There's no such thing as perfect, but in this scenario I get to play GM for a day and do my best to "fix" each franchise (as if it's that easy).
It's really just something that I enjoy doing and why not share it with all of you!
This series is dependent on every other team, so you won't see the same player be signed to multiple teams.
BUT, this will be mainly offense based. So, I will mention the salary cap and draft pick implications, but I'm not going to include an entire salary cap breakdown.
That being said, let's breakdown the AFC East and see what moves I think each team could/should be making in the 2023 Offseason!
New England Patriots
Last Year's Record: 8-9
2023 Estimated Cap Space: $32,956,047 (7th Most)
2023 Draft Picks: 1st (1), 2nd (1), 3rd (1), 4th (3), 6th (4), 7th (1)
Notable Free Agents; Damien Harris (RB), Jakobi Meyers (WR), Nelson Agholor (WR), Isaiah Wynn (OT), Jonathan Jones (CB), Devin McCourty (S), and Matthew Slater (ST/WR).
The Patriots have a ton of draft capitol to work with (11 Draft Picks) and reasonable enough cap space to improve their roster and get back to being a playoff team. There's a chance that Devin McCourty (35) and Matthew Slater (37) make the move towards retirement, but otherwise the core of this team will still intact.
Now let's breakdown the offseason in it's main pillars, coaching changes, free agency, and the draft.
Coaching; The very first priority should be getting an ACTUAL offensive coordinator. The solution here would be to hire Bill O'Brian (former Texans HC). He's a terrible GM, but took multiple bad Texans teams to the playoffs and made Deshaun Watson look great. I also would like to see Matthew Slater (if he retires), take a role as a Special Teams Assistant, to be named at a later point the coordinator. He's huge for the locker room, knows the team very well, and is arguably a Hall of Fame special team player.
Trades; I do have the Patriots trading their 2nd Round Draft pick to the Minnesota Vikings for (WR) Adam Thielen. Would love for the Patriots to aim for Dhop, but that's likely a 1st Rounder gone. Thielen is as reliable as they come, and the Vikings should be willing to deal given his age/cap hit.
Free Agency; The Patriots are starved for weapons and desperately need to add some if they want to make it back to the playoffs. If I'm the Pats, here are some notable moves I'm making on offense.
+ Damien Harris (RB)
+ Jakobi Meyers (WR)
+ A.J. Green (WR)
+ Andrew Beck (TE/FB)
- Brian Hoyer (QB)
- Ty Montgomery (RB)
- Nelson Agholor (WR)
- Kendrick Bourne (WR)
Between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, the Patriots should be pretty content with the QB Room. Show full confidence in Mac and give him one last chance with an actual play caller and weapons to get the job done. If not, see what you have in Zappe halfway through the year and draft another QB next year.
Bringing back Damien Harris is a no-brainer, likely a 2-year deal and have him continue to split with Rhamondre Stevenson. You can make Harris' contract heavy incentive based given the amount of time he misses with injury. Something like a 2-Year $12.5 Million deal with $5 Guaranteed.
It also makes a ton of sense to bring back Jakobi Meyers, and to add a real veteran presence on the field in A.J. Green. Green is quite some time past his prime, but he's a good depth piece and can still contribute if needed.
I want to the Patriots to move on from Jonnu, but it'll be nearly impossible for any team to trade him at his current contract, and releasing him hurts more than it helps.
As for the rest of the roster, investing in CB feels like a must, and if you can keep Isaiah Wynn for the right price it might be worth it. In this scenario the Pats pay Wynn and let Jonathan Jones walk. Then address CB early in the draft.
2023 NFL Draft; With the Patriots having sent their 2nd Rounder for Adam Thielen, there's still some opportunity to make some noise. I have the Patriots drafting CB Christian Gonzalez at #14 Overall. The Patriots have a knack for drafting athleticism and coaching those players up. Gonzalez is not only lightning fast but stands at 6'2". I also have the Patriots drafting WR depth later on with their next pick in the 3rd Round. My choice was Rashee Rice out of SMU.
So altogether, here's what the Patriots' starting offense would look like in 2023...
QB - Mac Jones
RB - Rhamondre Stevenson
RB - Damien Harris
WR - Jakobi Meyers
WR - Adam Thielen
WR - DeVante Parker
TE - Hunter Henry/Jonnu Smith
#PatsNation is feeling GREAT heading into 2023!
