Until the 2025 season begins, we won’t truly know how much better (or worse) NFL teams have gotten over the past few months. But with the draft and early free agency period in the books, we have a strong foundation to project their outlooks.
Some teams are worthy of buying into, based on the moves they’ve made. Others, not so much — even if they’re perennial playoff contenders. That brings us to the concept of this piece: an offseason “stock watch,” where we gauge where teams are compared to how they ended the 2024 season.
With rookie minicamps underway, here’s a breakdown of how each team “stock” is doing. The teams are listed by their division finish last season.
AFC East
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Buffalo Bills
Stock: up
There has been chatter about the Bills’ lack of meaningful upgrades at receiver, but on paper they’ve gotten much stronger on defense, which is paramount to getting past the Chiefs in the AFC. Buffalo used its top five draft picks on defensive players and signed defensive end Joey Bosa in free agency.
Miami Dolphins
Stock: down
Miami’s pass defense faces plenty of uncertainty. The Dolphins are trying to trade perennial Pro Bowler Jalen Ramsey, and if that happens, they’ll have two new starting cornerbacks in 2025.
New York Jets
Stock: down
The Jets look a bit vulnerable on the interior defensive line next to Quinnen Williams. They didn’t address the defensive tackle spot in a meaningful way in free agency or the draft, despite ranking 17th in rush defense and 20th in rushing EPA per play allowed last season.
New England Patriots
Stock: up
The Patriots have invested in Drake Maye’s supporting cast in a big way. New England added talent on the offensive line (LSU’s Will Campbell selected No. 4 overall; center Garrett Bradbury and right tackle Morgan Moses in free agency) and at the skill positions (Stefon Diggs signed in free agency; running back TreVeyon Henderson and wideout Kyle Williams added through the draft). Mike Vrabel is also a proven head coach.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Stock: Up
The Ravens have supported Lamar Jackson this offseason, re-signing left tackle Ronnie Stanley and giving the star QB another weapon in veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Safety Malaki Starks (first round, No. 27 overall) and edge rusher Mike Green (second round, No. 59 overall) were great value picks at positions of need.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Stock: down
Pittsburgh’s quarterback outlook is still very murky. Even if Aaron Rodgers decides to sign with the Steelers, it’s fair to wonder how much the future Hall of Famer can give them at 41 years old.
Should Steelers have drafted a QB earlier while waiting on Aaron Rodgers?
Cincinnati Bengals
Stock: down
Even after using three of their top four picks on defenders, their defense still faces major questions entering 2025. It doesn’t help that Trey Hendrickson’s contract situation remains unresolved.
Cleveland Browns
Stock: down
With so many bodies in an open quarterback battle, including draft picks Dillon Gabriel (third round) and Shedeur Sanders (fifth round), the Browns face the challenge of how best to split reps at football’s most important position.
AFC South
Houston Texans
Stock: down
Protecting C.J. Stroud was the Texans’ biggest issue last season, yet their offensive line makeover has been underwhelming at best.
Indianapolis Colts
Stock: up
GM Chris Ballard has given Anthony Richardson Sr. competition at quarterback in Daniel Jones and upgraded the secondary with the additions of Charvarius Ward and Cam Bynum. And first-round pick Tyler Warren is a massive upgrade at tight end.
Penn State TE Tyler Warren’s highlights from 2024 season
Jacksonville Jaguars
Stock: down
Wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter is a unicorn prospect, but the price the Jags paid to trade up for him was steep for a non-quarterback. Jacksonville also still has a major question mark on a defense that was one of the NFL’s worst last season. The Jags needed a top-end defensive tackle to pair with edge rushers Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, but they didn’t draft one.
Tennessee Titans
Stock: up
No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward should provide a major upgrade from the production the Titans got at quarterback last season from Will Levis and Mason Rudolph. On paper, Tennessee also has its best offensive line in years.
RELATED: How Cam Ward built his unshakable confidence: ‘He has a boulder on his shoulder’
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs
Stock: up
Kansas City should be much better at receiver in 2025, with Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown now healthy and Xavier Worthy entering his second season. And assuming his medical issues are behind him, first-round pick Josh Simmons offers strong competition for starting offensive tackles Jaylon Moore and Jawaan Taylor.
Los Angeles Chargers
Stock: up
L.A.’s run game could rise to Jim Harbaugh’s standard with the additions of first-rounder Omarion Hampton, free-agent Najee Harris and right guard Mekhi Becton. Second-round receiver Tre Harris has the potential to take pressure off Ladd McConkey on the outside.
