Yes, the Super Bowl has come and gone, but some teams have been working toward the 2025 season for quite a while. Where do they need to improve the most? Ian has identified key needs for all 32 teams in the NFL heading into the offseason and NFL Draft.

Regardless of how your team finished the season, there's always room to improve. Below, I go through each of the 32 teams to identify the three biggest areas of improvement ahead of 2025 and the best way for each team to address these needs. You can click the team names to link out to the full breakdowns.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

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What Every NFL Team Needs To Do for 2025

 

"Levis' aforementioned mediocre 2024 campaign and the potential absence of free agent Mason Rudolph leaves the Titans with the league's third-fewest 2025 dollars devoted to the position.

"Fantasy Life NFL Draft analysts Thor Nystrom and Matthew Freedman understand this and accordingly have the Titans utilizing the NFL Draft's No. 1 overall pick on the position:

  • Thor: Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders
  • Freedman: Miami QB Cam Ward

"Sam Darnold is the crown jewel of the otherwise meh free agent QB class; it'd be shocking if the Titans don't have new QB competition on the roster by the end of day two of the NFL Draft at the very latest."

 

"It's almost remarkable how Cleveland has managed to churn through one horrendous QB after another over the past two seasons.

EPA per dropback among 50 qualified QBs in 2023-24 seasons:

"Sadly, their aforementioned porous decision to trade for Watson leaves them with the league's second-most expensive QB room ahead of 2025. Maybe they can finagle their way out of his contract depending on how and when he suffered his re-aggravation.

"Either way, the Browns are certainly candidates to use the draft's No. 2 overall pick on the position and perhaps sign a veteran. Kevin Stefanski's former pal Kirk Cousins would make a lot of sense considering his ability to take a cheap deal while the Falcons continue to pay him all kinds of guaranteed money."

 

"The tackles are actually in a fairly good spot with stud Andrew Thomas anchoring the left side and former first-rounder Evan Neal performing fine enough on the right side.

"Things get a bit more problematic up the middle:

"Giants guards and centers allowed the league's sixth-most total pressures last season; shoring up the interior of their offensive line will both help the run game and whoever winds up starting at QB."

 

"Patriots WRs and TEs ranked 31st in average "Open Score" last season. Translation: Separation didn't come easy to anyone, so restocking the WR room is a must. Hell, adding another TE isn't the worst idea in the world either considering Hunter Henry isn't exactly a spring chicken these days (turned 30 in December), although his three-year, $30 million extension last March reflects the reality that New England is probably good there.

"But yeah, Patriots WRs ranked dead last in receiving yards (1,723) last season–the sixth-lowest single-season mark among any offense since 2020. Whether it's chasing Tee Higgins, or devoting multiple high-end draft picks to the position in the draft—let's get Maye some actual elite talent on the outside and see what happens."

"There is a lot of uncertainty in the WR and TE rooms alike due to the aforementioned potential for Christian Kirk and Evan Engram to be cap casualties. Throw in Gabe Davis' recovery from knee surgery, and it's possible three of the team's projected top-four targets ahead of Week 1 last season aren't available come September.

"Perhaps the Jaguars simply go all in on their Penn State pipeline and embrace TE Brenton Strange and WR Parker Washington as full-time starters; just realize something needs to be done to help improve this overall offensive environment. Look no further than the Jaguars' ranks in ‘Supporting Cast Rating,’ which takes the average of every team's PFF rushing, receiving, run blocking, and pass-blocking grades (everything but passing):

  • 2021: 28th
  • 2022: 20th
  • 2023: 30th
  • 2024: 24th

"Brian Thomas Jr. gives the Jaguars a legit No. 1 WR to build around, but remember: It's legal in the year 2025 to have multiple baller pass-catchers in the same offense."

"There were 37 QBs who took at least 500 dropbacks over the past two seasons … and the Raiders currently employ three of the bottom-10 signal-callers in EPA per dropback. Not great!

"Ultimately, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine that neither Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell, nor Desmond Ridder are the answer here. Maybe they look to trade up in the draft to secure one of Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward. Perhaps a veteran like Russell Wilson or Sam Darnold is the move. WHAT IF TOM F*CKING BRADY COMES OUT OF RETIREMENT?!

