I broke down last week one critical move each NFC team should make this NFL offseason, hitting the quarterback issues for the Giants, Vikings, Packers and Commanders, while pointing out glaring holes to fill for the Lions, Rams and Cowboys.
Next up: Let's shift the attention to the AFC and break down the 16 remaining organizations. Whether it's a contract decision, a position that needs to be addressed or a trade that could create new opportunities, I'll identify a major move for each team to make (or avoid) in the coming weeks ahead of free agency next month.
Which team isn't shopping for a quarterback but should be, and which team trying to give its quarterback away should probably stop taking calls? We'll get to both of those in a minute, but let's start with the organization that might have the deepest roster in the entire league. Once again, these are sorted by division:
Jump to a team:
BAL | BUF | CIN | CLE
DEN | HOU | IND | JAX
KC | LAC | LV | MIA
NE | NYJ | PIT | TEN
AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills
Replenish the defensive line.
It must be nice to be the Bills, who have one of the most talented rosters in football and project to return 19 of their 22 starters. As heartbreaking as Buffalo's divisional-round loss to the Chiefs was for fans, there's still plenty to be excited about. The most difficult adjustments for the organization will be off the field, as offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and assistant general manager Joe Schoen left for the Giants and took a chunk of the Bills' brain trust with them.
The biggest changes for the Bills might come up front on defense, where Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison, Efe Obada, Harrison Phillips and Vernon Butler are all free agents. They still have Ed Oliver and Star Lotulelei on the interior and three first- and second-round picks on the edge (Greg Rousseau, Boogie Basham and AJ Epenesa), but general manager Brandon Beane will be in the market for at least one veteran edge rusher and defensive tackle depth this offseason. Given how deep Beane and coach Sean McDermott have preferred to keep their lines in the past, I'd suspect that the Bills will go for quantity over adding one big-name addition up front.
Miami Dolphins
Fix the offensive line. No, really this time.
Is there a more obvious hole in the league for a competitive team? The Dolphins have simply failed Tua Tagovailoa over the past two seasons by running out a replacement-level offensive line to protect their franchise quarterback. The Dolphins fell from 27th in pass block win rate in 2020 to dead last in 2021. The line was much better blocking for the run, but Miami was scared enough of its dismal line to build the vast majority of its passing attack around run-pass options. Tagovailoa led the league in completion percentage on passes traveling 25-plus yards in the air, in part because opposing secondaries were surprised to see him upright long enough for a receiver to get that far downfield. The Dolphins can't do this to themselves again in 2022.
It will be incumbent on new coach Mike McDaniel to figure out whether he can coax more out of the first- (Austin Jackson) and second-round picks (Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hunt) he inherited from the former regime. In either case, the Dolphins can't count on Jesse Davis to protect Tagovailoa's blind side. In a thin market for right tackles, former Patriots and Raiders lineman Trent Brown might be the most appealing option for a position worth more to Miami and its left-handed quarterback than the rest of the league.
New England Patriots
Get a No. 1 wide receiver.
The Patriots spent millions last year to rebuild their receiving corps on the fly, but they paid premium prices for competence. Kendrick Bourne and Hunter Henry were useful, but Nelson Agholor faded in and out of the offense and Jonnu Smith failed to average even 20 receiving yards per game. Jakobi Meyers, the one holdover who kept his starting role, was the team's most targeted receiver (83 catches on 126 targets).
Just about everybody in this pass-catcher rotation is stretched beyond where they belong. Acquiring a true No. 1 receiver would give Mac Jones the same sort of solution Joe Burrow has in Ja'Marr Chase and Josh Allen has with Stefon Diggs. It would also push their receivers into more realistic roles for their skill sets.
The good news for the Pats is that there are plenty of options available this offseason. Even if we assume Davante Adams is going to be franchise-tagged by the Packers, the Bucs seem likely to let Chris Godwin leave in free agency after franchising him a year ago. Godwin tore an ACL in December, but the Pats don't have players who can do all of the things he can do. They have receivers who can stretch the field and guys who can make tough catches, but Godwin does both at a high level.
