So, with the NFL offseason in the books, summer break here and training camp a few weeks away, I figured we’d do one takeaway from the past five or six months on each of the 32 teams. Enjoy, and I’ll see you in a couple of weeks …
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are now in Year 3 under GM Monti Ossenfort and coach Jonathan Gannon. They’ve made 28 draft picks. They’ve cleaned up their cap. And they doubled their win total, from four to eight, last year. This would be the year to make the leap into the tournament—not many coaches get to Year 4 without a playoff berth. Whether they get there is going to ride on the core they’ve built with all of those picks (Paris Johnson Jr., Marvin Harrison Jr., Darius Robinson, this year’s first-rounder Walter Nolen, etc.) taking a step, and Kyler Murray living up to his contract. There’s been minimal buzz around these guys. That’ll change if that young group grows up all at once.
Atlanta Falcons
One thing you can’t accuse Falcons GM Terry Fontenot of is being scared. Bold swings in the first round the past two years will determine their future. Can Michael Penix Jr. use a promising pinch-hitting effort as a rookie as a springboard into a big sophomore season? Can Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. fix the franchise’s long-standing pass-rush problem in the year they lose bedrock 3-technique Grady Jarrett? If the answer is yes, the Falcons should have a shot at winning the NFC South title and maybe more.
Baltimore Ravens
It’s go time for the Ravens. They made it through the remaking of their offensive line and a defensive coordinator change last year. They don’t have a discernible hole on the roster. A good secondary now has rookie Malaki Starks and veteran Jaire Alexander. Derrick Henry looked like the ultimate outlier at running back last year. The pass rush has some questions, but Kyle Van Noy has been reimagined as an edge rusher and has 21.5 sacks in 30 games as a Raven. So, can Lamar Jackson & Co. kick the door down?
Buffalo Bills
Last year’s roster reset was a big success, evidenced by the big-money extensions Khalil Shakir, Greg Rousseau, Christian Benford and, yes, Josh Allen earned (we’ll see on James Cook). Every year, having a quarterback like Allen puts pressure on everyone to win at the highest level. That certainly exists this year. As is the case with Jackson, at some point, you have to find a way to break through.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers feel like they finally have some stability. A 4–5 finish and two overtime wins in last season’s final three weeks doesn’t sound like some huge step. However, it was, and even better, Bryce Young reacted perfectly to Dave Canales benching him, which was a pretty big dice roll for a new head coach. The roster still has a ways to go, but if guys such as Tetairoa McMillan, Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen get off to a fast start, maybe Carolina will flirt with .500.
Chicago Bears
I like how the Bears followed the blueprint their head coach, Ben Johnson, used to win in Detroit. First and foremost, building up the offensive line was accomplished through trades for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson, as well as the free-agent signing of center Drew Dalman. Chicago also upgraded its defense, bringing in Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett. Ultimately, where this season goes and how it’s judged will likely be determined by the progress of quarterback Caleb Williams under Johnson.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are all in on offense this year. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins got paid, and Joe Burrow is poised to build off the momentum of a 2025 season during which he led the league in yards and touchdowns with a deeper group around him across the board. However, things aren’t so rosy on defense. The Bengals have a new coordinator, Al Golden, and two pass rushers in contract disputes. Bottom line: If the defense can be pretty good, this can be a Super Bowl team.
Cleveland Browns
A very muddy quarterback situation has consumed the Browns’ spring, and the summer won’t be any different. Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel got the lion’s share of the work in OTAs, with Shedeur Sanders playing catch-up (and he did make up ground) and Joe Flacco, more or less, given a bye until training camp. I like where the Browns are, but it’s impossible to know how far they can take their roster without having a clearer picture of their quarterback situation. So we’ll see.
Dallas Cowboys
Another year, another simmering contract situation for the Cowboys. The Micah Parsons negotiation will be front and center when the team lands in Oxnard, Calif., for training camp. That said, I think their new head coach, Brian Schottenheimer, is a good fit to handle it, given the culture he’s started to build and will be a better fit in the role than people might expect. If young linemen Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker come along, Dallas should be in the playoff mix.
Denver Broncos
It’s a borderline magic trick what Sean Payton and George Paton have done to pull the Broncos out from under the cap and the draft ramifications of the Russell Wilson trade. They achieved this by narrowing their focus on plays and drafting well—which happened despite the lack of first-round capital—and helped mitigate the financial impact of the Wilson deal by adding cheap, young talent to the roster. The arrow’s pointing way up on these guys. And if you listen to them, it’s up on Bo Nix, too.
