NFL Teams with the Most Work to Do in 2022 Offseason

Eleven weeks into the NFL season, the teams set for rebuilding in the 2022 offseason have crystalized.

Some of them are expected. Rebuilds, though teams would prefer otherwise, are a multiyear process. One of the best recent examples is a Cincinnati Bengals team that spent the last two years overhauling the roster before contending for the playoffs this season.

Other rebuilders are unexpected, but they share common traits. They have major needs across the roster, cap space and premium draft assets to use, potential changes in the coaching staff and, most importantly, a need to reset at quarterback—with one notable exception.

These teams are mired in the league's most extensive rebuilds with the most work to do. The quality of that work will dictate how long the rebuilding lasts.

Jacksonville Jaguars

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The Jacksonville Jaguars are the exception to the quarterback rule after using last year's first pick on Trevor Lawrence.

Everything else is a work in progress.

The Jaguars are 2-7 with a minus-83 point differential, the fifth-worst mark in the league. Lawrence has thrown eight touchdowns and nine interceptions over nine games behind Pro Football Focus' 21st-ranked offensive line, and his middling cast of weapons has dropped 14 passes.

Defensively, the Jaguars allow 25.8 points per game (27th in the NFL) and have just 16 sacks (28th). Not only is there a talent deficiency, but the Jaguars also spurred this issue by trading 2020 top-10 cornerback CJ Henderson to fuel the rebuild.

There's also the matter of Urban Meyer, whose first attempt at being a pro coach has turned up disastrous results to date, including an off-field distraction.

The Jaguars project to have $57 million in free cap and a top-five pick, so they have the potential for a quick turnaround. But few teams have more to do and more at stake with Lawrence's development on the line.

Washington Football Team

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The Washington Football Team looked poised to fight for a playoff spot after making the postseason last year and tallying at least seven wins in five of its last six seasons.

Instead, the rebuild under head coach Ron Rivera seems to be going in the other direction at 3-6. Before an unexpected upset of Tampa Bay in Week 10, Washington's only wins had come against sub-.500 teams, and its minus-61 point differential is the worst in the NFC East.

Taylor Heinicke has started eight games with Ryan Fitzpatrick out with a hip injury and has mustered 12 touchdowns and nine picks. No running back behind him has averaged better than four yards per carry.

A defense that appeared to have a strong front seven has coughed up 27.3 points per game (28th), and a pass rush highlighted by Chase Young and Jonathan Allen has 19 sacks (tied for 20th). Furthermore, Young, the second pick in 2020, will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL suffered in Week 10. 

This purgatory leads to an offseason when the team has 25 free agents, headlined by Brandon Scherff, the elite guard who has been hit with a franchise tag twice. Major roster turnover could coincide with a top-10 pick, and the front office could choose to remake the coaching staff alongside a rookie quarterback.

New York Giants

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The New York Giants look like they're heading for a quarterback reset as Daniel Jones struggles in his third season.

Jones, the sixth pick in 2019, has completed a career-high 64.8 percent of his passes over nine games but has just eight touchdowns and five picks. He's yet to have a full cast around him as running back Saquon Barkley, wide receiver Kenny Golladay, first-round wideout Kadarius Toney and offensive linemen like Andrew Thomas have suffered injuries.

But Jones' status as a top passer means he's expected to transcend bad situations. Instead, his 73.3 Pro Football Focus grade is worse than last year's (78.4) and barely rates him as a starter.

In two NFC East games (both losses), a Giants defense with 19 sacks has allowed 30-plus points. When the goal is to catch the high-flying Dallas offense and compensate for a developing passer, that's not good enough.

With tough free-agent calls on players like tight end Evan Engram, plus a top-10 draft pick, the Giants might undergo more roster turnover than most next offseason, beginning with a new starter under center. Regressing from last year's six wins to start the Joe Judge era might make the turnover more dramatic.

Detroit Lions

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It was never going to be easy or pretty for the Detroit Lions.

Detroit signaled that much when it traded Matthew Stafford, getting back a pair of first-round picks alongside quarterback Jared Goff. He's thrown eight touchdowns and six interceptions for the NFL's only winless team at 0-8-1.

As expected, Goff has struggled without Sean McVay (his 59.5 PFF grade is dramatically lower than last year's 71.4) and is surrounded by arguably the league's worst supporting cast.

The offensive line has allowed 27 sacks and ranks 25th at PFF, Detroit has fewer than 1,000 rushing yards, and no wideout has breached 400 yards. The passing offense ranks last in Football Outsider's DVOA. The defense has 14 sacks, tied for the league's fewest, and surrenders 28.9 points per game for the second-worst mark.

Every spot on the roster looks like a need ahead of an offseason when the team has 29 free agents. Complicating matters is whether Detroit uses the likely first overall pick on a quarterback even though releasing Goff would create $30.5 million in dead cap.

Houston Texans

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The Houston Texans flirted with being one of the league's most shocking teams via a 37-21 win over Jacksonville in Week 1.

The Texans signed 29 players to one-year deals last offseason to start the David Culley era. They also went into 2021 with either Tyrod Taylor or Davis Mills starting at quarterback.

But Houston flipped back to expectations, slumping to a 1-8 record with a minus-130 point differential, the second-worst in the league. The passing attack has mustered 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, no regular running back averages better than 3.6 yards per carry, and the line ranks 27th at PFF.

While the Texans have mustered 19 sacks to avoid the bottom of the barrel, the defense allows 28.7 points per game (29th) and gets bowled over in the running game, allowing 136.9 rushing yards per game, the second-worst mark.

Like Detroit, every area on the roster is a weakness for the Texans. But their odds for the first overall pick don't look great even though they're trending worse than last year's four-win finish.