Free agency is a way to fill some needs but, of course, not all needs. And after a lot of the smoke has cleared from the first week of free agency in the NFL, most teams have a clearer idea of what they’re going to do going into the draft in April and May. However, some teams just aren’t very active in free agency and their needs stay the same. Here are the needs of all the teams in the NFC West:
St. Louis Rams
The Rams finished last in the division last season and a big part of that was the season ending injury suffered by quarterback Sam Bradford before the season even started. The Rams traded Bradford to Philadelphia for their quarterback, Nick Foles, who doesn’t have much better of an injury history. Also, Foles is only under contract for another season. This makes quarterback their biggest need moving forward. Something that goes hand in hand with the quarterback position is their offensive line. Last season their line was a mess and since Foles has a propensity to hold onto the ball too long to begin with, the line needs to be better than average to protect him. In 2014 the Rams had the sixth worst pass protection grade according to PFF (subscription) and the tenth worst run blocking grade. They haven’t brought anyone new in during free agency to help on the line and they’ve lost last year’s starting right tackle, Joe Barksdale, starting right guard, Davin Joseph, starting center, Scott Wells, and starting left tackle, Jake Long. Although none of them played particularly well last season, it’s going to be very tough basically starting over on the offensive line.
On the defensive side of the ball they are in need of better cornerbacks. Their defensive line is one of the best in the league and should be able to protect their cornerbacks to a certain extent, but it wouldn’t take much to pick on them. If they are able to land a true number one cornerback in the draft it would go a long way in helping their entire secondary. As it stands now, that’s easily their biggest weakness on the defensive side of the ball.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers aren’t quite in a state of disarray as most people would have you believe. This is a team with a ton of talent still on the roster. Their biggest need as it stands right now is at wide receiver still. They have some good receivers but they need someone that is going to replace Anquan Boldin after this season. In their backfield they were able to replace Frank Gore with Reggie Bush but they’ll still look to the draft to find a long term running mate to compliment Carlos Hyde. The interior line is another spot they’ll be looking to add depth at. With Mike Iupati leaving during free agency and Alex Boone only being under contract through the 2015 season, the interior of the offensive line is a bit thin at the moment.
On defense they’re most pressing need is defensive line. Justin Smith is still undecided on his future in the NFL and Darnell Dockett is already in his twilight years. They have young guys like Tank Carradine and Quinton Dial but they need more guys to fill in the rotation. Their next biggest immediate need would be at the inside linebacker position. With the retiring of Patrick Willis and Chris Borland they’re very thin at the position. While Michael Wilhoite filled in admirably this past season I don’t think he’s the long term answer there. And finally, cornerback is another position they might look to add some young guys. As of right now they have a lot of young guys and plenty of bodies, but you can never have too many quality cornerbacks in this league.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals were a very good team with very little weaknesses. One of those weaknesses, their offensive line, they addressed in free agency. It’s certainly not set in stone and they could improve upon it in the draft, but it’s not a glaring need anymore. Neither the running back position nor the wide receiver position are glaring needs either but both definitely need to be addressed in the draft. Andre Ellington is a sufficient running back but isn’t the type of back an offense can count on game after game on all three downs. The Cardinals need to bring someone in who compliments Ellington’s skill set. At wide receiver they have John Brown and Michael Floyd moving forward but they need to start working on someone to fill Larry Fitzgerald’s role once he’s ready to move on.
On defense they don’t have many holes. Their biggest need on defense is on the defensive line, particularly at nose tackle. It’s no easy feat to replace someone like Dan Williams. With the loss of Antonio Cromartie in free agency they will also be looking to add some help at cornerback. While Jerraud Powers didn’t play horribly last season, he didn’t play great either. He could end up being a liability for the Cardinals in 2015.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks probably have less needs than anyone in the NFL. However, that’s not to say they don’t have need. Their biggest need, on either side of the ball, is their offensive line. They made the huge trade right before free agency to acquire tight end Jimmy Graham but had to send their best lineman, center Max Unger, to New Orleans in exchange. Last season their pass blocking was not very good and neither was their run blocking. They were helped out by having a quarterback in Russell Wilson who has an uncanny ability to extend plays like few others and a running back in Marshawn Lynch who specializes in running defenders over. The Seahawks will address their offensive line in the draft.
Their next biggest need is at wide receiver. They would have been able to repeat as Super Bowl champions if they had a true number one receiver. Doug Baldwin was their top wide receiver last season and he only had 66 receptions for 825 yards. Their next leading receiver, Jermaine Kearse, had 38 receptions for 537 yards. That’s pitiful. Of course having Graham at tight end is going to free a lot of things up for their receivers, but they still need an improvement at the position in 2015.
If you look for holes on their defense it’s hard to find them. Their biggest need is in a place you probably wouldn’t expect it: at the cornerback position. After Richard Sherman they have Jeremy Lane (suffered a compound fracture in his arm during the Super Bowl), Marcus Burley, Cary Williams, Will Blackmon, and Tharold Simon. The highest PFF grade, besides Sherman, out of all of those names was Burley with 1.7.