NFL Pro: Highest priority fix for every AFC team in 2026

Repair the defensive front

A couple years ago, Baltimore’s defensive front was a strength, anchoring the top scoring defense in the NFL. In 2025, it was a weakness. Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike missed 15 games with a neck injury that still has his 2026 status in doubt. No one managed to log more than 5.0 sacks or 10 tackles for loss, they traded edge rusher Odafe Oweh at the deadline, and Dre'Mont Jones — who tied the team high of 30 QB pressures after Baltimore acquired him in November — is set to be a free agent (as is Kyle Van Noy). Per NFL Pro, Baltimore’s 28.4% pressure rate (fourth-lowest in the league) and 4.3% sack rate (second-lowest) were both their lowest marks as a franchise in at least eight seasons of available data. Perhaps through both free agency and the draft, the Ravens should focus on restoring their defensive front at the start of the Jesse Minter era.

Land a legitimate downfield receiver

In 2025, the Bills did not have a single wide receiver log 15+ downfield receptions (10+ air yards), per NFL Pro. They were one of just four teams to have zero wideouts hit that mark, along with the Chiefs, Steelers and Jets. Josh Allen posted the third-highest passer rating among qualified QBs on throws of fewer than 10 air yards, but his passer rating on downfield passes ranked 12th. As a reminder, this is the guy who led the entire league from 2020-2023 in downfield attempts (799), completions (415), yards (8,719) and touchdowns (91). If Buffalo could land someone like George Pickens or Alec Pierce, it would be huge, but otherwise they should sign someone like Rashid Shaheed or draft a potential WR1 like Malachi Fields (Daniel Jeremiah’s mock pick) or Denzel Boston (Cynthia Frelund’s and Chad Reuter’s mock picks) in the first round.

Address the safety debacle

Over the course of the 2025 season, 59 safeties saw at least 25 targets in coverage. According to NFL Pro, Bengals starting safeties Geno Stone (10.4) and Jordan Battle (11.3) ranked 53rd and 55th in yards allowed per target … that’s not good. Unsurprisingly, Cincinnati ranked 30th in scoring defense and 31st in total defense, and finished with a 6-11 record, their worst since Joe Burrow's rookie season. Now, Stone is an impending free agent and Battle is entering a contract year (and could be cut for $3.6 million in cap savings). The Bengals need improvement across the entire defense, but they simply must find better answers at safety this offseason. Four of our current NFL.com mock drafts have them selecting Ohio State prospect Caleb Downs 10th overall, which would make a ton of sense. They might also want to look at free agent options like Bryan Cook, Kamren Curl or Coby Bryant (if they’re not extended by their current teams).

Figure out a franchise quarterback

Quarterback has been the highest priority fix in Cleveland for the better part of 30 years and they’ve now had a different leading passer in each of the last five. Deshaun Watson is rehabbing an Achilles injury and hasn’t made a great impression on or off the field in more than five years, but his contract situation makes him very hard to move or bench (if healthy). Dillon Gabriel was drafted and started ahead of Shedeur Sanders — albeit by previous head coach Kevin Stefanski — but he seems the most likely to be moved after a 1-5 record and a November concussion resulted in his benching down the stretch. And while Sanders “won the job” and ended up making the Pro Bowl, his passer rating, TD-INT ratio and EPA/dropback were all worst in the league among QBs with 200+ pass attempts, per NFL Pro. Ultimately, the long-term answer might not even be on the current roster, but until they find a functional franchise QB, it’s going to be the biggest roadblock to success in Cleveland.

Identify Sean Payton’s “Joker”

The Broncos were one blizzardy, backup-QB loss away from the Super Bowl this February, so the holes aren’t exactly glaring. But there is one that head coach Sean Payton has previously identified himself: the offensive “Joker.” Typically played by a versatile, athletic tight end — including Jeremy Shockey, Jimmy Graham and even the uniquely talented Taysom Hill — Payton’s Joker has been a key cog in previous offenses but notably missing in Denver. They tried to find it in Evan Engram this past season, but the 31-year-old scored just one touchdown, logged five drops and posted a -8.1% catch rate over expected that ranked dead last among the 39 tight ends with 40+ targets, per NFL Pro. An effective, efficient and explosive tight end would go a long way to rounding out Bo Nix's weaponry in 2026 — someone like Kyle Pitts or David Njoku in free agency, or former Oregon teammate Kenyon Sadiq at 30th overall in the draft (Dan Parr’s mock selection for the Broncos).