“Sorry, got excited there for a second, but yeah: The Raiders will continue to be the punch line of the AFC West for as long as they remain the only team without anything resembling a long-term plan at the QB position.” 

 

"Aaron Rodgers' disappointment makes his future in New York very iffy, likely leaving the Jets (again) in search of a long-term answer under center.

"And really: Have they ever NOT been in dire need of some serious help at QB? Just look at their team ranks in passer rating over the years. Note that passer rating might not be the best one-size-fits-all metric in evaluating a QB (what is?), but the stat does do a good job of generally quantifying the success of an overall passing game.

Jets passer rating:

  • 2020-2024: 78.0 (32nd)
  • 2010-2019: 76.3 (31st)
  • 2000-2009: 78.6 (21st)
  • 1990-1999: 74.5 (24th)

“Last year's passing game was objectively a below-average unit (18th in passer rating) … and it produced the team's fourth-best single-season mark ever, and their highest since 2002.”

 

"This Panthers pass rush was hilariously inept in 2024. Now only were they easily the worst group in the league when it came to raw pressure rate (25.1%) and slowest time to pressure (2.8 seconds), but they were blitzing at the league's eighth-highest rate along the way!

"These struggles didn't exactly come as a huge surprise after they traded stud EDGE Brian Burns to New York in the offseason; either way work needs to be done in order to improve the league's 31st-ranked defense in EPA allowed per dropback. Adding a Day 1 or 2 draft pick to the group could certainly help matters—Carolina hasn't used a top-75 pick on the defensive line since 2020."

"Cornerback was destined to be a need the second the Saints traded Marshon Lattimore to the Commanders. Additionally, starter Paulson Adebo is hitting free agency, leaving the Saints with a mere $8.2 million in 2025 dollars devoted to their corners–the second-lowest mark in the NFL.

"Ultimately, the Saints didn't have a single corner graded inside PFF's top 50 highest-graded players at the position last season. A defense can never have too many good defensive backs in the year 2025, and right now it's unclear if the Saints really even have one they can overly trust."

"Swift wasn't terrible in 2024, but he, Roschon Johnson, and (briefly) Khalil Herbert simply weren't good enough when looking at advanced metrics that attempt to zero in on RB performance independent of their blocking.

"Hell, Bears RBs also ranked 31st in explosive run play rate (4.6%). These stats are also at least somewhat influenced by the team's offensive line and play-calling; just realize at some point the Jims and Joes need to take some responsibility and not blame everything on the Xs and Os."

"Obviously, LT Trent Williams is one of the best players in the league regardless of position, but he and the team's high-end skill-position players have really helped make up for an otherwise meh group up front.

"At a minimum, re-signing or replacing LG Aaron Banks is a must, but it also wouldn't hurt to begin investing in some real higher-end day-one or day-two resources. The 49ers have used just two top-100 draft picks on their offensive line over the past five drafts combined–that's tied for the second-lowest mark in the league."

"The Cowboys ranked 31st in yards before contact per carry and 25th in average time to pressure. That was good for PFF's 25th-ranked offensive line, which looked awfully mortal throughout 2024.

"Zack Martin ended the season on IR with an ankle injury and is now entering free agency at age 34. It'd make sense if 2024 first- and third-round picks Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe improve in 2025 and beyond; just realize the days of the Cowboys' big uglies operating as one of the league's best units are firmly in the rear-view mirror."

"On the one hand, Jonnu Smith's breakout was awesome.

"On the other, it came in large part because Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle failed to live up to their billing as the NFL's best WR duo. The WR30 and WR51 in PPR points per game, the speedsters simply never managed to consistently replicate the sort of fireworks that were commonplace during their first two seasons together.

"The absence of Tua Tagovailoa during the early parts of the season obviously didn't help, but still: Dolphins WRs went from ranking sixth in receiving yards after the catch in both 2022 and 2023 to 25th in 2024. Targeting either simply wasn't anywhere close to as efficient as it used to be."

