Every Team’s Greatest Need This Offseason

by Jason Allwine · NFL

The 2022 season officially started a month ago, and we’re about two weeks away from the draft. Teams are hard at work trying to fix last season’s mistakes, and we are hard at work analyzing those teams. There’s never going to be a perfect team, so there is always something that needs to be fixed. Some rosters have more issues than others, but everyone has at least one big need this offseason. Let’s take a look at every team’s biggest concern going into the draft and the rest of the offseason.

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Arizona Cardinals – Cornerback

Available Cap: $5,774,808

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 23
  • R2: No. 55
  • R3: No. 87
  • R6: No. 201, No. 215
  • R7: No. 244, No. 256, No. 257

The Cardinals have a solid roster at the top level, but don’t have much depth at pretty much every position. Their season last year tumbled after injuries hit Kyler Murray, J.J. Watt, and DeAndre Hopkins. So far this offseason, the roster has only gotten smaller. Christian Kirk, Chandler Jones, and Chase Edmonds all left. Their weakest position is probably CB, Byron Murphy and Jeff Gladney are serviceable but not true CB1s. With the little cap they have left, perhaps they could give a veteran CB a call hoping they will play on a contender’s discount. I think a case could be made for the Cardinals to draft at any position except QB, with a slight preference toward whatever CB falls their way. Apparently, I have to say this as well- Cardinals, just pay Kyler Murray.

Atlanta Falcons – Wide Receiver

Available Cap: $3,780,664

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 8
  • R2: No. 43, No. 58
  • R3: No. 74, No. 82
  • R4: No. 114 
  • R5: No. 151
  • R6: No. 190, No. 213

The Falcons on the other hand not only need depth, but need starters too. This team is in complete rebuild mode and has perhaps the worst roster in the NFL. The worst spot is probably the WR corps, highlighted by Auden Tate and Olamide Zaccheaus. Considering they have very little cap room and so many holes to fill, the smartest option would be to trade back in the draft. This would enable them to get more potential starters to fill the roster cheaply. One other option would be to hope and pray that Julio Jones would come back for one year on the veteran minimum. All signs currently are pointing to another heavy volume season for Cordarrelle Patterson.

Baltimore Ravens – Offensive Line

Available Cap: $7,107,982

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 14
  • R2: No. 46
  • R3: No. 76, No. 100
  • R4: No. No. 110, No. 119, No. 128, No. 139, No. 141
  • R6: No. 196

The Ravens have one of the most complete rosters in the NFL. However, Ronnie Stanley has missed two consecutive seasons due to an ankle injury. They need to plan ahead in case their star tackle goes down again. While Lamar Jackson is great at running for his life, you don’t necessarily want your franchise QB doing that. Cody Carpentier has the Ravens using pick No. 14 on Mississippi State OT Charles Cross in his latest mock draft. An excellent and ideal pick for Baltimore to make.

Buffalo Bills – Cornerback

Available Cap: $2,300,713

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 25
  • R2: No. 57
  • R3: No. 89
  • R4: No. 130
  • R5: No. 168
  • R6: No. 185, No. 203
  • R7: No. 231

Similar to the Ravens, the Bills have a very complete roster. Tre’Davious White has been excellent, but they could use one more star cornerback to really lock down receivers. Cody Carpentier expects them to pick a CB in the draft, which makes sense since they have such little cap room. But if any veterans are willing to sign for a cheap contract, there are some good options still out there. It’s no secret that players will sign for cheap if they think they can win a Super Bowl, so that may happen here.

Carolina Panthers – Quarterback

Available Cap: $30,166,278

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 6
  • R4: No. 137
  • R5: No. 144, No. 149
  • R6: No. 199
  • R7: No. 242

One year after all their QBs combined for only 3,239 passing yards, No. 29 in the league, the Panthers will look to replace failed experiment Sam Darnold. It has been speculated that they would trade for Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo, but as it hasn’t happened yet. I doubt it will at this point. Cody Carpentier has the Panthers selecting Matt Corral at No. 6, hopefully landing their franchise QB. This makes the most sense as it allows the Panthers to use their cap fixing the rest of the roster so that Corral (or whatever rookie QB they choose) doesn’t have to carry the team right out of the gate.

