Tag: offseason primer

Aug 26, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) scrambles against the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports

Bears offseason primer: QB question dominates planning

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Chicago Bears
2023 record: 7-10
Projected salary cap space: $82.9 million

Offseason storylines: Maybe you’ve heard about the decision facing Chicago at quarterback? Keeping Justin Fields for one more season – plus a fifth-year option available for next year – at $1.6 million and loading up the roster around him might excite part of the fan base. Starting over, with Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye, also restarts the roster-building clock in that the Bears would have a QB1 at a total of up to $50 million for four years. Fields is undeniably a scintillating athlete but he hasn’t emphatically answered whether he’s a franchise quarterback three seasons into his pro career. The Bears were 27th in the NFL in passing and 20th in total offense last season.

Team Needs: DE, WR, FS, OL, TE
Top free agent: CB Jaylon Johnson – There’s still time to work out a deal both sides applaud but Johnson appears headed for the franchise tag, which pays cornerbacks $19.8 million on a one-year tender unless the two sides agree to a long-term extension by mid-July. Johnson wants to be one of the highest-paid cornerbacks in the league, and GM Ryan Poles dodges market-setting pacts as a matter of course.

Unrestricted free agents (as of March 11):
LB Dylan Cole
OG Dan Feeney
RB D’Onta Foreman
DE Rasheem Green
CB Jaylon Johnson
DT Justin Jones
TE Marcedes Lewis
WR Darnell Mooney
DE Yannick Ngakoue
OG Lucas Patrick
QB Nathan Peterman
LS Patrick Scales
WR Equanimeous St. Brown
WR Trent Taylor
TE Robert Tonyan Jr.

Exclusive Rights free agents:
DB Josh Blackwell
WR Joe Reed

–Field Level Media

Jan 13, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson looks on from the sideline in a 2024 AFC wild card game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Browns offseason primer: Cash-strapped at QB crossroads

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Cleveland Browns
2023 record: 11-6
Projected salary cap space: Over the cap

Offseason storylines: Cleveland’s salary-cap position can be summarized in one word: overextended. The Browns are without a first-round pick again and four of the team’s seven picks are in Rounds 5 or 6. For reference, the team didn’t list a single player as a starter at the end of the season that was drafted by the team in Rounds 4-7. The closest to a homegrown late-round hit for Cleveland are linebacker Sione Takitaki (80th overall, 2019) and cornerback Martin Emerson (68th overall, 2022). What feels like another crossroads season for Deshaun Watson brings a few other closely connected variables to that storyline such as, will this aging offensive line hold up, and can Nick Chubb’s reconstructed knee last a full season of pounding?

Team Needs: DT, Edge, WR, QB, RB
Comfortable with the quarterback situation and confident in it are not the same mindset. Watson has played in 12 games since the 2020 season ended. He’s never looked like the $45 million quarterback the Browns thought they were getting from Houston and is coming back from shoulder surgery. Joe Flacco proved an advanced game manager is sufficient with Cleveland’s toothy defense, but he’s also closer to AARP than All-Pro as a member of the 2008 draft class. Pass rushers opposite Myles Garrett and quality depth at tackle are defensive priorities. A running mate for Amari Cooper could be a key cog to unlocking vintage Watson.

Top free agent: Edge Za’Darius Smith – We understand he’s soon to be 32 years old but the Browns should be able to use his birthdate to their advantage. Not many teams are keeping a spot warm for Smith – or any 32-year-old pass rusher – and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz wants him back, knows how to use him and can offer Garrett as a double-team-attracting bookend. Smith had 5.5 sacks last season.

Unrestricted free agents (as of March 11):
LB Matthew Adams
TE Harrison Bryant
LT Geron Christian
G Michael Dunn
DT Jordan Elliott
QB Joe Flacco
QB PJ Walker
QB Jeff Driskel
CB Mike Ford Jr.
S Duron Harmon
S Rodney McLeod
WR James Proche
WR Jakeem Grant
WR Marquise Goodwin
FB Nick Harris
DT Shelby Harris
RB Kareem Hunt
DT Maurice Hurst
LB Jordan Kunaszyk
MLB Jacob Phillips
LDE Za’Darius Smith
SLB Sione Takitaki
MLB Anthony Walker
P Corey Bojorquez

–Field Level Media

Carolina Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn (21) and defensive end Brian Burns (53) are priority free agents this offseason. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Panthers offseason primer: Rebuilding around Bryce Young

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Carolina Panthers
2023 record: 2-15
Projected salary cap space: $30.2 million

Offseason storylines: New coach. No first-round pick. Worst record in the NFL. Where do the Panthers go from here? There’s conceivably only one direction for Carolina under first-time head coach Dave Canales. To stoke greatness the franchise believes is within 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young, the Panthers are trying to make his life easier with explosive playmakers and a polished offensive line. How many of those boxes they can check this spring isn’t clear, but new GM Dan Morgan vows to be bold.

