1 intriguing addition each AFC team has made this offseason

*So far* this offseason, anyway.

As the end of March approaches, the NFL will turn its full attention to the draft and all the exhausting discourse that comes along with it. Until then, the league still has other things on its mind, such as new rules and the always anticipated coaches photo.

Free agency is still going on too, even if the action has died down considerably here in the second wave. Enough moves have been made at this point that I feel confident in weighing in on the players I’m most interested to see in their new homes. 

On that note, I decided to highlight one intriguing addition each team has made so far this offseason, either via a signing or trade. These players aren’t necessarily the best addition — though some of them are — but the ones I’ll be watching closely to see what kind of impact they make in 2024. 

Per usual, I have to break this kind of topic into two different newsletters because otherwise it’d be a novella. I’m starting with the AFC, and I’ll follow up with the NFC later this week.

Baltimore Ravens: RB Derrick Henry

The Ravens didn’t bring on many new faces (and lost quite a few players in free agency). Even if they had, though, I probably still would have chosen Derrick Henry here. Despite his age (30) and heavy usage in his career (2,030 carries), Henry is an exciting back to pair with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. 

Henry is a powerful, and more importantly for the Ravens, durable workhorse. His numbers dipped a bit in his final season with the Titans — 68.6 yards per game, 4.2 yards per carry — but that could easily be attributable to his shoddy offensive line and Tenneesse’s bland offense. Henry continues to be a beast in yards after contact, and I don’t think we’ll see his age catch up to him just yet. The biggest question is how the Ravens will tweak their offense to get the most out of the Jackson-Henry duo. 

Buffalo Bills: WR Curtis Samuel 

As he heads into his eighth season in the NFL, Curtis Samuel remains more potential than a consistent performer. I chalk that up to a combination of bad injury luck and the crappy offenses that he was mostly stuck with in Carolina and then Washington. His best year came with the Panthers in 2020, when he hit career highs in receptions (77), receiving yards (851), carries (41), rushing yards (200), and yards from scrimmage (1,051). Now he’ll be reunited with his offensive coordinator from that season: Joe Brady, who knows how to properly utilize Samuel’s skills. 

And no offense to Teddy Bridgewater, who was Samuel’s main QB in 2020, or late-career Cam Newton, but the current version of Josh Allen will be better than any other quarterback that Samuel has played with in the NFL. The Bills have other weapons who will get the ball more than Samuel, such as Stefon Diggs, James Cook, and Khalil Shakir. However, he’s a more versatile option for Allen and is also a step up from Gabe Davis, who joined the Jaguars during free agency.

Cincinnati Bengals: S Geno Stone

Last March, the Bengals took a risk by letting their two very good starting safeties — Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell — walk in free agency. That didn’t work out so well. As such, one of their main goals during this year’s free agency period was to boost their secondary. Not only did they bring back Bell, but they also poached Geno Stone from the division rival Ravens. 

(So with one move, Cincinnati got better and Baltimore got worse. I guess you could say it’s like killing two birds with … one Stone.)

Stone has improved in each of his four seasons, and broke out in a big way last year with seven interceptions, including a game-changing pick against Joe Burrow in Week 2. Still only 24 years old, Stone could continue to improve, especially alongside the veteran Bell and under Bengals DC Lou Anarumo’s tutelage. 

Cleveland Browns: WR Jerry Jeudy

The Browns didn’t make many additions to a roster that made the playoffs despite starting five different quarterbacks last season. Funnily enough, two of their new players are QBs (Jameis Winston and Tyler Huntley). Based on Deshaun Watson’s injury history, it’s likely that one or both of them will start at some point in 2024, but I decided to go with a different position with this pick. 

A couple of years ago, Cleveland traded for a former Alabama receiver who was looking to bounce back after a down season. That move was a success. Amari Cooper grabbed a career-high nine touchdowns in 2022 and then totaled a personal-best 1,250 receiving yards in 2023. Now they’re hoping to pull off the same magic with another former Alabama receiver, Jerry Jeudy. 

Of course, Cooper was already a highly regarded receiver in the NFL before he came to Cleveland. He had made four Pro Bowls between stints with the Raiders and Cowboys. Jeudy led the Broncos in receiving in two of his four seasons, but he hasn’t quite lived up to his hype as a first-round pick. The Browns are betting as much as $58 million that Jeudy can thrive next to Cooper and finally have his breakout season.

Denver Broncos: S Brandon Jones

The pickings were particularly slim with this one. Brandon Jones is one of just a few new free agents that the Broncos signed this month. (Remember, they have to pay Russell Wilson $53 million this year alone to not play for them.) Still, he finds himself in an interesting situation. 