Chicago Bears – Offensive Line

Available Cap: $14,385,751

Draft Picks:

  • R2: No. 39, No. 48
  • R3: No. 71
  • R5: No. 148, No. 150
  • R6: No. 186

There are a few holes on this roster, but starting with bolstering the o-line should be the way to go. The Bears have a solid rushing attack so a better offensive line would help that as well as help out the struggling passing game. Darnell Mooney is coming off a 1,000 yard season and the Bears signed two receivers so far this offseason in Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown. Giving Justin Fields more time in the pocket should also allow those receivers to get more separation and Fields to make better decisions. Without a first round pick, the Bears should look to sign a veteran offensive lineman or two. To name a few, Nate Solder, Duane Brown, Matt Paradis, and Eric Fisher are still available.

Cincinnati Bengals – Offensive Line

Available Cap: $17,691,142

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 31
  • R2: No. 63
  • R3: No. 95
  • R4: No. 136
  • R5: No.174
  • R6: No. 209
  • R7: No. 226, No. 252

The Bengals shocked the world when they drafted Ja’Marr Chase last season. It ended up being the right decision as they went all the way to the Super Bowl, but now it’s time to finally fix the offensive line that is putting Joe Burrow in danger every game. According to PFF, Burrow was sacked 70 times including the postseason. That’s just unacceptable. They have started to address the need already by signing La’el Collins. But there’s still more work to be done, and they may still use pick No. 31 on offensive line, which I think they should.

Cleveland Browns – Front 7

Available Cap: $20,318,803

Draft Picks:

  • R2: No. 44
  • R3: No. 78, No. 99
  • R4: No. 118
  • R6: No. 202
  • R7: No. 223, No. 246

The Browns are in an interesting place regarding their defense. They have holes everywhere but also have two studs in Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward that make up for it. While they could use a better safety, I’d like to see them bolster their defensive front. It doesn’t matter how bad your secondary is if your team is getting consistent pressure on the QB. The Browns should get either a defensive lineman or a pass-rushing OLB to take some blocking pressure off of Garrett. They have the money to address it in free agency and still have trade bait in Baker Mayfield. Also at No. 44 there’s still a chance that there’s a solid player available. So they can answer this problem in any number of ways.

Dallas Cowboys – Cornerback

Available Cap: $15,496,077

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 24
  • R2: No. 56
  • R3: No. 88
  • R4: No. 129
  • R5: No. 155, No. 167, No. 176, No. 178
  • R6: No. 193

While the Cowboys need a DT, they also need a strong CB2. Cornerback is a bigger need in my opinion just because the Cowboys finished last season as the top offense in yards and scoring. That means that most teams will be playing catch-up, and a cornerback is more important to stopping the pass than a DT is. There are some good veteran CBs on the market in Trae Waynes, Chris Harris, and Joe Haden. They could give one of those vets a call or address the need at pick No. 24. If I were Jerry Jones, I’d give a vet a call and draft a WR at No. 24 to complement CeeDee Lamb/replace Amari Cooper.

Denver Broncos – Cornerback

Available Cap: $14,577,913

Draft Picks:

  • R2: No. 64
  • R3: No. 75, No. 96
  • R4: No. 115, No. 116
  • R5: No. 152
  • R6: No. 206
  • R7: No. 232

The Broncos offense is set, especially if they can pull off re-signing Melvin Gordon. Their defense finished No. 3 in points allowed last year, so they’re pretty complete too. However, they need another cornerback to go alongside Patrick Surtain. Especially being in the star-studded AFC West. Again, there’s some good value available on the veteran CB market in Chris Harris, Trae Waynes, and Joe Haden. Any one of those would be excellent, especially since the Broncos don’t have early draft capital. It would be fun to see Harris return to Denver.

