2026 NFL Offseason: The Biggest Question Facing Each AFC Team

Only one NFL team finished the season truly happy, and even the Seattle Seahawks understand they have work to do for 2026. For everyone else, the work is already underway as they try to fill their biggest holes and fix their greatest flaws before next season begins. And what are those big holes and flaws? What is the most important thing each team must address in the coming months? Here is the biggest question each AFC team will have to answer before training camp starts in July. RELATED: The Biggest Question Facing Each NFC Team Baltimore Ravens Can they rebuild their offensive line? This is a team with both an elite quarterback that must be protected at all costs, and a powerful run game that needs some road-graders to lead it. The Ravens didn’t have that last season, which is part of why their season so quickly fell apart. They need to improve at both guard spots in any way possible, and they may need a new center too if they lose Tyler Linderbaum in free agency. To be a Super Bowl contender again, they have to keep Lamar Jackson upright, and they need big bodies to pave the road for Derrick Henry’s inside runs. Buffalo Bills Will they get Josh Allen a go-to receiver? The Bills are a bit cranky about this topic, but there’s no way around it. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL with possibly the strongest arm, and they have absolutely failed at surrounding him with enough talented weapons. Give him a true No. 1 receiver, no matter the cost, and imagine how good their offense could be. That has to be their priority this offseason. No hole is bigger or more crucial to fill. Cincinnati Bengals How will they replace Trey Hendrickson and add some teeth to their defense? The only difference-maker the Bengals have on a defense that’s been awful for a long time is Hendrickson, who seems almost certain to leave via free agency. The good news is the Bengals do have the money to replace him (or re-sign him, if so inclined). They should be in play for every pass-rushing end or tackle they can find and consider one in the first round of the draft, too. A healthy Joe Burrow gives the Bengals an elite offense, but they can’t count on winning every game 41-38. Cleveland Browns Is Shedeur Sanders their franchise QB, or will they look elsewhere? The polarization around Sanders last season was fascinating to watch. Most either really hated him or really, really loved him. But here’s the truth: He played like a lot of other rookie quarterbacks — that is, he showed some potential and lots of things he needs to fix. So, will new coach Todd Monken give Sanders a full season to seek an upgrade this offseason? Cleveland has internal alternatives — Dillon Gabriel and whatever’s left of Deshaun Watson. The Browns could also sign a free agent. But they need to settle on one strategy and not treat their quarterbacks like interchangeable yo-yos. Denver Broncos Will they get another weapon to help out QB Bo Nix? Courtland Sutton is pretty close to being an elite receiver, but what do the Broncos really have beyond him? R.J. Harvey could be a strong half of a rushing attack, but nothing else really jumps out. Nix is an emerging quarterback playing for an outstanding offensive mind in Sean Payton. Together, they could be dangerous, but only if Nix gets a couple of new weapons to help him out. One should definitely be a receiver, but even a dangerous, pass-catching tight end could also work wonders. Houston Texans Can they get some protection for QB C.J. Stroud? They overhauled their offensive line last offseason and the results were definitely mixed. Stroud’s sacks were greatly reduced, but he was still pressured enough to look rattled at times — a fact that became really clear when he was sacked six times and threw five interceptions over two playoff games. The Texans weren’t great in run blocking either and could use help in the interior and at right tackle if they want to take the next step as a team. Indianapolis Colts Will Daniel Jones be ready for the season, and will the Colts re-sign him? The Colts had plenty of flaws, but they showed loads of potential and looked playoff-caliber when Daniel Jones was healthy. Then came his torn ACL and the Colts’ season went with it. Jones is scheduled to be a free agent and is staring at a timeline that puts his return, optimistically, at some point in August. He also does not have a good history of returning to form quickly after an injury. So, does Indy bring him back? And at what cost? Either way, it’s a risky bet on an uncertain future for both the quarterback and the franchise. Jacksonville Jaguars What are they going to do with WR/CB Travis Hunter? They were so excited about the possibilities of this two-way superstar when they traded up to draft him No. 2 overall last year. But he was relatively unimpressive at both positions before he injured his knee early in the year. Now they are already talking about using him primarily as a cornerback, but it’s unclear if he’s a real difference-maker at either spot. He needs to be, given how high he was drafted. The talent he’s supposed to have is the kind that could make Jacksonville a contender. Kansas City Chiefs Can the Chiefs rebuild their defensive line? Their fate, for