NFL Team Needs: Prioritizing Every Roster’s Biggest Weaknesses Before Week 12

The Arizona Cardinals enter their bye week on a four-game winning streak. Confidence should be extremely high heading into the final seven-game stretch.

Arizona sits atop the NFC West, has taken big defensive strides under second-year head coach Jonathan Gannon and is seeing Kyler Murray play some of the best football of his career. There’s a very real chance that the Cardinals will end up hosting a playoff game in January.

Biggest Weaknesses:

1. Defensive Tackle
2. Cornerback
3. Edge-Rusher
4. Right Tackle
5. Guard

Move to Make Now: Get Barron Browning More Involved

At this point in the season, the Cardinals don’t need to make any drastic changes. They’re coming off a 31-6 win against the New York Jets and are clicking in almost every aspect.

One priority for the bye week, though, should involve getting pass-rusher Barron Browning up to speed in the defense. Arizona acquired the 25-year-old in a trade at the deadline and could use a boost in the pass-rushing department.

The Cardinals have recorded 24 sacks in 10 games, but no Arizona edge-rusher has logged more than three quarterback takedowns. Browning, who recorded 4.5 sacks in 2023, played just 18 defensive snaps in his Week 10 Cardinals debut.

2025 Free Agency: EDGE Haason Reddick, New York Jets

Presumably, Gannon wants to forge the sort of disruptive defense he coached as the Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator in 2022.

Coincidentally, New York Jets pass-rusher and impending 2025 free agent Haason Reddick played under Gannon that season. Reddick should be one of the top sack artists available on the open market in March, and he’ll likely command a hefty contract.

Reddick’s desire for a raise was the impetus behind this year’s holdout in New York. With $98.1 million in projected cap space, though, Arizona can afford to make a splash.

Whether Reddick will have any interest in returning to the franchise that drafted him in 2017 is another question.

2025 NFL Draft: DT Tyleik Williams, Ohio State

One hallmark of Gannon’s Eagles defenses was strong interior play. With defensive tackle becoming both popular and expensive on the veteran market—Christian Wilkins landed a $27.5 million annual salary this past offseason—targeting one in the draft would be logical.

Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams (ankle) is set to return this week against Northwestern, and the Cardinals should be following his progress closely. The 6’2″, 290-pound disruptor has intriguing physical tools but may be a bit of a project.

“Potential is the best way to describe Tyleik Williams as an NFL draft prospect,” Matt Holder of the Bleacher Report Scouting Department wrote. “His combination of size, strength and athleticism gives him a high ceiling, but inconsistency is his biggest issue.”

While the Cardinals are ready to win now, they’re also laying a foundation for the future and can afford to bet on upside in the draft.

The Atlanta Falcons have lost two in a row, and Sunday’s 38-6 disaster against the Denver Broncos is truly concerning. Kirk Cousins (173 yards, 1 INT) had an inefficient outing, Darnell Mooney suffered a hamstring injury, and Atlanta’s defense showed just how much of a liability it can be.

The Falcons recorded only their 10th sack of the season while allowing rookie quarterback Bo Nix and the Broncos to amass 400 yards of offense and 6.7 yards per play.

At 6-5, Atlanta still leads the NFC South, but it’s becoming clear that this team is at least a year away from making a serious postseason run.

Biggest Weaknesses:

1. Edge-Rusher
2. Nickelback
3. Center
4. Defensive Tackle
5. Linebacker

Move to Make Now: Work Out Randy Gregory

An extremely underwhelming pass rush remains the biggest potential obstacle between the Falcons and a deep playoff run. Atlanta should examine all options for improving it. Last week, we suggested taking a look at free agent Shaq Lawson. The Falcons might as well kick the tires on Randy Gregory too.

Of course, the Falcons should see what, if anything, Gregory can bring to the proverbial table first. He never reported to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after signing in the offseason, and while he visited the Seattle Seahawks in October, he didn’t sign.

