Ranking 6 Most Improved Units in NFL After 2025 NFL Draft

Improvement.

It’s the goal of every NFL offseason. The reason for every dollar spent in free agency and every pick made in the draft.

Getting better.

Tomato cans want to become competitive. Also-rans want to become fringe contenders. Fringe contenders want to become legitimate contenders. Legit contenders want to become Super Bowl contenders. Super Bowl contenders want to win it all in Santa Clara next February.

And the Philadelphia Eagles? Well, they just want to be—better.

Each of the team’s listed in this article missed the postseason in 2024—largely because each was bad on at least one side of the ball. Some struggled to move the chains and score points. Others had precious little success stopping opponents from doing so.

And some couldn’t do either—at least consistently.

But each of these squads attacked that deficiency in the 2025 draft with a mixture of quantity and quality. And the result (on paper at least) is not just that improvement all teams seek.

It’s the most improved units in the NFL.

6. Cincinnati Bengals Defense

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Shemar Stewart

The Cincinnati Bengals possessed one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses in 2024—the team was ninth in yards per game and sixth in points per game. But as good as the offense was, the defense was equally bad, and Cincy’s 25th-ranked defense kept the Bengals from making the playoffs.

Those defensive deficiencies led the Bengals to make a change at coordinator this year, with Lou Anarumo giving way to Al Golden. After the draft, head coach Zac Taylor told reporters that one of the focuses the team had this offseason was building a defense that fits Golden’s vision for the team.

“It wasn’t a matter of who is on our roster and not on our roster,” Taylor said. “It was, ‘Who works best for us?’  So, we went through and identified, ‘Which of those pieces do we have?’ Al did a great job outlining what’s needed to be successful with the style of defense we are going to play. Then you take our roster in free agency and go through the draft and try to make sure it all fits the best we could.”

The defense was certainly a focus of this year’s draft class. With the 17th overall pick, Cincinnati filled the void created by Sam Hubbard’s surprising retirement by selecting a wildly athletic edge-rusher Shemar Stewart of Texas A&M. The Bengals doubled up at linebacker, adding South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight in Round 2 and Clemson’s Barrett Carter in Round 4.

Just three additions might appear to be the impetus for that major a shift. But the reality is that more than any other issue the Bengals had, becoming more physical defensively topped the list.

If Cincinnati has even a top-15 defense in 2025, this is a team that could make some noise in the postseason.

5. Arizona Cardinals Defense

AP Photo/Matt York

Walter Nolen III

The Arizona Cardinals were a mediocre team last year, in large part because of a mediocre defense that ranked outside the top-20 in yards per game and middle of the pack in scoring defense.

To say the Cardinals focused on defense is an understatement—of the team’s seven draft picks in 2025, six were on defense. And according to Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team, that draft has the potential to remake all three levels of the Arizona defense.

“The best case for Arizona's draft is quite insane,” he said. “Walter Nolen and Will Johnson were among the top 10 on-field talents who could be franchise cornerstones at two of the most critical positions in football. There's certainly a downside involved with each, as Nolen has major character concerns, and Johnson's knee was flagged as a medical risk. But if they hit even reasonably close to their expected ceiling, the Cardinals can quickly become a defensive force. That's before considering how valuable role players who enter the NFL with vast experience can help this team's depth. Jordan Burch is the highest-upside option as a versatile defensive lineman with NFL-ready pass-rush skills.”

“The two Ohio State additions are interesting as well,” he continued. “Jonathan Gannon has a variety of linebackers at his disposal, and Cody Simon could challenge Mack Wilson to start in 2025. Denzel Burke fell way farther than he should've, and he fits nicely into this zone-based defense that needs a fourth corner to stick on the roster.”

The NFC West is one of the more wide-open divisions in the NFL—there isn’t a huge gap between the perceived No. 1 team and the No. 4 squad.

If the Cardinals defense (a defense that also added free-agent edge-rusher Josh Sweat) is as improved as it appears and Kyler Murray and the offense hold up their end, Arizona could be a playoff team.

4. New England Patriots Offense

AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman

Roger Goodell, left, and Will Campbell

The New England Patriots were abysmal offensively last year. In Drake Maye’s first season, the Pats were dead last in the AFC in both yards per game and 30th in scoring, at just 17 points per contest.

Despite those deficiencies and the most cap space in the league entering free agency, New England focused mainly on defense in that portion of the offseason—the Patriots’ biggest free-agent acquisition on offense was veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

However, once draft day(s) rolled around, the Patriots hit the offense—hard.

With the fourth overall pick, the Patriots selected LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell, a desperately-needed addition to a line that was among the league’s worst last year. along with free agent Morgan Moses, the Pats now have two new starters at tackle.

After strengthening the front, New England looked to add more weapons around Maye. Second-round pick TreVeyon Henderson is an explosive and versatile running back who can make a house call any time he touches the ball. In the third round, New England added a wide receiver with 4.4-second speed in Kyle Washington and more offensive line help in center Jared Wilson.

