Hunter Stonebraker
AFC West
Chiefs
Team Needs: Secondary, Inside Linebacker, Running back
The Chiefs fired their defensive coordinator after losing to the Patriots in the conference championship game. Bob Sutton may have been part of the problem but there are many others the defense is barren with talent compared to the all-star offense. The first position they must address is the secondary. Opponents torched the chiefs in the passing game, even though they were tied for the league lead in sacks with the Steelers. This was due to a secondary that was outplayed almost every game. Kendall Fuller was a starting caliber player for the most part, but is not the ideal number one corner. Eric Berry used to be one of the best safeties in the game, but he has not been healthy in a while and honestly, we do not know what affect he can still have on the game. Next the Chiefs need to upgrade in the middle at linebacker. Reggie Ragland is a draft bust and Anthony Hitchens is extremely overpaid. Neither of which are good in coverage or space either. The last position KC must address this offseason is running back. Damien Williams played great after Kareem Hunt was cut and Spencer Ware was injured, but we have a small sample. As far as we know, he may not be able to take the toll of a 16-game season or he could’ve just been playing well because of his fresh legs. Either way, the Chiefs can’t go into next season expecting to rely on Williams or the other Williams, Dexter Williams.
Chargers
Team Needs: O-Line, D-Tackle, Linebacker
The Chargers had a very successful season that ended at the hands of the greatest coach and quarterback pair. To improve next season and get a good seed to avoid the Patriots next year, the chargers must get a new right tackle. They could also use a guard, but right tackle is more important in a division with Justin Houston and Dee Ford, and Bradley Chubb and Von Miller. Next, they need to plug their run defense which was exposed by the Patriots. A lack of talent and depth at middle linebacker and defensive tackle must be addressed and soon to keep a team from bullying them that bad again. Some of that could be fixed internal progression but drafting a young athletic linebacker would be the better option. For defensive tackle a free agent could be had and keeping Brandon Mebane would help.
Raiders
Teams Needs: Edge Rusher, Linebacker, Wide Receiver and more
The Raiders roster is a shell of a football team at this stage. They have needs everywhere. Replacing Khalil Mack is the number one priority after finishing last in the league in sacks and struggling to generate any pressure at all. Picking needs for this Raiders roster is not hard to do, but next we’ll look at linebacker. This was a position of need before the teardown under Gruden and still is. Next the Raiders should look to find better receivers. Jordy Nelson was their number one guy after the Cooper trade and was a non-factor most weeks. Derek Carr had a poor season, but at the same time he had a very poor supporting cast. The Raiders need a young explosive weapon like Cooper on the outside. Hopefully the next one will mesh better with Grudens scheme.
Broncos
Team Needs: Middle Linebacker, Corner, Quarterback
I list quarterback as the third need here, but ultimately, I think they will pick a quarterback in the first round. This means they will probably need to look for a middle linebacker in free agency. While this year’s free agent crop is not great at the inside linebacker position it does have some versatile guys Vic Fangio would love to use. Cornerback has been a strong position for the Broncos year in and year out for several years, but not last year. After the Broncos traded Aquib Talib to the Rams and Bradley Roby struggled in a larger role. The struggles on the back end were extremely uncharacteristic of this Broncos defense. With Roby set for free agency and the dominance of Patrick Mahomes, the Broncos need to find secondary help soon.
AFC South
Titans
Team Needs: Edge Rusher, Interior Line, Wide Receiver
The Titans defense was top three in scoring defense on the year and extremely stingy in the red zone. They do have one glaring need on defense and that is on the edge. Harold Landry had a nice rookie season, but with Brian Orakpo retiring and Derrick Morgan a free agent, this means the Titans are in huge need of a pass rushing outside linebacker. The Titans are in a sticky situation. They have a quarterback who was not fully healthy for the majority of the previous year, and they need to make a decision on whether to extend him or not and if so for how much money do you extend him. For now, we are assuming the Titans believe it was a subpar cast that caused a down season along with the injuries. This means they must fix the interior line, at least 2 of the three starters and look for a true number two receiver across from Corey Davis. Throw in a return from Delanie Walker and the Mariota and the passing game will look to bounce back.
