2023 NFL Offseason Rankings, Part I: Breaking down which teams thrived, stumbled with their roster building

Training camps will be here in around month, which means the blur that is the NFL offseason — the NFL Scouting Combine, free agency, pro days, the NFL Draft as well as organized team activities and minicamps — are all in the past. That makes right now a great time to evaluate which teams crushed the offseason and which ones fell behind after the league’s wheeling-and-dealing period. The rankings below are weighted on which teams did the best to position themselves as Super Bowl contenders while also having a coherent vision going forward given the cap space and draft capital each team had entering the 2023 offseason.

The latter part of the equation, the plan forward and actions executed to pave the way forward on the respective roster-building paths, is critical in how these rankings panned out. The Detroit Lions had some of the best draft capital of any team in the league, four picks in the first two rounds, but their team isn’t that much more improved after the draft than it could have been. Meanwhile, the top of this list is led by contenders who maximized their cap space and draft picks to become more formidable going into 2023 and beyond. Now that the table has been set, dig into the CBS Sports cumulative offseason rankings from best to worst. 

We begin Thursday with teams ranked 17-32, and will conclude the list Friday with 1-16.

The Seattle Seahawks’ contract extension for first-time Pro Bowl quarterback Geno Smith may have been the best value contract in the NFL. The 32-year-old played like a top five quarterback in 2022 after years of profiling as a backup quarterback, so Seattle signing him to a three-year, $75 million contract without any guaranteed money after 2023 achieves two key successes for the team: It allows  the Seahawks to retain their starting quarterback at an affordable rate while also not committing to him past his age-33 season. This deal makes Daniel Jones‘ new contract look like an even larger overpay, which will be detailed further down this list. 

GENO SMITH (2022 SEASON)	STATS	NFL RANK
Comp Pct	69.8%*	1st
Pass Yards	4,282*	8th
Pass TD	30	4th
Passer Rating	100.9	5th

* Seahawks’ single-season record

Selecting Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with their second first-round selection, 20th overall, was also a major win as he was reportedly the only wideout with a “first-round grade” in multiple teams’ books. Bringing franchise legend, eight-time Pro Bowl inside linebacker Bobby Wagner back home after a one-year sabbatical with the Los Angeles Rams is a feel-good deal (one-year, $5.5 million) that will also help them upgrade at that spot in 2023. 

However, the status of both of their lines remain questionable. New Seattle Seahawks defensive end Dre’Mont Jones, who signed a three-year, $51 million contract in free agency, has recorded a minimum of 5.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss in every season since 2020 after shifting to the defensive end spot from defensive tackle after his rookie year in 2019. Last season with the Denver Broncos, Jones had a career year with 6.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss. Seattle will need much more than that from him plus a similar season from returning outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (9.5 sacks in 2022 after 15.0 career sacks from 2018-2021)  in order to raise their team quarterback pressure rate above league average (33.3%, 15th best in NFL last season). 

On the offensive line, Phil Haynes and Evan Brown are being promoted to starters at right guard and center, respectively, after moving on from two 2022 starters, guard Gabe Jackson and center Austin Blythe. They’re asking a lot from relatively untested players in a year in which expectations are significantly raised after the Seahawks’ 2022 breakout. 

The Baltimore Ravens’ national nightmare is over: MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson is now signed to a long-term deal (five years, $260 million), so the future at the game’s most important position is, expensively, secure in Baltimore. Sure, the price tag was higher than if they had gotten serious about negotiations a year or two ago, but it’s all water under the bridge now. 

The front office also put to bed the narrative that they haven’t surrounded Jackson with adequate pass-catching talent this offseason with the signing of three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year, fully guaranteed $15 million contract as well as with the first-round draft selection of Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers, one of the 2023 draft’s most precise route runners. Jackson shouted out those two teammates Flowers and Beckham in addition to former first-round receiver Rashod Bateman, plus tight ends Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews, his top target since coming to Baltimore, in his new contract presser. Those five and new offensive coordinator Todd Monken give Jackson a chance to produce as a passer like he never has before. 