Before the new league year, Denver surprisingly released longtime safety Justin Simmons. Jones, who is younger and cheaper, is expected to slide into Simmons’ starting spot in the secondary, where he will reunite with a couple of former Texas teammates. That group has the tall task of living up to Simmons’ strong play. But Jones was a solid player with the Dolphins and should adapt well to Vance Joseph’s defense. 

Houston Texans: LB Azeez Al-Shaair 

It was tough to narrow it down to just one addition for the Texans, who had an impressive free agency haul. I decided to go with Azeez Al-Shaair because he’s more of an unknown than Danielle Hunter and Denico Autry. Well, to NFL fans, anyway. Houston’s head coach is quite familiar with Al-Shaair. 

DeMeco Ryans was Al-Shaair’s position coach and then defensive coordinator with the 49ers, and he saw firsthand how the linebacker went from an undrafted free agent to a key rotational piece for San Francisco’s defense. Last year, Al-Shaair was a full-time starter with the Titans and led the team with a franchise-record 163 tackles and 71 run stops. Now that he’s back with Ryans, Al-Shaair could be on the verge of becoming a household name. 

Indianapolis Colts: QB Joe Flacco

The Colts were another team that prioritized re-signing their own players, leaving me with not much choice of who to highlight here. At first glance, Joe Flacco doesn’t seem like the ideal backup for Anthony Richardson, who is much, much more mobile than Flacco. Yet Flacco could be valuable to Richardson in a different way. Specifically, the vet plans to help the 21-year-old QB with the mental part of the game.

Richardson’s rookie season was cut short due to a shoulder injury, but he showed promise in his first four games. Flacco can help Richardson continue his development and, if needed, fill in as the starter as he did for the Browns last year.

Jacksonville Jaguars: DT Arik Armstead

Due to salary cap reasons, the 49ers moved on from their longest-tenured player, Arik Armstead, before the new league year. Armstead quickly reunited with Trent Baalke, the GM who drafted him in 2015 and is now in charge of the Jaguars’ front office. 

Armstead brings much-needed experience and a pass-rushing interior presence to Jacksonville’s defensive line. He was a force in the Super Bowl against Patrick Mahomes, despite dealing with an injury. And that’s the biggest concern with the 30-year-old. If Armstead can stay healthy, then he should make an immediate impact with the Jags. But he’s also missed 13 games in the past two years because of injuries, including a torn meniscus this past December. 

Kansas City Chiefs: WR Marquise Brown

Coming off his first 1,000-receiving yard season in 2021, Marquise “Hollywood” Brown asked the Ravens to trade him. They obliged, sending him to the Cardinals. However, the sometimes-injured Brown was barely more productive in two seasons in Arizona — 1,283 receiving yards, seven TDs — than he was in 2021 alone. 

The hope for both Brown and the Chiefs is that he can stay healthy and put his speed to good use in Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes hasn’t had the most reliable receiving corps since Tyreek Hill left town. Not that it mattered all that much — Mahomes still won back-to-back Super Bowls when his leading receiver (not named Travis Kelce, that is) in those games were JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman. If Brown can regain his form, though, he can be a home run threat for Mahomes. 

Las Vegas Raiders: DT Christian Wilkins

The Dolphins couldn’t afford to keep the athletic Christian Wilkins, who racked up a career-best nine sacks in 2023. Their loss is the Raiders’ gain. Finally, edge rusher Maxx Crosby has another teammate who can regularly get to the quarterback, but unlike Crosby, Wilkins does his work from the interior of the defensive line.

It should be fun watching Crosby and Wilkins team up, and even more so, how DC Patrick Graham — his former DC in Miami — uses Wilkins’ versatility to keep opposing QBs on their toes. And his big personality and high energy should win over Raiders fans from the start.

Los Angeles Chargers: RB Gus Edwards

I wouldn’t consider Gus Edwards an upgrade over Austin Ekeler in general, but he might be for the kind of run-heavy scheme the Chargers are implementing under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Edwards shouldn’t need much time to adjust, either, considering his OC will once again be Greg Roman, who held the same position with the Ravens for four seasons during Edwards’ time in Baltimore.

While Edwards has never been a full-time starter, he did get the bulk of carries last year after a couple of other Ravens running backs were lost for the season. In turn, Edwards finished 2023 with career highs in carries (198), rushing yards (810), and rushing TDs (13). The Chargers expect similar production from their new “bell cow,” especially at the goal line. As a team, they only rushed for 11 touchdowns in 2023.

