Every NFL team's greatest weakness heading into the draft

The Cardinals have holes everywhere, but this team won't be able to climb out of the NFC West cellar if it can't protect its young quarterback. That holds true even if the athletic Kyler Murray is behind center. Arizona allowed 52 sacks, which was fifth-most in the NFL last year.

The Falcons lacked a competent pass rusher last season, posting 37.0 sacks as a team, which ranked in the bottom third of the league. Atlanta picked up Vic Beasley's fifth-year option, but he ranked 103rd out of 103 eligible edge rushers based on the grades at Pro Football Focus. While the Falcons signed Adrian Clayborn last week, they need more help on the edge.

The Ravens have been searching for an elite wide receiver for years, and it continues this offseason. That's particularly true after losing John Brown and Michael Crabtree. The Baltimore offense will be one of the most run-oriented in the league with Lamar Jackson behind center, but if Jackson is going to succeed the Ravens need to address their biggest weakness and add a playmaker on the outside.

While the Bills added John Brown and Cole Beasley to a wide receiver core that already had Rueben Foster and Zay Jones, they could still use a versatile tight end to help their young quarterback. The Bills no longer have Charles Clay on the roster, and no other tight end on the Buffalo roster caught more than 22 passes last year. And like a lot teams, the Bills could use more pass rushing help.

At 38 years old, Julius Peppers finished second on the Panthers with 5.0 sacks. Even if he was coming back, Carolina's top goal was to improve its pass rush, but it's even more urgent with Peppers retiring. The Panthers had 33.0 sacks last year, which was sixth-fewest in the league.

The Bears are a young and rather complete roster, but Chicago has a hole to fill at running back following the team's trade of Jordan Howard to Philadelphia. Tarik Cohen fits coach Matt Nagy's system perfectly, but he has yet to post more than 99 carries in a season. The Bears need a new workhorse running back to run between the tackles.

The Vontaze Burfict era is finally over in Cincinnati. Even with him last fall, though, the Bengals finished last in total defense and passing defense. Cincinnati did re-sign Preston Brown, but the Bengals still lack a playmaker in the middle of their defense.

The Browns roster is the most complete it's been in years. Cleveland has its quarterback of the future, two bright stars at receiver, depth at running back, a veteran offensive line and young studs at every level on defense. But the Browns did trade away safety Jabrill Peppers in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. Filling that void at safety should be one of the team's top priorities this offseason.

The Cowboys possess a complete roster as well. Amari Cooper gave Dallas a playmaker on the outside to complement the running game, and the team finished seventh in total defense. Having said that, safety is the position keeping the Cowboys from becoming truly elite on defense. They signed George Iloka this offseason to remedy that hole, but he started only a handful of games last year.

Another year, and it's the same story in Denver. The Broncos have tried replacing Peyton Manning via free agency, the draft and through trades, yet nothing has worked. This offseason, Denver acquired Joe Flacco from the Ravens, but he isn't the long-term solution. 

While the Lions added Trey Flowers in free agency, he merely replaces Ziggy Ansah, who left as an unrestricted free agent. Coach Matt Patricia getting his hands on one of his former Patriots stars is great, but to improve defensively, the Lions need an edge complement to Flowers. Cornerback is another area of weakness.

While Aaron Rodgers' health certainly played a role in Green Bay's depleted offense, the veteran quarterback needs more help. His offensive line could be better, but the Packers need another weapon to complement Davante Adams. That could come in the form of a receiver or tight end.

Even with the athletic Deshaun Watson at quarterback the entire season, the Texans allowed a league-leading 62 sacks. No other team yielded more than 56 sacks. A better offensive line could also help the Houston ground game, which averaged 4.3 yards per carry. That was 19th-best in the league.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard has done an excellent job of building this roster, and he's done it quickly. That's what can happen when a team lands arguably the best offensive and defensive players (Quenton Nelson and Darius Leonard) from the same draft. Of course, Andrew Luck returning to health was key too. The Colts added Justin Houston to the defensive line this offseason as well. These moves leave the back end of the secondary as Indianapolis' biggest weakness. 

The Jaguars have their man at quarterback, but thestill are searching for the proper protection for him. Newly signed Cedric Ogbuehi is set to start at right tackle, but he's merely a stop-gap option until the Jaguars can find a long-term solution at the position. Jacksonville also has a weakness behind running back Leonard Fournette, who is now in some legal trouble.

