2021-2022 NFL Thread

Biggest strength: Tom Brady only had one wide receiver or tight end clear a 70.0 receiving grade in his final season with New England in 2019, and Julian Edelman (72.4) barely met the threshold. But in 2020, Tampa Bay had six different wide receivers and tight ends record at least a 75.0 receiving grade, including O.J. Howard in limited action. It's one of the deepest receiving corps in the NFL, extending beyond those six to include promising young players such as Scotty Miller, Tyler Johnson and rookie Jaelon Darden.



Biggest weakness: Running back Leonard Fournette's stretch of success last postseason doesn't change the fact that 19.1% of his carries have gone for first downs or touchdowns since entering the NFL (third lowest among 30 running backs with 500-plus attempts). Ronald Jones II was an effective runner last season (84.7 rushing grade), but he can't be relied upon on passing downs. Jones tallied just 165 receiving yards on 41 targets in 2020. It's difficult to find a true weakness on this roster, but the running back position is the closest thing to it in the starting lineup.



X factor for 2021: Linebacker Devin White recorded an 83.5 coverage grade across his final five games of the 2020 season, three of which were playoff games. White also came up with 10 quarterback pressures and four sacks over that stretch. The next step in his development is to play at that level with more consistency, like his teammate Lavonte David has done for years. There's no denying that White's speed in the middle of Tampa Bay's defense can be a game-changer.

Biggest strength: The offensive trio of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill is the reason Kansas City is once again the betting favorite to bring home a Lombardi Trophy this season. According to PFF's wins above replacement metric, Mahomes has been the most valuable quarterback in the NFL over the past three seasons by more than a full win. Kelce comfortably ranks first at the tight end position, and Hill comes in at fourth among wide receivers. Throw in coach Andy Reid, one of the top offensive playcallers in the NFL, and the offense becomes nearly impossible to stop.



Biggest weakness: Defensive tackle Chris Jones is elite. He has earned pass-rushing grades of at least 90.0 in each of the past three seasons. Aaron Donald is the only other interior defensive lineman who can say the same. However, the rest of the defensive line doesn't bring nearly as much juice. Frank Clark's pass-rushing grade is 20 points lower over the past two seasons in Kansas City than it was across his final two seasons in Seattle. Clark profiling more as a below-average starter than the top-flight edge the Chiefs expected only accentuates the lack of difference-makers on the defensive line beyond Jones.



X factor for 2021: Kansas City reportedly showed interest in several free-agent wide receivers this offseason, including JuJu Smith-Schuster and Josh Reynolds. The Chiefs didn't land any of those bigger names at the position in free agency, opening the door for a larger role for third-year receiver Mecole Hardman in 2021. Hardman saw 20-plus more targets in 2020 than he did as a rookie, but he struggled to bring in all of those additional targets. Hardman's 13.7% drop rate was one of the highest marks at the position.

Biggest strength: Cleveland's front office has done an excellent job of building up the offensive line, and offensive line coach Bill Callahan has molded it into one of the league's best. Joel Bitonio, JC Tretter, Wyatt Teller and Jack Conklin were all among the top-two-graded players at their respective positions in 2020. Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is the lone player not on that list, but he still delivered an impressive performance in pass protection for a rookie. His 3.7% pressure rate allowed was a top-10 mark at the left tackle position.



Biggest weakness: Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods has previously discussed running a dime "base defense" in Cleveland. The Browns now have the personnel to do so with the additions to their secondary this offseason. That should reduce the number of linebackers on the field at any given time, but off-ball linebacker remains the biggest weakness of this defense on paper. Anthony Walker is the favorite to start at middle linebacker after coming off a 45.5 overall grade with Indianapolis last season.



X factor for 2021: The Browns have been unable to make the Baker Mayfield-to-Odell Beckham Jr. connection work through its first two years. Mayfield has a passer rating of just 72.4 when targeting Beckham over those two seasons. That number jumps to 89.9 when targeting any other player since 2019. Theoretically, the return of an elite talent at wide receiver from injury this season should elevate this offense. But 2021 may be the last season for Mayfield, OBJ and coach Kevin Stefanski to figure things out.

Biggest strength: Josh Allen showed last season that he could go toe-to-toe with any quarterback in the NFL. The first-round pick out of Wyoming in 2018 took a massive third-year leap, improving from 28th at the position in PFF grade across the first two years of his career (65.3) to seventh last season (90.3). And Allen's improved accuracy gives reason to believe that his 2020 season was no fluke. His 16.5% uncatchable pass rate was a top-five mark among QBs last season.



Biggest weakness: Buffalo did not run the ball or defend the run well in 2020. Their interior offensive and defensive lines were the biggest reasons why, and the Bills didn't make any major additions to either group this offseason. Buffalo will hope that Cody Ford returning from injury (56.7 run-blocking grade last season) and Star Lotulelei returning from opt-out (61.5 run-defense grade in 2019) can bolster their respective units.



X factor for 2021: Dane Jackson, a seventh-round selection last offseason, will have an opportunity to win the starting cornerback job opposite Tre'Davious White. He appeared in four games for Buffalo as a rookie in 2020, recording four pass breakups and an interception on fewer than 20 passes thrown into his coverage. Jackson's coaches and teammates have spoken positively about his play through the early stages of this offseason, and he could play his way into a starting role for Buffalo this season.