Gregory remains a massive unknown, but he did record 2.5 sacks and 11 QB pressures with the San Francisco 49ers in 2023. The Falcons owe it to themselves to see if he can help in 2024.

2025 Free Agency: EDGE Josh Uche, Kansas City Chiefs

The Falcons are projected to be $8.5 million over the salary cap next year. Therefore, Atlanta may be limited to budget options in free agency.

Pass-rusher Josh Uche, who was recently traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, could be just such an option. He signed a one-year, $3 million deal to return to the New England Patriots this past offseason and may be available at a similar price point in 2025.

Uche has primarily been a low-end complementary edge-rusher for the Patriots and Chiefs, but he did flash a high ceiling in 2022. Playing opposite a healthy Matthew Judon that season, Uche recorded 11.5 sacks and 25 quarterback pressures.

2025 NFL Draft: EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State

Atlanta must keep throwing darts at the pass-rusher position until it finally hits. The franchise has been searching for a high-end sack artist for what feels like a lifetime—Vic Beasley was the last Falcon to reach 10 sacks, which occurred in 2016—and it has to consider options in the 2025 draft.

The Bleacher Report Scouting Department recently paired Atlanta with Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter in its 2025 mock draft, and it’s hard to argue with that idea. While Carter may not be a truly polished prospect, he’s been one of college football’s most impactful defenders this season.

“He’s a disruptive football player,” Penn State coach James Franklin said, per Greg Pickel of On3. “He was that way when he played linebacker. He’s disruptive when he plays defensive end.”

Atlanta has a strong roster, but it won’t have a complete team until/unless it finds a franchise-caliber pass-rusher.

The Ravens were dealt a major blow to their AFC North chances by a familiar foe on Sunday. The Steelers held tight to deny a two-point conversion late in the game, which handed the Ravens an 18-16 loss and created some distance between the two in the division race.

Pittsburgh put forth a good performance, but the Ravens did enough to shoot themselves in the foot a few times. Justin Tucker missed two field goals in the first half and Derrick Henry lost a fumble as well. The Ravens have to be more disciplined and clean up things to finish strong.

Biggest Weaknesses:

1. Cornerback
2. Interior Offensive Line
3. Wide Receiver
4. Offensive Tackle
5. Edge-Rusher

Move to Make Now: Nothing

The Ravens have been rolling all season. One of the worst mistakes a team can make is to have a knee-jerk reaction to a game that really doesn’t fall in line with who they’ve been all season. The Ravens and Steelers have a long-standing history of defensive slugfests, and that’s exactly what this game turned into.

The Baltimore offense isn’t suddenly “figured out,” and the defense didn’t even come close to its worst performance of the season. This is the kind of result that’s not worth reacting to other than continuing the grind of being prepared every week.

2025 Free Agency: OT Ronnie Stanley, Baltimore Ravens

Going out and signing external free agents is obviously the more splashy move, but the best teams make great decisions with their own impending free agents. The Ravens have had a ton of success this season despite replacing three offensive line starters. That might lull the Ravens into a false sense of security about moving on from Ronnie Stanley.

That could be a mistake if the Ravens don’t have a solid plan in place, though. Stanley is older and has a few injuries to his name, but he’s still playing really well when healthy. The Ravens should make re-signing him, even on a three-year contract, a priority.

2025 NFL Draft: EDGE Kyle Kennard, South Carolina

The Ravens are a Super Bowl hopeful that is starting 33-year-old Kyle Van Noy at outside linebacker. That’s a credit to Van Noy that he can remain a productive starter on a contender, but it’s also a stark reminder that the Ravens need to continue stocking the roster with young talent on the edge.

David Ojabo might never reach the potential he flashed as a former second-round pick. That could lead to the Ravens targeting the position again early in the draft. Kyle Kennard is coming along as a high-ceiling edge-rusher with a lightning-quick first step and 9.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss already this season.

