[ad_1]
• The Bears are on course to need only a franchise quarterback: And filling that roster hole will be rather easy with the No. 1 overall pick, presumed to be USC’s Caleb Williams.
• The Bills need to rebuild their WR room after trading Stefon Diggs: Many already expected the Bills to draft a wide receiver in the first round of the draft, but the Diggs trade made it an even bigger need.
• Draft and trade for yourself: Try PFF’s Mock Draft Simulator — trade picks and players and mock for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 20 minutes
Click here for more draft tools:
2024 Mock Draft Simulator | 2024 Big Board | 2024 Draft Guide
2024 Player Profiles | 2024 Mock Drafts | NCAA Premium Stats
Key free agency signings are all but done, though there are still starters to be found on the market. Now is a good time to check in on every NFL roster as we head toward the 2024 NFL Draft.
Here, we’ll take a look at each NFL team’s offseason so far and highlight their remaining needs, along with some potential directions for them to go in the draft.
JUMP TO A TEAM:
ARZ | ATL | BLT | BUF | CAR | CIN | CHI | CLE | DEN | DAL | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAX | KC | LVR | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
Arizona Cardinals
- Remaining Starter Needs: WR, CB, LB
- Remaining Depth Needs: OL, EDGE
The Cardinals are well positioned for a draft that could propel their rebuild. With 11 draft picks, including six in the top 90, they can add a bunch of talent at positions of need for this season and beyond. It starts with the first round, where they can either draft the top wide receiver on the board, likely Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., or move down and collect a haul of draft picks from a quarterback-needy team. After the Cardinals’ moves down and up last year, don’t be shocked to see them trade down only to trade back up to land one of those top three wide receivers.
Atlanta Falcons
- Remaining Starter Needs: EDGE
- Remaining Depth Needs: OL, QB, CB
Kirk Cousins gives the Falcons their best quarterback since Matt Ryan left town, but the veteran’s arrival doesn’t completely remove the need to consider the quarterback position. It does mean that Atlanta doesn’t need to prioritize a quarterback in Round 1.
The Falcons are in prime position to be the first team to select a defensive player in the draft, with the first seven picks looking likely to be on the offensive side of the ball. Edge defender is their biggest need, with Alabama’s Dallas Turner, who recorded a 19.6% pass-rush win rate last year, the favorite to be their selection.
Baltimore Ravens
- Remaining Starter Needs: OT
- Remaining Depth Needs: WR, OL, EDGE, LB, CB, S
Baltimore lost a lot of talent this offseason, seeing several starters depart in free agency and trading away right tackle Morgan Moses. The team’s need at right tackle could be filled by Patrick Mekari, but his best role is probably as a swing tackle to cover for injuries.
The Ravens’ top priority is to rebuild their depth, and with that in mind, they could easily select the best player available on the offensive line, at wide receiver, cornerback or edge defender in the first round.
Buffalo Bills
- Remaining Starter Needs: WR
- Remaining Depth Needs: OL, RB, EDGE, DI, CB, S
Many already expected the Bills to draft a wide receiver in the first round of the draft, but the trade of Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans last week has made it an even bigger need. Their top four wide receivers as things stand are Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Justin Shorter and Mack Hollins. While hopes will be high for Shakir after some strong performances down the stretch, it’s a position group that needs attention.
The Bills are still strong enough to be a playoff team in the AFC thanks to quarterback Josh Allen, but this could be a year where they restock their roster more than challenge for a Super Bowl.
Carolina Panthers
- Remaining Starter Needs: Technically none
- Remaining Depth Needs: Essentially everything
The Panthers have filled their starting spots in free agency, but this is still a roster with a lot of question marks. Ultimately, Bryce Young’s progression after a rookie season that saw him earn just a 56.0 PFF grade will be the key to how much Carolina can improve this year. The continued development of left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, who took a big step forward as a pass blocker in the second half of the 2023 season to finish the year with a 77.0 PFF pass-blocking grade, will also be important.
The Panthers don’t have a first-round draft pick due to their trade-up to acquire Bryce Young last year, but they do have four picks in the first 101 selections in the draft — plenty of opportunities to grab key contributors.
