The New England Patriots, fresh off their amazing comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, enter the offseason in such good shape from a roster standpoint that it can only lead to more envy from the rest of the NFL.
How do they do it?
They do it with a wizard in coach Bill Belichick, who knows how to finagle a roster and the salary cap, coupled with quarterback Tom Brady covering up any roster limitations with his status as the game's greatest of all time.
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Biggest Movers
6
Cardinals
6
Bills
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The roster shuffling by this team is unreal. They let key players go and still win. It's a work of art. | -- | ||
2 | They will have two new coordinators in 2017, which is always a challenge. But the pieces are there to push for the NFC title again. | 1 | ||
3 | They have to get better on defense if they are to be a Super Bowl team again. They also have to run it better. | 4 | ||
4 | They have to figure out what to do with Tony Romo. They also have to find a pass rush. | 2 | ||
5 | The young defense improved as the season moved along, which is a good sign for 2017. | 1 | ||
6 | One can only imagine what could have happened if Derek Carr didn't go down. Now they have to build on that season. | 3 | ||
7 | Is age and salary cap limitations starting to impact this team? Is the window closing? | 1 | ||
8 | The defense made big strides in 2016. Now the offense needs to get back to being consistent -- and they have to run it better. | -- | ||
9 | They have some key free-agent decisions on safety Eric Berry and nose tackle Dontari Poe coming up. | 4 | ||
10 | The new staff, led by coach Vance Joseph, has to settle on a quarterback if indeed they are staying in-house. Why not Tony Romo? | 2 | ||
11 | Dirk Koetter did a nice job in his first season. Now they just need to add some pieces on defense and they can be a playoff team. | 3 | ||
12 | It's all about the health of quarterback Ryan Tannehill. If he's ready to go, they can again be a playoff team. They do need help on defense. | 2 | ||
13 | If they are to push for more than a playoff spot, two things have to get better: Pass rush on defense and running the football on offense. | 2 | ||
14 | There is a young foundation to build on for this team. They have a key free agent in nose Brandon Williams. | 1 | ||
15 | Is Brock Osweiler the guy in 2017? Or do they make a run at Romo? | -- | ||
16 | They were at top-10 team in both offense and defense last season and failed to make the playoffs. They will be a playoff contender again with Carson Palmer back. | 6 | ||
17 | They will again be a tough, physical team, but are they explosive enough on offense to win in this wide-open NFL? | 1 | ||
18 | It's an offseason all about Kirk Cousins. Does he get a long-term deal or is it another year playing under the franchise tag? | 1 | ||
19 | They had a major Super Bowl hangover, but they will bounce back in 2017. One problem: The division is a lot tougher now. | 4 | ||
20 | Chuck Pagano is back as coach, but there's a new general manager in Chris Ballard. That means Pagano has to win in 2017. | 2 | ||
21 | Injuries crippled them last season, so getting players back will be big. They have questions about quarterback Teddy Bridgewater -- who reportedly could miss the entire 2017 season -- and running back Adrian Peterson (salary). | 2 | ||
22 | They got off to a bad start last season and never recovered. I would expect them to bounce back. | 2 | ||
23 | They're in a new city (Los Angeles), led by a new coach (Anthony Lynn) but still have the same quarterback (Philip Rivers), with the latter a good thing. They lost a lot of close games last season. | 2 | ||
24 | Drew Brees and Sean Payton are both back, which Saints fans have to love. Now it's time for the duo to make another playoff push. | 3 | ||
25 | They have to be encouraged by what they saw from rookie Carson Wentz last season. He does need more weapons. | 1 | ||
26 | Who plays quarterback for new coach Sean McDermott? Is Cardale Jones the guy? Is he close to being ready? | 6 | ||
27 | Here's yet another team that has nothing settled at quarterback. Until they fix it, nothing else matters. | -- | ||
28 | I like new coach Sean McVay, but he has to make the offense to a much higher level. Jared Goff has a long way to go. | -- | ||
29 | Do they make the big play to get Jimmy Garoppolo to play quarterback? John Fox is clearly on the hot seat entering the coming season. | -- | ||
30 | The biggest question is the dynamic inside the building: How can Tom Coughlin and Doug Marrone co-exist? | -- | ||
31 | New coach Kyle Shanahan faces a tough challenge in 2017. Who plays quarterback? | -- | ||
32 | There are some young players to build around. One problem: They don't have a quarterback. Is this the team that trades for Garoppolo? | -- |