Biggest strength: There aren't many cornerbacks in the league who can seamlessly transition from an outside role to the slot and provide high-level play at both spots. Marlon Humphrey has done that better than anyone in recent years, spending more time inside due to a string of Tavon Young injuries. Humphrey is the only cornerback in the league with a PFF coverage grade of at least 80.0 both in the slot and out wide since 2017.



Biggest weakness: It's not difficult to see the reasoning behind Baltimore's decision to let Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue walk in free agency. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale does as good of a job as anyone at scheming up pressure with the blitz, reducing the need for elite edge rushers. But those departures do leave the Ravens thin at outside linebacker entering this season. Since Tyus Bowser was drafted in 2017, neither he nor Pernell McPhee have recorded 40 pressures in a season. Those are now Baltimore's two projected starters.



X factor for 2021: Rookie wide receiver Rashod Bateman isn't listed above with the projected starters because of how often both Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle figure to be on the field, but he should factor heavily into the Ravens' offense. Bateman showed that he could win from primarily wide alignments (2019) and in the slot (2020) by earning grades north of 80.0 in each of the last two seasons at Minnesota. Bateman joined DeVonta Smith and new teammate Tylan Wallace as the only wide receivers in this draft class to average over 3.0 yards per route run in both 2019 and 2020.

Biggest strength: Jaire Alexander and Adrian Amos form one of the league's best defensive back duos. Alexander's impact is easier to see: He allowed just 51% of the passes into his coverage to be completed last season, and those receptions went for fewer than 10 yards on average. Amos doesn't get as much of the national spotlight. That may be because he hasn't made a ton of splash plays, but Amos also rarely gets beaten for big plays. His 91.9 PFF grade since 2017 ranks second among all qualifying safeties.



Biggest weakness: For as good as some of the high-end talent is on Green Bay's defense, there still are clear weak points for opposing offenses to attack. The second outside cornerback spot is one of them. Kevin King is coming off a 2020 season in which he earned a coverage grade below 50.0 and allowed a passer rating of 105.8 on throws into his coverage. First-round rookie Eric Stokes is the only real competition for King at that spot, and there may be an adjustment period for Stokes in the NFL, given the difference in how illegal contact is enforced from college to the pros.



X factor for 2021: This has to be Aaron Rodgers, right? The future Hall of Famer is coming off the highest-graded season of his career and well-deserved MVP honors in 2020. The Packers' Super Bowl aspirations all hinge on whether Rodgers can have similar success under center this year, but Green Bay can't even guarantee Rodgers will suit up for the team this season, let alone play to the level of his 2020 campaign.

Biggest strength: The Rams have the best player in the NFL, regardless of position, on their roster. Aaron Donald's 456 pressures across the past five seasons are 86 more than any other player's in the NFL. That number is wild in its own right, but it becomes even more impressive given the position Donald plays and the extra attention he receives from every offensive line he faces. Those double- and triple-teams have also allowed players like Dante Fowler Jr. and Leonard Floyd to have career years in Los Angeles.


Biggest weakness: Micah Kiser, Troy Reeder and Kenny Young each played roughly 500 defensive snaps for Los Angeles last season. They combined for an overall grade of 41.9 at the off-ball linebacker position, which ranked 28th among all 32 defenses. The Rams will return Travin Howard from injury and add third-round pick Ernest Jones to the mix, but it still projects as one of the weaker groups across the league. The losses of Troy Hill and John Johnson III in free agency make it harder to rely on dime packages, as well.



X factor for 2021: Since Sean McVay took over as the Rams' head coach in 2017, Los Angeles has had the ninth-most efficient offense in the league, according to expected points added per play. Jared Goff flashed high-end play when things were running smoothly but struggled to improvise and elevate McVay's offense. The Rams bet two first-round picks that Matthew Stafford can. Stafford graded in the 73rd percentile of qualifying quarterbacks when under pressure last season, while Goff finished in just the 14th percentile.

Biggest strength: There is no reason that this passing offense, if healthy, shouldn't be one of the league's best. QB Dak Prescott's 85.2 PFF grade before his injury last season was on pace to be the highest of his career. Even in Prescott's absence, rookie wide receiver CeeDee Lamb proved himself to be one of the more dynamic slot receivers in the league. His 877 receiving yards from the slot in 2020 were fewer than only Cole Beasley's. Lamb, Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup are certainly in the conversation for best wide receiver trio in the NFL.



Biggest weakness: This secondary bled production to opposing passing offenses in 2020, and it didn't get noticeably better this offseason. Second-round selection Kelvin Joseph has a chance to start opposite Trevon Diggs. While that might represent an upgrade in talent, last season showed the risk involved with relying heavily on rookie cornerbacks. Eight of the 20 highest yards per coverage snap marks at the cornerback position belonged to rookies in 2020, including Diggs in Dallas. The Cowboys are banking on young players improving on the fly in a new system.



X factor for 2021: The "breakout" label is typically reserved for second- or third-year players. But Randy Gregory, at 28 years old, is a legitimate breakout candidate in Dan Quinn's defense. Gregory has played more than 300 snaps just once in his career due to a string of suspensions. He didn't meet that 300-snap threshold last season for Dallas, but it was comfortably Gregory's best season on a per-snap basis. He finished the year with an overall grade of 80.5. It appears he'll have every opportunity to build on that as a starter in 2021.