The other alternative for the Patriots would be Falcons wideout Calvin Ridley, who missed most of the season to address his mental health. Ridley was a superstar during his last full season with Atlanta, averaging 2.5 yards per route run and 9.4 yards per target. The 27-year-old has reportedly discussed a fresh start with the Falcons, who might need to use him to help rebuild their defense. There's an obvious fit between these two teams; a second-round pick and little-used edge rusher Chase Winovich should be enough to get Ridley to New England.
New York Jets
Add pieces in the secondary.
The default for any team with a second-year quarterback is to add weapons, but the Jets will focus their passing attack around receivers Elijah Moore and Corey Davis next season. I'd like to see them add a tight end and bring back one of their slot receivers (Jamison Crowder or Braxton Berrios), but those are ancillary moves. Their biggest mystery on offense might actually revolve around the future of 2020 first-rounder Mekhi Becton, who missed almost all of last season and might have lost the left tackle job to George Fant.
Instead, coach Robert Saleh has to fix a defense that fell from 21st to dead last in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average) during his first season at the helm. The Jets lost two key contributors to torn Achilles -- edge rusher Carl Lawson and safety Marcus Maye -- but even on paper, it was easy to see that they were going to be holding for dear life at cornerback. With Maye set to hit free agency, a defense that ranked last in QBR allowed without pressure needs to add players who can hold up in coverage.
Several of Saleh's former charges in San Francisco will be free agents this offseason, including Jason Verrett, Ahkello Witherspoon and K'Waun Williams. If the Jets let Maye walk, they'll also need to look for another starter at safety, where 49ers defenders Marcell Harris and Jaquiski Tartt will be unrestricted free agents. Adding Saleh's former players won't single-handedly fix the Jets -- and they are hopeful their coach can bring along young players Bryce Hall and Brandin Echols -- but Gang Green is crying out for a veteran corner on the outside.
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens
Add a pass rusher.
While injuries waylaid the Ravens before and during the 2021 season, one of the few places where they stayed healthy and didn't get much production was the pass rush. After losing Za'Darius Smith and Matthew Judon to free agency in recent years, they used a 2021 first-round pick on Odafe Oweh, added Justin Houston on a one-year deal and hoped to otherwise get by with the players they already had.
Things didn't go well. Baltimore ranked 25th in pressure rate despite blitzing at the league's seventh-highest rate. Injuries in the secondary didn't help matters -- and it got career-high production as a pass-rusher from Tyus Bowser (seven sacks) -- but it just didn't have enough to get after the quarterback.
Now, Houston, Calais Campbell and Pernell McPhee are all free agents. Oweh and Bowser are going to be in the mix, but the Ravens desperately need to add at least one interior rusher who can win on passing downs. They might not need a starting edge rusher in quite the same way, but if Von Miller happens to be sitting in the free-agent market, Baltimore should think about pouncing with a short-term deal.
Cincinnati Bengals
Leave no stone unturned with the offensive line.
Well, you saw the Super Bowl. The biggest difference between the Bengals and Rams was that the Rams were able to block Cincinnati's front four, while the Bengals were hopeless for most of the second half against Aaron Donald & Co. What seemed true on paper before the game played out to a tee between the lines. With a superstar quarterback who has now suffered knee injuries in each of his first two NFL seasons, the Bengals can't afford to put Joe Burrow back out behind dismal offensive linemen again.
The only player who should be assured of a starting job is 2019 first-round pick Jonah Williams -- and the Alabama product might even need to move positions if the Bengals land a left tackle. This isn't a great free-agent window for linemen, especially given how many teams need help up front, but Cincinnati needs to open up its pocketbooks and be at the front of the line for Brandon Scherff, Ryan Jensen and Morgan Moses. It's better in this situation to overpay for a starting-caliber lineman than leave Burrow stuck behind journeymen with a championship on the line.
Cleveland Browns
Try to take a big swing at quarterback.
After four years of Baker Mayfield in Cleveland, what do we know? He is tough. He is surprisingly good in commercials. Get him in a game in which everybody is counting him out and the former Heisman Trophy winner usually plays well. Those are the positives.
In the big picture, though, Mayfield has really only been a difference-maker in situations where everything around him was right. In the second half of both the 2018 and 2020 seasons, he was playing behind a healthy, effective offensive line in offenses that were running the ball well. When the conditions are ideal for a quarterback, he's capable of holding up his end of the bargain. When the line is banged up and the running game isn't hitting on all cylinders? Things aren't as pretty.
