With the 2023 NFL offseason set to really kick into gear next week, it’s fair to wonder which front offices have the most to prove this offseason.
While some teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles enter moments like this with the benefit of the doubt, others have fan bases hungry for moves (and wins).
We’ve picked eight teams of varying statuses that really need to prove to their supporters that they’ve got the right plan in place to get things going.
While Super Bowls aren’t (usually) built in an offseason, a great spring can work wonders for a franchise. Here are eight teams, four per conference, with a lot to prove this year.
Chicago Bears
With the Chicago Bears set to have a whopping $90+ million in cap space and lots of possibilities to trade the 2023 NFL Draft’s top pick, it’d make sense for the Windy City to top this list.
The Bears, led by general manager Ryan Poles, desperately need to upgrade both sides of the ball. You can do that with Chicago’s cap space and potential for gobs of draft capital. Added focus needs to go to the offensive line to protect budding star quarterback Justin Fields as he continues to grow at the position.
On defense, the team needs a major retooling for its front seven and some tweaking in the secondary. If Chicago can make major strides this spring, they could be a sneaky contender in an ever-changing NFC.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are going to have to find more ways to set themselves apart in a hyper-competitive AFC.
With $-19 million in cap space, general manager Brandon Beane has his work cut out for him to finagle cuts and restructures to improve his roster.
Buffalo hasn’t been able to get out of the AFC playoff bracket for that coveted Super Bowl spot, and the team can’t just depend on superstar quarterback Josh Allen for postseason magic.
With starters like safety Jordan Poyer, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, running back Devin Singletary and guard Rodger Saffold all headed to free agency, the Bills will need to draft well this offseason and entice free agents to take a discount to play with Allen.
The team doesn’t want to waste Allen’s prime with a team that’s not good enough to support him. This offseason will hold more weight than you’d expect.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons have the second-most cap space in the NFL and need to find ways to kickstart themselves back into the postseason.
The team has finally dug itself out of the cap hell left from the previous regime, and it’s time for Atlanta to fix its defense and figure out just exactly what the plan is at quarterback.
If it’s Desmond Ridder, the team needs to make sure he’s got the supporting cast to thrive and the offensive line to keep him upright. If it’s a 2023 NFL Draft pick, will it be the right guy for Arthur Smith’s scheme? Figuring out ways to unleash the superstar potential of tight end Kyle Pitts feels like a necessity no matter what.
Atlanta has to also finally invest wise resources into its defense after years of struggling on that side of the ball. General manager Terry Fontenot will have plenty to do once the new league year starts next week.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans firing general manager Jon Robinson and hiring San Francisco 49ers personnel executive Ran Carthon has sparked new expectation for Tennessee.
The Titans hold the No. 11 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and the team may have to ponder if it wants to shimmy up the draft board for a possible quarterback. Veteran signal caller Ryan Tannehill has given the team sound play since taking over in 2019, but they could want to find the future there this spring.
With the team’s defense also in need of some work, Carthon and his team will have to decide whether they want to wind it back with Tannehill or draft a quarterback and try to pave a new path forward for the Titans.
The AFC is no joke, and Tennessee will have to be honest about its place in it.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers knew they’d eventually have to figure out life after Tom Brady, and that ship has now reached port.
The team got a Super Bowl out of the Brady years, but now they have no clear answer at quarterback, an aging roster and no positive cap space for spending in free agency.
The team may still have to make some hard decisions about moving on from high-priced veterans, with wideout Chris Godwin and linebacker Devin White very possible trade candidates.
General manager Jason Licht will face his toughest offseason in some time, and he’ll have to work fast to make sure the Bucs don’t slip to the back of the NFC.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are not longer trying to chase a playoff window with quarterback Derek Carr. With the quarterback now in New Orleans with the Saints, the Raiders will really have to settle on what the future is in Sin City.
General manager Dave Ziegler is probably doing his homework on the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, and the team has nearly $40 million in money to throw around in free agency.
The Raiders are in one of the toughest divisions in football in the AFC West, and they’re going to have to figure out what the future looks like with Carr gone. Head coach Josh McDaniels had a so-so first year in Nevada, and it’ll be on Ziegler and the front office to give him the best roster to work with.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers have an Aaron Rodgers-sized problem to deal with before they can really get their offseason going.
However, if Rodgers wants a trade or retires, the team can actually move forward with a new era.
Will that involve quarterback Jordan Love? What would the plan to surround him with talent look like? Can the team make improvements to its defense?
Nothing gets settled until Rodgers does, but general manager Brian Gutekunst will have plenty of eyes on him before and after that seismic decision is made.
If the future is now in Green Bay, it’ll be on Gutekunst and the front office to make it happen.
Denver Broncos
Like the Raiders, the Denver Broncos have the profound misfortune of being in a division with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.
After Denver’s blockbuster Russell Wilson trade went off the rails last season, the team traded for former Saints coach Sean Payton to try and fix the team’s dumpster fire of an offense. The defense was actually pretty darn good, but architect Ejiro Evero wasn’t retained as the defensive coordinator.
Broncos general manager George Paton has a little under $10 million to spend right now, and he’s got major work to do in free agency and the draft to get his team back on track.
Many will be watching to see if the Broncos can right the ship and make the Wilson trade worth what Denver gave up.