The Chiefs could use an overhaul on their entire defense, which was historically bad to start 2018. While Kansas City did lead the league in sacks last season, the team lost linebacker Justin Houston and safety Eric Berry . The Chiefs signed Tyrann Mathieu to replace Berry, but Kansas City needs more playmakers on defense to complement its dynamic offense.

The Chargers offensive line was much better in 2018, but there's still room for improvement. While former sixth-round pick Sam Tevi started 15 games at right tackle for Los Angeles and held his own, the team could still upgrade the position.

The Rams elected not to renew center John Sullivan's contract, leaving a big hole in the middle of their offensive line. Also, left tackle Andrew Whitworth is now 37 years old. So while center is the biggest weakness, the Rams have a couple of areas of need along the offensive line.

With the signing of Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Dolphins appear content starting "Fitzmagic" for a year and then addressing quarterback in the 2020 draft. Miami has other major needs too, but it's hard to ignore the sport's most important position. Quarterback is this team's biggest weakness.

The Vikings are a talented team that underachieved in 2018. The defense remains one of the best in the league, and Minnesota has quality starters at all of its skill positions. That leaves offensive line as the team's biggest weakness, which is nothing new in Minnesota. The Vikings could use at least one new starter on the offensive line.

With Rob Gronkowski's retirement and questions about when or if Josh Gordon will return, the Patriots' biggest weakness is clearly pass catcher. Tom Brady can still get it done, but he will show his age more readily if Bill Belichick doesn't get his quarterback more weapons. 

The Saints appeared to have a roster capable of winning the Super Bowl last year. If not for a highly questionable non-pass interference penalty in the NFC championship game, maybe they would have played for the NFL title. Most of the roster is back this year, but with Marshon Lattimore shutting down half of the field, opposing teams picked on fellow cornerback Eli Apple. Despite acquiring Apple at the trade deadline last year, cornerback remains the team's biggest weakness.

This is no secret. The 38-year-old quarterback is well past his prime and has turned in two subpar seasons each of the last two years. Eli Manning will again be behind center in 2019 but this season without the dynamic Odell Beckham Jr. Even with one of the most exciting young running backs in the league, little is expected of the Giants offense because of its quarterback situation.

Anthony Barr's decision to turn down the Jets and head back to Minnesota at the last moment left the Jets still badly in need of a pass rusher. They were about in the middle of the pack in terms of sacks last season, but no Jets defender posted more than 7.0 sacks. An elite pass rusher could take this defense to the next level.

Lots of teams are looking for more of a pass rush. Such is life in the pass-happy NFL, but no team needs an edge rusher more than Oakland. The Raiders were the only squad that posted less than 30 sacks last season, and they had a measly 13.0. That's what happens when a team trades its best pass rusher right before the season starts.

The Eagles still have a majority of their Super Bowl roster intact, but Philadelphia lost linebacker Jordan Hicks this offseason. His departure leaves linebacker as the team's biggest weakness. The Eagles could also use help in the back end of their secondary, which was decimated with injuries in 2018.

The Steelers defense still has a hole at cornerback opposite Joe Haden, but Pittsburgh has yet to truly replace Ryan Shazier, who suffered a horrific spinal injury in December 2017. The loss of his speed and playmaking ability has left a giant hole in the middle of the Steelers defense.

The 49ers have a nice complement of wide receivers but are still lacking a true No. 1 receiver. Getting a top playmaker on the outside would really help Jimmy Garoppolo, who will be returning from a major knee injury.

Wide receiver may have been Seattle's biggest weakness anyway, but then news broke that Doug Baldwin needed more surgeries this offseason. With the health of Russell Wilson's top target a question mark moving forward, the Seahawks need another pass catcher to play opposite Tyler Lockett.

The Tampa Bay run defense plummeted without linebacker Kwon Alexander, who suffered a torn ACL in October. Despite the impact of his loss, the Buccaneers allowed Alexander to leave in free agency. While the Tampa Bay pass defense was poor in 2018 as well, linebacker remains the team's biggest weakness.

The Titans don't have any glaring needs, but a lot of positions could use upgrades, including tight end. In some form or fashion, Tennessee needs to help Marcus Mariota reach his full potential, and counting on 35-year-old tight end Delanie Walker remaining one of the team's top targets would be foolish. Walker missed all but one game last season because of an ankle injury.

Washington needs upgrades at lots of places, including the game's most important position. But Washington has tried to address wide receiver for the last few years with little success. The Redskins' leading wideout posted only 532 yards last season. No matter who plays quarterback, Washington needs to give him more weapons.