The best and worst position groups heading into the NFL season

All set to try and convert Anthony Barr into a pass rusher, he became the second high-profile free agent to spurn the Jets for the Vikings in as many years (following Kirk Cousins). The Jets' Leonard Williams-Quinnen Williams partnership will be offenses' top concern. Outside linebackers Brandon Copeland and Jordan Jenkins combined for 12 sacks last season, but there's a reason the Jets chased Barr and sought Nick Bosa if he fell. Their top addition came in Round 3, Jachai Polite, and with new GM Joe Douglas in charge, look for the 2020 Jets to have different players in these roles.

The Cowboys, provided they re-sign Jaylon Smith, would be a better bet for success into the 2020s than the Seahawks' second-level corps. But for 2019, the veterans may still have the edge. Any group anchored by future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner will have a head start, and Seattle retaining K.J. Wright — after it looked like he'd be the latest longtime starter to leave — will help a still-young defense (one now without top pass rusher Frank Clark). Mychal Kendricks (183 snaps last year) is the wild card. Pete Carroll expects the former Super Bowl starter to play this season despite his legal issue. 

In the past three offseasons, the Redskins have seen DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Jamison Crowder leave, without finding worthwhile replacements. Josh Doctson is part of a disappointing 2016 first-round receiver class, and Paul Richardson has shown little outside of a fluky-looking Seahawks contract year. This does not look like a good scenario for Dwayne Haskins to walk into, especially with Jordan Reed a perpetual injury risk.

This might not be what the 49ers' backfield looks like in September, but in July it's one of the NFL's deepest groups. Kyle Shanahan's former Falcon pupil, the explosive Tevin Coleman, joins Matt Breida (second behind Denver's Phillip Lindsay with 5.3 yards per carry) and the recovering Jerick McKinnon. Three-time Pro Bowler Kyle Juszczyk is in his own galaxy for fullback salaries. Shanahan will have a bevy of options with this versatile contingent. It would seem Breida could be a trade candidate; this will be an interesting training camp.

Holding 2018's No. 32 DVOA defense, the Bucs doubled down on Day 2 draft investments. Three more second-night secondary prospects joined Tampa Bay's defensive back collection, which housed two 2018 Round 2 cornerbacks. Pro Football Focus graded no current Bucs defensive back in the top 45 at corner or safety last year. Former first-rounder Vernon Hargreaves has not worked out, and free agent safety Kentrell Brice fared poorly in Green Bay. The Bucs were serious about upgrading, but this front office has yet to show it can identify talent at these spots. 

The Browns currently employ the 2017 rushing champion, a player who broke the franchise's rookie rushing record and one of NFL's best receiving backs. While the Kareem Hunt-Nick Chubb-Duke Johnson backfield has issues, with Hunt's eight-game suspension looming and Johnson seeking a trade, it is an impressive talent collection. Should Johnson be dealt, second-year man Dontrell Hilliard has generated buzz about taking that job. While the circumstances behind bringing this group together were not ideal, tantalizing possibilities surround the league's deepest backfield.

Barring a late-summer trade, which would not be out of character, the Patriots will transition from arguably the greatest tight end ever to the 2018 Broncos' third-stringer as their starter. With Ben Watson suspended for four games, Matt LaCosse (272 receiving yards in four seasons) is the likely fill-in. Watson will voyage into uncharted waters. If he plays throughout this season, and Antonio Gates doesn't, he will be the first true tight end to play past his 39th birthday. This is not a given, though, and Bill Belichick and Co. will need to rely on receivers more this season. 

The team the Raiders sent Khalil Mack to has no such sack problems. Mack recorded 12.5 and six forced fumbles in 14 Bears games. Chicago also brings back two-time Super Bowl starter Danny Trevathan to anchor its inside linebacker corps, which houses blossoming talent Roquan Smith. Trevathan-Smith represents one of the league's top off-ball linebacker duos, one that played a key role in making the Bears last year's No. 1 scoring defense. Leonard Floyd, a 2016 first-rounder, has not developed quite like the Bears hoped, but he and Aaron Lynch form a sufficient Mack complementary battery.

