Every NFL Team’s Biggest Offseason Question Mark
On February 3, the biggest question of the 2018 season will finally be answered.
What team will hold up the Lombardi Trophy as the champions of Super Bowl LIII?
No sooner will that question be answered, though, before the NFL is deluged with hundreds more. Maybe thousands.
What are the Arizona Cardinals' plans for the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft?
How about the Indianapolis Colts and their well over $100 million in cap space? Have the Colts filled out a wish list?
What are the Cleveland Browns' plans to build on last year's success? How do the Pittsburgh Steelers plan to rebound from a disappointing season replete with off-field drama?
Every NFL team from the Cardinals to the Washington Redskins has one question mark that looms above all the others that squad faces.
And while I may not be able to solve them all (if I could I'd be in a different line of work), I can at least point them out.
Knowing the problem, after all, is half the battle.
Arizona Cardinals
1 of 32
The Development of Josh Rosen
For some NFL teams, the biggest offseason question mark is as glaring as it is obvious—none more so than the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals are coming off a disastrous 3-13 season that netted the team the first overall pick in the 2019 draft and handed head coach Steve Wilks his walking papers after one year.
The Redbirds brought in Kliff Kingsbury as the team's new head coach, not because of his success in college (he was five games under .500), but for one overriding reason.
His reputation for developing young quarterbacks.
It would certainly appear Josh Rosen can use all the tutelage he can get. Pressed into service early in his rookie season, Rosen struggled mightily. The 10th overall pick a year ago barely completed 55 percent of his passes, had an upside-down touchdown-to-interception ratio and posted a passer rating of just 66.7.
If the 2019 season is going to be any different, then everything the Cardinals do from now until Week 1 needs to be geared toward putting Rosen in a better position to succeed in his second year.
Atlanta Falcons
2 of 32
Un-Ground the Ground Game
The Atlanta Falcons went from a playoff team in 2017 to an also-ran last season, and while a one-dimensional offense that ranked 27th in the NFL in rushing wasn't the only reason for that free-fall, it was a big part of it.
The question now is what exactly the Falcons are going to do about it.
Devonta Freeman, who entered last season as Atlanta's lead back, played in just two games and had only 14 carries before landing on injured reserve. Tevin Coleman was a disappointment in his contract year in Freeman's stead, and while rookie Ito Smith showed flashes, he too struggled to stay on the field.
Coleman is more than likely leaving in free agency, in part because of the Falcons' already hefty investment in Freeman. That investment also makes it unlikely Atlanta will spend its modest cap space on a free-agent tailback.
The possibility of adding a back in the draft is a real one, although given the team's other needs, it's probably not going to be early.
That leaves an awful lot of pressure on Atlanta's banged-up backfield to bounce back big-time in 2019.
Baltimore Ravens
3 of 32
Lamar Jackson…Obviously
The 2019 season is going to be a pivotal one for the Baltimore Ravens. After a three-year hiatus from the postseason, Baltimore was back in the playoffs in 2018—largely because of the athleticism of rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson.
However, the Ravens were also embarrassed at home by the Los Angeles chargers in the Wild Card Round—also largely because of the limitations as a passer of rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson.
None of this is any sort of breaking news. We knew a year ago that Jackson was a uniquely gifted athlete with a huge arm who needed significant work as a passer.
That work is Baltimore's biggest question this offseason.
There's no going back now. The page has turned. Jackson turned around a lost season and got the Ravens to the playoffs—where they promptly got their heads handed to them by a team that game-planned specifically against him.
Every personnel move Baltimore makes—every change in play-calling the team implements—has to do one of two things. Preferably both.
Accentuate the things Jackson does like no one else, while simultaneously goosing his development throwing the ball and reading coverages.
It's not going to be an easy balance to strike.
But the closer the Ravens get, the closer the team's going to get to Miami.
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Buffalo Bills
4 of 32
Year 2 for Josh Allen
Given how the season started and how badly the offense struggled for most of it, the fact the Bills won six games in 2018 is something of a pleasant surprise. And while rookie quarterback Josh Allen was perhaps pressed into action sooner than the team had planned, the young gunslinger from Wyoming finished just one game under .500.
However, it wasn't Allen's big right arm that was the engine for what offensive success the Bills did have—Allen proved to be much more dangerous running the ball than many had expected, rushing for 631 yards and averaging over seven yards a carry.
