- Tee Higgins is a key piece of the Bengals’ offensive engine: While securing Ja’Marr Chase was the team’s top priority, also ensuring Tee Higgins remained in the picture was Cincinnati’s best offseason move.
- A daring new regime is in motion in Jacksonville: General manager James Gladstone and company aggressively ensured they could draft two-way star Travis Hunter, a move that could pay dividends for the franchise.
- Subscribe to PFF+: Get access to player grades, PFF Premium Stats, fantasy football rankings, all of the PFF fantasy draft research tools and more!
Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
Offseason decision-making can be the foundation of success in the NFL. Perhaps it’s a free-agent signing that becomes the final piece of a championship team, or maybe it’s a franchise-altering draft pick that turns a team’s long-term outlook on its head. The butterfly effect of a franchise’s offseason decisions can drastically change the course of the following season and beyond.
As such, we’ll take a look at the best decision by every AFC team this offseason.
Baltimore Ravens: Re-signing Ronnie Stanley
The Ravens are already on shaky ground at guard. The last thing they needed heading into the offseason was a vacancy at left tackle, too. Fortunately, they negotiated a new contract with Ronnie Stanley to avoid that problem. Stanley is still a terrific blindside protector who earned an 80.9 PFF pass-blocking grade last season, ranking 16th among qualified offensive tackles.
Buffalo Bills: Using the draft to improve their defense
The Bills desperately needed cornerback help after they earned the second-lowest team PFF coverage grade in the NFL last season. Their Super Bowl hopes have been repeatedly dashed by an inability to make defensive stops in big moments. They used this year’s draft to alleviate that problem.
Six of Buffalo’s first seven selections were defensive players, including first-rounder Maxwell Hairston and defensive linemen T.J. Sanders and Landon Jackson. If this iteration of the Bills finally makes it to a Super Bowl, it will be because the team’s 2025 draft class made an immediate impact.
Cincinnati Bengals: Extending Tee Higgins
The Bengals were bound to give a hefty contract extension to Ja’Marr Chase, but the fate of his running mate, Tee Higgins, was more questionable over the past year and a half. The team decided to award Higgins an extension, as well, after he earned the seventh-best PFF receiving grade in the league last season. Higgins is just as important to the Bengals’ success as Chase. As long as those two and Joe Burrow are healthy and on the field together, Cincinnati can beat anyone.
Tee Higgins’ 2024 PFF Grades by Target Location
Cleveland Browns: Extending Myles Garrett
At one point this offseason, serious trade rumors surrounded Myles Garrett, who was unsatisfied with his contract. The Browns were already reeling on offense, and if they jettisoned Garrett, their defense would suddenly be suffering in similar fashion. Instead, they gave Garrett a record-setting pay raise, which at least provides the league’s eighth-highest-graded defense from 2024 another chance to succeed.
Denver Broncos: Continuing to build their defense
Early offseason speculation suggested that the Broncos would build around quarterback Bo Nix to create a more explosive offense. Instead, they sought to patch the remaining holes on their defense, which could be the best in the NFL next season.
Dre Greenlaw, if healthy, could remedy last season’s struggles at linebacker. Talanoa Hufanga is an excellent box safety complement to Brandon Jones. First-round pick Jahdae Barron offers enough versatility to fill roles at outside cornerback or in the slot.
Houston Texans: Drafting Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel
The Texans’ offensive line will be under the microscope all season, but they were right not to force themselves to select a lineman early in the draft. Instead, they traded down to acquire additional draft assets while loading up at wide receiver, another position of need.
Houston eventually added Iowa State teammates Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, who each offer a unique skill set that should provide the outside depth needed beyond superstar Nico Collins.
Indianapolis Colts: Drafting Tyler Warren
Drafting tight end Tyler Warren may have been the Colts’ easiest decision all offseason, but it was also their best. The team’s tight ends ranked 29th in the NFL in PFF receiving grade last season. Meanwhile, Warren led all Power Four tight ends in a slew of receiving categories at Penn State in 2024. He’s a perfect fit in Shane Steichen’s offense and should make life much easier for whoever is playing quarterback for Indianapolis.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Trading up for Travis Hunter
General manager James Gladstone has his sights set on changing the culture in Jacksonville. There’s nobody better to do that with than the most recent Heisman Trophy winner, Travis Hunter. Jacksonville made a gutsy move, trading up to the second overall pick, to acquire Hunter, but he could potentially help them at two positions, wide receiver and cornerback.