There’s still work to be done defensively. Current free agent pass-rusher Justin Houston was the only Raven to record six or more sacks last season (9.5), but he’s 34 years old now. Currently, it appears as if Baltimore is banking on the development of 2021 first-round pick outside linebacker Odafe Oweh (24 years old) and 2022 second-round pick outside linebacker David Ojabo (23 years old). The Ravens would benefit from bringing Houston or Yannick Ngakoue, another former Raven, into the flock right before training camp. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars finally had a stable offseason, providing actual continuity for quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the rest of their young roster. They did a solid job reinforcing the offense with their first three draft picks: Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison (27th overall, first round), Penn State tight end Brenton Strange (61st overall, second round) and Auburn running back Tank Bigsby (88th overall, third round). Harrison is nice Cam Robinson insurance, Brenton Strange is nice Evan Engram insurance and Bigsby is a strong in-between-the-tackles runner who will complement Travis Etienne quite nicely as a tandem. 

The Jaguars spent a ton of money last offseason to upgrade their roster, but their biggest 2023 offseason “acquisition” is No. 1 receiver Calvin Ridley being reinstated from his gambling suspension. Yes, they acquired him in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons last November, but Ridley is actually allowed to join the team now. The last season the 28-year-old played in full was 2020 when he totaled 1,374 receiving yards, the fifth most in the entire league. Christian Kirk is one of the best slot receivers in the league, but Ridley gives Lawrence a true outside guy. 

With a little over $12 million remaining in cap space, perhaps Jacksonville could’ve added one more difference-making pass-catcher or pass-rusher. Maybe a return for Ngakoue? However, they’re positioned well to dominate the AFC South going forward. 

The New York Jets paid a premium for the 39-year-old version of four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XLV MVP Aaron Rodgers, but it was absolutely a move general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh needed to make. Gang Green had a top five scoring defense in 2022 (18.6 points per game allowed, fourth best in the NFL), but they also had Zach Wilson, who is the first passer since Ed Brown in 1957-58 with the worst passer rating in the NFL in back-to-back seasons.

Rodgers, who owns the two highest single-season passer ratings of all time, posted his lowest as a starter (91.1) in his future Hall of Fame career last season as he battled through a broken thumb on his right hand, his throwing hand. Provided the offensive line can keep him clean, Rodgers should look a lot closer to the 2020-2021 NFL MVP version of himself than the injured shell of 2022. The pressure is on for Rodgers to help end the Jets’ 12-year streak of missing the playoffs, tied for the longest in North American professional sports along with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, but the cost paid for him can easily be offset by a deep playoff run in 2023. 

The Houston Texans, like the Carolina Panthers, hopped off the retread quarterback rollercoaster and finally settled with a legit, young passer they can develop. Providing him two of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s top targets in tight end Dalton Schultz — one of five tight ends with 2,000 or more receiving yards (2,000) and 15 or more receiving touchdowns (17) since 2020 along with the Chiefs‘ Travis Kelce, the Ravens‘ Mark Andrews the 49ers‘ George Kittle and the Vikings‘ T.J. Hockenson — and Noah Brown on cheap deals (one-year, $6.3 million for Schultz and one-year, $2.6 million for Brown) is good business. Third-round wideout Nathaniel “Tank” Dell could grow nicely with Stroud as they already have a strong rapport. Former Buffalo Bill Devin Singletary is a nice complement to Dameon Pierce in the backfield. 

However, Houston’s offseason was also marred by some questionable decision-making. Casting away Brandin Cooks for only fifth- and sixth-round picks after it could have flipped him for top-three round selections at last season’s trade deadline is a whiff. Robert Woods could be productive in his place, but he looked many steps slower in his return from an ACL tear in 2022 with the Titans. The largest head-scratcher is how they selected third overall pick defensive end Will Anderson Jr. He was far and away the most productive pass-rusher in the entire draft, but the acquisition cost was astronomical. They moved up nine spots from No. 12 to No. 3, but in exchange they surrendered their 2023 second (33rd overall pick), their 2024 first-round pick and 2024 third-round pick. Houston will regret this move unless Anderson becomes a superstar because there’s a good chance the Texans earn the right to be picking in the top 10 again next offseason. 