the most part, is tied to the recovery and health of QB Patrick Mahomes. But it was pretty clear last year that he can’t do it all alone. The Chiefs’ defense was a big disappointment despite ranking in the top 10 overall. In particular, their pass rush was non-existent, with just 35 total sacks (22nd in the NFL). Nobody had more than Chris Jones’ seven, and he’s about to turn 32. They need to add at least one strong rusher off the edge. Steve Spagnuolo runs a very aggressive scheme, but it can’t work if he doesn’t have the horses to ride. Las Vegas Raiders Can they fix their offensive line enough to give Fernando Mendoza a fighting chance? They are presumably going to draft Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza first overall, and once they do, their No. 1 job will be to not ruin him. That will be tough if the Raiders have a repeat of last season when their quarterbacks were sacked 64 times — an average of almost four per game. They have enough offensive weapons to help Mendoza, including a promising running back in Ashton Jeanty who simply needs more room to operate. It doesn’t matter if Vegas uses free agency or the draft. The line just has to look completely different than it did in 2025. Los Angeles Chargers Can they fix their line enough to keep QB Justin Herbert healthy? Speaking of teams with serious offensive line issues … the Chargers were right behind the Raiders in terms of lack of support for their QB (they allowed 60 sacks). It’s no wonder Justin Herbert had to play the last month of the season and the playoffs with a broken left hand. It’s also no wonder he ended up throwing 13 interceptions — 10 more than he threw the year before. Herbert is as talented as any QB in the league. If he’s given a chance, he could lead the Chargers a long way. But if they can’t keep him upright, his talent will continue to be undermined. Miami Dolphins What are they going to do with Tua Tagovailoa and his contract? Since he was the first $50 million quarterback to ever get benched, this decision is going to be expensive. It’s hard to imagine the new regime — GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley — will want to keep him. It’s also hard to imagine they’ll find a trading partner. And cutting him could result in a record “dead cap” hit of $99.2 million. Still, the Dolphins need to do something, whether it’s reluctantly giving him another shot or finding someone else to build around for the future. They just have to figure out which of the lesser options is worth the exorbitant cost. New England Patriots How can they fix an offensive line that was a playoff disaster? Drake Maye had a miraculous, near-MVP season and led the Patriots all the way to Super Bowl LX. But really, it’s a miracle he was still standing at the end. He was sacked 47 times in the regular season and 21 more over four playoff games, including six times in the Super Bowl. So, yeah, the Patriots need to fix that so they can protect their biggest asset and, more importantly, give them a fighting chance against what is guaranteed to be a much tougher schedule next year. New York Jets Again: Who is going to play quarterback? They have been asking this question for 50 years and every time they think they’ve found even a temporary answer, something happens to rip the rug out from under their feet. Justin Fields didn’t work out last season, but they also won too many games to land the top pick in what is viewed as a one-QB draft. So, now what? The Jets won’t run it back with Fields, so will they draft a lesser quarterback, maybe in a later round, overspend on a questionable free-agent class, or overpay in a trade for someone like Mac Jones? The possibilities are endless, but none of them are very attractive. At this point, they’re just killing time until the 2027 draft. Pittsburgh Steelers Are they really going to run it back with 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers? New coach Mike McCarthy seems to think it’s worth it to reunite with his former Packers Super Bowl-winning quarterback. And to be fair, Rodgers showed last season he still has some skills and value. But he’s also clearly not close to the same as he once was. He barely dragged the Steelers to the playoffs. And who knows how much longer he can avoid breaking down? The Steelers desperately need a reset with a new franchise quarterback, but at the moment, they don’t have easy access to one. Rodgers can make them mediocre again. But all that will do is keep Pittsburgh out of reach of the best quarterbacks in next year’s draft, too. Tennessee Titans Is Brian Daboll the right OC to take QB Cam Ward to the next level? Given all their investment in the 2025 No. 1 pick, it was a bit of a surprise that the Titans hired a defensive-minded head coach in Robert Saleh. But he at least hired a respected offensive mind in Daboll to be his offensive coordinator. Daboll, after all, was once instrumental in the development of Bills QB Josh Allen. But that was before his four years as head coach of the Giants, when his offenses and quarterbacks were mostly bad. Tennessee can only hope that was because of a talent deficiency the Giants had, not because of Daboll’s coaching. The Titans need to make sure they’ve put their most prized possession in the right hands.