- The Panthers are poised to build on a promising end to 2024: The team attacked the draft with vigor, bolstering Bryce Young‘s weapons while adding to a depleted pass-rushing group.
- Drake Maye has more help for 2025: New England used its No. 4 pick on offensive tackle Will Campbell and secured Stefon Diggs and TreVeyon Henderson at skill positions this offseason.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Spring always brings hope to NFL fan bases, as every team makes changes to its roster and has some chance to improve for the upcoming season.
We’re highlighting four franchises that took big steps toward turning around their fortunes for the 2025 NFL season.
New England Patriots
Despite rookie quarterback Drake Maye, whose 70.1 PFF overall grade ranked 29th among signal-callers in 2024, showing promise in 2024, the Patriots’ offense was arguably among the worst units in the NFL.
That was mainly the result of injuries and poor play along the offensive line. New England’s offensive line posted an 80.1 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating, tying for last in the league. The unit gave up 222 quarterback pressures — including 33 sacks — on 641 pass plays.
Thus, it did not come as a surprise that New England’s first selection in the draft was LSU’s Will Campbell, whom the team took with the fourth-overall pick. Campbell ranked sixth on PFF’s big board and is expected to start at left tackle for the Patriots. New England also added veteran right tackle Morgan Moses in free agency and drafted Georgia center Jared Wilson in the third round, almost guaranteeing that the team’s offensive line will not be among the worst units in 2025 in the quest to help Drake Maye develop.
Maye got additional help at the skill positions, too. Earlier in the offseason, New England signed veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, whose 79.0 PFF overall grade in 2024 still ranked 21st at the position. The team used its second-round draft pick on Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson, bolstering the backfield.
While the Patriots might not compete for the playoffs in 2025, those five additions could make one of the NFL’s worst offenses from 2024 into a decent unit.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have largely focused on strengthening their offense in recent years, especially through the draft. The team made offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. first-round picks in back-to-back drafts, and the moves have paid dividends. Johnson’s 80.8 PFF overall grade in 2024 ranked 12th among all offensive tackles in his first season at left tackle, while Harrison placed 27th as a rookie with a 77.7 PFF overall grade.
However, Arizona’s defense was left behind.
The Cardinals generated pressure on 30.9% of pass plays in 2024, the sixth-lowest rate in the NFL. Perhaps the team recognized its woes on that side of the ball, drafting Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. His 11.3% pressure rate ranked 15th among 137 qualifying Power Four interior defenders in 2024.
After a breakout 2024 season for cornerback Garrett Williams, whose 82.0 PFF overall grade ranked third at the position, the Cardinals further boosted their secondary by selecting Michigan’s Will Johnson in the second round of the draft. While Johnson had some medical concerns that prompted his slide out of the first round, he ranked 14th on PFF’s big board.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers already showed signs of a turnaround during the 2024 regular season. Following a disastrous start to the campaign, they went toe to toe with the eventual AFC and NFC champions, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, but fell short in both games.
A big part of the team’s improvement was its offensive line investments. The unit went from being a bottom-of-the-barrel group two years ago to arguably a top-10 offensive line in 2024. The front-five recorded an 85.9 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating, ranking 12th in the league, and surrendered 154 quarterback pressures — including 22 sacks — on 626 pass plays.
That surprising late-season surge on offense did not stop Carolina from selecting wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with its first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The former Arizona player averaged 2.37 receiving yards per route run during the 2024 season, which ranked 14th among 132 qualifying Power Four wide receivers.
However, since the Panthers generated pressure on just 25.9% of pass plays in 2024 — by far the lowest rate in the league — help on the defensive side was necessary, too. Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft was more about defense for Carolina, which selected edge defenders Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen with their second- and third-round picks, respectively.
Chicago Bears
Admittedly, many believed the Bears were close to a turnaround a year ago. After all, they selected quarterback Caleb Williams with the first-overall pick and wide receiver Rome Odunze in the top 10 while having added veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen in free agency.
But the season, and especially the offense’s development, did not go as planned, partially due to injuries and poor play on the offensive line. After hiring former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as the team’s head coach, the Bears went back to tweaking the offense in the 2025 offseason.
In the first couple of months after the 2024 season, Chicago completely replaced its interior offensive line. The Bears traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signed center Drew Dalman in free agency. All three players should represent an upgrade for a unit that allowed a league-high 37 sacks during the 2024 regular season.
And while the team did not re-sign Allen, the front office selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Loveland could have a big role in Chicago’s passing game, having notched 2.45 receiving yards per route run during the 2024 season, which ranked second among 106 qualifying Power Four tight ends.
This news was originally published on this post .
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