AFC Offseason Review: Raiders Bolster Roster Around Fernando Mendoza, Jaguars

AFC offseason grades : Raiders build well around Fernando Mendoza, Jaguars make puzzling moves

The AFC's offseason picture is finally coming into focus as we break down the biggest roster changes and draft decisions for all 16 teams

By Tyler Sullivan

May 20, 2026 at 8:00 am ET • 17 min read

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No more pencils, no more books. Summer is here in the NFL , and we're officially pivoting from a primary focus on roster construction to smashing those new pieces in with the returning ones. From here on out, it's about the on-field action as all of these franchises begin organized team activities (OTAs) and minicamp.

When we look at the rosters now, what we see is largely what we'll get by Week 1 of the regular season. Of course, there could be some deals between now and then, but with free agency and the NFL Draft behind him, we have a good enough grasp to take out the red pen and begin grading what we've seen transpire over the last few months.

In this space, we'll comb through the AFC, highlighting the notable moves each club has made this offseason, and then give our grade. Let's roll.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills: B

- Notable additions : WR D.J. Moore, EDGE Bradley Chubb , S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, DB Dee Alford , OLB T.J. Parker , CB Davison Igbinosun - Notable departures : LG David Edwards , OT Ryan Van Demark

The Bills have a new coach in Joe Brady after firing Sean McDermott, and the former offensive coordinator has a new weapon at his disposal. Buffalo made a slash this offseason by pulling off a blockbuster trade for former Bears wideout D.J. Moore. The offense had been sorely lacking a player of Moore's caliber, so his arrival is a welcome sight for Josh Allen . While that addresses the biggest need on offense, there were far more holes to fill on defense. They gave themselves a veteran pass rusher in Bradley Chubb, coupled with second-round edge rusher T.J. Parker out of Clemson. They also added some help in the secondary with Gardner-Johnson and Alford.

It's not the most robust offseason, but Buffalo made calculated additions that should address the most dire needs on its roster in 2025. Paired with a new voice in Brady, that's a solid offseason in Orchard Park.

New England Patriots: A-

- Notable additions : WR Romeo Doubs , IOL Alijah Vera-Tucker , OT Caleb Lomu , LB Dre'Mont Jones , S Kevin Byard III, EDGE Gabe Jacas - Notable departures : EDGE K'Lavon Chaisson , TE Austin Hooper , DT Khyiris Tonga , WR Stefon Diggs , LB Jahlani Tavai , OT Vederian Lowe , LB Anfernee Jennings

Knock this down to a B/B+ if A.J. Brown somehow doesn't find himself a member of the Patriots by the end of the summer. We're going to grade this with Brown in mind, because it feels like the worst-kept secret in the NFL and a virtual lock to happen after June 1. Brown gives New England a much-needed No. 1 wideout for Drake Maye , and slots fellow pass catcher Romeo Doubs -- who signed a four-year, $68 million deal in free agency -- in a more realistic WR2 spot.

While receiver garnered most of the on-field headlines for the Patriots, they also provided Maye with more protection by trading up in the first round to select tackle Caleb Lomu and also signing veteran guard Alijah Vera-Tucker in free agency. Dre'Mont Jones and Kevin Byard are two strong veterans being brought into the fold defensively, while second-rounder Gabe Jacas has plenty of upside off the edge. This roster is better than the one we just saw in Super Bowl LX.

Miami Dolphins: C

- Notable additions : QB Malik Willis , OL Kadyn Proctor , WR Jalen Tolbert , WR Tutu Atwell , WR Chris Bell , WR Caleb Douglas , CB Chris Johnson , S Lonnie Johnson Jr. - Notable departures : QB Tua Tagovailoa , WR Tyreek Hill , WR Jaylen Waddle , EDGE Bradley Chubb

The Dolphins stripped it down to the studs and hit the reset button. Miami fired coach Mike McDaniel, cut the likes of Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb, and traded Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos . With those pieces out the door, they brought in GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley, who have begun rebuilding the roster. Namely, Malik Willis has been slotted in as QB1, and used its two first-round picks on Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor and San Diego State corner Chris Johnson, along with a second rounder on Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez .

They'll need to catch lightning in a bottle with this draft class after making 13 selections. That said, this is the first step on a long road forward towards contention for the Dolphins, but a necessary one after falling flat under the previous regime. While locking up De'Vone Achane will continue to give the offense some juice, the unit still has loads of questions at wide receiver. The next couple of seasons could be lean in South Beach.

New York Jets: A

- Notable additions : EDGE David Bailey , WR Omar Cooper Jr. , QB Geno Smith , TE Kenyon Sadiq , LB Demario Dabis, S Minkah Fitzpatrick , DT T'Vondre Sweat , OL Dylan Parham - Notable departures : QB Justin Fields , IOL Alijah Vera-Tucker, LB Quincy Williams , EDGE Jermaine Johnson II

The Jets still need a quarterback, but they are building well around the position as they keep their eyes open for a signal-caller of the future. After making some jaw-dropping moves at the trade deadline last season and moving on from Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams , New York continued to shed some of the old guard, shipping away edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II to Tennessee, while letting offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker leave in free agency.

While that's a lot of former first-round talent walking out the door, the Jets did a strong job replenishing the talent pool at the 2026 draft. They took Texas Tech edge rusher, David Bailey, with the No. 2 overall pick, Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 16 overall, and traded back up into the first to select Indiana wideout Omar Cooper Jr. at No. 30.

