NFL Teams with the Most Work to Do at the 2023 NFL Combine
The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine is set to kick off Monday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with on-field drills and workouts beginning Thursday.
Many fans will be interested in how fast prospects run, how high they jump or how many passes they complete against an empty secondary. However, the value of the combine goes far beyond what's shown on television or in social media clips.
Interviews, measurements and medical checks are a huge part of the predraft process, and in many cases, are far more important than the Spandex Olympics.
The combine is as much about information gathering as anything else. Can a player run fast without pads? Great, but teams want to know if he's an injury risk, what his game-preparation process is like and whether he's a great fit for a specific scheme or coaching style.
There's a lot of homework to be done, and some teams have to dig a little deeper than others—whether it's because they have a critical need that must be addressed, are forced to uncover late-round gems or simply have a plethora of draft picks.
Here, we'll dive into the teams that need to do the most digging at the 2023 scouting combine.
Chicago Bears
1 of 8
The Chicago Bears have a lot of scouting to do at the combine, and for multiple reasons. The most obvious are they finished with the league's worst record in 2022, had arguably the league's worst roster and would do well to hit on early- and late-round picks alike.
The other factor is Chicago has a major decision to make at quarterback. The Bears have third-year man Justin Fields, who showed strong flashes as a dual threat this past season. The Bears also have the No. 1 pick and could use it on a quarterback prospect such as Ohio State's C.J. Stroud or Alabama's Bryce Young.
Chicago's first challenge in Indianapolis will be meeting with and evaluating quarterbacks to see if there's a better fit for head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles than Fields. If the Bears fall in love with one QB prospect, then trading Fields and starting over at the position becomes a real possibility.
If the Bears come away unimpressed with the QB crop, however, they could keep Fields and look to trade the No. 1 selection—a possibility other teams are eying.
"Some league sources here for the Senior Bowl suggest that the Bears could conceivably trade back twice if Poles can manufacture a smokescreen that Chicago is interested in a quarterback that a team such as the Houston Texans are intent on targeting," Heavy's Matt Lombardo wrote.
If the Bears trade down a spot so Houston can take a quarterback, they might be able to flip the No. 2 pick to another QB-needy team such as the Indianapolis Colts (or a team looking to jump Indianapolis).
This means Chicago must also dig deep into other top prospects such as Alabama's Will Anderson Jr., Georgia's Jalen Carter and Penn State's Joey Porter Jr. The Bears must determine how far down they can move while still landing a prospect they want and deem as a "can't-miss" selection.
Denver Broncos
2 of 8
The Denver Broncos are sort of the opposite of the Bears regarding the draft. Denver doesn't have a high first-round pick, or any opening-night selection, for that matter. Due to their trades for quarterback Russell Wilson and head coach Sean Payton, the Broncos don't own a selection before Round 3.
Denver does have two third-round selections thanks to a 2022 draft trade with Indianapolis, but the Broncos are likely to miss out on a blue-chip prospect. This, combined with Denver's good-but-not-great cap situation ($12.2 million in projected space) means it may have to find the perfect Day 2 prospects to fill its biggest need.
The Broncos desperately need to address their offensive line.
Wilson was sacked a league-high 55 times in 2022 (tied with Justin Fields) despite playing in only 15 games. On top of that, the Broncos could lose left guard Dalton Risner, right tackle Billy Turner and backups Cameron Fleming, Tom Compton and Calvin Anderson in free agency.
Without the benefit of a high draft pick, Denver will have to dig deep into the offensive line pool to uncover potential starters who will be available on Day 2. This means heavily scrutinizing players such as Notre Dame interior lineman Jarrett Patterson, Alabama offensive tackle Tyler Steen and Mississippi lineman Nick Broeker to see if any have early starting potential while also fitting Payton's preferred blocking schemes.
The Broncos hired Payton in an effort to get more out of Wilson, who was a complete flop in 2022 with a disappointing 84.4 passer rating. Payton might help, but he can only do so much if Wilson is constantly under duress.
Denver has a lot invested in Wilson and Payton, but it still needs an improved line to make the pairing work. To get it, the Broncos will have to put in work at the scouting combine.
Detroit Lions
3 of 8
The Detroit Lions make our list for a fairly positive reason. They are loaded with early draft capital, including two first-round picks and two second-round selections. Their draft begins with the sixth pick, a selection acquired from the Rams in the Matthew Stafford trade.
General manager Brad Holmes has his work cut out for him because this needs to be a very defense-oriented draft class.
Detroit nearly made the postseason in 2022 thanks to an offense that ranked fourth overall and fifth in scoring. However, the Lions defense was arguably the worst in the league. It ranked 29th against the run, 30th against the pass, 29th in points allowed and dead-last in yards allowed.
