The Athletic’s NFL beat reporters arrived at the NFL Scouting Combine with questions and — amid blazing 40-yard dash times, a 45.5-inch vertical jump and collective fawning over Sonny Styles — they found at least a few answers.
Now that the offseason’s first inflection point is behind us, what did they learn in Indianapolis about your favorite team? Our writers discuss below.
Arizona Cardinals
Injuries last season played a key role in derailing Arizona’s season. The Cardinals were not built to contend but finishing with a league-high 26 players on injured reserve did not help. GM Monti Ossenfort called this an offseason priority. The Cardinals are examining how they structure practice and how they train over the summer. “We’re looking at everything — our training staff, our strength and conditioning staff, how we train players, how we treat players,” he said. “It’s tough when you acquire players and you try to build a team and then those players that you’re counting on, for whatever reason they’re not out there. We got to find a way to overcome that. There’s two things that suck about life in the NFL — injuries and losing. Unfortunately, we suffered a lot of both last season.” — Doug Haller
Atlanta Falcons
First-year Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham is taking a hard line, at least publicly, right out of the gate. Cunningham had a chance to throw some praise at impending free-agent linebacker Kaden Elliss, who has been in Atlanta the last three years, and instead pointed out there are a lot of linebackers in the free-agent market. That’s very true and Elliss may still stay in Atlanta, but it was an early sign that Cunningham is going to try to take an all-business approach in his first job running a personnel department. He also dropped a hint that wide receiver Darnell Mooney may soon be released. — Josh Kendall
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens aren’t thrilled with where contract negotiations stand with center Tyler Linderbaum. When general manager Eric DeCosta revealed that the team had made a “market-setting” offer to retain the three-time Pro Bowl center, it was a significant departure from how the normally tight-lipped organization does business. It suggests that a deal wasn’t close at the time of DeCosta’s comments and the Ravens are trying to get Linderbaum’s side to engage. Talk in Indianapolis was that teams are lining up to take a run at Linderbaum and he’s primed to make over $20 million per year. The Ravens are running out of time to keep him off the open market. — Jeff Zrebiec
Buffalo Bills
A big move at wide receiver remains firmly on the table for the Bills this offseason. The team had opportunities during their media availability to convince people they had what they needed, but most notably, when discussing 2024 second-round pick Keon Coleman, president of football operations and general manager Brandon Beane prominently highlighted the maturity and off-field concerns. Although they still have some belief in Coleman, which Beane indicated, a profile with that much risk is unlikely to be counted on heavily in offseason decisions. With Khalil Shakir as their only trusted receiver under contract, the Bills could easily make a big splash at receiver this offseason. — Joe Buscaglia
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers will let all of their free agents test the market. The list includes running back Rico Dowdle, who will not be returning to Charlotte unless he finds little interest following back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. The Panthers want to bring back a pair of offensive linemen — center Cade Mays and swing tackle Yosh Nijman, who would start while Ikem Ekwonu recovers from patellar tendon surgery. Mays is expected to land a deal in the $8 million-a-year range. Nijman would come considerably cheaper. Even if the Panthers re-sign Nijman, look for Morgan to draft an offensive lineman for the first time since replacing Scott Fitterer in 2024. A tackle is in play for the Panthers with the 19th pick. — Joseph Person
Chicago Bears
Unlike the last few years, the Bears’ biggest March headlines may come via subtractions from the roster rather than attention-grabbing additions. DJ Moore’s status will be worth monitoring as Bears decision-makers — while expressing admiration for Moore — also indicated they’d listen to trade offers. Ahead of the new league year, the Bears must clear salary-cap space, first to become compliant under the cap, then to participate in free agency in even the smallest ways. Moore’s $28.5 million cap hit for 2026 complicates his situation. Outside interest is expected. But how much? And will it be enough to turn the Bears’ heads? — Dan Wiederer
Cincinnati Bengals
The linebacker position was a disaster last season. The Bengals started rookies Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter and teams exposed them weekly. A concern was Cincinnati would feel the growing pains endured proved beneficial for development in 2026 and stick with the duo without significant additions. That wasn’t the response. Both de facto GM Duke Tobin and defensive coordinator Al Golden stressed adding an impact veteran. Golden specifically mentioned needing a linebacker with ability to rush and line up on the edge so Knight doesn’t have to play there out of position as he did too often last year. Look for that role to be targeted early in free agency. — Paul Dehner Jr.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns are open to multiple options at quarterback, and that certainly includes the “open competition” that new coach Todd Monken referenced during his combine media availability. But it’s clear that the team won’t just have Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson in that competition. Watson hasn’t played since October 2024 and is entering the last year of his huge contract, and the team still believes Sanders has a long way to go. Expect the Browns to at least explore a run at Malik Willis in free agency or to seriously consider a trade for Anthony Richardson that would pit Sanders vs. Richardson in a competition for the starting job while the team’s longer-term plans remain open. — Zac Jackson
