Welcome to the NFL offseason. If you need to find me, I’ll be solemnly kicking pebbles down a dirt road, merely counting the seconds until football starts again. Luckily, I will be preparing for another great season of fantasy football, and I will be doing that when I’m not kicking pebbles down a dirt road.
So far, we have seen a few offseason moves in the NFL, which mainly consist of coaching changes and some tabloid drama. Instead of just bringing these changes up in an unorganized fashion, I will break down each division separately, letting you know what you should expect from each team, as well as giving a few personal thoughts on each team.
New England Patriots
Congratulations to you Patriots fans, however, it seems as though it is just another day, another win for this team. The Patriots have had a stranglehold on the AFC and the NFL for so long it is hard to remember a time they were not a Super Bowl contender. What does the future hold for these Boston bruisers? This offseason, New England will see twenty-two of their players hitting free agency (10 offensive, 10 defensive, and 2 special teams). Notable names include Stephen Gostkowski (K), Cordarrelle Patterson (WR), Chris Hogan (WR), Malcom Brown (DT), Jason McCourty (CB), and Trey Flowers (DE).
Anticipated Team Adjustments
Quarterback: This offseason, I could see the team adding quarterback depth, as Brian Hoyer is the next in line. While the team still boasts their quarterback as the greatest of all time, this season was not one of Brady’s highlights.
Wide Receiver: There is a big chance that the team is going to drop a few of their receivers in free agency. Also, the Josh Gordon drama could leave the team without depth. They could possibly get along by moving James White out to a permanent receiving option and use Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel for all rushing plays, but it seems more likely that they would want a legitimate receiver alongside Julian Edelman.
Defensive Changes: Overall, the defense ranked as the tenth-best unit. The team was able to stop the rush fairly effectively. However, the team could use some help when it comes to pass coverage. New England ranked twenty second against passing yards and were second against completion percentage. This tells me that while the team was effective at keeping the ball out of a receiver’s hands, but had difficulty stopping yards after the catch.
Miami Dolphins
Miami finished the season with a 7-9 record and had a very unpredictable year, which earned them the 13th pick in the draft. They will need it badly in these upcoming rebuilding years. This offseason, Miami will address twenty five players on free agency (16 offensive players, 8 defensive players, and 1 special teams). Notable names include Cameron Wake (DE), Ja’Wuan James (RT), Frank Gore (RB), and Brock Osweiler (QB).
Recent Changes
After the Super Bowl, Miami hired the defensive play-caller and prior scout from the New England Patriots, Brian Flores, pictured above. In an interview with owner Steven Ross, he stated, “We’re going to look to really build this organization based on our needs and if it takes a year or so — two years, three years — we are going to be there.” It feels as though Flores will be given the time to make adjustments, by Ross’ statement, which is a necessary evil for Miami, who’s team needs serious help at nearly every position.
- Overall Miami ranked 29th on Defense.
- Miami finished 31st against rushing yards.
- Miami finished 21st against passing yards and 22nd against completion percentage.
- Miami’s Offensive Line finished 31st.
These four rankings essentially leave out all offensive scoring weapons that Miami could have used. Kenyan Drake, easily their best offensive player, did not get 15 carries in a game once this past season. Why? Basically it was a coaching decision. Drake’s usage this past season was practically criminal. So what other weapons did Miami use? Essentially, a steady use of random players each week. Only four games out of the year Miami had a 100-yard receiver, and those four games were split between three players. Flores must make a lot of adjustments to this team.
Anticipated Team Adjustments
Offensive Line: I believe that this is the first thing that Miami needs to fix, specifically at the center and guard position. A fix at the offensive line could bring Kenyan Drake back into fantasy relevance as a dominant force.
Quarterback: Another team with this need is Miami, though in this case I don’t think a quarterback add to this team would be merely to add depth. Ryan Tannehill was once a player I had really high hopes for, but now he essentially needs to be replaced. I could see a free agency add occurring here–possibly Teddy Bridgewater, Tyrod Taylor, and Ryan Fitzpatrick, in my opinion.