When a team finishes last in sacks by 17, it must be represented on a list like this — regardless of the offseason. The Raiders (13 sacks in 2018, the fewest any team's compiled since 2008) stumped draft buffs by taking Clemson's Clelin Ferrell, viewed as a lower-upside player than some other pass rushers available at No. 4 overall. Fourth- and seventh-round picks followed Ferrell to Oakland. The Raiders also nabbed run-stopping end Josh Mauro in free agency. Ferrell and 2018 draftee Arden Key (one 2018 sack) look like the starters, but this is a work in progress. 

Although the Texans have not enjoyed a good 2019, they still have this elite skill on which to fall back. J.J. Watt's 2018 looks to have ensured injuries won't end his career early, and he's on track to becoming one of the best defenders ever. The Texans used him more as an edge player than interior rusher last season, with him and Jadeveon Clowney taking a full five years to fully join forces. The otherworldly pass rusher teamed with the stellar run defender to aid Houston's AFC South title run, and Whitney Mercilus vacillated between linebacker and pass rusher (his better skill). This trio is probably the best position group in team history.

Only placed here because of Jason Pierre-Paul's neck injury, which puts his season at risk, the Bucs have another defensive deficiency. Questionable financial analyst Carl Nassib eclipsed his career sack total last season with 6.5, but replicating that without Pierre-Paul drawing attention will be difficult. Free-agent signing Shaq Barrett was a solid run player in Denver but has never been a consistent sack artist. Former second-rounder Noah Spence has one sack over the past two years. If JPP does not return this year, the Bucs will have trouble defending the pass. 

The Eagles lost Michael Bennett and Chris Long yet remain well-stocked on their D-line. Hall of Fame talent Fletcher Cox joins re-signed stalwart Brandon Graham and Jaguars cap casualty Malik Jackson. Everywhere Jackson goes, from Denver to Jacksonville to Philadelphia, he comprises part of a deep front seven. He is an upgrade on what Cox has previously worked with inside. Derek Barnett, a 2017 first-rounder, will be counted on to up his production after just 7.5 sacks in 21 career games. Former Eagle starters Vinny Curry and Tim Jernigan are now set to serve as the top rotational bodies.

This summer, the Bengals lost first-round left tackle Jonah Williams to a season-ending injury and eight-year guard starter Clint Boling to retirement. It will be difficult for the team to pick up the pieces. Left tackle Cordy Glenn has battled injuries and ineffectiveness since his mid-2010s days as a solid Bills edge protector, and the Bengals guaranteed embattled right tackle Bobby Hart $5.5 million. Their 2018 first-round pick, Billy Price, lumbered through a tough rookie year (Pro Football Focus' fourth-worst center). He figures to improve, but the odds are against this Bengals front entering camp.

Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram remain a top-tier tandem, and the Chargers now have the makings of a dominant secondary. They identified a long-term cornerstone in Derwin James, the first rookie safety to earn First-Team All-Pro honors since Hall of Famer Paul Krause in 1964. James joins former free-agent gem Casey Hayward, emerging slot dynamo Desmond King (PFF's No. 2 corner last season) and hybrid standout Adrian Phillips (instrumental in Los Angeles' wild-card win). The Bolts also took Nasir Adderley in Round 2. This crew's duels with Patrick Mahomes are primed to be AFC-shaping battles.

Nick Foles' last starter bid outside Philadelphia, with the 2015 Rams, went poorly. The latest team to invest in Foles did not outfit him with much help. Jacksonville's collection of WR3s doesn't create much optimism that a long-floundering offense will break through. Depth sort of exists here, with 2018 second-rounder DJ Chark and free-agent add Chris Conley looking to infiltrate the Marqise Lee-and-Dede Westbrook-led rotation. But answers are scarce. Geoff Swaim, Jason Witten's gap-year replacement, may be the Jags' top tight end. Would the defensively set team consider calling the Eagles about Nelson Agholor?

Pass protection stands as one of the main reasons for the second leg of the Patriots' dynasty. Overseen by master position coach Dante Scarnecchia, the Pats' front fortifies Tom Brady pockets each January and February. The Chiefs led the NFL with 52 sacks last season, but the Chris Jones-and-Dee Ford-fronted attack failed to sack Brady. New England returns four starters (guards Shaq Mason and Joe Thuney, center David Andrews and right tackle Marcus Cannon) and will hope 2018 first-rounder Isaiah Wynn completes his Achilles rehab. This is a major reason the Patriots are again Super Bowl betting favorites.

