The NFL off-season has been filled with blockbuster trades, marquee free agent signings, and a draft with plenty of surprises. Certain teams improved more than others, but which teams improved the most?

The Indianapolis Colts have been subtly making big moves this offseason. The Colts added by subtracting, trading Carson Wentz away for picks and a salary dump. They replaced Wentz with veteran QB Matt Ryan and it only cost them a third round pick. The Colts also dealt Rock Ya Sin to the Raiders for star EDGE rusher Yannick Ngakoue. The Colts were able to replace Ya Sin by signing former defensive player of the year Stephon Gilmore. The Colts addressed two of some of their biggest positional needs by acquiring star talent via the trade market. The Colts have a chance to compete in the AFC because of their change

The Dolphins made lots of noise in free agency and through trades this year by adding tons of superstar talent including Terron Armstead and Tyreek Hill. They also made some under the radar signings including Chase Edmonds, Cedrick Wilson, Connor Williams, and Melvin Ingram. While those players aren’t the biggest names, they fill much needed holes on the Dolphins depth chart. The Williams signing adds a starting guard to an up and coming offensive line. Wilson was sleeper last year with the Cowboys last year, and will be a big part of a remodeled WR core that includes two of the league’s quickest and most explosive WRs in the NFL with Hill and Jaylen Waddle. The Dolphins surrounded their QB, Tua Tagovailoa with great talent. Tagovailoa will have an opportunity to have a breakout season with the Dolphins and a chance to earn themselves a playoff spot under new head coach Mike McDaniel. 

Remaining in Los Angeles, the Chargers also had a super productive offseason.  They added many key pieces to their young roster in order to surround QB Justin Herbert. They extended WR Mike Williams and added a solid TE in Gerald Everett. The Charges have one of the most underrated offenses with Herbert, Austin Ekeler, Williams, Keenan Allen, and Everett. However, it was clear that the defensive side of the ball was the Chargers’ priority this offseason. They acquired Khalil Mack via trade with the Bears which now gives them two super start edge rushers on each side. The Chargers pass rush next season is going to be fun to watch as it’ll include Joey Bosa, Mack, and also Kyle Van Noy, who also was added by the Chargers this free agency. The Chargers weren’t finished, adding more star talent in their secondary by signing JC Jackson to a massive contract as well as Bryce Callahan. This will help the Chargers compete in a division that will likely be the best in the league as a result of both the Raiders and Broncos making an abundance of offseason moves as well.

It’s very easy to make the claim that the AFC west was the most improved division in football. The Raiders locked up stars Maxx Crsoby, Hunter Renfrow, and Derek Carr to multi year extensions this offseason. They also hired Bill Belichick’s former offensive coordinator, Josh Mcdaniels to become their head coach. As mentioned before, the Raiders traded away one of their star edge rushers, Ngakoue to the Colts for Rock Ya Sin which provides much needed secondary help. They replaced Ngakoue with one of the best EDGE’s over the last few years in Chandler Jones. However, the most significant move the Raiders made was trading for a top 3 receiver, Davante Adams. The trade shocked fans around the league after Adams was franchise tagged by the Packers, and many thought he would stay in Green Bay after Aaron Rodgers signed his extension. These super star acquisitions are going to give the Raiders the ability to compete in a division where every team had super active offseasons. 

The Eagles had a tremendous offseason and are putting Jalen Hurts in the position to have a breakout season. The Eagles made a draft day trade to acquire AJ Brown from the Titans, pairing Brown with Devonta Smith who had an impressive rookie season. The Eagles also had a great draft adding two of Georgia’s stars Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean to bolster the defense. However, they added EDGE Hassan Reddick, CB James Bradberry, and LB Kyzir White to improve this team’s defense drastically. These moves will give them a chance to win the division as the Cowboys remain their biggest competitor. If the Eagles want to have a chance to compete in the playoff’s next year, Hurts needs to take huge steps in the right direction. 

In 2022, the NFL is going to look very different with star players like Russell Wilson no longer a Seahawk, Matt Ryan not a Falcon, and Tyreek Hill not a member of the Chiefs. The AFC has been shaken up with teams like the Raiders, Chargers, Broncos, Dolphins, Colts, and Browns making huge improvements. All five of these teams boosted their chances of contending in the upcoming NFL season, making this an NFL offseason for the history books.