Detroit Lions – Safety

Available Cap: $18,246,316

Draft Picks:

  • R1: 2, 32
  • R2: 34
  • R3: 66, 97
  • R5: 177
  • R6: 181, 217
  • R7: 234

The offense is starting to come together for the Lions. According to PFF, Will Harris finished 91 out of 92 safeties last season. I think that’s an excellent place to start. In Cody Carpentier’s most recent mock draft, he actually has the Lions trading down to No. #9 with the Seahawks in order to draft Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton. Tyrann Mathieu is also still available, and with $18m still available, you might as well give him a call.

Green Bay Packers – Wide Receiver

Available Cap: $14,999,028

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 22, No. 28
  • R2: No. 53, No. 59
  • R3: No. 92
  • R4: No. 132, No. 140
  • R5: No. 171
  • R7: No. 228, No. 249, No. 258

It is no question that the Packers biggest need is wide receiver. Not only did Davante Adams leave, but so did Equanimeous St. Brown and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. The Packers may literally draft two receivers in the first round with No. 22 and No. 28, but probably not. They have the cap room to bring in a veteran WR, draft a WR, and then solve other issues on the roster with the rest of their picks and cap room. Either way though, the Packers and Aaron Rodgers are going to be desperate for weapons. In fact, as I was writing this part, the Packers went out and signed Sammy Watkins.

Houston Texans – Running Back

Available Cap: $21,424,621

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 3, No. 13
  • R2: No. 37
  • R3: No. 68, No. 80
  • R4: No.107, No. 108
  • R6: No. 183, No. 205, No. 207
  • R7: No. 245

When a team is so broken, it’s important to look at what position could have the highest impact on a team’s success. If I were Nick Caserio, I’d be looking strongly at Kenneth Walker or Breece Hall with the No. 37 pick. The Titans and 49ers are excellent examples of what a strong rushing attack can do for a team. Opening up the play-action could bring a new wrinkle to this offense and help Davis Mills take another step forward to being the franchise guy. The Texans just re-signed Brandin Cooks, and Nico Collins has a solid profile. If they can get a stud rookie running back, the Texans offense may truly start clicking in a way that Marlon Mack won’t allow it to.

Indianapolis Colts – Wide Receiver

Available Cap: #21,700,064

Draft Picks:

  • R2: No. 42
  • R3: No. 73
  • R4: No. 122
  • R5: No. 159, No. 179
  • R6: No. 216
  • R7: No. 239

The Colts may be able to win their division this year. The ceiling isn’t much higher than that without getting a least one more potent weapon for Matt Ryan to throw to. Michael Pittman broke out last year, but T.Y. Hilton is gone and the next man up is Ashton Dulin. The Colts should be able to address other roster issues through free agency,. But this is a great draft to get a receiver. Their No. 42 pick should be used on one. Whether that be if Jameson Williams falls or they take a chance on someone like Christian Watson.

Jacksonville Jaguars – Wide Receiver

Available Cap: $6,816,630

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 1
  • R2: No. 33
  • R3: No. 65, No. 70  
  • R4: No. 106
  • R5: No. 157
  • R6: No. 180, No. 188, No. 197, No. 198
  • R7: No. 222, No. 235

The Jaguars completely altered the WR market after signing Christian Kirk to one of the highest paid contracts among NFL WRs. They also went out to get Zay Jones. These are great second and third options, but neither are true No. 1 receivers. The Jaguars need to get Trevor Lawrence one of the premier receivers in this draft. Hopefully, they use No. 33 on whoever falls out of the first round.

Kansas City Chiefs – Wide Receiver

Available Cap: $18,159,294

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 29, No. 30
  • R2: No. 50, No. 62
  • R3: No. 94, No. 103
  • R4: No. 121, No. 135
  • R7: No. 233, No. 243, No. 251, No. 259

First off, the Chiefs need to re-sign Jerick McKinnon. Secondly, Travis Kelce is 32 years old and Tyreek Hill is gone. They signed Juju Smith-Schuster, but his time with the Steelers proved that he isn’t a true No. 1. They also signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who can be good, but he isn’t an alpha receiver either. The Chiefs have survived for years now with an average at best defense. And while they still don’t have a great defense, they don’t need one. They need a high-powered, high-scoring offense. Which isn’t possible with their current weapons. The Chiefs have the worst receiver corps in their division, and it’s the toughest division to be in right now. Cody Carpentier has them selecting Jameson Williams at No. 29 in his latest mock draft. I agree that at the very least, the Chiefs will draft a receiver with one of their first round picks.