There's a whole class of middle-tier quarterbacks who can look good when they get lots of help, and they're mostly unloved at the moment. The Vikings might regret the two deals they've handed Kirk Cousins. The Colts appear to regret trading for Carson Wentz (just as the Eagles likely regretted giving him a big extension in 2019). The Rams regretted extending Jared Goff (after telling everyone within earshot that he was a franchise quarterback), then won a Super Bowl after dumping Goff's contract on the Lions as part of a trade for Matthew Stafford.
As Mayfield enters the final year of his rookie deal and gets a pay bump to $18.2 million, the team has to explore their options. The Browns amassed extra picks during their tanking phase. They have an excellent offensive line and one of the league's most dynamic run games. Their defense jumped from 25th in DVOA in 2020 to 11th last season. Mayfield had a cheap contract, but now he's more expensive, and the organization is facing the possibility of paying him a lot more in the years to come.
Tom Brady isn't a free agent this time around, but if there's any team in the league that should be trying to emulate what the Bucs did and go all-in for a superstar quarterback, it's the Browns. It's unclear whether Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson will be available, but getting one of those guys would be worth three first-round picks. Mayfield would have some trade value in a deal with teams such as the Commanders, Panthers or Saints.
If the Browns can't land one of those big fish and stick it out for one more go-round with Mayfield, that's fine. If the opportunity arises to make a significant upgrade, though, general manager Andrew Berry should take his chance.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Find a short-term solution under center.
The Steelers, on the other hand, have a different set of needs. With the strength of the defense and need to address a dismal offensive line, they might be better off going for a less expensive option, at least in terms of draft capital. I wouldn't fault Pittsburgh for going after Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, but with a line that ranked 31st in pass block win rate, it needs to devote its first-round pick (No. 20) toward protecting a quarterback.
With that in mind, going after Carson Wentz, Kirk Cousins or Jimmy Garoppolo makes sense -- especially because those passers are far more likely to actually be available. The Steelers could draft Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis, but given how dominant their defense can be, I would lean more toward getting a higher-ceiling immediate option and trusting that a competent offense would keep them in the postseason. Mike Tomlin somehow coaxed a playoff appearance out of a season in which his offense ranked 25th.
Mason Rudolph, Ben Roethlisberger's backup for the past few years, might get a crack at the job, but we don't have much evidence that he's an NFL-caliber quarterback. Over 384 pass attempts, he has completed just 61.5% of his passes while averaging 6.2 yards per attempt, numbers that are well below league average. It would be one thing to keep Rudolph on the roster for a quarterback competition, but relying on him as a starter would be an unfounded level of optimism. He has an unguaranteed $3 million base salary in 2022, so the Steelers could keep him as a backup or let go of him entirely if they get a more suitable option.
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans
Don't settle for veteran stopgaps and build a young core.
In Nick Caserio's first full season as Houston general manager, he built a team almost entirely out of competent veterans. The Texans signed dozens of players to short-term deals to fill out their roster, and while they weren't hopeless on the field, it only got them to 4-13. Caserio had a coherent plan, and the Texans were handicapped by the moves made during Bill O'Brien's run in charge of personnel, but I'm not sure what happened helped the long-term trajectory of the franchise.
When you weight each team's snaps by the average age of the player on the field, the Texans were the 20th-youngest team last season. That's not productive in context with other bad teams. Compare them to the other teams that won five games or fewer. The Lions were the youngest team. The Panthers were second. The Jags were eighth, while the Jets were ninth and the Giants were 10th. It's one thing to be bad; it's another to be bad without at least building much of a future core.
This year, the Band-Aid has to come off, regardless of what happens with Deshaun Watson. It's one thing to sign veteran offensive linemen to help keep your quarterback alive, but the Texans should not be relying on Rex Burkhead and Danny Amendola to play meaningful roles, even if they are still competent professionals. This organization needs to focus on building a Super Bowl-winning roster, and it is a few draft classes away from ever reaching that point.
If Houston comes out of another offseason with a roster full of guys on short-term deals, it's not going to amount to much more than spinning its wheels.
Indianapolis Colts
Keep Carson Wentz?
