The Daily Briefing Friday, May 29, 2026

AROUND THE NFL

49ers DE NICK BOSA has noticed that he should play five games this year on artificial turf this fall – in stadiums that now are full of lush FIFA grass.  He finds a supportive listener in Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: With the World Cup coming soon, multiple NFL stadiums have torn up their artificial turf and installed high-quality, FIFA-compliant grass pitches. Then, after the tournament ends, the grass will be removed and replaced with artificial turf again. 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, whose team will play five 2026 games at stadiums that perform the turf to grass back to turf transformation, was asked about the decision to switch the surfaces at those venues to grass before putting the fake stuff back in. “Yeah, it’s a little bizarre,” Bosa said, “but what can you expect?” That says it all. It’s all about money. It’s cheaper to have turf for NFL games. And it’s expensive, but necessary, to install grass in order to make the extra money that comes from hosting World Cup games. The 49ers will play this year at Seattle (Week 5), at Atlanta (Week 7), at Dallas (Week 10), at the Giants (Week 13), and at the Chargers (Week 15). All five stadiums will have grass for the summer before returning to artificial turf. In 2020, Bosa suffered a torn ACL on artificial turf at MetLife Stadium. (He tore the ACL in the other knee on grass in 2025.) And while the fact that he has torn an ACL on each surface will prompt some to say there’s no difference, the difference between playing on grass and fake grass is obvious to anyone who does it — which is why 92 percent of players prefer grass.

NFC NORTH

DETROITBill Barnwell of ESPN.com likes the work done by the Lions in re-stocking the offensive line: Best: Replenishing the offensive line. Detroit’s line wasn’t up to its usual standards in 2025. The Lions finished 20th in run block win rate and 31st in pass block win rate. Their success rate on run plays fell from sixth in 2023 and 2024 to 25th in 2025. And given Jared Goff’s large on/off splits with regard to pressure — Goff ranks third in the NFL in EPA per play when unpressured over the past three years but 27th in the league when pressured — the Lions need to make sure they’re running the ball effectively and staying out of obvious passing situations to protect their quarterback. Facing a pending cap crunch with extensions for several young starters, general manager Brad Holmes did pretty well. The Lions cut veteran Taylor Decker and moved Penei Sewell to left tackle, where he excelled as a rookie while Decker was injured. Sewell was an elite left tackle prospect coming out of Oregon and should do just fine on Goff’s blind side. He’ll be replaced on the right side by first-round pick Blake Miller, whose experience as a four-year starter at Clemson should make the 22-year-old an immediate contributor at the pro level. The Lions also cut Graham Glasgow at center and replaced him with Panthers center Cade Mays, who spent several years as Carolina’s backup interior lineman before doing solid work in pass protection as the team’s primary center for most of 2025. It would have been nice to see the Lions add more at guard besides 49ers lineman Ben Bartch, who wasn’t a regular during his time in San Francisco, but Lions fans will hope Holmes did enough to get the Lions back on track up front.

MINNESOTABill Barnwell of ESPN.com approves of the contract given to QB KYLER MURRAY: Best: Signing Kyler Murray to a one-year deal. Well, this one’s easy. Even if you think Murray is the 20th-best quarterback in football, we’ve seen lesser QBs sign for massive deals in recent years in free agency. Malik Willis just got $45 million guaranteed over two years with the Dolphins. Justin Fields took home just over $20 million for his one year with the Jets. Daniel Jones, who might be a roughly comparable quarterback, landed a $50 million guarantee from the Colts while coming off a torn Achilles. The Vikings are getting Murray for the league minimum, with the Cardinals on the hook for the majority of what’s owed this season to the 2019 first overall pick. There’s more to roster-building than sheer surplus value, but no deal has the potential to offer more upside in 2026 than this one. And given that the Vikings were facing down another season with J.J. McCarthy as their primary option under center, Murray addresses what might be their biggest position of need. Barring the opportunity cost of finding out that McCarthy’s suddenly the quarterback they expected to land in the first round two years ago, the Murray acquisition offers virtually no downside and a massive amount of upside.

NFC EAST

NEW YORK GIANTSBill Barnwell of ESPN.com is not a fan of the extension of GM Joe Schoen: Worst: Extending Joe Schoen. The Giants got this one in at the last second, as they signed their general manager to a new deal last week. It comes after Schoen’s role in the front office was reportedly a sticking point in negotiations between the Giants and new head coach John Harbaugh, who now has final say in personnel while reporting directly to ownership. Schoen’s track record in four years hasn’t been overwhelming, as the team has gone 22-45-1 over his four years in New York. After a surprising trip to the playoffs in his first season with the organization, Schoen mishandled the two biggest decisions of his tenure, as he chose to franchise Saquon Barkley while signing Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million extension. A year later, Schoen let Barkley leave for the rival Eagles in free agency, while Jones quickly became an albatross on the roster. To be fair, Schoen didn’t exactly inherit a great situation from Dave Gettleman, who left New York’s cap in a mess. But take a look at Schoen’s top-100 picks from 2022 to 2024 — the Giants repeatedly drafted a player who wasn’t as good as the next player who came off the board at the same position. Malik Nabers’ injury makes that evaluation difficult, but fellow top-10 picks Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal have been disappointments, and the only players from that bunch likely to start in 2026 are safety Tyler Nubin and slot cornerback Dru Phillips. The 2025 draft was better, with Abdul Carter and Dart showing promise as rookies. And it’s entirely possible that Schoen and Harbaugh have become a great fit and work really well together. But Schoen had a year left on his deal. Were the Giants really going to be stuck if they let Schoen play out the final year of that contract before deciding whether he was an essential part of the organization and in need of an extension? Would anybody be surprised if Harbaugh wants to bring in some Ravens executives 12 months from now?

PHILADELPHIABill Barnwell of ESPN.com thinks the Eagles will miss OL Coach Jeff Stoutland: Worst: Losing offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. Few positional coaches are more known and beloved locally than Stoutland, who joined the Eagles as part of the Chip Kelly experience in 2013 and stuck around after Kelly was fired. Stoutland has played a huge role in developing a number of Eagles linemen over the past few years, including Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens. The line wasn’t as effective last season, owing in part to injuries and in part to a scheme that didn’t have many answers when the line wasn’t dominating. It was no surprise when the Eagles fired offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, but they weren’t able to smooth things over with Stoutland, who was disenfranchised by late-season changes to the offense and the arrival of new coordinator Sean Mannion. Stoutland said he decided not to return, although it was unclear whether he was going to be offered the same role as run game coordinator in 2026. New line coach Chris Kuper had mixed results developing players in Minnesota. The Eagles have one of the league’s best O-lines on paper, but star right tackle Lane Johnson is 36, and there isn’t high-end depth behind the starting five. The offense wasn’t great with Stoutland in the fold a year ago, but the Eagles might look back and wonder why they let one of the best positional coaches in football leave the building.

NFC SOUTH

ATLANTABill Barnwell thinks QB TUA TAGOVIALOA is a shrewd bargain: Best: Signing Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year deal for $1.2 million. As was the case with Murray and the Vikings, signing a starting-caliber quarterback for the veterans minimum is the best possible deal any team can strike in free agency. Even if Tagovailoa never plays for the Falcons, Atlanta landed a player who would profile as one of the best backup quarterbacks in football as security for the returning Michael Penix Jr. (knee). Teams are paying $7 million for guys like Marcus Mariota and Davis Mills this year. Tagovailoa has shown a higher floor and ceiling than those passers. And if the Falcons do need the lefty to play meaningful snaps in 2026, Tagovailoa should be good competition for Penix. He has posted a 59.1 Total QBR since entering the league, and although 2025 saw him fall to a career-low 37.5 mark, Tagovailoa was up at 57.1 as recently as 2024. Penix has posted a 55.3 Total QBR over his first two years as a pro passer, but that’s over only a 12-game sample, with him having sat behind Kirk Cousins for most of 2024 before tearing an ACL in 2025. If Tagovailoa is a league-average quarterback, the Falcons landed a player who could be valued at $40 million per season for the league minimum. And if he’s not, well, they’re out a little over a million bucks.