Wide Receiver: As I stated above, this is a team that had no number one receiving option. After Jarvis Landry left last offseason, there was a massive hole that couldn’t be replaced with the likes of Kenny Stills. I anticipate a wide receiver being drafted with their 13th pick in the upcoming draft.
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills had an interesting season. They were able to pull off a devastating win against the Minnesota Vikings early in the season before the team started to fall into a groove. The team had a late season boom and was able to end with a 6-10 record, earning them the 9th pick in the draft. This offseason they will also have a small class of free agents of 12 players. Notable players being Vontae Davis (CB), Ryan Groy (G), Jordan Mills (RT), and John Miller (G).
As you can tell, their free agent situation will not be a difficult one to handle. I included Groy, Mills, and Miller in the notable players above because this is an opportunity for the Bills to replace most of their offensive line, which finished 26th in the league.
Anticipated Team Adjustments
Running Back: The team is still using the aging LeSean McCoy, who had a very uneventful season. This could be a sign for a change at the position. While I do not think the team is looking to bench McCoy, I believe that it would be logical to add a pass catching running back to split snaps with him. Getting this player off of free agency could easily be done. Players like Ty Montgomery and Jalen Richard would meet this goal fairly cheaply.
Edge Rusher: Buffalo has a fairly decent defense, but could use an extra edge to bring their defense into dominance. One particular free agent I could see going to Buffalo would be line backer Anthony Barr, who has been an excellent player for Minnesota for the past couple of years. Barr is a durable and aggressive defender that would take Buffalo’s defense to the next tier.
Interior Offensive Line: Giving Josh Allen enough time to move and complete passes would be the most important thing that this team needs to do. At the end of the season, Allen had two receiving options that seem to be stepping forward (Zay Jones, and Robert Foster). Both of whom I would love to have on a fantasy team, especially if Buffalo gets pass protection for their young quarterback.
New York Jets
The very first play of Sam Darnold’s career turned into a pick six by the Detroit Lions. However, this did not foreshadow his entire season. He finished the season as the 23rd quarterback in passing yards–not a horrible place to end up in a rookie season. As a team, the Jets finished with a 4-12 record, which merely sets them up with the third pick in the draft. This is a team that has made their way into the top twenty just once in the past five years. This is due to a number of factors, however this year you would have a tough time persuading me that their ranking has anything to do with their quarterback.
Here is a team that ended up ranking as the 25th defense overall (26th against rushing and 24th against passing yards), and on the other side of the ball, had no definitive offensive playmaker. Their offensive line ended up ranking 25th, according to Pro Football Focus.
Recent Changes
Other than the several coaches they named to positions, the team recently released Spencer Long. Long was a member of their offensive line in 2018 as a center and a left guard. He played in 13 games this past season.
Anticipated Team Adjustments
I have already heard buzz that the Jets could be a landing spot for Le’Veon Bell. Personally, I would rather see this team put its focus on adding offensive line talent to the team. They need to protect their young quarterback and allow him time to get the ball to his wide receivers.
Interior Offensive Line: If the New York Jets can produce an offensive line that can protect the quarterback, I could see Darnold making a huge impact. He has several skilled weapons that he could pass to: Quincy Enunwa, Robby Anderson (if he resigns in free agency), and Chris Herndon. Having better protection for Darnold should be at the top of their priority list.
Wide Receiver: As I said above, Darnold has weapons that he could use in Enunwa, Anderson, and Herndon. But if Anderson leaves the team this year, the team will be clearly lacking depth at the position. Even if he stays, there is always the possibility of injury to one or more of these players.
The possibility of Le’Veon Bell ending up on any team is exciting, but the Jets are a team that have at least two running backs that could make an impact if their offensive line was better. Personally, I would like to see a full season of Isaiah Crowell and Elijah McGuire as their primary running backs. As long as the team is able to make the right adjustments elsewhere, these two running backs could be the way to go.
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