If Hunter can perform on both sides of the ball as he did at Colorado, he could become the NFL’s most valuable non-quarterback.
Las Vegas Raiders: Trading for Geno Smith
The Raiders over the past three seasons rank 27th in PFF passing grade. Geno Smith spent that time recording the eighth-best PFF passing grade in the league. Las Vegas sent a third-round pick to acquire him, which seems like a no-brainer with that context. Smith gives the Raiders’ offense instant credibility, especially after the team surrounded him with multiple weapons in this year’s draft.
Los Angeles Chargers: Staying patient
Some Chargers fans may have been frustrated with the team’s patient approach this offseason, but Jim Harbaugh understands the value of building a sustainable future. The team didn’t make any exorbitant purchases in free agency and currently projects to have the most cap space in the NFL in the 2026 offseason. Given the success of their 2024 draft class, the Chargers should also be trusted with developing and properly utilizing this year’s group. Any number of their 2025 picks, including first-rounder Omarion Hampton, could be an immediate contributor to their success this season.
Miami Dolphins: Preparing for the future
While they may not say so outwardly, the Dolphins appear to be preparing for their long-term future. Terron Armstead’s retirement signals a youth movement on the offensive line. Sending Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to Pittsburgh was done primarily for salary-cap relief. Tyreek Hill could be next on the trade block.
Miami isn’t set up for success in 2025 unless a lot of things break the team’s way. The preparation for success in 2026 and beyond seems to have already begun.
New England Patriots: Hiring Mike Vrabel
New head coach Mike Vrabel gives New England a much-needed veteran leader. He understands how to build a complete football team and is in the early stages of doing so in 2025. The most impressive part of the Patriots’ offseason is the talent they acquired on defense, which speaks to Vrabel’s vision for this team.
New England used the draft to acquire young playmakers and protectors, surrounding Drake Maye with a proper supporting cast. It may take some time, but Vrabel is building a well-rounded team in New England.
New York Jets: Turning to new leadership
More than anything, the Jets needed to fix a moribund culture this offseason. The previous leadership regime, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers, never seemed to be on the same page.
General manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn should be somewhat familiar with each other, as they’ve both worked in separate stints with Sean Payton. Glenn most recently comes from Detroit, where organizational alignment and a physical playstyle were the bedrock of success. New York’s talented offensive line and defense may offer a quicker route to improvement than the Lions had to suffer through in the early stages of their rebuild.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Acquiring new cornerbacks
Most of the Steelers’ defense played at a high level last season. The lone exception was a cornerback unit that ranked 30th in the NFL in PFF coverage grade. They did well to fix that, acquiring a couple of outstanding veterans. Former Eagle Darius Slay earned a 75.5 PFF coverage grade that ranked 16th in the NFL last season. Recent trade acquisition Jalen Ramsey recorded the 11th-best PFF overall grade among qualified cornerbacks in his final season in Miami. If both of these moves pan out, the Steelers could have the best defense in the NFL this season.
Darius Slay’s Career PFF Grades
Tennessee Titans: Drafting Cam Ward
Tennessee’s fate is tied to its new quarterback, Cam Ward. It’s hard to argue against their selection of Ward with the first-overall pick in the draft after his 2024 season with the Miami Hurricanes. Ward was college football’s highest-graded quarterback last season, throwing 39 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions. If the Titans are going to climb out of the NFL’s basement, it will be because of Ward.