The New York Giants had a strong 2023 Draft. They snagged one of the most athletic cornerbacks in the draft in Maryland’s Deonte Banks, also one of the draft’s better defensive backs when it comes to man coverage. Selecting arguably the draft’s top center in Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz Jr. addressed a significant need on the interior of the G-Men’s line, and it didn’t preclude them from getting 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt out of Tennessee in Round 3. New York made two other moves for slot receivers, resigning Sterling Shepard on a one-year, 1.3 million contract plus former Indianapolis Colt Parris Campbell (one year, $4.7 million).

Acquiring Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller in exchange for a third-round pick was a savvy, low-risk move. If he remains healthy, there’s Daniel Jones’ new No. 1 target. If not, his contract is fairly easy to move off starting in 2024. Extending 25-year-old defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence on a four-year, $90 million was fair market value given he recorded career bests in sacks (7.5), tackles (68), tackles for loss (seven) and quarterback hits (28). His 92.4 Pro Football Focus pass rush grade led all interior defensive lineman last season.

However, re-signing quarterback Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million deal appears to be an overpay at this point in time. Brian Daboll, the 2022 NFL Coach of the Year, helped transform Jones from one of the most turnover prone quarterbacks in the league (his 1.29 turnovers per game ranked as the third most among qualified passer from 2019-2021) to the best at limiting his mistakes in 2022 (0.50 turnovers per game, the fewest in the NFL among qualified quarterbacks last season). Daboll helped Jones reach this newfound efficiency by designing an offense that led to him averaging 6.42 air yards per pass attempt, the second fewest in the league among qualified quarterbacks, ahead of only washed-up Matt Ryan’s 5.99 figure with the Indianapolis Colts. 

Paying a quarterback an average of $40 million per year who operates at his best when running an incredibly buttoned-up, conservative game plan doesn’t make sense. Jones’ next step in his development is being able to throw deep regularly, which could likely lead to him reverting back to the turnover-prone play that caused the front office to decline his fifth-year option last offseason. To be fair, his receiving options were less than ideal, but basing this deal off beating the only team in NFL history to reach 12 or more wins with a negative point-differential — the 2022 Minnesota Vikings — in the postseason seems unwise. A contract closer to the Geno Smith ballpark (three years, $75 million) would have made a lot more sense than paying him Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford money. 

Inside linebacker Bobby Okereke’s contract of $40 million over four years is too rich given most players at his position are paid fewer than $10 million on an average-per-year basis. He’s an upgrade for a past-his-prime Jaylon Smith, but that’s not saying much. The Giants still need to figure out a way to make Saquon Barkley happy with his compensation because Jones’ passer rating goes from 91.4 when playing with the Pro Bowl running back to 77.3 without him. 

23. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts had started a different quarterback in each of their last six Week 1s. Indianapolis hopes it has finally broken the wheel with  its fourth overall draft pick, Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, the passer with the best athletic traits in the entire draft. However, Indy left his supporting cast nearly untouched from a season ago with the exception of signing former Buffalo Bills receiver Isaiah McKenzie, a player who never rose above being the third or fourth option in Buffalo, and drafting North Carolina’s Josh Downs in the third round. A lot of faith is being placed in rebounding from a depressing 2022 when it comes to their offensive line. Quenton Nelson, a regular All-Pro, seemed a step slow and unsure in 2022 after dealing with ankle and foot injuries at the tail end of the 2021 season. 

Protecting Richardson’s blind side is second-year left tackle Bernhard Raimann, a player who suited up at tight end in his first two years at Central Michigan in 2018-2019. That’s a lot of faith and perhaps the weight of the franchise’s future being placed in Raimann’s hands. On the other side of the ball, there are more question marks with Stephon Gilmore now a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Rookie Julius Brents, the Kansas State cornerback who was Indy’s second-round pick, will likely be asked to start right away on the outside, so more will be required out of its pass-rush, whose 30% quarterback pressure rate ranked was the fourth lowest in the entire league. The Colts snagged the 49ers‘ second-leading sack artist from a year ago, Samson Ebukam (5.0 sacks in 2022), on a three-year, $24 million deal as a result. He’s a nice complementary piece, but there’s a chance he struggles without reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa drawing most of opposing offensive lines’ attention. 

The Cleveland Browns weren’t able to make many moves this offseason as quarterback Deshaun Watson’s acquisition cost of three first-round picks plus a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed extension that absorbed much of their maneuverability. Safety Juan Thornhill (three years, $21 million) and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (four years, $57 million) represented their big free agency splashes. Thornhill struggled to hold onto his starting safety spot for two years (2020 and 2021) before regaining it a year ago, so adding another up-and-down defender to a defense that didn’t live up to its potential may not work out. 

