Bad news for teams that still have a big hole to fill: Free agency has been picked through. Twice and three times over at some positions.
Among Yahoo Sports’ top 25 free agents at the start of free agency, only quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receiver Amari Cooper remain unsigned. There are still some solid veterans that can fill a role, but it’s hard to find any impact players among the unsigned group. However, help could still come via the NFL Draft.
Even though teams are running out of options to fix needs, there are some concerning holes still to fill for some teams. Here are the five biggest remaining needs as the calendar is about to turn to April.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Quarterback
The Steelers aren’t in a comfortable position. Everyone is waiting on the Aaron Rodgers situation, and there are not many other viable QB optionsfor a team that made the playoffs last season. The Steelers could be stalling until after the NFL Draft, when Pittsburgh’s compensatory picks won’t be affected by adding Rodgers. But until that’s all done, or some alternate plan develops through the draft, the Steelers are a team that expects to be in the postseason but has Mason Rudolph lined up as its starting quarterback. It’s rare to see a good team get this far into the postseason without a clear vision at quarterback. We’ll see how the Rodgers situation plays out. Until then, this is the NFL’s most fascinating remaining question.
Denver Broncos: Running back
A surprising amount of teams have either no reasonable starting running back on the roster, or have a low-ceiling veteran who won’t carry a running game. Among the teams that could still use some juice at the running back position are the Bears, Browns, Cowboys, Chargers, Raiders and Steelers. The good news for those teams is this draft is very deep at the position. We could see a handful of rookie starters come out of this class.
No team has a bigger need at running back than the Broncos. Right now their top two options are Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime. That’s not exciting anyone. The Broncos took care of one offensive issue by signing Evan Engram to fill a big hole at tight end. They still could be tempted by a tight end in the first round, but this is a team that is very much in play to select a running back early in the draft.
Las Vegas Raiders: Wide receiver
The Raiders have a severe need at running back, which is why Ashton Jeanty seems to be an option for them with the sixth overall pick. When you’re a rebuilding team like the Raiders, you’ll have multiple needs. And there’s a real need at receiver too. Brock Bowers is an excellent tight end, and Jakobi Meyers had a 1,000-yard season. Meyers is better suited as a second wideout, but he’s the WR1 on this roster because there’s really nobody else who’s even a suitable WR2.
Regardless of what the Raiders do with the sixth pick, they almost have to draft a receiver or two at some point. They also need to keep an eye on the free-agent market. Maybe a reunion with Amari Cooper is in order?
Atlanta Falcons: Pass rusher
You’ve heard this one before. The Falcons’ search for a difference-making pass rusher seems to go back to the days of them playing in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. It hasn’t been that long, but once again the Falcons went into the offseason desperately needing an edge rusher and they didn’t really address it. Leonard Floyd was added and he’s still productive, but it’s hard to ask a player who will be 33 years old this season to carry a pass rush. There’s no great pass rusher left in free agency, so we’ll see if Atlanta invests its first-round pick in the position.
The Falcons pick 15th overall, so there should be some options. Nate Tice and Charles McDonald’s latest mock had the Falcons taking Georgia linebacker/edge rusher Jalon Walker at 15. That would work, or maybe they take a shot on Marshall’s Mike Green there. Either way, it’s a huge hole that needs to be addressed. But we’ve said that before about the Falcons.
Cincinnati Bengals: All defensive positions
The Bengals did what they needed to do to retain their best players. It just happens that Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase happen to play the same position. Investing heavily in two receivers makes the Bengals a bit unbalanced. For practical purposes, it’s still the same team that got an MVP-level season from Joe Burrow and didn’t make the playoffs. The culprit was the defense, and not much has changed. If anything it has gotten shakier with defensive end Trey Hendrickson’s future in flux as he seeks a new deal.
The Bengals could still add a free agent, or two but that’s not changing the math too much at this point in the offseason. Cincinnati might use all six of its draft picks on defense. And it needs to hit big on a few of them if it wants to compete with the AFC’s elite teams. It’s not like the Bengals don’t have any talent on defense, but it could use an infusion at all three levels. This draft, and perhaps what the Bengals do to fill in the gaps in free agency, will determine the course of the franchise for the next few seasons.