NEW ORLEANSBill Barnwell of ESPN.com on the Best and Worst of the Saints offseason: Best: Stocking the cupboard for Tyler Shough. After a promising half-season as the starter in 2025, the Saints understandably gave Shough a clear path to their starting role ahead of Spencer Rattler (and new addition Zach Wilson) in 2026. There was already a fair amount for Shough in terms of playmakers, as the Saints have a legit No. 1 wideout in Chris Olave and a tight end in Juwan Johnson who ranked third at the position in receiving yards last season. Having traded draft capital for Devaughn Vele and Ja’Lynn Polk in 2025, the Saints could have moved forward with those guys and made minor additions to Shough’s supporting cast this offseason. Instead, the Saints plowed forward and made significant upgrades. First-round pick Jordyn Tyson’s stock rose throughout the draft process, and although there are injury concerns about the Arizona State prospect, there were observers who saw Tyson as the best wideout in this class. The Saints added inline tight end Oscar Delp on Day 2 and small-school athletic phenom Bryce Lance at wide receiver in the fourth round. With Noah Fant also signing a two-year deal for $8.8 million, coach Kellen Moore has the flexibility to go to 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TEs, 2 WRs) or even 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TEs, 1 WR) groupings this coming season if so inclined. I wrote about Travis Etienne Jr. and why I’m not sure the Jaguars are really worse off without the former first-round pick on the AFC side of things, but his four-year, $48 million deal makes more sense for the Saints than it did for the Jaguars. It’s easier to stomach paying a league-average back $24 million over the next two years when your quarterback is making just over $3.1 million over that same span, as Shough will in New Orleans. Trevor Lawrence is set to make $79 million over those same two seasons. Etienne should be an upgrade on Alvin Kamara, who has averaged 3.9 yards per carry since Drew Brees’ retirement and might end up as a cap casualty in New Orleans. Worst: Spending for solid veterans in free agency. While there are certainly reasons to be optimistic about the future in New Orleans as many of the veterans who were stuck on the team’s cap fall off this offseason and some of the young players emerge as core contributors, the Saints still look like they’re a couple of years away. They won six games against one of the league’s easiest schedules a year ago, failing to win a single contest against a team that posted a winning record in 2025. They got there as the league’s 10th-oldest team, including its third-oldest defense, which carried the team. (The Saints were 27th in EPA per play on offense and 10th on defense.) They’ll be younger in 2025 given some of their departures, as stalwarts such as Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis saw their contracts expire. The Saints could afford to be active in free agency. I would have liked to see them go for players who offered more upside or have their best years ahead of them. Instead, a win-soon team made win-now decisions. David Edwards is a borderline Pro Bowl-caliber guard, but to get the Bills lineman, the Saints had to guarantee part of his third contract year at signing — a perk no other player in free agency landed. That’s something we typically see only for truly elite players at premium positions. Edwards is 29, but there’s nothing wrong with adding a very good player to help build around Shough. But did the Saints really need to shell out for a back who hasn’t been much better than league average in Etienne, even given his local ties? Kaden Elliss is an underrated player and a valuable blitzer, but the returning former Saints draftee turns 31 in July. He’s younger than Davis, but is this a team that really needed to pay a premium for a solid linebacker? None of these moves is awful in a vacuum, and I don’t dislike the players involved, but I’m just not positive they’re the right moves for this particular team this far away from contention. In an ideal world, the Saints would be using their draft picks to land running backs, guards and linebackers who project to get better in the years to come while rolling over some of their money to future seasons. Here’s where Mickey Loomis’ habit of trading up and/or sending picks away for veterans doesn’t help matters. The Saints never trade down, and although they added picks over the past two years by trading away Marshon Lattimore and Rashid Shaheed, they also sent a fourth-round pick (and a 2027 seventh-rounder) to the Broncos for Vele and a sixth-rounder in 2027 to the Patriots for Polk, then blocked those guys on the depth chart with the wide receiver moves I mentioned earlier. They’ve moved up for players such as Kool-Aid McKinstry and Jake Haener in recent years with very mixed results. This team should be focused on stockpiling young talent as opposed to fielding a team that might push to win eight games in 2026.

TAMPA BAYBill Barnwell is puzzled by the departures of WR MIKE EVANS and CB JAMEL DEAN: Worst: Failing to persuade either Mike Evans or Jamel Dean to return. It’s never fun to lose franchise stalwarts. And while it’s one thing when a veteran like David reaches the end of his playing career, the Bucs weren’t able to bring back a pair of players who had put excellent work on film in recent years. Evans was hit by injuries in 2025, but he had one of the most efficient seasons of his career in 2024, when the future Hall of Famer averaged 2.6 yards per route run. Dean posted a 63.1 passer rating in coverage in 2025 while missing just 2.1% of his tackle attempts. The veteran corner should have been a Pro Bowler ahead of alternate selections Nahshon Wright and Keisean Nixon in the NFC. Even worse, neither player signed an exorbitant deal in leaving Tampa Bay. Evans’ contract with the 49ers is really a one-year pact for $14.3 million. Dean joined the Steelers, who don’t guarantee multiple years for players who aren’t future Hall of Famers, meaning his three-year, $36.8 million deal looks more like a one-year, $13.5 million contract. The Bucs are in a tight cap situation when you consider that Baker Mayfield is coming due for a raise this offseason, but those are more than fair deals for players who still project to play at a high level in 2026. At the same time, the Bucs might never have had the opportunity to sign Evans at that number, given that the star reportedly wanted a new challenge and the opportunity to play in San Francisco. Licht prepared for this scenario by using his top two picks in last year’s draft on wideout Emeka Egbuka and cornerback Benjamin Morrison, although the latter struggled when called upon as a rookie. The Buccaneers will survive and remain competitive in the NFC South, but it hurts to see key players leave for relatively reasonable contracts elsewhere without landing anything in return.

NFC WEST

ARIZONACount Bill Barnwell as not being favorably disposed towards the drafting RB JEREMIYAH LOVE: Worst: Drafting Jeremiyah Love with the third pick. It’s the right player in the wrong situation. Love profiles as a fantastic running back prospect, just as Ashton Jeanty, Bijan Robinson and Saquon Barkley did in years past. It’ll be extremely difficult for Love to live up to those expectations in Arizona, where the Cardinals have one of the league’s least-imposing quarterback rooms and offensive lines. Passing up potential defensive difference-makers such as Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs makes leaning into running back a difficult proposition, especially given that the Cardinals had already signed Tyler Allgeier to work alongside James Conner. Even if Love does emerge as a standout back, the finances of the running back position already cap what teams typically want from their first-round picks. By signing a fully guaranteed four-year, $53 million contract, Love has already realized the largest guarantee for any back in football by a considerable margin. His $13.3 million average salary makes Love the eighth-highest-paid back in the league from day one. If he works out, he offers modest savings on what the Cardinals could have acquired by signing a veteran back like Kenneth Walker III in free agency. If the Cards had landed Reese and turned him into a valuable edge rusher, they would have found a player worth $40 million per season while paying him that same $13.3 million salary. And history tells us that we shouldn’t be any more confident about teams being right about backs than we should be about players at any other position, even given Robinson’s success with the Falcons. With the market for running backs staying relatively flat over the past decade, it has become much more reasonable and logical to pay backs on second contracts than to use high draft picks to land them in Round 1. There might be a team for which using a first-round pick on a running back makes sense, but that team isn’t the 2026 Cardinals. I hope (and expect) to see Love enjoy a lengthy, successful career in Arizona, but the Cardinals had bigger issues to address in Round 1 of the draft.

LOS ANGELES RAMSQB MATTHEW STAFFORD does not think he is rounding third and heading for home just yet, as he prepares for his 18th season.  Michael David Smith ofProFootballTalk.com: Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is now under contract with the Rams through the 2027 season, and he says his hope is that he’s playing at least that long. The 38-year-old Stafford told Pat McAfee that he would like to keep playing beyond this year. “I’m happy to be in Los Angeles right now with the sun beating down on my face and another year under my belt coming up, and hopefully some more football after that. I love playing this game,” Stafford said. Stafford said he and his family discuss whether he should retire, and so far everyone is on board with him keeping it going. “My body feels pretty good, luckily, which is great,” Stafford said. “Those conversations are family things. I talked about those with my wife and my kids. They love watching me play, they want me to keep doing it as long as I feel good and I feel excited about it, which I am,” Stafford said. The Rams are already planning for a future without Stafford by drafting quarterback Ty Simpson in the first round. Stafford said he’ll attempt to manage the end of his career in a way that works for the Rams. “It is something delicate,” Stafford said. “I’ve got to navigate the end of it, and I’m not sure when that is. I want to be fair to our team, but I also want to be fair to myself and take this thing year to year. But at the same time, I love playing, and I’m excited about this season.” Stafford is heading into his sixth season with the Rams after playing 12 with the Lions. Whether he’ll retire as a Ram or perhaps go elsewhere when it’s time for Simpson to take the reins of the Rams’ offense remains to be seen, but he’s hoping that his 18th NFL season will not be his last.– – -Back from rehab, WR PUKA NACUA holds a press conference.  Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com: Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua met with the media for the first time since completing rehab this offseason. “Some of the things I feel like I’ve learned is it’s OK to ask for support and to recognize that the platform that I have being a professional football player,” Nacua said, via Tyler Dragon of USA Today. “And trying to use that for the betterment of myself and for those around me, and the people that have supported me.” Nacua expressed gratitude for support from the Rams and those in his circle. “This offseason I’ve been really grateful for the support from the organization, especially my teammates, people reaching out at different times of the offseason just checking in,” Nacua said. “I’m just really grateful for the people around me and in this organization.” Nacua is facing a civil suit from a woman who accuses him of biting her on the left shoulder after a group dinner in Los Angeles on Dec. 31. The woman, who is Jewish, has also accused Nacua of making an antisemitic statement during dinner. The plaintiff, Madison Atiabi, is seeking damages for assault and battery, gender violence and negligence. Nacua checked into a treatment center in Malibu this spring.

