During the offseason, we see major changes happening to teams around the NFL. Some teams gain value while some others exit the offseason as losers.
The 2014 offseason has been one that included many significant changes.
Several teams will now enter the upcoming season standing good odds to do better than they did last year.
Let’s examine the 5 biggest winners of the offseason.
New England Patriots
Next season, the Patriots are going to be amazing. With the addition of WR Brandon LaFell, Tom Brady has his first solid threat since Wes Welker, and a healthy WR Danny Amendola should keep the offense solid. Aside from this, the Pats have the best CB combination the entire league. With the additions of CB Darrelle Revis and CB Brandon Browner, the Patriots will have a defense that is comparable to the Seattle Seahawks, giving them one of the most complete teams in the league.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos signed two key players during the offseason that will transform their team. With the loss of WR Eric Decker to the New York Jets, the team needed a solid WR. In order to fill this void, they signed one of the most underrated WRs in the league, former Pittsburgh Steelers player Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders is fantastic down the line, and he will be able to fill the void of Decker and more. On the defensive side, the Broncos added one of the top 5 CBs in the league – Aquib Talib. The former Patriots star is the definition of a shutdown corner, and he will be able to team defenses apart.
Houston Texans
Going into the 2014 NFL draft, the Houston Texans were in dire need of a quarterback; however, they chose to go in a different direction. Defense is what wins championships, and it wasn’t worth it to them to go after a new quarterback when backup Patriots QB Ryan Mallet seemed available. Instead, they chose to fill their defensive holes, and they did this by picking up DE Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney is the best defensive player to come out of the draft in years, and because of this, the Texans now have the best pass rush in the league. Clowney has the ability to break through offensive lines better than any player to recently come out of college and most in the NFL, and he is one of the most dangerous players to ever come out of the draft. Next season, Clowney will play alongside JJ Watt, and together, they will surely be a threat to quarterbacks
Philadelphia Eagles
With Mike Vick gone, the Eagles are heading in a new direction. Nick Foles is already one of the most accurate passers in the game, and he will be on fire next season. The biggest hole to fill was the loss of DeSean Jackson. By signing WR Jordan Matthews, who already looks better than Jackson in OTAs, Foles will have a solid deep threat.
Detroit Lions
For years, the Lions used the same formula. QB Matt Stafford would air it out to WR Calvin Johnson and everything would work out. Next season, Stafford will have way more weapons. With the addition of WR Golden Tate and the drafting of TE Eric Ebron, the Detroit Lions offense does not seem to have any weaknesses. Look out for them to be a real contender next season.