It's that arm, though, that will be head coach Sean McDermott's focus this offseason. Allen completed less than 53 percent of his passes, threw two more interceptions than touchdown passes and posted a passer rating of less than 70.
No team in the AFC averaged fewer yards per game through the air last year than Buffalo's 174.6, and while improving his receivers is a priority, an even bigger one is goosing Allen's development as a passer.
It's Buffalo's best hope of being more than an occasional annoyance to the New England Patriots in the AFC East.
Carolina Panthers
5 of 32
The O-Line (Carolina) Blues
This could be a pivotal offseason for the Carolina Panthers. After starting the season 6-2, the bottom fell out in Charlotte—a seven-game skid that was only halted when the Panthers faced a New Orleans Saints team that was resting most of its starters.
There were a number of factors that contributed to Carolina's free-fall, but right at the top of the list was an offensive line that struggled mightily at times—especially during that losing streak.
Veteran center Ryan Kalil has already announced his retirement. Brother Matt didn't play especially well in his first season with the team before landing on injured reserve. Fellow tackle Daryl Williams missed most of the 2018 season with a knee injury and is about to hit free agency.
Even coming off that injury, the 26-year-old will likely command a huge contract this spring—even mediocre tackles often hit the jackpot in free agency.
Just ask Matt Kalil.
Retaining Williams would eat up most of Carolina's $19 million-and-change in cap space. Allowing him to walk would create one more hole on a line that's already pretty leaky.
It's no surprise that the Panthers have been linked to any number of young offensive linemen in recent mock drafts.
Chicago Bears
6 of 32
Avoiding Flash in the Pan Syndrome
The 2018 season ended in crushing fashion for the Chicago Bears, but all in all, it was a fairly successful campaign. For the first time since 2010, the Bears made the postseason as the champions of the NFC North.
Now comes the really hard part—making the playoffs in successive seasons.
Since advancing to the postseason seven times in eight years from 1984-1991 (and winning a Super Bowl along the way), the Bears have had all sorts of problems making the tournament in successive years. As a matter of fact, it's happened just once since then—in 2005 and 2006, which also marked Chicago's last trip to the Super Bowl.
The Bears have a core of young talent on offense, a punishing defense that's as good as any in the NFL and one of the league's hottest young coaches in Matt Nagy.
But the Bears also have no first-round draft pick in 2019 (and 2020) thanks to the Khalil Mack trade, and the sixth-least cap space in the NFL, per Over the Cap.
In other words, the team that lost that heartbreaker to the Eagles and the one that will take the field next September are going to look roughly the same—and that's if the Bears can keep the likes of cornerback Bryce Callahan and safety Adrian Amos.
Cincinnati Bengals
7 of 32
The Fall of Dalton
The Cincinnati Bengals have already turned the page on one big chapter of the franchise's history when the team parted ways with longtime head coach Marvin Lewis.
The biggest question remaining is how much longer the Bengals will wait to do the same with quarterback Andy Dalton.
While speaking with Fletcher Page of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said the team remains committed to the 31-year-old Dalton.
Sort of.
"We're very comfortable with Andy," Tobin said. "We think he's got a number of years left. We feel like we can win with him. But with any position group, we don't just throw away the whole draft board at a group just because we're satisfied with who we have. We'll evaluate them and look at them and see if there's an opportunity to add a guy at every position."
With just two years left on Dalton's six-year, $96 million contract, the Bengals have paid the eight-year veteran's guarantees. They can cut bait with Dalton either this year or next without a dime in dead cap cash.
Is it unlikely the Bengals will move on from Dalton this year? Yes. But that doesn't preclude the team from taking an early look at a quarterback in the draft.
And that would ratchet up the drama in the Queen City that much more.
Cleveland Browns
8 of 32
Continuing the Climb
Prior to the 2018 season, the most games a team had won in the Super Bowl era following a winless season (in a non-strike year) was two.
The Browns won seven—and lost several others by close margins. Had a few things gone differently, Cleveland could have gone from oh-fer in 2017 to the playoffs in 2018.
That success last year has given rise to an emotion in Northern Ohio that's been in the shortest of supplies since 1999—hope.
With that hope comes something else, though. Expectations. Wins aren't happy accidents anymore. Head coach Freddie Kitchens and quarterback Baker Mayfield will be expected to deliver them now—regularly.
