The early summer is a great time to be a fan in the NFL. It’s certainly not because anything interesting is going on, but because you have every reason in the world to be as optimistic as you please. Those rookies your team drafted? Future All-Pros, every one of them. Your division? Wide open, and yours for the taking. Injuries? What injuries? The entire team is healthy and will certainly stay that way all season! This year is going to be smooth sailing from start to finish, and you just know it!
It can’t be all sunshine and rainbows forever, though.
Every single roster in the NFL has its holes, and it’s largely past time to fill them. The Draft has come and gone, and the list of free agents has shrunk noticeably since March. That doesn’t mean all hope is lost, however. There are still a handful of available free agents ready and willing to make their mark, and a smart GM is always looking to add talent to help cover their team’s vulnerabilities. Who are some of these players, and which teams do I think might be looking to employ them?
ATLANTA FALCONS: WIDE RECEIVER
Atlanta was a hive of activity this offseason, snatching up free agents to build up a defense that was in serious need of a facelift. The offense is in an alright state and has a few footholds to build a future around, but wide receiver is still a spot of concern for the Falcons. Drake London was a star for the team in his first season, but there isn’t much behind him. Next up on the depth chart is Mack Hollins, who has a hair over 1400 career yards through five seasons, and Scotty Miller, a rarely-used speedster from Tampa that has not caught a touchdown since 2020. Atlanta did throw a few undrafted free agents into the mix, but relying on them to make the roster, let alone contribute meaningfully, is a long shot. Will the suits in Atlanta feel they can confidently assess Desmond Ridder after this season with so few notable wide receivers to assist? Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson may have to shoulder most of the load in the receiving game.
POSSIBLE FIT: Julio Jones (Just kidding, it’s DeAndre Hopkins)
The Falcons could use another quality receiver, and Hopkins is the best one on the market right now. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one. He’d almost certainly have to agree to a pay cut, but crazier things have happened.
BALTIMORE RAVENS: DEFENSIVE LINE
For as long as I can remember having thoughts regarding the Baltimore Ravens, I’ve associated them with vicious, hard-hitting linebackers and hulking defensive lineman. They’re coming dangerously close to losing that defining characteristic. Last season, the Ravens were utterly mediocre at winning on the line on defense, finishing 17th in pass-rush win rate and 13th in run-stop win rate. OurLads, my favorite website for reliable NFL depth charts, lists Justin Madabuike, Michael Pierce, and Broderick Washington as the starting defensive end, nose tackle, and defensive tackle, respectively, for the Ravens. The three of them have a combined 17 career sacks. This isn’t as damning of a condemnation as it may seem (Madubuike and Washington are still young, and interior defensive line production can hardly be summed up by sacks alone), but the Ravens sure could use somebody who can provide some fresh blood and an immediate impact.
POSSIBLE FIT: Yannick Ngakoue
I know it didn’t work out last time, but maybe second time’s the charm for Yannick in Baltimore. A new defensive coordinator and some fresh-faced running mates may help him find the rhythm he never had his first time around.
BUFFALO BILLS: WIDE RECEIVER
Buffalo has quickly ascended from “embarrassment to the league” to “perennial powerhouse” in only a few short seasons, but certainly not because the roster is sterling. The defense has kept games close that had no business being competitive, and perhaps more critically, Josh Allen and his superhuman feats have helped cover a lot of holes on the Bills offense. There are questions that need to be answered on the line (is Spencer Brown ever going to reach the potential he may be capable of?), they have still yet to find their franchise running back (is it James Cook, or will one of the several runners they brought in win the job?), and, most notably, depth at receiver is paper-thin. Trading for Stefon Diggs has been a franchise-altering pickup, and Gabe Davis is certainly a serviceable WR2, but things get shaky after that. The next-leading WR by yardage last season that is still with the team is Khalil Shakir, who put together 161 yards in his 14 appearances last season. A serious injury to just one, or god forbid both, of Diggs and Davis could completely derail the plans for the Bills offense and put an undue amount of pressure on Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid to carry the passing offense. Brandon Beane, the Bills GM, would do well to fix every hole he can and bolster a team who continues to face ever-greater championship aspirations from their rabid fans.
POSSIBLE FIT: Demarcus Robinson
It’s not the flashy pickup Bills Mafia would love to see, but especially after signing Leonard Floyd to a 1 year, $2.5M contract, Buffalo has almost no room to add another free agent. A realistic pickup in such a scenario could be Robinson, who has shown he’s capable of taking on increased targets while being relatively cheap. His 75 targets in Baltimore last season were easily the most of his career, and he’s unlikely to come with a price tag of more than $1.5M or so. Remember, “realistic” is the key word here.
