2026 NFL Offseason: The Biggest Question Facing Each NFC Team

[Fox Sports NFL]

Only one NFL team finished the season truly happy, and even the Seattle Seahawks understand they have work to do for 2026. For everyone else, the work is already underway as they try to fill their biggest holes and fix their greatest flaws before next season begins. And what are those big holes and flaws? What is the most important thing each team must address in the coming months? Here is the biggest question each NFC team will have to answer before training camp starts in July. RELATED: The Biggest Question Facing Each AFC Team Arizona Cardinals What are they going to do with QB Kyler Murray? They are at a quarterback crossroads after the 28-year-old Murray played just five games last season due to a foot injury. He’s owed $36.8 million for 2026, and if he’s still on the roster on March 15, another $19.5 million becomes guaranteed for 2027. So Decision Day is coming for new coach Mike LaFleur. But will he opt for another year of Murray, one last ride with Jacoby Brissett, or dip into the thin crop in free agency or the draft? The decision could shape the entire LaFleur Era. Atlanta Falcons Are they counting on a healthy Michael Penix Jr. or do they have a Plan B at QB? The most optimistic timeline for Penix’s return from his torn ACL would be right around the start of next season, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be fully healthy by then. Even if he is, his offseason practice time would be almost non-existent. So will head coach Kevin Stefanski just hope his QB returns, or will he hedge his bets? And if so, how? The options range from a veteran stopgap QB to another young QB that can also be competition. It’ll be a fascinating and risky decision for Atlanta's new head coach. Carolina Panthers Can they find an elite pass rusher? They’ve jettisoned Brian Burns and Jadeveon Clowney over the past couple of years and don’t have much of a pass rush left to show for it. They didn’t have a single player with even six sacks last season and the team recorded 30 overall — their third straight year in the NFL’s bottom three. The Panthers are having enough trouble squeezing enough offense out of erratic QB Bryce Young. Even if he continues to grow, they still need to find a way to disrupt opposing quarterbacks if they want to rise above mediocrity. Chicago Bears Will they get some help for edge rusher Montez Sweat? All those comebacks last season sure were fun, but it would’ve been a heck of a lot easier for the Bears and their fans if they didn’t keep digging themselves into holes. They have a dynamic and electric offense and a quarterback coming into his own, but they had one of the worst defenses in the league. That could change if they could find someone other than Sweat to disrupt opposing quarterbacks and give the pass rush a little teeth. Sweat had 10 of the Bears’ 35 sacks. They’ve got to find someone to complement him. Dallas Cowboys Can they replace what they lost in Micah Parsons and fix their awful defense? Jerry Jones is really pleased at the return he got for Parsons — especially in DT Kenny Clark. And he loves that he was able to acquire DT Quinnen Williams, too. That’s swell, but neither of them are the kind of impact player that Parsons is. Also, beyond those two DTs, the defense is extraordinarily weak. This can’t be said enough: The Cowboys have the makings of a championship offense, but they have the exact opposite of that on defense. They need to focus all their attention on adding defensive playmakers and depth. Otherwise, they’ll be in a lot of shootouts that they probably can’t win. Detroit Lions Can they fix their aging offensive line? They missed center Frank Ragnow so much last season they tried to unretire him. Interior lineman Graham Glasnow turns 34 in August, while left tackle Taylor Decker turns 33. The Lions need an influx of youth and they need it quickly because the line’s struggles last year were why the offense's dangerous run game struggled, especially late in the season. Yeah, they missed former OC Ben Johnson as well, but they still could’ve been good enough to thrive without him with better blocking. They need to add at least two pieces this offseason. Maybe even three. Green Bay Packers Will they add or develop a No. 1 WR to pair with QB Jordan Love? Love had an oddly low-production season last year for a QB with so much talent. And a big reason for that is this: He’s surrounded by a group of No 2 receivers, at best. Much like the Bills with Josh Allen, the Packers have consistently failed to give him what every QB needs — an elite receiver to make his life easier. Romeo Doubs led the Packers in receiving, with a mere 55 catches for 724 yards. Christian Watson was always hurt. Maybe Matthew Golden, last year’s first-rounder, will be that guy eventually. But he was barely noticeable as a rookie (29-361-0). The Pack’s second-leading receiver was a running back. It’s past time for an upgrade in weapons. Los Angeles Rams Can they plug enough holes in their defense for one last run at a title? The Rams’ biggest issue is going to be whether QB Matthew Stafford can duplicate his stunning MVP season at age 38. They believe he can, which means they have to load up for an all-or-nothing Super Bowl run, and their Achilles heel is clearly their 17th-ranked defense. They have a strong pass rush up front, but the defense gets worse with each ensuing level. The secondary in particular was exposed in the playoffs, especially