Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks knows the ins and outs of this league, providing keen insight in his notebook. Today's installment spotlights three scuffling units that can be repaired this season -- and three more that are in serious trouble.
As we head toward the midpoint of the 2025 NFL season, we are getting a truer picture of each team's strengths and weaknesses, with certain units obviously carrying organizations -- and others clearly holding their respective squads back.
This is also when executives, coaches and scouts around the league will be reviewing their schemes, call sheets and personnel, checking to see if they are fully maximizing their potential. And although there is plenty of time left on the schedule, the best evaluators and team-builders will quickly diagnose their major problems, then identify simple solutions to help get everything back on track. Which makes this a perfect time to perform my own version of that exercise.
Below, I've identified six broken units, along with the fixes that can make three of them viable once more -- and the fatal flaws that will keep the other three floundering down the stretch.
FIXABLE UNITS
The Eagles have lost two games in a row for the first time since 2023, thanks in part to a run of offensive ineptitude. En route to the Lombardi Trophy last season, Philly was humming, ranking eighth in the NFL in yards, seventh in points and sixth in EPA per play, per Next Gen Stats. This season, those rankings have plummeted (30th in yards, 15th in points and 23rd in EPA per play), and the Eagles' offensive troubles have become a common topic around the team. Receiver A.J. Brown wants everybody to get "on the same page." Quarterback Jalen Hurts says the offense is "searching for that identity of what we want to be." Left tackle Jordan Mailata has blamed a lack of focus.
This week, members of the offense and first-year coordinator Kevin Patullo -- who took over for Kellen Moore when Moore became head coach of the Saints -- had what Patullo called "a good meeting," with the OC adding that the unit is "in a good spot working forward." And luckily for Philly, the offense has the horses to help the team quickly regain its Super Bowl form, once the QB and perimeter playmakers are able to show better communication and cooperation. If Hurts, Brown, DeVonta Smith, running back Saquon Barkley and tight end Dallas Goedert can become obviously aligned on the team's offensive direction and approach to distribution, demonstrating improved chemistry, cohesion and connectivity, Patullo could develop a plan that keeps everyone involved in the action throughout the game.
Ultimately, this is an ultra-talented lineup that should be able to move the ball in various ways against any opponent. Patullo could build around Barkley, Hurts and a potentially dominant O-line to punish opponents with a creative running game that mixes traditional downhill runs with RPOs, designed quarterback keepers and multiple "Tush Push" concepts. The OC could also tap into the playmaking talents of Brown, Smith and Goedert with a dynamic aerial attack that pushes the ball out to the perimeter.
There are simple schematic solutions available to the Eagles' coaches. Week 7's date with Brian Flores' fierce defense in Minnesota will certainly present a challenge. But if the team can eventually re-establish its chemistry, a run at a repeat should be within reach.
For years, the Bills' defense played at a championship level as a team, with 11 defenders clearly working in unison. This season, however, the unit has seemingly lost its way, showing a lack of gap discipline, poor tackling and shoddy coverage. And opponents have taken advantage, racking up 57 explosive plays thus far, per Next Gen Stats, seventh-most in the NFL. Over the last two weeks in particular, the Bills' inability to neutralize the Falcons (who piled up 443 total yards) and the Patriots (338 yards) put the team's warts on full display for all the football world to see.
Luckily, Buffalo has a Week 7 bye, giving Sean McDermott extra time to devise the schematic changes needed to eliminate the big plays. Of course, as helpful as it will be to fix the X's and O's, what the Bills really need is the return of their "Jimmies and Joes." The list of injured players is loaded with impact defenders, including Terrel Bernard, Matt Milano, DaQuan Jones, Damar Hamlin, TJ Sanders and Maxwell Hairston. Then there are key free-agent signees Mike Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi, who will be eligible to make their Bills debuts in Week 8 after serving out suspensions for performance-enhancing drug violations.
Presuming the Bills can bring some talent and experience back to the lineup, they should be able to fix their issues by spending more time on task throughout the practice week. By preparing diligently with a healthier crew between games, this blue-collar defense can rediscover the blueprint that helped it bottle up high-powered offenses for years.
The Broncos are 4-2 despite ranking 20th in points per game (21.7), 21st in yards per play (5.3) and 18th in first downs per game (19.3), carried by a defense that ranks second in points allowed per game (15.8), first in yards per play allowed (4.3) and third in first downs allowed per game (15.8). Sean Payton and Bo Nix have both acknowledged their team's offensive woes -- which, as I see it, are largely the byproduct of an offensive-minded head coach having to adjust his approach to complement a championship-caliber D with the talent and disruptive potential to lead a Super Bowl run.
In 2009, when he coached the Saints to a title, Payton had a much better offense (first in yards and points) -- but he also leaned on a turnover-obsessed defense and underrated running game to complement his gold jacket-caliber quarterback. And while I am not ready to proclaim Nix in the same category as Drew Brees, the second-year pro is an efficient distributor with the high IQ and athleticism to execute the quick-rhythm and movement-based play-action passing game Payton prefers. If the Broncos can quicken their pace and play at a faster tempo, they could dictate terms to opposing defenses, forcing them into vanilla looks against a diagnostic wizard who excels at making audibles and adjustments at the line.