Za’Darius Smith appears to be a nice value add after sending a couple future fifth-round picks to the Minnesota Vikings, but this is a player who has quit on each of his last two teams. He pouted his way off the Green Bay Packers when his teammates didn’t vote him as a captain starting in 2020, and while his 10 sacks with the Minnesota Vikings last season look nice on paper, only 1.5 of them came in Week 9 or later. Smith isn’t a willing run defender also, so a lot of responsibility falls on new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s shoulders to keep him engaged throughout the season. 

Offensively, Cleveland overpaid to acquire former Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore as moving down from the second round (42nd overall to the third round (74th)  for a player who fell out of favor with coaches and teammates acts as a bailout for the Jets. As a result, the depth is thin behind Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper, so the Browns are left praying the 2022 season in which Jacoby Brissett outplayed Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback was a rust-related issue only. 

25. Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are stuck with one foot in the win-now mode and one foot in rebuild mode. Kirk Cousins, entering the last year of his contract, is throwing to the reigning Offensive Player of the Year in wide receiver Justin Jefferson in an Aaron Rodgers-less NFC North. That provides hope, but at the same time, the team released Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook despite him being 27 years old and not showing huge signs of slowing down. Minnesota also let Patrick Peterson walk in free agency after his 45.1 passer rating allowed in coverage ranked as the third best in the entire NFL in 2022 among those targeted at least 75 times, trailing only Eagles corner James Bradberry (44.5) and Jets Defensive Rookie of the Year Sauce Gardner (44.9). 

Yes, he’ll be 33 in 2023, but if the goal is to win the division again, letting a player like that walk is confusing. The Vikings do earn plenty of points for hiring Brian Flores as their new defensive coordinator after Ed Donatell’s conservative approach turned their defense into the second worst in yards allowed per game (388.7) in the entire NFL. Replacing an aging Adam Thielen with USC receiver Jordan Addison, their first-round pick and one of the smoother route-runners in his class, makes sense. Byron Murphy Jr. on a two-year, $17.5 million deal is a solid value signing given his age (25) and ability to play multiple spots in the secondary. 

Keeping both Thielen and Cook through the first wave of free agency limited their ability to improve for 2023. For a team that faceplanted against tougher competition to the point that they became the only team in NFL history to reach 12 or more wins with a negative point-differential (-3), it feels like they’ve hit their ceiling with this group. The 2023 season will be a fascinating test to see what living in no-man’s land looks like, especially for Kirk Cousins. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht aught to take a bow for dancing around the $35 million in dead cap space caused by Tom Brady’s second retirement to retain linebacker Lavonte David (one year, $4.5 million), their defensive leader, and cornerback Jamel Dean (four years, $52 million), who in tandem with Carlton Davis forms one of the NFC’s top cornerback duos. Tampa has the defensive horses to challenge the New Orleans Saints for the NFC South throne even without Brady, but relying on Baker Mayfield isn’t a sturdy option. He could be the 2023 Geno Smith veteran breakout quarterback while throwing to four-time Pro Bowl wideout Mike Evans as well as Pro Bowl receiver Chris Godwin. Mayfield could also highlight why he’s played on three different teams in the last two seasons since he has exactly 26 passing touchdowns and 26 turnovers as a starting quarterback across 24 starts spanning the last two years. 

However, the Buccaneers should be in a good spot to reset the deck in 2024 once Brady’s dead money is off the books no matter how well or poorly 2023 goes. Just in time for the Caleb Williams and Drake Maye draft. 

27. New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints’ signing of Derek Carr to a four-year, $150 million deal (two years, $70 million in terms of money he’s definitely going to see) has likely locked them into the NFC South title in 2023, but there’s a ceiling here. New Orleans needs Michael Thomas to play ball in 2022 and serve as the No. 2 option in the passing game behind second-year rising star Chris Olave. The problem is Thomas has played only 10 games since setting the NFL’s single-season receptions record in 2019. 

