Every NFL team's biggest need to address after the first wave of free agency

Free agency started two weeks ago, and we’re a month away from the 2026 draft. By no means are NFL rosters anywhere close to finished, but we can all kind of see how rosters are playing out. 

It’s good to know where teams are the strongest, but it’s more important to know where they are the weakest. That's the tricky part; every team is different. Some are fine with being thin at positions by design. Some are fine with it because they don’t want to spend money. And some are fine with it because they don’t know any better.  

Whatever the case, every team has the opportunity to build. Sure, the top free agents are mostly all signed, but the season doesn’t start for another five long months. This is a breakdown of where every roster needs the most help.

Arizona Cardinals: Quarterback

Right now, the Cardinals have Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew lined up to be their QB1 and QB2. Sure, those guys can run a semi-functional to actually-functional offense, but neither of them has an untapped upside that we haven’t seen yet. 

They can either try to hit on one of the non-Fernando Mendoza/Ty Simpson guys in the draft or trade for a young guy who is still on his rookie deal. Someone like Tanner McKee, Joe Milton, or maybe even Anthony Richardson. 

Atlanta Falcons: Linebacker

The Falcons are a pretty solid team right now … Aside from the part where their starting quarterback options are Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix, their offense is very solid without any glaring holes. 

On defense, they invested heavily (and poorly) in their pass rush last season by using two first-round picks on edge guys. Even if James Pearce Jr. misses some amount of time because of the pretty messed-up police thing that he’s got going on, they have solid depth. 

That really leaves linebacker as their biggest need right now. Divine Deablo is a great ball player, but they’re going to need someone to line up with him to shore up the bones of that defense. 

Baltimore Ravens: Center

The Ravens almost always pick late in the first round of the draft, and they almost always hit with that pick. In 2022, it was when they drafted Tyler Linderbaum 25th overall. He was amazing from the jump, yada yada yada, he left in free agency this offseason to get paid $27 million per year by the Raiders.

Now the Ravens are in a weird spot. They’ve got a whole new coaching staff, and Lamar Jackson is going to be lining up behind someone who’s not nearly as good as Linderbaum. Right now, their center is slotted to be Danny Pinter or Corey Bullock; that’s not going to fly. They’ll need to fix that problem early in the draft.

Buffalo Bills: Linebacker

It would be very easy to say that the Bills need more (and better) wide receivers for Josh Allen to throw to. Khalil Shakir isn’t the guy, Joshua Palmer is invisible, and who knows what’s going to happen with Keon Coleman… But, they traded for D.J. Moore (who isn’t a bona fide WR1), and that’s probably going to be all the help that they’ll get Allen. 

All that to say, a receiver is a need for them, but they’ll just neglect it again. So let’s go to the other side of the ball: they need linebackers.

If they played a game today, they’d be starting Dorian Williams and Terrel Bernard. That’s not good enough for a team that is now trying to get back on top of the AFC East. 

Carolina Panthers: Center

Regardless of whether or not the Panthers are going to commit to Bryce Young, they need to build an offensive line that’s going to protect him. Two problems they had last year were at left tackle and right guard. They signed Rasheed Walker to be their new left tackle, and will hopefully get a full season out of Robert Hunt at right guard in 2026, so they should be good there…

But they let Cade Mays walk in free agency, and signed Luke Fortner to be his replacement. He’s fine, but they should go after someone younger in the draft. Maybe that guy doesn’t start this season, but he can develop and be depth. 

Cincinnati Bengals: Linebacker

The Bengals did really well with signing Bryan Cook and Boye Mafe early in free agency. That gets them a safety who won’t miss tackles and a veteran pass rusher with a lot of upside. Unfortunately for them, they missed out on signing one of the better linebackers who went early… and also the decent ones who didn’t go early... They didn’t make a move for a linebacker at all, actually. 

They’re going to have to either trade for someone or make it a priority in the draft because the guys who are left aren’t offering a whole lot, and they cannot (read: shouldn’t, but probably will) repeat what they did last season.

Chicago Bears: Edge/Defensive End

There will come a time when the 2025 season is an afterthought. People will look at the ProFootballReference page and think, ‘Wow, they won a lot of games and had a lot of turnovers. How did they not make it to the Super Bowl?’ Today is not that day. Yes, they were interception fiends, but as a whole, that defense stunk… and that all started up front. 

There’s a window that’s open in Chicago. Is it a Super Bowl window? Potentially. Is it a window to really compete? Definitely. If they want to be a championship-caliber team and have a defense that’s not a liability week in and week out, they need to get someone who can get after the quarterback. Plain and simple. 