Chicago Bears
- Remaining Starter Needs: QB
- Remaining Depth Needs: WR, DI, EDGE, iOL
Everything aligned just as the Bears would have hoped when they traded down with the Panthers last year, with Chicago now in position to draft Caleb Williams and hopefully turn its fortunes around. It’s important to note that this isn’t the standard roster of a team picking first overall, and while the Bears have only four draft picks, two are in the top 10 and they made some serious improvements to the roster this offseason.
Williams will join an offense that features talented pass catchers Keenan Allen and DJ Moore and a solid offensive line that includes Darnell Wright, who earned a 62.4 PFF grade in a solid rookie campaign.
Cincinnati Bengals
- Remaining Starter Needs: None
- Remaining Depth Needs: WR, OL, TE, DI
The Bengals are well positioned for a successful 2024, with franchise quarterback Joe Burrow back from injury and a fourth-placed schedule that gives them an edge in the AFC North. They’ve done a good job of filling needs in free agency, notably at right tackle, where Trent Brown will spend the year as a replacement for Jonah Williams. The former New England Patriot is coming off a season during which he earned a career-high 80.2 PFF grade on 579 snaps.
Cincinnati is now set up to let the draft fall as it may, allowing the team to take tight end Brock Bowers if he is available or invest in the trenches.
Cleveland Browns
- Remaining Starter Needs: None
- Remaining Depth Needs: DI, LB, iOL
You can make the case that the Browns have the best roster in the NFL, with the obvious exception of the quarterback position, where Deshaun Watson has not played consistently good football since the 2020 season, before his suspension.
If Cleveland can get good play at the position for a full season, then this is a championship-caliber roster. It’s a huge question mark to head into the season with. The Browns don’t have a first-round pick, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see them target the defensive interior when they come on the clock with the 54th selection.
Dallas Cowboys
- Remaining Starter Needs: RB, OL, WR
- Remaining Depth Needs: DI, EDGE, CB
Dak Prescott is a looming problem for the Cowboys, with their franchise quarterback having only one year remaining on his deal, but they have plenty of other concerns for 2024, too.
Dallas needs replacements up front after Tyron Smith left in free agency. They either need to find a left tackle or find a left guard and move Tyler Smith out to tackle. They also need a new starting center, and that’s where the team may look in the first round. Wide receiver is also an issue, with not much to get excited about beyond CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks.
Denver Broncos
- Remaining Starter Needs: QB, C, EDGE, CB
- Remaining Depth Needs: WR
Moving on from Russell Wilson means the Broncos are firmly in the market for a new franchise quarterback. They may struggle to land one they are happy with at Pick No. 12, unless they are willing to pay a heavy price to move up.
Jarrett Stidham would be Denver’s starting quarterback if the season started today, and he earned PFF passing grades of 52.9 and 64.1 in two starts at the end of the 2023 season. They have plenty of other needs outside of quarterback, so spending big to move up might not be a wise move.
Detroit Lions
- Remaining Starter Needs: None
- Remaining Depth Needs: iOL, EDGE, CB, S
The Lions are coming off a season in which they reached the NFC Championship game, and the front office has improved the roster further this offseason. Realistically, they could head into the 2024 season with this roster, having bolstered the trenches, so the team’s draft strategy may be to just see who falls to them at the end of the first round.
Finding another wide receiver is perhaps the Lions’ biggest need right now, with Josh Reynolds departing after a season that saw him rank fourth in targets on the team.
Green Bay Packers
- Remaining Starter Needs: G
- Remaining Depth Needs: OL, DL, S
Left tackle David Bakhtiari’s Packers career has come to an end, while right guard Jon Runyan signed with the New York Giants in free agency, so the offensive line is still a key area of need for the Packers. Rasheed Walker did a solid job in relief of Bakhtiari in 2023, earning a 74.7 PFF pass-blocking grade, so the more pressing need for a starter comes on the interior.
