Every NFL team enters the offseason with the same goal atop their to-do list: win the Super Bowl.
Some do so with straighter faces than others.
That isn't the only goal teams have, of course, and those goals differ from team to team. Some seek to repeat as division champions. Or make the postseason as a wild card. To add punch to the offense or stiffen the defense.
Of course, the farther down the NFL's pecking order you get, the more modest goals become. For the NFL's also-rans, it can be developing a young quarterback, addressing a weakness that derailed the season before or just being more competitive.
It's those lower-end teams we're going to look at here.
Most of these teams were cellar-dwellers in 2022. All have significant flaws. But even then, this is admittedly something of a subjective exercise. The New Orleans Saints had the same record as the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers last year. But the Saints answered their biggest offseason question with the addition of Derek Carr, and they may well be the favorites in a bad NFC South. The Falcons and Panthers are, um, not.
Fans of the 11 franchises listed here will likely disagree about their favorite franchise's outlook this year, but when the 2023 playoffs begin, they will probably be watching them on TV, just like us. However, that doesn't mean there aren't things they should accomplish this season.
In fact, there's one thing they must accomplish or else the 2023 season won't be any less disappointing than 2022 was.
Arizona Cardinals: Build Defensive Identity
This isn't exactly breaking news, but it's fixing to be a long season for the Arizona Cardinals. The Redbirds just suffered through a four-win disaster of a season that got Kliff Kingsbury fired, and there's no telling when injured quarterback Kyler Murray will be able to return to action.
That's not Arizona's only problem. The Cardinals were 21st in total defense last year, and in 2023, Nick Rallis will become the latest in a revolving door of defensive coordinators over the past decade.
Rallis is just 29 and a first-time coordinator, but new Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon expressed confidence in his ability to get the job done while talking to reporters.
"I'm really not worried about their age," Gannon added. "I'm worried about if they can serve the players and get the job done."
Even when the Cardinals have had some success in recent years defensively, the team has lacked an identity on that side of the ball. The scheme has changed multiple times. Players like Isaiah Simmons have seen their role change and change and then change again.
This season will be about building toward the future in the desert. One of those building blocks needs to be identity and continuity on defense and giving the players a framework that they can improve in as opposed to continually changing how the defense is organized.
Atlanta Falcons: See What They Have in Desmond Ridder
Fans of the Atlanta Falcons may bristle a bit at inclusion here. After a wildly aggressive offseason, there's some confidence that Atlanta can compete in a flawed NFC South in 2023.
But the Falcons have flaws of their own and won just seven games in 2022. A one-and-done playoff trip shouldn't be the team's biggest priority.
Figuring out whether Desmond Ridder is a long-term answer at quarterback is.
Ridder made just four starts as a rookie, completing 63.5 percent of his passes and throwing two touchdown passes, but via Michael Rothstein of ESPN, Ridder said he has an idea of how he can improve on those performances.
"I would just say settling down. Just being comfortable with where you're at," Ridder said. "Not getting too antsy, just being able to go in and, and make plays and not have to make too many plays, you know, by yourself. There's 10 other guys out there that are gonna help you."
Adding running back Bijan Robinson in the first round of the 2023 draft was great for the team. The defensive improvements the team made in the offseason were sorely needed.
But for better or worse, the Falcons will go as far this year as Ridder takes them.