Cleveland Browns: Wide Receivers

If you completely ignore the part where it's the Browns and nothing that they do ever works, the Browns are doing the right things. 

They needed a new offensive line, so they got one. It’s not great, but it’s new, and they’re trying. They have a young running back. He’s got a mangled foot, but he exists. They have a Pro-Bowl quarterback … So … Yeah, sure. They just don’t have anyone (aside from a tight end) for him to really throw to. 

In reality, Shedeur Sanders is capable of holding the fort down in Cleveland, but he’s nowhere close to being the future. If they spend some resources to get some wide receivers, then in theory, they’ll have an established offense when they do actually get their (next) quarterback of the future. 

Dallas Cowboys: Linebacker

The Cowboys were smart to hire Christian Parker to be their new defensive coordinator. He’s a disciple of Vic Fangio, and although it’s not a huge sample size, he’s got a great track record of developing defensive backs (it’s really just Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean).

The mistake that they made was not being more aggressive in getting Nakobe Dean in free agency. He would’ve been a great translator and leader for that defense, AND he’s a linebacker who can play football. That would’ve been two birds with one stone. 

Now, they’re desperate for a linebacker, and whoever they get isn’t going to offer nearly as much as Dean would’ve offered. What a shame. 

Denver Broncos: Slot receiver and/or tight end

Say what you will about Bo Nix and how good or not good he is, but he needed better weapons around him. The Broncos were very smart to trade for Jaylen Waddle, but he primarily lines up wide… So, along with Courtland Sutton, they are absolutely set on those types of receivers… As for the pass catchers that line up tight? Eh, not so much.

They’ve got Troy Franklin and Evan Engram as their toolsy guys. That’s not great; they’ve definitely got room to grow in either of those spots. 

Detroit Lions: Left tackle

The one thing that’s been a staple of the Detroit Lions during the Dan Campbell era has been an elite offensive line; it’s clearly an emphasis for the team. 

From right to left, they have Penei Sewell, Tate Rateledge, Cade Mays, Christian Mahogany/Juice Scruggs … and Larry Borom. You could argue that they’ll be fine at left guard with Mahogany and/or Scruggs, but Borom seems like he’s kind of a place-holder guy until the draft. They’re going to have to use a premium pick to shore up Jared Goff’s blindside. 

Green Bay Packers: Offensive line

The Packers' offensive line is weird. They’ve had all kinds of injuries over the past couple of years, and that’s stopped them from having real consistency at almost every position. Hell, last season, Rasheed Walker (left tackle) was the only player who consistently played, but he just left in free agency. 

Now they’re going to throw out some combination of Zach Tom, Anthony Belton, Sean Rhyan, Aaron Banks, and Jordan Morgan. Of those guys, you’re probably least confident in Sean Rhyan… but you can’t be confident that any of them are going to be consistently healthy. 

Center and swing tackle are something that they need to focus on… Or defensive end, because they just sent Rashan Gary to the Cowboys. 

Houston Texans: Offensive line

The Texans aren’t doing C.J. Stroud any favors with the offensive line that they’re putting him behind. The only guy that you have real confidence in is Wyatt Teller (right guard who they just signed), and maybe their center, Jake Andrews? Other than them, it’s Aireontae Ersery, Evan Brown, and Braden Smith. They should be able to upgrade at any of those spots this offseason. 

Indianapolis Colts: Defensive line

Laiatu Latu and DeForest Buckner are good ball players, but they’re the only two consistently good players on the Colts’ defensive line… Also, last year, their defense fell apart when Buckner went on the IR. They really need more, better, and younger players up and down that defensive line.

The problem is that there aren’t a whole lot, if any, of those guys on the free agent market right now, and they don’t have their first-round draft pick because they traded it for Sauce Gardner last year. That means that they’re going to have to get real dudes with at least three of their seven draft picks.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Linebacker

The Jags have a handful of needs on their defense. They could certainly use a dude or two on the defensive line, but they did just lose Devin Lloyd in free agency. They have Dennis Gardeck and Ventrell Miller… but those guys are going to be a mega-downgrade. Spending a premium or semi-premium draft pick on a real linebacker would do them well.

Kansas City Chiefs: Wide Receiver

The Chiefs are terrible at drafting wide receivers. Not just because they're not great at assessing talent, but also because they keep getting some real heinous human beings. That means they have three options: A. Stop drafting wide receivers. B. Stop drafting the guy they want to draft and draft the next guy on their board. C. Get a Kansas City version of Big Dom to vet the players. 