Like many of the teams toward the backend of the first round, the Packers could look to draft one of the players who played left tackle in college but is viewed as more of a guard prospect, such as Arizona’s Jordan Morgan. Morgan, who earned an 87.3 PFF pass-blocking grade last season, could start on the inside in 2024 but would also be a potential long-term answer at left tackle.
Houston Texans
- Remaining Starter Needs: CB
- Remaining Depth Needs: DI, LB
Bringing in Stefon Diggs was exactly the type of splash move a team with a promising quarterback on a rookie deal should be doing, although the decision to reduce his deal to one year made the overall value of the trade favor the Buffalo Bills a little more.
The Texans don’t have many needs, but their draft focus likely needs to be on the defensive side of the ball, where, as of now, they are relying on one of a pair of former top-10 draft picks in Jeff Okudah and CJ Henderson, who have each yet to have a season with a PFF coverage grade above 55.0.
Indianapolis Colts
- Remaining Starter Needs: CB
- Remaining Depth Needs: WR, G, TE, EDGE
Anthony Richardson will return to start for the Colts in 2024, coming off a four-game introduction to the NFL that saw him earn just a 52.2 PFF grade but provide enough flashes before a season-ending injury to get the NFL world excited about his future.
Outside cornerback is the Colts’ biggest need on defense right now, and even if second-year player JuJu Brents continues to improve and Dallis Flowers can return from his Achilles injury to a high level of play, there is still a lack of quality depth behind them.
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Remaining Starter Needs: None
- Remaining Depth Needs: G, EDGE, CB, WR
The Jaguars could open the season today and feel confident in being able to compete for the AFC South crown, but there are still plenty of positions where they would benefit from improvement. Cornerback looks to be a spot that would make sense for their first-round pick, with free-agent acquisition Ronald Darby more of a stop-gap signing. If the Jaguars go down that route, they should be in position to land one of the top cornerbacks in the class. Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell and Alabama’s Terrion Arnold will likely be off the board, but Iowa’s Cooper DeJean and Clemson’s Nate Wiggins would be in play for the team.
Kansas City Chiefs
- Remaining Starter Needs: WR
- Remaining Depth Needs: CB, OT, DI, EDGE
Marquise Brown signing a one-year deal with the Chiefs was a great get for the defending Super Bowl Champions, but looming question marks over Rashee Rice’s status mean that wide receiver remains a need for them both in the short term and long term. The Chiefs will be in position to grab a wide receiver at the end of the first round, with Georgia’s Ladd McConkey a popular mock draft selection for the team. Outside of the more pressing need at wide receiver, adding some depth in the trenches and the defensive backfield will be important as Kansas City kicks off its attempt at a three-peat.
Las Vegas Raiders
- Remaining Starter Needs: OL
- Remaining Depth Needs: LB, CB, QB
The rebuild in Las Vegas is unlikely to be completed in a single season, so the Raiders are probably doing the right thing in heading into 2024 with Aidan O’Connell as their starting quarterback. The 2023 fourth-round draft pick out of Purdue made enough plays down the stretch on his way to a 65.9 PFF grade that the Raiders can wait and see who falls in the first three rounds before deciding if they need to add to the position this year.
Cornerback or offensive tackle would make the most sense for their first pick, and they should be in position to get a shot at either Quinyon Mitchell or Terrion Arnold to compete with Jack Jones and Jakorian Bennett in the defensive backfield.
Los Angeles Chargers
- Remaining Starter Needs: WR
- Remaining Depth Needs: OT, DI, EDGE, RB, LB
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman and head coach Jim Harbaugh appear to be molding their offensive personnel on the 2019-2022 Baltimore Ravens that Roman led. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are out at wide receiver, so drafting either Marvin Harrison Jr. or Malik Nabers with the fifth overall pick would make a lot of sense. Still, there are also questions along the offensive line and some future needs at edge defender.
With that in mind, the Chargers could be a prime candidate to move down with a team that wants to land Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy.
Los Angeles Rams
- Remaining Starter Needs: WR, DI
- Remaining Depth Needs: OT, EDGE, LB, CB, QB
The 36-year-old Matthew Stafford will go again in 2024, but the Rams know they need to be thinking about a long-term replacement, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see them draft a quarterback in the opening three rounds of the draft to develop behind Stafford for a season.