SEATTLEBill Barnwell thinks the Seahawks failure to upgrade the offensive line could be their undoing: Worst: Not doing more to upgrade the offensive line. I know, I know. The Seahawks won the Super Bowl while people like me were complaining that the interior of their offensive line (Grey Zabel aside) wasn’t good enough. I wouldn’t say that the line was great, but on the biggest stage, it was indeed good enough to win a title. With the defense taking hits in free agency and Kenneth Walker leaving for the Chiefs, though, I would have liked general manager John Schneider to put a little more into building the line. His only addition was fifth-round pick Beau Stephens. Adding someone to offer competition for right guard Anthony Bradford, whom teams targeted throughout the season, or extra depth to help if oft-injured right tackle Abraham Lucas doesn’t play all 17 games after doing so for the first time in 2025, would help. But then again, I also said that last year, and it didn’t matter.

AFC WEST

LAS VEGASAt less than full health TE BROCK BOWERS caught 64 passes last year for QB GENO SMITH and company.  Now, he’s at 100% for QBs KIRK COUSINS and FERNANDO MENDOZA.  Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com: Raiders tight end Brock Bowers made five catches for 103 yards in Week 1 of last season, but he injured his knee. He played through it the following three games, making only 14 catches for 122 yards before the Raiders shut him down until Week 9. Bowers made 64 receptions for 680 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games in 2025, well short of his rookie season. He is again full speed, while practicing with the team in organized team activities. “I feel great,” Bowers said Thursday. “I mean, it feels good to be back out there, practicing at full speed. Getting back into football with all the guys again. I had a good offseason working out, staying healthy and trying to get back to 100 percent.”

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTONQB C.J. STROUD sounds slightly impatient as all his teammates are getting new contracts.  DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com: – C.J. Stroud feels he has done his part to earn a contract extension but says he isn’t focused on the negotiations with the Texans. The Texans’ Pro Bowl quarterback, whose fifth-year option for 2027 was picked up in April, is eligible for an extension for the first time since arriving in 2023 as the second overall pick. It has been a discussion within the Stroud camp, but he said he won’t let it affect his daily approach. “I let my agent handle that. If it’s time to do it, then it is,” Stroud said at OTAs on Thursday. “My job is football. That’s what I’m focused on, just getting better. I think I’ve held my bargain up. Whatever happens, happens.” Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson arrived in epic fashion as back-to-back picks in 2023 when the Texans doubled down on a bold, franchise-altering vision. Anderson reset the market for defensive ends this offseason, agreeing to a three-year, $150 million deal that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. There hasn’t been much indication that the Texans and Stroud are approaching a deal. In his three years in Houston, Stroud has compiled 28 regular-season wins (seventh most during that span), a 54.9 QBR (20th), 10,876 passing yards (ninth), 62 touchdown passes (tied for 14th) and 25 interceptions (12th fewest among quarterbacks with at least 30 starts). He has led the Texans to two AFC South titles and a wild-card berth as Houston has won its opening playoff game in blowout fashion each of the past three seasons. But his counting stats have regressed each year, and he missed three games last season with a concussion suffered in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos. Stroud also struggled with ball security (seven total turnovers) in January’s playoff games, throwing four first-half interceptions in the divisional round loss to the New England Patriots. Stroud said that while he is not dwelling on the playoff loss, the struggles have added to his motivation. “I am a motivated person regardless,” Stroud said. “Of course, [the playoff struggle] helps. I have learned to let failures and successes go quickly.” Coach DeMeco Ryans said he has been pleased with what he has seen from Stroud as the duo enter Year 4 together. “C.J. has done a great job all offseason,” Ryans said. “First time he’s had a full offseason, he’s been dedicated to the work.”

INDIANAPOLISWith WR MICHAEL PITTMAN shipped to Pittsburgh, Stephen Holder of ESPN.comlooks at the 2026 Colts receiving corps: – Just six wide receivers saw more targets than Michael Pittman Jr. from 2021-25, a list that includes some of the NFL’s best wideouts. Only Davante Adams, Ja’Marr Chase, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill had more than Pittman’s 646 targets for the Indianapolis Colts over the past five seasons. And Pittman proved his value by handling that volume despite having different starting quarterbacks in each of those seasons. All of which begs an important question: Are the Colts prepared to weather the trade of Pittman to the Pittsburgh Steelers, or do they need more? The March 9 trade was something of a financial necessity given Pittman’s increasing salary-cap figure for 2026 and the Colts’ decision to keep fellow receiver Alec Pierce on a massive contract extension. But with no major acquisitions in free agency or the draft, are the Colts equipped to recreate their offensive fireworks of 2025 without one of their top pass catchers? “He’s going to be missed on this team and in this city,” coach Shane Steichen said of Pittman. The Colts anticipated this day might come as Pierce began to heat up over the past two seasons and created a huge market for himself in free agency this spring. He signed for four years and $114 million. Couple that with the Colts’ decision to move forward with Daniel Jones as their quarterback, signing him to a two-year, $88 million deal in March, and Pittman’s contract became unmanageable. Trading Pittman to the Steelers cleared $24 million in salary-cap space for Indianapolis. He’s never been a big-play receiver, averaging 10.8 yards per reception in his career. But he was consistently reliable and had reliable hands in tight windows, which is why quarterbacks kept throwing to him. “Sometimes you’ve got to make financial decisions that you don’t always like, but you have to,” general manager Chris Ballard said. “Sometimes there’s ways to squeeze around it. But this was a case where, financially, to do some of the things we wanted to do, we had to do it.” But now what? Unless and until the Colts make a move at receiver, replacing Pittman will primarily be a collective effort between Pierce, tight end Tyler Warren and slot receiver Josh Downs. “More targets for those guys,” Steichen said. “… I’m excited for those guys’ opportunity.” Pierce, given his salary and the Pittman departure, is going to have to assume a bigger role. He had a career-high 84 targets last season in his first 1,000-yard effort, but that was still just the fourth-most targets of any Colts player. The Colts’ go-to receiver is likely to be Warren, who had flashes of dominance as a rookie in 2025 and tied for sixth among tight ends in targets (112). That was the most among Colts players, just ahead of Pittman (111). But a wildcard in all of this is Downs, who experienced career lows in targets (88), receptions (58) and receiving yards (566) in 2025. Now, he enters the final year of his rookie contract, presumably looking for a lucrative extension. There could be an opportunity for him to get back to the kind of production he showed in his first two seasons, when he averaged 70 catches and 787 yards. “I think getting lost in this a little bit is… Josh Downs,” Ballard said. “I think Josh Downs is freaking good. I do. I’ve always thought he’s good. I think allowing him some more opportunities, we’re going to see some of the special stuff you’ve seen in the past, but more. So, that’s part of it too.” But even if all those players reach expectations — always a bold prediction — there is still the matter of depth. An injury to one of the Colts’ primary receivers means players like special-teams ace Ashton Dulin or veteran backups Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Laquon Treadwell could be pressed into a central role. That’s hardly ideal. The Colts did little to address the position in free agency beyond adding Westbrook-Ikhine and waited until Round 7 of the NFL draft to select former Oklahoma speedster Deion Burks. Indianapolis has left the door open to adding a free agent still on the market, and the team’s ample remaining cap space could allow it to do so. The current crop of free agents includes veterans like Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen and Deebo Samuel, all of whom would be upgrades from the team’s current depth. But those players’ decisions on next steps might not come until the weeks leading up to training camp, the Colts believe. For now, though, the Colts head into 2026 trying to reestablish their passing game without a player who was one of their most important contributors.