CAROLINA PANTHERS: GUARD
This isn’t the point of the article, but I’m going to take this opportunity to publicly buy my ticket to the Carolina Panthers hype train. The roster has talent, and watching Bryce Young set out on what should be a long, fruitful NFL career should make for high-demand viewing. As a bonus, residing in the woe-begotten NFC South should afford them a realistic chance at hosting a playoff game. Buy in while you still can!
As enthusiastic as I am about the 2023 Panthers, they aren’t without their flaws. The one that stands out most to me is the interior offensive line, specifically guard.
Austin Corbett, who played right guard admirably for a unit that could never seem to find its groove, tore his ACL in the final game of Carolina’s season. While surgery was successful and rehab seems to be going swimmingly by all accounts, fully recovering from such a serious injury in a mere nine months simply isn’t realistic (and don’t you tell me about Adrian Peterson, the exception proves the rule). If Corbett does indeed miss time, most theorize that fourth-round selection Chandler Zavala will need to step into the spotlight. Good luck, young man.
On the other side, Brady Christensen is the favorite to start at left guard. Christensen was also injured in the ill-fated Week 18 matchup that saw Corbett hurt, breaking his left ankle in the first half. Christensen, according to those that would know better than I, is seen as more likely than not to be ready to play once the regular season begins. After a season of being shuffled all around the line and a patched-up ankle to worry about, can Christensen retain his form? Perhaps he can, but if not, what’s the Panthers plan at guard?
POSSIBLE FIT: Justin Pugh
The oft-injured Pugh, who is coming off an ACL tear of his own, might seem like a head-scratching choice for the Panthers to pick up, but I think it makes plenty of sense. For one, he has taken to publicly saying that he expects to be ready Week One, and Pugh has been quite good when he has played in recent years, allowing only 1.5 sacks in his last 33 games. An instant plug-and-play veteran is exactly what Carolina needs here, and with over $27M in available cap space, they can certainly afford to add one of Pugh’s repute (rePUGHte, if you will).
CHICAGO BEARS: DEFENSIVE END
The Bears are desperate for pass rush help. Chicago had 20 sacks in 2022. While that number is shockingly small on its own, some historical context can help frame how truly helpless the unit was last season. Since 2000, a team has finished with less than 20 sacks only six times. The stout defenses that defined the bears through much of the 21st centuries are well and truly gone. Beefing up at d-end will help the Monsters of the Midway return to their former glory.
They started building the group up by signing DeMarcus Walker, who had a breakout season with Tennessee in 2022. His 8 sacks for the Titans would have been the most of any player in Chicago. Rasheem Green, who was a rotational piece for Houston, also signed with the Bears this offseason. These are nice pickups, and Walker is likely to start, but GM Ryan Pole shouldn’t feel as though the job is done. Depth is nice, but outside of perhaps Walker, nobody really inspires hope that an epic turnaround for the pass rush is in store.
POSSIBLE FIT: Matt Ioannidis
Frank Clark was my original selection here, but once again, my sloth is getting these articles uploaded has come around to get the better of me, and Clark signed with the Broncos last Thursday. My next-best option is Ioannidis.
While bringing in a superstar on the line would be a huge spark for the defense, that’s not a realistic option this late into the offseason. By the time June rolls around, outside of a contract holdout or a similarly sticky situation, the top-of-the-line, A+ players are going to be long gone. Instead, they ought to focus on building up a rotation of NFL-caliber guys. Being able to comfortably have a full collection of, say, B+ players on the line all game long would be a marked improvement over what Chicago has trotted out in the last few years. Ioannidis is exactly that kind of guy. He’s never been a stat sheet stuffer, but when he’s healthy (which is more often than not), he’s good for at least a handful of sacks and a healthy dozen or so pressures. He’s a run-stopping specialist that has never recorded more than 3 missed tackles in a season. He’s reliable, he’s good, he’s on the right side of 30, and he’s likely available for cheap. It all checks out to me.
GREEN BAY PACKERS: INTERIOR LINEBACKER
The defense continues to be a conundrum for Green Bay. GM Brian Gutekunst has shoveled first-round talent onto the unit year after year, but positive results continue to avoid him. Green Bay were one of only six teams to allow under 200 yards through the air per game last year, but that figure becomes a lot less impressive when you see they also allowed 7.5 yards per passing attempt, the fifth most in football. To get an even more complete picture, one should look at the running stats. Green Bay averaged 5.0 yards per carry against them, one of the very worst marks in the league. They could use a hand in the heart of the defense to better patch up the running game.