Denver Broncos
Stock: up
An impressive Broncos defense has gotten even better with safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and first-round cornerback Jahdae Barron now in the picture.
Las Vegas Raiders
Stock: up
The Raiders still have questions on defense, but the additions of quarterback Geno Smith and first-round running back Ashton Jeanty on offense raise Las Vegas’ floor substantially.
RELATED: Ashton Jeanty reveals his NFL goal: ‘To be the best that’s ever played the game’
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles
Stock: down
The reigning Super Bowl champions should be in the mix for the Lombardi Trophy again this season. But right now, it’s difficult to say they’ve gotten better when they’ve lost so much talent, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. On the plus side, veteran tight end Dallas Goedert has agreed to a reworked contract to stay in Philly.
Washington Commanders
Stock: up
Washington has been aggressively building its roster around quarterback Jayden Daniels, trading for receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. and five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil.
Dallas Cowboys
Stock: up
The Cowboys upgraded in a big way at WR2 by trading for George Pickens, and their pass rush is looking formidable. They lost DeMarcus Lawrence but signed Dante Fowler Jr., who had 10.5 sacks last season, and drafted Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku, who ranked second in the FBS with 16.5 sacks in 2024.
George Pickens gives Cowboys one of NFL’s most balanced offenses
New York Giants
Stock: up
The Giants are deep at edge rusher with the addition of No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter and have raised their floor at quarterback with fellow first-rounder Jaxson Dart and veteran passers Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston.
NFC North
Detroit Lions
Stock: down
Losing veteran guard Kevin Zeitler in free agency is an underrated blow for the Lions, who also have question marks at edge rusher with Aidan Hutchinson returning from a season-ending injury.
Minnesota Vikings
Stock: up
QB J.J. McCarthy remains an unknown, but the Vikings have made upgrades to what was already a strong supporting cast. They’ve committed nearly $106 million and a first-round pick to the interior offensive line alone (Will Fries, Ryan Kelly, Donovan Jackson).
Green Bay Packers
Stock: up
With Jaire Alexander still on the roster, it’s status quo for the Packers’ cornerback room. But they’ve upgraded in a big way at receiver by taking two in the first three rounds of the 2025 draft, including Texas’ Matthew Golden at No. 23 overall.
Chicago Bears
Stock: up
On paper, Chicago’s offensive line is substantially better than it was last season for quarterback Caleb Williams, who now has an offensive guru in new head coach Ben Johnson.
NFC South
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Stock: up
The Bucs have a new weapon for Baker Mayfield in first-round receiver Emeka Egbuka and have strengthened their defense for coach Todd Bowles, double-dipping at both cornerback and edge rusher in the draft. Adding veteran Haason Reddick in free agency is a low-risk, high-reward signing.
Atlanta Falcons
Stock: up
The Falcons have had a porous pass rush for years. They seem to finally have the personnel to fix that with veteran Leonard Floyd (8.5 sacks last season) and two first-round edge rushers in Jalon Walker (No. 15 overall) and James Pearce Jr. (No. 26).
Carolina Panthers
Stock: up
Carolina gave its defense a much-needed makeover in free agency, then added a pair of Day 2 edge rushers (Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen) to the mix. Bryce Young also has a new No. 1 receiver in eighth overall pick Tetairoa McMillan.
New Orleans Saints
Stock: down
Until there’s clarity on Derek Carr’s health and future with the Saints, it’s difficult to project the outlook in New Orleans.
NFC West
Los Angeles Rams
Stock: up
The Rams still need to add to their secondary, but Davante Adams represents a huge upgrade over a declining Cooper Kupp at receiver.
Seattle Seahawks
Stock: down
The Seahawks moved on from two of their top three receivers this offseason in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. On paper, they have a worse supporting cast for Sam Darnold than they did last season for Geno Smith, who has been the better quarterback.
Arizona Cardinals
Stock: up
After the team drafted only one offensive player — Texas guard Hayden Conner — Arizona should basically have the same offense as a year ago. But the defense is poised to make a leap in 2025 with free-agent additions like edge rusher Josh Sweat and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson and high draft picks Walter Nolen (first round) and Will Johnson (second round).
San Francisco 49ers
Stock: down
The Niners have suffered a large exodus of talent, including wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr., linebacker Dre Greenlaw, safety Talanoa Hufanga, edge rusher Leonard Floyd and defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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