get to a point where you’d simply buy a new boat instead of continually trying to patch it up over and over again. That’s where Atlanta’s roster is at, they need a new boat. Cornerback A.J. Terrell and tight end Kyle Pitts are the only players I can really get excited about in Atlanta. The Falcons don’t have a lot of cap space to work with, Matt Ryan’s contract comes with a cap hit north of forty-million in 2022 and 2023 which doesn’t give them a ton of flexibility. The Falcons are in a much different spot than Washington is as far as 2022, but are both going the same direction. Like Washington, Atlanta should use this year to add young talent anywhere they can in on the roster; and get ready to reload at quarterback in the last year of Matt Ryan’s contract. The easiest way to win in the NFL is having a top-ten level quarterback on a rookie contract, but you have to have a roster that can take advantage of the cheap quarterback contract and the Falcons just aren’t there in 2022.
Carolina Panthers: Reshaping the offensive line
Head coach Matt Rhule’s time in Charlotte has been defined by a major emphasis on rebuilding the defense, and searching for a quarterback who can elevate a team. Offensive line has been on the back-burner a bit, and it definitely showed last season. Taylor Monton was really the only above-average offensive lineman the Panthers trotted out last season. Christian McCaffrey is under contract for over ten-million a year through 2026, that’s a lot of money to pay for someone who ranked sixty-third in yards before contact in 2021. If Carolina had a quarterback that could push the ball down the field and even an average offensive line, with McCaffrey and the receivers that they have they would be one of the best offenses in the NFL. Darnold is on the books for about eighteen million this year, and with the draft capital they gave up to get him it isn’t realistic to say that he won’t be the primary starter this season. Offensive line, though, can definitely be rebuilt this season. The Panthers have about twenty-six million dollars in cap space, and I’d be surprised if they didn’t sign at least one or two veteran options; like Cam Robinson from Jacksonville or Ryan Jensen from Tampa Bay. At least one of the top offensive tackle prospects in the draft will basically for sure be available when Carolina is up with the sixth overall pick, and either Charles Cross (Mississippi State) or Ikem Ekwanu (North Carolina State) at that spot could really help Carolina take advantage of the weapons on their roster.
New Orleans Saints: Finding away to keep their young talent
Safety Marcus Williams is a free agent this year, and edge rusher Marcus Davenport and safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson will both be free agents next season barring an extension. Other than that there aren’t a ton of young players that I’m worried about the Saints hanging on to. Cornerback Marshon Lattimore is signed through 2026 and receiver Michael Thomas is signed through 2024.The Saints treat the salary cap like a figment of Roger Goddell’s imagination, so if there is a player they want to sign to an extension they'll find a way. The key is extending the right players, and keeping the three I mentioned at the top should be a key part of the Saints roster building over the next couple of years.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
I had a whole paragraph written about how Tom Brady retiring actually takes a lot of the pressure off of the Buccaneers; they still have the roster to win now while being able to focus on rebuilding their roster to be less dependent on older players. Now that Tom Brady is coming back the focus of 2022 shifts completely, the only thing that matters is winning now. Tampa Bay won’t have a ton of cap flexibility, which makes the draft ultra-important for the Bucs. In 2020 they found gold at the end of the rainbow in offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, who not only started as a rookie but has been one of the best tackles in the league since he came into the NFL. If Tampa can get one or two contributors out of the draft this season then that will be an off-season win.
NFC NORTH:
Chicago Bears: Justin Fields
The development of Justin Fields should be Chicago’s only priority; not their highest priority, their ONLY priority. Building an offensive line that can protect him and surrounding him with weapons to distribute the ball to is the only thing that matters for Chicago in 2022. Trading edge Khalil Mack and releasing running back Tarik Cohen give the Bears the fifth most cap space this season (and an unreal one hundred and twenty-one million dollars in 2023). I think receiver Allen Robinson likely leaves, but why not make a push to keep him? He’s far and away the best receiver on the market, and the Bears have more than enough cap space to re-sign him. Robinson, Mooney, and Kmet is a good receiving corps that can be added to in the draft. Last season the Bears drafted offensive tackles Tevin Jenkins and Larry Borom, both of whom I liked coming out of college. It can take a few years sometimes for tackles to come into their own in the NFL so I’m still high on those guys, but that shouldn’t stop Chicago from adding at least a couple more offensive lineman in the draft this year as well. Nothing else Chicago does will matter if they stunt Justin Fields' development, who has the talent to be a top-five quarterback in the league.