Currently in the starting spots at ILB are De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker. Campbell was an incredibly successful pickup for Green Bay in 2021, seeing him earn a First-Team All Pro spot in his first year with the team after being snatched from Arizona. He was exactly the kind of sure-tackling certainty the franchise has lacked since the days of AJ Hawk. In 2022, he simply was not the same player. Campbell has fewer tackles, QB hits, forced fumbles, and passes defended. Regression comes for us all. Quay Walker was a lightning-fast rookie who showed promise in spurts, but is far from a sure thing for the Packers. Additionally, he was ejected twice last season in games the Packers would go on to lose. If he’s unable to keep a cool head when the going gets tough, suspensions aren’t out of the picture, and a quality backup will be absolutely crucial if he becomes unavailable for any extended amount of time. Behind Campbell and Walker on the depth chart are Isaiah McDuffie, a 3rd-year special teamer, and Eric Wilson, who was snagged from the Saints practice squad last season. Safe to say, it’d be better for the Packers to avoid those two seeing the field for too long. If things go right, there will be no need for backup depth at off-ball LB for Green Bay, but crossing your fingers and hoping nothing goes wrong is a naive approach to roster construction. Instead, Gutekunst should consider bringing in some veteran backups at the position in case things go south.
POSSIBLE FIT: Zach Cunningham
For years, Cunningham was racking up tackles for the Houston Texans. From 2017 to 2021, he compiled 377 total tackles, 6th most of any player in the league. After being cut by Houston in 2021, he finished the season with the rival Titans, where he played well in relief, eventually earning a starting spot. An elbow injury he suffered in 2022 eliminated any hope of finding some rhythm, appearing in only six games from Week One to Week Fifteen. His “failed physical” designation after being released from the Titans could mean he still isn’t fully recovered, but that’s not a certainty. If Cunningham is healthy, there’s a possibility that he can retain the form he used to have, and that the Packers may desperately need.
NEW YORK JETS: TACKLE
Everything’s coming together for the Jets. After decades of near-constant suffering and irrelevance, NYC’s lesser-accomplished franchise is set up for greatness. Young stars on both sides of the ball very nearly propelled the upstart Jets to the playoffs last season, but the addition of Aaron Rodgers, one of the greatest players to ever grace the NFL, has elevated the Jets from “fun up-and-comers” to “should be contending to win the AFC.” One small issue, though; tackle.
To the untrained eye, either end of the offensive line might not seem like much of a concern. Duane Brown has been an NFL stalwart for a long time, and Mekhi Becton was seen as a sure-fire starter when he was drafted only a few short seasons ago. How could the position already be a sore spot on an otherwise strong roster? For one, Becton’s time with the Jets has been challenging, to say the least. Recurring injuries and effort concerns have clouded his reputation, and most Jets fans are ambivalent towards the likelihood of him stringing together a full season in 2023. And to say Duane Brown has been in the NFL a long time is an understatement, he’s been in the NFL a VERY long time. Drafted in 2008, Brown will be 38 years old by the time the regular season begins, making him one of the very oldest players in the league. Having a backup plan in case Brown can’t trudge through another grueling campaign isn’t just a good idea, it’s absolutely imperative.
If the very real scenario where both Becton and Brown miss notable time comes true, who steps up? The answer is Max Mitchell and Billy Turner. The prior is a second-year player who, although he played admirably last year, only appeared in six games for the Jets before injuring his knee and, reportedly, dealing with blood clot issues. Turner is a replacement-level tackle. He played well for my Packers for a few seasons, so I don’t mean to diss, but having Billy Turner as your only hope at RT if your notoriously unavailable tackle is once again unavailable isn’t exactly what a GM would dream up for their line.
POSSIBLE FIT: Eric Fisher
Premier tackles very rarely hit the market, and unfortunately for the Jets, this offseason has seen that rule prove true once again. The cupboard is pretty bare, so instead of looking for an instant plug-and-play starter, the Jets ought to be looking for somebody who has made a career of being available like Eric Fisher. While being inactive after suffering an injury in practice last season kept him from ever playing for the Dolphins, Fisher started at least 10 games in 8 of his 9 career seasons, and reached the Pro Bowl as recently as 2020. If Fisher is healthy, he could provide invaluable veteran depth.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: CORNERBACK
The 49ers defense was so dominant last year that one might think it would be tough to poke holes into its depth chart. Turns out, it’s not so hard.
The defensive line was stacked even before acquiring Javon Hargreave this offseason, but the groups behind them could all use a hand. Oren Burks, a career special teamer, is slated to be a starter at linebacker. Tashaun Gipson played well for the Niners last season, but he’s likely not seen by the front office as much more than a patch until they have a long-term solution for replacing Jimmy Ward, who signed with Houston in free agency. The most obvious spot in need of some dressing up, however, is cornerback.
Isaiah Oliver, who only managed to start 5 games for a Falcons defense that was hungry for defensive talent, is slated to start in the slot. The Niners grabbed the highly-underrated Charvarius Ward before last season, who performed outstandingly for them, but who is starting opposite him? Right now, it seems like it’ll be Deommodore Lenoir, the 3rd-year fifth-round draft pick who was thrust into starting last season after scarcely playing as a rookie. Can the coaching staff in Santa Clara figure it out? They sure could, but I’d feel better about it with another veteran presence on board.