There isn't a position group on Detroit's defense that couldn't use an upgrade.
It won't be as simple as taking the best consensus prospect at sixth or 18th overall. Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell might view Clemson edge-rusher Myles Murphy as a better prospect than cornerback Joey Porter Jr. However, that doesn't mean that Murphy is a better fit for Detroit's roster or for defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn's scheme.
If the players and fits are close, though, Detroit also has to weigh the possibility of moving down in the draft. The Lions' first pick comes one spot ahead of that of the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that could be in the quarterback market.
They have to determine if they can trade down—and how far down they can go—and still land an elite defensive prospect. They also have to decide if there are enough quality Day 2 and Day 3 defenders to justify such a move.
If the Lions are high on Day 2 prospects such as Ohio State defensive lineman Zach Harrison, Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo, Oregon corner Christian Gonzalez and Florida edge-rusher Brenton Cox Jr., then trading down and acquiring extra 2023 picks would make a ton of sense because Detroit has so many defensive holes to fill.
If, however, Holmes comes away from the combine viewing the defensive class as top-heavy, then trading up for that one difference-making prospect could be the right call.
.png?w=256)
Philadelphia Eagles
4 of 8
The good news is that the Philadelphia Eagles have two first-round draft picks, including the 10th selection—which came from the New Orleans Saints in a 2022 draft trade.
The bad news is that they are slated to sit out Rounds 4-6 before picking twice in the seventh. The worse news is that Philadelphia may have multiple holes to fill in the draft and needs to find immediate contributors.
The Eagles' list of impending free agents includes running back Miles Sanders, center Jason Kelce, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, edge-rusher Brandon Graham, cornerback James Bradberry and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. With a projected $1.1 million in cap room, Philly isn't bringing everyone back.
It needs to find immediate replacements because its Super Bowl window is wide open. It also needs to acquire multiple players who can contribute on cheap rookie contracts because quarterback Jalen Hurts is extension-eligible and should see a significant salary bump by 2024. As NBC Sports' Peter King recently suggested, Roseman's days of chasing big names in free agency may be done for a while.
"Roseman doesn't need my help. But I think the Eagles have a quarterback to sign and will have to be judicious, very judicious, with their free-agent cash," King wrote.
The Eagles' combine challenge lies in identifying prospects who can adequately replace impending free agents. Allowing Bradberry to walk, for example, will be much easier if Philly believes a prospect such as Porter or Utah's Clark Phillips III can make for a seamless transition at cornerback.
Much of Philadelphia's free-agency strategy could and should be built around who the Eagles believe they can draft and what their skill sets offer. While they are busy sorting that out, they must also work to uncover hidden gems they can target late in the draft or sign after it as undrafted free agents.
Cleveland Browns
5 of 8
The Cleveland Browns are like the Broncos in the sense that they are relatively short on draft capital and have one big problem area. The Browns desperately need to reload a defensive line that lacked talent and depth in 2022, and it should be even more of a priority under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
"The primary objective of his scheme calls for upgrades in the trenches," Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal wrote of Schwartz.
Cleveland doesn't have a first-round draft pick because of the Deshaun Watson trade, so it will have to dive into prospects such as Florida's Gervon Dexter Sr., USC's Tuli Tuipulotu and South Carolina's Zacch Pickens to see if it can land multiple early contributors along the defensive line.
Like the Eagles, the Browns also need to uncover quality players in the middle and late rounds who can contribute over the long haul. Because of the Watson acquisition, Cleveland won't select in the first round again until 2025. Because of Watson's massive contract, the Browns are likely to be cap-strapped for the foreseeable future.
Watson is set to carry cap hits of $55 million in each of the next four seasons. Cleveland is projected to be $14.4 million over the cap this season and is already projected to be $24.5 million over the cap in 2024.
This means the Browns must search for players who can fill immediate needs at the scouting combine while also seeking out prospects to eventually replace future impending free agents.
Next offseason, for example, Cleveland could lose left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (if he's not granted the fifth-year option), wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones, center Nick Harris, safety Grant Delpit and tight end Harrison Bryant in free agency. Replacing them in free agency or early in the 2024 draft may not be possible.
Every team should consider future needs when evaluating prospects, but for Cleveland, it's a must. Head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry have to dive into players at all positions and who can be found at all stages of the draft during their time in Indianapolis.
Los Angeles Rams
6 of 8
The Los Angeles Rams are in a situation similar to those of the Broncos and Browns, though for slightly different reasons.
Los Angeles has second- and third-round selections but no picks in Rounds 1, 4 or 5. It also has a variety of needs—as indicated by a roster that won only five games this past season—but one glaring one.
