How do you build an NFL contender?

With the NFL Draft rapidly approaching, teams across the NFL are planning and prepping for every eventuality come draft night. Ultimately all that planning is for nothing if there is no grand scheme driving the direction of the franchise, but is there a single formula to follow, or is there more than one way to skin the proverbial cat?

The obvious answer is to find a transcendent quarterback, look at the Patriots' dynasty with Tom Brady and the current Chiefs teams. Brady and Mahomes are arguably the two greatest QBs in history already, so perhaps trying to find players of that caliber is a fool’s errand.

Given the importance of quarterbacks in the NFL, there is never a bad time to draft one. As Bucky Brooks noted for Fox Sports in 2023, “The decision to add a young quarterback [Hurts]  to a roster that already featured a "franchise" QB [Went] has enabled the Eagles to stay one step ahead.”

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Howie Roseman, the Eagles General Manager has been able to build contending teams throughout his tenure, and part of that is his boldness. As demonstrated by the Hurts pick. Carson Wentz had recently signed a 4 year, $128,000,000 contract, per Spotrac, but the Eagles took Hurts anyway, who is part of the new wave of potentially elite QBs.

Some teams aren’t looking at the long term, rather they are creating a team to win the Super Bowl once and then break apart in a blaze of glory. Looking at you, Los Angeles Rams. The Rams had a talented roster and one of the best head coaches in the league in 2018, reaching the Super Bowl before losing to the Pats in a turgid 13-3 ball game.

In response, the Rams acquired Jalen Ramsey for multiple first-round picks, per Yahoo Sports, in 2019 and two years later added Matthew Stafford for another two first-rounders. During the 2021 season, they added Eric Weddle and Odell Beckham Jr. to a roster already featuring Aaron Donald and Cooper Kupp. This was just enough to get over the line in Super Bowl LVI.

Many football experts will say the same thing when it comes to the NFL, the game is won and lost at the line of scrimmage. The classic example was Super Bowl LV between the aforementioned Brady and Mahomes. The Chiefs were loaded offensively with Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, but they couldn’t contain the Bucs’ pass rush.

In response, the Chiefs “revamped their offensive line”, as Zach Eisen put it for Sports Illustrated. The Chiefs drafted Creed Humphrey in the second round in 2021 and signed veteran guard Joe Thuney a few weeks earlier. Both players have become stalwarts along the Chiefs offensive front, giving Mahomes more time to pick his passes.

Protecting the QB is only half the battle. Defensively, you have to create pressure. Super Bowls are won by the team with more sacks, in fact, per Sports Book Review, Super Bowl-winning teams average 3.19 sacks, while losing sides average 1.89.

It is no surprise, then, that the two NFC contenders in the last two Super Bowls have been loaded with defensive line depth. The Eagles featured Hassan Reddick, Josh Sweat, and Fletcher Cox while the 49ers boasted Nick Bosa, Chase Young, and Javon Hargrave (also on the 2022 Eagles).

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In both 2022 and 2023, the Transcendent QB won out regardless, but half the battle is getting to the Super Bowl. In both instances the Chiefs won the game late, suggesting the Niners and Eagles were a talent match for KC but ultimately couldn’t get over the line.

Bucky Brooks puts it well, “Acquire blue-chip playmakers by any means necessary.” Whether it’s a bold draft-day trade for AJ Brown or mortgaging the future to bring in Jalen Ramsey, teams who don’t have a Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes-level player need to surround their coaches with as much talent as possible.

This seems almost too obvious, but so many teams fall short in this area, it’s worth mentioning. Let’s look at the Jaguars, who selected Trevor Lawrence with the first overall pick in 2021, since then he has been good but not great. They have also selected four more times in the first round since then, picking Travis Etienne, Travon Walker, Devin Lloyd, and Anton Harrison, per NFL Media.

Those picks by the Jags scream of an organization with no clear vision of how to build a team. Running backs and linebackers are important to NFL success, but far less so than wide receivers, defensive backs or pass rushers. For instance, in 2022, the Jags took Devin Lloyd at 27, just three picks later the Chiefs selected George Karloftis, a key EDGE player for them.

There's an argument that “it’s a players league,” as PHLY’s Zach Berman says. However, back in 2013, Matt Fitzgerald wrote a piece for Bleacher Report claiming it, “arguably the most important factor in building a championship team.” Using the examples of John Harbaugh, Tom Coughlin, and Bill Belichick. Andy Reid is making a good case, too!

Outside of finding one of the greatest QBs in history, building an NFL roster that’s competitive seems to have an obvious formula, but perhaps we’re over-simplifying, let us know in the comments!

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