versus Seattle in the NFC Championship Game. The Rams should focus their money and top draft picks on the cornerback position, and load up as best as they can there. Minnesota Vikings Are they completely committed to J.J. McCarthy at QB? Boy, did they miscalculate letting Sam Darnold walk in free agency last year so they could turn over a team that went 14-3 in 2024 to essentially a rookie QB. McCarthy wasn’t ready. He also wasn’t completely healthy. He played only 10 games and, at his best, was just OK. Now he’s entering his third NFL season, but with only those 10 games of experience. The Vikings must decide whether to continue exploring what they got in McCarthy while potentially wasting another season, or exploring the market — via trades or free agency — for something better, or at least someone a little more ready. New Orleans Saints How many weapons can they get to help QB Tyler Shough? The 26-year-old rookie showed a lot of promise down the stretch of last season, giving the Saints hope that maybe they’ve found a QB they can win with. But he’ll only be as good as the weapons around him. WR Chris Olave is great, but he’s in the last year of his contract. TE Juwan Johnson is 29. RB Alvin Kamara is 30 and declining. They need to load up on young, dynamic offensive players. The more they can get to help Shough out, the better. New York Giants Are the pieces really there for a strong defense, or do they need more? The fact that the Giants’ defense was statistically one of the worst last season was confounding, given the talent they have. They’ve got a front that includes Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Abdul Carter and Dexter Lawrence, a solid middle linebacker in Bobby Okereke and a veteran secondary. On paper, they shouldn’t stink. But they did, which raises the question: Can John Harbaugh and new DC Dennard Wilson coach this unit into what it should be, or do they need a talent overhaul? Chances are it’s a little of both, but they need to figure out how much more they actually need. Philadelphia Eagles Can the offensive line thrive without OL coach Jeff Stoutland? Perhaps the biggest earthquake in years in the NFC East came from a social media post that ended with "Stout Out." Stoutland is one of the finest offensive line coaches ever, and he’s a big reason why the Eagles’ line has been dominant for years. It did regress a bit last season, though, and key players such as 35-year-old right tackle Lane Johnson are getting older and more fragile. Normally, they would have just trusted Stout to figure it out and kept the conveyor belt of talent rolling. But with the revered coach out, can they still piece things together? Because, at heart, the Eagles are a running team. Without a strong front, they won’t be the same. San Francisco 49ers Can they fix the defense now that coordinator Robert Saleh is gone? Saleh rightfully got credit for holding the Niners' defense together with duct tape, but in the end, they were still ranked in the bottom half of the league, they barely generated a pass rush and they were exposed in the playoffs. Now Raheem Morris takes over as DC and they can’t just hope that Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams both return to health from ACL tears. They need to reload while they’re learning a new scheme, particularly up front. They obviously need to add a little overall depth, too, but if that pass rush isn’t much improved, Morris won’t have much of a chance. Seattle Seahawks Are they good enough on offense to withstand the loss of OC Klint Kubiak? He was the "hot coordinator" this offseason for a reason. In his first year as the Seahawks' OC, the 39-year-old helped turn them into a top-10 offense and keep QB Sam Darnold playing at an elite level. Oh, and they won a Super Bowl, after which Kubiak left to become the head coach of the Raiders. So, was Seattle's offensive surge all about Kubiak? Can new OC Brian Fleury recreate the magic? If the Seahawks aren’t completely sure, they might need to think about adding some weapons to help Darnold and Fleury out. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a great receiver, but he was basically Seattle's only one. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Will they find anyone who can actually rush the passer? When healthy, the Bucs seem to have more than enough offensive firepower, but it’s still hard for them to keep up because of their leaky defense. And a lot of that is because opposing QBs get awfully comfortable in the pocket against them. Their top pass-rushers (YaYa Diaby) had just seven sacks and the team had only 37. They thought Haason Reddick would be the answer, but he cashed out with 2.5 sacks. A big upgrade at edge rusher would seem to be a priority. It also might give the Bucs just enough of a boost in their weak division. Washington Commanders Can they completely overhaul their defense in just one offseason? Dan Quinn, a former defensive coordinator himself, demoted his DC and took over the playcalling, and it still didn’t help last season. The Commanders had the worst defense in the league thanks to an invisible pass rush, terrible tackling and a porous secondary. There are so many holes it’s hard to know where to start, but they better figure it out fast. If QB Jayden Daniels is healthy again, they’ve got the offense to be a contender. But that defense, if it’s not totally redone, is destined to keep dragging Washington down.

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