Texans
Team Needs: O-Line, Cornerback, Offensive Playmaker
The Texans have a great core for a very good team. The key pieces are in place and under contract except Jadeveon Clowney and Tyann Mathieu, who are expected to resign this offseason. The complimentary pieces they need are what make championship teams. The Texan’s line was awful this season and it showed especially in the playoffs verses a colts d-line that was not great or even that good. The Texans corners were also exposed by the Colts subpar receiving corps (aka the people after T.Y. on the depth chart) and they just looked slow. They need to inject youth and talent into these positions through the draft to get past the first-round next year. The third thing the Texans are in need of is another offensive playmaker outside of Hopkins and Watson. That could be a running back, another or receiver or possibly a tight end One of these needs to be acquired or developed so good defenses can’t just key on those two guys all night long.
Colts
Team Needs: D-line, Wide Receiver, Secondary
Speaking of the Colts, in their wild card win their defense looked dominate, and so did the offense for the first half and again near the end. Then a week later verses the Chiefs juggernaut offense, the defense and offense looked helpless. First off, to fix this the Colts need to improve their defensive line and get more of a pass rush going to win in their base cover 2 defense. Next, they need to acquire a good #2 receiver to play opposite Hilton and to give Ebron more room and better matchups. They should look to fill this void through the draft, just like they have much of the roster. Lastly the Colts should address their secondary. Their pass defense was average, they played well but talent-wise are average. If they can get more a pass rush it will help the secondary out a good amount, but they should still probably address the secondary if they plan on making a longer playoff run.
Jaguars
Team Needs: Quarterback, Wide Receiver, Offensive Tackle
The Jaguars MUST replace Blake Bortles this offseason. There is no chance they can make a playoff run with that bad of quarterback play. There’s a good chance they will look to the free agent market but if they don’t have the money to offer some of the starting caliber guys on the market they may want to look into the draft where Doug Marrone can groom his guy for the future. Next, they need to add weapons for the next quarterback to throw to. The Jags do not have a true number one receiver on the roster or maybe even a guy who would be the second- best receiver on many other rosters. Lastly you have to protect your quarterback and keep him upright by giving him time to throw. This means after signing Andrew Norwell last year at guard they need to acquire a starting caliber tackle, especially since Cam Robinson is coming off injury, and he wasn’t playing great before he got hurt anyway.
AFC North
Steelers
Team Needs: Secondary, Wide Receiver, Middle Linebacker
The Steelers, had a stellar offense this past year even after the loss of All Pro talent Leveon Bell. Their biggest weakness was without question a secondary that frequently broke down in coverage. Even if Antonio Brown is getting cut or traded, which is looking likely, the Steelers biggest need has to be the secondary. After addressing the secondary, the Steelers should look to replace Antonio Brown, but with James Washington and JuJu still in the fold, the offense could probably manage. If James Connor is able to play at the level he did for the first 8 weeks last season, I would expect the Steelers offense to not lose much of its potentness. The last need for the Steelers is to find another Middle Linebacker who can do everything Ryan Shazier did for this defense. Since his injury they have been severely lacking in the middle of the field.
Ravens
Team Needs: Wide Receiver, a new Arm for Lamar Jackson, and Edge Rusher
The Ravens offense is built on the run, but it seems almost of force. They have 2 young tight ends, a stellar offensive line, and a stable of running backs to carry the rock. What the Ravens do not have is a passing game or any resemblance of one. The first problem is the talent at wide receiver is barren and that groups age is increasing. The Ravens MUST draft one of this drafts many young receivers to give Lamar Jackson someone to consistently target. Speaking of Lamar, the Ravens also need to see improvement from him. He has unmatchable athleticism, but right now many Ravens fans are praying he can swap arms with a competent quarterback. This offseason he will need to nail down some better fundamentals and improve his throwing motion. If he is able to do these things, his accuracy should improve tremendously. After this the Ravens need to add another pass rusher in case the relentless Terrell Suggs retires or leaves.
