What Should NFL Team Goals Be for Next Year?

The NFL season is now winding down and discussions are underway about what the various teams should be aiming for in the coming draft. Commentators have begun to voice their opinions during their broadcasts, bloggers are putting in their two cents in their blogs and sports betting enthusiasts are watching carefully to see how to assess their wagers, and your average guy/gal is trying to determine how much of their winnings from using Fair Go no deposit bonus codes they can put towards their bets on the draft.

The draft evaluation process has already begun and eyes are already on Chris Godwin, Allen Robinson and Davante Adams who headline the free-agent class. There are still many questions, however, regarding the 2022 draft class. Each team has its own needs and expectations. The Green Bay Packers should keep their eye out for tight ends, the Broncos need a long-term solution for quarterback and the Saints and Chiefs would do well to find players who will bolster their wide receiver positions.

An assessment of some of the teams:

Ravens

After a season of injuries, the Ravens will have plenty of positions to fill. Cornerback Marcus Peters and safety DeShon Elliot should be returning but there’s still work to be done as the rest of the safety crew struggle. Their incomplete pass record of 4.1% of balls thrown into their coverage is the third-lowest rate in the league.

By focusing on good draft choices for safety and running back the Ravens have the chance to address some of these issues, especially stopping opposing teams’ downfield aerial attacks.

The Ravens also have to consider their interior defensive line which is currently headed by Brandon Williams and Calais Campbell. These two veterans are still playing on a high level but their ages – 33 and 36 respectively – make it an issue of concern that needs to be addressed.

Lions

The Detroit Lions have had a dismal season and they will need to take full advantage of their extra first-round picks in the next two drafts to get their roster up to snuff. One of the first objectives of the drafts should be to get a good coverage unit going – their coverage unit ranked dead last in 2020 (28.7 coverage grade) and a league-low 2021 coverage grade of 29.6.

Other stats that need to be considered as the Lions approach the draft is their 7.95 yards per attempt to opposing quarterbacks which is the worst this year in the NFL and a pass play of 15-plus yards on 20% of opponent's dropbacks, another league record for “worst”.

Panthers

The Carolina Panthers still have many holes in their roster but issues with their offensive line and quarterback position continue to haunt them. Current quarterback Sam Darnold has a 60.3 PFF passing grade which puts him in 29th place among the 36 qualifying quarterbacks. His 15 turnover-worthy plays is a league leader. Bringing him in was a gamble that Carolina was prepared to make but it hasn’t panned out and replacing him may be in the cards. The Panthers are aware, however, that problems in the offensive line have contributed to Darnold’s problems and they may be prepared to work on the offensive line and keep Darnold for at least another season.

Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys seem pleased with rookies Osa Odighuzuwa and Micha Parsons who both have top-15 pass-rush grades among rookies. Their main focus, it seems, will be on solidification on the backend, though they might also be looking to add additional coverage players.

Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are finding that their outside cornerback group has held up remarkably well after Malcolm Butler retired abruptly before the season’s opening game leaving the team dependent on 33-year-old Robert Alford who, prior to September, had gone for two full seasons without playing a snap of NFL football.

Despite the doubts, Alford performed admirably, gaining a 74.0 coverage grade over the first 9 weeks which gives him a ranking of 14 among outside cornerbacks who have at least 100 snaps. Observers note that Alford should not be regarded as a long-term solution.

He’s on a one-year deal and will probably not play beyond that, meaning that the Cardinals have a big hole in their secondary. Arizona needs cornerback support if it expects to keep its standing in the league.

Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons should be looking to strengthen their interior offensive line and work on bringing in top tier edge rushers. Atlanta’s interior offensive linemen have allowed a quarterback hit or sack on 6.8% of dropbacks – worst in the league -- and allowed the second-most quarterback hits and their pass-blocking, giving them a grade of 54.3. Their pass-rushing grade is 60.7, dead last in the entire NFL. They have fewer than 100 quarterback pressures as their edge rushers generated just 35 quarterback pressures – least in the entire league.

Broncos

The Broncos also seem satisfied with the status quo, particularly with cornerback Pat Surtain II who has achieved a 73.1 passer rating allowed when targeted and six incompletions forced -- top-25 marks among cornerbacks. To get Surtain however in the 2021 draft, Denver had to pass on Mac Jones and Justin Fields, leaving them in need of a long-term signal-caller. Teddy Bridgewater has performed fairly well this season, achieving a 76.4 passing grade which puts him at 16th place among quarterbacks in the league. However, he hasn’t pushed the ball downfield as regularly as one might hope and he’s still struggling with big-time throws, leaving the Brocos to consider finding a signal-caller who can carry the team.