With Super Bowl 50 now in the rear view mirror, the NFL offseason has officially begun. But it won’t be very long before teams begin to address their biggest needs in free agency and later via the draft. Here, we discuss the most glaring needs that teams in the AFC will have to address if they hope to improve on last year’s campaign.
Biggest Off-Season Needs: AFC Edition
AFC North
The Baltimore Ravens
Pass Rusher
2015 was an unmitigated disaster for the Baltimore Ravens. It seemed like their entire team was on injured reserve before they even got to the halfway point of the season. Now there’s nowhere to go but up, and they should get there quickly. With all of the pieces returning, the Ravens find themselves picking at sixth overall. The team needs to take advantage of this pick and grab an impact player. Many experts are saying they should go safety here, but in the Ravens system, the pass rush is essential. Terrell Suggs is 33 and coming off of an ACL tear, and Elvis Dumervil is 32 with a hefty price tag. The Ravens need to grab a new pass rusher to help Baltimore return to the playoffs.
The Cincinnati Bengals
Wide Receiver
It may seem strange to see that the Bengals need a wide receiver when their roster features A.J. Green, but the reality is that it takes a full deck to play poker. It seems like everyone else on the Bengals receiving corps is hitting free agency this year, and Marvin Jones might look to cash in on the weak wideout free agent class. With the loss of offensive coordinator Hue Jackson, the Bengals can’t afford much more turnover on offense.
The Pittsburgh Steelers
Defensive Back
The Pittsburgh Steelers have really struggled to put that defense back together. The days of Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark seem like distant memories. The Steelers need to grab more than one player to put back there, especially as Ben Roethlisberger continues to age, and the playoff window continues to shut.
The Cleveland Browns
Quarterback
This one is a no-brainer. For the fourth time since 2007, the Cleveland Browns are going to take a quarterback in the first round. They’ve got multiple needs on both sides of the ball, but with the self-destruction of Johnny Manziel, they’ve got no choice but to go after a passer, especially with new head coach Hue Jackson in charge.
AFC West
The Oakland Raiders
A Stadium
Defensive Back
A problem the Raiders can fix this off-season is their secondary. Even heading into 2015, experts were concerned with Oakland’s refusal to add established talent to their secondary before the season started. Head Coach Jack Del Rio insisted their young talent was good enough. It wasn’t. Even with Canton-bound Charles Woodson, and the pleasant surprise that was cornerback David Amerson, the Raiders gave up over 250 passing yards per game. Rumors about safety Eric Weddle continue to run wild, but even with the addition of Weddle, the Raiders need serious corner help. This is especially true if they want to nurture the young pass rush featuring Khalil Mack, Aldon Smith, and Mario Edwards Jr.
The Kansas City Chiefs
Wide Receiver
The AFC West will be wide open in 2016, and if the Chiefs want to make another run at the division title, they’ll need to open up their offense more. In the second half of the playoff game against the Patriots, the Kansas City offense looked completely lost without Jeremy Maclin at receiver. Chris Conley looks like he might have the tools to be a real burner down the road, and Travis Kelce is arguably the second best tight end in the league, but they need another talented target if they hope to be contenders in 2016.
The Denver Broncos
Left Tackle
Denver cashed in this season, stretching their salary cap to make one serious push to make the Super Bowl, and it succeeded. Moving forward however, they have problems. Currently, they have only 11 million dollars in cap space and 11 players set to depart for free agency, including vaunted pass rusher Von Miller. The Broncos have had issues with offensive linemen all year, and gave up five sacks to one player at home against the Raiders. All this considered, don’t be surprised if the Broncos part ways with left tackle Ryan Clady in efforts to retain some of their defensive talent.
The San Diego Chargers
Left Tackle
In 2015, San Diego started six different players at left tackle. At arguably the most important position on the offensive line, it’s impossible to ask an offense to run with that much inconstancy. It’s a miracle that Philip Rivers was able to have the success that he did with a line like that. Rivers isn’t getting any younger, and if San Diego wants to make one last push for a ring with him, they need to give him an adequate line.