The Rams have to improve their offensive line. They allowed 59 sacks and averaged just 4.0 yards per carry (27th in the league) during the 2022 season. Los Angeles might find an immediate starter in a Day 2 prospect such as TCU's Steve Avila or Minnesota's John Michael Schmitz, but it cannot count on landing a blue-chipper in Round 1.
The need to unearth an early starter in Round 2 is compounded by the fact that Los Angeles faces a projected $14.2 million cap deficit—it will save $5.3 million with the impending release of linebacker Bobby Wagner, per ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner.
The Rams are also in an awkward position where they need to find both immediate contributors and future replacements.
There's a sense of urgency to win now in Los Angeles for a couple of reasons. For one, key players such as quarterback Matthew Stafford, wideout Cooper Kupp and defensive tackle Aaron Donald aren't getting any younger—and all three missed time with injuries in 2022. Plus, there's a chance that another losing season could mean the end of head coach Sean McVay's tenure with the Rams.
He was very much on the fence about returning for this season, though he ultimately did. The Rams want to chase as many Super Bowls as they can while their core group of players and coaches is in town.
"I think the way they look at this is, 'We have to do everything we can to maximize what we've got right now. Because we've got a special, special coach, and we've got a special core of players. Maybe that lasts for another year. Maybe it lasts for five,'" Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated said in November on The Rich Eisen Show.
But Stafford, Kupp, Donald and Jalen Ramsey may be nearing the end of their Los Angeles tenures. Therefore, the Rams also have to identify prospects who could replace them in the not-too-distant future. General manager Les Snead has a ton of work ahead of him, and it starts this week in Indianapolis.
Houston Texans
7 of 8
The Houston Texans have arguably more work to do than any other team at this year's scouting combine, for several reasons.
For starters, Houston went 3-13-1 this past season and subsequently "earned" the No. 2 pick. Few of the team's players can't or shouldn't be replaced this offseason. The arrival of new head coach DeMeco Ryans and the accompanying scheme changes only adds to the need for roster turnover.
While the Texans do have $35.4 million in projected cap space, they're not going to fill every hole in free agency. However, knowing which positions can and cannot be addressed in the draft—and therefore should become free-agency priorities—will be a big part of the combine challenge for Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio.
Houston's biggest need is at quarterback, and the Texans have to come away from the combine knowing whether prospects such as C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young have the tools and the intangibles needed to steer their franchise for the next decade or more.
As Caserio recently noted, getting to know the top prospects will be a huge part of that process.
"You really haven't had an opportunity to interact with them anywhere else," Caserio said in a Texans radio interview. "It's a first opportunity to sit and have a conversation like this."
Because the Bears are a threat to trade out of the No. 1 slot, Houston must also decide if there's a quarterback prospect it cannot afford to lose and whether trading up to secure him is worth the cost.
Lastly, the Texans have work to do because of their volume of draft capital. Houston is set to have 11 total selections, according to the team's official website, including two first-round picks and two third-round picks—both extra selections coming from Cleveland in the Deshaun Watson trade.
Houston will have as much flexibility as anyone to move up and down the board over draft weekend.
Other Teams with Quarterback Needs
8 of 8
Houston's biggest draft decision will involve a quarterback, but the Texans are not the only team in this position. The Bears need to evaluate signal-callers, in part, to determine Fields' future. The Colts will be in the quarterback market at No. 4, and the Raiders (No. 7) probably will be, too, after moving on from Derek Carr earlier this month.
The Carolina Panthers (No. 9), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 19), New Orleans Saints (No. 30) and Atlanta Falcons (No. 8) are other teams that could target a quarterback early in the draft.
Franchises eyeing signal-callers will have to put a lot of time and effort into the position at the combine because there is no clear-cut QB 1. Stroud, Young, Florida's Anthony Richardson and Kentucky's Will Levis—the top four quarterbacks on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's big board—are widely considered the four first-round options, and each of them carries question marks.
Young is the most complete player of the group, but he's listed at only 6'0" and 194 pounds. Richardson has tremendous athletic upside but has struggled with accuracy and his mechanics. Levis has the desired traits and comes from a pro-style offense but needs to improve his pre-snap recognition and post-snap processing.
Stroud might be the only "safe" quarterback in the draft, but he may also have limited upside.
"His ceiling feels more good than great, at least until he proves he can be more aggressive out of structure and comfortable in muddied pockets, which he barely had to deal with at Ohio State," Derrik Klassen of the B/R Scouting Department wrote.
This year, franchises are as likely to identify their QB1s based on their team and scheme fits as on individual traits and past production. Teams aren't just looking for short-term starters; they're seeking signal-callers who can provide stability both on the field and in the locker room.
For this reason, every aspect of the combine—from interviews and interactions to tape and testing—will be critical for teams seeking their next franchise quarterbacks.
*Cap information via Spotrac. Draft pick information via Pro Sports Transactions unless otherwise noted.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Browns Football")