The cascading boos from across the Giants-following world when Roger Goodell unveiled the Daniel Jones selection came partially because the Giants ignored this glaring need. After trading Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul in consecutive offseasons, the team has no proven pass rushers. Free-agent addition Markus Golden (2.5 sacks in his past 15 games) and 2018 third-rounder Lorenzo Carter look like the Week 1 starters, with Old Dominion sack record holder-turned-Round 3 pick Oshane Ximines perhaps Big Blue's best off-the-bench hope. It will be difficult for New York to contain pass attacks this season.

It appears the Chiefs will have Tyreek Hill to start the season, so it's the defense where the team has major needs. Despite that, Kansas City used its first 2019 draft choice on wideout Mecole Hardman. He now will not be Hill's replacement; rather the two likely are set to play together — at least for 2019. They join two-time All-Pro Travis Kelce and Sammy Watkins in outfitting Patrick Mahomes with another slick weaponry corps that figures to be at full strength for the stretch run.

Last season's Dolphins were on the other side of this list, with Cameron Wake, Andre Branch, William Hayes and Robert Quinn under contract. Amid a full-scale purge, all are gone. Charles Harris, a 2017 first-rounder with three career sacks, leads this unit now. While Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (5.5 sacks last season) and third-year tackle Davon Godchaux may help the ends' cause, a contingent consisting of Harris, journeyman backups and undrafted free agents will almost certainly struggle to pressure passers.

Losses of Terrell Suggs, C.J. Mosley and Za'Darius Smith gutted Baltimore's front seven, but the Ravens' cover men may reasonably compensate for it. Veterans Jimmy Smith, Brandon Carr and Tony Jefferson are back, with burgeoning talent Marlon Humphrey likely set for a larger role in his third year. Surefire First-Team All-Decade safety Earl Thomas now leads this coverage cadre, and although Eric Weddle was 3-for-3 in Pro Bowls as a Raven, the former Legion of Boom centerpiece raises this group's ceiling. The Ravens will likely again be one of the league's best defenses. 

Deshaun Watson took more sacks last season (62) than anyone since 2006 (Detroit's Jon Kitna). The Texans selected project tackle Tytus Howard at No. 22 overall, then fired their GM. With Howard and second-round guard Max Scharping coming from mid-level programs, it is possible four starters — guards Zach Fulton and Senio Kelemete, center Nick Martin and Julie'n Davenport — from a basement-level O-line will re-emerge Week 1. The Texans had north of $80 million in cap space in early March but came away with just Matt Kalil, whom the Panthers are still paying handsomely. Texans fans surely envisioned better solutions.

Sean McVay's team rolled out "11" personnel (three wideouts, one back, one tight end) on a staggering 90 percent of its 2018 plays. The Rams receiver trio makes that lack of variety possible, and until Super Bowl LIV, they rolled through the bulk of their competition. Brandin Cooks proved a major upgrade on Sammy Watkins, and Robert Woods nearly doubled his career-best total with 1,219 receiving yards. Cooper Kupp's return after 11 missed games last season, coupled with another McVay-Jared Goff offseason, stands to further separate this group from its contemporaries. 

It is a debate as to which Dolphins line is worse off. Miami cut guards Josh Sitton and Ted Larsen and let five-year right tackle Ja'Wuan James defect to Denver. What's left will leave Josh Rosen and/or Ryan Fitzpatrick vulnerable. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil anchors the unit, but the Dolphins look set to deploy declining center Daniel Kilgore and perhaps ex-Bills right tackle Jordan Mills after he had a shaky minicamp. Likely guard starters Jesse Davis and Chris Reed, a undrafted free agen addition, have failed to impress as youngsters and could continue Miami's years-long issues finding viable guards. 

All signs point to Travis Frederick reclaiming his center post after a scary bout with an autoimmune disorder. Between Frederick, Zack Martin and Tyron Smith, the Cowboys' unmatched offensive line trio has combined for six First-Team All-Pro selections and 15 Pro Bowls. A stout pass protector, Frederick rejoins a line that helped Ezekiel Elliott to a rushing title without him. Martin and Smith are both on Hall of Fame trajectories, and right tackle La'el Collins will be playing for a big 2020 contract. An all-Connor left guard battle will decide who becomes the token fifth guy on this piece of offensive line royalty.