Whatever the case, they need someone for Patrick Mahomes to throw to, because Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton aren’t WR1 material, and Travis Kelce is on his way out. 

It’s weird that they haven’t been thrown around as a trade candidate for A.J. Brown. He’d fit on any team, but a dominant X-Receiver is something that Mahomes hasn’t had in a hot minute. 

Miami Dolphins: Wide Receiver(s)

To be fair, the Dolphins should not be spending any more money. Paying Malik Willis real money probably wasn’t a great idea, especially since they traded away Jaylen Waddle, his only real receiver.

Right now, he’s going to be throwing to Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, and Malik Washington. That receiving core doesn’t stand a chance competitively, and they’re not going to get any idea of what Willis offers as a season-long passer without weapons. They’ve got to make a high-end prospect a priority. 

Minnesota Vikings: Defensive Tackle

The Vikings have been hunting for defensive tackles for the past handful of years. Last year, the two guys who did the brunt of the work were Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave… two cats who left in free agency.  

Not only do they need bodies, but they’ve got to get some guys who have some real juice. The problem is that, typically, rookie defensive tackles take a year or two to really be productive in the NFL. The other problem is that there weren’t any killers on the free agent market this season. 

New England Patriots: Wide Receiver

The Patriots did sign Romeo Doubs in free agency, and that’s a really good start… but they also released Stefon Diggs. Doubs offers more than Diggs as a player, but dude-wise, they’re in the same spot.

Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, and Pop Douglas are fun, but Drake Maye needs better guys to throw to. It’s a champagne problem thing.

New Orleans Saints: Wide Receiver

The Saints might be in a good spot with Tyler Shough. He was really looking like he was starting to figure it all out at the end of the season. The next move is to build around him… and that’s going to be a process.

Last season, Chris Olave led the receiver room with 100 catches for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns. Behind him was Rashid Shaheed with 44 catches for 499 yards and two touchdowns … and he left the team in November. Next up was Devaugh Vele with 25 catches for 293 yards and two touchdowns. 

Now the Saints just have Olave and Vele… they can’t be doing that come September. 

New York Giants: Guard

The Giants have been in trouble at right guard for a while. They drafted Evan Neal in the first round of the 2022 draft. He stunk. Then they signed Greg Van Roten for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. He was able to play and gave them a level of consistency, but the dude is 36 years old now and clearly past his prime. 

They’re in a position that’s stressful, but kind of in a good way: They don’t have a starting-caliber right guard on their roster, so they're going to have to draft one. That means that they’re forcing themselves to try something new… but they’re going to need to hit on the draft pick. 

New York Jets: Wide Receiver

The Jets made a lot of moves during free agency. 12 of their 21 signings/re-signings/trades were for guys on defense. That’s totally fine because their defense was aggressively terrible last year. However, their offense was also aggressively terrible, and they didn’t make any moves in free agency to get better weapons.

That’s a good thing, though. Just like with the Browns and the Dolphins, they shouldn’t be spending money this year… But unlike the Browns and the Dolphins, they’ve already made their moves to hoard draft picks. 

They need to use one of their four top-50 picks to go after at least one of the high-end receivers in the draft. That could mean using their picks, or trading that second-overall pick, getting even more picks, and using those. They’ve just got to get a big-bodied guy to go along with Garrett Wilson.

Las Vegas Raiders: Wide Receiver

The Raiders are doing the right things, and all signs are pointing to them using the first-overall pick in the draft to get Fernando Mendoza. That’s all great … But they are really hurting for wide receiver talent.

A wide receiver room headlined by Tre Tucker, Jalen Nailor, and Jack Bech is not going to help develop a rookie quarterback who’s got a not-so-great history with taking sacks. 

Los Angeles Chargers: Offensive Line

By about halfway through the 2025 season, the Chargers had the worst offensive line in the NFL, and it was mostly due to injuries to both of their tackles, Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater. If both of those guys are good to go for next year, then they’re going to be in a much better spot.

They also signed Cole Strange and Tyler Biadasz, and re-signed Trevor Penning; all good moves… But they need to get depth. They cannot have one (or more) of those guys go down and subject Justin Herbert to another year of the torture that they put him through last season.

I mean, if they wanted to have 40 offensive linemen on their 90-man training camp roster, it’d be warranted. 

