22. Atlanta Falcons
Like the aforementioned Carolina Panthers, the Atlanta Falcons could benefit this season from the AFC South suddenly having two powerhouses leave. Sean Payton exiting as head coach of the Saints and Tom Brady retiring as Tampa Bay’s quarterback could open things up for the Falcons.
Then again, this team has a pretty rough roster. They do have Matt Ryan who can still play at a decent level and tight end Kyle Pitts could be one of the best in the game pretty soon. But their offensive line is a mess, their defense is bad, and their best player was a journeyman running back/wide receiver in Cordarrelle Patterson last season.
Throw in the fact that Ryan has the largest cap hit in the history of the NFL and this team isn’t getting better without a lot of work.
21. Minnesota Vikings
Kevin O’Connell left the Green Bay Packers and joined one of their top rivals as he’s now the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. He will have a huge task ahead of him as he tries to catch up to his old club and the Vikings will also need to figure out what to do under center.
Kirk Cousins has a massive cap hit this season and O’Connell seemed to waver on him recently, despite originally saying he was their guy.
There are some reasons for trying to improve upon the quarterback situation but with a less-than-stellar class this season, there might not be too many better options out there.