Browns
Team Needs: Left Tackle, Linebacker, Wide Receiver
The Browns surprisingly don’t have many holes. The only glaring need is at left tackle, where Greg Robinson has done a serviceable job. The Browns should look to draft their Left Tackle of the future instead of overpaying for someone in free agency who may not do a much better job than Robinson did. The next position the Browns need to look to fill out is linebacker. In their 4-3 scheme, they don’t have a difference-maker across the second level. Currently Jamie Collins is slated as one of the starters, but he is eligible to be cut and browns could save a good amount of money by going that route. The last position of need may be based off of preference for the new coach. I would say that Wide Receiver and Corner are both equals but with newly hired Freddie Kitchens being an offensive guy, I suspect he will value Wide Receiver more this offseason.
Bengals
Team Needs: Linebacker, Right Guard and Tackle, Quarterback
The Bengals could use a little makeover. They have some pieces to be a playoff team, like Joe Mixon, A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd on offense. On defense, they have a solid defensive line, and some young guys in the secondary. One big thing they are missing is linebackers. Now that Vontaze Burfict is potentially done for his career, the Bengals must find a new Quarterback for their defense. The Bengals should look to draft Devin White, so they can not only gain a player who will help with their future but also someone who could immediately step in and be a pro bowl talent. The last thing the Bengals should look to get in the draft is a developmental quarterback who can spot start for an injured or ineffective Andy Dalton.
AFC East
Patriots
Team needs: D-Line, Wide Receiver, Linebacker
When you look at the Patriot’s needs, you have to start with the defensive line. They have 3 pending free agents among their starting group. Even if they bring back all 3 of those starters, the Patriots could still stand to add another pass rusher. They could look to fill this void in the draft but will more than likely scour the bargain bin for another player. Next, we will move to wide receiver. Where a lack of youth and starting caliber players, besides Julian Edelman, has proven to be a glaring weakness. Throughout the season, we have seen Brady and cast struggle at times to move the ball. The answer in the passing game was hopefully going to be Josh Gordon, until the inevitable happened and he was suspended. The Patriots should look to fill this void with a young player in the draft. The third biggest need for the Patriots is a three-down linebacker, someone good in coverage to pair with the run stuffing Donta Hightower. This would help the Patriots defense tremendously in covering the middle of the field. It would also tremendously help out the new defensive coordinator (whoever he is) continue running an effective defense.
Dolphins
Team Needs: Quarterback, Wide Receiver, D-Line
The Dolphins team needs can vary drastically depending on what outlook and approach the management takes. If they decide they can make the playoffs under a new coach, they will look to retool around Ryan Tannehill. In this scenario their biggest needs will be a wide receiver and a premium pass rusher. In the more likely scenario, the Dolphins choose to move on from Tannehill and start a rebuild under a new coach. In this scenario, quarterback, skyrockets up the list of needs. A need they almost certainly address in the first round, and then look to build the front seven. Look for the Dolphins to prioritize youth rather than prioritizing a position. Although, among the youth movement the defensive line should be the biggest need behind quarterback. Then, they must prioritize building a stable of starting caliber skill position players around whoever is the quarterback next year and beyond.
Bills
Team Needs: Everything on Offense but Josh Allen
The Bills are in dire need of a competent offense cast. They currently have their quarterback of the future and a solid young defense. The first priority on offense should be to get a left tackle to protect the blindside of Josh Allen, to keep him from running for his life. With Charles Clay and Lesean McCoy in the fold, the Bills skill positions are outdated and injury prone. They must find Josh Allen a number one target, and a running game he can lean on. The Bills running game was nearly non-existent last year if you take away Allen’s scrambles. The interior of the offensive line may be even worse than the situation at tackle. As you can see the Bills have a long offseason ahead of them. These are just some of their needs but these are the ones that must be addressed soon, if they do not want to squander Josh Allen by destroying his development and confidence.
Jets
Team Needs: Offensive Skill Positions, Edge Rusher, O-Line
The Jets are in a similar boat as the Bills, they have their quarterback of the future and some young building blocks on defense. Also, just like the Bills they need to revamp a pedestrian supporting cast. Although that could prove to be difficult in the draft, as there isn’t a receiver, running back, or even offensive linemen worth drafting at number 3. This could mean that the Jets turn to free agency for these needs, and look to help out the defense by adding a much-needed difference maker off the edge at number 3. Their number one need, is finding a running mate for Sam Darnold, a star for him to rely on while he develops. If they let Darnold do what he did last year and not have anyone else for him to rely on, they will squander his development, by forcing him to carry the offense.
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