We’ve spent a lot of time throughout this offseason highlighting teams’ efforts to reshape their rosters so they’re in a better position to win in 2025 than they were in 2024. Those efforts included coaching changes, front-office changes, free-agent signings, draft picks, trades and more.
And it’s always fun to look on the optimistic side of things and concentrate on what’s new, and what could be better. But everyone who arrives with a new team accordingly leaves a hole to be filled where they had been before. Every addition somewhere means that someone has departed from elsewhere.
Now that we’re at around the midway point of the offseason, we wanted to take a look backward at every team’s most significant offseason loss, and if/how those who left are being replaced.
NFC East
Dallas spent much of last season splitting carries between running back Dowdle and the much-less effective Ezekiel Elliott. The Cowboys signed the similarly ineffective Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders before drafting Jaydon Blue in the fifth round this offseason. There are still some pretty significant questions at the position after Dowdle was quite effective down the stretch of the season. He averaged 4.7 yards on 17.6 carries per game once he became the full-time lead back.
Pinnock played 95% of New York’s defensive snaps in each of the last two seasons. He was seemingly less effective the more he got on the field, though, so the Giants replaced him with the more versatile Jevon Holland, and that should help improve Shane Bowen’s defense.
Williams was one of the most effective interior defenders in the NFL. He finished the season with a 14.2% pressure rate, far above the league average of 10%. It was actually 31st in the league among the 277 players who rushed the passer at least 100 times, via Tru Media. He only played 48% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps, but he was a massive part of their Super Bowl run, especially in the playoffs.
Allen missed nine games due to injury last season, and his absence was felt as Washington’s run defense struggled pretty badly. Then again, the Commies gave up 430 combined rushing yards to the Lions and Eagles in their final two playoff games, and Allen was on the field for those performances. Still, losing a consistent presence in the middle of the defensive line could be a blow.
NFC North
Chicago totally remade its offensive line this offseason, and moving on from Jenkins is part of that. He’ll be replaced at right guard by Jonah Jackson, who is probably the least dependable among the Bears’ offensive line acquisitions given that he was unceremoniously shipped out by the Rams just one year into his major free-agent contract.
Detroit losing both of its coordinators in one offseason isn’t unprecedented, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be difficult. Johnson built perhaps the most efficient and explosive offensive machine in the league, and the transition to a new coordinator in John Morton will obviously be an area to watch. Glenn’s aggressive defense crumbled under the weight of injuries last season, but he was a big part of the personality of the team. Kelvin Sheppard is coming in to replace him, and that, along with the returns from injury of so many key pieces, will be of incredible importance to Detroit’s efforts to regain its defensive identity.
The Packers are undergoing their seemingly annual offensive line reshuffle, and replacing Myers at center is part of that. It seems likely that Elgton Jenkins will take over at center, which would be another position change for Jenkins, who played mostly at left guard over the last two seasons but previously spent time at right tackle, left tackle and, yes, center.
The Vikings, meanwhile, are making the expected move from Darnold to J.J. McCarthy despite the latter coming off a preseason knee injury and the former having had an excellent season before seemingly self-destructing down the stretch as the offensive line crumbled around him. McCarthy has some big shoes to fill based on how the offense performed for most of last season, though.
NFC South
Jarrett had been in Atlanta for a decade before moving on and signing with Chicago this offseason. The Falcons under Raheem Morris will transition to 2024 second-rounder Ruke Orhorhoro, David Onyemata, Morgan Fox and more along the interior of the defensive line.
Woods spent three years in Carolina, playing 97%, 91% and 100% of the defensive snaps. (Last year was the second time in his career that he played every single snap in a season.) He had a lot of versatility to play up high, in the box and in the slot. Carolina brought in Trevon Moehrig to replace him, though, hoping to get a little more out of the position.
Ramczyk retired this offseason after going through a ton of injury issues throughout his career. The Saints drafted Kelvin Banks in the first round this year after selecting Taliese Fuaga last year and so they likely have their bookend tackles set up, but counting on a rookie and a sophomore while potentially starting a rookie under center under a first-year head coach is a lot to handle.
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Jared Dubin
Whitehead has been a fixture in Tampa Bay’s defensive backfield for five of the last seven seasons, with the exception being a two-year interregnum in New York. He was on the field for 91% of the defensive snaps when healthy last season and formed a pretty good partnership over the years with Antoine Winfield Jr. The transition to Christian Izien, who played a lot in three-safety looks and occasionally in the slot last season, will be interesting to watch.
NFC West
Adams isn’t a huge name, but his exit for the offensive coordinator role in Dallas could be a significant one. The former Cardinals offensive line coach was widely credited with being a big influence in Arizona’s run game, which ranked second in the NFL in yards per carry over the last two years despite working with below-average talent up front.
Kupp obviously has been a fixture in Los Angeles for years, working as the engine of Sean McVay’s offense until Puka Nacua emerged over the last two seasons. The Rams replaced him by signing Davante Adams, who should bring more versatility to the role, but it’s still a significant change from what has become the norm over the last eight years.
Samuel, similarly, was a fixture in San Francisco. He was a huge part of the offense as a receiver, runner and gadget player, and the 49ers don’t have anyone else who can do everything that he can do. He obviously wasn’t the same player last year as he was at his peak and San Francisco still has plenty of skill-position options, but things are going to look a lot different without him in 2025.