POSSIBLE FIT: Marcus Peters
Peters has been a nearly constant fixture in the Ravens backfield since 2019, during which they have allowed an opposing passer rating of 88.5, 10th lowest of any team in that time span. Some were critical of Peters’ play last season fresh off of recovering from an ACL injury in 2021, but with it another year farther into the past, I think he still has enough gas in the tank to be a key contributor on a great defense.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: DEFENSIVE LINE
Not unlike the Lions, the Jaguars are quickly becoming the new hotness in the NFL. Only two seasons away from the Urban Meyer Debacle, Jacksonville are now the consensus favorites to win the low-hanging fruit that is the AFC South championship. How will they do so? The formula should look pretty similar to how it did last season. Trevor Lawrence, at least for a few games at a time, began to look like the future All-Pro he was drafted to be. He has the players at wide receiver to effectively run an NFL passing offense, and running back Travis Etienne is only 24 and had over 1400 yards in his first season of real action. The offense will be must-watch television. The defense, on the other hand, has some work to do.
The Jags were as good as just about anybody last season at pressuring the quarterback, but often struggled to convert that into sacks. An outstanding pressure rate of 25.1%, 4th best in the NFL, belies the mere 35 sacks that were converted out of it, eighth fewest of any team. The stats have an interesting story to tell here, and it’s that the reason for the inability to turn pressure into sacks is the absence of pressures up the middle. The top two in pressures for Jacksonville last season were Josh Allen and Travon Walker, the two starting edge rushers. Together they accounted for over one-third of all pressures for the squad last season. The player who had the next most that is still rostered by Jacksonville is Roy Robertson-Harris, who managed 13 pressures in 17 starts. He’s penciled in to start alongside Davon Hamilton and Folorunso Fatukasi, the two of which combined for exactly 13 pressures in their 14 and 13 starts, respectively. Of course, creating pressure on a quarterback isn’t the only way interior defensive linemen can be useful, but having at least one who can be relied upon to disrupt opposing passing games would be good to have.
POSSIBLE FIT: Robert Quinn
As outlined above, Jacksonville needs pass-rush production above anything else, and in terms of pass rushers on the market who have recent production, nobody comes close to Quinn. Injuries and reduced usage saw his stats take a dive in 2022, but he’s only two seasons removed from 18.5 sacks and a Pro Bowl appearance. He’s been productive more recently as an edge rusher, but he’s proved effective on the interior before as well.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS: RIGHT SIDE OF THE OFFENSIVE LINE
If you take a glance at the raw numbers, the Pittsburgh offensive line didn’t seem to need much in the way of a makeover after last season. By block win percentage, they were among the best pass-protecting units in football, and above average in the run game. The front office was in no mood to rest on their laurels, however, and gave the left side of the line a fresh coat of paint. They used their first-round pick on the burly Broderick Jones to replace Dan Moore at LT (who Pittsburgh seems interested in moving to RT), then signed Isaac Seumalo from their in-state peers, the Eagles, to fill in at LG. They can go even farther to keep Kenny Pickett upright, and they’d be wise to do so.
There’s one way I envision this happening. It involves signing a center, then shuffling around a few pieces that are already on the roster. First, move Dan Moore to RT, as already seems to be the plan. Moore has been solid at the blindside spot for Pittsburgh, and at only 24 years old, ideally has plenty of time to adjust and grow into his new spot. From there, slide starting center Mason Cole over to RG. While he’s certainly not shy about preferring center, he does have NFL experience at guard, and has played well for the Steelers. He’s absolutely one of the top five linemen on that roster, and deserves to retain his starting spot. That still leaves center open. Who should go there? You could move Nate Herbig there, but I have a different idea…
POSSIBLE FIT: Chase Roullier
If you follow Washington football closely at all, your first thoughts regarding the hypothetical signing of Roullier were, I imagine, hesitant at best. Roullier is easily an above average center when he plays, but it’s the “when he plays” part of that statement you can get hung up on. He’s played in 10 games over the last 2 seasons, suffering a broken fibula and ankle in 2021, then an MCL tear only two games into last season. The amount of pay he’d demand would easily fit into the over $15M in cap space Pittsburgh has, but his very recent and very serious injury history is enough to give any wise GM pause. Perhaps such fears could be dissuaded by remembering that Roullier appeared in 59 games in his first four seasons, starting in 53 of them. It’s entirely possible that these last two years are nothing more than a pair of setbacks in an otherwise long, healthy career as an NFL offensive lineman. For the Steelers, the reward is worth the risk.
And hey, maybe leaving Washington, a franchise where “many players reported they do not want to do their rehab”, will do Roullier some good, and see him return to the field on a more full-time basis. A man can hope.
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