The Browns are on pretty solid footing heading into 2019. The team possesses 11 selections in this year's draft (enough to facilitate a trade up should they choose), and Cleveland owns the third-most cap space in the NFL, per Over the Cap—over $82 million.
But we're already seeing analysts tab the Browns as a playoff team next year, and it's only January. It's going to be very interesting to see how a young team (with some holes) with a first-time head coach is going to handle the newly found belief that they should be good.
Dallas Cowboys
9 of 32
Texas-Sized Trouble
The Dallas Cowboys have the same goal every year. Win the Super Bowl.
Dallas didn't accomplish that goal in 2018, but the team still had a decent year—10 wins, an NFC East title and a victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card Round.
Two of the keys to the team's success were defensive end Demarcus Lawrence and tailback Ezekiel Elliott. The former paced one of the NFL's better defenses with 10.5 sacks in 2018. The latter led the NFL in rushing yards for the second time in three years.
Both could be headed for ugly contract impasses with the team.
Lawrence played 2018 under the franchise tag—and did so without a fuss. But as Clarence Hill reported for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Lawrence has made it clear that a second straight tag (in lieu of a long-term extension) would not be as well-received.
Elliott, on the other hand, is still under contract through 2020 on his rookie contract. But after leading the NFL in rushing again and carrying a heavy workload for the Cowboys in 2018, Elliott wants a deal that's more commensurate with his production.
Oh yeah, and quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper are both entering contract years.
Jerry Jones' talents as a deal-maker are about to be put to the test.
Denver Broncos
10 of 32
Will the Real Case Keenum Please Stand Up?
After leading the Minnesota Vikings to within a game of Super Bowl LII, the Denver Broncos gave quarterback Case Keenum $36 million over two seasons to get the team back into the playoffs.
The first year of that contract didn't go according to plan even a little—Keenum's numbers free-fell across the board, and the Broncos went 6-10.
That disappointing season has led to all sorts of questions about the 30-year-old's future with the team. But as Josh Alper reported for Pro Football Talk, new Vikings offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello told the Denver Post that the team remains committed to helping Keenum succeed.
"I see traits that we can help Case be the best he can be," Scangarello said. "That's our job as an offense and the players around him to empower him and really play confident like he was in Minnesota."
That's all well and good, but the realities are that Keenum's 2017 is much more of an aberration than last year was—at least relative to the rest of his career. And with Keenum heading into the final year of that contract, the Broncos will likely look to add a younger insurance policy this offseason.
Drama at quarterback is becoming an annually unfortunate ritual in the Mile High City.
Detroit Lions
11 of 32
Bevell-ing the Offense
After a 6-10 season in which the Detroit Lions ranked outside the top 20 in total offense, scoring offense and rushing offense, the team bid adieu to offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, replacing him with former Seattle Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell.
During his days in Seattle, Bevell's offense was known for its ability to pound the rock on the ground, but per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Lions GM Bob Quinn said that finding balance offensively is a key for the team.
"I think we want a balanced attack, like we talked about before," Quinn said. "We want to be able to run the ball, we want to be able to use our quarterback because he has a ton of talent. So, we want to be diverse. We're not going to sit there and be in four wide receivers, shotgun every play and throw it 45 times. That's not good for anybody. On the other hand, we're not going to be three tight ends and run the ball 40 times."
Prior to injuring his knee last year, tailback Kerryon Johnson played well, averaging a robust 5.4 yards a carry. If Bevell can get the Detroit ground game going, it will take quite a lot of pressure off Matt Stafford to carry the offense.
Green Bay Packers
12 of 32
A New Era in Titletown
This is a time of great tumult for a franchise that isn't accustomed to upheaval.
For the first time since the 2006 season, the Green Bay Packers are breaking in a new head coach, with first-timer Matt LaFleur taking the reins as Green Bay's 15th head coach in franchise history.
The 39-year-old LaFleur was hired in large part because of his reputation as an innovative offensive mind, and Packers wideout Davante Adams said he likes what he's seen and heard so far.
"I kind of like what he's trying to do with the offense and he's pretty innovative, so it'll be a good way to mix things up a bit," Adams said, via Brian Jones of 247 Sports. "He's a real young guy. It's a big change-up from Mike (McCarthy)'s style obviously just off of age alone. He's really relatable, which is going to be really good. To be able to lead men, you have to entertain them and kind of hold, capture their attention and gain their respect, so he's a guy I see we can definitely head in that direction with."
