1 Key Offseason Addition for Teams Eliminated on Super Wild Card Weekend
With Super Wild Card Weekend behind us, six more teams dropped out of the pursuit of Super Bowl LVIII and joined the 2024 offseason.
Elimination from the playoffs always stings, but it doesn't take long before talk of the next offseason takes over. Losing in the playoffs often puts key weaknesses on display that will need to be addressed in the offseason.
Here we'll take a look at all six teams that were eliminated this past weekend and look at one position of need that will need to be addressed in the offseason. The primary avenues of improving the roster are through the draft and free agency, so we'll take a look at one target for each avenue of improvement.
Potential team fit, draft capital and cap space were all taken into account to come up with realistic fixes for each key need.
Cleveland Browns: Wide Receiver
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The Browns' Wild Card Round performance left a lot to be desired, but it was really impressive they made the postseason at all. Most teams couldn't deal with the rash of injuries the Browns endured, which included star running back Nick Chubb, starting quarterback Deshaun Watson and three starting tackles on the offensive line. Yet they were able to go 11-6 before suffering a 45-14 loss to the Houston Texans.
There are several areas where the Browns could improve. But finding another receiver who can bolster the group needs to be a top priority. Even when healthy, Watson rarely looked like the three-time Pro Bowl version of himself. Finding a receiver who can make plays across from Amari Cooper could help him recapture that form.
2024 NFL Draft Option: WR Devontez Walker, North Carolina
The Browns don't have a first-round pick to address their biggest need, so their first pick will be 54th overall. That should position them well to still wind up with a receiver in a fairly deep class.
Devontez Walker comes in as the 56th overall player on our latest big board. The biggest thing Walker would bring to the table—especially early on—is pure speed. He averaged 17.0 yards per catch in his only year with the Tar Heels and provided Drake Maye with a reliable speed threat who could get behind defenses. At 6'2½", 200 pounds, he has the frame to develop into a legitimate outside threat.
B/R's Derrik Klassen compares Walker to former Pittsburgh Steelers burner Mike Wallace. Browns fans should be familiar with his work and how much that would help the Browns offense.
2024 Free-Agent Option: WR Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals
The Browns have some work to do to clear up a free-agent budget. As of right now, they are projected to be $13.9 million over the salary cap for 2024, per Spotrac. That's before the Browns do anything with Deshaun Watson's $64 million cap hit, though. It's likely they will restructure his contract to continue pushing money into the future so they can clear current cap space.
That still probably doesn't put them in range to land Mike Evans, Tee Higgins or any of the other players at the top of the market. Buying low on a player like Marquise Brown could work, though. Both the Ravens and Cardinals have tried to make him a No. 1 receiver, but that's not who he is. He is still a capable burner who is a high-end secondary option.
Dallas Cowboys: Defensive Tackle
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The Cowboys have a lot of self-reflection to do after losing 48-32 to the Green Bay Packers. The usual suspects are taking a lot of the blame. Mike McCarthy has been in charge of three early playoff exits now and Dak Prescott's first half certainly didn't help matters, but the bottom line is that the Cowboys lost the battle up front. The offensive line gave up four sacks while Tony Pollard was stuffed for 3.7 yards per carry.
They lost the line battle on defense too. The Packers had a strong performance from Jordan Love, but Aaron Jones had 118 yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns on the ground. There are multiple holes to fill, but the defensive line is going to be particularly important, especially with Johnathan Hankins headed for free agency.
2024 NFL Draft Option: DT Kris Jenkins Jr., Michigan
The Cowboys are not likely to spend their first-round pick on another interior defensive lineman. They were panned for doing that with Mazi Smith this past season and he didn't end up contributing as much as a team in win-now mode would like to see. That shouldn't keep them from going back to the Ann Arbor well to find more help at the position, though. There's still a good chance Smith becomes a dominant nose tackle, and they could beef up the defensive line by bringing in his teammate Kris Jenkins Jr. in the middle rounds.
Jenkins has the ideal build for a 3-technique whose abilities in the run game are already solid. Here's how B/R scout Matt Holder sees Jenkins as a pro prospect in his scouting report:
"Overall, Jenkins projects as a good run defender who has a high ceiling as a pass-rusher, but he isn't a complete player at this time. Schematically, he could play as either a 4i-technique in odd fronts or as a 3-technique in even fronts."
