NFL Teams that greatly improved during the offseason

by George Johnston

The NFL offseason is pretty much complete, as we have gone through most of free agency and the draft. So I will be showing 5 teams that greatly improved during the offseason.

1. Minnesota Vikings

Coming into the offseason, the Vikings lost many pieces to their squad, including premier quarterback Kirk Cousins to Atlanta, and Danielle Hunter to Houston. They replaced these two perfectly in the draft, picking reigning national champion QB J.J. Mccarthy, and Alabama edge Dallas Turner. They also signed Aaron Jones, completing one of the scariest offenses the NFL might see this season. This team definitely has the ability to have a deep run in the playoffs, and I can't wait to see what they do.

1. Chicago Bears

The NFC North is going to be scary this year. Of course, the highlight of the Bears’ offseason is drafting generational talent Caleb Williams, who could be their QB1 for decades. They also turned their receiver core into one of the best in the league, signing Chargers WR Keenan Allen, and drafting Washington WR Rome Odunze, both of which will pair great with D.J. Moore. They also signed RB D'andre Swift to replace David Montgomery and FS Kevin Byard.

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers did most of the dirty work in free agency, but it paid off. They signed Ravens LB Patrick Queen, who was a beast last year. They signed Russell Wilson, who could make an impact while he plays there, and Justin Fields, who will most likely replace Wilson when he leaves or retires. In the draft, they didn’t make big picks but took quality players like OG Troy Fatunatu, and Michigan WR Roman Wilson. Expect the Steelers to be highly competitive in the playoffs this year.

1. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles had a very good offseason, making great decisions in both free agency and the draft. Their most notable decision was to sign Saquon Barkley, who will make this offense ten times more explosive. They also signed additions to the defense in Bryce Huff and CJ Gardener-Johnson back from a short one year stint with the Lions. In the draft, they picked two great corners in back-to-back rounds in Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell and Iowa’s Cooper DeJean. This year’s Eagles offseason may have been costly, but will be worth it if it leads them to another Super Bowl.

1. Los Angeles Chargers

Jim Harbaugh has done a great job of bringing talent to this team, in his first season in the NFL since 2014. He signed two former Ravens running backs in J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, who will replace dual threat RB Austin Ekler who went to the Commanders. They also signed D.J. Chark and Hayden Hurst as receiving targets following the departures of both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Lastly, they signed center Bradley Bozeman as a potential replacement for aging center Corey Linsley. In the draft, the Chargers wisely took Joe Alt, who will pair nicely on the opposite end of Rashawn Slater. To add more to the receiving core, they also drafted Georgia WR Ladd Mcconkey, who was pretty consistent when he played. Along with him, they picked Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s son Brendan Rice, who will be another nice addition to their receiving core. Finally, Harbaugh was reunited with one of his players, LB Junior Colson. This team looks a lot better, and will definitely win more games in 2024.

There were a lot more teams who improved, but this is just my look at teams that took a big leap in the offseason, and I can’t wait to see how they do in the upcoming season.