The bulk of high-impact offseason roster movement is in the rearview mirror and nearly every team was able to fill a roster void with a veteran addition.
Here are the 25 biggest position upgrades from the 2019 offseason. Whether it was via free agency, trade or draft, these teams' chances of 2019 success improved as a product of these significant acquisitions.
Note: 2019 team and player projections are my own, compiled through a thorough process that is both quantitative (league, team, coaching and player trends) and qualitative (projected depth chart placement and role). For all offensive linemen, I provided Pro Football Focus' player grades for last season.
Jump to best upgrade at each position:
QB | RB | WR | OL | DL | LB | DB
1. Oakland Raiders, WR
Antonio Brown replaces Jordy Nelson
Nelson's 2018 stat line: 63 receptions, 739 yards, 3 TD
Brown's 2019 projection: 105 receptions, 1,290 yards, 10 TD
Brown's falling out with Pittsburgh management was one of the offseason's biggest storylines and led to a trade to the West Coast. Arguably the league's best wide receiver of the past decade, Brown has finished no lower than fourth at the position in targets, no lower than seventh in receptions and no lower than ninth in receiving yards each of the past six seasons. Meanwhile, Raiders receivers combined for nine touchdowns last season (third fewest in the league). The soon-to-be 31-year-old Brown will undoubtedly be a target monster as Derek Carr's undisputed top target.
2. New York Jets, RB
Le'Veon Bell replaces Isaiah Crowell
Crowell's 2018 stat line: 164 touches, 837 yards, 6 TD
Bell's 2019 projection: 337 touches, 1,723 yards, 9 TD
Bell infamously sat out the entire 2018 season before signing a four-year, $52.5 million contract with the Jets. Whereas Crowell rotated with Bilal Powell and Trenton Cannon, Bell's career usage and paycheck suggest he'll have a workhorse role. When we last saw Bell, he racked up 1,946 yards and scored 11 touchdowns on a league-high 406 touches in 15 games back in 2017. He's unlikely to hit those marks again in his age-27 season, but there's no doubt he'll be a heavily used playmaker in the Jets' new-look offense.
3. Cleveland Browns, WR
Odell Beckham Jr. replaces Antonio Callaway
Callaway's 2018 stat line: 43 receptions, 586 yards, 5 TD
Beckham's 2019 projection: 90 receptions, 1,252 yards, 10 TD
Beckham has quite the knack for being involved in "I remember where I was standing when it happened" moments. His seemingly impossible one-handed catch back in 2014 launched him into stardom, and news of his trade from the Giants to the Browns in March rocked the NFL world. Injuries have limited Beckham to 16 games over the past two seasons, but he remains one of the league's most dangerous players when active. The 26-year-old has found paydirt 46 times in 59 career games and it wouldn't be a surprise if he kept up that torrid scoring pace as Baker Mayfield's top target in 2019.
Chris Mortensen reports that Odell Beckham Jr. plans on participating in the Browns' organized team activities starting Tuesday.
4. New York Giants, RG
Kevin Zeitler replaces Jamon Brown
Brown's 2018 PFF grade: 51.7
Zeitler's 2018 PFF grade: 74.5
Shipping Olivier Vernon to Cleveland left the Giants with one of the NFL's worst groups of edge rushers, but it did land them one of the league's best guards in Zeitler. As reliable as they come, the 29-year-old has played more than 1,000 snaps each of the past four seasons. He posted Pro Football Focus' top pass-blocking grade among guards while allowing only 11 pressures last season (Brown and Patrick Omameh combined to allow 39 on 198 fewer snaps than Zeitler). Zeitler joins Nate Solder, Will Hernandez, Jon Halapio and Mike Remmers to form a much-improved offensive line.