Las Vegas Raiders – Strong Safety

Available Cap: $5,293,474

Draft Picks:

  • R3: No. 86
  • R4: No. 126 
  • R5: No. 164, No. 165
  • R7: No. 227

The Raiders find themselves in the opposite position of the Chiefs. They have completely bolstered their receiving corps, and even went out and signed Chandler Jones to go opposite Maxx Crosby. That’s a terrifying defensive front. However, the middle of the field is completely vulnerable with average linebackers and PFF’s 75th-best strong safety covering it. Unfortunately they don’t have much cap room or draft capital, so it’s a tough problem to solve. Maybe, just maybe, Tyrann Mathieu will sign with them for cheap.

Los Angeles Chargers – Offensive Line

Available Cap: $18,583,797

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 17
  • R3: No. 79
  • R4: No. 123
  • R5: No. 160
  • R6: No. 195, No. 214
  • R7: No. 236, No. 254, No. 255, No. 260

The Chargers made some fireworks this offseason by bringing in Khalil Mack, J.C. Jackson, and Gerald Everett. These are all excellent moves to send the Chargers in the right direction. All that’s left is to bolster the offensive line even more. They have Rashawn Slater and Corey Linsley who are great. Now it’s just time to get either a premier right tackle or guard. Having to play against Chris Jones, Frank Clark, Chandler Jones, Maxx Crosby, and Bradley Chubb twice a year is exactly why the Chargers should make their already good offensive line even better. They have cap room to bring in a veteran, and the picks to draft a top of the line-man.

Los Angeles Rams – Offensive Line

Available Cap: $7,008,530

Draft Picks:

  • R3: No. 104
  • R4: No. 142
  • R5: No. 175
  • R6: No. 211, No. 212, No. 218
  • R7: No. 238, No. 253

How do you fix a Super Bowl champion’s roster? Replace the players leaving. The biggest names leaving are Odell Beckham, Von Miller and Andrew Whitworth. If I’m the Rams GM, I’m gonna look to replace my franchise tackle before my one-year rental linebacker and wide receiver. However, the Rams have no early draft capital and don’t have much money to bring in a top-tier tackle either. The Rams front office will be hoping for late-round value in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Miami Dolphins – Offensive Line

Available Cap: $20,343,847

Draft Picks:

  • R3: No. 102
  • R4: No. 125
  • R7: No. 224, No. 247

The Dolphins have already gone to work trying to fix their offensive line by signing tackle Terron Armstead. He will help a lot, but the Dolphins were PFF’s worst offensive line last year and gave up 40 sacks over the year. There’s still some work to be done on that line if they want to give Tua Tagovailoa more time to throw the ball. They should use their cap to bring in a lineman via free agency as they don’t have early draft capital.

Minnesota Vikings – Cornerback

Available Cap: $12,274,750

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 12
  • R2: No. 46
  • R3: No. 77
  • R5: No. 156
  • R6: No. 184, No. 191, No. 192
  • R7: No. 250

The Vikings allowed the 28th-most passing yards last season. Patrick Peterson was re-signed, but he will be 32 next season. They have the cap space to bring back Trae Waynes and also have the draft capital to try to trade up for Sauce Gardner. They could also just take Derek Stingley or Trent McDuffie. Either of those solutions would be beneficial. I’d prefer trading up for Gardner though. He is about as good a prospect as we’ve ever seen at CB.

