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An empty feeling: Three NFL teams with major holes to fill
The draft is in the books, and most of the big-name free agents have been signed. But not every team has filled all its major holes. Yardbarker's Sam Robinson, Chris Mueller and Michael Nania examine teams with the biggest voids.
Steelers
MUELLER: In the draft, the Steelers filled needs at wide receiver with Chase Claypool and at outside linebacker with Alex Highsmith, who might be heir apparent to Bud Dupree. Pittsburgh also drafted Anthony McFarland, who adds another dimension in a crowded backfield. Yet Pittsburgh still has obvious holes.
Inside linebacker: Devin Bush was one of the most productive rookies in the league in 2019, posting 109 tackles, two interceptions and four fumble recoveries. If all goes to plan, he’ll anchor the middle of the defense for the next decade. But he still needs someone to play next to him.
After one season, Pittsburgh released Mark Barron, who played alongside Bush. Vince Williams, a run-stopper with limited coverage ability, is his projected replacement. His ability to play downhill has value against run-heavy Baltimore, the defending AFC North champion, but the Steelers will still find themselves in sub packages more often than not. Safety Terrell Edmunds, who was Pittsburgh’s lowest-graded defender with at least 1,000 snaps (63.6), does not inspire confidence.
Running back: Pittsburgh still has no feature back. They want James Conner to fill that role, but the fourth-year pro is prone to injuries. Last year was his worst yet from that perspective; Conner played in 10 games, failing to finish three of them.
Mike Tomlin’s long-standing preference has been to give most of the work to one back. That was a good plan when Le’Veon Bell was on the roster, but no one on the team is close to what Bell was in his prime. Benny Snell showed promise at times last season, averaging 4.2 yards per rush in games in which he got at least 15 carries. But he must make a major leap in Year 2. Kerrith Whyte, Jaylen Samuels and McFarland will jockey for situational playing time, with it likely that only two of the three will get roster spots. Quality, not quantity, is the problem in the backfield.
Quarterback: Perhaps the team’s biggest hole is under center. Ben Roethlisberger's 2019 season was ended early with a right elbow injury, and his replacements greatly underwhelmed. Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges combined to throw for 18 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Rudolph’s passer rating of 82 was 29th in the league among qualifying passers; only Kyle Allen, Baker Mayfield and Andy Dalton were worse. Hodges didn’t qualify, but his passer rating was an abysmal 71.4. Neither commanded the respect of defenses, which hindered Pittsburgh’s running game, and their limitations as passers made the Steelers easy to defend.
Roethlisberger has played 16 games just once in the past five years; the odds suggest that Pittsburgh will need a backup for at least one game. Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton were there for the taking, but both found other homes. Pittsburgh's deficiency at the position wasted a superb defense and cost them a playoff spot last year, and might do so again in 2020.
Giants
ROBINSON: The Giants used this offseason’s primary talent-accumulating periods –- the first weeks of free agency and the virtual draft -– to fill key needs. But because they exited 2019 with so many deficiencies, uncertainties remain.
Edge defender: Trades of starters Jason Pierre-Paul (in 2018) and Olivier Vernon (in 2019) created a considerable void. Third-year Giants GM Dave Gettleman continued a minimalist edge defender approach this year, doing stunningly little to address arguably football’s second-most important position. Gettleman has preached a committee effort but seems to be overestimating said committee.
Homegrown third-rounders (Lorenzo Carter, Oshane Ximines) join ex-Packer third-rounder Kyler Fackrell –- signed for just one year and $4.6 million –- to headline the NFL’s thinnest edge-rushing group. Markus Golden, the player who patched up this need last season, revived his career with 10 sacks. The Giants’ team total (36) still ranked 22nd. They have shown little interest in re-signing Golden, slapping the seldom-used UFA tender on him. This tactic would only keep Golden in New York if no one signs him by July 22. But even if Golden returns, the Giants would still be lean here.
Passing on edge defender Josh Allen to draft hopeful franchise quarterback Daniel Jones at No. 6 overall last year intensified this need. New York’s 2020 draft featuring no outside rushers until Round 6 thrust this situation into bizarre territory. Big Blue began its virtual offseason program with Fackrell (10.5 sacks in 2018, six combined in his other three seasons) as its top edge defender. Jadeveon Clowney remains in free agency, and Jaguars franchise-tagged defensive end Yannick Ngakoue has launched numerous Twitter salvos at that organization. If landing one of these two is not the plan, the Giants will field one of the more unusual edge-rushing arsenals in recent memory.