Plus, almost every key player on their roster has had their contract restructured, meaning the Saints are set to have about -$61 million in cap space entering the 2024 offseason, the lowest figure in the league according to OverTheCap.com. Since this is their reality, they had to let almost all of their starters on their defensive front — defensive tackle David Onyemata, defensive end Marcus Davenport and outside linebacker Kaden Elliss — leave in free agency. New Orleans utilized its first two draft picks on defensive linemen — Clemson’s Bryan Bresee (29th overall) and Notre Dame’s Isaiah Foskey (40th overall) –, but there’s no guarantee that they’re impact players right away. The way the Saints handled their running back room indicates they feel a suspension is looming for Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara, signing Jamaal Williams to a three-year, $12 million deal and drafting TCU’s Kendre Miller in the third round.

However for a salary cap-starved team like New Orleans, Williams’ money could’ve been better allocated to positions of higher value. The Saints roster is stacked up like a house of cards for 2023, but it could come tumbling down in 2024. 

28. Atlanta Falcons

Selecting a running back in the NFL Draft’s first round, especially the top 10, in today’s NFL eschews many major positional value trends. A team doing so when they already had a top three rushing offense (159.9 rushing yards per game, third best in the NFL in 2022) and a 1,000-yard running back in Tyler Allgeier, who put up 1,035 on the ground on nearly five yards a carry (4.9) as a fifth-round rookie makes the Bijan Robinson pick at No. 8 overall a head-scratcher. It’s likely Falcons head coach Arthur Smith viewed Robinson as his new Derrick Henry after coaching the last 2,000-yard rusher in Tennessee, but Atlanta could have used that pick in so many better areas. It could have even traded down and added additional future draft capital. 

Instead, the Falcons are rolling into 2023 with two capable running backs and uncertainty at quarterback in second-year passer Desmond Ridder. Atlanta signed Taylor Heinicke over from Washington to be his sparkplug backup in case he falters, but Ridder was a check-down machine, averaging 6.2 yards per pass attempt in his four starts last season while facing the Baltimore Ravens without Lamar Jackson, the Arizona Cardinals without Kyler Murray and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the regular-season finale (Blaine Gabbert and Kyle Trask for over half of the game). The only full-time starter Ridder faced was then-Saints quarterback Andy Dalton. Atlanta didn’t have a ton of pressure against them to go score-for-score in those starts, but they averaged under 20 points per contest (19.3, the 10th-fewest in the NFL from Weeks 15-18) in those games. 

Nothing from that sample size provided a surefire impression that Ridder is going to be a long-term starter in the league. Defensively, the Falcons did a good job importing help: They signed safety Jessie Bates III (four years, $64 million), 2010’s All-Decade Team member Calais Campbell (one year, $7 million), edge rusher Bud Dupree (one year, $3 million), cornerback Mike Hughes (two years, $7 million), linebacker Kaden Elliss (three years, $21.5 million), defensive tackle David Onyemata (three years, $35 million) and traded for former top three draft pick cornerback Jeff Okudah in exchange for a fifth-round pick. Bates and Onyemata are keepers, but most of these acquisitions feel like Ridder does on offense — a one-year band-aid before another overhaul. The Falcons could threaten to keep pace in the NFC South in 2023, but it’s more likely they’re back in the top 10 of the 2024 NFL Draft. 

29. Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are as low as they are in these rankings because they repeatedly spent resources on lesser value players instead of investing in more valuable positions of need. Detroit used its 12th and 18th overall draft picks on Alabama running back Jaymyr Gibbs, the second-best running back prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft, and Iowa inside linebacker Jack Campbell while failing to find Aidan Hutchinson another pass-rushing difference-maker on the other side of their defensive line. Those picks look even more wild when they opted to spend at running back and inside linebacker in free agency prior to the draft, signing former Chicago Bear David Montgomery to a three-year, $18 million contract and re-signing inside linebacker Alex Anzalone to a three-year, $18.8 million deal. 

Sure, they used their two second-round selections on Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta (34th) and Alabama safety Brian Branch (45th overall), both solid prospects, but those are four players at some of the least valuable positions in the NFL. At least general manager Brad Holmes fixed their most glaring weakness, one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL (274.8 passing yards allowed per game, 30th in the NFL). Signing former Pittsburgh Steelers 28-year-old cornerback to a three-year, $33 million deal is a steal given his 54.6 passer rating allowed in coverage was the fifth best in the NFL last season among 50 players with at least 75 targets against them. Picking up safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, whose six interceptions with the Philadelphia Eagles last season were tied for the most in the NFL, on a one-year, prove-it deal was shrewd business. Ditto for the one-year, $6 million contract for former 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley, a solid contributor when healthy. 