ESPN’s Mina Kimes came away from the draft wildly impressed with what the Patriots did in Green Bay.

“They give this offense big-play potential,” Kimes said on NFL Live. “Henderson was a home-run hitter as a back, averaged seven yards per carry, which is the most of any Power 5 back. Kyle Williams out of Washington State averaged the most yards after catch per reception of any Power 5 receiver. I think he adds a speed element to this group that pairs really nicely with Stefon Diggs and DeMario Douglas, who can work the short, intermediate parts. I just feel like the Patriots knocked this one out of the park. I think it was a really, really great draft class for them.”

None of it will matter if Maye doesn’t step up in Year 2. But the Patriots have given the young signal-caller the tools to do so.

3. Atlanta Falcons Defense

AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

Jalon Walker, left, and James Pearce Jr.

The Atlanta Falcons were not a good defensive football team in 2024—Atlanta ranked just 23rd in total defense, surrendering 345.2 yards per game. For the second time in three seasons, the Falcons were 31st in the league in sacks, managing just 31 total for the season.

To say that the Falcons focused their attention in the draft on the defense is an understatement—of the team’s five picks, four were on defense.

Atlanta’s first two picks were edge-rushers—at No. 15, the Falcons drafted Georgia’s Jalon Walker, before trading back into Round 1 (at a steep cost) to add James Pearce Jr. of Tennessee.

Per the team’s website, outside linebackers coach Jacquies Smith said that while Pearce wowed at the scouting combine. It was what the 6’5”, 245-pound Pearce showed on tape that spurred the Falcons to trade their 2026 first-rounder to move back into Round 1.

"At the combine I am sure he wowed a lot of people with what he ran, but you do like to see guys like James who do run fast at the combine, does it translate on tape? Do you see that type of speed on tape?" Smith said. "With him, you see that juice. It's real juice. You see it all the time on tape. It isn't just something that a guy is out there running real fast at the combine and don't show it on tape. He shows it on tape. It's all over the tape, honestly."

The Falcons also bolstered the secondary with the addition of Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts and Oklahoma defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. But make no mistake—Atlanta’s defensive improvement in 2025 hinges on the team’s ability to get after opposing quarterbacks.

2. Las Vegas Raiders Offense

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Ashton Jeanty

Frankly, there weren’t many aspects of the game where the Las Vegas Raiders weren’t bad last year. And the offense was, well, offensive—the Raiders were 27th in the NFL in yards per game, and just three teams scored fewer points per game.

That offensive futility led to some massive changes in Sin City. Pete Carroll was hired as head coach, bringing with him former Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. The Raiders were aggressive in finding a new quarterback, swinging a trade for quarterback Geno Smith.

But if the Raiders were going to have any kind of consistent success with Smith, he needed weapons—heading into the draft, the Raiders had veteran wideout Jakobi Meyers, star tight end Brock Bowers and a whole lot of blah.

Of the Raiders first five draft picks, four were on the offensive side of the ball, headlined by Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and TCU wide receiver Jack Bech.

While speaking to reporters, Carroll said that he expects the addition of the best running back prospect in years to take considerable pressure off of Smith.

“That's the play-action game," Carroll said. "It's all of the stuff that comes off of the run game and doesn't draw any focus on the quarterback. ... We're trying to make it easier on the quarterback, because his job is the hardest in professional sports. So, this is the key way to get that done."

Bech is a hard-nosed receiver who should play right away. The Raiders also added two developmental prospects at the position and a pair of offensive linemen to bolster a unit that struggled as a whole last year.

They aren’t going to be the Kansas City Chiefs, but at least Kelly and Smith have something to work with in 2025.

1. Chicago Bears Offense

AP Photo/Matt Marton

Colston Loveland

In 2024, no team in the NFL struggled more offensively than the Chicago Bears, at least in terms of moving the football. The Bears were dead last in the NFL in total offense, averaging just 284.6 yards per game. At 18.2 points per game, the Bears were tied with the Raiders for the fourth-fewest points per game in the league.

In a division that put three teams in the playoffs last year, that isn’t going to get it done. And new head coach Ben Johnson appears to know it, because the offense has been a focus all offseason long—a focus that continued right up until draft day.

At No. 10 overall, the Bears were the first team this year to select a tight end in Michigan’s Colston Loveland. Chicago turned a pair of Round 2 picks into arguably the draft’s most explosive wide receiver in Missouri’s Luther Burden III and more help along a re-tooled offensive line in Boston College offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo.

The Bears don’t just have more offensive talent now—they have depth. And while speaking to reporters, Johnson said that depth could be invaluable—provided that everyone does their job.

“We have a lot of weapons,” Johnson said. “So how are you going to run your route when you might not be No. 1 in the progression? How are you going to block for your teammate when he has the ball? Because when you do those things right, as a coaching staff, we’re going to want to get you the ball a little bit more. It all ties together.”

The Bears don’t have much margin for error in the NFC North. But provided that Caleb Williams is the player the Bears thought he was when they drafted him first overall a year ago, Chicago could be a dangerous offensive football team this season.