The Bills and the Chiefs have given fans some of the best NFL games of the past six years. Sunday’s meeting might not have been an all-timer, but it was a memorable Josh Allen performance that showed the Bills might just be the team to beat in the AFC.

Allen was sensational. Even without Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid, he made plenty of plays in pivotal moments. That included the 26-yard run for a touchdown to seal the game with just over two minutes remaining.

The win was exciting and bringing an end to the Chiefs’ unbeaten season is great, but there’s a good chance we haven’t seen the last of these two teams dueling it out.

Biggest Weaknesses:

1. Edge-Rusher
2. Cornerback
3. Linebacker
4. Interior Defensive Line
5. Safety

Move to Make Now: Expand Amari Cooper’s role

The Bills traded for Amari Cooper to bolster the receiving corps ahead of their playoff run. They welcomed him to the gameplan with five targets in his first game. He responded with four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.

He’s only combined for five targets over the last two weeks, though. He made his presence felt against the Chiefs with two receptions for 55 yards, but he was only targeted three times. Cooper is one of the team’s best downfield separators now. It would be good to see the Bills use him more as the season goes on.

2025 Free Agency: CB Kristian Fulton, Los Angeles Chargers

The Bills’ re-worked secondary has held up pretty well this season, but there’s still going to be some work to do in the offseason. One of the first questions they’ll have to answer is whether they want to re-sign Rasul Douglas. The veteran has played well enough in Buffalo, but he’ll be 29 years old and has taken a step back.

Targeting a younger free agent like Kristian Fulton could give them a younger starter at the position. Fulton is 26 years old and has rebounded in Los Angeles after a rough final season with Tennessee in 2023.

2025 NFL Draft: DT Derrick Harmon, Oregon

The Bills have learned this season just how important it is to draft and develop depth. They’ve withstood losses in free agency and through injury in multiple spots on the defense. They’ve also had some players step up and play well. If they are going to continue to put a defense on the field that can support Josh Allen, it’s going to take continued investment in the draft.

Investing in another talented defensive tackle could pay major dividends. Ed Oliver needs a dynamic talent beside him on the defensive line, and the Bills are relying on a lot of older pieces to fill in on the interior. Derrick Harmon is a 6’5″, 310-pound interior defender who has a habit of collapsing pockets with his play strength and explosiveness out of his stance.

The Carolina Panthers appear to be in a much better spot than they were just a few weeks ago. While Carolina won’t be playoff-relevant this season, it gained some momentum with two consecutive victories heading into the Week 10 bye.

Rookie head coach Dave Canales has already surpassed last year’s win total, and the Panthers are positioned to play spoiler down the stretch.

Biggest Weaknesses:

1. Edge-Rusher
2. Quarterback
3. Wide Receiver
4. Defensive Tackle
5. Tight End

Move to Make Now: Get Ja’Tavion Sanders More Targets

The Panthers seem content to continue auditioning second-year quarterback Bryce Young. While the 2023 No. 1 overall pick hasn’t solidified his status as the QB of the future, he’s shown enough promise in recent weeks that Carolina isn’t guaranteed to target a quarterback in the offseason.

Between now and the end of 2024, the Panthers need to decide if they’ll need a tight end. Carolina has lacked a high-end starter for years, but rookie Ja’Tavion Sanders has shown flashes.

By making Sanders a focal point in the passing game, the Panthers can better determine if he can be a high-volume pass-catcher or simply a strong complementary option moving forward.

2025 Free Agency: WR Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

After trading Diontae Johnson, the Panthers are left without a clear-cut No. 1 receiver. Rookie Xavier Legette has the potential to eventually fill that role, but he isn’t there yet. Carolina will need receiver help in 2025, whether it sticks with Young at quarterback or not.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin would be a logical free-agent target for the Panthers, assuming Canales remains the head coach. Canales coached Godwin in Tampa last season, and he knows exactly how to utilize the 28-year-old (29 in February).