LaFleur's hiring has injected a jolt of optimism into fans, and there's no shortage of skill-position talent in Green Bay.
But we're still talking about a young head coach whose next game in charge will be his first.
Houston Texans
13 of 32
An Offensive Offensive Line
The Houston Texans are—in many respects—stacked with talent. The team has a dynamic young quarterback in Deshaun Watson. Arguably the NFL's best wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins. A pair of the league's best edge-rushers in J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney. And a formidable young secondary.
However, Houston's 2018 season ended in disappointment—mainly because the offensive line was one all year long.
Among all NFL teams, none allowed more sacks in 2018 than the staggering 62 the Texans surrendered. According to the metrics at Football Outsiders, the Texans were 27th in run blocking and (not surprisingly) dead last in pass protection.
It's next to impossible to get to the Super Bowl when a team loses that badly that consistently at the point of attack.
This also isn't a question with an easy answer. Yes, the Texans are in a relatively good spot against the salary cap, with almost $65.5 million in wiggle room, according to Over the Cap. But all that cabbage may not be of much good to them—even semi-capable offensive linemen don't generally hit the open market.
The 2019 draft could be of some assistance, but this isn't considered an especially good class along the offensive front, and the Texans don't pick until No. 23.
Unless the Texans overpay big-time for a second-tier free agent, this line likely won't be considerably different in 2019.
Indianapolis Colts
14 of 32
Spending Spree?
The Indianapolis Colts started miserably in 2018, but by the time the dust settled on the season, the Colts had exceeded the expectations of most pundits—10 wins and a victory over the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round.
Not bad for a team that started 1-5 under a first-year head coach who was hired only after the coach Indy wanted originally spurned the team at the last minute.
The Colts did an excellent job of patching many of the holes on the team. Thanks largely to the addition of Quenton Nelson, the Colts' offensive line went from one of the NFL's worst to leading the league in sacks allowed. The defense was light-years better than the year before. Then, of course, there's the comeback season of quarterback Andrew Luck, who looked like his old self.
But now comes the hard part. In the NFL, sustaining success is even harder than achieving it. The Colts are uniquely positioned to improve in free agency, with the most cap space in the NFL—over $117 million.
While the Colts should look to be aggressive in free agency, it's always better to spend wisely than to spend freely.
Jacksonville Jaguars
15 of 32
Gee, I Wonder
I think we all know where this one is going.
This is a team with (presumably) one of the NFL's best defenses and a talented young tailback. The Jaguars entered 2018 a dark-horse Super Bowl contender in some circles.
The Jaguars were also one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL, managing just five wins—largely because the team's quarterback play was hot garbage.
Even Blake Bortles sees the writing on the wall. When asked by reporters before Jacksonville's last game whether it would be his final game in black and teal, the fifth-year pro didn't hesitate.
"I don't think I'll be back next year," Bortles said, per Kevin Skiver of CBS Sports. "Being honest, I envision I'll be somewhere else next year."
You'd need an abacus to calculate the number of articles linking the Jags to veteran free agents under center like Nick Foles. Ditto for the mock drafts that have Jacksonville going with a quarterback at No. 7.
There may be some dissent as to how the Jaguars will do it, but just about everyone agrees the team will take a chainsaw to the quarterback position in 2019.
Kansas City Chiefs
16 of 32
A Non-Existent Defense
Outside linebacker Dee Ford has caught a lot of flak recently for his pivotal offsides call in the AFC Championship Game, but Ford's 13 sacks in 2018 were a key component of the only part of the Chiefs defense that wasn't a hot mess—the pass rush.
Kansas City was atrocious defensively over most of the 2018 season—31st in total defense, 31st against the pass, 27th against the run and 24th in scoring defense.
That offsides call isn't the reason the Chiefs lost to New England. Neither is the phantom roughing the passer call from earlier in the game.
The Chiefs are sitting at home because the defense was awful.
Defensive coordinator Bob Sutton has already been fired, and that's just the first of what could (and should) be wholesale changes on that side of the ball in the offseason. But it's not just a matter of upgrading the secondary and inside linebackers. Ford's set to hit free agency after a breakout season.
The Chiefs aren't in terrible shape against the salary cap (about $36 million, per Over the Cap), but re-upping Ford would eat up a sizable chunk of that wiggle room.
Whatever the plan turns out to be for the new DC, the Chiefs need to improve big-time defensively to avoid another good season ending in disappointment.
