The Most Improved Teams of the 2023 NFL Offseason

With the start of free agency and the 2023 NFL draft now over, this is a good time to survey the league's landscape and highlight some squads that appear to have drastically improved over the past few months.

Whether these clubs brought in elite talent in free agency, drafted blue-chip prospects, traded for game-changing pieces or utilized some combination of all three, they now all feature rosters that are clearly better—at least on paper—than the ones they fielded in 2022.

With that in mind, here are the five most improved teams of the 2023 offseason.

Carolina Panthers

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New Panthers QB Bryce Young

The Carolina Panthers narrowly missed making the playoffs last year, but they made a slew of changes in the past few months that could put them back in the postseason field for the first time since 2017.

The most notable was trading up to the No. 1 overall pick to select Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. Trading up cost the Panthers several notable assets, including No. 1 wideout D.J. Moore, but they made the most of their remaining draft picks and did well in free agency.

With a supporting cast that now includes veterans like wide receivers Adam Thielen and DJ Chark, tight end Hayden Hurst, running back Miles Sanders and second-round wideout Jonathan Mingo, Carolina's offense looks more well-rounded and dangerous than it has in a long time.

The defense may have some growing pains as it transitions to a 4-3 under new head coach Frank Reich and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, but veteran pickups like DeShawn Williams and Shy Tuttle will help ease the transition.

Expect this team to be a real threat in the NFC South if Young can stay healthy and perform well with the weight of the franchise's expectations on his shoulders.

Chicago Bears

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Bears WR D.J. Moore

The Chicago Bears bottomed out last year, but they look poised to pull themselves out of the league's basement in 2023.

The future looks bright in the Windy City largely thanks to the promising development of quarterback Justin Fields. The young signal-caller showed immense growth last season, which afforded Chicago the luxury of trading out from the No. 1 overall spot in the draft.

Those additional assets allowed the Bears not only to come away with a high-end veteran receiver in D.J. Moore and cornerstone offensive tackle in Darnell Wright at No. 10 overall, but also a slew of Day 2 talent with which to bolster the defense. The organization drafted two defensive tackles in Gervon Dexter Sr. (No. 53 overall) and Zacch Pickens (No. 64) and a cornerback in Tyrique Stevenson (No. 56) to upgrade a unit that ranked last in points allowed last season.

Factor in free-agency additions like linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, guard Nate Davis and defensive end DeMarcus Walker, and this is going to be a much different Bears team than we saw in 2022. Whether it's good enough to make the postseason remains to be seen, but Chicago should be far better thanks to all of its new offseason additions.

Houston Texans

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New Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans

The Houston Texans may not be a contender in 2023, but there's finally a light at the end of their rebuilding tunnel.

After drafting a franchise quarterback in C.J. Stroud at No. 2 overall, Houston traded back up to No. 3 to select a generational defensive talent in Will Anderson Jr. These two should serve as cornerstones in the Texans' ongoing rebuild.

While Houston didn't make too many free-agency splashes, it did sign veteran wideout Robert Woods to replace Brandin Cooks and added a quality tight end in Dalton Schultz. The Texans also reinforced both sides of the trenches with the additions of Shaq Mason (trade) and Sheldon Rankins (free agency) as well.

Having DeMeco Ryans on the sidelines won't hurt, either. The former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator should be the first head coach to last in Houston for more than a single season since Bill O'Brien was let go in 2020. Ryans, a former Texans standout linebacker, is one of the more well-regarded hires of the offseason.

The Texans still have some work to do, but if Stroud is as good as advertised, they could be back to contending in the AFC South as early as 2024.

Miami Dolphins

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New Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey

The Miami Dolphins have shrewdly worked the phones to craft a contending squad. By bringing in stars like cornerback Jalen Ramsey, wide receiver Tyreek Hill and outside linebacker Bradley Chubb over the last two seasons, they're poised to build on their narrow Wild Card Round loss from this past year.

The NFL stripped the Dolphins of their first-round pick for "tampering violations of unprecedented scope and severity," but they still came away with a few projected contributors in the 2023 draft. The team scored a high-upside cornerback in Cam Smith and a potential dual-threat running back in Devon Achane on Day 2.

While Miami was relatively quiet in free agency outside of the Ramsey trade, the team has almost all the pieces in place to contend in 2023. The Dolphins could still stand to bolster their offensive line to better protect oft-injured quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, but they have Super Bowl upside other than that.

Ramsey may not have been the sole missing piece, but he's a major part of a puzzle that looks to be near completion. His presence, in addition to getting Chubb and Tagovailoa back healthy, should put the 'Phins among the NFL's top teams in 2023.

New York Jets

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New Jets QB Aaron Rodgers

No one transaction shifted the NFL's landscape more than the New York Jets' trade for Aaron Rodgers. By upgrading at quarterback from Zach Wilson to a future Hall of Famer, Gang Green positioned itself to be a force in 2023.

While the Jets squandered their massive defensive leap last year with inept play under center, there should be little holding them back in 2023. They added first-round edge-rusher Will McDonald IV to a unit that ranked fourth in both scoring and total defense last season, and they should finally have enough offensive firepower to contend for their first AFC East crown since Chad Pennington led the squad to one over two decades ago.

While Rodgers' protection could be questionable after the Jets failed to land an offensive tackle early in the draft, they should be OK if Mekhi Becton stays healthy and Duane Brown continues to perform at a high level in his age-38 season. The team also brought in more pass-catching weapons for its new quarterback, signing both Mecole Hardman and Allen Lazard to bolster a receiving corps led by Garrett Wilson.

With breakout rookie running back Breece Hall expected to be ready for Week 1 after recovering from a torn ACL, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini, the Jets should be squarely in the playoff mix this year.