5. Cleveland Browns, Edge
Olivier Vernon replaces Emmanuel Ogbah
Ogbah's 2018 stat line: 40 tackles, 4.0 sacks
Vernon's 2019 projection: 44 tackles, 7.6 sacks
Speaking of that Vernon-for-Zeitler swap, Vernon joins up with Myles Garrett in Cleveland to form one of the league's best edge-rushing duos. Vernon missed five games last season, but was a force when active, registering eight sacks (10th most during the span), 13 hits (second), 46 total pressures (ninth) and an 86.0 PFF pass-rush grade (seventh). The 28-year-old should have plenty of sack opportunities with Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson joining him on the defensive line.
6. Kansas City Chiefs, FS
Tyrann Mathieu replaces Eric Berry
Berry's 2018 stat line: 11 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 INT
Mathieu's 2019 projection: 93 tackles, 1.8 sacks, 1.6 INT
Berry is another player who has been a star when healthy but hasn't been able to stay on the field for a variety of health reasons. He has appeared in a grand total of three games over the past two seasons, and six or fewer games during four of his nine NFL seasons. The Chiefs cut him loose and signed Mathieu as a replacement during the offseason. The "Honey Badger" has proved to be one of the league's most versatile defensive backs, playing at a high level at both safety and slot corner. Mathieu racked up 89 tackles, three sacks and a pair of interceptions in Houston last season.
7. Detroit Lions, Edge
Trey Flowers replaces Ezekiel Ansah
Ansah's 2018 stat line: 11 tackles, 4.0 sacks
Flowers' 2019 projection: 59 tackles, 8.6 sacks
Ansah has registered 48.0 sacks in 80 career games and has at times been one of the league's top pass-rushers. But health has eluded the 2013 fifth-overall pick in recent seasons, and the team reached its breaking point after he was limited to 137 snaps in seven games last season. With Ansah out, Detroit spent big on Flowers, to the tune of $90 million over five years. Flowers has been limited to 21.0 sacks in 46 career games, but ranked 10th among edge rushers with 64 QB pressures last season. This would be hard to qualify as a serious upgrade if Ansah were healthy, but availability has been a big problem, so here we are.
8. New York Jets, ILB
C.J. Mosley replaces Darron Lee
Lee's 2018 stat line: 73 tackles, 0 sacks, 3 INT
Mosley's 2019 projection: 129 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1.1 INT
Mosley has spent the past few seasons as the playcaller and leader of one of the league's best defenses in Baltimore, so it was certainly shocking when he signed on with the Jets. He registered a ridiculous 597 tackles during his five seasons with the Ravens, which is fourth most in the league during the span. He replaces Lee, who didn't live up to expectations after being drafted in the first round back in 2016. Mosley joins Avery Williamson to fill out one of the league's best linebacker duos. With this pairing along with Leonard Williams, Quinnen Williams, Henry Anderson, Jachai Polite, Trumaine Johnson, Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye, the Jets' defense has tremendous upside.
9. Indianapolis Colts, Edge
Justin Houston replaces Tyquan Lewis
Lewis' 2018 stat line: 13 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 0 INT
Houston's 2019 projection: 46 tackles, 8.9 sacks, 0.5 INT
The Colts enjoyed a relatively quiet offseason, focusing primarily on re-signing their own free agents. Their splashiest move was the signing of Houston, who will team up with Jabaal Sheard to form one of the league's stronger edge-rushing pairs. Houston turned 30 during the offseason, but still seems to have plenty left in the tank after generating nine sacks and five forced fumbles for the Chiefs last season. The Colts are stocked with young depth at the position with 2018 second-round picks Lewis and Kemoko Turay, as well as 2019 second-rounder Ben Banogu.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars, QB
Nick Foles replaces Blake Bortles
Bortles' 2018 stat line: 243-of-403, 2,718 yards, 13 TD, 11 INT
Foles' 2019 projection: 369-of-561, 4,042 yards, 18 TD, 14 INT
Jacksonville's five-year Bortles experiment is finally over, as the franchise now turns to the Super Bowl LII MVP. The $88 million dollar man heads south after another boom/bust 2018 campaign in which he completed a strong 69 percent of his passes, but also threw eight interceptions and fumbled four times in seven games. Of course, Bortles struggled to a 59 percent completion rate, 6.7 yards per attempt and 75 interceptions in 75 games with the team, so this is an upgrade no matter how you look at it. Still, Foles won't have the supporting cast he did in Philadelphia.
