NFL's Most Improved Position Groups Ahead of 2016 Season
NFL training camps are finally just around the corner. Now that free agency, the draft, organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamps are in the rear view, we're starting to get a pretty good idea of what rosters around the league could look like.
Some teams are going to have weaker rosters than they did a season ago. Some are going to have stronger ones. Of the teams that have improved, some have obviously improved more than others.
We're going to take a closer look at some of the rosters that appear to have improved and examine individual position groups—running backs, the receiving corps or the secondary, for example.
We'll be making our picks for the most-improved position groups around the league based on offseason roster movement, player potential and coaching fit. We will also factor in player development and players returning from injury where applicable.
Tennessee Titans, Running Backs
1 of 8
The Tennessee Titans struggled to run the football in 2015. The team ranked just 25th in rushing yardage, with an average of 92.8 yards per game on the ground. As a result, the Tennessee offense was often one-dimensional, and then-rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota faced frequent pressure.
A better ground game should help aid Mariota's development in year two. Fortunately, it's looking like the Titans will have a much better rushing attack.
The team took an active approach to its backfield this offseason, trading for DeMarco Murray and drafting Alabama product Derrick Henry.
Henry is coming off a 2,219-yard rushing campaign that earned him the Heisman Trophy. Murray is two years removed from leading the NFL in rushing with 1,845 yards, but he's coming off a down season—Pro Football Focus rated him just 163rd overall among running backs in 2015. If he can successfully rebound, the Titans could have one heck of a duo atop their backfield depth chart.
In addition, the Titans are bringing back Antonio Andrews. He started 10 games for Tennessee in 2015 and averaged 3.6 yards per carry on the season. Andrews is likely headed for a drastically reduced role, but the Titans could do a lot worse when it comes to depth.
Instead of being a weakness as it was last season, Tennessee's backfield should be a strength in 2016.
Oakland Raiders, Secondary
2 of 8
The Oakland Raiders had some issues in their secondary last season. Pro Football Focus rated the team just 27th in pass coverage for the 2015 season—and that was with future Hall of Famer Charles Woodson on the field.
Woodson retired this offseason, but the Raiders sill look to field a much better secondary in 2016. Part of the reason why the Raiders can is because the team added free-agent safety Reggie Nelson to replace Woodson at the safety position.
Nelson produced eight interceptions in 2015, was named to the Pro Bowl and finished the year rated 12th overall among all safeties by Pro Football Focus. Any drop-off at the position should be minimal.
The Raiders also strengthened the cornerback position by snagging Sean Smith away from the division rival Kansas City Chiefs. Smith was rated 17th overall among cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus for 2015.
To further upgrade the talent level in the secondary, Oakland used its first-round draft pick (14th overall) on former West Virginia safety Karl Joseph.
Bleacher Report NFL Draft Lead Writer Matt Miller explained how Joseph can be a game-changer before the draft:
"A ball hawk on the field, Joseph had five interceptions in four games before the injury and was showing the open-field tackling ability of a top-20 pick. A smart player with excellent leadership skills, Joseph can cover slot receivers in man coverage and has the range to excel over the top in single-high looks. He reads and reacts with excellent timing and beats receivers to the ball with great angles.
"
The Raiders could potentially have legitimate playmakers at both safety spots and at cornerback. If holdover David Amerson—rated 14th overall among corners by Pro Football Focus in 2015—can continue his strong play, Oakland might end up with one of the top secondaries in the NFL.
New York Jets, Linebackers
3 of 8
The New York Jets fielded a pretty capable defense in 2015, but there were deficiencies in the middle of the group. The defensive front was usually stout, as was the Darrelle Revis-led secondary. Overall, Pro Football Focus rated the Jets defense ninth in the league.
Improving the linebacker group should help the Jets field a more complete defense in 2016, and the team took steps to do so in the draft. New York spent a first-round pick on former Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee and a third-rounder on former Georgia linebacker Jordan Jenkins.
Both players could start in 2016.
Lee garnered a good amount of attention heading into the draft because of his quickness—he ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine—and his range in the middle of the field.
"He's today's NFL outside linebacker," draft analyst Mike Mayock said of Lee, per NFL.com. "He ran a 4.47 40 at 232 pounds. He's a sideline-to-sideline, three-down linebacker."
Jenkins, though, has been earning his fair share of attention during offseason workouts with the Jets.
“Right now he’s everything we expected,” Jets head coach Todd Bowles said of Jenkins, per Jason Butt of Macon.com. “He’s a little more mature in learning the system. He understands the system a little more because he came from a similar system. We’re just looking forward to him doing the same thing in pads.”
We're going out on a bit of a limb here with this pick, because we don't know how Lee and Jenkins will perform as pros. However, both players appear to bring talent and depth to the linebacker group. If one of the two can move to the inside to replace the departed Demario Davis, the unit could take an even bigger step forward.
Davis—who was rated just 108th overall among inside linebackers by Pro Football Focus—was one of the biggest weaknesses on the defense last season.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Dallas Cowboys, Running Backs
4 of 8
Over the course of the offseason, the Dallas Cowboys have gone from having a relatively questionable backfield to having perhaps the deepest running back room in the league.
The Cowboys weren't necessarily bad at running the ball last season. Thanks in large part to the hard running of 1,000-yard back Darren McFadden, the team managed to average 118.1 yards per game on the ground—ninth-most in the NFL. The group wasn't especially deep, though. What Dallas has done is dramatically increase its firepower at the running back position.
In free agency, the Cowboys added Alfred Morris. The former Washington Redskin has topped the 1,000-yard mark in three of his four pro seasons. The team then went and snagged former Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth pick in the draft.
Elliott is expected to be a game-changer. He amassed a whopping 1,821 yards rushing, 206 yards receiving and 23 touchdowns just last season for the Buckeyes.