Sticking with the wide receiver theme, Metcalf is moving on from Seattle after six seasons with the Seahawks. He never dropped below 100 targets, 900 receiving yards or five touchdowns in a year. The Seahawks still have Jaxon Smith-Njigba and they signed Kupp to be their second option, but losing an outside, deep-threat presence like Metcalf makes things quite a bit different going forward.
AFC East
The Bills are turning over a bunch of their secondary this offseason, with Douglas being the most significant piece who won’t be back. Buffalo replaced him by drafting Max Hairston in the first round, as well as Jordan Hancock in the fifth and Dorian Strong in the sixth, and bringing both Tre’Davious White and Dane Jackson back in free agency.
Armstead retired this offseason after spending basically his entire career dealing with injury issues while being a Pro Bowl-level player whenever he was out there. Miami will start second-year tackle Patrick Paul, who will play alongside guard James Daniels. The Dolphins drafted guard Jonah Savaiinaea in the second round to help shore up the line, but they’ll try to work through a pretty big change after having a high-quality player across from Austin Jackson on the line for several years.
Andrews also retired this offseason after a long career in New England. He only played in four games last year as he went on injured reserve with a season-ending shoulder injury, and now the Pats will have to shuffle their offensive line, which will be almost totally remade after they drafted Will Campbell and Jared Wilson and signed Garrett Bradbury and Morgan Moses.
Rodgers and Adams were only together for part of the year in New York, but they obviously comprised a significant part of the offense.
AFC North
Washington was a massive part of Baltimore’s defensive surge down the stretch of last season. Playing him next to Kyle Hamilton at safety solidified the entire back end of the defense. He tore his Achilles during conditioning drills earlier this offseason, though, which obviously changes the Ravens’ plans for the secondary pretty significantly.
Hendrickson is still in Cincinnati for now, but he’s made it clear that he wants out given that the Bengals won’t meet his justified demands for a new contract. The Bengals were already arguably the worst defense in the NFL last season, and if they lose the league leader in sacks, things could somehow get even worse.
Chubb’s exit from Cleveland is less about what he was on the field — where he struggled in his return from a major knee injury — than it is about the psyche of what he meant to the organization for so long. Transitioning to a part of rookie running backs (Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson) alongside Jerome Ford in the backfield is a major shift for this the Browns.
The Steelers clearly wanted out of the Pickens business, as evidenced by their trading for an immediately extending Metcalf before dealing Pickens to Dallas and then exploring a Jonnu Smith trade because they still wanted another weapon. But Pickens was at times their only real passing-game option over the last couple years and working without him will be a new experience, and one that deprives Aaron Rodgers of another high-level weapon he could have had if not for the trade.
AFC South
Houston’s offensive line was an epic disaster last season, and Tunsil was arguably part of the problem. But he had been a really good left tackle for a really long time before that, and any change on a quarterback’s blind side is a significant one to navigate.
The Colts, similarly, are losing two-thirds of their interior offensive line, and a longtime stalwart at center in Kelly. Fries was hurt last season but is still a very good player, and Indy is now replacing two starters on the inside in front of what is likely to be a very questionable starter under center, whether it’s Anthony Richardson or Daniel Jones.
The Jags didn’t wait long to replace Kirk by drafting Travis Hunter to pair with Brian Thomas Jr., but the vertical slot receiver has been an important target for Trevor Lawrence over the last two years. The same applies to Engram, who was peppered with underneath targets at an incredibly high volume during his time in Jacksonville.
Landry never really lived up to the 12-sack season he had back in 2021 before he tore his ACL. He still racked up 19.5 takedowns over the last two years, but his rate of pressure never really recovered to where it was pre-injury. Still, losing a key piece up front on Dennard Wilson’s defense and replacing him with free agent Dre’Mont Jones and second-round pick Oluwafemi Oladejo is something that has to be navigated.
AFC West
The Broncos brought in Dre Greenlaw to replace Barton at linebacker, but Barton was healthy enough to play all 17 games last season and rack up 106 tackles while faring pretty well in the middle of the field in coverage. If Greenlaw can stay healthy and recapture his pre-Achilles-tear form, it’s an upgrade, but it’s still something of a risk.
Thuney remains one of the best offensive linemen in the league, but the Chiefs decided to move on so they could clear out the room to keep the younger Trey Smith on the opposite side of the line. Kansas City will move Kingsley Suamataia inside to guard or else go back to Mike Caliendo at that spot, but either way it will mean an entirely new left side of the offensive line with Jaylon Moore or Josh Simmons at left tackle, and that’s a big deal in front of the best quarterback in football.
We knew there would be changes with the Vegas defense with Pete Carroll coming in as the new head coach, and, boy, were there. A whole lot of the back end of the defense has been swapped out, with Moehrig and Hobbs being the most significant pieces moving on.
Bosa, meanwhile, took a pay cut to remain with the Chargers last season but is now in Buffalo. He has obviously had a lot of trouble staying healthy over the years, but when he’s been on the field, he’s always been one of the small handful of most effective edge defenders in the NFL.
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