With the bulk of NFL free agency spending in the books, I want to take a step back and look at the teams that were left with vacancies to fill in the months to come. We understandably spend March focusing on the players who sign deals (or who hint at the possibility of a trade for weeks on end with no conclusion), but we often don't look closer at what's left behind by the departures of those players.
Let's examine each position, pick a team that has lost a key player (or players) without fully replacing them and identify what their most likely path to plugging those holes looks like over the next few months. I'll be using each team's history and the various options available to them to guide me.
Most teams like to have their quarterback plans locked in before the new league year begins, let alone by the end of March. Looking around the league, nearly every team either has a starter in place or a clear path to their next starter in April's draft. There's one conspicuous exception to that list and there's an eminently reasonable solution still on the market. Let's start there:
Jump to a team with a hole:
Cardinals | Cowboys
Eagles | Packers
Rams | Ravens | Titans
Quarterback: Baltimore Ravens
Out: Lamar Jackson
Jackson's future with the organization is subject to all kinds of possibilities, many of which I covered in my piece on him earlier this month. Jackson has requested a trade, but the most likely scenario would see him return to the Ravens. At the moment, despite being stuck with the franchise tag, he isn't a member of the organization until he either signs the tag or inks a long-term deal. If he doesn't do either of those things and doesn't find an offer sheet on the market to his liking, he wouldn't be eligible to play in 2023.
Baltimore's first player up would be restricted free agent Tyler Huntley, who is likely to return to the organization after being assigned a $2.6 million tender for next season. Despite his unlikely trip to the Pro Bowl last season, he averaged just 5.8 yards per attempt and posted a 49.5 QBR over the past two seasons. (Jackson is at 57.9 over that same stretch.) Huntley has gone 3-5 as a starter since 2021, but the Ravens scored just five touchdowns in his five starts last season. If Jackson is not going to be around, they can't rely on Huntley as the starter.
In: Nobody.
The only other quarterback on the roster is Anthony Brown, who went 22 of 49 for 302 yards with two interceptions and five sacks in a Week 18 start against the Bengals last season.
What could be next: Sign Teddy Bridgewater. The Ravens are expected to move to a more balanced passing attack after replacing offensive coordinator Greg Roman with Todd Monken, so there isn't the same need for Baltimore to employ a dual-threat quarterback behind Jackson.
Bridgewater wasn't great in 2022 amid injuries with the Dolphins, but the 30-year-old has been right around league average in most rate metrics around his various NFL stops. He has won games with a solid defense, going 11-5 with the Vikings in 2015 and 5-0 with the Saints in 2019. It's a bit of a surprise he is on the market when Jarrett Stidham and Taylor Heinicke have inked backup deals for meaningful money.
The Ravens should be interested, but they might be waiting until June 1 to protect a draft pick. They are projected to recoup a fourth-round compensatory pick for guard Ben Powers, who signed with the Broncos in free agency.
Signing Bridgewater could impact their likelihood of receiving that pick. If general manager Eric DeCosta waits until after June 1 to sign their new quarterback, they would bring in Bridgewater without losing the comp pick. By then, of course, the Ravens hope they have some resolution with Jackson as well.
Running back: Dallas Cowboys
Out: Ezekiel Elliott
A breakup between Elliott and the Cowboys seemed inevitable as early as last offseason, when Dallas elected against restructuring his deal to create short-term cap space. While he could have returned on a reduced contract, as offensive tackle Tyron Smith did, the two sides weren't able to come to terms, and Elliott was released earlier this month. Dallas used the franchise tag on Tony Pollard, and he signed the tag shortly thereafter, locking him on the roster for 2023.
In: Ronald Jones
The Cowboys imported the 2019 Bucs second-round pick after an anonymous season with the Chiefs. Jones won his second Super Bowl in three seasons, but the emergence of Isiah Pacheco limited him to just 18 touches and 38 offensive snaps during the regular season. He has been a solid runner in the past, but fumbling and an inability to make an impact as a receiver has limited him. With just over $300,000 guaranteed on his one-year deal, there's a reasonable chance he doesn't make the roster in September.
What could be next: Elliott's return. A reunion could be in the cards if he doesn't find what he's looking for on the open market. Elliott had reportedly narrowed down his list of teams to the Bengals, Eagles and Jets, but none of those teams appears to be interested in finalizing a deal with the 27-year-old.
He has played through injuries over the past couple of seasons, but he wasn't the same player after inking his six-year, $90 million extension in 2019. He is a good pass protector, but any team eyeing his touchdown totals and hoping for a short yardage pounder might be disappointed. His 22 rushing scores over that stretch are more about opportunity than skill.