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Kirby Smart at 2025 SEC Media Days: Key points from Georgia coach, what they mean entering 2025 season
If it was up to Kirby Smart, college football would be centered around "fire, passion and energy" and none of these landscape-altering changes the sport has endured over the last few seasons. The Georgia coach is a football-first guy, after all, forced to concern himself with new norms of personality changes and player entitlement because he's seen it inside his own elite program.The two-time national champion and reigning SEC winner made several broader points Tuesday at SEC Media Days, pointing out how much college football is continuing to evolve with NIL and revenue-sharing and the stress it puts on building a championship-level team."You can say what you want, but there's people more in college football today, especially in the SEC, that are comfortable with where they are," Smart said. "This is a pretty good life. 'I'm earning $200k a year. […]
The fantasy football quarterbacks to draft … and those to avoid
Every year on their draft day, fantasy football managers are guided by rankings, sometimes aggregate rankings or the default rankings from their fantasy game platform. However, rankings don’t necessarily illustrate the value drops between consecutively ranked players, and using the same rankings as everyone else in your league provides zero advantage over other managers. Tip 1: Choose your favorite ranker (me!). Tip 2: Locate the value cliffs at each position and compare positional values. You can do this easily using our charts below.AdvertisementToday, we’re talking quarterbacks, but before diving too deep, read our primer on value cliffs, which we’re calling “Chasms of Doom.” [Link]To win each week, you want to create as much of an advantage as you can in each position group. While Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen were ranked No. 1 and 2 last year, Jackson provided a […]
2025 NBA Sixth Man Of The Year Odds: Payton Pritchard Favored To Repeat
Fans are already diving into the odds for next season's NBA betting markets. The Thunder are the current favorites to win it all again, Cooper Flagg is the heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year and there's a close race at the top of the board for Most Improved Player.And now bettors are starting to put some cash on players for Sixth Man of the Year.Payton Pritchard won the award at the end of the 2024 season, becoming the fourth Celtic to take home the honor. The 6-foot-1 point guard is the favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year at the end of the 2025 season.Let's look at the early odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of July 15.NBA Sixth Man of the Year 2025Payton Pritchard, Celtics: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)De'Andre Hunter, Cavaliers: +800 (bet $10 to […]
MLB All-Star Game 2025 live updates: Today’s rosters, batting order and our predictions
The All-Star Game is regarded as the midway point of the MLB season, which means things are about to heat up with playoff spots up for grabs and the trade deadline just weeks away.So there's never been a better time for baseball fans to subscribe to The Athletic, were you get unparalleled insight into your favorite teams and MLB as a whole from Ken Rosenthal the rest of our expert team of writers.And if you follow other sports, all the more reason to sign up, as we'll have complete coverage the upcoming NFL and college football seasons, ongoing drama in the WNBA and NBA offseason, and the latest happenings in men's and women's golf, tennis, international soccer and so much more!And you're in luck, because you can subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here.
Torcedores do Grêmio protestam contra Paulo Odone na coletiva de Marcelo Marques na Arena: “Ele que começou esse inferno”
Alberto Guerra, Paulo Odone e Marcelo Marques em evento na Arena do Grêmio (Reprodução/Grêmio TV)Na manhã de hoje (15), Marcelo Marques anunciou a doação da Arena do Grêmio para o clube. O CEO da Marquespan e pré-candidato à presidência gremista participou de uma entrevista coletiva no auditório do estádio, junto com o atual mandatário Alberto Guerra e outros dirigentes. Na plateia, um dos presentes era Paulo Odone. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEO ex-presidente do Grêmio foi o responsável pela mudança do Tricolor Gaúcho do Olímpico para a Arena, com a inauguração do estádio ocorrendo no fim de 2012. No contrato estabelecido pelo dirigente na época, a construtora OAS (atual grupo Metha) possui a gestão do local através da empresa Arena Porto-Alegrense até dezembro de 2032. Ou seja, o clube de Porto Alegre não tem direito à totalidade da bilheteria dos jogos e às […]
It’s Time for Browns Rookie Shedeur Sanders to Show Us Who He Really Is
<!--> [--> Henry McKenna NFL Reporter <!--> --> Few people share as much about their lives as Shedeur Sanders does. And even fewer remain as indecipherable as Sanders while living so publicly. I don’t just want to understand who Shedeur Sanders is now. I want to know who he will be. With everything that’s happened this NFL offseason, it’s hard to know anything for certain about the Cleveland Browns quarterback. For example: Where does he stand on the depth chart among the team’s five QBs? There’s no obvious answer.Even with all of his time in front of a camera or speaking into a microphone, we don't know Sanders yet. Multiple people close to him say that the Sanders we see in the public sphere isn't the guy we'll get to know throughout his career. We haven't met the real guy — […]