Biggest strength: Justin Jefferson did not play like the fifth wide receiver selected in the 2021 NFL draft as a rookie. He played more like someone who would be the fifth wide receiver selected in a re-draft of the entire NFL. His 2.66 receiving yards per route run finished third in the league behind only Davante Adams (2.96) and George Kittle (2.84) last season. Jefferson, Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook give Minnesota one of the league's best three-headed monsters on offense heading into this season.



Biggest weakness: Minnesota's interior offensive line has collectively earned a 44.2 pass-blocking grade over the last three seasons. That's nearly 10 points lower than the 31st-place Seahawks. Ezra Cleveland -- who is expected to transition from right to left guard in 2021 -- and Garrett Bradbury were both much more effective as run blockers than pass protectors in 2020. Rookie Wyatt Davis was drafted with the intention of helping in that department. But as we've seen in Minnesota over the past few seasons, relying on rookie offensive linemen doesn't always lead to smooth sailing.



X factor for 2021: Last season, the Colts were the beneficiary of a former Vikings cornerback (Xavier Rhodes) transitioning to a scheme that better suited his talents. Minnesota fans will be hoping to be on the receiving end of a similar situation for Patrick Peterson in 2021. Peterson ranks in just the 37th percentile of outside cornerbacks in coverage grade over the past two seasons. However, Vance Joseph's man-heavy defense did Peterson's declining athleticism no favors. The Vikings' secondary provides an opportunity for Peterson to bounce back in a more favorable defensive scheme.

Biggest strength: Denver might just have the best secondary in the NFL. Last year, third-round rookie Michael Ojemudia, an injured A.J. Bouye and Bryce Callahan -- who typically plays in the slot -- were the team's top three outside cornerbacks. Denver now has the luxury of deciding which of Kyle Fuller, Ronald Darby or top-10 pick Pat Surtain II will start the season on the bench due to Callahan likely moving back inside. And at safety, Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson rank second and sixth, respectively, in PFF's wins above replacement metric since the start of the 2019 season.



Biggest weakness: For as much talk as there has been about bolstering the quarterback position this offseason, Denver didn't improve in any meaningful way. Sure, Teddy Bridgewater is a slight upgrade over the 2020 version of Drew Lock. He brings a little less volatility. But Bridgewater is still coming off a season in which his 66.0 PFF grade ranked 26th out of 32 qualifying quarterbacks. This is a roster talented enough to contend in the AFC from top to bottom. It's just hard to see that happening with Lock or Bridgewater at QB.



X factor for 2021: The best edge defender of the past decade, Von Miller, returning to the lineup this season is a significant addition. Miller put up elite 90-plus PFF grades each year from when he entered the league in 2011 through the 2018 season. 2019 was the first year to break that trend, as Miller recorded an overall grade of "only" 79.3. A lost season in 2020 due to injury now means that Miller is two years removed from his peak. A healthy return to dominance this year would be massive for a defensive front that also features Bradley Chubb, Shelby Harris and Dre'Mont Jones.

Biggest strength: There are only three to four true difference-makers at tight end in the NFL, but George Kittle can comfortably count himself among that group. His 1,793 receiving yards after the catch and 39 broken tackles over the past three seasons both rank first at the position, even with all of his missed time last year due to injury. And Kittle pairs that elite after-the-catch ability with a 78.0 run-blocking grade that ranks third among qualifying tight ends.

Biggest weakness: The biggest question for the 49ers is whether they'll be able to get enough from the quarterback position to win the competitive NFC West. Jimmy Garoppolo has struggled to stay healthy and earned just a 67.5 PFF grade last season while playing through injury. Trey Lance's ability as a runner would raise the floor of the offense if he does earn the starting job, but Lance has legitimate experience and accuracy concerns coming out of North Dakota State. Neither is an ideal candidate to lead a team pushing for a Super Bowl in 2021.



X factor for 2021: Dee Ford's injuries over the past two seasons have made it such that very little is expected of him in 2021. The same could have been said for Jason Verrett last offseason, and he ended up being one of San Francisco's most impactful defensive players. Ford isn't going to turn back into the player who led all edge rushers in pressures in 2018 while with Kansas City. But he can still provide some disruption as a pass-rusher if he can get back healthy and onto the field. His 19.6% pass rush win rate in limited action in 2019 led the way on a deep defensive line.

Biggest strength: Spending premium draft picks on the same position group year after year should lead to success. It doesn't always work out that way, but it certainly has for Washington's defensive line. Chase Young and Montez Sweat both graded out as top-12 edge defenders in the NFL last season. Jonathan Allen was one of the league's best interior pass-rushers in 2020, and Daron Payne remains a steady presence against the run inside. Those four, plus rotational pieces such as Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle, have developed into arguably the league's best defensive line.



Biggest weakness: The decision to release Morgan Moses opens up a potential weak spot on what appeared to be a solid offensive line. Cornelius Lucas and second-round rookie Samuel Cosmi are among the top options to fill the vacancy at right tackle. Lucas played well in 2020, earning a 78.9 overall grade across nine starts, but those nine starts represented a career high for the seven-year veteran. As for Cosmi, there are a few things he needs to clean up technically, which could lead to a slow start to his NFL career if rushed into a starting job.