Team Needs: WR, DE, LB, CB, OL
Hats off to Adam Thielen for his 103-catch season in his Carolina debut. The Panthers had only 13 TD passes in 17 games and averaged 13.9 points per game. It’ll be a steep climb from here to becoming a potent offense. A lead receiver with big-play flair and improved offensive line play are necessary. Then there’s the matter of fixing the defense. Problem areas are plentiful. The Panthers allowed 25 rushing touchdowns and totaled 27 sacks.

Top free agent: OLB/DE Brian Burns — When talks crumbled around Burns’ request for $30 million per season last summer, the notion the two sides could ever find middle ground on a contract appeared to be a pipedream. Burns still wants the bag. But he might be more realistic about the total value after notching 8.0 sacks and fighting injuries in 2023. Burns and S Jeremy Chinn, another priority free agent, aren’t yet 26 years old.

Unrestricted free agents (as of March 11):
DE Henry Anderson
OLB Brian Burns
WR DJ Chark Jr.
S/LB Jeremy Chinn
S Sam Franklin Jr.
CB Shaquill Griffin
OLB Yetur Gross-Matos
ILB Kamu Grugler-Hill
OLB Marquis Haynes Sr.
CB C.J. Henderson
CB Troy Hill
RG Gabe Jackson
LS JJ Jansen
LB Deion Jones
ILB Frankie Luvu
G/C Justin McCray
K Eddy Pineiro
T David Sharpe
WR Laviska Shenault Jr.
LDE DeShawn Williams
DE Chris Wormley

–Field Level Media

Dec 17, 2023; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike (92) celebrates after beating the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Ravens offseason primer: Bill due on home-grown goods

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Baltimore Ravens
2023 record: 13-4
Projected salary cap space: Over the cap

Offseason storylines: For the first time in three years the springtime narrative won’t involve the contract status of Lamar Jackson. Jackson claimed his second NFL MVP award in the first season of a five-year, $260 million contract in 2023. Now the Ravens are shopping on a limited budget that will test their grow-your-own keepers philosophy and likely parting with multiple players they drafted, developed, started but can’t afford.

Team Needs: OT, RB, LB, CB, DL
Losing ILB Patrick Queen or DT Justin Madubuike might shuffle needs by the open of free agency. Ronnie Stanley’s availability has been a constant question at left tackle, both starting guards are free agents and injuries at running back underscore the need for a gamechanger at the position. Top back Gus Edwards is a free agent; J.K. Dobbins, too.

Top free agent: DT Justin Madubuike – Wideout Odell Beckham Jr appears headed for a new address after one season at $15 million and a team could overspend to acquire Queen, whose star climbed as a tag-team partner of Roquan Smith at the heart of Baltimore’s 3-4. Keeping Madubuike (13 sacks in 2023) is a pricey proposition. Not keeping him might be even more costly. He would be next to impossible to replace instantly given the Ravens’ tight cap and draft slot.

Unrestricted free agents (as of March 13):
WR Odell Beckham Jr.
OLB Jadeveon Clowney
CB Ronald Darby
RB J.K. Dobbins
KOR/PR Devin Duvernay
RB Gus Edwards
OLB Malik Harrison
QB Tyler Huntley
DT Justin Madubuike
CB Arthur Maulet
CB Trayvon Mullen
ILB Del’Shawn Phillips
LG John Simpson
S Geno Stone
ILB Patrick Queen
DE Brent Urban
OLB Kyle Van Noy
DB Daryl Worley
CB Rock Ya-Sin
RG Kevin Zeitler

–Field Level Media

Feb 5, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot pose for the media after Morris was introduced as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Falcons offseason primer: Change afoot, QB question lingers

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Atlanta Falcons
2023 record: 7-10

Projected salary cap space: $29.1 million

Offseason storylines: Yes, Atlanta went 7-10 for the third consecutive season. But are the Falcons a few sharp turns away from the passing lane in the NFC South? Consider the club lost five games in the final minute by a total of 16 points.

New sheriff in town Raheem Morris plans to build a defense capable of striking fear into opposing quarterbacks. That philosophy will dictate some of the team’s spending and perhaps the plan with the No. 8 overall pick in the draft. But there’s the significant rub of Atlanta remaining unsettled at quarterback. Desmond Ridder didn’t take the bull by the horns, part of the reason Arthur Smith was canned.

Team Needs: QB, DE, WR, DT, OL
The top defensive player in the draft could potentially be available to the Falcons because of an expected grab at the QB, WR and OT spots. Atlanta should be in a great spot to get the player it wants without moving up. At wide receiver, moving tight end Kyle Pitts could be an option considering every player at the position not named Drake London can leave in free agency.

Top free agent: LB Bud Dupree – Tied for the team lead in 2023 with 6.5 sacks, Dupree fits the mold of edge rusher who’ve thrived under Morris such as Leonard Floyd (Rams) and won’t likely strike it rich elsewhere.

Unrestricted free agents (as of March 13):
DE Calais Campbell
OLB Lorenzo Carter
OLB Bud Dupree
CB Tre Flowers
DE Joe Gaziano
WR KhaDarel Hodge
WR Mack Hollins
WR Van Jefferson
DE LaCale London
WR Scotty Miller
CB Jeff Okudah
RB Cordarrelle Patterson
TE MyCole Pruitt
FB Keith Smith
QB Logan Woodside

–Field Level Media