Detroit Lions: Don’t get ahead of themselves
The Lions had one of the most positive three win seasons in NFL history last season, capped off by a win against Green Bay in the last week of the season. Detroit played with purpose and excitement the entire season, which can be very hard to do when you’re losing week after week in the NFL. The Lions still have a long way to go though, so there’s no reason to unnecessarily speed up their timeline in 2022. Jared Goff is under contract through 2024, and even though he might not play out his whole contract there’s also not an obvious, immediate upgrade this season. Detroit is probably going to end up drafting in the top five again in 2023 when CJ Stroud (Ohio State) and Bryce Young (Alabama) will likely be declaring for the NFL, either of who would be the number one pick in this year's draft. Instead of throwing a dart at a quarterback this year, use picks two, thirty-two, and thirty-four to add really good players to a roster that is desperately lacking in talent. Waiting on a quarterback until 2023 pushes back the rookie quarterback clock a year and puts Detroit in a better position to maximize that.
Green Bay Packers: Grip it and rip it
There’s not much Green Bay can do at this point to get better in 2022. Aaron Rodgers is coming and Davante Adams will be playing in Green Bay at least for one more season. They’re basically in a get under the cap and run it back situation. Rookies rarely make a meaningful impact, but the draft is really the only spot where Green Bay can improve their roster. The Packers are morally opposed to drafting a receiver in the first round, but Jahan Dotson (Penn State) would be a perfect compliment to Davante Adams and the receiving corps that Green Bay already has.
Minnesota Vikings: Figure out how to break the news to Justin Jefferson that Cousins is staying
Just like Tampa Bay, I had a whole well-written argument outlining why moving on from Kirk Cousins in 2023 was the best thing Minnesota could do, then they extended Cousins right before I published this. There is just no point of having Kirk Cousins on your roster for thirty million plus dollars a year, or any average/slightly above average quarterback. You’ll have a good shot of going to the playoffs, and a near impossible chance of winning the Super Bowl. We’ve seen how good Minnesota can be with Cousins, and they can be a very good team. They won’t beat Green Bay this year, and they won’t win the Super Bowl. Extending Cousins because you’re worried about what else you’ll do is like staying in a relationship with someone who’s whatever because you don’t want to be single. It’s okay to be single, it’s okay to take some lumps moving on from a quarterback. It’s not okay to settle for average, which is what the Vikings signed themselves up for.
NFC WEST:
Arizona Cardinals: “Moneyballing” the defense
Edge rusher Chandler Jones is likely to walk in free agency, and there isn’t any way the Cardinals can replace his production. But if they don't figure out a way to replace his production they're going to be on the outside looking in when the playoffs start. The good news for the Cardinals is there is an unreal amount of quality edge rushers in the draft this year, so Arizona won’t have to trade up from the twenty-third pick to get a quality edge rusher. Boye Mafe (Minnesota), Jermaine Johnson II (Florida State), and David Ojabo (Michigan) won’t all be available at twenty-three, but any one of them would start right away for Arizona.
Los Angeles Rams: Celebrate, can’t do much else
The Rams don’t have any cap space and aren’t scheduled to draft until the ninety-ninth pick in the draft this season. All they can really do is try to hit on the mid-round picks they do have and run it back in 2022. Fortunately for the Rams, they’ve been one of the best teams in the league at drafting and developing mid/late round draft picks into quality starters.
San Francisco 49ers: Cornerback, cornerback, cornerback.
San Francisco has eight draft picks in the 2022 NFL draft as of this writing, and using all eight of them on cornerbacks would be the most productive way to improve the roster. Corners Jason Verrett, K’Wuan Williams, and Josh Norman are all free agents and rookie Ambry Thomas is the only main contributor under contract before free agency starts. The 49ers have been trying to just patch up their cornerback depth for years and it’s been the biggest non-Jimmy Garoppolo impediment to San Francisco taking advantage of a Super Bowl caliber roster. They don’t have a ton of cap flexibility and don’t have a first round pick this season, so they’ll have to be smart and take a couple chances on cornerbacks to hopefully find another Ambry Thomas in this year's draft.
Seattle Seahawks: Stop trying to outsmart everyone in the draft
Seattle, more than even the Raiders, have drafted whoever they’ve wanted in the first round over the last few years, regardless of positional value or even where the rest of the NFL values these players. It’s fine to really like a guy, but if no one else is going to take him until the third round then at least wait until the second round to draft him. By the grace of Russell Wilson Seattle has a first round pick this year, after losing this year's in the Jamal Adams trade, and is in a great position to reload a roster that isn’t very good. There are going to be a lot of good edge rushers, and possibly every receiver in the draft will be available at number nine when they’re drafting. The fastest way to get back to a Super Bowl level roster is hitting on positions of value with early picks (offensive tackle, receiver, corner, edge) and finding quality starters later in the draft. Seattle hasn’t shown an ability to do that in the last few years; they'd better start doing it quick or they’re going to forget what the playoffs are like.
-By Jake Cowden
Photo: Rob Schumacher/The Republic