Wentz's future seems murky at best. Just one year after arriving in town for what would eventually become first- and third-round picks, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported earlier this month that the Colts are expected to either trade or release him before March 18, when the remaining $7 million of his $22 million base salary and a $5 million roster bonus will guarantee. The other $15 million is already guaranteed, so if Indianapolis can't find a team to take on the deal, it will be on the hook for that $15 million whether or not he plays for the team in 2022.
With that being said: Are we sure this is a great idea? I've never been the most fervent Wentz supporter -- and I don't think we're ever going to see the 2017 version of him reappear -- but the only other quarterbacks the Colts have on their roster are Sam Ehlinger and James Morgan. Was Wentz really bad enough for the Colts to prefer starting over with a blank slate? Is it really worth writing off as sunk costs the first- and third-round picks Indy sent to Philadelphia?
You can't make that case on the field. Yes, Wentz was disappointing after returning from a COVID-19 case late in the season, and you could argue that he was the biggest reason the Colts lost their final two games and missed the postseason. Facing the league's 21st- (Raiders) and 31st-ranked (Jaguars) pass defenses, he averaged fewer than 6.0 yards per attempt, took seven sacks and turned the ball over twice. The Colts scored 31 points on 18 drives. Wentz overthrew a wide-open T.Y. Hilton for what might have been a huge gain in the fourth quarter of the loss to the Raiders.
Was he the only disappointing part of the roster during those two games? No. The defense had three sacks in two games, allowed long opening drives for touchdowns in both and failed to stop the Jags and Raiders on all three of their fourth-down conversion attempts. After the offense tied up the Raiders game with 2 minutes to go, the defense allowed a 10-play, 60-yard drive to set up a game-winning field goal. Wentz didn't play well in those games, but the defense wasn't playing its best football, either.
Over the course of the entire season, Wentz was more good than bad. Playing behind an offensive line that was operating at less than 100% for most of the season because of injuries, he finished ninth in Total QBR, 13th in adjusted net yards per attempt and 16th in DVOA. You can pick whichever metric you would like, but his individual performance was somewhere around above average across the whole of the season. He also started a full season's worth of games for just the third time as a pro, although he did suffer a foot injury in the summer and was compromised by COVID-19 in the final two games.
Wentz got to play with superstar running back Jonathan Taylor, but the Colts didn't have an imposing set of receivers. Michael Pittman Jr. had a breakout Year 2, but Wentz was otherwise throwing to Zach Pascal, Nyheim Hines and Mo Alie-Cox. The offseason decisions to bring back Hilton on a one-year deal and count on Parris Campbell to stay healthy did not pay off.
While Wentz's decision to turn down the COVID-19 vaccine might have limited his ability to recover before those final two games of the season, he is not the only key player on the Colts who reportedly isn't vaccinated. Linebacker Darius Leonard missed the Week 16 victory over the Cardinals because he was unvaccinated and placed on the COVID-19 list. All-world guard Quenton Nelson, who was reportedly unvaccinated in August, was also on the COVID-19 list and unavailable against the Cardinals.
Those players are better at their positions than Wentz is at quarterback, but the Colts don't have any clear path to a replacement. The organization is undoubtedly frustrated by what happened at the end of the season, but dumping Wentz without a solution isn't going to fix what happened.
If Indianapolis doesn't think he is part of its long-term future, that's one thing. If it gets offered a first-round pick by the Buccaneers or Steelers and wants to get off the Wentz wagon, I could understand. Still, given what the Colts put into acquire him, what they've already committed financially for 2022 and how competent he was for most of his lone season in blue and white, the idea of dumping him for nothing just doesn't add up.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Make life easier for Trevor Lawrence.
New Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson once put together a Year 2 offseason for Carson Wentz in Philadelphia, and the result was an unexpected trip to Super Bowl LII. I don't think the Jags are about to claim a Lombardi trophy, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them follow in the Eagles' footsteps to build around their young quarterback as Lawrence approaches his second season.
Those Eagles had a star tight end (Zach Ertz) and an excellent offensive line, but their wide receivers weren't quite as exciting. In Wentz's second season in 2017, they brought in Alshon Jeffery to serve as a possession receiver and added Torrey Smith to be the deep threat. Nelson Agholor filled out the list of primary receivers.
