NFL Off Season: Every NFC team’s biggest priorities in 2025

For a lot of teams in the NFL, the season has been over for some time, so they will be in planning mode. There will be coaches fired, free agents lost, and new starters drafted. As a primer, we thought it would be a good idea to look at each team in the NFC and see what their biggest priority should be as we begin 2025.

The Cardinals have the 29th-ranked defense in the NFL on an EPA/Play basis, per SumerSports. In large part, this was due to a lack of talent. Budda Baker is a play-making safety, but outside of him, this secondary isn’t very good. Kyler Murray hasn’t played well this season either, but they are stuck with him for now.

The Falcons have only sacked opposing quarterbacks 31 times this year, per ESPN. That number is among the worst in the league. There have been issues elsewhere, too, but if you can’t pressure QBs, you won’t win too many games.

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We have seen in the past how much an elite wide receiver elevates a young QB, just look at Jalen Hurts with A.J. Brown for instance. Bryce Young has done enough to earn the trust of his organization (just) so go out and find him a game-changing pass catcher. Xavier Legette has some talent, but we aren’t convinced he will ever be more than replacement-level.

There was an ongoing debate last season about whether the Bears should draft Rome Odunze or an offensive lineman with their second top-10 pick in 2024. They went with Odunze, who has mostly looked good, but the offensive line has struggled all season. There is a desperate need to upgrade this offensive interior.

The Cowboys have given up 0.11 EPA/Play when opponents run the ball against them, per SumerSports. That’s comfortably the worst in the league. In large part, it is due to their awful defensive interior. They drafted Mazi Smith two years ago to be a space-eater in the middle, but he hasn’t worked out and as a result this defense is too easy to beat.

There aren’t many obvious issues to address, as the Lions have continued to win despite possibly the worst injury luck in the NFL. Bleacher Report has reported the Lions will be aggressive in their pursuit of cornerbacks this off season, and it’s understandable why. If there is a weakness, it’s there.

A little like the Lions, there aren’t too many obvious weaknesses on the Packers’ roster. Jaire Alexander is a near-elite player, and Xavier McKinney has been a difference maker at times. Outside of that, the rest of the secondary looks weak. Their performance against the Vikings showcased this, in what was a huge game for both teams.

The Rams could be looking to the future and try to find a long-term replacement for Matthew Stafford, who presumably doesn’t have long left in his career given his age. However, the obvious choice, like the two teams prior, is to prioritize their pass defense, which has been up and down all season.

We don’t care that the Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy in the first round last year, Sam Darnold has played too well to kick him to the curb at this stage. 4,153 yards, 35 TDs, and just 12 picks is an elite season, and he should be rewarded for it by Minnesota. There have been some spurious reports J.J. McCarthy may come available in a trade if Darnold re-signs. There are plenty of teams that need quarterback help so this should be an easy trade to make.

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Derek Carr isn’t good and beyond that the Saints don’t have much. They will hire a new head coach at some point, and they should give him a new quarterback to work with. They are currently picking 10th in the draft so they may need to get creative, but if they don’t, more mediocrity awaits.

Daniel Jones is gone, Drew Lock isn’t good enough (despite having one of the best performances all year last week), and Tommy DeVito is nothing more than a fun story. The Giants need to do a full reset from the top down, although recent reports have suggested they may stick with the same head coach and GM again, which is a huge mistake.

The Eagles have assembled one of the best rosters in the NFL once again and will be hoping to make another deep playoff run. We expect Howie Roseman to focus on the offensive and defensive lines as he usually does, but for us, tight end is the more immediate issue. Dallas Goedert is a good player but can’t stay healthy. It’s also a potentially great TE draft class.

The 49ers, at their best, have been a big and physically imposing team that is also able to beat you with finesse. Now, their defensive front looks under-manned and weak, making them one of the worst run defenses in football, per SumerSports. With the NFL seemingly shifting back towards run-heavy offenses, now is the time to plug the hole.

Geno Smith has performed well above expectations during his time in Seattle, but we think we have seen the best of him. His style is fun to watch and can win you games, but we’re not sure if he’s an elevator of talent around him. The Seahawks have the third-least salary cap space going into 2025, so it will be interesting to see what decisions they make.

The Bucs’ pass rush has been solid this year, accounting for a solid 44 sacks. We think they could go to the next level by drafting one of the many elite EDGE defenders in the 2025 draft class. Bleacher Report suggests they could target Princely Umanmielen from Ole Miss, who looks to be an excellent prospect.

The Commanders need significant help on the defensive side of the ball, as they make it too easy for teams to score against them. However, we think that getting Jayden Daniels another wide receiver to take some heat away from Terry McLaurin would go a long way to taking this team to the next level. It would be pretty fun to watch, too.

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