Los Angeles Chargers
17 of 32
Improving at Linebacker
The Los Angeles Chargers are a talented team coming off a 12-win season that included a wild-card win over the Baltimore Ravens. But one week after that playoff win, the Chargers were blasted at Gillette Stadium by the New England Patriots.
The reason for that shellacking isn't hard to pinpoint—the Chargers allowed over 150 rushing yards, 4.5 yards a carry and four rushing scores in the game.
For the season, the Bolts were actually pretty good against the run—ninth in the NFL at 105.8 yards allowed per game. But if there's one need that sticks out for the Chargers defensively, it's that the team's linebackers are a liability—especially in coverage.
And that's without taking into consideration that the Chargers' best linebacker (Denzel Perryman) is about to hit the open market—although given his injury history, the Chargers may be able to re-up him for a reasonable amount.
There are some big names (C.J. Mosley, Kwon Alexander) who could be about to hit free agency, but with just $21.9 million in cap space, per Over the Cap, the Chargers aren't in a position to spend big.
It's the draft where the team may be forced to address its deficiencies on the second level, and there are some attractive targets at the position.
Los Angeles Rams
18 of 32
Keeping the Band Together
I don't know if you've heard, but the Los Angeles Rams have had a pretty good season. Depending on how Super Bowl LIII works out, it may get better still.
But for the Rams front office, some tough decisions loom large on the horizon.
The Rams made their strategy in the offseason a year ago quite clear—the team was all-in on winning a title...while Jared Goff was still on his rookie deal.
To their credit, that plan worked pretty well. And even with all their aggressive offseason moves, the Rams aren't in a terrible position against the salary cap…yet.
But it's coming. Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and defensive end Dante Fowler (both of whom were acquired by the Rams in 2018) are about to hit free agency. So is the team's leading tackler, Cory Littleton. And guard Roger Saffold. And safety Lamarcus Joyner.
In 2019, veteran tackle Andrew Whitworth and cornerback Aqib Talib will be on the last year of their contracts. So will fellow corner Marcus Peters. And Goff will be on the fourth year of his rookie deal—and counting the days until he hits the jackpot.
It's a good time to be a fan of the Rams—and a stressful time to be the team's capologist.
Miami Dolphins
19 of 32
The Under Center Blues
Not that long ago, it looked like the Miami Dolphins had solved their problems at quarterback, Back in 2015, the Dolphins signed Ryan Tannehil to a four-year, $77 million contract extension—a deal that could have proved to be a steal had Tannehill continued to improve.
He did not. As a matter of fact, he essentially did the opposite. Tannehill tore his ACL late in the 2016 season. Passed on surgery (a massive mistake in hindsight) only to re-injure the same knee and miss all of the 2017 season. And them missed five games and threw for less than 2,000 yards in 2018.
The man who was supposed to be Miami's franchise quarterback will now reportedly be let go before even turning 31 years of age.
The Dolphins can't really be blamed for wanting to move on, and the team can extricate itself from Tannehill's deal relatively easily.
The question is what the team does from there. As things stand right now, the Dolphins are sitting on the fifth-least cap space in the NFL—although the team can create more by jettisoning some overpriced players (including Tannehill). Still, the pursuit of a veteran free agent would wipe out most of Miami's wiggle room—and quarterback is hardly the hole on the roster.
Small wonder that several mock drafts have the Dolphins addressing the position early in the 2019 draft.
Minnesota Vikings
20 of 32
Return on Investment
Kirk Cousins was supposed to be the final, three-year, $84 million piece in a Super Bowl puzzle for the Minnesota Vikings.
The first of the 30-year-old QB's three years in Minnesota (and make no mistake, player and team are married through the 2020 season) was, for lack of a better word, a mess. Statistically speaking, he had a good year—career highs in passing yards, completion percentage and touchdown passes. But a Vikings team that entered the year as a Super Bowl favorite left it 8-7-1 and out of the playoffs entirely.
Now, it wasn't all Cousins' fault that the Vikings floundered in 2018. Or even mostly his fault. The defense regressed, and for much of the year, the run game was all but non-existent. But when it mattered most, in the biggest games of the year (like Week 17 against the Bears), Cousins floundered.
Courtesy of one of the worst salary cap situations in the NFL, the Vikings aren't in a position to make any big moves in free agency. Outside draft picks, the 2019 Vikings are going to look an awful lot like the 2018 iteration.