X factor for 2021: Ryan Fitzpatrick's career has been a roller coaster when it comes to production. There have been more highs than lows of late, though. Fitzpatrick's past three seasons in Tampa Bay and Miami have resulted in the three highest single-season grades of his NFL career. An Alex Smith-led passing attack that targeted players short of the first-down marker a league-high 67% of the time in 2020 didn't strike fear in opposing defenses. Regression remains a possibility for Fitzpatrick, but he'll at least add more of a downfield element to this offense.

Biggest strength: The physicality that Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown and Julio Jones play with will make Tennessee's offense uniquely difficult to defend this season. Henry has racked up nearly 1,000 more rushing yards after contact than any other player in the league over the past two seasons. Brown ranks third at the wide receiver position in receiving yards after contact over that same span. And all Tennessee did this offseason was add one of the most physical receivers of the past decade to that group. PFF projects both Brown and Jones for more than 1,000 receiving yards in 2021.



Biggest weakness: Despite the offseason additions of Bud Dupree and Denico Autry, there are still questions surrounding this defensive front. The Titans finished 29th in the league in team pressure rate last season. There's no guarantee that Dupree will offer more than a healthy Jadeveon Clowney did as a pass-rusher last season, either. Clowney's 14.3% pass rush win rate was actually higher than Dupree's 13.7% rate in 2020 on a loaded Pittsburgh defense. It's a good case of an instance where the sack numbers don't tell the entire truth.



X factor for 2021: Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley was the top cornerback on PFF's draft board, edging out Pat Surtain II and Jaycee Horn, prior to the news that he underwent another back surgery leading up to the 2021 draft. Those medical concerns, coupled with the fact that he opted out of the 2020 season, opened the door for Tennessee to select him with the 22nd overall pick. If healthy, Farley could be one of the steals of the first round. He allowed just 18 of the 50 passes thrown into his coverage to be completed in 2019.

Biggest strength: Offensive linemen aren't supposed to dominate the way Quenton Nelson has to begin his NFL career. PFF's wins above replacement metric recognizes him as the most valuable offensive lineman in the league since he was drafted in 2018, beating out the likes of Zack Martin and Ryan Ramczyk. Nelson is the centerpiece of one of the better overall offensive lines after the Eric Fisher addition helped solidify the left tackle spot. Indianapolis has PFF's second-ranked offensive line entering the 2021 season behind only the Browns.



Biggest weakness: Rock Ya-Sin has struggled with up-and-down play to begin his NFL career, and last season, there were more downs than ups. Ya-Sin finished his 2020 campaign with a 48.2 coverage grade, and penalties have been an issue throughout his first two seasons. He ranks among the top 10 cornerbacks in the league in accepted penalties since 2019. No signs of improvement early this season could allow Marvell Tell III to compete for a starting job outside after opting out of the 2020 season.



X factor for 2021: Kemoko Turay got out to a tremendous start to the 2019 season, recording 14 pressures on 61 pass-rushing snaps before an ankle injury prematurely ended his year. That same ankle injury lingered into 2020. As a result, Turay was only able to play 104 snaps this past season without the same kind of explosion he showed prior to the injury. He'll have an opportunity to take on a larger role in 2021 due to the losses of Justin Houston and Denico Autry.

Biggest strength: Russell Wilson throws one of the prettiest deep balls in the NFL, and DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are two of the better receivers in the league at capitalizing on those opportunities. Since the start of the 2019 season, Wilson has connected with Metcalf on 22 passes thrown 20 or more yards downfield. Lockett follows closely behind with 18 such receptions from Wilson. Those totals rank second and fourth, respectively, among quarterback-receiver combinations over the past two years.



Biggest weakness: Seattle struggled to generate any kind of consistent pass rush without the aid of the blitz in 2020. Safety Jamal Adams was tied for the team lead in pressures (26) through 14 weeks of the regular season. The offseason additions of Kerry Hyder Jr. and Aldon Smith (who once again has off-field questions hanging over his head) aren't likely enough to flip that switch. The Seahawks need young players such as Alton Robinson and L.J. Collier to come on strong this season.



X factor for 2021: Ahkello Witherspoon has bounced between truly impressive performances and dismal showings across his first four seasons in San Francisco. He earned a 73.7 coverage grade as a rookie in 2017 only to see that grade drop to 39.8 the following season. He was playing well to start the 2019 season only to lose his job late in the year while fighting back from a foot injury. Given Seattle's cornerback depth, the decision to sign Witherspoon to a one-year deal in the hopes of a healthy and productive season seems like a worthwhile risk.

Biggest strength: There is little doubting that Pittsburgh will once again be able to generate pressure at one of the highest rates in the NFL in 2021. The Steelers led the NFL in team pressure rate last season (45.1%), and they were the only defense in the league that had multiple players generate at least 60 pressures. Each of T.J. Watt (73), Stephon Tuitt (71) and Cameron Heyward (62) reached that threshold. Opposing offenses don't have enough resources to take all of them out of the game with extra attention.



Biggest weakness: The nicest thing that you can say about the Steelers' offensive line is that it has potential. Pittsburgh will be relying heavily on inexperience up front. Chukwuma Okorafor, Kevin Dotson, Kendrick Green and Zach Banner have played a combined 248 NFL snaps at the positions they're projected to start the season at. David DeCastro's recent release following a career-low PFF grade in 2020 and the signing of Trai Turner just add more moving parts for first-year offensive line coach Adrian Klemm. Multiple players will have to develop quickly for this unit not to stand out as a weakness this season.

