Post-free agency 2021 NFL Power Rankings: Browns on rise, Raiders cratering

After losing Curtis Samuel, the Carolina Panthers passing attack looks a lot less frightening. They also need to improve their running back depth after losing Mike Davis in free agency. On top of that, the San Francisco 49ers moving up in the draft could mean they need to stick with Teddy Bridgewater as the starting quarterback for at least one more season.

On defense, they added Haason Reddick and Denzel Perryman in the offseason to revamp their linebacking corps. Having said that, they don’t appear to be drastically better than they were in 2020.

Somehow the Chicago Bears made the postseason in 2020 despite their inability to decide between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles — and the rollercoaster of win and loss streaks. They finally decided to make a call on their quarterback, going with Andy Dalton as the starter next season.

Dalton has had plenty of success in the NFL but he didn’t get it done with the Cowboys last season, a team that had more weapons than the Bears do. You could also say that the offensive line in Dallas was a mess due to injuries so 2020 wasn’t a fair assessment of Dalton.

What you can’t say, is that this offense is going to keep any defensive coordinators up at night trying to figure out a game plan.