AFC EAST

NEW YORK JETSQB GENO SMITH knows how remarkable it would be if he were to come back to the Jets and thrive this year.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: Geno Smith’s return to the Jets this offseason offers both the team and the player a second chance at the kind of success that eluded them the first time they were together. Smith was a Jets second-round pick in 2013, but his two years as a starter featured 34 interceptions and his run may be best remembered for the moment when he lost the job because he had his jaw broken by a teammate with a locker room punch. Smith wound up bouncing around the league until finally landing another chance to start with the Seahawks. Smith exceeded expectations in that role, but a 2025 trip to the Raiders was reminiscent of his time with the Jets and led to the offseason trade that gave him the chance for the kind of career twist that Smith thinks would sound like something out of Hollywood. “I mean, that’d be like a story in a movie, right?” Smith said, via the team’s website. “I mean, it’s kind of like one of those superhero movies. But you know, my life is based on reality, and we got to focus on getting better every single day. God has blessed me to play in the league this long and to have an opportunity to come back here. I’m very, very grateful for that, because they don’t come too often, these opportunities, you have to cherish them. And that’s the way I look at it . . . I really cherish this opportunity, I really look forward to again just going to practice tomorrow and trying to get better, and that’s the way I’m going to treat this entire year, and the rest of my career.” Most recent Jets seasons would be better fits for the disaster genre than the superhero one, so there will be plenty of doubts that Smith can move those thoughts from fantasy to reality. If he does, it would only make for a better story when and if the 2026 season ever winds up on the big screen.

THIS AND THAT

THE CHALLENGESteve Sarkisian of Texas still believes that playing an SEC schedule is some kind of superhuman gauntlet and recently cast some aspersions at Texas Tech, left behind in the lowly Big 12.  Tech coach Joey McGuire now makes a put up or shut up offer. Shehan Jeyarajah of CBSSports.com: Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire challenged Texas and Steve Sarkisian to schedule the Red Raiders in Week 1 after Sarkisian’s disparaging comments about Texas Tech’s schedule.  The Longhorns and Red Raiders both have Week 1 games scheduled against Texas State and Abilene Christian, respectively. However, McGuire — a former Texas high school coach — said that he’s already spoken to Keith Patterson at ACU and GJ Kinne at Texas State, and both were willing to buy out of their games and play each other instead.  “We’re willing to buy our contract out of ACU,” McGuire said. “I’m sure because Texas has got a lot of money, they can buy their contract out, but I do know there’s a lot of Red Raiders that could help them buy that contract out if they don’t want to, and they can come to Lubbock in Week 1 and figure out if their twos and threes can win this conference.”  “I do know that [megabooster] Cody Campbell reached out to Stephen Jones, so if they don’t want to come to Lubbock, then we’re going to work on trying to get to AT&T Stadium,” McGuire said. “So if they want to play Week 1, we’re ready. We would love to play the University of Texas.”  What Sarkisian saidSarkisian was asked about strength-of-schedule ratings by a fan at the Touchdown Club in Houston last week. Multiple figures in the SEC have complained about the committee not respecting strength of schedule enough after the 9-3 Longhorns were left out of the CFP.  “There’s a team in our state that plays in another conference that has a schedule that I would argue if I played with our twos and our threes, we could go undefeated, and they’ll probably make the CFP this year,” Sarkisian said.  McGuire asked a staff member to pull up Sarkisian’s remarks after seeing them on social media to make sure that he had all the context.  “There’s no way they’re talking us because Sark’s a pretty tough guy, his teams are really tough, and I would think that if he was talking about us, he would call us out, right?” McGuire said. “Like he wouldn’t just say this kind of comment of, well, there’s another team in our state. Well, I guess he was talking about us.”  Where both teams finished last yearTexas was the first preseason AP No. 1 team to finish outside of the top 10 since USC in 2012. While the Longhorns missed the postseason, Texas Tech captured the No. 4 seed and a first-round College Football Playoff bye after winning the Big 12 for the first time. The Red Raiders lost 23-0 to Oregon in the Orange Bowl.  Both Texas and Texas Tech are regarded as top CFP and conference title contenders heading into 2026. The Longhorns project as having one of the most difficult schedules in college football, including a marquee home matchup against Ohio State. After the collapse of the legacy Pac-12 left Oregon State hanging, the Red Raiders do not have a Power Four nonconference opponent. They also miss both BYU and Utah on their schedules.  Texas and Texas Tech have played more than 70 times, including annually as members of the Big 12 and Southwest Conferences. McGuire pulled an upset over the Longhorns during Texas’s last game in Lubbock in 2022. However, the Longhorns got the last laugh in Austin during their farewell tour through conference, a 57-7 decision. Remember, the SEC did secure five of the 12 bids to the CFP last year – at the expense of a 2nd bid for the Big 12 (BYU) and the previous year’s finalist Notre Dame.  None of those five teams made the final game and only one (Georgia) made the semis – because the committee set it up so it got to beat another SEC team in the Round of Eight. We should note though that Texas does play Ohio State in Austin on September 12.  It’s other two non-conference games are Texas State and UTSA, with all three non-conference games at home. Texas plays seven of its first eight games at home, then three of the last four on the road.