New England Patriots – Wide Receiver

Available Cap: $1,879,940

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 21
  • R2: No. 54
  • R3: No. 85
  • R4: No. 127
  • R5: No. 158, No. 170
  • R6: No. 200, No. 210

Even though the Patriots will need to fill the huge hole J.C. Jackson‘s departure left in their defense, Bill Belichick could probably turn my grandma into a star NFL defensive player. They seem to always let their star CBs go, and always turn out fine. Darrelle Revis, Stephon Gilmore, Malcolm Butler, and now Jackson have left for pastures new. Belichick will have to figure it out like he has done time and time again. While they do need a CB, WR is a bigger necessity. Even with DeVante Parker‘s arrival, the receiving corps leaves much to be desired. It’s a position that’s almost always forgotten about in the Patriots offense. But with the ever-evolving AFC, that needs to change ASAP. They essentially have no cap room, so it will come down to pick No. 21 to solve the problem.

New Orleans Saints – Wide Receiver

Available Cap: $19,506,946

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 16, No. 19
  • R2: No. 49
  • R3: No. 98
  • R4: No. 120
  • R5: No. 161
  • R6: No. 194

Even though Michael Thomas is rumored to be back this season, WR is still a concern for the Saints. Even if Thomas does return, he will be 29 after not playing for nearly two years, getting used to a new QB. The position is a concern for the Saints, but Jameis Winston was making strides before getting injured. Using one of their first-round picks on a WR would pay dividends for years to come for the Saints even if Winston doesn’t work out. It makes the most sense to me to give him one more shot with a solid WR corps than to mortgage the future on an unproven QB prospect via the draft. However, it does make a ton of sense to draft both a WR and a QB at No. 16 and No. 19.

New York Giants – Offensive Line

Available Cap: $6,788,274

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 5, No. 7
  • R2: No. 36
  • R3: No. 67, No. 81
  • R4: No. 112
  • R5: No. 147, No. 173
  • R6: No. 182

What better way to find out if Daniel Jones is the franchise QB than to bring in Brian Daboll and upgrade the offensive line? Sure the Giants defense has some major holes, but they should worry about Jones first. They need to worry about scoring points before they can worry about stopping points from being scored. They were the No. 31-ranked offense in Points For last season. Jones has excellent weapons. If he has the time to throw to them, the Giants offense could be very dangerous.

New York Jets – Defensive Line

Available Cap: $17,870,133

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 4, No. 10
  • R2: No. 35, No. 38
  • R3: No. 69
  • R4: No. 111, No. 117
  • R5: No. 146, No. 163

The Jets finished last season as the worst defense in the league in both Points For and Points Against. Getting elite talent on the defensive line is one way to disrupt all facets of the game in a way a star CB just can’t do. The Jets have the capital to answer this in a few ways. They could try to sign a few guys to veteran-minimum contracts. Players like Ndamukong Suh, Jadeveon Clowney, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Akiem Hicks are available. They could also draft someone. Aidan Hutchinson, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Travon Walker are all excellent prospects. At least one should be available at No. 4.

Philadelphia Eagles – Wide Receiver

Available Cap: $15,625,461

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 15, No. 18
  • R2: No. 51
  • R3: No. 83, No. 101
  • R4: No. 124
  • R5: No. 154, No. 162, No. 166
  • R7: No. 237

The Jalen Reagor experiment is over and it is time to move on. According to Pro Football Reference, the Eagles ranked dead last in pass attempts last season. Hurts can sling it, but he only has Dallas Goedert and Devonta Smith to throw to currently. In his senior year at Oklahoma, Hurts nearly threw for 4,000 yards, with an average of 11.3 yards per attempt. That’s four more yards than last year’s 7.3 yards per attempt with the Eagles. He even had the seventh-most Money Throws (35) among qualified quarterbacks. Nick Sirianni and the Eagles need to give him another target. They should look to do that with one of their first round picks.

Pittsburgh Steelers – Quarterback

Available Cap: $13,299,710

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 20
  • R2: No. 52
  • R3: No. 84
  • R4: No. 138
  • R6: No. 208
  • R7: No. 225, No. 241

Something that was already needed unfortunately becomes more of a concern with the untimely passing of Dwayne Haskins. If the Mitchell Trubisky project were to fail, Haskins provided an excellent Plan B. Unfortunately now, the Steelers are right back where they started, with Mason Rudolph as their fallback plan. It is just such an unfortunate situation to no fault of the Steelers that they now have to address in some capacity. It now makes sense for the Steelers to draft a QB in the first round, which they probably will end up doing as they need an insurance option for Trubisky. Cody Carpentier has them selecting Desmond Ridder at No. 20 overall in his latest mock draft.