11. Green Bay Packers, SS
Adrian Amos replaces Josh Jones
Jones' 2018 stat line: 51 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 0 INT
Amos' 2019 projection: 76 tackles, 0.8 sacks, 2.0 INT
Amos has been a key piece of an elite Bears defense. Last season, he paced Chicago's dominant D in snaps en route to 72 tackles and a pair of interceptions. Amos signed on with the division-rival Packers during the offseason and joins rookie Darnell Savage Jr. to complete a much-needed overhaul of Green Bay's long-underwhelming safety position. Jones hasn't panned out since the team spent a second-round pick on him in 2017, but the Packers will look to salvage his career by giving him more work at linebacker this season.
12. Green Bay Packers, Edge
Preston Smith/Za'Darius Smith replace Clay Matthews/Nick Perry
Matthews and Perry's combined 2018 stat line: 67 tackles, 5.0 sacks
Smith and Smith's combined 2019 projection: 81 tackles, 10.7 sacks
Safety wasn't the only position Green Bay overhauled during the offseason. Long-time contributors Matthews and Perry were sent packing and replaced by a pair of Smiths. Former Raven Za'Darius ranked 17th in QB pressures among edge rushers last season (59), and ex-Redskin Preston was 22nd (53). Matthews and Perry combined for only 43 QB pressures on 581 tries. Smith and Smith will be joined by rookie Rashan Gary, as well as holdovers Kyler Fackrell and Reggie Gilbert, in a suddenly deep and talented OLB room. The Packers' defense should take a big leap forward this year.
13. Washington Redskins, SS
Landon Collins replaces Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Clinton-Dix's 2018 stat line: 92 tackles, 1.0 sack, 3 INT
Collins' 2019 projection: 112 tackles, 0.8 sacks, 0.9 INT
Washington upgraded to Clinton-Dix at the 2018 trade deadline, but leveled up again by signing Collins to a massive six-year, $84 million contract during free agency. Collins gets knocked for his limitations in coverage, but he has made up for it as a major force in the box. His 428 tackles since entering the league in 2015 are 48 more than any other safety has compiled. Washington's defensive backfield remains a problem area on the whole, but signing Collins at least gives the Redskins one of the league's best strong safeties.
14. San Francisco 49ers, Edge
Dee Ford/Nick Bosa replace Arik Armstead/Ronald Blair III
Armstead and Blair's combined 2018 stat line: 84 tackles, 8.5 sacks
Ford and Bosa's combined 2019 projection: 96 tackles, 17.1 sacks
The last season in which San Francisco ranked better than 18th in the league in sacks was 2012. Undoubtedly frustrated with their ineffective pass rush, the 49ers traded a second-round pick for Ford and selected Bosa second overall in April's draft. Ford is fresh off a breakout season in Kansas City in which he racked up 13.0 sacks (fifth most in the league) and, per PFF, led edge rushers with 77 QB pressures. Rookies were mostly excluded from this piece as they're mostly unknowns, but Bosa's high pedigree suggests he'll make a quick impact. The 49ers' defensive line has a high ceiling with Armstead, Blair, DeForest Buckner and Solomon Thomas all rotating in.
15. Los Angeles Chargers, OLB
Thomas Davis replaces Jatavis Brown
Brown's 2018 stat line: 93 tackles, 1.0 sack, 0 INT
Davis' 2019 projection: 98 tackles, 1.3 sacks, 0.5 INT
Linebacker has long been a position of underwhelming play and/or an injury hot bed for the Chargers. In recent seasons, the team has spent midround picks on Kyzir White and Drue Tranquill, and all but converted "safety" Adrian Phillips to linebacker. Denzel Perryman has been a solid player, but has missed half of the team's games over the past two seasons. Enter Davis, who spent his first 14 NFL seasons as a high-impact player in Carolina. Davis is now 36, but he's coming off a season in which he registered 79 tackles in 12 games as a near-full-time player in Carolina. He's a big upgrade next to Perryman.
