NFL Uniforms: One change every team should make

No NFL uniforms are perfect and these are changes all 32 teams should make.

Nothing’s ever perfect, and that’s especially the case when it comes to some of these NFL uniforms. On the other hand, some are nearly there; they just need a little tweaking. After years of complaining to no one, I’ve decided to finally air out my grievances with certain NFL uniforms. And yes, it was easier for some (looking at you, Rams). A few quick guidelines before we embark:

• The changes I make are only to current uniforms. I’m not bringing back old ones. (Though some teams definitely should, like the Giants.)
• No making one look permanent. It’s not about changing entire uniforms, I’m just tweaking current ones.
• “Everything” doesn’t count. Again, there’s a couple of teams that should scrap everything, but that’s an easy way out. I live for the details.

For part one of this five-part series, check out NFL uniforms in Super Bowls, and for part two, check out each team’s best uniform last season.

AFC East uniform changes

Buffalo Bills: Change Gray Facemasks

This will be the most common change suggested, so I thought I’d get its explanation out of the way. Sure, gray facemasks are a nod to the past, but there’s no reason for a random color to be in a team’s uniform. For example, the Bills have no gray anywhere in their logo nor the rest of their uniform.

The gray just looks like someone didn’t know what they were doing. A white facemask or even a blue one would look much better. Please, end unnecessary gray facemasks.

Miami Dolphins: Replace Shoulder Logo With Stripes

There are a few reasons why the team’s throwback uniforms are better than their normal ones. One of them is the addition of stripes along the shoulders. Once a prominent staple of the uniforms, the stripes were slowly whittled down until they were gone entirely by 2013.

Of course, even the minimal usage of stripes in the post-Dan Marino look wasn’t enough. The stripes not only would add some flavor to the team’s jerseys, but they’d match with the team’s reformed, more classic numbers, too.

New York Jets: Add Trim

Surprisingly enough, I had trouble thinking of some improvements for the Jets’ uniforms, which they thankfully unveiled prior to last season. One detail that could slightly improve the look is adding a trim around the shoulder and pants stripes. That way, the design would be consistent with the rest of the jersey.

For example, the white away uniforms feature black outlines on the green numbers and letters. Normally, I’d demand a team wears their actual logo on their helmet, but New York’s choice is fine.

New England Patriots: Change Color of Away Shoulder Stripes

It’s tough to judge uniforms that haven’t seen the field yet. In-studio photoshoots and 3D mockups don’t always accurately depict how the uniforms look on the field. Sometimes, they look much better in a game than a uniform unveiling, and sometimes they don’t. However, I’ve seen enough of these new Patriots uniforms — which were an upgrade over their previous look — to know that those shoulder stripes on the white jerseys are way too much.

The red sticks out like a sore thumb; it looks like someone stuck duct tape on the shoulders. Perhaps changing the navy to white or switching the navy and red would alleviate some of the contrasting colors.