"The Indianapolis Colts somehow managed to win nine games in 2023 despite being forced to start Gardner Minshew for 13 games, so expectations were reasonably high in 2024 *if* Anthony Richardson could boom in Year 2.

"Unfortunately, that scenario didn't exactly play out the way the organization hoped, leading to plenty of Joe Flacco and an inconsistent overall offensive experience. The Colts couldn't build off a 4-3 start and wound up limping to an 8-9 finish."

"There were seemingly two key problems for the Falcons from 2021 to 2023: Head coach and QB. Accordingly, Raheem Morris and Kirk Cousins were paid to save the day ahead of 2024 by giving what sure looked like a complete roster on paper the extra push needed to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

"That was the plan, anyway, but you know what they say about best laid plans. Things were moving in the right direction during the first half of the season with Cousins learning how to swag surf while leading the team to a 6-3 start; too bad four consecutive Ls and a brutal 112-yard passing effort against the lowly Raiders cost the Falcons' $180-million-dollar man his job."

"Obviously Kyler Murray already has a solid one-two pass-catching punch between Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride. However, there's a little-known fact that exists in the year 2025: It's legal for an NFL team to have more than one good WR!

“Now, I appreciate our one true short king Greg Dortch as much as the next fantasy football nerd, and Michael Wilson has performed admirably with back-to-back 500-plus yard seasons to start his career. Still, this group could really use someone capable of separating with more consistency.”

"The Bengals entered 2024 with the same Super Bowl-or-bust expectations that have existed during every season of the Joe Burrow-Ja'Marr Chase era. Unfortunately, the "bust" scenario came to fruition after the team failed to dig itself out of a 1-4 hole to start the season.

“Clearly, plenty of talent is still here: Cincy ripped off five straight Ws to end the season for a reason. However, this porous defense let the team down time and time again, with the Bengals somehow losing four separate games despite scoring 33+ points—the most in a single season in NFL history.”

"The Seahawks started the 2024 season 3-0 and later ripped off four consecutive Ws following their bye week. The problem was they won just three games otherwise, sadly failing to make the playoffs despite racking up double-digit wins for the first time since 2020.

"While 10-7 might seem like a solid enough year for a team that wasn't exactly entering the season with Super Bowl aspirations, the reality that nobody has more active cash spending ahead of the 2025 season makes this a bit of a "win or else" campaign for Geno Smith and the team's key parties."

"Despite ending their season with an L like most other NFL teams, there were still some cool moments!

"Of course, next season will present new challenges, chiefly in the continuity department with OC Liam Coen out, and longtime stud WR Chris Godwin set to hit free agency. Kudos to Todd Bowles for making the playoffs in each of his first three seasons as head coach, but 2025 might just be his toughest test yet.
 

"The Broncos were widely expected to be one of the worst teams in football last season due to an expected rocky debut from rookie QB Bo Nix. That largely came to fruition during a 3-3 start, but then something funny happened: Denver won seven of its final 11 games behind a more-than-competent offense and positively stifling defense led by Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II.

“While a blowout 31-7 loss to the Bills in the Wild Card round prevented Sean Payton's club from making any serious noise, the season certainly gave the organization and fanbase plenty of reason for optimism in 2025 and beyond.”

"The Steelers didn't exactly enter 2024 with sky-high expectations given their lack of a long-term answer under center, but a 10-3 start suddenly had fans dreaming that maybe this season could be different. Sadly, Russell Wilson and Co. dropped each of their final five contests by an average of 13.2 points, once again leaving the franchise in limbo ahead of 2025.

"It remains to be seen who will be leading this offense next season; either way it's safe to say Steelers Nation is growing a bit tired of "the standard," considering Pittsburgh is currently in the midst of the league's eighth-longest drought without winning a playoff game."

"Expectations weren't overly high in Year 1 of the Jim Harbaugh era, but the Chargers went ahead and put together their best season since 2018 anyway thanks to:

"Of course, the Chargers joined 30 other teams in the “We didn't win the Super Bowl” club, making their season technically a failure if you want to be a jerk about it. Their 32-12 drubbing at the hands of the Texans in the Wild Card Round certainly did leave a bad taste in the mouths of fans; just realize the future certainly looks bright thanks to plenty of cap space and a franchise QB who turns only 27 in March.”