Godwin was having a strong 2024 campaign before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. In seven appearances, he caught 50 passes for 576 yards and five touchdowns.

2025 NFL Draft: S Malaki Starks, Georgia

While the Panthers may ultimately opt to draft a quarterback in 2025—and they’ll probably, at the very least, bring in some veteran competition—they should be very interested in bolstering their lackluster defense.

Georgia safety Malaki Starks could help do that on the back end. Starks is a multi-faceted defender who could impact games in a variety of ways—not wholly unlike former Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn.

“Starks projects as a first-round pick with the potential to make an immediate impact in the NFL,” Cory Giddings of the Scouting Department wrote. “His combination of athleticism, ball skills, and physicality make him a versatile safety capable of excelling in both coverage and run support.”

With safeties Xavier Woods, Nick Scott, Sam Franklin and Jordan Fuller all set to be free agents in the spring, Carolina will be looking to reload the position. Starks would be a terrific fit.

The Chicago Bears saw a little offensive progress from new play-caller Thomas Brown on Sunday, though it wasn’t enough to get a win. Chicago racked up 391 yards against the rival Green Bay Packers and was in position for a walk-off game-winning field goal.

Unfortunately, the attempt was blocked, keeping the Bears below .500 and possibly playing for the future for the rest of this season.

Biggest Weaknesses:

1. Right Guard
2. Center
3. Offensive Tackle depth
4. 2nd Corner
5. Linebacker

Move to Make Now: Build a Connection Between Caleb Williams and D.J. Moore

Offensively, it’s been a slog for Chicago for most of the 2024 season. Head coach Matt Eberflus made the decision to fire offensive coordinator Shane Waldron after Week 10, replacing him with Brown.

One of Brown’s biggest priorities moving forward should involve establishing chemistry between rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and No. 1 receiver D.J. Moore (7 catches, 62 yards on Sunday). Too often this season, Moore has been an offensive afterthought, a surprising development after last year’s 1,364-yard campaign.

2025 Free Agency: Trey Smith, G, Kansas City Chiefs

The Bears obviously hope that Williams can be their long-term answer at quarterback. For the USC product to have long-term success, though, Chicago must protect him with a better overall blocking unit.

Kansas City Chiefs guard Trey Smith—the second-ranked player on early 2025 free-agent board—should be high atop Chicago’s wish list. He’s an above-average pass protector and a legitimate catalyst in the running game.

Smith will undoubtedly command a heft contract on the open market—if the Chiefs even allow him to get there—but at 25 years old, he has the potential to be a franchise building block.

2025 NFL Draft: IOL Tyler Booker, Alabama

Teven Jenkins has been mostly reliable when healthy since transitioning from tackle to guard. However, he’ll be a free agent in the spring, and Chicago could look to completely revamp its offensive line.

Even if the Bears snag a high-end veteran guard like Smith, they could double down on the position in the draft. The Scouting Department recently mocked Alabama’s Tyler Booker to the Bears in the first round.

“Booker has been extremely consistent this year at Alabama and is the same player on every tape,” Brandon Thorn of the Bleacher Report Scouting Department said. “That bodes well for his chances of being solid out of the gate and bolstering one of Chicago’s guard spots.”

Chicago needs to set up Williams for success, and it needs to keep throwing darts at the offensive line until the team gets it right.

Joe Burrow and the Bengals offense were mostly great on Sunday Night Footbtall against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bengals defense was mostly bad. Sound familiar?

Burrow had 356 yards through the air and three touchdowns with no picks. The offense was clicking in the second half when the Bengals scored three consecutive touchdowns to wipe out a 27-6 lead the Chargers built.

Unfortunately, the defense allowed the Chargers to drive 84 yards on four plays to take the lead with 18 seconds left. It’s fitting that a defensive collapse likely ended the Bengals’ playoff hopes for good this year.