2024 Free-Agent Option: DT Teair Tart, Houston Texans
Hankins is 31 and will be 32 by the time the season starts, so it would be ideal for the Cowboys to find some younger help on the interior. At the same time, that could be difficult. Dallas is $11 million over the cap as the offseason approaches and has some work to do to create cap space. That means the Cowboys will likely be bargain-bin shoppers in free agency.
That might make 26-year-old Teair Tart a tough target. But Tart was released by the Titans in December after the team was frustrated with his effort and attitude, per Paul Kuharsky. The Texans claimed him off waivers, and he played in two regular-season games for them.
When he's engaged he's a great run-stuffer and stout presence at the point of attack. If the Cowboys could take advantage of a potentially depressed market for him, they should leap at the opportunity.
Los Angeles Rams: Cornerback
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The Los Angeles Rams looked like a bad team on paper at the beginning of the season. Then Sean McVay turned Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald and a bunch of relatively unknown young players into a playoff squad.
That squad nearly broke into the divisional round, losing 24-23 to the Detroit Lions. The Rams struggled at cornerback all season and those struggles haunted them against the Lions. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds combined for 12 receptions for 190 yards against the Rams. If they can find real answers at the position this offseason, they will be scary again in 2024.
2024 NFL Draft Option: CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
Kool-Aid McKinstry entered the season as one of the top cornerback prospects. If you track where he started on NFL Mock Draft Database, he was considered a top-10 overall prospect across the industry. As the season wore on, his reputation fell a little bit. He's the 14th overall player on our board and has held on to the top cornerback spot, but that's not necessarily the consensus view anymore.
That should give the Rams a shot at having the Alabama defender fall to them. McKinstry didn't have any interceptions this season but he still has ideal size (6'1", 195 lbs) and only gave up 205 yards in coverage this season, per PFF.
He would give Raheem Morris a legitimate building block to build out the secondary.
2024 Free-Agent Option: CB L'Jarius Sneed, Kansas City Chiefs
After getting very aggressive in building the roster that won the 2021 championship, Rams general manager Les Snead has been forced to build a roster with limited cap space and draft picks. That won't be a problem this season. Not only do the Rams rank 14th in Tankathon's draft capital rankings, but they have $48.2 million in cap space.
That should allow them to get in on the bidding war for at least one top free agent. L'Jarius Sneed has to be a consideration if they want to improve the secondary. The 2020 fourth-round pick has become a star on the outside.
Sneed is a physical cover corner. He held Tyreek Hill to just one catch for nine yards in the Chiefs' Wild Card Round game against the Miami Dolphins last weekend. He would have been a difference-maker against the Lions.
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Miami Dolphins: Offensive Line
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The Dolphins do a lot to protect an offensive line that has some weaknesses. They had the sixth-highest number of play-action pass attempts and the most RPO pass attempts so their offensive line was rarely in true pass-protection sets. Their constant use of motion and sequential play-calling also make it hard for defensive lines to pin their ears back and get after the quarterback.
But when the Dolphins met the Chiefs, those issues were too much to overcome. In a freezing-cold game, the Dolphins running backs averaged just three yards per carry. Tagovailoa was sacked twice and hit five total times but saw even more pressure in his face.
The offense was electric but mostly didn't show up to the biggest games of the year. Putting up seven points against Kansas City signals the need for an offensive line that can hang in the playoffs. Terron Armstead is considering retirement after missing seven games this season, and the left guard spot was a revolving door.
2024 NFL Draft Option: IOL Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
At the very least, the Dolphins should be looking to add a high-quality guard who can moonlight as a tackle if injuries require it. Taliese Fuaga is someone who fits that bill. The 6'6", 334-pound right tackle projects as a guard at the next level, and B/R scout Brandon Thorn likes Fuaga's fit within the Dolphins scheme.
"Fuaga is an impactful, skilled run-blocker who would kick inside to guard for the Dolphins, allowing them to let Robert Hunt go in free agency or potentially bring him back with Fuaga on the left side," he wrote in the scouting department's latest mock.
2024 Free-Agent Option: OT Josh Jones, Houston Texans
The Dolphins are going to be limited in how they can approach this need in free agency. It's hard to find good deals on offensive linemen because it's hard to find ones capable of starting. The scarcity often drives up the cost.