Bad news for teams that still have a big hole to fill: Free agency has been picked through. Twice and three times over at some positions.
Among Yahoo Sports’ top 25 free agents at the start of free agency, only quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receiver Amari Cooper remain unsigned. There are still some solid veterans that can fill a role, but it’s hard to find any impact players among the unsigned group. However, help could still come via the NFL Draft.
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Even though teams are running out of options to fix needs, there are some concerning holes still to fill for some teams. Here are the five biggest remaining needs as the calendar is about to turn to April.
The Steelers aren’t in a comfortable position. Everyone is waiting on the Aaron Rodgers situation, and there are not many other viable QB options for a team that made the playoffs last season. The Steelers could be stalling until after the NFL Draft, when Pittsburgh’s compensatory picks won’t be affected by adding Rodgers. But until that’s all done, or some alternate plan develops through the draft, the Steelers are a team that expects to be in the postseason but has Mason Rudolph lined up as its starting quarterback. It’s rare to see a good team get this far into the postseason without a clear vision at quarterback. We’ll see how the Rodgers situation plays out. Until then, this is the NFL’s most fascinating remaining question.
A surprising amount of teams have either no reasonable starting running back on the roster, or have a low-ceiling veteran who won’t carry a running game. Among the teams that could still use some juice at the running back position are the Bears, Browns, Cowboys, Chargers, Raiders and Steelers. The good news for those teams is this draft is very deep at the position. We could see a handful of rookie starters come out of this class.
No team has a bigger need at running back than the Broncos. Right now their top two options are Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime. That’s not exciting anyone. The Broncos took care of one offensive issue by signing Evan Engram to fill a big hole at tight end. They still could be tempted by a tight end in the first round, but this is a team that is very much in play to select a running back early in the draft.
The Raiders have a severe need at running back, which is why Ashton Jeanty seems to be an option for them with the sixth overall pick. When you’re a rebuilding team like the Raiders, you’ll have multiple needs. And there’s a real need at receiver too. Brock Bowers is an excellent tight end, and Jakobi Meyers had a 1,000-yard season. Meyers is better suited as a second wideout, but he’s the WR1 on this roster because there’s really nobody else who’s even a suitable WR2.
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Regardless of what the Raiders do with the sixth pick, they almost have to draft a receiver or two at some point. They also need to keep an eye on the free-agent market. Maybe a reunion with Amari Cooper is in order?
You’ve heard this one before. The Falcons’ search for a difference-making pass rusher seems to go back to the days of them playing in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. It hasn’t been that long, but once again the Falcons went into the offseason desperately needing an edge rusher and they didn’t really address it. Leonard Floyd was added and he’s still productive, but it’s hard to ask a player who will be 33 years old this season to carry a pass rush. There’s no great pass rusher left in free agency, so we’ll see if Atlanta invests its first-round pick in the position.
The Falcons pick 15th overall, so there should be some options. Nate Tice and Charles McDonald’s latest mock had the Falcons taking Georgia linebacker/edge rusher Jalon Walker at 15. That would work, or maybe they take a shot on Marshall’s Mike Green there. Either way, it’s a huge hole that needs to be addressed. But we’ve said that before about the Falcons.
The Bengals did what they needed to do to retain their best players. It just happens that Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase happen to play the same position. Investing heavily in two receivers makes the Bengals a bit unbalanced. For practical purposes, it’s still the same team that got an MVP-level season from Joe Burrow and didn’t make the playoffs. The culprit was the defense, and not much has changed. If anything it has gotten shakier with defensive end Trey Hendrickson’s future in flux as he seeks a new deal.
The Bengals could still add a free agent, or two but that’s not changing the math too much at this point in the offseason. Cincinnati might use all six of its draft picks on defense. And it needs to hit big on a few of them if it wants to compete with the AFC’s elite teams. It’s not like the Bengals don’t have any talent on defense, but it could use an infusion at all three levels. This draft, and perhaps what the Bengals do to fill in the gaps in free agency, will determine the course of the franchise for the next few seasons.