Los Angeles Rams: Quarterback Depth

The Rams are the favorites to win the Super Bowl and for good reason: their roster is stacked from top to bottom. However, Matt Stafford is 38 years old and has taken 17 seasons' worth of punishment… 

He’s shown that he’s a tough guy, and that’s not something you want your quarterback to show, because that means he’s had to live and play through a lot of beatings. But at some point, there’s going to be a straw that breaks the camel’s back… and in this case, that straw is going to be a 350-pound man and the camel is going to be Stafford. 

Their backup quarterback is Stetson Bennett… If you’ve got a roster that is built to win a championship, you have to have a better backup plan than that.

Philadelphia Eagles: Safety

With their current roster, the Eagles could win a football game right now if they wanted to. However, the glaring weakness in their defense is at safety. Their rock over the past three seasons has been Reed Blankenship, but he just left to go to the Texans in free agency. That leaves their safety room with just Marcus Epps, Drew Mukuba (who is coming off an injury), J.T. Gray, and Andre’ Sam.

That’s not a bad group of guys, but they’re also not going to give you goosebumps… and they play one of the most key positions in Vic Fangio’s defense. If they’re going to grow there, they’re probably going to have to hit the trade market, and for the fifth straight year, Buddha Baker is the best option. 

Pittsburgh Steelers: Quarterback

By the time you’re reading this, the Steelers could make the foolish decision to re-sign Aaron Rodgers and waste another season. So, maybe this matters, and maybe it doesn’t:

The Steelers changed their head coach for the first time in 19 years, so this is the perfect time to do something completely different. They tried the mid-round draft pick/backup level guy with Mason Rudolph, the guy who got drafted waaaay too early with Kenny Pickett, the cheap guy with Russell Wilson, the rehab guy with Justin Fields, and went back to the washed-up guy with Rodgers.

If they don’t go with Rodgers (which they probably will because it’s the Steelers), then they’re going to have to make a trade for Tanner McKee (or someone like him), or put themselves in a position to go after Garrett Nussmeier or Ty Simpson in the draft.

San Francisco 49ers: Left Tackle

The 49ers just need to make sure Trent Williams is on the roster for next season. He’s probably going to be, but they’re working on a contract or something like that right now. Just figure it out. That offense is a shell of itself without him out there.

Seattle Seahawks: Running Back

In 2002, Dexter Jackson was the Super Bowl MVP with the Buccaneers. He then left Tampa Bay in free agency and went to the Arizona Cardinals in 2003. That was the last time that we saw the Super Bowl MVP leave his team in free agency immediately after winning… and now the Seahawks are in the same situation with Kenneth Walker III going to the Chiefs.

Right now, they only have two running backs who we know are going to be healthy enough to play next season: Emmanuel Wilson and George Holani. Seattle values their running game entirely too much for those two guys to be their backs in Week 1. 

Unfortunately, the draft doesn’t look too hot at the position, and the free agent market is mostly dried up. They infamously (fantasy-wise) have been rolling with a committee approach at running back, so they don’t need a true stud… but they need someone else.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Cornerback

For the past seven seasons, the Buccaneers have had an incredibly consistent and high-level cornerback in Jamel Dean. He hit free agency this offseason and signed with the Steelers, so they’ve got to figure something else out down in Tampa.

Benjamin Morrison didn’t show a whole lot in his limited role last season, and Zyon McCollum isn’t going to blow your socks off. They need to bring in someone who is going to make one or both of those guys compete for a starting job in 2026. 

Tennessee Titans: Linebacker

The Titans seemed to have themselves a pretty solid linebacker in Cedric Gray… But not so much with Cody Barton, who they signed to a three-year deal at the beginning of the 2025 season. 

Robert Saleh is their new head coach. Not only is he addicted to having and developing good linebackers, but he probably doesn’t really care that the Titans spent money on one before he got the coaching job. There are a handful of guys in the draft that Saleh could get his hands on to upgrade the only part of the defense that he hasn’t upgraded yet. 

Washington Commanders: Wide Receiver

In a shocker to absolutely no one, the Commanders took a massive step back from 2024 to 2025, and a lot of that was due to having the oldest roster in the league by a whole lot. That was emphasized by their trading for Deebo Samuel and giving a 30-year-old Terry McLaurin a three-year contract extension. 

The McLaurin thing kind of made sense because you want your young quarterback to develop with an incredibly talented guy… except he was hurt for a couple of huge chunks of the season, so it didn’t really work out.

And now, he’s turning 31 in September. The Commanders are at a point where they need to move past the ‘quarterback development’ stage of the wide receiver room and move to the ‘long-term weapons for a quarterback’ stage of the room. They don’t have that with Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks, and McLaurin. 

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