San Francisco 49ers – Safety

Available Cap: $1,801,252

Draft Picks:

  • R2: No. 61
  • R3: No. 93, No. 105
  • R4: No. 134
  • R5: No. 172
  • R6: No. 187, No. 220, No. 221
  • R7: No. 262

Safety Jaquiski Tartt is still technically a free agent, meaning the 49ers should either re-sign him at this point or just replace him. Considering the 49ers would’ve probably been in the Super Bowl last season if Tartt didn’t drop Stafford’s pass, it may be better to move on. However, they have little cap room and little draft capital to do so until they find a suitor for Jimmy Garoppolo. If I were the 49ers GM, I’d give Damontae Kazee a call if nothing else comes up.

Seattle Seahawks – Quarterback

Available Cap: $15,702,502

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 9
  • R2: No. 40, No. 41
  • R3: No.72
  • R4: No. 109
  • R5: No. 145, No. 153 
  • R7: No. 229

There is no way that the Seahawks view Drew Lock as their franchise QB. Lock will definitely be given a chance to earn the job, but the Seahawks are also probably looking to draft a QB. There aren’t many that can fill Russell Wilson‘s shoes. But they need to try since this is D.K. Metcalf‘s last year on his rookie contract. Cody Carpentier expects them to take no chances and trade up to No. 2 with the Lions in his latest mock, in order to select Malik Willis. That move makes sense. So does just waiting until No. 9 and taking whatever QB falls to them.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Defensive Line

Available Cap: $4,732,433

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 27
  • R2: No. 60
  • R3: No. 91
  • R4: No. 133
  • R7: No. 248, No. 261

Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh are both free agents right now after not being re-signed by the Buccaneers. They don’t have the room to bring both back. But they should try to at least get one at this point. This is probably Tom Brady‘s last year, so they don’t necessarily need to worry about next year’s roster quite yet. Thus, bringing in a veteran makes the most sense. However, so does taking an edge rusher with pick No. 27. Or better yet, maybe both!

Tennessee Titans – Cornerback

Available Cap: $1,779,433

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 26
  • R3: No. 90
  • R4: No. 131, No. 143
  • R5: No. 169
  • R6: No. 204, No. 219

According to Pro Football Reference, the Titans were the second-best run defense, but the No. 25 pass defense in terms of yards allowed. They have one of the best free safeties in Kevin Byard, and one of the best strong safeties in Amani Hooker. The area of concern is at cornerback. If they can swing a trade to move up to grab Sauce Gardner, that would be ideal. But being realistic, they will probably just take their shot at No. 26. They could also potentially look for their Derrick Henry replacement.

Washington Commanders – Wide Receiver

Available Cap: $10,699,490

Draft Picks:

  • R1: No. 11
  • R2: No. 47
  • R4: No. 113
  • R6: No. 189
  • R7: No. 230, No. 240

Depending on how the draft goes, the Commanders may end up being able to choose from the entire wide receiver class at No. 11. A receiver corps of Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and one of the talented rookie WRs would be a great supporting cast for Carson Wentz. Unfortunately injuries have kept Samuel sidelined, so a rookie WR is almost necessary in order to give Wentz a fair shot next season. There’s no point in paying out for a new QB if he only has one consistent target to throw to. Therefore, expect the Commanders to take a shot at WR with pick No. 11, just as Cody Carpentier expects them to in his latest mock.

Looking Ahead

We’re still months away from Week 1, so teams still have plenty of time to address these issues. It will be interesting to see how these issues will be solved, if at all, and how the rosters will evolve over the course of the offseason. The draft is only two weeks away and that will be will be when the speculation can truly begin. Follow us on Twitter and keep checking the website as we bring you analysis all season and offseason long.