The NFL's best position groups for 2025 season

The Chiefs turned to the restructure well with their top two contracts, Patrick Mahomes and Chris Jones', and smartly carved out enough space to both use the franchise tag on Trey Smith and re-sign Nick Bolton. The latter, a split-second from a two-TD Super Bowl LVII, is one of the NFL's best pure linebackers. The Chiefs found a low-cost wingman in Drue Tranquill in 2023, capitalizing on a surprisingly weak market for the ex-Chargers stat stuffer. Kansas City has also integrated former third-rounder Leo Chenal into the proceedings. Chenal, who delivered a game-winning field goal block to hold off the Broncos last season, is an overqualified third option.

The Chargers are relying on young cornerbacks, but safeties lead the way in Jesse Minter's secondary. Derwin James remains one of the best in the business, and Minter reignited the All-Pro with more responsibilities near the line of scrimmage. This allows for three-safety looks, and two quality James sidekicks are in place in Alohi Gilman and Elijah Molden. A longtime James teammate, Gilman is under contract for another season. The Bolts gave up next to nothing for Elijah Molden, the son of ex-Charger CB Alex Molden, last year and rejuvenated him as a full-time safety. Molden re-signed on a three-year deal. 

The Packers both saw Jordan Love take a step forward, despite early-season injury trouble, and Josh Jacobs fare well in his Green Bay debut. Both benefited from an offensive front rebuilt from the David Bakhtiari days. Aaron Rodgers-era holdover Elgton Jenkins is the O-line's senior member, but the Packers are sliding the Pro Bowl guard to center after giving Aaron Banks a monster free agency deal. These two pricey blockers will team with rookie-contract (for now) tackles Zach Tom and Rasheed Walker. Perhaps the most intriguing piece here will be where 2024 first-rounder Jordan Morgan lines up, after the college tackle's abbreviated rookie season included right guard duty.

Even if the Eagles are not 100% here coming into the season, as Nakobe Dean will almost definitely be stashed on the PUP list due to the patellar tendon tear he sustained in the wild-card round, they are better equipped here than they have been in ages. A team that has refrained from paying linebackers rewarded 2024 find Zack Baun with a three-year, $51 million deal, and Jihaad Campbell presents a Micah Parsons-like profile -- even after dropping to No. 31 due to some injury concerns. Injuries have dogged Dean, but the former SEC Defensive Player of the Year graded as Pro Football Focus' No. 12 overall ILB in 2024. 

The Seahawks took quiet steps forward from Pete Carroll's final season defensively, and this looks like one of the NFL's deepest position groups. Leonard Williams returns to anchor Seattle's front, but 2024 first-rounder Byron Murphy will be a must-monitor player ahead of his second year. Rookie-contract edge cogs Boye Mafe and Derick Hall will benefit from the attention paid to Williams, Murphy and DT Jarran Reed, while ex-Aden Durde Cowboys charge DeMarcus Lawrence will be given a chance to show he still has quality football left after a lost 2024. If Uchenna Nwosu can navigate injury hurdles, Mike Macdonald's OLB two-deep will be a difficult task to contain.

This went from a thin group to a formidable cadre overnight (literally, as the seminal trade broke before 6 a.m. Central Time). George Pickens supplies a star-level talent alongside CeeDee Lamb, who has lacked reliable auxiliary support since the Cowboys sold low on Amari Cooper. Pickens managed to go 3-for-3 in 800-yard seasons despite middling-at-best QB play. While the Cowboys may be signing up for a volatile experiment due to Pickens being in a contract year, they are willing to live with potential disruptions. This addition bumps Jalen Tolbert (610 quiet 2024 yards) to a WR3 role more suited to his current skillset. 

Credit to Les Snead's staff for not letting the Rams defense crumble post-Aaron Donald. The Rams identified the Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up (Kobie Turner) in 2023 and added the 2024 winner in Jared Verse, the franchise's first Round 1 draft choice since Jared Goff. Adding to the muscle forming in L.A., 2024 second-round D-lineman Braden Fiske finished third for the award last season. OLB Byron Young has become the superior of the two Byron Youngs chosen in the 2023 third round, totaling 15.5 sacks over his first two seasons. This rebuilt squadron's arrow points up, and each member of the quartet is still on a rookie deal.

James Cook owes plenty of his success to Josh Allen, but the Bills having improved along their O-line over the past two years has ignited the running back. Buffalo will roll out the same quintet from 2024, when Connor McGovern slid from guard to center -- and former Rams Super Bowl starter David Edwards moved into the lineup -- after Mitch Morse's exit. Longtime left tackle Dion Dawkins was the team's only non-Allen All-Pro last season, and the Bills paid right tackle starter Spencer Brown as well. Second-round RG O'Cyrus Torrence has also proven a lineup fixture, as the Bills have developed a run game to help post-Stefon Diggs.