16. Cleveland Browns, DT
Sheldon Richardson replaces Trevon Coley
Coley's 2018 stat line: 39 tackles, 0.5 sacks
Richardson's 2019 projection: 48 tackles, 3.6 sacks
As if the aforementioned addition of Vernon to go along with Garrett weren't enough, the Browns signed Richardson as a complement to Ogunjobi during free agency. Though Richardson's sack numbers have dipped a bit in recent seasons, he can still get to the quarterback. He managed 47 QB pressures (14th most) with Minnesota last season, whereas Coley had only eight. The 28-year-old Richardson will inevitably play a large role for one of the league's most improved teams.
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17. Denver Broncos, RT
Ja'Wuan James replaces Jared Veldheer
Veldheer's 2018 PFF grade: 62.4
James' 2018 PFF grade: 70.8
James has missed time with injuries throughout his five-year career, but he has been one of the game's better right tackles when on the field. The former Dolphin has graded out strongly at PFF during each of the past three seasons and posted the 12th-best run-blocking grade among tackles in 2018. Veldheer has been a serviceable-to-good tackle throughout his career, but turns 32 this year. James, who turns 27 in June, is both younger and an upgrade opposite LT Garett Bolles.
18. Oakland Raiders, RT
Trent Brown replaces Brandon Parker
Parker's 2018 PFF grade: 61.9
Brown's 2018 PFF grade: 71.0
Brown got his career back on track with a terrific 2018 season protecting Tom Brady. The former 49er allowed 39 pressures and three sacks on a hefty 1,341 snaps (including the playoffs). That led to a massive four-year, $66 million contract and a ticket back to the West Coast courtesy of the Raiders. Brown replaces Parker, who allowed 43 pressures and 10 sacks while committing 11 penalties on 780 snaps last season. He was PFF's lowest-graded tackle (minimum 500 snaps). Now, Oakland will have a formidable tackle duo if LT Kolton Miller improves in his second season.
19. Carolina Panthers, C
Matt Paradis replaces Ryan Kalil
Kalil's 2018 PFF grade: 63.6
Paradis' 2018 PFF grade: 79.0
Kalil retired during the offseason after holding down the fort as Carolina's center for 12 seasons. The Panthers quickly filled the void, signing Paradis to a three-year, $27 million contract. Paradis was a gem find by Denver, which selected him in the sixth round of the 2014 draft. One of the league's best centers since then, Paradis has allowed only six sacks and 70 pressures on 4,069 snaps. He graded out as PFF's No. 2 center both overall and as a run-blocker last season. The 29-year-old is an upgrade for Cam Newton and Christian McCaffrey.
20. Buffalo Bills, C
Mitch Morse replaces Russell Bodine
Bodine's 2018 PFF grade: 61.6
Morse's 2018 PFF grade: 69.5
Bodine struggled to make a positive impact during his time with the Bengals, so it was no surprise that he struggled while anchoring a weak Bills offensive line for roughly half of the 2018 season. Buffalo overhauled nearly its entire line during the offseason, including the addition of Morse. The 27-year-old posted PFF's sixth-best pass-blocking grade among centers while with the Chiefs last season. Morse allowed five pressures and no sacks on 811 snaps. But he'll have a lot on his shoulders this season with Buffalo still shaky at both guard spots.
21. Tennessee Titans, LG
Rodger Saffold replaces Quinton Spain
Spain's 2018 PFF grade: 62.3
Saffold's 2018 PFF grade: 72.8
Spain was a solid pass-blocking presence during his four seasons in Tennessee, but the run-heavy Titans upgraded to a better all-around left guard in Saffold during the offseason. Saffold, who spent his first nine seasons with the Rams, graded out as PFF's eighth-best guard overall and fourth-best run-blocker last season. The oversized 31-year-old will help clear running lanes for bulldozer Derrick Henry this season.
