As the draft sets to begin this week, let’s take a look back at the 2022 NFL offseason and find the three teams who had it a bit rough.
The 2022 NFL Draft is soon upon us, as teams put the finishing touches on their draft boards and perhaps finalize some of their free agent contracts. This offseason was one of the more wild and active ones in recent memory.
When was the last time this many teams genuinely got better? A few teams added legitimate quarterbacks, while others spend a ton of money improving one or both sides of the ball.
Unprecedented trades occurred, and insane contracts were handed out.
While it was a great time for many teams, a few others did not do quite as well.
This always occurs, though. While many teams do indeed “win” the offseason, many others “lose” it as well.
It’s easy to see who has won the offseason thus far. Both the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers have had exceptional offseason periods.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams have done very well themselves.
However, there are three teams who have earned the not-so-great “losers of the NFL offseason” award for 2022.
So, who could those teams be?
Three teams that lost 2022 NFL offseason
1. Chicago Bears
My goodness, what in the heck are the Bears trying to do here? Firstly, new general manager Ryan Poles makes an incredibly bland hire in Matt Eberflus.
Then, he proceeds to somehow get worse on paper as the offseason programs kicked off.
He let their best offensive lineman in James Daniels go to the Steelers for just $8 million in guarantees, and signed a bunch of low-end WR3s to “help” Justin Fields.
Not to mention his offensive line additions, which included fringe starter Lucas Patrick and backup lineman Dakota Dozier.
To put the cherry on top, he traded Khalil Mack away, only getting 2nd and 6th round picks back in the process.
It was a puzzling offseason from the beginning for Ryan Poles and the Bears. To make matters worse, the Bears only have six picks in the draft, and they don’t pick until 39th overall.
I’m not entirely sure if there even is much of a plan to help Justin Fields develop. Unless something drastic changes, Fields is going to be throwing to Darnell Mooney and a bunch of deck furniture and lawn chairs and is going to play behind an offensive line made of gator skin dodgeballs and bubblegum.
I’m not trying to sound arrogant, I just genuinely have no clue what the Bears did here. It was an awful offseason from the very beginning. To be fair, though, Ryan Poles is a new GM and could still redeem himself with future moves in future years.
Three teams that lost the 2022 NFL offseason
2. Dallas Cowboys
Just when things were beginning to look up, the Dallas Cowboys yet again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. They went 12-5 in 2021 with a much-improved defense but lost in the first round of the playoffs.
However, their improvement from 2020 to 2021 was noticeable, and Dak Prescott was on fire.
Going into this offseason was bringing some unavoidable changes, but it seems like the Cowboys could have prevented some of this mess.
They were able to re-sign Michael Gallup, but traded Amari Cooper and got virtually nothing for it.
They released La’el Collins and weren’t able to bring back Connor Williams, so their usually top-tier offensive line needs work.
They apparently had an agreement in place with Randy Gregory, but because of language in the contract, Gregory’s side didn’t want to go through with the deal, so he signed with Denver.
Dallas was able to re-sign some of their own players, but their losses greatly outweigh any gains they made.
It was a puzzling offseason for a team that is playing in a very winnable division, with by far the best quarterback of the teams.
The NFC is also wide open, so I’m not sure why the Cowboys didn’t do more to try and retain some of the players that they lost to free agency.
Now, I’m not so sure Dallas is even going to win the NFC East this year. Frankly, I might give the Commanders the nod for 2022.
Because of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons, Dallas is still going to be competitive, but it’s clear their roster got significantly worse in the past few months.
Three teams that lost the 2022 NFL offseason
3. Green Bay Packers
I think the common thought with the Packers this offseason is a positive one because they were able to keep Aaron Rodgers.
However, I don’t think that’s the case. Sure, Rodgers is going to finish his career in Green Bay, but there were a few ripple effects because of that.
Rodgers is getting roughly $150 million over the next three seasons, which makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history.
But because of that, their offseason moves were a tab bit limited.
Davante Adams was traded to the Raiders, and the Packers were only able to get a first and second-round pick in return.
They also had to release Za’Darius Smith, one of their best defensive players. They weren’t able to retain two key players on the offensive line in Billy Turner and Lucas Patrick, who both signed with new clubs.
The Packers now have a need up front on defense and a severe need in their receiver room, where Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard, and Sammy Watkins are currently leading the way.
They also have a bit of a large need along their offensive line, as well.
Hopefully, both Elgton Jenkins and David Bakhtiari can return to form, but outside of them, there might need to be some quality reinforcements.
I think if the Packers were in the AFC, they’d be a fringe playoff team, but because they’re in the NFC and the incredibly weak NFC North, they’ll yet again win double-digit games and the division.
Part of me thinks that was a huge reason why Aaron Rodgers decided to stay. Green Bay has an easy road to a top-four seed in the NFC playoffs, and both Rodgers and the less competitive NFC can help cover up some of Green Bay’s needs.