Tyreek Hill is certainly not a safe bet; the Dolphins were aware of this when they traded for him. After the bizarre refusal to reenter a Week 18 game, he may or may not have lost offseason weight to better his chances in a nonsensical race against 100-meter kingpin Noah Lyles. But Hill is still among the NFL's best receivers and a future Hall of Famer. As long as he's a Dolphin, the speed merchant is an elevating force. Jaylen Waddle makes it a historically explosive duo, and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (eight 2024 TDs) will benefit from the starters. The Dolphins may be descending, but this group will at least keep them respectable. 

Sam Darnold stole Vikings headlines, but Brian Flores' defense made significant strides last season. Among the lead reasons: a pass rush featuring two first-ballot Pro Bowlers. Free agent signings Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel became the rare duo to double as Pro Bowl edge starters. In 2025, they will have more inside help after the team signed Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. Both are coming off injury-plagued seasons, and the Vikings are betting on squeezing final prime years out of each. When healthy, however, each is a strong inside pass rusher. They will join underrated DT cog Harrison Phillips in supplementing an OLB crew hoping to unleash 2024 first-rounder Dallas Turner.

This requires giving Keaton Mitchell a pass for last season, but the intriguing former UDFA will not rise above -- barring injury -- change-of-pace back behind this era's premier ground-game producer. Offering a Frank Gore-like fight against the aging cliff -- with a much higher peak -- Derrick Henry secured a whopping $25 million guaranteed on an extension despite heading into an age-31 season. The Ravens received stunning value from Henry after few aggressively pursued him in free agency. The durable bulldozer could see Mitchell, who averaged eight yards per carry before a December 2023 ACL tear, provide a lethal complement in a backfield still housing Justice Hill.

A Terry Fontenot-led turnaround has not transpired in Atlanta, and the Kirk Cousins swing backfired. But Michael Penix Jr. will have a strong backfield on which to lean for at least one more season. Bijan Robinson broke through in Year 2, dazzling for 1,887 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns. Amid a steady commitment to adding skill-position talent in the top 10, the Falcons demoted 1,000-yard rusher Tyler Allgeier with the Robinson pick. Allgeier saw his usage decline slightly in 2024, but he still averaged 4.7 yards per carry (644 total) as a quality backup. Allgeier is in a contract year, so this is probably the finale for a forced partnership.

Though undoubtedly helped by the coverage Patrick Surtain provided, Denver's D-line also boosted the eventual Defensive Player of the Year's prospects. After trading Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, the Broncos retooled at outside linebacker around Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. This duo played alongside Zach Allen, run-stuffing D-tackle D.J. Jones and versatile inside rusher John Franklin-Myers. Unheralded at this point last year, the Broncos' front saw Allen pace all interior D-linemen in QB pressures (47) and Bonitto break through (13.5 sacks) during a two-touchdown year. Both anchors earned second-team All-Pro acclaim.

The Broncos appear to have found a Champ Bailey redux in Patrick Surtain, who has become one of the NFL's best players. He locked down the best-CB-alive belt Bailey once held, and QBs will undoubtedly steer clearer of the Denver ace -- as they began to do with Bailey by the late 2000s -- moving forward. Denver took precautions against this by drafting versatile Texas CB Jahdae Barron in Round 1. He will team with semi-promising CB2 Riley Moss. The team upgraded at safety by adding Talanoa Hufanga, a 2022 first-team All-Pro, to pair with the quietly effective Brandon Jones. Hufanga staying healthy could unlock a new level for the Denver defense.

All due respect to Cooper Kupp, the former All-Pro has been unable to contribute on that level since that historic 2021 season. The injury-prone slot star is now in Seattle, and the Rams replaced him with a better, more durable option. Davante Adams is somehow only a few months older than Kupp, and the All-Pro/QB come-with guy has no real injury baggage traveling with him to L.A. Puka Nacua must spend 2025 on a rookie contract, complementing Adams' two-year, $46 million accord. Anything the Rams receive from recently re-signed No. 3 Tutu Atwell will be a bonus, and the diminutive holdover (562 yards) has started to show staying power.

As they attempt a long-term path that involves paying just about all their standouts from Brad Holmes-run drafts, the Lions started doing so by giving Kerby Joseph a safety-record extension. This came after the three-year starter snared an NFL-high nine INTs last season. And Joseph might be the second-best safety on his own team. The Lions will have a bigger decision to make next year, as Brian Branch becomes extension-eligible. A slot corner in 2023, Branch moved to safety last year and earned Pro Bowl acclaim. As the rest of Detroit's defense broke down due to injury, this pair attempted to keep the operation afloat. 

As mega-shifts in the edge rusher market occur in 2025, Danielle Hunter's one-year, $35.6 million add-on flew under the radar. The Texans liked what they saw from the longtime Viking, whose rebound from mid-career injury trouble continued with a sixth double-digit sack season (12). Hunter's presence helped Will Anderson Jr.'s development, as the former No. 3 overall pick collected 11 sacks as an NFL sophomore. The Texans and Vikings did not trade Hunter and Jonathan Greenard, but the free agency switch worked for both cogs. Houston also has Derek Barnett, versatile veteran Denico Autry and once-promising Seahawk Darrell Taylor as depth.