With two yards to go or fewer over the past two seasons, Elliott has generated one fewer first down than an average back would have in the same situations, per the first down over expectation (FDOE) model from NFL Next Gen Stats. His success rate on those carries is 72.5%, right in line with the league average over that same time frame (71.8%). He has generated 75 rush yards over expectation (RYOE) between the tackles over that stretch, but also has been responsible for a league-worst minus-158 RYOE on runs outside the tackles.
In the right role as an early down back and pass protector, Elliott could still be a useful contributor to a winning football team, but that sort of player usually lands about $3-4 million in free agency. After making just over $50 million across the past four seasons in Dallas, he might not be experiencing the hometown premium at the thought of returning for that sort of money.
If it's not Elliott, the Cowboys could look toward a market that still includes Leonard Fournette, Latavius Murray and Kareem Hunt unsigned. There's also a chance expensive veterans such as Derrick Henry and Dalvin Cook could be released after the draft. Dallas could add a rookie in April's draft, but Pollard's uncertain status for Week 1 leads me to believe the team would probably prefer to have a more experienced back on the roster.
Wide receiver/tight end: Green Bay Packers
Out: Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis
If you were on the roster before 2022 and have Aaron Rodgers' cellphone number, you don't appear to be part of the plans in Green Bay. Tonyan signed a one-year deal with the Bears, while Lazard became the first of what could be several players on that list to join the Jets when he inked a four-year pact. If the long-rumored trade of Rodgers to New York is ever consummated, it would be no surprise if Cobb and Lewis followed.
In: Nobody.
The Packers haven't added any wide receivers or tight ends since the start of the offseason. They're naturally expecting to move forward with second-year wideouts Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, but their third option is a fellow 2022 draft pick Samori Toure, a seventh-rounder who played 112 offensive snaps as a rookie. The current starting tight end is Josiah Deguara, whose role in the offense decreased after Tonyan's return from an ACL tear last season.
What could be next: An early-round selection at tight end. This draft's tight end class is regarded as the best in a generation. Five tight ends came off the board in the top two rounds in ESPN analyst Jordan Reid's recent seven-round mock draft, including Georgia's Darnell Washington, who he had heading to the Packers at No. 45. If that happens, it would be just the fourth time since 1990 that five tight ends were selected across the first two rounds in a draft.
The Packers own pick Nos. 15 and 45, but they would likely add at least one of the Jets' three selections in the first two rounds if they can complete the Rodgers trade by draft day. The Jets seem hesitant to move pick No. 13, but Nos. 42 or 43 could be in play, making it easier for Green Bay to land a tight end.
Relying on general manager Brian Gutekunst & Co. to acquire a wide receiver has proved to be a fool's errand over the past few offseasons, but it certainly seems like there's a space for the Packers to add at least one veteran. Richie James, who had 330 yards for the Giants over a six-game stretch at the end of 2022, is still a free agent, as is five-time Pro Bowler Jarvis Landry. The latter could be a replacement for Cobb in the slot. Green Bay could also look toward Eric Tomlinson to replace Lewis as its blocking tight end.
Offensive line: Tennessee Titans
Out: Taylor Lewan, Ben Jones, Nate Davis, Dennis Daley, Corey Levin, Le'Raven Clark
The Titans are totally overhauling the offensive line that helped Derrick Henry top 2,000 rushing yards in 2020. The only lineman left on the roster who took a snap for that unit is center Aaron Brewer, who is a restricted free agent. A backup then, Brewer was forced into the starting lineup last season and will be back there again after being handed the second-round tender for the 2023 season.
Guard Rodger Saffold was cut a year ago, and the rest of the line has joined him on the road out of Tennessee. Lewan, the team's longtime left tackle, missed 30 games over the past three seasons because of injuries and was cut. Daley took Lewan's place on the blindside, but he joined the Cardinals in free agency. Jones, who made the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2022, was released after seven years as the team's starting center. Davis finished his rookie deal and joined the Bears. Clark signed with the Steelers, while Levin remains a free agent.
To put things in context, this wasn't a good line in 2022, and the Titans aggressively cleared out cap space on both sides of the ball in an effort to retool their roster. At the same time, it's not as if there are tons of exciting replacements left on their roster. Isaiah Wilson, a first-round pick in 2020, played just three snaps before being traded away for a seventh-round selection, while 2021 second-rounder Dillon Radunz struggled to earn regular playing time before tearing an ACL in December.
Nicholas Petit-Frere, a third-round pick last year, kept his head above water as a rookie right tackle, but he is still a raw prospect than a refined player. He's the most exciting lineman left on this team though. There's a lot of work to be done.