If next season's tale is going to wind up any different from last season's, Cousins has to provide a better return—especially in big games.
New England Patriots
21 of 32
Pad the Passing Game
Given that the New England Patriots are about to take part in their third straight Super Bowl (and ninth of the Bill Belichick/Tom Brady era) it's rather difficult to identify the biggest question mark facing the team.
The Pats are much bigger on answers than questions—it's really quite annoying.
However, there's one area where the Patriots have tried to upgrade of late—without much success.
The Patriots don't have a bad receiving corps by any stretch. But part of the reason we're seeing more of the power run game in Beantown is necessity—with the Josh Gordon experiment having gone down in flames, the Pats don't have a pass-catcher who's much of a threat to take the top off a defense.
And with Gordon, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson and Chris Hogan all set to hit free agency this offseason, odds are that things are going to get worse before they get better.
Free agency probably isn't bringing a quick fix—the Pats don't have a lot of wiggle room, and even if they did, the crop at wideout is rather underwhelming.
But whether it's a second-tier free agent, an early-round draft pick or both, it's a safe bet the Patriots will be aggressive at wide receiver in the offseason.
New Orleans Saints
22 of 32
Getting Over It
The biggest offseason question facing the New Orleans Saints doesn't single out a player. Or a position group.
No, for the Saints, the biggest question centers on the entire team's resilience. The entire team's willingness and ability to recover from what may well be the single worst non-call in the history of the NFL.
Per ESPN's Mike Triplett, Saints head coach Sean Payton admitted that the first few days after the team's NFC Championship Game loss were something of a blur.
"What is it now, a week and a half? It feels like it's been longer than that," Payton said. "I would say honestly after the game for two to three days, much like normal people, I sat and probably didn't come out of my room, ate Jeni's ice cream and watched Netflix for three straight days."
Yes, the Saints were royally ripped off by the officials. Of course we can't know for sure that the Saints would have won had the obvious pass interference by Nickell Robey-Coleman been flagged, but the reality is the percentages are pretty darned high.
But it's over now. Done. Finished. If the Saints want to use it as fuel for the future, that's fine.
Just don't fall into the trap of using it as an excuse for everything that goes wrong over the next several months.
New York Giants
23 of 32
Past Meets Future
After another disappointing season at the helm of the New York Giants, the writing's on the wall for Eli Manning.
The end may not be coming in 2018, but it's coming.
And former Giants great Phil Simms thinks that's fine.
"I think it's evident they gotta get somebody ready," Simms said, via Steve Serby of the New York Post. "Let's say it's a Philip Rivers situation [behind Drew Brees in San Diego], you have to wait two years or whatever. They need to get a quarterback in that they know is gonna be the next guy.
"They're gonna draft a quarterback this year. I think they should. Time to do it. Eli could handle it. We drafted Dave Brown the first round [of the 1992 supplemental draft] when I was with the Giants. It worked out all right. We were great friends. We learned to work together and hung out together and it was awesome."
"I don't think they're gonna go out and sign a free agent and take Eli's job. I don't see that," Simms continued. "They need a transition, and that transition's gonna be a year, it could be two years, it could be six games, whatever. I think [Manning will] be their starting quarterback opening day."
The Giants passed on the quarterback position last year with the second overall pick.
If they do so again at No. 6 this year, jaws are going to hit the ground.
New York Jets
24 of 32
Sam and Adam
The New York Jets traded up in the 2018 draft in part because the organization was confident that Sam Darnold could be the franchise quarterback the team has long coveted.
After dismissing head coach Todd Bowles, the Jets settled on Adam Gase as his replacement—mostly because they are similarly confident Gase can help Darnold develop after an up-and-down rookie season.
For his part, former Jets signal-caller Boomer Esiason believes the Jets made a wise hire.
"I think Adam Gase is going to be great for Sam Darnold," Esiason said Tuesday at a CBS pre-Super Bowl news conference, per Newsday's Bob Glauber. "Sam seems to be real committed. I felt like Jared Goff (of the Rams) is serious about football. I feel that way about Josh Allen (of the Bills). I feel that way about Baker Mayfield (of the Browns), and I feel that way about Sam Darnold. I feel like they are really into it. They want to be good, and they recognize what it takes to get there."
The ultimate barometer of success for Gase in New York will be wins and losses, but it's a safe bet that most of the moves the Jets make this offseason will be with Darnold in the forefront of their minds.