AFC East
The New England Patriots
Wide Receiver
The Patriots find themselves in a very difficult spot. The 2016 NFL free agent class lacks a star wide receiver unless Chicago inexplicably lets Alshon Jeffrey hit the open market, and “Deflategate” leaves the Patriots without a first round pick. Offensive line is also a need but ultimately the Patriots were hampered by lack of receiver depth all season long. When Julian Edelman went down, Tom Brady’s numbers fell off significantly. During the first eight games of the season, when Edelman was healthy, Brady averaged 339 yards and three touchdowns a game. After Edelman went down, he only averaged 258 yards and two touchdowns, as well as an interception. It’s up to Bill Belichick to work some draft magic or find a reliable target in the second round.
The New York Jets
Left Tackle
If an NFL offense is a house, the offensive line is the plumbing. When it’s doing its job, you don’t really notice, but when it isn’t, it causes quite the stink. Since 2006, the Jets have had a reliable left tackle in D’Brickashaw Ferguson, but at 32, he’s not the same player that made three consecutive pro bowls between 2009 and 2011. The Jets have a 33-year-old quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick, a 31-year-old wide receiver in Brandon Marshall, and a 27-year-old running back in Chris Ivory. These players are all on the verge of taking a step back, and the Jets need to start building for the future on offense.
The Miami Dolphins
Linebacker
The Dolphins were one of the more disappointing teams in 2015. Everyone assumed this would finally be the year that Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins made a serious push and challenged the Patriots. It just didn’t happen for them, and while they’ve got needs on offense, their biggest weakness in 2015 was stopping the run. Whether they need a new defensive scheme or just new talent remains to be seen, but in either case, Koa Misi and company aren’t getting the job done in Miami.
The Buffalo Bills
Defensive End
If the Bills are serious about sticking with Tyrod Taylor as their quarterback, then their biggest need is on the defensive side of the ball. In 2015, only the Atlanta Falcons had fewer sacks (19) than the Bills. Assuming they retain the services of Cordy Glenn, the Bills should look to draft a defensive end to replace Mario Williams. Rex Ryan’s defense relies heavily on an effective pass rush, and if they don’t address that this off-season they will continue to struggle against pass-happy teams.
AFC South
The Indianapolis Colts
Wide Receiver
Almost forgotten underneath all of the NFL’s interesting sub-plots is that Andrew Luck is still trying to escape Peyton Manning’s shadow. Despite a couple of solid statistical seasons and division titles, Andrew Luck and his Colts are still not considered legitimate contenders. And they weren’t before Luck’s injury ended the season before it started. It’s simply embarrassing what tools they’ve given him. A 34-year-old wide receiver in Andre Johnson and 32-year-old running back in Frank Gore don’t make them any better. If he is to fil the shoes of Peyton Manning, he needs a Marvin Harrison.
The Houston Texans
Quarterback
It’s pretty obvious that the Texans badly need a quarterback. Brian Hoyer did his best, and eventually, he was able to drag the Texans to a division championship. But in the end, it was Hoyer’s ineptitude that ultimately cost the Texans the playoff game against the Chiefs, fumbling and throwing four interceptions. They had a chance to draft Derek Carr in 2014 and they passed it up, they can’t make that mistake again in 2016.
The Tennessee Titans
Left Tackle
The Titans go as Marcus Mariota goes, and while they could also use some defensive help, it would be in their best interest to select players to support their young quarterback. Quality skill position players can be found in any round, but true elite tackle talent is very hard to find.
The Jacksonville Jaguars
Cornerback
The Jaguars had deceptively good offensive numbers last year. By taking a peek at Blake Bortles’ and the wide receivers numbers, it might be assumed that the Jaguars were good in 2015. Unfortunately, the numbers are misleading. The reality is that the Jaguars were pretty bad. Jacksonville had one of the worst defenses in football, and found themselves playing garbage time more often than anyone would be comfortable doing. They’ll need a big cornerback to solidify their secondary and give their pass rushers a chance.
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