Center: On the offensive line, center is the only position that does not feature a lofty investment. Weston Richburg’s 2018 free-agency defection to the 49ers left the position vulnerable. Veteran Spencer Pulley, who has underwhelmed in two Giants seasons, and 2019 undrafted free agent guard/tackle Nick Gates are the top in-house options. Jon Halapio, New York’s 2019 starter, broke his leg in Week 1 of the ‘18 season and suffered a torn Achilles in Week 17 last year. If Gates cannot seize the job, the team must scan the market. The Seahawks just released six-year starter Justin Britt, and the Cardinals did not re-sign three-year starter A.Q. Shipley.
Slot cornerback: Last season, the Giants ranked 27th in 20-plus-yard plays allowed (67) and 31st in pass-defense DVOA. While they paid up for their boundary defenders -– using a 2019 first-round pick on DeAndre Baker and making James Bradberry the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid corner in March -– they may be undermanned in the slot.
A 2018 supplemental draftee, Sam Beal missed the first 26 games of his career due to separate injuries. Fourth-round rookie Darnay Holmes and 2019 sixth-rounder Corey Ballentine look like Beal’s top challengers. Pro Football Focus graded Ballentine as a bottom-10 corner last year.
If the Giants are serious about skimping on sack artists, they will need an all-hands-on-deck approach at corner. Ex-Patriots and Titans slot man Logan Ryan may be out of their price comfort zone, but ex-Bengals first-rounder Darqueze Dennard remains available at a lower cost.
Patriots
NANIA: This is low-hanging fruit, but it's impossible to ignore the most gaping holes in the NFL.
Quarterback: After parting with the greatest quarterback of all time, the Patriots have done little to fill Tom Brady's shoes. New England didn't draft a quarterback or go after starter-quality players in free agency (Teddy Bridgewater, Andy Dalton or Jameis Winston). Presumably, they will not be chasing Cam Newton either.
The only additions made by Bill Belichick & Co. under center have been Brian Hoyer and undrafted free agent J'Mar Smith out of Louisiana Tech. They will join presumptive starter Jarrett Stidham, a fourth-round pick a year ago out of Auburn, on the depth chart.
Belichick has managed tough quarterback situations in the past -- when Brady was injured in 2008 and suspended for four games in 2016 -- but he has not had to find a new 16-game starter in decades. This quarterback quandary will teach us a lot about Belichick's abilities independent of Brady.
Wide receiver: The Patriots did not draft a receiver either. Outside of Julian Edelman, New England's top wideouts are N'Keal Harry, Mohamed Sanu and Marqise Lee. Those three players combined for 643 receiving yards on 117 targets in 2019 (5.5 per target; league average is 7.2). Harry, a 2019 first-round pick by New England out of Arizona State, only managed to post 15 yards per game receiving over seven appearances. Sanu, acquired mid-season from Atlanta, averaged 25.9 yards per game with the Patriots on 4.4 yards per target. He caught one of five targets for 11 yards in the Patriots' wild-card loss to Tennessee. Lee averaged three yards per game over six appearances with the Jaguars last year after missing the entire 2018 season. He has not caught a touchdown since Week 13 of 2017. It is mind-boggling that the Patriots are content with this depth chart.
Edge rusher: New England's defense was dominant defensively in 2019, but it lacked a stud pass-rusher. Belichick needed to dial up much of the pressure through aggressive blitz packages. That worked initially, thanks in part to the elite secondary that could hold up long enough for blitzes to get home. But opponents eventually figured how to hold the Patriots' pass rush in check.
After ranking second in the NFL with 31 sacks over the first half of the season (posting an 8-0 record), New England ranked 24th in sacks (16) over the second half -- a stretch in which they went 4-4. The Patriots sacked Ryan Tannehill only once in their playoff loss.
Kyle Van Noy led the Patriots with 60 pressures in 2019, 25 more than any other player on the team. He bolted to the division rival Dolphins in free agency, and New England could only replace him with Jets backup Brandon Copeland (49 pressures in four-year career) and second-round pick Josh Uche out of Michigan. New England does have strong rushers at linebacker (D'Onta Hightower, Jamie Collins) and the interior defensive line (Deatrich Wise, Lawrence Guy, Adam Butler), but the defense could be greatly limited without a stellar outside pass rusher in 2020.
More must-reads:
- Way-too-early 2021 NFL mock draft
- Five biggest steals of the 2020 NFL Draft
- The 'NFL MVP runners-up' quiz
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