Related
Kirby Smart at 2025 SEC Media Days: Key points from Georgia coach, what they mean entering 2025 season
If it was up to Kirby Smart, college football would be centered around "fire, passion and energy" and none of these landscape-altering changes the sport has endured over the last few seasons. The Georgia coach is a football-first guy, after all, forced to concern himself with new norms of personality changes and player entitlement because he's seen it inside his own elite program.The two-time national champion and reigning SEC winner made several broader points Tuesday at SEC Media Days, pointing out how much college football is continuing to evolve with NIL and revenue-sharing and the stress it puts on building a championship-level team."You can say what you want, but there's people more in college football today, especially in the SEC, that are comfortable with where they are," Smart said. "This is a pretty good life. 'I'm earning $200k a year. […]
The fantasy football quarterbacks to draft … and those to avoid
Every year on their draft day, fantasy football managers are guided by rankings, sometimes aggregate rankings or the default rankings from their fantasy game platform. However, rankings don’t necessarily illustrate the value drops between consecutively ranked players, and using the same rankings as everyone else in your league provides zero advantage over other managers. Tip 1: Choose your favorite ranker (me!). Tip 2: Locate the value cliffs at each position and compare positional values. You can do this easily using our charts below.AdvertisementToday, we’re talking quarterbacks, but before diving too deep, read our primer on value cliffs, which we’re calling “Chasms of Doom.” [Link]To win each week, you want to create as much of an advantage as you can in each position group. While Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen were ranked No. 1 and 2 last year, Jackson provided a […]
2025 NBA Sixth Man Of The Year Odds: Payton Pritchard Favored To Repeat
Fans are already diving into the odds for next season's NBA betting markets. The Thunder are the current favorites to win it all again, Cooper Flagg is the heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year and there's a close race at the top of the board for Most Improved Player.And now bettors are starting to put some cash on players for Sixth Man of the Year.Payton Pritchard won the award at the end of the 2024 season, becoming the fourth Celtic to take home the honor. The 6-foot-1 point guard is the favorite to win Sixth Man of the Year at the end of the 2025 season.Let's look at the early odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of July 15.NBA Sixth Man of the Year 2025Payton Pritchard, Celtics: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)De'Andre Hunter, Cavaliers: +800 (bet $10 to […]
MLB All-Star Game 2025 live updates: Today’s rosters, batting order and our predictions
The All-Star Game is regarded as the midway point of the MLB season, which means things are about to heat up with playoff spots up for grabs and the trade deadline just weeks away.So there's never been a better time for baseball fans to subscribe to The Athletic, were you get unparalleled insight into your favorite teams and MLB as a whole from Ken Rosenthal the rest of our expert team of writers.And if you follow other sports, all the more reason to sign up, as we'll have complete coverage the upcoming NFL and college football seasons, ongoing drama in the WNBA and NBA offseason, and the latest happenings in men's and women's golf, tennis, international soccer and so much more!And you're in luck, because you can subscribe to The Athletic on an exclusive offer here.
Torcedores do Grêmio protestam contra Paulo Odone na coletiva de Marcelo Marques na Arena: “Ele que começou esse inferno”
Alberto Guerra, Paulo Odone e Marcelo Marques em evento na Arena do Grêmio (Reprodução/Grêmio TV)Na manhã de hoje (15), Marcelo Marques anunciou a doação da Arena do Grêmio para o clube. O CEO da Marquespan e pré-candidato à presidência gremista participou de uma entrevista coletiva no auditório do estádio, junto com o atual mandatário Alberto Guerra e outros dirigentes. Na plateia, um dos presentes era Paulo Odone. PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADEO ex-presidente do Grêmio foi o responsável pela mudança do Tricolor Gaúcho do Olímpico para a Arena, com a inauguração do estádio ocorrendo no fim de 2012. No contrato estabelecido pelo dirigente na época, a construtora OAS (atual grupo Metha) possui a gestão do local através da empresa Arena Porto-Alegrense até dezembro de 2032. Ou seja, o clube de Porto Alegre não tem direito à totalidade da bilheteria dos jogos e às […]
It’s Time for Browns Rookie Shedeur Sanders to Show Us Who He Really Is
<!--> [--> Henry McKenna NFL Reporter <!--> --> Few people share as much about their lives as Shedeur Sanders does. And even fewer remain as indecipherable as Sanders while living so publicly. I don’t just want to understand who Shedeur Sanders is now. I want to know who he will be. With everything that’s happened this NFL offseason, it’s hard to know anything for certain about the Cleveland Browns quarterback. For example: Where does he stand on the depth chart among the team’s five QBs? There’s no obvious answer.Even with all of his time in front of a camera or speaking into a microphone, we don't know Sanders yet. Multiple people close to him say that the Sanders we see in the public sphere isn't the guy we'll get to know throughout his career. We haven't met the real guy — […]
Be the first to leave a comment