25 biggest NFL needs going into 2017

Carson Palmer's play dropped off near the end of 2015, and the decline continued into last season. He showed his age with 26/14 TD/INT and only 7.1 yards per pass attempt, his worst average as a Cardinal.

The Bills finished 7-9 last season and had their fair share of majors injuries, including star wideout Sammy Watkins and top draft choices Shaq Lawson and Reggie Ragland. There's some excitement over the hiring of head coach Sean McDermott, but the team needs better health to improve on the field.

Cam Newton was knocked silly last season, needing offseason shoulder surgery. Carolina's offensive line had trouble staying on the field, and tackle Michael Oher's football future is still in question. The organization simply can't afford for Newton to get hit as much as he did last season.

The Bears signed Mike Glennon to a lucrative deal and traded up one spot in the draft to take Mitchell Trubisky, yet fans are far from comfortable with Chicago's quarterback future. Star running back Jordan Howard needs support to prevent eight-man boxes.

Cincinnati lost significant wide receiver talent last offseason, and this year their offensive line could be an issue. They let linemen Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth walk, which could be a problem for Andy Dalton and the running game.

The Browns drafted DeShone Kizer in the second round, but he's clearly not ready yet. They'll go into training camp with a battle between Cody Kessler and Brock Osweiler. As usual, the Browns desperately need one of their quarterbacks to emerge in order to have any hope for 2017.

The Cowboys are stacked on offense, but they did lose significant depth behind their front line. Gone are key pieces of depth, including Tony Romo, Lance Dunbar and Ronald Leary.

Trevor Siemian showed flashes last season, but he didn't exactly look like a player the Broncos could plan around. They're hopeful he will emerge in training camp, or 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch needs to show more than he did in his rookie season.

Detroit averaged only 3.7 yards per attempt on the ground last season with a running back merry-go-round due to injuries. Even the return of Ameer Abdullah doesn't guarantee the running game will improve, but the Lions are counting on him.

The loss of Sam Shields to a concussion forced the Packers defense to compensate for shaky cornerback play. They got as far as they could without him, and prioritized the secondary in the draft by taking cornerback Kevin King and safety Josh Jones with their first two picks. Green Bay must get production out of them this season.

After the Brock Osweiler project failed last season, the Texans have invested heavily in former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. He will battle Tom Savage for the starting job during training camp on a roster that's built to win now. Savage hasn't shown much indication that he can lead a team to the Super Bowl, so it will be up to head coach Bill O'Brien to develop Watson quickly.

Andrew Luck has taken too many hits over the last two seasons, and much of the issue has been the Colts' lack of running game. Frank Gore has lost a step, and the Colts averaged only 4.0 yards per carry in 2016. They've added the speedy Marlon Mack in the draft, who could help.

While the Patriots' offseason has received much of the attention. Jacksonville has also had an extremely busy offseason. They've added plenty of talent, including Calais Campbell and A.J. Bouye, but it could be for naught if Bortles doesn't play better.

KC's highest paid player, Justin Houston rushed back from a knee injury last year. It's unclear if Houston was truly in football shape, as he suffered further injury issues after his return and managed to play only five regular season games. The former NFL sack leader needs to be healthy for the Chiefs to reach their potential.

It seemed that no one wanted the Chargers to move from San Diego to LA, including ownership. Now the team is set to play in the 30,000-seat StubHub Center, which could be a major home disadvantage given the size and sound of the stadium relative to opponents' homes. The move also hangs over the organization's head, as it did with the Rams last year.

The Rams got poor play out of No. 1 overall draft choice Jared Goff last season, when he found the field. They've hired Sean McVay to develop their young quarterback, but the offseason reports haven't exactly been glistening.

Minnesota got surprisingly great play out of Sam Bradford after acquiring him just before Week 1. He led the league with a 71.6 completion percentage, and his 99.3 Passer Rating was the best of his career. Now they hope to build further momentum, but Bradford's injury history in college and St. Louis should still be a concern.

The Saints added significant defensive talent in the draft with cornerback Marcus Lattimore and safety Marcus Williams. New Orleans has been in the bottom two in passing yards allowed in each of the last two seasons, and desperately need that area to improve in order to be a playoff contender.

Surprisingly, the Giants didn't really address running back during the offseason beyond fourth-round pick Wayne Gallman, even after averaging just 3.5 yards per carry last season. They apparently trust young Paul Perkins to develop this year. The offense took a major step back last year, and needs the running game to improve.

The Jets are in clear rebuilding mode, clearing out most of their veteran talent during the offseason. The most high profile losses were Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker, David Harris, and Darrelle Revis. There is still some significant talent on the defensive line, like Sheldon Richardson, but it remains to be seen what the Jets can acquire for it. New York needs to get value out of Richardson and other trade chips this year.

It's almost frightening that the Jets only addressed quarterback by signing 38-year-old Josh McCown during the offseason. Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg clearly weren't ready to play last season, but they will almost certainly find the field this season with McCown's age and injury history.

Oakland signed Bruce Irvin last offseason to help Khalil Mack, yet the lack of push from their defensive line limited the team. Even with Mack's dominance, the Raiders had a league-worst 25 sacks in 2016. They must find more pass rush this year.

Much of the attention has been on San Francisco's offense with offensive mastermind Kyle Shanahan taking over, but their defense was an even bigger issue last season. The team allowed a league-worst 480 points en route to a 2-14 season, so it's no surprise that they used their first three draft choices on that side of the ball.

The last year has been a soap opera for the Seahawks centering around Richard Sherman. He was rumored to be on the trade block during the offseason but is still on the team heading into 2017. Sherman and the rest of the team must learn to co-exist, or it could be tough to win the NFC again this year.

Kirk Cousins is back despite his ongoing contract issues. Gone are starting wideouts DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon, now replaced by Terrelle Pryor and sophomore Josh Doctson, along with signing Brian Quick. The team is hopeful their elite passing offense won't miss a beat with Jordan Reed and Jamison Crowder still around, but it remains to be seen if Washington can keep up their pace, especially without coordinator Sean McVay.