X factor for 2021: The offseason losses of Steven Nelson and Mike Hilton at cornerback place more pressure on Cameron Sutton to be an integral part of this secondary this season. Sutton has ranked in the 94th percentile among all cornerbacks since 2019 in coverage grade on a per-snap basis, though much of that grade stems from his work in the slot as the fourth cornerback in dime packages. Suddenly, he's the No. 2 behind Joe Haden and the favorite to start the season on the boundary.

Biggest strength: Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk form the league's top returning tackle duo. Both players play an integral role in New Orleans' rushing and passing attack. Over the past four seasons, no team in the NFL has had a higher conversion rate on runs off left or right tackle than the Saints (29.3%). Armstead and Ramczyk rank first and seventh, respectively, among all tackles in pressure rate allowed over that same time frame. It's difficult for an offensive line to fail with that kind of play at the tackle position.



Biggest weakness: The receiving depth behind Michael Thomas will likely mean that he will see 2019 levels of target share. In that 2019 season, Thomas single-handedly recorded over 50% of the team's receptions and receiving yards coming from the wide receiver and tight end positions -- a statistical outlier when comparing across the remainder of the NFL. Secondary options headlined by Tre'Quan Smith, Marquez Callaway and Adam Trautman mean a similar performance may be necessary this season.



X factor for 2021: Jameis Winston passed for 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions the last time he had a starting quarterback job. That's about as X factor as it gets. It will be interesting to see not only how coach Sean Payton integrates both Winston and Taysom Hill into this offense but also how the passing offense evolves with Winston as the projected starter. Winston led all qualifying passers in average depth of target (10.8 yards downfield) in his five seasons with the Buccaneers. Over that same stretch, the Saints' offense ranked 32nd in aDOT (7.5 yards).

Biggest strength: This offense is built to overpower teams in the run game. Their offensive line ranked third in the league last season in run-blocking grade (83.3), and the return of Trent Brown at right tackle and subsequent sliding of Mike Onwenu to left guard only adds more size to the unit. Behind that offensive line, Cam Newton's physicality as a runner is unique at the quarterback position, and Damien Harris and Sony Michel both graded well as runners last season. Harris' 86.9 rushing grade in 2020 ranked third among running backs on a limited sample.



Biggest weakness: The Patriots invested roughly $77.5 million in guaranteed money into their receiving corps this offseason, but they still are missing a true No.1 wide receiver. Nelson Agholor, Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers are among the top names on the depth chart, and all three are best suited somewhere between No. 2 and No. 3 options in an ideal world. Expect plenty of heavy personnel groupings featuring Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry at tight end.



X factor for 2021: Linebacker Kyle Van Noy had a breakthrough in his career with the Patriots in 2019, earning a career-high 84.2 PFF grade in his first year playing almost exclusively on the edge and getting after the quarterback on passing downs. He saw a much more even split between pass-rushing and coverage snaps last season in Miami, and the result was a 61.9 overall grade and surprise cut this offseason. A return to his 2019 role and form would give a nice boost to this defense, which struggled last season.

Biggest strength: The Giants have thrown resources at their secondary over the past several seasons. They've added James Bradberry, Adoree' Jackson and Logan Ryan via free agency. Xavier McKinney, Julian Love and Darnay Holmes have been drafted to their ranks. Jabrill Peppers was included in the Odell Beckham Jr. trade two offseasons ago. The result is a unit that has an opportunity to be a top-five secondary in the league this season. New York's newest addition, Jackson, earned a career-high 82.5 coverage grade in 2019 before missing much of last season with injury.



Biggest weakness: As a franchise, you always want to put your young quarterback in a position to succeed early in his NFL career. The Giants have at least added playmakers such as Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney to Jones' receiving corps this offseason, but the offensive line remains an area of concern. Andrew Thomas was the only projected starter on the unit to earn a PFF grade above 60.0 on at least 200 snaps last season. And he was still a bottom-10 graded left tackle in the league. New York needs big leaps from several of their younger players there.



X factor for 2021: Azeez Ojulari, a rookie out of Georgia, has an opportunity to assuage some of the concerns regarding the edge defender talent on this defense. The Giants' top four pressure producers a season ago all played on the interior. That is unusual, to say the least. Ojulari will look to change that. He showed arguably the best cornering ability in this draft class and earned a 91.7 pass-rushing grade for the Bulldogs in 2020.

Biggest strength: First-year head coach Brandon Staley was able to work with two of the best defenders in the NFL last season. He won't have Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey with the Chargers, but Joey Bosa and a healthy Derwin James Jr. are about as close as Staley could have gotten in terms of elite defensive line and secondary talent. Bosa's 22.0% pass rush win rate since entering the league in 2016 is second in the NFL to Donald, and James earned 80-plus PFF grades as a run defender, pass-rusher and coverage defender across multiple alignments as a rookie in 2018. (James was limited to five games across 2019 and 2020.)



Biggest weakness: For as good as the high-end talent is on this defense, Los Angeles does have some question marks behind the likes of Bosa and James on the depth chart. Can Uchenna Nwosu fill the shoes of Melvin Ingram III after playing fewer than 400 defensive snaps in each of his first three seasons? Can Jerry Tillery, who was the third-lowest-graded edge defender in the NFL in 2020, take a step forward? Can Chris Harris Jr. stay healthy and regain his earlier career form? The Chargers are banking on a lot of those answers being yes.