IMPROVED POSITION GROUPSBen Solak of ESPN.com identifies 10 position groups around the NFL that made significant improvements since the end of last season (the Commanders have two of the ten): With the dust settled, I listed the 10 positional groups I think improved the most from the end of 2025 to kickoff of the 2026 season, specific to teams. Plenty of groups that made big acquisitions failed to make the cut, as their standard of play from last season was too high to begin with. For instance, Alex Anzalone and Josiah Trotter make a great new linebacker duo in Tampa Bay, and I admire how well the Buccaneers filled that hole. But they only had such a great need because they lost Lavonte David to retirement, and he was a great player right until the end. I’m focusing more on the biggest net gains from last season to now, not just the best additions. As such, here are my 10 groups that have taken the biggest leap over the past few months — and what we can expect from them moving forward. 1. Arizona Cardinals running backsIn: Jeremiyah Love, Tyler AllgeierOut: Michael Carter, Emari DemercadoFive running backs had at least 40 touches for the Cardinals last season, which is too many running backs. Injuries to James Conner and Trey Benson forced Arizona into a three-man rotation with Carter, Bam Knight and Demercado. Carter and Knight were the early-down ball carriers, while Demercado was the third-down scatback. Carter and Knight were also two of the six worst rushers by yards over expectation last season, per NFL Next Gen Stats. Carter averaged 0.8 fewer yards than expected per rush; Knight was just above him at 0.7. Demercado, hilariously, was the league leader in rushing yards over expectation per carry at 2.5, thanks in large part to a few explosive third-down draws. Of course, one of those ended with a self-inflicted fumble at the 1-yard line, such that Demercado ended up with one of the worst EPA per carry numbers of the season. The returns of Conner and Benson from injury will help this group out some. But Benson has failed to move the needle in his first two years as a pro and has endured two leg injuries in two years. Conner, who joined the Cardinals with an injury reputation but has been generally healthy, suffered a gnarly foot/ankle injury in 2025 and only returned to the Cardinals on an adjusted contract. (He was a cut candidate otherwise.) In need of a more trustworthy primary ball carrier, the Cardinals signed Allgeier in free agency from the Falcons. A bruiser between the tackles, Allgeier was a 1,000-yard rusher before the Falcons drafted Bijan Robinson in 2023, at which point he became a thunderous change-of-pace back. For a moment, it looked like he might reclaim the lion’s share of the carries with the Cardinals … until they drafted Love with the third pick. At this point, the Love and Allgeier combo makes the Cardinals’ RB room one of the league’s most improved positional groups, hence the No. 1 overall ranking here. Love has the lightning-quick speed and tackle-breaking ability to pair nicely with Allgeier’s gristly style, and he catches the passes on third down that Allgeier doesn’t want to see. Of course, any selection of a back with the No. 3 pick predicts a dominant share of touches, and Allgeier was signed for only $6 million per year, so an even workload split is far from guaranteed. With the drafting of Love, Allgeier becomes an interesting trade candidate. Even in this young NFL offseason, there are teams with fluctuating running backs rooms. Packers RB Josh Jacobs was arrested this week, then released amid an ongoing investigation into domestic violence charges; his status for the 2026 season is in question. Buccaneers RB Bucky Irving is out for the summer and potentially into the fall with lingering shoulder issues. And the Jaguars’ RB room, featuring Bhayshul Tuten and Chris Rodriguez Jr., is still mighty thin. If the Cardinals want to trade Allgeier, despite signing him to a multiyear free agent contract just months ago, they should have suitors. 2. Las Vegas Raiders linebackersIn: Quay Walker, Nakobe DeanOut: Devin White, Elandon Roberts, Jamal AdamsIt’s a total overhaul in Las Vegas, as not one of the four linebackers to get over 200 snaps last season returns to play for the Raiders. (Germaine Pratt, the fourth, was cut during the season.) Not only are all four no longer Raiders. None of the four has signed with another team so far. White, who had a Raiders-record 174 tackles last season, still has some utility as a run-stopping linebacker with the size and speed to see the field in sub packages. Similarly, Roberts is a physical run defender who deserves a roster spot somewhere. But neither should have been an every-down starter last year — especially beside one another, given the redundant skill sets. There was a lot wrong with the Raiders franchise last season, but even with a good coaching staff and healthy secondary, this linebackers room was a nonstarter. GM John Spytek overhauled the group with a pair of old teammates: Walker and Dean played beside one another as Georgia Bulldogs in 2020 and 2021 before parting ways in the 2022 draft. Dean and Walker are a complementary duo. Dean might be undersized, but he has many traits of a prototypical signal-calling Mike linebacker: great recognition and instincts, plus physical tackling skills. With Dean calling the plays, Walker will be freed to play more run-and-chase roles, which suits his size and speed strengths. Walker’s experience wearing the green dot in Green Bay insures the Raiders against a potential long-term Dean injury, as availability has been an issue at times for Dean. He missed time with a foot injury in 2023 and a knee injury (suffered in the 2024 playoffs) in 2025. The Raiders anticipate moving to a 3-4 front structure under new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard, and reading between the lines of their offseason moves, I expect them to play with extra DBs on the field as much as possible. Second-round rookie safety Treydan Stukes and incumbent safety Jeremy Chinn are both great box players, and it’s unlikely the LB3 on this roster gets many snaps. Leonard is a Mike Macdonald-inspired coach, and those defenses have needed a dynamic playmaker at linebacker (Roquan Smith, Ernest Jones IV) to fit the run from light boxes. In Dean and Walker, the Raiders have two solid options. 3. Washington Commanders linebackersIn: Leo Chenal, Sonny StylesOut: Bobby WagnerOne of the more brutal declines of the past few years has come from Wagner. As smart as they come, Wagner has continued racking up tackle numbers even in the twilight of his career, with 162 last season and a career-best 183 in 2023 with the Seahawks. He was making All-Pro teams as recently as 2024 for his incredible durability and nose for the ball carrier. But Wagner’s lack of speed was a glaring weakness for the Commanders’ defense over the past two seasons. In 2025, Wagner’s max speed topped out at 18.2 mph, according to Next Gen Stats’ tracking data — fifth slowest among starting off-ball linebackers. His average speed — 9.1 mph — was dead last. The difference between Wagner and second worst (Cody Simon) was as large as the difference between Simon and 14th worst. Wagner lacked explosiveness and change of direction along with true top-line speed, and as such, he could not get where he needed to be in coverage. He allowed a 109.4 passer rating when targeted, 12th among all linebackers. The 444 yards after the catch he gave up were the most of any linebacker in the league. In free agency, the Commanders let Wagner hit the open market and signed Chenal from the Chiefs as a potential replacement. Chenal is younger and faster than Wagner, and in new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones’ system, he will be used as a rusher from on- and off-ball alignments. But Chenal was a rotational player in Kansas City who didn’t spend much time in coverage, and his role in the new defense could be redundant with incumbent Frankie Luvu’s ideal job. More was needed. The stars aligned in the draft when Ohio State LB Styles fell to Washington at No. 7. Styles is a converted safety who brings the coverage chops sorely lacking in Washington’s linebackers room. At his size (6-foot-5 with an 81-inch wingspan) and with his speed (4.46-second 40-yard dash), he occupies a ton more space in zone coverage than the average LB. Styles hasn’t taken a snap of NFL football yet, so I don’t want to get over my skis here, but this is a player with revolutionary potential. Washington’s linebackers were a mark for opposing offenses last season. This year, they should be a far faster and more versatile group — one that forces offensive attention elsewhere. 4. Tennessee Titans wide receiversIn: Carnell Tate, Wan’Dale RobinsonOut: Van Jefferson When your top-pick rookie quarterback ends up heavily targeting two Day 3 rookie receivers, your WR room needs some help. Elic Ayomanor, a fourth-rounder, paced the Titans last season with 89 targets; fellow fourth-rounder and special teams ace Chimere Dike had 74 targets, just behind tight end Chig Okonkwo (79). Both Ayomanor and Dike showed valuable flashes as playmakers, but neither did enough to emphatically secure a full-time role in the offense. Ayomanor struggled with drops — his catch rate of 44.4% was 12.7% below expectation by Next Gen Stats’ model, fifth worst among all receivers. Dike was a wonderful returner with great speed but couldn’t connect with Cam Ward on deep patterns and struggled to break tackles on underneath routes. Both Dike and Ayomanor ended the season averaging 1.0 yards per route run: 211th and 212th, respectively, among 238 high-volume receivers. The Titans could not reasonably anticipate development from Ward, who was plenty flashy as a rookie, with this room as it was. In free agency, the Titans snagged Robinson, who was a handy slot maven for offensive coordinator Brian Daboll when he was the head coach of the Giants. Robinson spent a little more time out wide last season and got targeted deeper accordingly. He had 17 deep targets after 10 total in the previous two seasons. His blossoming was largely the result of Malik Nabers’ seasonlong absence but is still only good news for the Titans, as Robinson can be a three-level option if need be. Hopefully he will remain more of a slot player with high-volume underneath games, as Tate joins as the traditional WR1 with huge downfield potential. While Tate looks the part of that traditional WR1, he does lack the bona fides; during his time with Ohio State, he was the WR2 to Jeremiah Smith. Yet that role gave him downfield opportunities on shot plays, where his ball tracking and catch radius shined. Tate is capable of playing the field-stretching Robin to Robinson’s Batman, should the Titans end up distributing targets on a game-by-game basis between their two new receivers. There were no major losses in the Titans’ receivers room. Jefferson had 52 targets on 583 snaps, but his advanced numbers were worse than those of Ayomanor and Dike. If a healthy Calvin Ridley offers any meaningful contributions, this is suddenly a fairly deep room with a few good bets on a reliable, dangerous wide receiver emerging for Ward. 5. Cleveland Browns offensive lineIn: Spencer Fano, Tytus Howard, Elgton Jenkins, Zion Johnson, Austin BarberOut: Joel Bitonio, Jack Conklin, Ethan Pocic, Cam Robinson, Wyatt Teller No unit in the league was more emphatically overhauled than Cleveland’s offensive line. Five of the six leading snap-getters from last season are no longer with the team, and three of them (Bitonio, Teller and Pocic) were multiyear starters. It’s tough to measure just how poorly that interior trio played, as the carousel at both tackle spots hamstrung the entire unit. But the Browns were 31st in adjusted line yards (according to FTN Fantasy), 20th in pass block win rate, 24th in run block win rate and 32nd in quick pressure rate surrendered. It was comfortably a poor unit. Out with the old, in with the new. The Browns could potentially field a starting offensive line made entirely of players they’ve acquired in the 2026 league year. Howard, acquired from the Texans via trade, figures to start at right tackle. First-round pick Fano will man the left side. Jenkins, cut by the Packers, has played better at guard than at center in his career, but with the big free agent signing of Johnson, Jenkins looks like he’ll stick at center with Cleveland. The other guard spot comes down to incumbent Teven Jenkins and Barber, a third-round rookie who played tackle in college but is likely to convert to guard in the league. There isn’t one individual move here that blows me away as a clear upgrade. We’ve seen worryingly poor play from Jenkins, Howard and Johnson in recent stretches — that’s why they were available. But collectively, the infusion of new blood makes it likelier the Browns hit big on at least one acquisition. Say Fano is a lights-out rookie tackle, or Johnson sees the light bulb turn on in a new ZIP code. Just two plus starters would move the needle considerably from last season to this season. There’s a lot of jelling to do in the new group — and just one injury could reshuffle the whole deck. But given how poor the Browns’ line was last season, an average group in 2026 would easily qualify for the most improved positional groups. 