Dallas Cowboys
A new defensive coordinator means some notable changes to the defensive personnel. The one that stood out most during combine week is outside linebacker. Dallas is moving from a 4-3 to a 3-4 system and the pass-rusher profile is different. For example, late last season Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones spoke about how much they wanted defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to return. That tune has changed with Christian Parker as defensive coordinator. Dallas is now looking for edge rushers who can stand up and occasionally drop into coverage. While that fits with second-year edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku, not so much with Clowney. Dallas is also looking for linebacker Marist Liufau to add some weight for a move to more of a pass-rushing outside linebacker. The position is also expected to be addressed in free agency and the draft. — Jon Machota
Denver Broncos
Sean Payton is entering a new chapter in his lengthy head-coaching career. For the first time since he took over the Saints in 2006, the 62-year-old coach of the Broncos will not be the voice in his quarterback’s ear on game days. Payton announced at the combine that he has handed primary play-calling duties to Davis Webb, who was promoted to offensive coordinator last month after three seasons as the team’s quarterbacks coach. The 31-year-old is one of the league’s rising young assistants and over the last month interviewed for multiple head coaching roles. Payton said the decision to give up primary play calling — the coach said he’ll still call “some” plays in games — came down to a belief that Webb has “a gift” that will help him elevate Denver’s offense. That unit must improve in 2026 if the Broncos want to go from conference title game participants to Super Bowl champions, and that’s why Payton made the move. — Nick Kosmider
Detroit Lions
Could the Lions be more aggressive in free agency than they have in years past? It seems like it’s on the table. A year ago, Lions GM Brad Holmes compared the idea of splurging in free agency to taking a family vacation when you should be saving for future needs (read: contract extensions for homegrown talent). But Dan Campbell talked about the need for increased competition. Holmes said there’s nothing the Lions are restricted on, and that they’ll be “open-minded” this year — taking a long look in the mirror after a fourth-place finish in the NFC North. The Lions could restructure some of their bigger contracts to create cap space and maximize the window of contention they find themselves in. — Colton Pouncy
Green Bay Packers
General manager Brian Gutekunst has mastered the art of saying a lot without saying much, but he dropped a hint about what the Packers might be thinking with one of their biggest pending free agents. Linebacker Quay Walker, a 2022 first-round pick who didn’t have his fifth-year option exercised last spring, is set to hit the open market. When asked which positions need the most competition this offseason, Gutekunst mentioned inside linebacker among his top two. If Walker stays with the team, the Packers wouldn’t need competition there since they’d have Walker, Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie and Ty’Ron Hopper. Don’t be surprised if the Packers are unwilling to match another team’s price for the soon-to-be 26-year-old. — Matt Schneidman
Houston Texans
Texans brass still believes in quarterback C.J. Stroud despite the postseason meltdown that led to a third straight divisional round exit. They believe that the quarterback needs better support on all fronts. DeMeco Ryans and the Texans mutually parted ways with quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson, who had held the position the last three seasons — Stroud’s entire career. This move came a year after Ryans fired offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. The Texans hope better tutelage will help Stroud get back on track, and they also are expected to work to further upgrade his offensive line. — Mike Jones
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson requested a trade last week. (Grace Hollars / Imagn Images)
Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson Sr. wants out. The 2023 No. 4 pick has requested a trade after a tumultuous three-year tenure with the Colts, league sources told The Athletic. Both sides believe this decision is what’s best for the 23-year-old QB, and their amicable approach to a potential split isn’t surprising. Richardson lost his starting job to Daniel Jones last August, and with the Colts eager to re-sign Jones in free agency, there is no clear path to Richardson starting again in Indy. The question now becomes: Will a trade actually happen? Richardson has started just 15 games through his first three years, mostly due to his injuries and inaccuracy, but his freakish athleticism may still be enticing at the right price. — James Boyd
Jacksonville Jaguars
Coach Liam Coen and general manager James Gladstone didn’t attend the combine, instead trusting their scouting staff to handle business. While wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. has been viewed as a potential trade candidate, teams have mostly just been checking in on his availability. Nothing appeared imminent, though that could certainly change. Thomas, a 2024 first-round pick under former Jags GM Trent Baalke, had a steep statistical drop-off with the new regime, which has led to the predictable inquiries. — Jeff Howe