X factor for 2021: The offensive line has been a sore subject in Los Angeles for years. Philip Rivers and now Justin Herbert have been able to work around a group that offered little resistance to opposing pass rushes, but that kind of play under pressure is difficult to maintain. Hopefully, Herbert won't be forced to make magic happen under duress quite as often in 2021. The offseason additions of Rashawn Slater, Corey Linsley, Matt Feiler and Oday Aboushi leave this unit in a much better spot. Linsley was PFF's highest-graded center last season and is an ideal anchor for the group.

Biggest strength: Kyler Murray has given the Cardinals one of the most efficient rushing attacks in the NFL despite not possessing an elite offensive line or running back. Since 2019, Arizona ranks third in expected points added per run play behind only Baltimore and Tennessee. Murray's speed and the attention that defenses have to pay him on read options is a big part of that success. And that doesn't even factor in the danger Murray poses as a scrambler. His 427 rushing yards on scrambles last season were fewer than only Russell Wilson's.

Biggest weakness: This cornerback group does not match up with a Vance Joseph defense that played more Cover 1 than any other unit in the NFL last season, per PFF's charting. The talent just isn't there for that kind of scheme. Malcolm Butler is the clear top option, coming off a 75.8 coverage grade in 2020 with Tennessee, but it's reasonable to expect some decline at 31 years old. Robert Alford hasn't played since the 2018 season due to injury, and the next two boundary cornerbacks on the depth chart are Day 3 selections in the 2021 NFL draft: Marco Wilson and Tay Gowan.

X factor for 2021: Any discussion about J.J. Watt's decline has been overblown. He's certainly not the same game-wrecker that brought home three Defensive Player of the Year trophies in four years from 2012 to 2015, but Watt has still been one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL for Houston over the past three seasons. He ranked third in PFF's wins above replacement metric at the edge defender position in 2020, behind only T.J. Watt and Khalil Mack. Watt should have an impact both on the interior and edge for the Cardinals in 2021.

Biggest strength: Xavien Howard is coming off a tremendous 2020 season in which he had a legitimate argument for being named Defensive Player of the Year. His 20 combined pass breakups and interceptions last season weren't an aberration, either. In fact, 18.7% of Howard's targets have resulted in a pass breakup or interception since 2016, leading all cornerbacks who were targeted at least 150 times over that stretch. He and Byron Jones give Brian Flores one of the league's best cornerback duos.



Biggest weakness: The Dolphins will once again be heavily reliant on youth along the offensive line. Austin Jackson (37th-highest grade at left tackle), Solomon Kindley (38th at right guard) and Robert Hunt (20th at right tackle) all had shaky stretches as rookies last season. Now the Dolphins could be turning to another rookie at right tackle (Liam Eichenberg) and a new addition at center (Matt Skura) alongside that youth. A lot is riding on those young offensive linemen developing quickly, including Tua Tagovailoa's future.



X factor for 2021: Miami has speed to burn following the offseason additions of William Fuller V in free agency and Jaylen Waddle early in the 2021 NFL draft. Those two obviously add a vertical dimension to this offense, but their speed and ability to separate should also provide more open targets over the middle of the field for Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa's 67.9% completion percentage on throws between the numbers last season ranked 30th among 32 qualifiers ahead of only Drew Lock and Carson Wentz.

Biggest strength: Khalil Mack's 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons aren't even a top-10 mark in the league. As a result, many would say he has fallen off a bit. That isn't even remotely the case. Since joining the Bears in 2018, Mack's 92.5 PFF grade ranks No. 1 among all qualifying edge defenders. Looking only at last season, Mack was the most valuable edge defender in the league, according to PFF WAR, edging out T.J. Watt, J.J. Watt and Joey Bosa. Mack is still the gold standard at the position.



Biggest weakness: Chicago's decision to release Kyle Fuller puts pressure on Jaylon Johnson to play with more consistency this season. Johnson's 19.4% forced incompletion rate as a rookie ranked third among all cornerbacks who saw at least 50 targets. But those highs did come with some lows. Johnson allowed over 14 yards per reception into his coverage and ended the year with a 54.9 overall grade. The other projected outside starter, Desmond Trufant, is coming off two consecutive injury-impacted seasons, the second of which led to a 38.4 overall grade in Detroit.



X factor for 2021: Chicago has come away from each of the past three seasons at 8-8 or better despite bottom-of-the-barrel play at the quarterback position. Justin Fields has the chance to change all of that. Fields earned 90-plus PFF grades in each of the past two seasons as Ohio State's starter, and he was the most accurate college quarterback that PFF has charted since that process began several years ago. Allen Robinson II may finally have an above-average quarterback delivering him the football in 2021.

Biggest strength: Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase's connection in 2019 at LSU, particularly on deep balls, was special. Chase caught 24 of 36 passes in which Burrow targeted him 20 or more yards downfield that year. Fourteen of those receptions were touchdowns. As a rookie last season, Burrow completed just nine of 48 passes 20 or more yards downfield overall. Cincinnati will be hoping that an NFL reunion between Burrow and Chase will help solve some of those deep passing woes. Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd are one of the league's better wide receiver trios on paper.