Biggest Weaknesses:

1. Cornerback
2. Interior Defensive Line
3. Edge-Rusher
4. Linebacker
5. Interior Offensive Line

Move to Make Now: Play Jordan Battle over Geno Stone

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is infamously against rotating his defensive backs, but his job security could be called into question if Cincinnati continues to be this bad at defending the pass. That means giving the younger Jordan Battle a chance to play over free-agent acquisition Geno Stone.

Battle is going to make mistakes and give up touchdowns. That’s not a big deal considering how often that is already happening with Stone starting at safety. At least Battle has a better shot making real strides with more games coming up.

2025 Free Agency: CB Byron Murphy Jr., Minnesota Vikings

One of the biggest reasons the Bengals have underperformed this season is a secondary that is just not holding up its end of the bargain. The Bengals are one of the worst third-down defenses in the league and will need to make changes next season.

One of those changes could be finding a veteran who can come in and play cornerback. Turning over the reigns of their cornerback position to the young wave of Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Johnson. Someone like Byron Murphy, who has thrived in Minnesota this season, could come in and change the tone of the secondary.

2025 NFL Draft: EDGE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee

The Bengals defense has been a severe letdown this season. The group took a step back last season, but there was hope that was just a fluke. As it turns out, the Bengals need new answers. One thing that would help is a pass-rushing specialist on the outside. The Bengals were just 21st in pressure percentage going into the week.

Bringing in James Pearce Jr. with an early draft pick could be a solution. He’s not the typical edge-rusher that the Bengals have targeted. He’s only 242 pounds and might struggle to set an edge in the run game early in his career. However, he is an athletically gifted pass-rusher who could immediately contribute as a specialist.

Where is the Cleveland Browns defense? It’s one of the biggest questions in the NFL after this week. The unit that was dominant last season is a distant memory. Instead, the Browns defense is the kind that lets Taysom Hill dunk on them to the tune of 200 total yards and three touchdowns.

There were actually some bright spots for the offense on Sunday. The Browns broke 400 total yards, and Jerry Jeudy was particularly good (142 yards, one touchdown). However, it was all overshadowed by the defense’s woes in a 35-14 loss.

Biggest Weaknesses:

1. Quarterback
2. Wide Receiver
3. Left Tackle
4. Linebacker
5. Interior Defender

Move to Make Now: Reduce Mohamoud Diabate’s role

Mohamoud Diabate has grown into a sizable role with the Browns defense this season. He’s wearing the green dot that marks him as the communicator between the coaching staff and the rest of the defense. However, the Browns’ communication was clearly an issue this week, as they lost track of where Taysom Hill was several times and missed several tackles.

Diabate has been part of the problem in that area. He has an 18.8 percent missed tackle rate, which is the highest among the linebackers on the team. The 23-year-old undeniably has potential, but taking some responsibilities off his plate and lowering his snap count could be beneficial.

2025 Free Agency: RB J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers

The Browns have a lot of things to figure out on offense, so the running back position hasn’t been the most highlighted need. However, it’s an unfortunate truth that Nick Chubb hasn’t looked like the explosive runner that he once was and the Browns need to have a good ground game given the quarterback situation.

If Chubb isn’t able to recapture some of his former glory, then turning to the free-agent market and targeting J.K. Dobbins could be an option. The former Ohio State standout has always had the talent, but he’s been held back by injuries. He has looked like a feature back with the Chargers so far this season and is still just 26 years old.

2025 NFL Draft: QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama

There’s going to be a rain cloud over everything this team does until they find a quarterback. Deshaun Watson should return next season after suffering a ruptured Achilles that ended his 2024 season campaign. But there’s already enough evidence that he’s not the quarterback of the future. Moving on from his contract is going to require a rookie starter.

In his scouting report, Dame Parson’s pro comparison for Milroe was “shades of Jalen Hurts with a jet pack and stronger arm.” Milroe is an elite athlete who is still putting it together as a passer. After watching Lamar Jackson progress over the years within their division, the Browns should look at getting their own version in the draft.