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are likely to target interior defensive line early in the draft. Kansas City general manager Brett Veach made clear during his NFL combine podium time that the Chiefs need to get out of their cycle of stopgapping the rotation next to All-Pro Chris Jones with low-ceiling veterans. K.C. has other roster needs like running back, but Veach correctly noted guys at that position come cheaper in free agency. The high-upside defensive tackles come through the draft, so it’d be a surprise to me if the Chiefs don’t use a Day 1 or 2 pick on that specific spot. — Jesse Newell
Las Vegas Raiders
Despite the Raiders’ offensive line struggles last season, new head coach Klint Kubiak’s comments suggest that they believe that they can get a lot more from the offensive line on the roster than the previous staff. “We’re going to have a clear teaching style,” Kubiak said at the combine. “I’ve seen Rick Dennison get the best out of his guys. And the main thing is that we get them all playing together. And that comes with teaching our system.” He also said they have a stable situation at tackle with Kolton Miller and DJ Glaze, which doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t look to upgrade from Glaze, who struggled at times last season, but could suggest they may not be aggressive in doing so. The Raiders should be aggressive in looking to acquire a starting center — an extremely important position that makes the calls at the line in Kubiak’s system — but they might look to develop some of the Raiders’ younger players along the rest of the offensive line. — Ted Nguyen
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are facing a realistic scenario of needing three new starters on the interior offensive line. They definitely need a new starting center after Bradley Bozeman retired last week. My expectation is they will be cutting right guard Mekhi Becton for cap savings. And left guard Zion Johnson is a pending free agent whose market is shaping up to be quite robust. He could become too expensive for the Chargers. As a result, the Chargers will be very active in the interior OL market at both guard and center. GM Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh have a ton of work to do to put a capable offensive line in front of Justin Herbert, who was hit more than any quarterback in the NFL last season. — Daniel Popper
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams really do not value the combine. General manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay have routinely not attended the annual event, but it was jarring to spend most of the week in Indianapolis and to see almost no presence from the franchise and to hear about that absence from staffers on other teams. Los Angeles does risk giving up some intel — namely in meeting with lots of prospects, a process that is more limited after the combine — but it does speak to the franchise’s resistance of groupthink culture in order to find specific fits to draft and develop in their schemes and cultures that can pounce on market inefficiencies. It can be seen as a bit of an arrogant approach, but it’s hard to argue with the track record that has taken mid-round players such as Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Byron Young and Quentin Lake and turned them into stars. — Nate Atkins
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are still working through possibilities with QB Tua Tagovailoa, who could be released or traded. Tagovailoa was the first $50 million quarterback to ever get benched for performance reasons, as his play has been in steep decline for a couple of years. QB-needy teams are wading through an imperfect veteran and rookie market, and Tagovailoa’s name has rarely come up among the pool of available players. Wherever Tagovailoa plays in 2026, it surely sounds like he’ll have to earn his role in training camp. — Howe
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are in the market for a productive, reliable and experienced former starting quarterback. They know they need insurance for 23-year-old quarterback J.J. McCarthy. They also believe that many of the available candidates would be able to produce in their pass-heavy system with superstar receiver Justin Jefferson. The Vikings haven’t zeroed in on one specific name because they don’t know who’s going to be available. However, if the Las Vegas Raiders cut Geno Smith, he’s one to monitor. — Alec Lewis
New England Patriots
The Patriots feel like edge rusher is their biggest need. When Mike Vrabel landed this job a year ago, he said he wanted to build the Patriots through the trenches. Last season, they had four new starting offensive linemen. Now this season, look for them to revamp their edge rusher position. It won’t be a surprise if they spend big on the position in free agency and target an edge rusher early in the draft. — Chad Graff
New Orleans Saints
This won’t sound super sexy given the possibility of drafting a running back or wide receiver this year in the first round. But there’s a glaring hole at guard and it feels like there’s no doubt the Saints will address this position possibly in free agency and in the draft. Left guard is wide open for someone to fill in immediately and right guard Cesar Ruiz has often struggled. Getting Erik McCoy healthy at center will aid the offensive front and New Orleans already has first-round tackles (Kelvin Banks and Taliese Fuaga). Nailing down the guard spots will help quarterback Tyler Shough and the ground game. — Larry Holder
New York Giants
The Giants are willing to trade outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, but they aren’t going to give him away. The No. 5 pick in the 2022 draft is due $14.8 million in 2026 on his fifth-year option. Trading Thibodeaux, who is behind Brian Burns and Abdul Carter on the depth chart, would create significant savings that could be spent to fill holes elsewhere. But if the Giants can’t get adequate value (think a Day 2 pick or a quality player), they’re content to hold onto the 25-year-old to maintain the strength of their pass rush. — Dan Duggan