Finish fixing the offensive line

Over his first two seasons in the NFL, C.J. Stroud was sacked 90 times, second-most in the league behind only classmate Bryce Young (91). Things improved significantly in 2025, as Stroud was sacked just 23 times and was pressured at a lower rate as well — 32.6%, versus 37.2% from 2023 to 2024, per NFL Pro. Right guard and offseason trade acquisition Ed Ingram was solid and signing Trent Brown to play right tackle also worked well. The problem? Both Ingram and Brown are impending free agents and Houston isn’t swimming in cap space — they’re $4.7 million over, ninth-worst in the league. Continuing to protect Stroud is priority one for a team with a transcendent defense, so they should devote significant resources to landing legitimate solutions across the line, rather than patchworking their way into 2026.

Juice up the pass rush

Speaking of pressuring C.J. Stroud … hey there, Colts! First-round pick and second-year pass rusher Laiatu Latu took a big step forward for the Colts in 2026, leading the team with 8.5 sacks and 59 QB pressures (16th in the NFL). However, Latu’s 13 quick QB pressures (also most on the team) was far less impressive, ranking 49th in the league per NFL Pro. On the whole, Indy’s 11.9% quick pressure rate was eighth-lowest in 2025, despite an overall pressure rate right around league average. To further complicate matters, fellow pass rushers Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam will both be free agents in March, while defensive tackles DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart will be 32 and 33 years old next season, respectively. Assuming Chris Ballard and Co. bring back Daniel Jones at QB — which is a complex issue on its own — juicing up a somewhat stagnant pass rush should be the next-biggest focus for a fix this offseason.

Retain or Rebuild the Back Seven

This is technically less of a fix and more of a preventative measure, but I think it counts. The Jaguars were seventh on my breakdown of the teams to be hit hardest by free agency, due primarily to a potential exodus in their back seven (linebackers and defensive backs). Pro Bowl linebacker Devin Lloyd, starting safety Andrew Wingard and outside cornerbacks Montaric Brown and Greg Newsome II are all set to be free agents in March. That’s 1,654 coverage snaps that could be missing come 2026, from a defense that ranked second to the Texans in EPA/dropback allowed (-0.18) and third behind the Broncos and Seahawks in explosive pass rate allowed (12.4%), per NFL Pro. It’s tough to stay in that kind of company while losing half your back seven, so Jacksonville will need to re-sign or replace those players between now and September.

Rediscover the spark

Over the last two seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs have logged an 8.8% explosive run rate (second-lowest) and a 14.5% explosive pass rate (10th-lowest), according to NFL Pro. Those metrics are notably impacted by a league-low 2.7 yards after contact per carry and an average of 6.9 air yards per attempt (sixth-lowest). Quite simply, they aren’t moving the ball down the field on the ground or in the air. Neither Kareem Hunt nor Isiah Pacheco — both impending free agents — have been explosive at running back, and a mixture of age, inefficiency, injuries and off-the-field issues have hampered Travis Kelce, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown these last couple years. So it could be new playmakers around Patrick Mahomes — like oft-mocked Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. Or it could be a new scheme — Eric Bieniemy is back at offensive coordinator after three years of Matt Nagy. Ideally, it will be both. Anyway you slice it, Kansas City needs to rediscover its spark on offense.

Lock in their franchise QB

They have seven wins over the last two seasons, and the number one overall pick in April, so it’s not a stretch to say the Raiders have more to fix than just about any team in the NFL. Fortunately, when things are this bad, step one is usually the same: they need a franchise quarterback. Geno Smith’s miniature breakout in Seattle did not translate to Las Vegas, where his -0.17 EPA/dropback ranked fourth-worst among qualified quarterbacks per NFL Pro. Here’s the good news. The number one pick is all but slotted in as quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman winner and national champion out of Indiana. Between him, new head coach Klint Kubiak (who just coordinated Sam Darnold and the Seahawks to the Lombardi) and partial owner Tom Brady (who won seven of those trophies as a player), there’s a whole lot of hardware being laid in the foundation of the future in Vegas.

Fill in the offensive line

Over the course of the 2025 season, the Chargers started 12 different offensive linemen (most in the league), and that doesn’t even include Pro Bowl tackle Rashawn Slater, who suffered his season-ending ruptured patellar tendon in August. The Frankenstein offensive line they were forced to field week-to-week allowed the second-highest pressure rate in football per NFL Pro (42.5%). Slater and Joe Alt should both be healthy at the tackle spots for 2026, but outside of those two (or should I say inside) there’s nothing but question marks. Six offensive linemen that played 150+ snaps for LA last year are set to be free agents in March, and none of them did much to suggest they should be re-signed. As for right guard Mekhi Becton and center Bradley Bozeman — the guys still on contract — they allowed the highest and third-highest pressure rates at their respective positions last season (minimum 300 pass blocks). Frankly, Los Angeles might want to consider spending most of their $82.9 million in cap space and five 2026 draft picks to upgrade the interior and secure some depth in front of Justin Herbert.