They also have a huge need on the defensive interior after Aaron Donald’s retirement. No rookie will be able to match Donald’s production, but they could still find a replacement who could develop into a dominant interior pass rusher, with Texas’ Byron Murphy II or Illinois’ Johnny Newton being prime candidates for their first-round pick.
Miami Dolphins
- Remaining Starter Needs: None
- Remaining Depth Needs: TE, OL, DI, S, WR, CB
The Dolphins’ current roster is capable of making the playoffs again, but they do have issues in both trenches. On the offensive line, they need a long-term solution at left tackle, where Terron Armstead is still good but is now 32 and has missed time throughout his two seasons with the Dolphins. On the defensive side of the ball, Christian Wilkins signed a monster deal with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency and the team is now lacking an impact interior player.
Minnesota Vikings
- Remaining Starter Needs: G, CB
- Remaining Depth Needs: QB, WR, TE, S, DI
The Vikings, even with Sam Darnold in tow, remain the favorites to make the move up to land Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy as the long-term preference at the position. The Vikings would be a good landing spot for any rookie quarterback, with a strong play caller in head coach Kevin O’Connell and arguably the best receiver in the NFL in Justin Jefferson, along with tight end T.J. Hockenson when he returns from injury and second-year receiver Jordan Addison.
Minnesota’s biggest issues are on the interior of both lines, where they currently look like they will need to see significant snaps from defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, who has just one season with a PFF grade above 50.0, and offensive lineman Blake Brandel, whose career-best PFF grade is 55.3. They also need to get better in the secondary, with Akayleb Evans earning a low 52.5 PFF coverage grade last season.
New England Patriots
- Remaining Starter Needs: QB, OT, WR
- Remaining Depth Needs: EDGE
Everyone expects the Patriots to select a quarterback with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and for good reason. If they don’t take a quarterback this year, they might not be in a position to do so next year, so landing either North Carolina’s Drake Maye or LSU’s Jayden Daniels makes a lot of sense.
That being said, this is not a great offensive environment for a rookie signal-caller to walk into. The Patriots have a need at left tackle, where Conor McDermott is currently slated to be their starting left tackle after Trent Brown departed in free agency, and their top options at wide receiver aren’t going to scare many opposing defenses.
New Orleans Saints
- Remaining Starter Needs: OT
- Remaining Depth Needs: QB, WR, EDGE, S
The Saints will expect to compete in the NFC South once again in 2024, and their roster is good enough to do that, though the Falcons are now the favorites to win the division after signing Kirk Cousins.
It’s tough to see New Orleans as a major threat to go far in the playoffs amid their depth issues at key positions and concerns about starters at both offensive tackle spots. Left tackle Trevor Penning has played just 541 snaps since being drafted with the 19th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, while there have been reports that the Saints are bracing to not have right tackle Ryan Ramczyk in 2024 due to his knee not responding to surgery as they had hoped.
New York Giants
- Remaining Starter Needs: WR
- Remaining Depth Needs: QB, OT, DI, LB, S, CB
There’s no denying that the Giants have a huge question mark at the quarterback position, with Daniel Jones struggling to a 63.0 PFF grade on 326 snaps before a season-ending knee injury in 2023. With the sixth overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, they are unlikely to get a shot at any of the top four players at the position in this class, so the right move here is probably going to be to take a pass catcher in Round 1. At worst, the Giants should get a shot at one of the top three wide receivers in the class and look to find a potentially developmental quarterback on Day 2.
New York Jets
- Remaining Starter Needs: None
- Remaining Depth Needs: WR, OT, QB, DI, S, TE, RB
The Jets’ starting roster is filled out to the point where they can make a run with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback this season. The team made key additions along the offensive line in tackles Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses and guard John Simpson. They have been aggressive in adding talent this offseason, acquiring edge defender Haason Reddick, and can now wait and see how the board falls on draft day. Tight end Brock Bowers could be a consideration with the 10th selection in the draft, as he would be another dynamic option in the passing attack for Rodgers.