In: Andre Dillard, Daniel Brunskill
New general manager Ran Carthon went back to his old stomping grounds in San Francisco to bring in a familiar face in Brunskill, who played all across the line during his four seasons with the 49ers. After spending most of last season in a rotation at guard with Spencer Burford, Brunskill will need to move into a starting role somewhere along this line, with right guard as the most likely landing spot.
Dillard's arrival in town feels more important. Once a highly touted prospect after the Eagles moved up to select him in the first round of the 2019 draft, he never looked like a starting-caliber left tackle on the field. Jordan Mailata's stunning development from a rugby player into an NFL starter has been remarkable, but the Eagles would have found another position for Dillard if he had been up to the task.
Instead, Dillard played behind Jack Driscoll as the Philadelphia swing tackle and was on the field for just 37 offensive snaps last season. The Titans signed him to a three-year, $29 million deal with $10 million guaranteed in the hopes they can mold him into a viable left tackle. If the Eagles and their offensive line development machine couldn't do it, will the Titans?
What could be next: A first-round pick up front. Jordan Reid has the Titans opting for Northwestern lineman Peter Skoronski with the No. 11 overall pick, which would make sense. Skoronski was a high school center before moving to left tackle to replace future Chargers star Rashawn Slater, but some scouts see his future at guard. Starting Skoronski at left guard while giving Dillard a chance to prove what he can do at left tackle would ease in the rookie lineman before a possible move to the blindside in 2024.
Even if the Titans do use a first-round pick on a lineman, though, they could still stand to add more depth up front. Former Seahawks lineman Jamarco Jones is on the roster after missing all of 2022 with an elbow injury, but at least one more veteran lineman on the interior would make sense. Saffold is a free agent after his lone season with the Bills, as are veterans Trai Turner and Matt Feiler.
Defensive line: Arizona Cardinals
Out: J.J. Watt, Zach Allen, Michael Dogbe, Trysten Hill, Markus Golden
New Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon is going from overseeing the league's deepest defensive line in Philadelphia to what might arguably be the thinnest. Arizona wasn't great up front last season, and now its best players have left town.
Watt finished his legendary career with a 12.5-sack season and retired, surely in advance of a trip to Canton in five years. Allen had a breakout season lining up as a defensive end on early downs and an interior disruptor in passing situations; he'll take his 5.5 sacks and 20 knockdowns to the Broncos. Golden had an unlucky season with just 2.5 sacks against 20 quarterback knockdowns, but the edge rusher is one year removed from an 11-sack campaign. The Cardinals cut him to create cap space.
Second-year draft picks Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders should see more time and Dennis Gardeck is a couple years removed from racking up seven sacks on 94 total snaps, but this team needs to add more players up front.
In: L.J. Collier and Kevin Strong
It hasn't been an inspiring start. Collier, a 2019 first-round pick, didn't impress in his lone season as a starter in Seattle and racked up just three sacks in 45 games under Pete Carroll. Strong was a rotational defensive tackle for the Titans last season. Both players are on one-year deals for $1.2 million with modest amounts of guaranteed money.
What could be next: Drafting Will Anderson Jr. at No. 3 overall. The Cardinals understandably appear to be treating next season as a reset, given that quarterback Kyler Murray is recovering from a torn ACL and their roster had too many holes after mistakes in the draft by former general manager Steve Keim. They are set to receive a 2024 fourth-round compensatory selection for Allen and probably won't be in the market for any major investments to upgrade their line this season.
Gannon's defense is going to need pass-rushers who can win one-on-one, and Anderson is regarded by many as the best prospect at any position in April's draft. The Alabama product became the first player to win back-to-back SEC Defensive Player of the Year awards, and he plays the second-most expensive position in football. He is an obvious solution to a problem the Cardinals project to have, both in 2023 and beyond.
It's a simple solution barring one possibility: What if the Cardinals get a significant trade offer for their pick? Teams that want a quarterback aren't going to get into one of the top two spots with the Panthers and Texans likely drafting signal-callers, but what if a team is eyeing another of the top passers at No. 3? With the Colts frothing to add a quarterback at No. 4, the Cardinals should field calls from teams interested in moving ahead of Indy to land their passer of the future.
Passing up Anderson might be tough, but the Cardinals aren't a pass-rusher away from contending. Trading down for the sake of doing so would be a waste, but if they could land another first-rounder to help build their roster, it would be worth some serious thought for new general manager Monti Ossenfort. Depending on how far they trade down, there's even a chance they could move a few picks and still land Anderson. Whether it's Anderson or someone else, Arizona needs to come out of this draft with at least one pass-rusher.