6. Los Angeles Rams cornerbacksIn: Trent McDuffie, Jaylen WatsonOut: Cobie Durant, Darious WilliamsYou knew they’d be here. The Rams traded a first-round pick (and then some!) for McDuffie, then snagged his teammate Watson in free agency not a week later, rebuilding the cornerbacks room that was their Achilles’ heel during last season’s run through the NFC playoffs. This is a tricky one, because the Rams’ cornerback play wasn’t bad in a vacuum. In fact, over the past two seasons combined, Durant’s numbers were some of the best among league corners: 6.4 yards per target ranks 13th, behind mostly big names like Quinyon Mitchell, Pat Surtain II, Derek Stingley Jr., Christian Gonzalez … and McDuffie. But Durant did need to have a defense structured to make his play style work. Defensive coordinator Chris Shula ran a ton of zone and rarely asked his corners to align up at the line of scrimmage. That protected Durant, who lacks great speed or size, from chasing receivers all across the field. Durant allowed very little yardage but also forced few tight-window throws (17.9% of targets, well below the league average of 24.1%). That’s why players like Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and Ahkello Witherspoon have gotten run for the Rams in recent years — Shula was looking for a press-man option. Durant was pressed on 18% of his snaps last season, while Forbes was 26.3% and Witherspoon was 33.5%. As such, the story of the Rams’ cornerback improvement starts not with McDuffie, but with Watson. A suffocating presence at the line at 6-2 with over 32-inch arms, Watson is at his best winning the physicality battle in the first 5 yards. He isn’t a perfect player (see: George Pickens film in 2025), but he’s multiple tiers better than Forbes and Witherspoon. He will give Shula the tools he needs to play more man coverage, as will McDuffie, who is a wonderful press technician despite below-average 5-11 size. The Rams will major in zone coverages and big cushions, and Watson can still play in those (and McDuffie will thrive in them). But Shula can be much more versatile in how he picks his matchups now that he has the pair of new cover men. Watson can handle the traditional X receivers who tend to give McDuffie issues (think Mike Evans), while McDuffie can travel inside and outside with versatile receivers (think Jaxon Smith-Njigba). Both can still zone off, and their pre-snap alignments won’t reveal Shula’s post-snap intentions. On both talent and scheme, this is a big leap. 7. Cincinnati Bengals defensive lineIn: Boye Mafe, Dexter Lawrence II, Jonathan Allen, Cashius HowellOut: Trey Hendrickson, Joseph OssaiThe 2025 Bengals were dead last in pass rush win rate (28.8%). Getting only seven games from Hendrickson contributed to that performance, of course — but even then, Hendrickson was not his typically dominant self on passing downs. First-rounder Shemar Stewart looked even rawer than anticipated, and the much-needed ascension of Kris Jenkins Jr. or free agent signing T.J. Slaton Jr. on the interior simply did not occur. The pass-rushing performance is worrisome, but the Bengals couldn’t even get opposing offenses behind the sticks and let their pass rush out of the gate. Cincinnati had a defensive stuff rate — that’s rushes of zero or negative yardage — of 10.2% by Next Gen Stats’ numbers. No defense has stuffed runs at a worse pace in the past five years. Enter Lawrence. Though the Giants’ rushing defense had numbers as poor as the Bengals’ in some cases, it actually got stuffs at a pace above league average. Lawrence (when healthy) is one of the few defensive tackles in the league who can anchor in space without losing ground and also create tackles behind the line of scrimmage with first-step penetration. The steep price the Bengals paid for Lawrence’s services — the 10th overall pick — is a testament to how badly they needed his presence on the interior. Both of last year’s starters (B.J. Hill and Slaton) return as rotational players alongside Lawrence and Allen, who is beyond his best ball but can still create splashes in limited snaps. Cincinnati should be much stronger in the core of its defense this season. And in Mafe, the Bengals have added a defensive end with the size and toughness to create further stops in the running game. They should actually get to third-and-longs this season. Here, they might feel Hendrickson’s absence. But the addition of Howell in the draft gives them a speed rushing presence that pairs nicely with Mafe, Myles Murphy and Stewart (from whom they need a step forward in Year 2). This is a much deeper and more balanced unit than it was last season. 8. New York Giants linebackersIn: Arvell Reese, Tremaine EdmundsOut: Bobby OkerekeEarlier, I highlighted an NFC East team with a slow-footed veteran linebacker in need of an athletic spark. I could copy-paste much of that analysis here and call it a day. The Commanders shed Bobby Wagner in favor of Leo Chenal and Sonny Styles. The Giants, meanwhile, are moving on from Okereke, whom they released before the final year of his deal. Okereke, like Wagner, simply struggled to move last season. His average speed of 9.8 mph was 13th slowest among off-ball linebackers. He had better chops in coverage but had issues securing tackles. After Okereke’s running mate Micah McFadden went down with a Week 1 injury, a rotation of alternatives (Darius Muasau, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Zaire Barnes) did little to elevate the group. The Giants swapped Okereke for Edmunds, who himself was a cap casualty in Chicago. Edmunds was drafted a year before Okereke but is younger, bigger and faster — he just has a larger range of influence, even if he still has mental lapses on the field. Had Edmunds been the only change, the Giants’ linebackers room wouldn’t have sniffed this list. But he’s not. New York also adds Reese with the fifth pick, and that is exciting. Reese was discussed as an edge rusher for much of the predraft process, but I’ve always liked him best as an off-ball linebacker. He’s a particularly cool fit beside Edmunds, as both have a blend of speed, length and size not often found at off-ball linebacker. The Giants’ linebackers room certainly wins the title of “first off the bus.” Though Reese was considered a bit of a developmental edge rusher, he’s a ready-made NFL linebacker. He has quality technique for taking on blocks, and though he’ll always be more dangerous as a blitzer than as a dropper, he’s not lost in coverage, either. Reese and Edmunds should give the Giants an infusion of team speed and stopping power at the second level of the defense. And New York’s 2.5 yards allowed before contact per carry last season — the league’s worst figure — should recover back to league average. 9. Los Angeles Chargers tight endsIn: David Njoku, Charlie KolarOut: Tucker Fisk, Will Dissly, Tyler ConklinTwo things are simultaneously true. The first: Oronde Gadsden was a nice find by Chargers GM Joe Hortiz in the fifth round of the 2025 draft, and he settled into a quality role as a downfield play-action target in the Chargers’ offense. The second: If a fifth-round rookie tight end was a breakout star by Week 6, your tight ends room simply was not very good. The Chargers envisioned a big, bruising rotation of tight ends under offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Dissly and Conklin were the Week 1 starters, with Fisk and two-way player Scott Matlock joining as FB/TE move pieces. A knee injury knocked Dissly out of the lineup from Weeks 3-5, but the total blocking performance of the group was unremarkable overall. Dissly has nominal receiving value and struggled in the trenches. Conklin, who was supposed to be the receiving option, had 50 of his 101 receiving yards in Week 1 and then fell off the map. The Chargers didn’t even have rotational pieces to build a tight end in the aggregate, save for Gadsden. The first issue to solve was finding a high-impact blocker to pair with Gadsden. Hortiz called upon an old Baltimore friend in Kolar. Cut from the Dissly cloth (but much younger and still in his prime), Kolar is a legitimate needle mover against defensive ends in the running game. He’s one of a few tight ends in the league that can be trusted to hold his water in one-on-one pass-blocking responsibilities on edge rushers, too. New offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, off the Shanahan tree, will feature a player like Kolar as a lead blocker on the move in his diverse running game. But the Chargers didn’t stop there. The one-year deal they tossed to Njoku postdraft is one of the more exciting team-player pairings of free agency. Yes, Njoku will turn 30 in July and has a deep injury history, with multiple knee injuries in the past two seasons, so the risk is high. But the Chargers guaranteed him only $850,000 and put the bulk of his money in performance incentives, and a healthy Njoku will perform in this offense. Njoku has excellent hands in contested situations and should slide nicely into the red zone role McDaniel used Darren Waller in last season with the Dolphins. Njoku has also improved as a blocker over his time as a pro, and McDaniel will use him as a blocker out of the slot or in space if Gadsden is not yet ready for those asks. With Alec Ingold entrenched as a bona fide fullback, the Chargers will actually get production out of personnel diversity this season. The depth of their tight ends room is a big reason why. 10. Washington Commanders edge rushersIn: Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Charles Omenihu, Joshua JosephsOut: Jacob Martin, Von Miller, Preston Smith, Jalyn HolmesThe Commanders’ leading snap getter at edge rusher last season was Martin. At 30 years old and on his seventh team, Martin played 670 snaps — tied for his career high and more than triple the amount he had in any of the previous four seasons. This was not the plan, of course. The Commanders wanted to start Deatrich Wise Jr. and Dorance Armstrong, but Wise was placed on injured reserve before Week 3 and Armstrong joined him before Week 8. Martin became an early-down player alongside another veteran journeyman (Smith), with Miller and Holmes in rotational support. Smith and Miller were both well over 30 already, while Holmes turned 30 in January. Unsurprisingly, this was not a great rotation. Armstrong was great to start the season, but in his absence, Miller became the Commanders’ best pass rusher with an 11.8% pressure rate — below the season average for starting edge rushers. On the year, the Commanders’ four-man rush had a pressure rate of 30.5%, 23rd in the league. Armstrong is on his way back, but it’s never good when a 29-year-old coming off a torn ACL is a load-bearing part of your pass rush. Washington poured money into the position. It signed Oweh to a deal worth $25 million per year when the legal negotiating window opened and chased that signing with a one-year, $12 million deal for Chaisson. Both of them are speed rushers with recent production spikes; Chaisson’s 7.5 sacks last season for the Patriots were a career best, and Oweh’s 7.5 sacks with the Chargers were accumulated in only 12 games. Oweh and Chaisson are a little lacking in size and staunchness, so the Commanders also added Omenihu, another familiar face to general manager Adam Peters. (He played for the 49ers in 2021 and 2022 when Peters was still in San Francisco.) Omenihu, like Wise, is a player with end/tackle versatility. New defensive coordinator Daronte Jones will benefit from this deep room on late downs, when he wants to flood the defensive line with bodies for every gap, a la Brian Flores in Minnesota. The Commanders still don’t have a true ringer of a defensive end — Oweh was a rotational player with the Chargers even as he was breaking out. But they have a deep group with different body types and much more juice than last season. Good work. Just missed Las Vegas Raiders quarterbacks: There isn’t much analysis to give here. Kirk Cousins and Geno Smith are fairly similar QBs at this stage in their respective careers. But add in the enormous boost of first pick Fernando Mendoza and the Raiders’ QB room is much stronger than it was last season. San Francisco 49ers wide receivers: The 49ers lose Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne but replace them with Mike Evans and Christian Kirk. On the veteran market, that’s an upgrade. Evans in particular brings an element of size and catch radius the 49ers haven’t had under coach Kyle Shanahan. Throw in De’Zhaun Stribling — a talented rookie, if perhaps a tad overdrafted — and the 49ers have a deeper receivers room this year. Houston Texans offensive line: The Texans added Braden Smith, Wyatt Teller and Keylan Rutledge this offseason, completing an offensive line overhaul that began last year with guys like Ed Ingram and Aireontae Ersery. If this were a “most improved over two years” list, they’d be an easy inclusion. I have high expectations for this group overall. Kansas City Chiefs running backs: The Chiefs have had a historically unexplosive running backs room in the past two seasons, as neither Isiah Pacheco nor Kareem Hunt runs away from pursuit when they get into open space. Enter Kenneth Walker III, who has always been a jitterbug playmaker and came into his own with more down-to-down consistency in Seattle’s postseason run. It’s an obvious and much-needed upgrade. New York Jets defensive line: The Jets’ total tonnage of additions in the defensive trenches is hard to argue with: Joseph Ossai, Kingsley Enagbare, David Bailey, T’Vondre Sweat and David Onyemata. Of course, they lost Jermaine Johnson in a trade this past spring, and Quinnen Williams was made a Cowboy at last year’s trade deadline. It’s certainly a deeper group, but I’m not sure there’s a clear plus starter anywhere (besides 2025 breakout Jowon Briggs, one of the league’s best-kept secrets).