Philadelphia Eagles
- Remaining Starter Needs: None
- Remaining Depth Needs: WR, LB, CB
The Eagles have faced a lot of criticism after sputtering to end the 2023 season, but they’ve had the type of offseason you expect from a perennial contender, locking up the future of their offensive line with extensions for left tackle Jordan Mailata and left guard Landon Dickerson. While they traded away edge defender Haason Reddick, they did so after already bringing in Bryce Huff as a replacement, getting younger at the position with another dynamic talent.
Adding a potential future starter at cornerback or wide receiver is a strong possibility for Philadelphia in the first round. This is a roster ready to compete with the best in the NFC once again.
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Remaining Starter Needs: C, WR, OT
- Remaining Depth Needs: CB, DI
There’s plenty to like about what the Steelers have done this offseason, taking fliers on Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at quarterback without having to part with too much in the process in terms of money and draft capital. Their big splash on the defensive side of the ball was bringing in former Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen, a player whose PFF grade has improved every season he has been in the league.
Pittsburgh could need a starter at one of their offensive tackle spots and at center, while their wide receiver room has taken a step back after trading away Diontae Johnson. They did add Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins at the position, but drafting a wide receiver in the opening three rounds would not surprise anyone.
San Francisco 49ers
- Remaining Starter Needs: None
- Remaining Depth Needs: WR, OT, DI, EDGE, CB
The 49ers are the favorites in the NFC in 2024, heading into the draft with arguably the best group of skill position players in the league and a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Brock Purdy has proven that he is good enough to win in this system and with these players, so the draft is just an opportunity to fill out some depth and future needs rather than find immediate starters. More depth in the secondary is probably the 49ers’ biggest need, but they could also stand to improve on the offensive line.
Seattle Seahawks
- Remaining Starter Needs: iOL
- Remaining Depth Needs: EDGE, S, C
An offseason of change has brought the Seahawks a new head coach in former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, and they made some smart additions on that side of the ball, too. New linebackers Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker fit well with how Macdonald likes to play. The weak spot on their offense is on the interior of the offensive line, with none of their three projected starters earning a PFF grade above 55.0 in 2023.
That makes the Seahawks a candidate to take Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson with the 16th selection of the draft, although that may be too early to draft a center. The dream scenario would be Washington‘s Troy Fautanu falling to them.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Remaining Starter Needs: iOL
- Remaining Depth Needs: WR, TE, EDGE, LB, CB
Baker Mayfield is sticking around in Tampa Bay, and the Buccaneers should be applauded for how quickly they turned around their cap woes caused by going all-in, justifiably, with Tom Brady at quarterback while remaining competitive in 2023. The interior offensive line is their biggest need, so it would make a lot of sense to see them use their first-round pick on either a center or guard. With how the board could fall, edge defender makes sense, too, even after the depth signing of Randy Gregory.
Tennessee Titans
- Remaining Starter Needs: OT, DI
- Remaining Depth Needs: WR, DI, LB, CB, S
Will Levis will open the 2024 season as the Titans’ starting quarterback, and they have done well to put talent around him in head coach Brian Callahan’s first season. Grabbing Calvin Ridley in free agency hurt their division rivals the Jacksonville Jaguars and helped them, meaning they aren’t relying too much on a third-year breakout from wide receiver Treylon Burks.
The biggest need on this roster is left tackle, and if Notre Dame’s Joe Alt makes it to the seventh overall pick, as expected, he’ll likely be blocking for Levis in 2024.
Washington Commanders
- Remaining Starter Needs: QB, OT
- Remaining Depth Needs: WR, TE, EDGE, S, CB
Assuming Caleb Williams is indeed a Chicago Bear soon, the Commanders almost certainly will draft Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels or J.J. McCarthy. They gave Sam Howell the opportunity to be their long-term starter last season and saw enough to know that they need another swing at finding “the guy” at quarterback.
Left tackle is a big question mark at this point in the offseason, with second-year player Braeden Daniels penciled in as the starter on their depth chart. The Commanders could target the position with one of their two early second-round selections.
[ad_2]