Miami is going to start the offseason $42.9 million over the cap, which means it is likely out on any free agents that look like starting tackles on paper. Taking a shot on a young player who could improve is its best path forward in free agency. Josh Jones has struggled mightily since the Cardinals selected him in the third round of the 2020 draft. However, he allowed only one sack on the 227 snaps he played this regular season, so there's hope he could still develop into a worthwhile swing tackle.
Philadelphia Eagles: Cornerback
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Changes are in store for the Philadelphia Eagles after a 32-9 loss capped a late-season collapse for the ages. After starting 10-1, the Eagles played like one of the worst teams in the league over the final six games of the regular season before a rough exit in the playoffs.
There are issues everywhere, but the Eagles need to look at adding talent in the secondary. From a financial perspective, it's going to be difficult to justify letting go of James Bradberry and Darius Slay. They both have too much guaranteed money and years left on their contract to release or even trade. However, Bradberry gave up a 114.3 passer rating and was even worse than that against the Buccaneers.
It's time for new blood in the secondary.
2024 NFL Draft Option: CB Khyree Jackson, Oregon
Khyree Jackson isn't a complete prospect yet, but the Eagles can afford to make a long-term play here. With Bradberry and Slay pretty much guaranteed to be on the roster in 2024, they could bring along Jackson slowly. At 6'3", 195 pounds, he has excellent length for the position and has been a problem for college receivers at the line.
Here's the bottom line from B/R scout Cory Giddings' scouting report on the Duck.
"Jackson is an interesting prospect with a high ceiling. He still needs to shore up some things in the NFL, but he has the length and skill set that teams are looking for. Jackson has the potential to be an impact player in the NFL."
2024 Free-Agent Option: CB Michael Davis, Los Angeles Chargers
The Eagles are going to have limited option in free agency when it comes to this position. They are already paying big money for both Slay and Bradberry. With other needs on the roster, it's hard to justify throwing even more resources at the position. However, taking a shot on a veteran coming off a rough season could end up offering tremendous value.
When the Eagles acquired Bradberry, he was coming off a terrible season with the Giants. Michael Davis is coming off a similarly bad year with the Los Angeles Chargers. He surrendered over 800 yards receiving and a passer rating of 119.2 The year before, he gave up just 337 yards on 70 targets and a passer rating of 66.2. If he returns to that form, he's going to be a bargain for someone this offseason.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Left Tackle
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The Steelers' biggest need at this point is quarterback. The Steelers opted to go with the hot hand in Mason Rudolph over Kenny Pickett for their Wild Card Round game against the Buffalo Bills and it resulted in a 31-17 loss. It speaks to what the Steelers think of Pickett and Rudolph's ceiling that they played a passer who was their third-string quarterback in the biggest game of the year.
Unfortunately, the Steelers don't have a ton of resources to get a quarterback through the draft or free agency. The first-round-caliber prospects will likely be gone when the Steelers draft at No. 20, and the free-agent class isn't that strong.
They can, however, get an upgrade at left tackle. Dan Moore Jr. has had three years to establish himself as the starter there and he has surrendered 23 sacks, including nine this season. They drafted Broderick Jones last year, but it would be a good idea to add another tackle.
2024 NFL Draft Option: OT Kingsley Suamataia, BYU
When the Steelers drafted Broderick Jones in the first round, it was expected that he would be playing on the left side. However, they wound up playing him on the right when they benched Chukwuma Okorafor. Kingsley Suamataia would be a nice fit for the Steelers because he had reps at both right and left tackle with the Cougars.
He'll only be 21 when he's drafted but has an incredibly high ceiling based on his athleticism and 22 starts at such a young age. B/R scout Brandon Thorn compared him to Austin Jackson in his scouting report. The Dolphins just handed their right tackle a three-year, $36 million extension.
2024 Free-Agent Option: OT Chris Hubbard, Tennessee Titans
The Steelers are going to have a hard time filling this need through free agency. They are $6.7 million over the cap heading into the offseason. They have some easy ways to generate some cap space, but this isn't their only need, and the free-agent class of tackles is relatively weak.
However, an aging veteran who has experience as a swing tackle could be a worthwhile investment. Chris Hubbard played that role for the Titans this season and was one of their better-graded linemen via PFF's metrics. He scored a 69.0 on 473 snaps.
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