The old adage goes that, in sports, there is no offseason. And in professional sports like football, where trades, signings, and rebuilds are constant, the offseason has great bearing on how things will shake out come fall. Some teams consistently nail it during the offseason, and others … don’t. Here are some offseason report cards for NFL squads: three teams that succeeded, and three that completely missed the mark.
Nailed it: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers had a momentous offseason, pulling in starting-caliber QBs Russell Wilson and Justin Fields while also signing linebacker Patrick Queen.
In the draft, Pittsburgh shored up the offensive line, added an excellent linebacker in Payton Wilson, and stole another Wilson – first name Roman – who could soon become a starting wide receiver.
There are already rumblings that the team is working to pull in a heavyweight receiver like Brandon Aiyuk or Courtland Sutton, meaning the Steelers could become one of the NFL’s scariest teams almost overnight.
Nailed it: Los Angeles Chargers
Few people are clamoring about the Chargers: Since the Harbaugh hire months ago, enthusiasm has died down around a team that lost its star running back and main two wide receivers.
But there is a huge upside to the Chargers’ offseason that many have overlooked. DL Joey Bosa and LB Khalil Mack restructured their contracts, ensuring that the team’s front seven stay anchored.
Plus, they drafted OT Joe Alt, along with Georgia WR Ladd McConkey. Under Harbaugh’s leadership, and with many of the key pieces still in place, the Chargers could be a real threat this fall.
Nailed it: Chicago Bears
A new, strong-armed, mobile quarterback. A top wide receiver, also from the draft. A veteran WR duo in Keenan Allen and DJ Moore. Overall, Chicago looks scary on offense, and they made the right choice in drafting Caleb Williams.
A team that has been moribund for so long may finally be powerful thanks to these additions, and could run an NFC version of Miami’s fast, up-tempo offensive scheme.
While the Super Bowl is still out of reach, Chicago could – and should – make a jump from irrelevant to contending.
Failed it: Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens blew it this offseason. Sure, they picked up Derrick Henry, but they lost too many other pieces.
Letting Patrick Queen go to a division rival that they already couldn’t beat was a terrible idea, and the Ravens lost edge rusher Jadaveon Clowney as well.
Not only is the defense now significantly weaker, but Lamar Jackson – who is already 27 and, despite his two MVP awards, has no championship rings to show for it – isn’t getting any fresher.
Last year was Baltimore’s chance at a chip, but they coughed it up with an AFC Championship game plan that seemed to have been schemed up by a middle-school Madden player. The Ravens choked last year, and they will do so again due to their offseason bloodletting. Does anyone here know how to do the Heimlich?
Failed it: Dallas Cowboys
Speaking of choking, we now turn to the Dallas Cowboys, a team that is constantly lambasted for wasting almost 30 years’ worth of championship-caliber players.
Since their last Super Bowl win in 1996, the ‘Boys have had little to show for themselves. And this offseason, complacency struck again.
During a free-agency flurry a month or so back, when blockbuster deals were happening everywhere, Dallas did nothing. And now, they may be the only team in the league that hasn’t made any compelling free-agent signings.
In a division with rivals who just added Saquon Barkley, Austin Ekeler, Bobby Wagner, and other playmakers, Dallas has only re-signed RB Ezekiel Elliot, who is now crawling back after one mediocre year with the Patriots.
This offseason, the Cowboys have stood still – and with almost every other team having already taken strides forward, it’s hard not to imagine Dallas falling behind.
Failed it: NY Giants
Sure, it’s fun to joke about the Giants. But in this year’s draft, they made a big mistake. At number six, they could have picked Michael Penix, Bo Nix, or J.J. McCarthy. All would have been upgrades over current QB Daniel Jones, who either doesn’t play well or can’t play because he’s injured.
The Malik Nabers selection was not a bad one on paper, but the caliber of a WR doesn’t matter much if the quarterback isn’t that good. A quarterback like Penix would have made much more sense for this team, as the pool of WR talent was deep this year; after all, will Xavier Legette or Ladd McConkey be that much worse than Nabers this season?
In the NFL today, the man under center is the difference-maker. Combined with their lack of notable trades or free-agent signings, the Giants’ refusal to pick a quarterback has set them up for another season in the cellar.
