RADIO
The NFL offseason is just around the corner. Free agency begins on March 12 and the NFL Draft follows a little over a month later on April 24. This is a chance for teams to fix the biggest holes they have on their rosters.
But what are those biggest holes? Every team has differing needs heading into the offseason. The Texans, for example, need offensive linemen to protect their quarterback. The Colts need a quarterback for the offensive linemen to protect.
Let's look at the biggest offseason needs for each team in the AFC South.
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Indianapolis Colts
Tight End
The Colts have a young group of wide receivers who still deserve a chance to grow. Josh Downs looked pretty good in 2024. Adonai Mitchell didn't, but the Colts shouldn't give up on him yet.
But the team could use help at tight end. Kylen Granson caught 14 passes last year, which led the Colts tight ends and ranked seventh on the team behind four receivers and two running backs. Trey Sermon caught more passes than Granson.
🚨NEWS: Penn State star tight end Tyler Warren had a formal meeting with the Indianapolis #Colts at the NFL combine, sources tell @_MLFootball.
Tyler is 22 years old. He is 6-foot-6 and 257 pounds. Last season. He won the John Mackey Award and was a First-team All-American. pic.twitter.com/atcfQthWGu
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) February 27, 2025
Could this be where Tyler Warren lands in the draft? The top tight end prospect feels like a lock to go in Round 1, and the Colts at Pick 14 could be an ideal landing spot for the Penn State product.
Quarterback
This is one offseason need that the Colts probably won't be able to fill. It's looking more and more like the Anthony Richardson pick was a bust, as he was benched for Joe Flacco.
The problem is that this is really a two-quarterback draft class, so the solution won't be found there. The best case might just be to bring back Flacco or to sign another cheap veteran quarterback who can compete for the starting job. Maybe this is a landing spot for Jacoby Brissett or Marcus Mariota?
Defensive Backs
The Colts ranked seventh in the league in interceptions last year, something that might make you think the pass defense was pretty good. But the Colts also allowed the seventh-most passing yards in the league and the fourth-most net yards per pass attempt.
If the season started today, the Colts starting defensive backfield would feature JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones at corner and Julian Blackmon and Nick Cross at safety, and that's assuming the team re-signs Blackmon.
That's not going to work. If Warren is off the board in the first round, grabbing a top defensive back like Georgia safety Malaki Starks in the first (or even Notre Dame corner Benjamin Morrison in the second) would help shore up the position.
Houston Texans
Offensive Line
The Texans offensive line was bad in 2024. PFF ranked the line as the 29th-best in the NFL, noting that "of the 11 players who logged snaps on the Texans' offensive line, eight earned PFF overall grades below 65.0 this season."
Laremy Tunsil remains a very good left tackle, but the rest of the line has serious question marks. C.J. Stroud could be a championship-winning quarterback, but that won't happen without better protection. Houston doesn't need the league's best offensive line, but it at least needs an average one.
If you are a Texans fan, your biggest takeaway from the Super Bowl should be that the Texans most important mission this offseason is fixing the offensive line (if it wasn’t already).
Not even Patrick Mahomes can survive the 2024 CJ Stroud experience.
— James Roy (@JamesRoyNFL) February 10, 2025
The big issue for the team is on the interior. The team could really use a pair of new guards and a new center — not necessarily stars or even Week 1 starters, but more competition at those spots can't hurt.
Offensive Line, Again
This is just to reiterate that the Texans need help on the offensive line. It was bad, y'all.
Defensive Back
The Texans have a couple of really good defensive backs in Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter, while Jalen Pitre has upside as well. However, that doesn't mean the team doesn't need help, especially at safety.
Jimmie Ward looks done. The team needs to find a replacement for him, and then either a second safety with Pitre moving to more of a nickelback role, or another corner if the team is good with Pitre at safety.
Wide Receiver, If Stefon Diggs Leaves
If Houston re-signs Stefon Diggs, this isn't a concern. If Diggs heads elsewhere, suddenly the No. 2 receiver spot behind Nico Collins looks like a weakness.