Biggest weakness: The Bengals' offensive line should be better in 2021 than it was last season. But that isn't a high bar to clear. There are still legitimate reasons for concern on the interior offensive line in Cincinnati. Second-round rookie Jackson Carman, Quinton Spain, Xavier Su'a-Filo and Michael Jordan are among the team's top options at guard. The last three combined for a 55.7 PFF grade last season with the Bengals, while Carman will be transitioning from left tackle at Clemson to right guard in the NFL.



X factor for 2021: Cincinnati handed out sizable offseason contracts to both D.J. Reader and Trae Waynes last offseason. The two combined for 259 defensive snaps (all by Reader) due to injury. Reader took a clear step forward in his career with Houston in 2019 (85.4 PFF grade), and Waynes earned overall grades of at least 66.0 in each of his final three seasons with the Vikings -- a solid mark at the cornerback position. Healthy returns for those two veterans should bring a steadying presence to this defense.

Biggest strength: There is plenty of reason for positivity surrounding the receiving corps in Atlanta, even after trading away Julio Jones. Calvin Ridley showed last season that he could be a legitimate No. 1 option when Jones missed time with injury. His 2.44 receiving yards per route run in 2020 ranked seventh among qualifying wide receivers. Rookie tight end Kyle Pitts should add a different element to the passing attack, as well. He dominated as a receiver from multiple alignments at Florida last season, earning a 96.2 PFF grade on the year.

Biggest weakness: The Falcons allowed 7.0 yards per pass play last season. Only the Jaguars and Lions allowed more on average. Atlanta struggled to generate a consistent pass rush without the aid of the blitz, and its young secondary was beaten with regularity in coverage. From a personnel perspective, it's tough to see that getting much better in 2021. Notable offseason additions on defense, such as Richie Grant and Duron Harmon, merely offset the losses of Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen. Dean Pees has his work cut out for him in his first year as defensive coordinator.



X factor for 2021: Dante Fowler Jr. came nowhere close to living up to the three-year, $45 million contract he signed with Atlanta prior to last season. Coming off a career-high 72.0 PFF grade and 67 pressures with the Rams in 2019, Fowler recorded a grade of just 49.9 with Atlanta last season. His pressure rate fell from 14.0% in 2019 to 7.8% in 2020 (seventh-lowest among edge defenders with at least 300 pass-rushing snaps). The Falcons need a bounce-back season from him.

Biggest strength: Darren Waller has at least earned a spot at the table in the conversation for league's best tight end with his play over the past two seasons. Since 2019, Waller has more contested catches (27) and receiving yards after the catch (1,188) than any other tight end in the NFL. He ranks second to only Travis Kelce in receptions of at least 15 yards over that same stretch (55). The missed time from George Kittle last season due to injury plays a part in some of those ranks, but Waller has been nothing short of elite.

Biggest weakness: Despite countless efforts to improve the unit through the draft in recent years, Las Vegas still projects to have one of the worst secondaries in the NFL. The Raiders need to see improvement from several former first-round picks -- notably Johnathan Abram and Damon Arnette -- under first-year defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. Abram was PFF's lowest-graded safety in 2020, and Arnette didn't fare much better at cornerback (sixth-lowest overall grade) in his rookie season.



X factor for 2021: Cory Littleton was supposed to highlight Las Vegas' linebacker group after the Raiders signed him to a three-year, $35.25 million contract last offseason. Instead, he was thoroughly outplayed by Nick Kwiatkoski and Nicholas Morrow in a disappointing 2020 debut with the team. Littleton ranked in the 99th percentile of all off-ball linebackers in coverage grade during his final two seasons with the Rams, and the former undrafted free agent getting back to that form would go a long way towards the Raiders turning things around defensively.

Biggest strength: Brian Burns doesn't quite get mentioned among the NFL's elite edge rushers yet, but he was just that last season for Carolina. Burns finished in the 92nd percentile among all edge defenders in pass-rushing grade last season. He ranked even higher than that when looking at what PFF calls "true pass-rushing snaps," eliminating plays such as screens, play-action, designed rollouts, etc. On a defensive line that has several younger players looking for 2021 breakouts, Burns appears to be someone that the Panthers can rely on to pressure opposing quarterbacks.



Biggest weakness: The left side of Carolina's offensive line has the potential to be a mess. The Panthers brought in Cameron Erving and Pat Elflein in free agency to compete for the left tackle and left guard jobs, respectively. The only problem with that strategy is that Elflein and Erving both find themselves among the five lowest-graded offensive linemen in the league over the past three seasons. Carolina needs former BYU standout Brady Christensen to take control of one of those jobs, but it remains to be seen if he can stick at tackle with 32.25-inch arms.



X factor for 2021: The Panthers took a risk by deciding to pass on the quarterbacks in this year's draft class in favor of Sam Darnold. Darnold has graded out as one of the league's worst quarterbacks in a Jets offense that did him no favors over the first three seasons of his career. In fact, Darnold has been the lowest-graded starting quarterback (63.1) in the NFL since 2018. But there is a reason that the 24-year old was taken No. 3 overall back in the 2018 NFL draft. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady will look to uncover that talent again in a more stable offensive environment this season.