Linebacker: Philadelphia Eagles
Out: T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White
Let's go from Gannon's new team to his old one, where Sean Desai is the new defensive coordinator. Given the cap situation the Eagles are about to face as they give quarterback Jalen Hurts a raise of approximately $50 million per season, it was inevitable that general manager Howie Roseman was going to need to make cutbacks elsewhere on the roster. The Eagles are known for being an organization that regards linebacker as a relatively fungible position, and so it seemed logical linebacker would be the first place they would be willing to sacrifice options.
Shortly after free agency began, Philadelphia lost both of its starting linebackers. Edwards left on a three-year deal to join the Bears, while White signed a two-year deal to link back up with Gannon in Arizona. Roseman was able to keep both of his top cornerbacks and bring back defensive line stalwarts Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham, but the Eagles will have to replace both starting linebackers and starting safeties this offseason.
In: Nicholas Morrow
Like White, Morrow is a college safety who converted to linebacker. Morrow spent 2022 with the Bears, who opted to move on from him by essentially replacing him with Edwards. His physical traits likely appealed to the Eagles, but with no guaranteed money in his deal, he might not be a lock to make the final roster.
Roseman prepared for this scenario last year by using a third-round pick on Georgia's Nakobe Dean, who played just 34 defensive snaps as a rookie. Still, the Eagles suddenly have lots of missing snaps at the second level. Davion Taylor, a third-round pick in 2020, briefly started for the Eagles in 2021, but Gannon was clearly uncomfortable using Taylor on third down in passing situations. Taylor suffered a knee injury and was then released in August before re-signing to the practice squad two days later. He didn't play any snaps last season.
What could be next: Adding a veteran. Roseman is comfortable waiting out the market before adding pieces to his roster. Last year's Eagles are a perfect example; they signed White in the second week of free agency, added corner James Bradberry in May and traded for safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson nine days before the start of the season.
In this case, though, I'm not sure Roseman needs to wait for some unexpected release or cap casualty over the summer. While veterans Eric Kendricks and Bobby Wagner have already hit the market and signed elsewhere, Zach Cunningham and Myles Jack remain free agents. Both were released, so they wouldn't influence Philadelphia's standing in the compensatory pick chase. With former Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell now working in the Eagles' front office, it wouldn't be a surprise if Jack ended up in midnight green.
Defensive back: Los Angeles Rams
Out: Jalen Ramsey, Nick Scott, Taylor Rapp, Troy Hill, David Long, Grant Haley
In an offseason in which the Rams have also moved on from linebackers Bobby Wagner and Leonard Floyd, the gutting of their secondary has flown underneath the radar. They have moved on from their four top defensive backs from 2022 after trading Ramsey and letting Hill, Scott and Rapp leave in free agency. Hill is still a free agent and could return to the team, but Long, who fluttered in and out of the lineup, signed with the Raiders.
The only players left in the secondary from the 2021 Super Bowl team are Jordan Fuller and Robert Rochell, both of whom were on injured reserve for the championship game. Fuller started at safety in 2021 but only played 91 defensive snaps last September before going on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and never returning. Rochell played just 26 defensive snaps last season and mostly served as a special-teamer.
Otherwise, L.A. is looking at second-year players and practice squad participants. Derion Kendrick, Cobie Durant, Russ Yeast, and Quentin Lake were all 2022 draft picks who popped up on defense a year ago; they're now four of the five likely starters on the 2023 depth chart. The veteran of the group is Fuller, who has played 31 NFL games. This is about as inexperienced of a secondary as you will ever see.
This isn't a secondary-only strategy, of course. The Rams have cut Wagner and Floyd, let several other key players hit free agency, reportedly encouraged wideout Allen Robinson to find a trade partner and essentially erased most of their roster around a few key stars.
In: Nobody.
The Rams appear to be using this offseason to refresh their cap and stockpile compensatory draft picks. I don't believe they've signed anybody from outside the organization at any position, although they did re-sign guard Coleman Shelton and defensive tackle Marquise Copeland.
What could be next: Adding some experience. The Rams aren't going to create a secondary out of thin air -- and it doesn't appear they're intending to compete for a Super Bowl in 2023 -- but adding some veterans who won't impact the compensatory formula would make sense. Ronald Darby was cut by the Broncos and has experience playing in a Vic Fangio-style scheme like the one the Rams have used under Raheem Morris over the past couple of seasons. Shaquill Griffin had a disappointing time in Jacksonville, but he's still 27 and was just worth $13 million a year in free agency in 2021.
After June 1, younger players who weren't released, including Fabian Moreau, Eli Apple and Rock Ya-Sin, can all be signed without costing the Rams a comp pick. None of these options are going to be Ramsey or anything close, but trying to find players who fit the roster in 2023 and compete with some of these draftees might help them in 2024 and beyond.