WHAT TEAMS DID RIGHTMike Sando of The Athletic sings the praises of all 32 organizations for things they did correctly, in his eyes, this offseason: With most major NFL offseason moves complete, it’s a good time to single out a favorite move for each team. This exercise is always easier for some teams than for others, so some of these “favorites” are relative to what’s available. But we’ve got all 32 teams covered, from Arizona to Washington. And this year, unlike in 2025 at this time, Aaron Rodgers is signed. Arizona CardinalsAdding excitement to a team that didn’t have anyThe Cardinals’ decision to select running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 3 gives the organization something it hasn’t had since the early days of Kyler Murray: a reason to watch the offense. The Cardinals need star power and got it with Love. The lectures about positional value can wait for another day. Atlanta FalconsTaking advantage of the Dolphins’ poor investmentAdding quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for $1.2 million per year, which ranks 60th among NFL quarterbacks and 20th among players Atlanta added this offseason, was a bargain for a team with its own dubious quarterback spending history. There’s a great chance the Falcons will be in the market for another quarterback soon, but at least the team is gaining flexibility at the position after its disastrous investment in Kirk Cousins. Baltimore RavensDoing the next best thing to promoting Mike MacdonaldThe Ravens were coming off a 13-win season when they watched Macdonald, their defensive coordinator, take over as the Seahawks’ coach entering 2024. They ideally would have kept Macdonald for themselves, but the timing wasn’t ideal. When the time came to replace John Harbaugh, they pivoted to another defense-minded former Ravens assistant, Jesse Minter. The move gives the Ravens the closest available comp for Macdonald, two years later. Buffalo BillsAdding Jim Leonhard as defensive coordinatorNew coach Joe Brady noted he’s never worked with Leonhard, an indication Brady was interested in hiring the best person, not just a close friend. But the two share many connections through their former boss, Sean Payton, so this wasn’t an unknown hire, either. Leonhard had a market last offseason, but Payton held on to him, promoting Leonhard to assistant head coach. Now, Leonhard returns to Buffalo, where he played from 2005 to 2007, and Buffalo gets a new scheme on the defensive side. Carolina PanthersPushing hard to improve the defense without getting olderThe Panthers dove headfirst into free agency by spending $30 million per year for edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and $14 million annually for linebacker Devin Lloyd. That type of financial investment often signals a win-now mentality, but Phillips (age 26) and Lloyd (27) should be in Carolina for years to come. That makes sense for a team that won its division with an 8-9 record but probably isn’t a true contender right now. Chicago BearsGetting a second-round choice for receiver DJ MooreMoore’s per-game receiving yardage peaked at a career-best 80.2 in 2023, his first year with Chicago. That fell to 56.8 the next season and to a career-low 40.1 under new coach Ben Johnson last season. It was clear where Moore was trending in Chicago after signing a four-year, $110 million extension in 2024. Getting second-round value from Buffalo in return seemed strong. Cincinnati BengalsAcquiring defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence from the GiantsThe Bengals needed to do something big for a defense that ranked 29th in EPA per play last season and has struggled for years. Lawrence, 28, certainly qualifies. The 6-foot-4, 340-pound tackle could become the latest Giants castoff to revive his career elsewhere, as Leonard Williams did with Seattle. Landing Lawrence for the 10th pick in the draft beat trusting the Bengals to find an impact player in an underwhelming draft class. Cleveland BrownsTrading back from No. 6 and still getting the draft’s first OLThis move is less about Spencer Fano, the prospect Cleveland drafted at No. 9, and more about the Browns’ maneuvering to address massive issues on the offensive line. The team had already acquired veteran lineman Tytus Howard, among other reinforcements, heading into the draft. The Browns still needed all the line help they could get in the draft but still showed patience in the first round, maximizing value. Dallas CowboysBackfilling the defense at every chance after trading Micah Parsons last yearIf I’m forced to pick a single move, the selection of Ohio State safety Caleb Downs at No. 11 stands out. But that was simply one part of an overall theme. The Cowboys’ top seven salary slots for newcomers landed on the defense side of the ball with Rashan Gary, Jalen Thompson, Downs, Cobie Durant, P.J. Locke, Malachi Lawrence and Otito Ogbonnia. These were not all marquee additions. It’s possible Gary could have been signed as a free agent, saving the Cowboys cash and a fourth-round choice. But there was no mistaking the defense emphasis, which was needed. Denver BroncosAdding receiver Jaylen Waddle from the DolphinsThe Broncos traded picks in the first and third rounds (plus a swap of fourth-rounders) to Miami for Waddle, a front-line receiver with a contract favorable to Denver. Waddle’s deal runs through 2028, counts less than $5 million against the cap this season and is worth $22.7 million per year from the Broncos’ perspective. He’s a much surer bet than any receiver the Broncos could have selected in the draft. Detroit LionsMaking outside hires to lead the offensive staffThough the Lions’ offense remained strong statistically after coordinator Ben Johnson’s departure to Chicago in 2025, coach Dan Campbell demoted and fired Johnson’s replacement, John Morton, who had been on Campbell’s staff in 2022. Hiring Drew Petzing as offensive coordinator and Mike Kafka as passing game coordinator brings fresh thinking to Detroit as the team navigates roster attrition. Petzing and Kafka have interviewed for head-coaching jobs during recent cycles, an indication they have something new to offer the Lions. Green Bay PackersGetting a 2027 fourth-round pick for Rashan GaryIt’s tough to find moves that made the Packers better this offseason, so we’ll single out a potential victory in the trade market. Most thought the Packers would release Gary, who said his Instagram account was hacked when it briefly carried a farewell to Green Bay while he was still on the team’s roster. Dallas, desperate for pass-rush help after trading Micah Parsons to the Packers last offseason, tried to acquire Maxx Crosby from the Raiders. The price paid for Gary was not steep, but it was something for the Packers in an offseason mostly about future flexibility. Houston TexansExtending pass rusher Danielle Hunter for the short termHunter had 15 sacks last season and should remain productive into the future, but he’ll turn 32 in October, so age could be a consideration. The Texans extended him on a one-year deal through 2027, fitting their short-term aspirations without locking them into anything that affects an already complicated financial future. Indianapolis ColtsUsing the transition tag on quarterback Daniel JonesA case can be made that the Colts didn’t need to tag Jones at all, because he would have given them a chance to match an outside offer. But why take chances with your starting quarterback? The transition tag gave Indy the protection it needed before signing him to a two-year deal at the franchise-tag value. The situation was a little complicated because Jones started hot for the Colts, trailed off and then suffered a torn Achilles tendon. The solution wound up being straightforward. Jacksonville JaguarsSigning running back Chris Rodriguez on the cheapWe’re reaching a bit after an offseason in which the Jaguars lost more established talent than they added, but Rodriguez should fill some of the void at running back after Travis Etienne’s departure to New Orleans in free agency. He started seven games for Washington last season and averaged 4.5 yards per carry on 112 attempts. His production held strong on 15 rushes from 13 personnel, a grouping Jacksonville plans to use more in 2026. Kansas City ChiefsSigning running back Kenneth Walker III in free agencyThe Chiefs’ investment in the Super Bowl MVP running back for three years and $43 million will keep the focus on coach Andy Reid’s commitment to the run game in Kansas City while Patrick Mahomes recovers from knee surgery. If this is the move the Chiefs needed to make for Reid to empower the ground game via formation and personnel, the team could become less reliant on Mahomes’ legs to sustain drives. Whether that actually happens remains to be seen, but Walker’s addition sent a signal, at least. Las Vegas RaidersClearing up the offensive identity by hiring Klint KubiakThe Pete Carroll experiment backfired partly because the staff lacked cohesion with two coordinators foreign to the longtime head coach. Kubiak has everything to prove as a head