Miami Dolphins: CB Kendall Fuller

The Dolphins lost quite a few starters this offseason, both players who were scheduled to be free agents and others they released for salary cap reasons. Or, as Mike McDaniel would put it, so they could “pay the water bill.” One of those who was released was longtime starting corner Xavien Howard, who remains a free agent. 

Soon after parting with Howard, Miami brought in Kendall Fuller, who will be expected to start alongside Jalen Ramsey. Fuller, like Ramsey, has played all over the secondary, and both will be important chess pieces for new DC Anthony Weaver. It’ll be worth watching to see where and how Weaver uses Fuller (and Ramsey too).

New England Patriots: QB Jacoby Brissett

The assumption for a while is that the Patriots will draft a quarterback with the No. 3 pick. First-time coach Jerod Mayo confirmed that was the plan while also not discounting the idea of possibly trading down. Either way, the Patriots will have to select a quarterback at some point in the draft, and either way, Jacoby Brissett will be a key member of the team. 

Brissett, who returns to the same franchise that took him in the third round in 2016, has not started a game since 2022. He was pretty good filling in for Deshaun Watson then, and he’ll again work with Alex Van Pelt, now the OC in New England. We have a month until we know who the Patriots will draft, and even longer until we know who will start in Week 1. But one thing we know already: The Pats are confident in Brissett to potentially act as a bridge QB if their rookie needs time to acclimate to the NFL. 

New York Jets: OT Tyron Smith

The Jets had a lot on their do-to list this offseason to try to prevent the downward spiral they went on last year when Aaron Rodgers’ season lasted four snaps. They had to sign a capable backup (enter Tyrod Taylor). They had to bring in another wide receiver to pair with Garrett Wilson who could actually pose a threat to opposing defenses (hey Mike Williams). And they had to beef up the protection for their 40-year-old quarterback. 

His new left tackle is about the best protection Rodgers could ask for outside of a vaccine that he wouldn’t take anyway. Tyron Smith is a perennial Pro Bowler who will one day be in the Hall of Fame. The Cowboys desperately wanted to retain him but couldn’t afford what the Jets were offering him.

But Smith also comes with risks. He’s 33 years old and has dealt with various injuries over the years. In fact, he hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2015. He made 13 appearances last season, though, and was back in top form. If he can stay on the field in 2024, then Rodgers might find himself in the headlines for football reasons again and not for whatever unhinged nonsense he spouts off on Pat McAfee’s show.

Pittsburgh Steelers: QB Justin Fields

The Steelers completely overhauled their QB room this month. Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph are out. Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kyle Allen are in. 

Right now, Wilson is in, as Mike Tomlin said, the “pole position” to start, but he has by no means won the job over Fields just yet. As Adam Schefter reported recently, one NFL executive told him that if Fields was clearly better in training camp, it wouldn’t be out of the question for the Steelers to dump Wilson before the season starts. 

I don’t envision that happening, but I’m also not sold on the idea of Wilson ever looking like peak Wilson again. However, I still believe that Fields, who just turned 25, can progress in a more stable environment like the one Pittsburgh offers. No matter what, I expect to see Fields on the, uh, field this season. Maybe Arthur Smith will draw up packages for him. Maybe Wilson will get hurt. Maybe Fields will overtake Wilson for the starting job. Right now, Fields is set to become a free agent next year, so this will be a pivotal year for him. Hopefully he can make the most of it. 

Tennessee Titans: CB L'Jarius Sneed 

As I predicted a few weeks ago, the Chiefs traded star cornerback L’Jarius Sneed after using the franchise tag on him. I just didn’t think 1) their compensation would be a mere third-round pick and 2) that he’d end up with the Titans, who have made a couple of moves (signing WR Calvin Ridley, C Lloyd Cushenberry, RB Tony Pollard, etc) to suggest they’re trying to compete and take advantage of having a QB on a rookie deal.

This will be a crucial year for Will Levis; if he can take the next step under coach Brian Callahan, the Titans can feel good about him as their QB going forward. But I’m also curious how that new-look secondary will perform in a division dominated by big-armed young QBs. Will Sneed, alongside free agent addition Chidobe Awuzie, be able to lock down C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Trevor Lawrence? Or will the corners struggle to adapt to their new defense as they enter their late 20s? 

I’m guessing the latter won’t happen, based on the success that DC Dennard Wilson had as the defensive backs coach for the Ravens. Will that be enough, though, for the Titans to keep pace in the AFC South?