Replace Tua Tagovailoa (probably)

While nothing is official yet, all signs are pointing to the Dolphins’ new regime — namely GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley — moving on from Tua Tagovailoa this offseason. The six-year starter saw good-not-great production deteriorate into 15 interceptions and a losing record (6-8) in 2025, with 12 of those interceptions coming on downfield passes (10+ air yards), most in the league. It seems Miami is now ready to take the risk of terrible over the “safety” of eight to nine wins and an early playoff exit. They promoted pass game coordinator Bobby Slowik to OC and hired former Eagles OC Kevin Patullo to fill Slowik’s vacancy, but that doesn’t reveal much about their plans considering the differences in approach by both offenses last year — for example, the Dolphins used the second-most pre-snap motion and the Eagles used the fourth-least, per NFL Pro. Also, the options for a successor are thin: if Daniel Jones returns to Indy, the top free-agent QB is Malik Willis, and if Fernando Mendoza goes to Las Vegas, the rest of the 2026 QB class is less than inspiring.

Score a sack specialist

After watching Super Bowl LX, first impressions on the Patriots’ top priority might be the offensive line, or perhaps a more legitimate group of receivers. And while both are important, we’re going to zero in on the defensive edge. New England was 10th in pressure rate last season (35.9%) but 20th in sack rate (5.9%), per NFL Pro, and only six teams finished with fewer sacks in total. Moreover, edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson, who was second on the team with 7.5 sacks, is an unrestricted free agent, which will leave soon-to-be-30-year-old Harold Landry relatively alone on the edge. The Pats have been mentioned in Maxx Crosby trade rumors, free agents Trey Hendrickson and Jaelan Phillips could be options, and Daniel Jeremiah has mocked edge rusher Zion Young out of Missouri to New England 31st overall. However it happens, landing a splash sack artist would be huge in the bid for an AFC title repeat.

Stop the quarterback carousel

Since the Mark Sanchez era ended in 2012, only the Browns have started more quarterbacks (25) than the New York Jets (16). Franchise quarterback remains the top hole to fill for both those organizations, but the Jets don’t have more than $100 million of dead money tied up in Justin Fields (like Cleveland does with Deshaun Watson), nor did they spend third- and fifth-round picks on the position last draft (like Cleveland did). Still, they ranked bottom three in completion percentage over expected (-4.2%), pass success rate (38.4%) and EPA/dropback (-0.22) per NFL Pro. Realistically, they probably cannot roll out another year of Fields, Tyrod Taylor and Brady Cook. Unless Daniel Jones is a surprise exit from Indianapolis, or they land Kirk Cousins if/when he becomes available, their best bet might be a trade. I’d like to see them aim high for Kyler Murray, otherwise they might have to settle for someone like Mac Jones — who was surprisingly efficient in 2025.

Complete the WR corps

Yes, the top priority for Pittsburgh is technically to figure out what’s happening with Aaron Rodgers. But pending the 42-year-old’s decision on retirement, the front office can’t really do much about that. In the meantime, they need to build up the receiving corps for whoever slots in under center moving forward. DK Metcalf recorded a career-low 850 receiving yards on just 59 catches, but it didn’t help that he saw an average of just 9.8 air yards per target (also a career low), per NFL Pro. In fact, Pittsburgh’s entire receiving corps averaged just 5.8 air yards per target in 2025, lowest by any team in any season in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016). Part of the responsibility for that belongs with Rodgers and former OC Arthur Smith, but GM Omar Khan also needs to bring in more effective downfield wideouts than Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson and Scott Miller. For potential names, check out the blueprint in the Bills section above.

Get Cam Ward a WR1

The Titans have a lot of needs, including at edge rusher, cornerback and interior offensive line, but if Cam Ward is going to take the next step as a franchise quarterback, he needs a number one receiver. Cut candidate and 31-year-old Calvin Ridley is clearly not the answer, and neither of their fourth-round draft selections — Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor — showed WR1 promise either. Among 64 wide receivers to run at least 300 routes in 2026, Dike and Ayomanor ranked 60th and 61st in yards per route run. On the whole, their wide receiver group posted the NFL’s lowest catch rate over expected (-8.9%) and lowest receiving yards over expected (-514), per NFL Pro. There may not be an answer in free agency, unless they can pry George Pickens away from Dallas, so GM Mike Borgonzi might need to look to the first or second round of the draft. (Both Bucky Brooks and Eric Edholm mocked Ohio State prospect Carnell Tate to Tennessee with the fourth overall pick.)