Detroit Lions
The Lions’ biggest questions headed into summer are the same as they were in February: How will offensive coordinator John Morton and DC Kelvin Sheppard, and a few other assistants, step up and fill big voids on Dan Campbell’s staff? On the flip side, the defense was hollowed out by injuries by the end of the last season, but there’s still a lot of ascending talent on hand. So where steps back could happen, steps forward are in play, too.
Green Bay Packers
It’s Jordan Love time. Only one offensive player on the roster (two-time Pro Bowl guard Elgton Jenkins), and three players in total, predate the quarterback’s time with the team. He’s on a top-of-market deal, so the onus is on him to start lifting his teammates rather than the other way around. The roster’s still solid, but competitions at left tackle and receiver will help set the course for how far the team can go, and Love’s work through any bumps at those spots will be key.
Houston Texans
I don’t think there’s a single position group in the NFL more pivotal to its team’s success in 2025 than the Texans’ offensive line. Laremy Tunsil’s gone, in large part to try to fix a room that got toxic last year, as the team’s culture on offense struggled to keep up with what was happening on defense. So who comes out of the crowd of Cam Robinson, Trent Brown, Blake Fisher, Aireontae Ersery, Laken Tomlinson, Juice Scruggs, Jarrett Patterson, Jake Andrews, Ed Ingram and Tytus Howard (who’s probably the only lock to start in the group) will go a long way toward setting Houston’s ceiling. If it comes together, this could be a Super Bowl team. If it falls apart, look out.
Indianapolis Colts
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Colts’ fate will be dictated by who plays quarterback. Daniel Jones will enter the summer with a great shot to win the job, with Anthony Richardson coming back from an injury to his throwing shoulder. The offense has a shot to be pretty interesting, with rookie tight end Tyler Warren joining a balanced if unspectacular, skill group. And I’d bet Lou Anarumo will make a difference right away on defense. Which, again, leaves the quarterback as the swing factor.
Jacksonville Jaguars
I can’t wait for Jaguars camp because I can’t wait to see Travis Hunter in the NFL. I would also repeat what I said after the draft: His acquisition at least looks to me like an indication that the Jaguars think, in Year 1 under the Liam Coen–James Gladstone–Tony Boselli triumvirate, that they’re closer to contending than a lot of folks on the outside do.
Kansas City Chiefs
I’ve let it be known that I think the Chiefs offense could be electric this year. Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy playing together for a whole year changes everything, and, internally, the Chiefs believe Rashee Rice will be a top-end receiver. Tackle remains a question, but with Josh Simmons and Jaylon Moore arriving, they have options. So why shouldn’t the Chiefs be back in the Super Bowl?
Las Vegas Raiders
This whole offseason has been about restoring credibility, and I think that’s been accomplished. From bringing Tom Wagner, Egon Durban and Michael Meldman in with Tom Brady as limited partners, to hiring Pete Carroll and John Spytek, to paying Chip Kelly $6 million per year to leave Ohio State, to acquiring Geno Smith, this feels like it’s a whole different operation from what it was a year ago. We’ll see how quickly it translates to the field, with a roster that needed a lot of help when Carroll and Spytek arrived.
Los Angeles Chargers
The thing I’ve appreciated about the Chargers over the past 18 months is how they’ve made no bones about who they’re trying to become. Bringing in Omarion Hampton, Najee Harris, Mekhi Becton and even Mike Williams as a bigger, more physical receiver is just leaning into it. Hampton, in particular, could make a pretty significant difference, with a shot to become Harbaugh’s new version of Frank Gore.
Los Angeles Rams
The offense got interesting this offseason, with a good group adding Davante Adams, bringing Coleman Shelton back at center, and drafting Terrance Ferguson and Jarquez Hunter. Matthew Stafford is back, too, with Mike LaFleur in his third season as OC under Sean McVay. Interestingly, from there, the biggest issue is at left tackle, just three months after Alaric Jackson signed an extension. Jackson is out indefinitely with blood clots and, for now at least, aging vet D.J. Humphries is the safety net.
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are resetting in a lot of ways. I’m not sure why people are defensive on that idea—these things happen. Terron Armstead retired, Jalen Ramsey’s on the trade block, Tyreek Hill’s coming off his least productive NFL season, and vets such as Jevon Holland and Calais Campbell are gone. Miami will be younger in key spots, and Tua Tagovailoa will have to shoulder a heavier load, which happens when your quarterback gets paid. And what will set the course might be the health of older vets, such as Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips.