Biggest strength: Generally, a rookie quarterback who was selected with the first overall pick isn't provided with much help offensively. That won't be the case for Trevor Lawrence. DJ Chark Jr., Laviska Shenault Jr. and Collin Johnson all earned receiving grades of at least 70.0 in 2020 and should only improve. Marvin Jones Jr. has profiled as a solid complementary target for the better part of the past decade and gives Lawrence someone who he can trust in 50-50 situations. Lawrence has an exciting young group of playmakers to grow alongside him, extending to James Robinson and Travis Etienne at running back.



Biggest weakness: Jacksonville added depth to its defensive line this offseason, but there aren't many quality starters up front for that depth to fill in behind. Roy Robertson-Harris, Malcom Brown, Jay Tufele, Jihad Ward, Adam Gotsis, DaVon Hamilton, Taven Bryan and Doug Costin are among the names competing for a starting job. Bryan's PFF grade of 75.5 in 2019 is the highest mark of any player from that group over the past three seasons, and he has been mentioned as a cut candidate this offseason.

X factor for 2021: The Jaguars gave K'Lavon Chaisson the opportunity to develop with meaningful snaps as a rookie last season, even though he was relatively raw coming out of LSU. He did show signs of improvement as a pass-rusher late in the year. Chaisson recorded 19 of his 29 pressures on the season in Jacksonville's final five games. That kind of consistent pressure opposite Josh Allen will be needed on a defensive front that isn't loaded with disruptive presences.

Biggest strength: Over the past three seasons, Philadelphia's defense trails only the Steelers in team pressure rate (39.5%) despite ranking just 29th in blitz rate (20.2%). Their defensive line is fully capable of generating pressure on its own, and that shouldn't change this season. Javon Hargrave's addition gave the Eagles another legitimate pass-rushing threat next to Fletcher Cox. Hargrave ranks in the 95th percentile of qualifying interior defenders in pass rush win rate since 2019.



Biggest weakness: The Eagles ranked third in pressure rate as a defense in 2020 but just 21st in average yards allowed per pass play. As you can probably guess, that's because they fielded one of the NFL's worst secondaries. Things aren't looking much better in that regard for 2021, either. Avonte Maddox, fresh off a 37.1 coverage grade in 2020, is still the team's No.2 cornerback behind Darius Slay. Philadelphia will also be relying on starter contributions from either fourth-round rookie Zech McPhearson or an unproven player such as Craig James or Michael Jacquet.



X factor for 2021: Size be damned. DeVonta Smith couldn't be covered in the SEC or on the game's biggest stage last season at Alabama. He went from averaging an already impressive 3.5 yards per route run in 2019 alongside three other first-round talents to averaging an otherworldly 4.4 yards per route run in 2020. Smith now has the opportunity to elevate the league's lowest-graded wide receiver unit since 2018 as a member of the Eagles. PFF projects Philadelphia's first-round pick for 60 receptions this season.

Biggest strength: New York has quietly put together a top-10 defensive line entering the 2021 season. Carl Lawson and Quinnen Williams project to be the stars of the unit, but the Jets have several impressive complementary pieces up front, as well. Folorunso Fatukasi is the NFL's third-highest-graded interior defender against the run over the last two seasons, and John Franklin-Myers, who could be transitioning to more of an edge role this season, ranked fourth among all interior defenders in pass rush win rate during the 2020 season.

Biggest weakness: Jets cornerbacks collectively allowed a 71.8% completion rate on throws into their coverage last season, which ranked 31st among cornerback groups across the NFL. The only additions to that unit came in the form of Day 3 draft picks, and New York's most productive cornerback (Brian Poole) remains a free agent. The Jets are banking on significant improvements from multiple young and unheralded cornerbacks in Robert Saleh's first season as head coach.



X factor for 2021: Former Titans wide receiver Corey Davis is coming off a career year in 2020. His 2.58 receiving yards per route run were more than a yard higher than his 2019 average, and he finished the year as a top-10 wide receiver by PFF grade (85.3). The question now becomes whether he's able to maintain that level of play as the No. 1 option on an offense that doesn't feature other elite talents such as A.J. Brown and Derrick Henry.

Biggest strength: The Lions have made it clear that they plan to build through the trenches, and they're off to a good start along the offensive line. Frank Ragnow projects as one of the best centers in the NFL this season, coming off a career-high 80.3 overall grade in 2020, but rookie right tackle Penei Sewell has the potential to be the best offensive lineman in this starting five. Sewell ended his 2019 true sophomore season at Oregon with a 95.8 PFF grade, which was higher than any offensive lineman in the PFF college era at the time.



Biggest weakness: While the offensive line is in good shape for new starting quarterback Jared Goff, his pass-catching options leave a lot to be desired. Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman are the top two wide receivers on Detroit's depth chart. Both entered the league in 2015, but they've combined for just one season with at least 750 receiving yards (Williams in 2016) in the six years since. Anthony Lynn's offense could employ a run-heavy approach to work around that group this season.



X factor for 2021: Jeff Okudah was supposed to be one of the prospects in last year's draft class who was too good to fail. The size, athletic traits and production were all near-ideal coming out of Ohio State. Yet Okudah struggled as a rookie. His 2.3 yards allowed per coverage snap were the most of any qualifying cornerback in the NFL last season, and he had issues through injuries and Matt Patricia's defensive scheme en route to a 30.9 coverage grade. The talent is still there. The Lions are just hoping it starts to show in 2021.

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