McFadden is now looking like the No. 3 guy on Dallas' depth chart—if he can even earn that role. The team also brought back pass-catching back Lance Dunbar and added depth with rookie sixth-round pick Darius Jackson. This is going to be an extremely deep group that will benefit from running behind a stellar offensive line.
Pro Football Focus rated Dallas first overall in run blocking last season.
The Cowboys might not have a single back lead the NFL in rushing like DeMarco Murray did a couple of years back, but the team should be absolutely dominant on the ground.
New York Giants, Defensive Line
5 of 8
Defense was an obvious priority for the New York Giants this offseason. The defense was ranked 30th in scoring with an average of 27.6 points per game allowed. No team allowed more than the 420.3 yards per game the Giants did.
New York addressed its defensive front heavily in free agency, adding defensive end Olivier Vernon and defensive tackle Damon Harrison. Both are among the best players at their respective positions in the entire NFL.
Pro Football Focus rated Vernon first overall among 4-3 ends for the 2015 season while rating Harrison sixth overall among defensive tackles. The team also brought back defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, who missed the first half of the season after his fireworks accident.
The hand injury Pierre-Paul suffered in the accident forced him to play with a club on his right hand, but Pierre-Paul still managed to finish the year rated 30th among edge-rushers by Pro Football Focus. Presumably, he will be even more productive now that he is a full year removed from the accident.
If Pierre-Paul can get back to being close to the player he was when healthy in 2014—Pro Football Focus rated him ninth overall among edge-rushers that year—the Giants could end up with three legitimately elite players along their four-man front.
Cleveland Browns, Receiving Corps
6 of 8
The receiving corps of the Cleveland Browns wasn't just bad in 2015—it was really bad. Aside from Pro Bowl tight end Gary Barnidge, the team didn't have a truly consistent receiving option. Outside of speedy Travis Benjamin, the team didn't have a real deep threat.
Pro Football Focus rated Cleveland 30th overall in receiving for the 2015 season.
The Browns, though, won't be fielding anything close to last year's group. The team drafted four wide receivers, including first-rounder Corey Coleman. The first receiver taken in the draft, Coleman is expected to be Cleveland's top receiver and a game-changing deep threat in 2016.
The Browns will also have a more advanced Terrelle Pryor at receiver this season. At 6'4" and 233 pounds, Pryor has loads of physical potential. However, the former quarterback was just making his transition to the position last year. He seems to have grown quite a bit as a pass-catcher since then.
"Every day he gets better, he does something that really gives me room for optimism that he has a future at that position," Browns receivers coach Al Saunders said of Pryor, per Andrew Gribble of the team's official website. "We’re really excited about him.”
Cleveland should also get Andrew Hawkins back after his injury-filled 2015 campaign ended after Week 10. When Hawkins was fully healthy in 2014, Pro Football Focus rated him 12th overall among all wide receivers.
Benjamin is no longer with the team, but the Browns' receiving group still looks a lot more threatening than it did a year ago. If one of the other rookie draft picks—Ricardo Louis, Jordan Payton or Rashard Higgins—can make a quick adjustment, this could actually turn into one of the better young units in the league.
Jacksonville Jaguars, Secondary
7 of 8
The Jacksonville Jaguars had the look of a team on the rise last season, but defensive deficiencies prevented the team from being a contender. The secondary was a particular problem area for the Jaguars—Jacksonville was rated just 30th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus in 2015.
This offseason, though, the Jaguars made major moves to address the secondary. The team added safety Tashaun Gipson and cornerback Prince Amukamara in free agency while drafting Jalen Ramsey fifth overall.
All three players should be able to contribute to improving the unit this season.
Gipson is a former Pro Bowler who racked up 14 interceptions during his four seasons with the Browns. Amukamara has been up and down in his career, but he is coming off a quietly strong campaign. Pro Football Focus rated him 40th overall among cornerbacks for the 2015 season.
Ramsey might just have been the best defender available in the 2016 draft.
"The top overall player in the 2016 NFL draft class, Jalen Ramsey is a rare athlete and a top-tier competitor," Bleacher Report's Matt Miller wrote before the draft.
Ramsey underwent knee surgery this offseason, but he was back to running not long after the procedure. If he can get fully healthy and can reach his rookie potential, the Jaguars secondary could be the most improved unit in the entire league this year.
Los Angeles Rams, Quarterbacks
8 of 8
We're doing quite a bit of speculation with this selection because it's going to take some quick progress from a rookie for the Los Angeles Rams' quarterback situation to dramatically improve. Of course, some potential subtraction at the position is likely to help, too.
The Rams struggled at the quarterback position in 2015. As a team, the Rams were rated just 26th in passing by Pro Football Focus. The thing is, though, that the team was dragged down by some putrid performances from Nick Foles.
Foles, who was acquired in a 2015 offseason trade, started 11 games for St. Louis last year. He completed just 56.4 percent of his passes, tossed 10 interceptions to just seven touchdowns and posted a quarterback rating of 69.0. Pro Football Focus rated him just 75th overall among quarterbacks for the season.
Foles wasn't around for the team's offseason program this year, which may indicate he won't be a significant part of the team moving forward.
"I think Nick has the feeling that if things stay the same, he's probably not going to be on the roster," Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said, per NFL Media's Kevin Patra.
Instead of Foles, the Rams will rely on Case Keenum—who started five games in 2015 and posted a more respectable 87.7 passer rating—and rookie No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff.
The Rams traded away a bevy of picks in order to secure Goff, so the team obviously believes he can be the quarterback of the future. If he can quickly adapt to the pro game, he should get an opportunity to start as a rookie as well.
Assuming Goff can even be a middle-of-the-pack starter, the Rams should have a greatly improved quarterback situation this year.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")