New York Jets
Last Year's Record: 7-10
2023 Estimated Cap Space: -$2,403,498
2023 Draft Picks: 1st (1), 2nd (1), 3rd (1), 4th (1), 5th (1), 6th (1)
Notable Free Agents; George Fant (OT), Connor McGovern (OL), Lamarcus Joyner (S), Mike White (QB), and James Robinson (RB).
Negative cap space is never a good thing, especially for a team that was so close to being a playoff team. Ideally that type of team would be buyers in free agency, but unfortunately they'll have to be willing to let some people go instead.
Now let's breakdown the offseason in it's main pillars, coaching changes, free agency, and the draft.
Coaching; The Jets are in need of a new offensive coordinator. They have reportedly interview former Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett, and were turned down by the Dolphins Pass Game Coordinator Darrell Bevell for an interview. My ideal choice for the Jets would be current Eagles Offensive Consultant and former CFL Championship Coach Marcus Brady.
Free Agency; The Jets will have to be cautious here if they want to be contenders. So, if I'm the Jets, here are some notable moves I'm making on offense.
+ Jimmy Garoppolo (QB)
+ Nick Bawden (FB)
- Joe Flacco (QB)
- Mike White (QB)
- James Robinson (RB)
- Ty Johnson (RB)
- Jeff Smith (WR)
If you are really going to commit to Zach Wilson not being garbage, then keep only 2 QBs on the roster. Have a "QB Competition" that Jimmy G ultimately wins with Wilson as his backup. Jimmy is great here because he's the ultimate game manager. This should be a team that runs hard with Breece and plays complimentary great defense. Jimmy can be the guy to keep the team afloat and he's very familiar with Robert Saleh. Jimmy G will cost close to or about $30-$35M.
Unfortunate the Jets wasted a pick on Robinson, but having a RB room with Breece Hall, Michael Carter, and Zonovan Knight is not a bad thing at all. There's still opportunity to add Ty to the practice squad and call him up if needed.
Not much changes at WR or TE for the Jets. There is the option to move Elijah Moore or Corey Davis. But releasing either would only hurt the Jets not help them.
As for the rest of the team, you can always take 5 players and restructure their contracts into signing bonuses and things like that. Plus letting George Want walk among others will help them be able to pay Jimmy G and have a little breathing room.
2023 NFL Draft; With George Fact leaving, you can replace him (or potentially Becton) with rookie (OT) Broderick Jones at #13 Overall. Outside of the first round, the following rounds are a good opportunity to increase that depth on their defense and get some pass rushers and DBs.
So altogether, here's what the Jets' starting offense would look like in 2023...
QB - Jimmy Garoppolo
RB - Breece Hall
WR - Garrett Wilson
WR - Elijah Moore
WR - Corey Davis
TE - Tyler Conklin/C.J. Uzomah
How does #JETSNation feel about 2023?
Miami Dolphins
Last Year's Record: 9-8
2023 Estimated Cap Space: -$16,253,222
2023 Draft Picks: 2nd (1), 3rd (2), 6th (1), 7th (1)
Notable Free Agents; Mike Gesicki (TE), Eric Rowe (S), Melvin Ingram (OLB), Raheem Mostert (RB), Jeff Wilson Jr. (RB), and Nik Needham (CB)
The Dolphins are in quite a hole with the 7th Lowest cap in the league, this is another team who is so close to playoff success but will not be buyers this year. The icing on top being that they also had to forfeit their 1st Round Pick due to Owner Misconduct.
Now let's breakdown the offseason in it's main pillars, coaching changes, free agency, and the draft.
Coaching; No changes are expected to be made, although they really should get a new offensive coordinator...
Free Agency; As mentioned, the Dolphins will not be buyers this off-season, but there are still minor moves to be made. So, if I'm the Dolphins, here are some notable moves I'm making on offense.
