NFL Teams In Need of a Revamp

Teams Needing a Revamp

There are a number of teams with losing records this season, however there aren’t as many that need a revamp.

Teams, such as the Giants, Raiders, Patriots, and Panthers may be terrible teams but they are in the process of their rebuilds.

Let’s talk about teams that have failed to rebuild or failed to reach the top repeatedly, and they may just need a revamp.

Jaguars

In a season where the Jaguars were said to be competing for an AFC South title, they are now 2-10 heading into Week 14.

Last offseason, they made a questionable move, making Trevor Lawrence the highest paid quarterback in NFL history, giving him a five-year, 275 million dollar extension.

Since then, their season has taken a turn with key players not performing well and injuries derailing their seasons.

A positive sign though is their 2024 first round pick, Brian Thomas Jr., who has become a home run selection by GM Trent Balke, amassing 765 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns in his rookie campaign.

They will be picking high in this upcoming draft with their secondary being a major cause for concern, ranking the worst in the NFL.

Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Michigan’s Will Johnson are top-end prospects who could contribute in the back end, and should be on their radar.

Jets

The New York Jets entered the season looking to prove that they were a playoff-caliber team with the return of Aaron Rodgers, who was coming off a torn achillies.

13 weeks through the season, they are anything but, sitting at 3-9.

They will likely finish the year with a worse record than they had with Zach Wilson, showing the dysfunction surrounding the organization.

The Jets defense hasn’t looked the same as it did in 2022 and 2023, and the firing of head coach Robert Saleh is likely the cause.

Cornerback Sauce Gardner hasn’t shown the all-pro production and the defensive line has been hampered by injuries, giving defensive tackle Quinnen Williams no help getting after the quarterback.

A bright spot has been edge rusher Will McDonald IV, who has broken out this season for New York, recording 10 sacks through 12 games.

They will be picking high in the draft and targeting the two defensive Michigan prospects, Mason Graham and Will Johnson, could be ideas to consider.

Bengals

The Bengals are a completely different story. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase are the best quarterback-wide receiver duo in the NFL but they have nothing else to rely on when trying to win games.

Burrow is having the best season of his career, throwing for 30 passing touchdowns and only five interceptions while Chase is on pace to get the receiving triple crown.

At this point in the season has been nothing short of a disappointment for Cincinnati.

With star wide receiver Tee Higgins becoming an unrestricted free agent this offseason and most likely departing from the team, the Bengals dependence on Burrow and Chase’s will only increase.

Cincinnati’s defense is among the top five worst in the NFL, giving up 369.2 yards per game, the sixth most in the league, and 28.3 points per game, the second most in the league. The firing of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is imminent.

Prospects, such as Michigan’s Kenneth Grant, Alabama’s LT Overton and Texas A&M’s Nic Scourton, I think would be perfect fits to improve what is an underwhelming defensive line outside of Trey Hendrickson.

Saints

The Saints have been decimated by their salary cap situation for years since Drew Brees retired in 2020.

Right now they have the least amount of cap space in the NFL entering every offseason. They get rid of players and restructure contracts to get out of the dead cap, but it never helps out the team enough to compete for playoff berths.

New Orleans cap space will prove to be the worst salary cap situation in the NFL heading into the 2025 offseason as they have -$62 million in available cap space.

They extended veteran running back Alvin Kamara on a two-year, 25 million dollar contract. He has been a great player for the Saints in his eight-year tenure.

However, they don’t really have a young building block on any side of the ball.

Resetting the team’s cap space by making minimal moves and building through the draft is the best option to get out of the mess they dug themselves in.

Firing head coach Dennis Allen after seven straight losses has already proven to be a good start.

49ers

Coming from a 49ers fan, this team is in trouble. They just don’t look the same.

The 49ers are 5-7 heading into Week 14, proving to everyone they might be amidst a long Super Bowl hangover.

Shanahan’s play calling has been questionable, causing the red zone offense to plummet from the best red zone offense in the NFL in 2023 to the fifth-worst in 2024.

Under Nick Sorensen, their defensive identity has been lost. The 49ers can’t stop the run on defense and can’t tackle in the open field, making multiple defensive additions necessary in free agency or through the draft.

Prospects like Michigan’s Kenneth Grant to help improve the run defense or Georgia’s Malaki Starks to help with tackling in the back end could be possibilities when trying to find young building blocks on defense.

It doesn’t help that impact players like Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw, Fred Warner and Trent Williams have been injured or ineffective.

Injury-riddled seasons have hampered the team during their five-year Super Bowl window.

Their window seems to be closing fast and they will be faced with contract decisions on paying impact players like Brock Purdy, Deebo Samuel, Charvarius Ward, and Dre Greenlaw in the near future.

Owen Daszko is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him please email him at opd5073@psu.edu.