For the Jags, the roles and solutions on the current roster aren't quite as clear. Travis Etienne Jr., a first-round pick in 2021 who missed the season because of a Lisfranc injury, is likely to serve as the primary back, especially with James Robinson recovering from a torn Achilles. Wide receivers DJ Chark Jr. and Laquon Treadwell are both free agents, as are offensive linemen Cam Robinson and Andrew Norwell. It wouldn't be a surprise if all four moved on. If the organization is willing to move on from Marvin Jones Jr. after guaranteeing the veteran $2.5 million for 2022 in advance, it would leave Laviska Shenault Jr. as the team's only wideout of consequence.
Fortunately for Pederson, there's no shortage of options available in free agency. If the Jags want to try to get a wideout like Jeffery, who was coming off an injury-riddled end to his time with the Bears, they might try to make a move for Allen Robinson II on a one-year deal. Mike Williams, who broke out in his fifth season with the Chargers, is expected to hit free agency. For the Smith role, there's Will Fuller V or Michael Gallup. Adding at least one wide receiver in free agency seems like an obvious move for Jacksonville.
Despite trading for Dan Arnold in midseason, the Jags could also stand to add one of the many tight ends available in free agency. Ertz is available after an impressive half-season with the Cardinals, as are around 10 other players who were regular starters for their teams in 2021.
The Bengals are quickly becoming a destination for players who want to be on a team with Joe Burrow; if the Jags play their cards right and get Lawrence back on track, they might become the next new desirable locale.
Tennessee Titans
Find a way to bring back Harold Landry III.
The Titans have lost a series of young contributors over the past few years, often because they declined or chose to move on from their fifth-year option. Jack Conklin, Corey Davis and Adoree' Jackson have all left in consecutive offseasons. This year, it's a second-round pick coming off a breakthrough season who might hit free agency in Landry, who capped off a 12-sack, 22-knockdown season by making it to the Pro Bowl.
Signing Landry isn't going to be a walk in the park. They committed a huge sum of money to Bud Dupree last offseason, and the former Steelers linebacker has his $16 million base salary for 2022 guaranteed. Defensive end Jeffery Simmons and receiver A.J. Brown are eligible for significant contract extensions. Tennessee is also nearly $7 million over the projected cap for 2022, although it can clear out $17.4 million by releasing Zach Cunningham and Janoris Jenkins and free up millions more by restructuring the contracts of Dupree, Derrick Henry, Kevin Byard and Taylor Lewan. It's not going to be a breeze, but it should be possible to get a deal done for Landy.
What would that contract look like? A franchise tag would come in around $17.4 million -- although all of that money would be on the 2022 cap, reducing the organization's financial flexibility. A new deal would probably come in north of the four-year, $60 million deal Trey Hendrickson signed with the Bengals last offseason. If the Titans are willing to go somewhere around $17 million per season, that's probably right around what it'll take to bring back Landry.
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos
Go get Aaron Rodgers.
This is easier said than done, of course, but I don't think anything will qualify as a success for the Broncos this offseason unless they make a move for a true franchise quarterback. With five picks in the first three rounds of April's draft, young talent on both sides of the ball and an enormous void at the most important position in sports, there might not be a team in the league more incentivized to add a superstar.
While they would likely happily settle for Russell Wilson, the Broncos seemed to hint toward a move for Rodgers by hiring Nathaniel Hackett as their new coach. Hackett's résumé isn't overwhelming; he produced average-or-worse offenses as the coordinator under Doug Marrone in Buffalo and Jacksonville before joining the Packers. Hackett didn't call plays in Green Bay, which would typically be another argument against a promotion to head coach.
Instead, the Broncos hired Hackett, who has spent the past three seasons working alongside Rodgers. When the Packers reached an understanding with Rodgers last summer, there was reportedly an agreement that the Packers would give Rodgers some say in both whether he gets traded and where he goes. The Packers would undoubtedly prefer to send him to an AFC team, especially one they won't play against at home anytime soon. Hackett could help get the Broncos to the top of Rodgers' list. At the end of the day, it might not happen, but anything short of a Rodgers deal would be massively disappointing given where Denver stands.
Kansas City Chiefs
Bring back Tyrann Mathieu.