Tank Dell is under contract and has flashed some big-play potential, but he's suffered season-ending injuries in both of his NFL seasons. That showcases the risks of relying on an undersized receiver.
Beyond Dell, the team could count on more development from John Metchie or Xavier Hutchinson, but is that really what a Super Bowl contender wants as its second or third option? Houston will need a veteran replacement for Diggs.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Defensive Back
This is a developing trend in the AFC South, I guess. Teams need defensive backs. The Jaguars allowed the most passing yards in the league last year and picked off the third-fewest passes.
The good news for Jacksonville is that they hold the No. 5 pick in the draft, so top defensive back options will be there. If Travis Hunter somehow fell past New England at No. 4, the Jags would jump all over him, but Michigan corner Will Johnson would be a great consolation prize for the team.
Defensive Line
Jacksonville has some good pieces in its front seven, but adding an interior defensive lineman who can get after the passer would go a long way toward returning this defense to relevance.
Jacksonville had the fourth-fewest quarterback hits last season and knocked the quarterback down on just 5.9 percent of pass plays, second-lowest in the league. The team struggles to get pressure.
For some reason he seems to he considered a bad #1 overall pick but Travon Walker has quietly put up back to back double digit sack seasons
Very underrated player pic.twitter.com/NgtMIrNY7a— Big Game Bengal (@BengalYouTube) January 7, 2025
Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker are good defensive ends, but if the Jaguars are going to succeed with what defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile has described as "a 4-3 with some 3-4 spacing," then the team needs to make a splash on the interior.
Wide Receiver
Brian Thomas Jr. proved he can be a true No. 1 receiver as a rookie, but the rest of the Jaguars wide receivers struggled in 2024.
Christian Kirk played in just eight games due to injury but was on track for his fewest receiving yards per game since joining the team in 2022. He is reportedly a candidate to be cut this offseason. Gabe Davis missed time as well, catching just 20 passes.
In fact, Thomas was the only wide receiver among the team's top four players in receptions. Parker Washington was fifth, catching 32 passes for 390 yards and three scores.
Simply put, Trevor Lawrence needs more weapons for this Jaguars team to make any noise. Whether that be from the draft or from signing a veteran to line up across from Thomas, something needs to be done.
Tennessee Titans
Quarterback
So, that whole Will Levis thing didn't work out. The 2023 second-round pick ended up getting benched for Mason Rudolph down the stretch and then in the season finale against a Texans team that was resting its starters, he was just 9-for-17 passing.
The Titans lost that game, which landed the team the No. 1 overall pick. Barring a surprise, the team will take either Miami's Cam Ward or Colorado's Shedeur Sanders there. Thanks to Levis' poor play, the Titans are positioned to find his replacement easily.
Wide Receiver
The Titans have one very good receiver on the roster in Calvin Ridley, but Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is a free agent and Treylon Burks has really struggled.
One easy way this team can support its new quarterback is to go out and grab a solid No. 2 receiver in free agency. The team doesn't need to break the bank for Tee Higgins, but there's value out there in this wideout market.
Maybe Chris Godwin could come at a discount at this stage of his career, or the team adds a veteran presence like Keenan Allen to go along with a rookie from the second or third round.
Pass Rushers
The Titans struggled to pressure the quarterback last season, producing the third-fewest sacks in the NFL. Per Pro Football Reference, the Titans ranked second-to-last in hurry percentage and were sixth-worst in quarterback knockdown percentage.
Harold Landry's 2025 cap number of $24 million (and $17.5m in cash) is massive.
They'd save $10.9m ($13.1m dead cap) by releasing him now, or $17.5m ($6.5m dead cap) by designating as post-Jun release.
Landry's sack numbers look good, but he was often ineffective.
— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) February 26, 2025
The team has big money invested in Harold Landry, but cutting him post-June 1 would save $17.5 million next year. Letting your best pass rusher go when pass rush is one of your biggest issues seems counterproductive, but it would open cap space for the team to add multiple lower-cost options who can help the unit look at least incrementally better in 2025.
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