"The Packers didn't lose to anyone other than the Super Bowl champs and NFC North rivals in 2024. And yet, that still wound up leading to seven total losses, the last straw being a 22-10 L to the Eagles in the Wild Card Round that never seemed overly competitive.

“Of course, Jordan Love and Co. still resembled one of the league's better teams on their way to winning double-digit games for the fourth time in six years. Their +122 point differential was good for the third-highest mark in the NFC and reflected the reality that Green Bay fielded one of the league's better combinations of great offense and defense.”

"It looked like 2024 would be a lost season for the Vikings after 10th overall pick J.J. McCarthy suffered a season-ending knee injury in August. Sure, Justin Jefferson was fully expected to still make plenty of cool plays, but could Sam Darnold and Co. really hope to reach any sort of real ceiling?

“The answer: Yes! Sure, back-to-back crushing defeats to the Lions and Rams in Week 18 and in the Wild Card Round forced the year to end on a down note; just realize Kevin O'Connell's squad never showed any sort of quit on their way to winning their most games since 1998.”

"The Texans looked like a borderline juggernaut after ripping off five wins in their first six games of 2024, but their 5-6 finish told a different story. Ultimately, the team scored 372 points during the regular season … and also allowed 372 points—their *0* point differential was just the 16th-best mark in the NFL.

“And yet, a thumping 20-point win over the Chargers in the Wild Card Round and arguable fluky loss to the Chiefs at Arrowhead has C.J. Stroud and Co. (again) entering the offseason feeling like their best football is still to come. More work obviously needs to be done; just realize the team's big-five players at their best look capable of competing against pretty much any opposing group in the league.”

"Early-season injuries to Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp went hand-in-hand with some brutal defensive performances to help the Rams enter their Week 6 bye with a rough 1-4 record.

“And then something funny happened: Matthew Stafford and Co. started looking a lot like the beastly squad that captured a Super Bowl championship three short years ago. Winning 10 of their final 14 games helped Los Angeles capture its first NFC West title and playoff victory since that magical 2021 season, even with the team's -19 regular-season point differential ranking just 17th in the NFL.”

"It sure seemed like 2024 had the potential to be different for the Ravens. The offense was scarier than ever with Lamar Jackson finding a new peak as a passer and the whole "yeah, we have Derrick Henry now" thing, while a midseason reshuffling on defense provided familiar elite-ness down the stretch.

“Sadly, a dominant Wild Card victory over the Steelers was the only playoff W this squad would eat. Jackson's legacy-worthy, eight-play, 88-yard TD drive late in the fourth quarter in Buffalo still managed to end in heartbreak after Mark Andrews dropped the potential tying two-point conversion. Pain.”

"The Detroit Lions looked like the class of the NFL for a large portion of the 2024 regular season. Blowouts became the new normal inside Ford Field, as the league's top-scoring offense was complemented by a feisty defense capable of wreaking havoc with the best of them. The result was a franchise-best 15 wins (the previous record was 12!) and an NFL-high +222 point differential.

“And then just like that: The season was over. Jayden Daniels and the Commanders managed to take down Jared Goff and Co. 45-31 in Detroit, as ill-timed turnovers and the defense's never-ending string of injuries finally became too much for Dan Campbell's crew to overcome.”

"All the Washington Commanders did in their first year under Dan Quinn was rip off their best regular season since 1991 before winning not one but two playoff games—their first such victories since 2005. Of course, No. 2 overall pick and Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels deserves a ton of credit for the team's success as well, notably engineering one memorable late-game moment after another basically all season long.

"While the Cinderella story sadly struck midnight in Philadelphia, it's impossible to call last season anything other than a raging success for this squad."

  • Buffalo Bills Team Needs (Coming 2/28/25)
  • Philadelphia Eagles Team Needs (Coming 3/1/25)
  • Detroit Lions Team Needs (Coming 3/2/25)