A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have made Eagles fans forget about Howie Roseman's short-lived struggles identifying receivers, burying the Jalen Reagor and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside whiffs with 1,000-yard seasons. The Philly first-stringers' production suffered due to Saquon Barkley's yardage onslaught, but entering Year 4 together, the Brown-Smith combo is the best WR pair in Eagles history. The complementary pieces shined when called upon in Super Bowl LIX, reminding of their higher-usage versions of 2022 and '23. The Eagles will give former first-rounder Jahan Dotson another look as their WR3, the lowest rung on this sturdy skill-position ladder thanks to Dallas Goedert being retained.

Almost nothing went right for the 2024 Giants, whose "Hard Knocks: Offseason" foray backfired so spectacularly the NFL could not convince a team to film a follow-up. Even if this regime is doomed, it will at least go down swinging with a fearsome pass rush. The Giants bottoming out to 3-14 left them no choice but to draft perhaps the draft's best player at a single position, edge rusher Abdul Carter. Carter may not even start in Year 1, as he will pair with OLBs Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux in a situation that reminds of the Super Bowl-era Giants' NASCAR packages. Adding to this stew: Dexter Lawrence remains the group's best player, occupying blockers as an All-Pro nose tackle.

The Vikings can keep Jordan Addison on his rookie contract through the 2027 season, via the fifth-year option. As long as he stays in Minnesota, this receiving corps will reside on lists like these. Addison resides as underappreciated Justin Jefferson support, amassing 1,786 yards and 19 touchdowns over his first two seasons. Jefferson is on track to be one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history, highlighting the Vikings' risk by turning the keys over to an unseasoned J.J. McCarthy in 2025. Minnesota also strengthened this group by drafting Maryland's Tai Felton in Round 3. He will join slot Jalen Nailor in a suddenly crowded crew.

Steering the Lions to their highest peak since the 1950s, GM Brad Holmes has seen vindication come after scrutinized RB decisions. Holmes' $6 million-per-year deal for middling Bears RB David Montgomery became such a steal that an extension commenced. Montgomery turned his career around behind an upper-crust Detroit O-line, and he is merely the second-best back on the team. Jahmyr Gibbs was not on the radar to go in the first half of the 2023 first round, but the dual-threat dynamo finished with a somewhat overlooked -- thanks to Barkley and Derrick Henry's years -- 20-TD season. That total led the league, as Gibbs is already an elite player.

One of the best inside-outside duos in NFL history , Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt are likely both future Hall of Famers. Watt definitely is, and Heyward bolstered his case by resuming his late-career dominance -- via a fourth first-team All-Pro nod -- in an age-35 season. Alex Highsmith is back to continue as a Watt supporting-caster outside, and the Steelers found a promising third edge rusher (Nick Herbig) to supplement the impact tandem. Pittsburgh will be counting on its defense to hold serve, as a limited skill-position crew -- post-George Pickens -- awaits hopeful signing (still) Aaron Rodgers. First-round DT/Heyward heir apparent Derrick Harmon is now here too.

Carson Palmer could not strong-arm Bengals management into change; Joe Burrow has, effectively forcing the team to change course on Tee Higgins. Seemingly all set to part ways with its longtime No. 2 receiver, the Bengals paid up to appease their insistent QB. Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase are now each locked in long-term. Regardless of Cincinnati needing to pay far more for Chase than what a 2024 extension would have cost, the team has satisfied Burrow by retaining the best receiver duo in the league. This may produce a sour Cincy ending for Trey Hendrickson, but the Bengals offense -- which also features improving WR3 Andre Iosivas -- should still hum. 

One of the most surprising picks in this year's draft came at No. 19, when the Bucs grabbed Ohio State all-time receiving leader Emeka Egbuka. As other teams eyed a player viewed as a high-floor prospect, the Bucs swooped in despite re-signing Chris Godwin to a three-year, $66 million deal and identifying promising WR Jalen McMillan in last year's third round. Oh, and Mike Evans still lives in Tampa. The Evans-Godwin partnership, one of this century's best WR pairs, is entering its ninth season. They will serve as overqualified mentors for Egbuka. With McMillan scoring seven TDs in his final five rookie-year games, Baker Mayfield's arsenal could rival the Run and Shoot Oilers in a quantity/quality smorgasbord.

Howie Roseman has bolstered his GM resume historically with three Super Bowl appearances (two wins) since 2017. A central part of that mission: extending O-linemen early. Roseman has continued to work proactively here, extending Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson in 2024 and re-upping post-Jason Kelce Tush Push igniter Cam Jurgens this year. Lane Johnson also signed yet another Eagles extension in 2025. All four are Pro Bowlers, as Jalen Hurts has one of the best offensive setups any QB has ever enjoyed. Renowned OL coach Jeff Stoutland rejuvenating Mekhi Becton should make the Texans leery that the Eagles will coax a belated emergence from first-rounder/trade pickup Kenyon Green.