The Chiefs have big decisions to make on the defensive side of the ball. They released linebacker Anthony Hitchens on Tuesday, which freed up more than $8 million in cap space. Edge rusher Frank Clark, who was arrested over the summer on felony weapon possession charges, could follow Hitchens out the door. The Chiefs will want to add another edge rusher to the roster and should try to bring back Melvin Ingram III, but they have an even more pressing issue to address.
While general manager Brett Veach has generally preferred to buy low on cornerbacks, the stalwart of the Kansas City secondary over the past three years has been Mathieu, whose three-year, $42 million deal is about to expire. The safety turns 30 in May and had knee issues early in his career, but he has been healthy for the vast majority of his time in Kansas City, missing just one game (and that to COVID-19) over three seasons. He has been an inspirational leader and a playmaker in a secondary that is otherwise one of the league's youngest units.
At the same time, the Chiefs have issues to address elsewhere. They need to sign left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who seems likely to receive the franchise tag. They'll need an edge rusher to replace Clark. Veach could instead choose to direct Mathieu's money toward a younger player at cornerback or safety, such as Marcus Williams or J.C. Jackson. It's probably meaningful that the two sides weren't able to come to terms on an extension before the season ended.
For both sides, though, a reunion makes sense. Mathieu's reliability and versatility lets the Chiefs spend less at cornerback, while his best chance of winning a Super Bowl is with his current team. The safety market has leveled up since he signed his most recent contract, but I have to think the Chiefs would bring him back if they can get a deal done. Depending on how many years they want to add for cap purposes, he's looking at a three-year, $54 million pact, whether it comes in Kansas City or elsewhere.
Las Vegas Raiders
Add talent outside at receiver.
Jon Gruden's roster-building plans at wide receiver did not work out. Hunter Renfrow has grown into a valuable weapon in the slot -- and Darren Waller is a mismatch at tight end when healthy -- but the bigger investments went awry. Tyrell Williams played 12 games in two seasons before being released. Henry Ruggs III, the No. 12 overall draft pick in 2020, is unlikely to play in the NFL again after being involved in a crash that took a woman's life. Trades for Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant were wastes of draft picks. By the end of 2021, the Raiders were using Bryan Edwards and Zay Jones as their top two receivers.
Jones was actually quietly impressive in December and January, but that was the first meaningful success of his pro career, and now he is a free agent. So is DeSean Jackson. Renfrow is up for an extension and a significant raise, likely coming in somewhere around $15 million per season on a new deal. It's easy to see how he might fit in new coach Josh McDaniels' offense, but we saw how the Patriots struggled when they didn't have any weapons capable of stretching the field at the X or Z spots in the offense.
Adding at least one viable starting wideout has to be high on McDaniels' list this offseason. One option: Mike Williams would take away a key weapon from the rival Chargers and give Derek Carr a receiver capable of winning anywhere on the field.
Los Angeles Chargers
Fix the run defense.
The Chargers might have made it to the postseason if their run defense had been slightly more effective. Allowing Josh Jacobs to run for 10 yards on third-and-4 helped push the Raiders into field goal range, and that kick ended up costing the Chargers what would have been a playoff-clinching tie in Week 18.
Brandon Staley's defensive philosophy is typically to play light boxes, emphasizing stopping the pass ahead of stopping the run. He often asks his defensive linemen to play a gap and a half up front and trusts that a six-man box can make enough plays to survive.
The philosophy is reasonable, but the production was not. In 2021, the Chargers were outnumbered in the box nearly 72% of the time, the fourth-highest rate in the league. The teams that were outnumbered more frequently were the Broncos (who were coached by Staley mentor Vic Fangio), Rams (who ran a version of the scheme Staley used as their coordinator last season) and Bills. Those teams all had better run defense numbers than the Chargers, who ranked 31st in success rate against the run and 30th in rush yards allowed over expectation, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
The Chargers improved against the run during the second half of the season, but changes still need to be made. Personnel turnover will help spur those changes. Linval Joseph, Justin Jones and Uchenna Nwosu are all free agents, as are linebackers Kyler Fackrell and Kyzir White. Kenneth Murray Jr., whom they traded up to draft in the first round of the 2020 draft, looked overmatched in his second season. Los Angeles will need to worry about retaining wideout Mike Williams and finding a new starting tight end, but if it can't fix its run defense and play the way Staley wants, all the offensive excitement in the world might not matter.