One roster move each AFC team should make during the 2026 NFL offseason

• Add to the pass rush.

Hiring Jesse Minter immediately upgrades the Baltimore defense. The secondary has pieces to play Minter’s match coverages, but the pass rush needs help. The Ravens didn’t have a single player with more than 30 QB pressures in 2025, per Next Gen Stats, and defensive tackle Travis Jones led the club with five sacks. That won’t do. Minter doesn’t often bring extra rushers, with the Chargers blitzing at just a 20.4% rate last season, third-lowest in the NFL. Adding multiple edge rushers is a must to get the most out of Minter’s scheme.

• Upgrade the WR corps.

Perhaps with Joe Brady taking over, the restrictor plate will be taken off the Bills offense in 2026. It won’t matter if the receiving corps doesn’t make dramatic improvements. Josh Allen shouldn’t be expected to play Superman every time he drops back. Khalil Shakir led the Bills with 719 receiving yards. The next-closest wideout was Keon Coleman with 404. An offense that asks Shakir to break 15 tackles every time he touches the ball isn’t going to be sustainable long term. Buffalo needs an alpha, first and foremost. At the very least, it needs to completely revamp the receiver room to withstand injuries.

• Overhaul the safety position.

The entire Bengals defense needs help, from edge rusher, where Trey Hendrickson is a free agent, to the back end. The safety unit had a horrific time in 2025. Impending free agent Geno Stone exemplified those struggles, and fellow starter Jordan Battle wasn’t a ton better. If Cincinnati is to turn around a porous defense, the safety group is a good place to start in the rebuild.

• Rebuild the offensive line.

The quarterback question will continue to linger, but the offensive line remains a glaring issue with no simple fix in sight. Joel Bitonio, Jack Conklin, Ethan Pocic, Wyatt Teller, Cam Robinson and Teven Jenkins are all set to be free agents. How often is it that an entire starting offensive line is poised to hit the open market? It’s not as if Cleveland has a trove of highly-drafted youngsters ready to step in. GM Andrew Berry will need to spend a bulk of his offseason rebuilding the O-line or it won’t matter who starts under center.

• Fill the linebacker void.

I still believe the Broncos could use another reliable WR target for Bo Nix, but the linebacker room must be dealt with first. Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad -- who is on the record stating he wants to be a full-time starter -- are both set to be free agents. Dre Greenlaw remains, but there are durability concerns for the soon-to-be 29-year-old who has only participated in 15-plus regular-season games twice in the past six seasons. Whether it’s re-signing Singleton or Strnad, going to the market or drafting one high, the Broncos must fill the linebacker hole this offseason.

• Continue to fix the O-line.

The broken record continues to spin in Houston. Despite efforts to fix the blocking problems a year ago, the Texans again fielded one of the worst lines in the NFL. C.J. Stroud was under siege for much of the season, and the run blocking was woeful. To make matters worse, the most serviceable among the starting five, guard Ed Ingram, is set to be a free agent. The hope is that Aireontae Ersery can improve upon a rocky rookie campaign. The Texans must bulk up their interior offensive line to help open holes in the ground game, particularly in short-yardage situations.

• Inject edge speed.

The Colts sound confident they’ll retain Daniel Jones and that the quarterback will be ready for the season. While there are still big questions under center, one thing I’d like to see GM Chris Ballard hammer this offseason is adding speed on the edge, where Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis and Samson Ebukam are all slated to be free agents. At times last season, the edge pressure disappeared in Indy. Laiatu Latu had an excellent second season, but he could use a consistent running mate on the other side.

• Re-sign or replace LB Devin Lloyd.

How Jaguars general manager James Gladstone attacks the offseason will be fascinating. A trio of Jacksonville starters in the secondary are set to be free agents. The Jags could also use a boost on the interior of the defensive line and appear to be in line to extend Travon Walker. The most pressing issue could be the prospect of losing Lloyd in free agency. After an up-and-down first three seasons, which caused the Jags to eschew a fifth-year option, the former first-round pick enjoyed a magnificent 2025. The LB was all over the field, generating five INTs (including one that was returned for a 99-yard TD), seven passes defensed, a fumble recovery and 81 tackles in 15 games. He fit perfectly in Anthony Campanile’s defense. The Jags seem unlikely to use the franchise tag on Lloyd (projected at $28.2 million, per Over The Cap). If he prices himself out of Jacksonville, there will be a gaping hole in the middle of Campanile’s D that needs to be filled.