+ Jacoby Brissett (QB)
+ Kareem Hunt (RB)
+ Salvon Ahmed (RB)
+ Kendrick Bourne (WR)
+ River Cracraft (WR)
+ Irv Smith Jr. (TE)
- Teddy Bridgewater (QB)
- Raheem Mostert (RB)
- Jeff Wilson Jr. (RB)
- Myles Gaskin (RB)
- Trent Sheffield (WR)
- Mike Gesicki (TE)
- Adam Shaheen (TE)
Bring Jacoby back to Miami! A great game manager, and it's similar to having Teddy B as insurance, but instead you have Brissett. Given Tua's concussions this year alone it's important to have a reliable backup.
Completely reset the RB room. Stop trying to be the 49ers, let Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. walk. Sign Hunt as a do it all type back and keep Salvon Ahmed (Restricted Free Agent). Then draft a pair of RBs later in the draft for depth/upside.
In my Patriots section above, I had them releasing Kendrick Bourne, he's familiar with McDaniel and is a great locker room addition. Plus knowing your opponent (Patriots) isn't a bad thing either. Otherwise just small depth moves.
As much as I hate to see it, it's time to part with Mike Gesicki. Tight End is a luxury in this league, and Gesicki no doubt should have more free agent value than Irv Smith. Smith is only 25 and has decent upside, and makes for sense for this team.
Otherwise, similar to the Jets there is a lot more restructuring and releasing that needs to be done, but the core for the Dolphins remains the same.
2023 NFL Draft; Without the 1st Rounder which could've been Bijan Robinson, I have the Dolphins instead taking (RB) Zach Evans at their #52 Overall Pick in the 2nd Round. Keeping the pressure off Tua with a reliable run game is key. Outside of that, the Dolphins need to aim for defensive upside players and possibly some WR depth as well later in the draft.
So altogether, here's what the Dolphins' starting offense would look like in 2023...
QB - Tua Tagovailoa
RB - Kareem Hunt/Zach Evans
WR - Tyreek Hill
WR - Jaylen Waddle
TE - Irv Smith Jr.
All #PhinsUp for 2023!
Buffalo Bills
Last Year's Record: 13-3
2023 Estimated Cap Space: -$8,492,236
2023 Draft Picks: 1st (1), 2nd (1), 3rd (1), 4th (1), 5th (2)
Notable Free Agents; Jordan Poyer (S), Roger Saffold (OL), Devin Singletary (RB), Tremaine Edmunds (LB), and Jordan Phillips (DE).
Luckily, the Bills don't need to be buyers as they are currently fighting to get to the Super Bowl, including a matchup this week against the Bengals. That being said, the Bills' draft picks are not finalized, so I'll be giving them Pick #30 based on Seeding.
Now let's breakdown the offseason in it's main pillars, coaching changes, free agency, and the draft.
Coaching; No changes are expected to be made, although they really should get a new offensive coordinator...
Free Agency; The Bills need to cautiously make some moves here, as they are treading decent water now but will likely need to save money for following seasons. So, if I'm the Bills, here are some notable moves I'm making on offense.
+ Nick Mullens (QB)
+ Ashton Dulin (WR)
+ Chris Moore (WR)
+ Tommy Sweeney (TE)
- Case Keenum (QB)
- Devin Singletary (RB)
- Jameson Crowder (WR)
- Jake Kumerow (WR)
A bit of a downgrade at backup QB, but Allen hasn't missed a game in a while and Nick Mullens is manageable. No reason for Case Keenum to soak up $6M annually.
Don't worry I have plans for the RB room that involve the draft. James Cook and Nyheim Hines still isn't even bad at it's core. Devin Singletary had his good moments, but was never consistent.
I'm adding what are see are improvements to the Bills WR Depth with Chris Moore and Ashton Dulin. Both have had small flashes and make decent depth pieces.
Not much to say about the TE Room..
Otherwise, it's crucial the Bills are able to retain Jordan Poyer, and with the changes that I've suggested they definitely could for about $10-12M annually.
2023 NFL Draft; I think the Bills primary focus should be secondary and offensive line depth. But, in the first round, I'm going all luxury with (RB) Bijan Robinson! Bijan with Josh Allen just sounds really nice and could prevent Allen from trying to run through defenses on every play, thus extending his career.
So altogether, here's what the Dolphins' starting offense would look like in 2023...
QB - Josh Allen
RB - Bijan Robinson
WR - Stefon Diggs
WR - Gabriel Davis
WR - Isaiah McKenzie/Khalil Shakur
TE - Dawson Knox
Some good things ahead for #BillsMafia!