Oakland Raiders
25 of 32
Where to Begin?
After a miserable 2018 season, there really isn't a position group in Oakland that isn't a question mark—from quarterback to safety and all parts in between.
However, the even bigger question facing the Raiders this offseason is whether the gentlemen charged with turning the franchise around are up to the task.
Yes, there are those who think Jon Gruden has the Raiders on the right track. But 4-12 isn't exactly what Mike Davis had in mind when he signed Gruden to a 10-year, $100 million contract.
The reality is that for the next several years, Gruden's staying with the Raiders regardless of the team's record. Right now, Davis couldn't afford to fire him if he wanted to.
The Raiders needed a scapegoat for last year's struggles, and they found one in general manager Reggie McKenzie. But the man brought in to replace McKenzie (Mike Mayock of the NFL Network) has exactly zero experience in an NFL front office.
Not that Mayock has final say over personnel anyway. That would be the $10 million head coach.
The beginning of the Raiders' tenure in Las Vegas will be overseen by a GM who has never been a GM and a head coach whose last 10-win season came in 2005.
What could go wrong?
Philadelphia Eagles
26 of 32
Getting the Run Game Untracked
Many people will point to the future of Nick Foles as the biggest offseason question facing the Eagles. But head coach Doug Pederson has already stated publicly that Carson Wentz is Philly's starter, and Foles isn't coming back to the Eagles to hold a clipboard again.
Not with teams lining up to throw bags filled with cash at him.
The matter of who will start the season-opener behind Wentz, on the other hand, is much less certain.
The tailback position was a merry-go-round of disappointment in 2018. Jay Ajayi got hurt and is set to hit free agency. Darren Sproles was also banged up much of the year and will be 36 in June. Corey Clement, Josh Adams and Wendell Smallwood each had their moments, but none has the look of more than a change-of-pace or committee back.
After ranking third in the NFL in rushing in their run to a Super Bowl title two years ago, the Eagles plummeted to 28th in 2018.
Unfortunately, the Eagles also possess the single worst salary cap situation in the NFL, per Over the Cap. Le'Veon Bell isn't coming to Philadelphia. Neither is Mark Ingram.
Bringing back Ajayi is possibility, but the Eagles' best bet at getting better at RB lies in this April's draft.
Pittsburgh Steelers
27 of 32
The Apocalypse—Maybe
What a difference a year makes.
A year ago at this time, the Steelers were coming off a season in which wide receiver Antonio Brown led the NFL in receiving yards with 1,533. Tailback Le'Veon Bell ranked second in the AFC with 1,291 rushing yards.
And while the Steelers were stunned at home in the divisional round, the team at least made the postseason.
Fast forward to 2019, and Bell sat out the entire 2018 campaign as part of his contract impasse with the team. Brown had another successful season, but by year's end, his relationship with teammates and the front office had deteriorated to the point that it's now presumed he'll be traded.
And for the first time since the team went 8-8 in both 2012 and 2013, the Steelers watched this year's playoffs on TV.
The Steelers do have a pair of potential replacements for Bell and Brown in young tailback James Conner and second-year receiver Juju Smith-Schuster. But this isn't just a pair of players leaving in free agency—this is two of the very best in the NFL at what they do leaving in a huff.
For years, the Steelers have had a reputation as one of the NFL's best-run franchises.
That reputation is about to be put to the test—especially with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger nearing the end of his career.
San Francisco 49ers
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The ACL All-Stars
There were plenty of NFL teams that had disappointing seasons in 2018, but none had their campaign more quickly or completely derailed by injury than the San Francisco 49ers.
Following an offseason that included more than a little hype surrounding the Niners, the team didn't even make it to a game that counted before tailback Jerick McKinnon was lost for the year. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo made it all the way to Week 3 before he went down.
Losing your starting halfback is bad. Losing your starter under center is a season-killer.
As Jeremy Bergman reported for NFL.com, 49ers GM John Lynch said on Ian Rapoport's RapSheet & Friends podcast that McKinnon and Garoppolo are using each others' injuries as motivation in a sort of rehab contest.
"Jimmy is vigorously trying to catch Jet, who is trying to separate from Jimmy, and so there's competition going on as well," Lynch told Rapoport. "I think both those guys will tell you that's really helped them, (having) somebody to go through it with. It's fun."