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Edge
Shaquil Barrett replaces Carl Nassib
Nassib's 2018 stat line: 29 tackles, 6.5 sacks
Barrett's 2019 projection: 43 tackles, 4.1 sacks
After generating a total of only 60 sacks (30th in the league) during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the Buccaneers entered the offseason with a clear need at edge rusher. And that was before Jason Pierre-Paul's car accident, which will cost him at least part of the 2019 regular season. Enter Barrett, who was surprisingly limited to 31 percent of the snaps in Denver last season despite a strong 2017 campaign in which he generated 42 pressures and four sacks in a larger role. He'll certainly play more in Tampa Bay, and there's good chance he'll pace the team's edge rushers in snaps.
23. Philadelphia Eagles, WR
DeSean Jackson replaces Jordan Matthews
Matthews' 2018 stat line: 20 receptions, 300 yards, 2 TD
Jackson's 2019 projection: 45 receptions, 765 yards, 5 TD
Whether they've tried Nelson Agholor, Torrey Smith or Mike Wallace, the Eagles have struggled to add a vertical element to the offense since Doug Pederson was hired in 2016. During the three seasons, they've completed a pedestrian 76-of-221 targets 20-plus yards down field (34.4 percent) for 2,768 yards and 12.5 yards per target. They looked to rectify that by trading for old friend Jackson, who returns to the team that drafted him, following five seasons away. Jackson's 10.8 yards per target was sixth highest in the NFL last season, and his career 10.0 YPT tops the league since he was drafted in 2008. The 32-year-old will be a force as a lid lifter in 2019, as will 2019 draft pick JJ Arcega-Whiteside.
24. Oakland Raiders, slot CB
Lamarcus Joyner replaces Nick Nelson
Nelson's 2018 stat line: 17 tackles, 0 sacks, 0 INT
Joyner's 2019 projection: 71 tackles, 0.6 sacks, 1.5 INT
A solid slot corner during the Jeff Fisher era and a terrific full-time safety under Sean McVay during his time with the Rams, Joyner is expected to spend most of his snaps in the slot for the Raiders this season. The versatile safety has aligned at perimeter corner on only 2 percent of his 3,380 career snaps, instead working in the slot (41 percent), at free safety (42 percent) and in the box (15 percent). Joyner's role will limit his exposure to true outside No. 1 wide receivers, but he'll be busy with talented slot receivers, including Keenan Allen twice.
25. Pittsburgh Steelers, CB
Steven Nelson replaces Coty Sensabaugh
Sensabaugh's 2018 stat line: 44 tackles, 0 INT
Nelson's 2019 projection: 59 tackles, 2.2 INT
Pittsburgh benched 2016 first-round pick Artie Burns last season, which left the Steelers with a major weak spot at corner opposite Joe Haden. Antonio Brown trade aside, Pittsburgh's offseason was relatively quiet, but the team did sneak in the signing of Nelson. Yes, the Chiefs have struggled to slow opposing offenses as of late, but that shouldn't take away from what Nelson can do. He settled in as a solid corner during his four seasons with Kansas City. Last season, Nelson generated 68 tackles, picked off four passes and posted 15 passes defended. Despite missing half of the 2017 season, Nelson ranks 18th among corners in tackles and 15th in passes defended since 2016.
Honorable mentions
Buffalo Bills upgrade from Zay Jones to John Brown at WR
Houston Texans upgrade from Shareece Wright to Bradley Roby at CB
San Francisco 49ers upgrade from Reuben Foster to Kwon Alexander at ILB
Tennessee Titans upgrade from Tajae Sharpe to Adam Humphries at WR
Arizona Cardinals upgrade from Josh Bynes to Jordan Hicks at ILB
Indianapolis Colts upgrade from Ryan Grant to Devin Funchess at WR