First, looking at offense, pairing Cooper and Sadiq with Garrett Wilson , Breece Hall , Olu Fashanu, and Armand Membou , the Jets have a really nice core on that side of the ball. Geno Smith doesn't have the highest ceiling, but the veteran should be stable enough to keep them competitive. Meanwhile, Bailey headlined the defensive additions, but the Jets also made various moves in this area earlier in the offseason, including Demario Davis , Minkah Fitzpatrick, and T'Vondre Sweat. New York continues to build a really intriguing young core for the long term and also added enough veterans to make them frisky next season. When you account for the three first-rounders they have at the 2027 NFL Draft, the future is surprisingly bright in East Rutherford.

AFC North

Pittsburgh Steelers: C+

- Notable additions : WR Michael Pittman Jr., OT Max Iheanachor , WR Germie Bernard , QB Drew Allar , S Jaquan Brisker , CB Jamel Dean - Notable departures : IOL Isaac Seumalo , RB Kenneth Gainwell

This was teetering with an F, depending on what transpired with Aaron Rodgers . After waiting all offseason for his decision, had the veteran quarterback retired or decided to pursue another opportunity in the league, this would've been an unmitigated disaster for Pittsburgh. However, Rodgers and the Steelers did come to terms on a one-year deal, reuniting with former Packers  coach Mike McCarthy.

Rodgers' return makes Pittsburgh's offseason palatable, adding win-now pieces such as wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., safety Jaquan Brisker, and cornerback Jamel Dean. That said, the organization had egg on its face during the NFL Draft when they saw USC receiver Makai Lemon scooped up by the Eagles while they were on the phone with him on Night 1. That forced them to pivot to offensive tackle Max Iheanachor. While he'll help protect Rodgers, it was a rough look overall for GM Omar Khan.

Pittsburgh will have a new leader pulling the strings in McCarthy, and while some of their additions will make them more competitive in 2026, this doesn't feel like a team with a championship ceiling. Instead, they'll continue to one of the higher floors in the conference, which isn't exactly going to make you jump out of your seat in excitement.

Baltimore Ravens: B

- Notable additions : EDGE Trey Hendrickson , OL Olaivavega Ioane , EDGE Zion Young , WR Ja'Kobi Lane , DL Calais Campbell - Notable departures : C Tyler Linderbaum , TE Isaiah Likely , LB Dre'Mont Jones

Hiring Jesse Minter in the aftermath of John Harbaugh's departure should help elevate the defense to a more respectable level. The former Chargers DC has led top-flight units since his days as Michigan's coordinator. So, from a coaching standpoint, they could get a jolt on that side of the ball, but there are still questions in terms of the personnel. They backed out of the Maxx Crosby trade and pivoted to Trey Hendrickson, while adding Zion Young in the second round to give them more of an edge presence. After ranking tied for 28th in the NFL in sacks last season, they should be better with Hendrickson and Young coming aboard.

While the team did use its first round pick (No. 14 overall) on interior lineman Olaivavega Ioane, the departure of center Tyler Linderbaum looms large. Ioane will likely slot in at guard, meaning that 2024 undrafted free agent Corey Bullock is currently in line to succeed Linderbaum. Baltimore's inability to have a suitable replacement for its former Pro Bowl center is damning.

Cincinnati Bengals: B

- Notable additions : DT Dexter Lawrence II, DT Jonathan Allen , EDGE Boye Mafe , S Bryan Cook , EDGE Cashius Howell - Notable departures : EDGE Trey Hendrickson, S Geno Stone , EDGE Joseph Ossai

Cincinnati desperately needed to improve its defense. Losing Trey Hendrickson only increased that necessity. They did a good job adding players to help them immediately. They shipped the No. 10 overall pick to the New York Giants to land All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, inked edge rusher Boye Mafe in free agency, and selected former Texas A&M pass rusher Cashius Howell in the second round. When you pair that with the addition of safety Bryan Cook, there's suddenly a structure for a serviceable defense for the Bengals , which could be enough to catapult back to playoff contention with Joe Burrow , Ja'Marr Chase  and Tee Higgins headlining the offense.

Cleveland Browns: A-

- Notable additions : OT Spencer Fano , WR KC Concepcion , WR Denzel Boston , LG Zion Johnson , C Elgton Jenkins , RT Tytus Howard , LB Quincy Williams, S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren - Notable departures : TE David Njoku , OL Joel Bitonio , OT Jack Conklin , OL Wyatt Teller , LB Devin Bush , RB Jerome Ford

There's still a massive question at quarterback, but the Browns continue to build up a strong foundation of young players. After adding the likes of tight end Harold Fannin, Quinshon Judkins , Mason Graham  and Carson Schwesinger at the 2025 NFL Draft, Cleveland built on that momentum by adding impact players like left tackle Spencer Fano, safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, along with receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston. That gives the Browns a really strong foundation to build on, albeit without a clear-cut answer at quarterback.

While everyone will be paying attention to how first-year coach Todd Monken handles this looming quarterback battle between Deshaun Watson , Shedeur Sanders  and Dillon Gabriel , the rest of the roster is starting to come together quite nicely, thanks to their ability to draft.

AFC South

Jacksonville Jaguars: D

- Notable additions : TE Nate Boerkircher , DT Albert Regis , RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. - Notable departures : RB Travis Etienne Jr., LB Devin Lloyd

So, what did the Jaguars actually do this offseason? If anything, they saw talent walk out the door and didn't do much to replenish the holes they left behind. After four seasons with the organization and just earning second-team All-Pro in 2025, Devin Lloyd signed with the Panthers . Meanwhile, running bac

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/afc-offseason-grades-2026-free-agency-nfl-draft/)._