coach, but his clear vision for the offense brings alignment where it was needed most, especially with the team using the draft’s first pick on a quarterback, Fernando Mendoza. The head coach and both quarterbacks — Mendoza and Kirk Cousins, the veteran bridge — share the same low-key temperament as well. Los Angeles ChargersSigning a more reliable starting centerThe Chargers needed to stabilize the middle of their offensive line and seemed to upgrade from incumbent Bradley Bozeman by signing Tyler Biadasz to a three-year, $30 million deal. Biadasz has started at least 15 games in each of the past five seasons, including 31 for the Commanders over the past two. A fourth-round pick of the Cowboys in 2020, Biadasz finished last season on injured reserve. Washington, transitioning to a new offense under a first-time coordinator, cut him to save $8.3 million in cash. It’s not a home run signing for the Chargers, but something had to be done. Los Angeles RamsAcquiring cornerback Trent McDuffie from the ChiefsThe Rams had to fix their cornerback problem while Matthew Stafford remained in MVP form, which meant it had to be done as soon as possible. The team correctly determined that the top cornerback in the draft, Mansoor Delane, would not be available to the Rams with the 13th pick in the first round. And so McDuffie became the Rams’ target. Unlike some other players available by trade, McDuffie did not wear out his former team. The Chiefs would have loved to keep him on their roster. They simply decided they were not going to pay him what he commanded from the Rams, given their other commitments. Miami DolphinsMoving on from Tua Tagovailoa as part of a resetGiving the Dolphins credit for escaping a catastrophe of their own making shows how low the expectations bar can fall when a team misevaluates the most important position. This reckoning was coming after the Dolphins, like the Cardinals and Jaguars, invested top-tier money in a Tier 3 quarterback. Miami finally decided to escape Tagovailoa’s contract. The Cardinals did the same with Murray. Jacksonville might survive its contract with Trevor Lawrence. Miami is no longer pretending it is contending. The reset is underway, appropriately. Minnesota VikingsAdding Kyler Murray on the cheapMurray signed with Minnesota for $1.3 million per year without financial guarantees beyond the 2026 season (the Vikings agreed not to use the franchise tag on him). That’s a cheaper-than-cheap quarterback contract for a player who struggled to win in Arizona largely because the Cardinals defense was so bad. Murray is one of 29 quarterbacks with at least 30 starts over the past three regular seasons. He ranks 17th among them in QB EPA per start but last among them in per-game combined support from his defense and special teams. That helps explain his 13-17 record as a starter over that span. The Vikings still have not solved their QB situation for the long term, but for a team in survival mode at the position, landing Murray on the cheap made sense. New England PatriotsTurning over the receiver positionThe shelf life for Stefon Diggs expired before a jury found the receiver not guilty on charges including felony strangulation stemming from a December incident with his live-in chef. The Patriots cut him in early March, more than two months before the jury’s verdict. Adding Romeo Doubs in free agency doesn’t make the Patriots as good on the field as they were with Diggs, but if the team does acquire A.J. Brown from Philadelphia after the cap ramifications for the Eagles subside in June, this can be a successful offseason for the Patriots at the position. New Orleans SaintsAdding juice to the offense with Travis EtienneThe Saints suddenly have some speed and playmaking surrounding second-year quarterback Tyler Shough, with Etienne in the backfield, first-round pick Jordyn Tyson at receiver and free-agent addition Noah Fant at tight end. Signing Etienne in free agency crossed off a need heading into a draft featuring one coveted running back, Jeremiyah Love, whom the Cardinals selected at No. 3, five spots before the Saints selected Tyson. New York GiantsRaising the floor with new coach John HarbaughThe Giants have mostly hired first-time head coaches (Pat Shurmur being the lone exception) since Tom Coughlin’s 12-year run ended more than a decade ago. None had a winning record with the team. Harbaugh fits the Coughlin mold as a second-time head coach coming off a successful run elsewhere. Whether he raises the Giants’ ceiling, and by how much, remains to be seen. But the floor should rise, at the very least, now that an experienced coach is in control. New York JetsStockpiling young edge rushers while rebuilding culture on defenseBeyond first-round pick David Bailey, the Jets acquired 26-year-old edge rushers Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare for a combined $20.5 million per year in salary. Those moves helped offset some of the age added to the defense with Minkah Fitzpatrick and Demario Davis. The key now becomes helping Ossai and Enagbare develop into more. But there’s a promising mix of young and old. Philadelphia EaglesAdding Jonathan Greenard to the pass-rush rotationCritics of the Eagles point to the team’s untenable cap situation, so there was irony in the Eagles’ acquiring Greenard from the Vikings to help Minnesota navigate a difficult short-term cap situation. The bottom line is that Philly, a team that has contended for and won championships on the strength of its pass rush, added a proven rusher. Greenard, 29, had only three sacks last season after collecting at least 12 in each of the previous two, partly because of a shoulder injury that shortened his season and required surgery. Pittsburgh SteelersHiring Patrick Graham as defensive coordinatorThe Steelers dipped to No. 19 in defensive EPA per play last season, making this an apt time to change a scheme that critics felt had gone stale under longtime coach Mike Tomlin. Graham, constrained by Pete Carroll’s defensive philosophy in Las Vegas last season, should enjoy greater autonomy under his new offense-minded boss, Mike McCarthy. San Francisco 49ersAcquiring Osa Odighizuwa from the CowboysOdighizuwa has played in 84 consecutive regular-season games, the longest active streak for defensive tackles. That makes him a reliable addition at a position of great need for a 49ers team that is trying to win now. Banking on a defensive tackle in the draft would have been a riskier proposition. Instead, the 49ers sent a third-round pick to the Cowboys for a player with 17 sacks in five seasons. Seattle SeahawksTaking another swing on a second-round safetyThe Seahawks had success with 2025 second-round pick Nick Emmanwori during their Super Bowl-winning season. That does not guarantee similar results for 2026 second-round safety Bud Clark, but it’s looking like coach Mike Macdonald knows how to maximize personnel on defense. That increases the chances that Clark’s big-hitting style adds something to one of the NFL’s top defenses. Tampa Bay BuccaneersDoing what they almost always do in the draftThe Buccaneers have traded up just once in the first round of the past 14 drafts, climbing a single slot to No. 13 in 2020 to select tackle Tristan Wirfs. That was the year the team signed Tom Brady, so there was surely added urgency. In that context, it’s difficult to applaud the Buccaneers too enthusiastically for letting the draft come to them this year; it’s been standard operating procedure for Tampa Bay. But if someone had said in March that the Bucs would draft Rueben Bain Jr. without trading up from No. 15, few seemingly would have believed it. And so we applaud politely. Selecting Bain and fourth-round defensive back Keionte Scott added welcome toughness in younger players. Tennessee TitansLeaning into New York reclamation projectsNo one is saying the Tennessee job is easy or that Titans owner Amy Adams-Strunk has proved to possess a stable hand. This is a tough job in its own way. But in hiring new coach Robert Saleh and new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, the Titans are leaning into leaders who were coaches in the NFL’s toughest market. Saleh, the former Jets coach, and Daboll, fired by the Giants in January, have landed in a market where the bright lights shine on Lower Broadway more than on the football operation. We’ve seen quarterbacks leave the Jets (Sam Darnold) and Giants (Daniel Jones) to find success in less challenging markets. Perhaps the same can hold true for Saleh and Daboll. Washington CommandersReplacing Bobby Wagner with (dare we say) the next Bobby WagnerWagner is headed for the Hall of Fame when eligible, while first-round pick Sonny Styles is just starting out. But all indications suggest Styles possesses the talent and leadership to pick up where Wagner left off as the Commanders’ defensive leader — if not right now, then quickly. If you’re looking for a less-obvious move in Washington, adding Tim Settle from Houston in free agency on a deal worth $7.8 million per year should strengthen the run defense right away.