San Francisco's ground game was better than expected last year without McKinnon, thanks to Matt Breida, and the silver lining to that lost year is that the 49ers now possess the No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft.
But unless Garoppolo's 100 percent, odds are the 2019 season is going to play out in a depressingly similar fashion to the last one.
Seattle Seahawks
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Defensive Overhaul Continues
The Seattle Seahawks exceeded the expectations of many this year by advancing to the postseason, and the offensive line made great strides in 2018 relative to the season before.
The defense, however, will likely remain a work very much in progress heading into 2019.
Many of the last vestiges of "The Legion of Boom" are about to hit free agency—and while the team will likely make a concerted effort to retain defensive end Frank Clark, the future of players like safety Earl Thomas and linebacker K.J. Wright are murky at best.
The Seahawks do have a nice war chest to work with—just a tad under $55 million, according to Over the Cap. But a new deal for Clark (or the franchise tag) would take up a sizable portion of that—so much that the team may decide to go younger and cheaper to fill other holes on that side of the ball.
If the Seahawks can build on last year's success in 2019, then their "rebuild" will have happened much more quickly than expected.
Still, by the time the 2019 season opens, middle linebacker Bobby Wagner may well be the last "LOB" stalwart left.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Jamming with Jameis
After three seasons at the helm in Tampa Bay (and a 19-29 record as head coach), Dirk Koetter was let go in the offseason. And while there was more than one reason Koetter was shown the door (and Bruce Arians was brought in as Koetter's replacement), there's one that towers over the others.
The development (or lack thereof) of the first overall pick in the 2015 draft, quarterback Jameis Winston.
Per Jenna Laine of ESPN, Arians indicated there's zero question this is Winston's team.
"No pressure, no pressure whatsoever. I want him to relax and play the game. Talent is no issue. It's just becoming a little bit smarter," said Arians. "It's his team and I'll tell our players in the first meeting, 'This isn't my team, it's your team. We'll be as good as you want to be.'"
Winston's the unquestioned starter for the Buccaneers in 2019, and Arians' offense would appear to suit Winston well—especially with the passing-game talent around him.
But entering his option year coming off a season in which Winston was benched twice, the notion that there's no pressure on Winston isn't exactly accurate.
This team's success is just about directly proportionate to Winston's in 2019.
Tennessee Titans
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Marcus Mariota's Future
Yes, there are a lot of quarterbacks listed here. The reality of the modern NFL is that there are three types of NFL teams—those that have solved their issues at football's most important position, those that are still flailing around trying to figure it out, and those who aren't exactly sure.
After a disappointing and injury-marred fourth NFL season by Marcus Mariota, the Tennessee Titans fit into that third category.
Mariota's going to be Tennessee's quarterback in 2019 on a fifth-year option that will pay him $20.9 million. But after that, it's crossroads time. Do the Titans lock up the No. 2 overall pick in 2015 long-term? Or do they ride out the option year with the franchise tag in their back pocket as insurance?
Mariota hasn't been awful by any stretch—he's just one game under .500 as a starter, has won a playoff game and has a plus-27 TD-to-pick ratio. But he also hasn't been the player the Titans had hoped for, and Mariota appeared to regress in 2018 after taking the Titans to the playoffs in 2017.
There's a new offensive coordinator in town in Arthur Smith (Mariota's fifth in five years), and there will be new weapons added around him in free agency and the draft.
But there's also substantial pressure on player and team to take a big step forward next season.
Washington Redskins
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The Quarterback Conundrum
In one awful, gut-wrenching moment in November, the present and future of the Washington Redskins were changed. Drastically and permanently.
When the Redskins rolled into that Week 11 meeting with the Houston Texans, the team was in first place in the NFC East. Washington's offseason acquisition of veteran quarterback Alex Smith appeared to be working out.
Then Smith's leg shattered—and with it, Washington's season.
There were multiple surgeries. Infections. A month in the hospital. At this point, the odds of Smith playing at all next season aren't good, and there have been real concerns expressed that the 34-year-old will never play again.
To say it's a disaster for the franchise is an understatement. Per Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, the Redskins are on the hook for over $50 million against the cap regardless of if he ever plays another down for the team. Paying for a (relatively) high-end free agent at the position isn't feasible either.
The Redskins are all but certainly going to draft a quarterback early—quite possibly at No. 15. But by the middle of the round, the top options at the position will be gone even in a weak class, and a trade up means mortgaging even more of the future.
There are no easy answers here.
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