• Restock the RB room.

Both Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco are slated for free agency, leaving K.C. with Brashard Smith as the lone back on the roster. Regardless of whether or not the Chiefs bring back Hunt and/or Pacheco, Andy Reid’s squad needs to upgrade the rushing attack. It was "3 yards and a cloud of dust" from the 2025 backfield, with the Chiefs generating just 2.7 yards after contact per carry -- tied for the worst in the league, per Next Gen Stats. Their six runs of 10-plus yards over expected were tied with the Raiders for the fewest in the league. Adding a dynamic weapon to the backfield who can generate consistent chunk plays, including in the passing game, would be a boon with Patrick Mahomes coming off a knee injury.

• End the QB carousel with the No. 1 draft pick.

The Raiders have wandered in the quarterback wilderness for far too long. In the past three years alone, Vegas has seen seven starting quarterbacks flail. Over that span, no signal-caller posted an EPA per dropback greater than -0.01. The endless cycle must end for the Raiders to finally take a step forward after winning a combined 21 games over the past four fruitless seasons. Holding the No. 1 overall pick becomes an inflection point for the franchise. The expectation is that Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza will be the choice to help dig the Raiders out of their doldrums.

• Revamp the interior O-line.

Losing two Pro Bowl tackles before Thanksgiving hurt L.A. dearly, but the interior of the offensive line was just as rough. Bradley Bozeman was arguably the worst center in football, but hey, at least he played 16 games. Free-agent addition Mekhi Becton dealt with several injuries and didn’t live up to expectations. Left guard Zion Johnson also struggled and, along with utility lineman Jamaree Salyer, is set to be a free agent. Under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, the entire Chargers interior needs to be revamped to help protect Justin Herbert and open holes in the rushing attack.

• Solve the QB dilemma.

Tua Tagovailoa’s future hangs in the balance after he was benched late in the season, following glaring issues all campaign. With a new front office and coaching staff, cutting Tua would be costly -- $99.2 million spread over two years -- but might be best for all parties in the long term. If the Dolphins indeed move on from Tagovailoa, who takes over? Seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers? A stop-gap veteran? Malik Willis -- if they can even afford him? Draft a first-rounder in a shallow pool? There are no easy answers for Miami in what is shaping up as a full-on reboot under the new brass.

• Add a pass rusher.

The Patriots' defense has surged to the Super Bowl, but their 2026 priority should be adding oomph to the edge. K'Lavon Chaisson has been an excellent find -- finishing second on the club with 52 QB pressures (per NGS), tops among New England edge rushers -- after signing a one-year deal. With Chaisson heading to free agency, will the Pats pay him to stick around? Even if they hang on to Chaisson, adding another high-end pass rusher in free agency or the draft should be a priority for Mike Vrabel’s crew.

• Revamp the defense.

The quarterback quandary will continue to be an issue in New York, which holds the No. 2 overall pick, with no obvious answer. The defense, however, is a mess with holes at every level. After trading Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner, the Jets have the ammo to add pieces to a defense that ranked 30th in EPA per play allowed (0.09) in 2025. A pass rusher, interior aid, a corner and safety help should all be on the Jets' menu this offseason. With a large chunk of cap space and 10 draft picks, Gang Green must throw some weight at fixing a collapsing defense.

• Find a No. 2 receiver.

The Aaron Rodgers situation could linger, and there is no obvious long-term solution. In the meantime, the Steelers could help ensure that, regardless of who is slinging the pigskin, the wide receiver room is better stocked. A legit No. 2 wideout has eluded Pittsburgh the past two seasons. In 2025, DK Metcalf led the club with 850 receiving yards. No other wideout hit the 400-yard mark. For Mike McCarthy’s offense to succeed, the Steelers must find a receiver who can consistently capitalize on the attention paid to Metcalf.

• Find a playmaker for Cam Ward.

The Titans snagged an experienced play-caller in Brian Daboll to help shepherd Ward’s development. The next step is to provide the former No. 1 overall pick with more weapons. There are some intriguing pieces to work with. Rookies Chimere Dike, Elic Ayomanor and Gunnar Helm each flashed at times. However, the Titans’ passing attack lacks an alpha, a go-to weapon who can elevate the rest of those pieces. At this stage, Tennessee can’t count on Calvin Ridley to be that guy, and he could be a cut candidate. Giving Ward a reliable playmaking target will go a long way toward helping the Titans get the most out of their young QB in 2026.