Minnesota Vikings
For all the noise around J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings have built a tremendous, quarterback-friendly roster that’ll put him in position to win from the outset. Pressure comes with that, too, of course, but if you’re constantly in second-and-manageable and third-and-short, and your defense is one of football’s most challenging to go against, the trade-off is probably worth it. And while last fall was rocky for McCarthy, the quarterback has rebounded this offseason. I think he’ll be good.
New England Patriots
I can’t remember a rookie offensive lineman as critical to his team’s success as Will Campbell. If he delivers at left tackle, amid questions of his length for the position, the rest could fall into place. Drake Maye looks like he can play, and the skill group is better than average. The team’s defense should be good, too, if they can get a little uptick in performance from the edge rushers.
New Orleans Saints
The offensive line is what could make the Saints competitive in Kellen Moore’s first year as head coach. Kelvin Banks Jr. will bookend Taliese Fuaga at tackle, vets Cesar Ruiz and Erik McCoy are inside, and if that all comes together, it’d be enough to fix a lot of other things. Of course, if we’re talking about how this year relates to the future, how Tyler Shough plays at quarterback, and, accordingly, where the season puts the Saints in the draft order of what could be a quarterback-rich draft are two things everyone should watch.
New York Giants
I was big on the Giants last year and got burned. And the quarterback situation is uncertain enough for me to be leery about believing in them again. That said, I will maintain that there’s a good core here with a franchise left tackle (Andrew Thomas), burgeoning No. 1 receiver (Malik Nabers) and top talent along the defensive front (Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Abdul Carter). If Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston or Jaxson Dart surprise, the Giants might have something.
New York Jets
The Jets are another more-talented-than-you-think team. Both lines of scrimmage are loaded with first-rounders, and there are fewer holes than people may realize (and not one, at this point, that makes the team look truly deficient at a spot). So we’ll see whether Justin Fields can get the job done. The Steelers chose to make an effort to keep him rather than trying to keep Wilson, which is an indication of the impression he made in Pittsburgh.
Philadelphia Eagles
I think the most interesting thing about the Eagles’ offseason is how quiet it’s been. Outside of extensions for Saquon Barkley, Lane Johnson and Zack Baun, some contract tango with Dallas Goedert, and some noise from outgoing guys such as C.J. Gardner-Johnson, it’s been all business in Philly. Perhaps the biggest question heading into camp is how Kevin Patullo goes about replacing Kellen Moore as OC.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers were in a win-now sort of spot with their core before adding Aaron Rodgers and are even more so now. The cool thing here, as I see it, is how Rodgers and the Steelers established genuine trust throughout the spring, enabling coaches to begin developing an offense tailored to him and giving the quarterback a clear head when he finally reported in June. Maybe I’m the crazy one, but this team’s had to pull out all the stops to win the past few years. With Rodgers, the margin for error is much greater.
San Francisco 49ers
After all the consternation about a 49ers rebuild, the team is still way up the list on scheduled cash to spend for 2025. Yes, the cap cleansing was real and necessary. But that doesn’t mean the foot is off the gas. (Newly paid) Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, (rehabbing) Brandon Aiyuk, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner are still around. That’s a proud group, so if guys such as Ricky Pearsall and the rookie defensive linemen come along, Kyle Shanahan should have these guys back in the Super Bowl conversation.
Seattle Seahawks
I’ve established over the past couple of years that I like the Seahawks’ young talent more than most people. They’ve got players at every level of the defense, a solid young tackle combo on offense, as well as a deep crew of offensive skill players. So, to me, this comes down to four guys who line up right next to each other—quarterback Sam Darnold and the three interior offensive linemen. Spending their first-rounder on North Dakota State OL Grey Zabel was a good step to fixing it.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After a Super Bowl title and then four consecutive division titles, can the Buccaneers get some respect? The roster is deep, balanced and homegrown. While the edge rushers and corners could be better (and maybe they will be), there’s no huge unanswered question here other than how 35-year-old Josh Grizzard will do as OC after following Canales and Coen.
Tennessee Titans
It’s fair to say that Cam Ward will be starting in Denver in Week 1. I can add that he’s checked every box since becoming the No. 1 pick in April, as the team has drilled him on footwork and his ability to use their language, and even be the one translating it in meetings to teammates. I also think Bill Callahan’s work in fixing their offensive line, with Steelers LT Dan Moore Jr. coming aboard, will be crucial to Ward’s season, one way or the other.
Washington Commanders
This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Takeaways: One Offseason Thought on All 32 Teams.