Of course, before the Broncos can contemplate schematic or philosophical changes, they must come up with a fix for the left guard position, which has been ravaged by injuries. With Ben Powers and his replacement, Matt Peart, both on injured reserve, Payton will have to play musical chairs with the front five. Perhaps a trade is now in order. Because if Denver can improve the protection within the pocket and create bigger creases on running plays, the ground game could generate more juice, with J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey leading the charge. And if that happens down the stretch, the offense will be able to unlock explosive passing plays as the Broncos make their playoff push.
BROKEN BEYOND REPAIR
When the Cowboys decided to trade away a perennial Pro Bowl edge rusher for draft capital and a veteran nose tackle (Kenny Clark), the front office torched Matt Eberflus' defensive plans for 2025. As a staunch proponent of a four-man rush with maximum coverage in a Tampa 2 system, the veteran coordinator wants to rely on a disruptive front line to force quarterbacks into poor decisions or errant throws due to constant harassment.
Without Micah Parsons screaming off the edge, the Cowboys are relying on a hodgepodge of high-energy defenders and complementary pass rushers to create pressure on the passer. As a result, opponents are having their way against a defense that ranks dead last in total yards allowed (411.7), pass yards per game (269.5) and passer rating allowed (116.9, per Next Gen Stats), while surrendering the second-most points per game (30.7) in the league.
The dismal production from a unit that lacks star power is not surprising in a league where talent reigns supreme. Dallas' inferior defensive personnel is overwhelmed at every level, and there is little Eberflus can do to mask the unit's deficiencies. Though observers have suggested clogging running lanes and harassing quarterbacks with five- and six-man pressures, the Cowboys' linebackers and defensive backs are unable to hold up in coverage. Eberflus must rely on his overmatched defense to out-execute high-powered offenses, which is an uphill battle, to say the least.
With talented quarterbacks and pass catchers across the NFL in 2025, the Cowboys' lack of difference-makers on defense makes it nearly impossible for their embattled coordinator to craft a winning game plan.
It’s hard to imagine a pair of savvy defensive minds struggling with a star-studded lineup, but that is precisely what is happening in New York. The Jets' defensive brain trust of head coach Aaron Glenn and coordinator Steve Wilks has been unable to unlock the immense talent and potential of a unit that features a pair of former first-team All-Pros at marquee positions (DT Quinnen Williams and CB Sauce Gardner). Maybe the problem is that Glenn and Wilks were an odd schematic pairing from the beginning.
With Glenn as a first-time head coach, it made plenty of sense for him to tap Wilks as his defensive coordinator, given Wilks’ past experience in the big chair. But the peculiar aspect of this marriage is the divergent approaches to coverage: Glenn really leaned on aggressive press-man coverage during his time as Lions DC, while Wilks has always been more of a zone proponent. Now, NFL defenses are all multiple when it comes to fronts and coverages, and I guess the idea here might have been to meld the best of both worlds. But with the Jets ranking 28th in scoring defense (28.3 ppg), 27th in sacks (eight) and dead last in takeaways (one), Glenn and Wilks clearly have yet to strike the right balance to maximize this roster.
More specifically on the personnel front, the unit needs Williams and Gardner to rediscover their mojo as dominant players. Williams has flashed some "take over the game" potential with 12 pressures, per NGS, as well as six tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and a sack. But he has received little help from the designated playmaker on the perimeter. As chronicled in this space a couple weeks ago, Gardner has been hit with a slew of pass interference and defensive holding penalties that have prompted opposing quarterbacks to target him on pivotal downs. Until the Jets' nominal stars play like blue-chip defenders, the unit will continue to struggle against top offenses that operate in attack mode.
The football world keeps waiting on the Kyler Murray-Marvin Harrison Jr. connection to produce fireworks, but the Cardinals' offense has fizzled with the duo failing to connect consistently. The simplistic schematics have made it easy for opponents to squat on short and intermediate routes that target the No. 4 overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft. Murray (foot) was listed as questionable on Friday's injury report, while Harrison (concussion) was not listed with an injury designation after being limited in practice during the week, but whenever they both get right, they need to get on the same page.
Though Trey McBride has thrived in the dink-and-dunk offense -- ranking second among tight ends in catches (37) and receiving yards (347) -- Arizona can only go so far without explosive plays in the passing game. Thus, the team must figure out a way to unlock Harrison as a WR1 with downfield potency. Perhaps offensive coordinator Drew Petzing will instruct Murray to take deep shots to Harrison, taking advantage of the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder’s superior size and jump-ball skills. With few defensive backs possessing the size and skill to win against Harrison on 50-50 balls, a more aggressive approach could lead to more chunk gains from a passing game that has relied extensively on checkdowns this season.
The Cardinals could also encourage Murray to tap into his improvisational skills to generate big plays outside of the pocket. The 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year has shown flashes of reprising his role as a dual-threat playmaker, but the Cardinals' conservative offensive approach has neutered the unit's big-play potential. Until Petzing unleashes Murray as the multidimensional weapon in the backfield, Arizona’s offensive struggles will continue in 2025.