Detroit had a tremendous opportunity to solidify themselves at top-shelf positions along the offensive line, defensive line or even at wide receiver after Amon-Ra St. Brown, but they failed to do so with one of the best draft treasure chests this offseason. Instead of making themselves a surefire, annual favorite to win the NFC North year after year, they positioned themselves for potential questions about their contention window as early as 2024. 

30. Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams hit the eject button on many of the veterans on their roster, correctly assessing that getting younger and cheaper around Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald is the move going forward. Trading away Jalen Ramsey for a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long, someone most NFL fans couldn’t pick out of a lineup, hurts this year, but the move will allow them to have close to $50 million in cap space next offseason, $48.5 million to be exact, according to OverTheCap.com. 

However, it is disappointing they didn’t really sign anyone in free agency to supplement their roster. Selecting All-American guard Steve Avila out of TCU with their second-round pick, 36th overall, is a nice step in the direction to better protect 35-year-old Matthew Stafford, but doing just a little bit more on either offense or defense would be nice considering their Big 3 is too good for them to end up with Caleb Williams. Yannick Ngakoue, a consistent sack producer and current free agent, would thrive next to Aaron Donald. 

The Las Vegas Raiders thought they had a legit AFC West contender in 2022, but they failed dramatically as franchise all-time leading passer Derek Carr is now a New Orleans Saint, something All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams certainly didn’t think was going to happen to his best friend a year ago. Now, Davante Adams is disgruntled. The worst part about the Carr deal is the extension they handed him a year ago hurt their ability to trade him, so they had to release him for nothing. Chandler Jones did nothing to make his three-year, $51 million contract look like a good idea last season as well.

Deciding to go all-in on being New England Patriots West with former Patriots current general manager Dave Ziegler and head Josh McDaniel bringing in quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (three years, $72.8 million), wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (three years, $33 million) seems questionable when Garoppolo has major health concerns with his foot and Meyers makes the homegrown Hunter Renfrow seem redundant in the slot. Tight end Michael Mayer in Round 2 was a nice Darren Waller replacement for down the road, but his development could be stunted with an injury prone Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer and fourth-round rookie Aidan O’Connell atop the quarterback depth chart.

Not shelling out for running back Josh Jacobs is smart given the position and how his career had been trending downward until he led the league in rushing yards last season. However, without him on the field, the offense could struggle in a big way. The Raiders went all-in on McDaniels getting the best out of Carr, Adams and Waller as an offensive trio, but now only one remains as the franchise stares into a big, black hole of a future on offense. 

32. Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans were so close to hitting the full reset button this offseason, but new general manager Ran Carthon couldn’t quite bring himself to unload quarterback Ryan Tannehill (34 years old) and running back Derrick Henry (29 years old) as they enter the final years of their contracts. Moving them would put the franchise in a prime position in the Caleb Williams sweepstakes. Instead, Carthon brought in veterans at offensive tackle in Eagles former first-round pick Andre Dillard as well as interior offensive lineman Daniel Brunskill plus defensive lineman Azeez-AL Shaair and edge rusher Arden Key. Those last three names are all familiar faces from Carthon’s time in the San Francisco 49ers front office.

The Titans made some swings for a better offensive future, selecting the draft’s most refined blocker, Northwestern offensive lineman Peter Skoronski 11th overall, as well as stopping Kentucky quarterback Will Levis‘ slide down the draft board at 33rd overall. However, Tennessee is still incredibly bare at receiver and tight end as head coach Mike Vrabel’s 10 career receiving touchdowns moonlighting as a goal-line tight end while starting at linebacker for over a decade in the NFL are more than any active player on his present-day roster. The Titans are in the rough spot of not having a clear-cut direction, still needing to unload some key veterans, and lacking talent at critical positions (wide receiver, offensive line, and in the secondary). Carthon would be wise to blow it up at the trade deadline in 2023 and look toward a better future for 2024 and beyond.