New York Jets
Breece Hall isn’t going anywhere. The Jets have been expected to tag Hall if they couldn’t re-sign him to a new contract but general manager Darren Mougey made that even clearer at the podium when he said as much. Most interestingly, Mougey made it clear that the Jets want Hall back — so don’t anticipate any sort of tag-and-trade scenario. League sources in Indianapolis indicated that if the Jets can’t come to an agreement on a contract — there is genuine interest in getting that done — then they are more likely to apply the cheaper transition tag (worth $11.7 million) rather than the franchise tag ($14.5 million) to keep Hall from hitting free agency. Once Hall is tagged or re-signed, the Jets can then turn their attention to filling other holes on the roster — and there are plenty of those. — Zack Rosenblatt
Philadelphia Eagles
GM Howie Roseman isn’t going to trade A.J. Brown without getting fair compensation in return. The Eagles have made it clear that they prefer to have the three-time All-Pro wide receiver on their roster. Coach Nick Sirianni spent the week telling multiple outlets he wants Brown on the team. Now, if Brown doesn’t share that perspective, that doesn’t mean the marriage will necessarily hold. Teams are subtly making their interest known. Brown is often linked to the Patriots in rumors, and coach Mike Vrabel did not openly shoot them down when saying they’d do anything they can to improve their roster. Does that mean they’d offer the right price? Or any team would? Meanwhile, new Eagles OC Sean Mannion and the overhauled offensive staff are building out a new system with Brown in mind. — Brooks Kubena
Pittsburgh Steelers
The offensive line is growing into a more significant need than it initially appeared, a surprising development for a team that’s spent two first-round picks, a second and a fourth on that group in the last three years alone. Left tackle Broderick Jones was GM Omar Khan’s first draft pick in 2023 and was supposed to be a foundational part of Pittsburgh’s efforts to win games with dominance in the trenches. Then in Week 12 of this year, Jones sustained a neck injury. The team initially downplayed it, saying it wasn’t necessarily season-ending. However, Jones eventually underwent surgery. At the combine, Khan acknowledged there’s no guarantee the 24-year-old OT will be ready by training camp. Forget his 2027 fifth-year option. Now, as early as 2026, the Steelers might need to consider who will be their Week 1 starter. Oh, and guard Isaac Seumalo (who was supposed to be the question on the OL) is about to hit free agency. — Mike DeFabo
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are going to spend resources (plural) at wide receiver. As it stands now, their top returnee is Ricky Pearsall, who had 528 yards in 2025 but sat out half the season with a recurring knee injury. In two seasons, Pearsall has missed 15 of 36 contests, and he had no touchdowns this past season. The 49ers are still pursuing pending free agent Jauan Jennings, and if they can’t reel him back in, general manager John Lynch said, “We’ll continue to look outside (the organization) and see who may be available.” The team will also likely draft a wide receiver, with an emphasis on players like Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. and Alabama’s Germie Bernard who can create their own space or those who can stretch the field. The 49ers were conspicuously slow last season. How slow? Their fastest ball carrier all season was linebacker Dee Winters, who scored on a Week 16 pick six. — Matt Barrows
8 prospects ran a sub 7.00 in the 3-cone this year:
6.71 – Germie Bernard (206 lbs.)
6.86 – Vinny Anthony (183)
6.89 – Haynes King (212)
6.90 – Dani Dennis-Sutton (256)
6.90 – Jacob Rodriguez (231)
6.95 – Kaden Wetjen (193)
6.97 – Kyle Louis (220)
6.98 – Malachi Fields (218)
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) March 1, 2026
Seattle Seahawks
Contract extensions for Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon are in play. “It’s been part of our planning process,” general manager John Schneider said. Smith-Njigba has already said he feels deserving of a contract that makes him the highest-paid receiver in the NFL. Witherspoon hasn’t indicated as much but after making three Pro Bowls in three years and earning second-team All-Pro honors while leading the best defense in the league, it’s safe to say re-signing him won’t be cheap. Seattle picked up Charles Cross’ fifth-year option last year — the first time the franchise had ever exercised that option — then chose to delay negotiating a new deal until late in the season. It appears there may not be the same delay with the team’s two All-Pros from the 2023 draft. — Michael-Shawn Dugar
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs are counting on new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to make a significant difference in their entire team. Obviously they believe he will enhance the offense, and they implied he could help the defense as well by freeing up coach Todd Bowles to focus more on that side of the ball. Bowles said he had to spend too much time babysitting the offense last year with Josh Grizzard as the offensive coordinator. Grizzard was in his first year running an offense whereas Robinson was the offensive coordinator in Atlanta the past two seasons. Bowles and general manager Jason Licht also are enthused about Robinson’s experience with the Sean McVay offense. The general manager and head coach made references to similarities between Robinson and 2024 offensive coordinator Liam Coen, both of whom are McVay disciples. — Dan Pompei
Tennessee Titans
Robert Saleh wasn’t kidding when he said it would be “hard” for T’Vondre Sweat in the Titans’ new defense — so difficult, Sweat is now a Jet and Jermaine Johnson will be reuniting with his former Jets coach in Nashville. This also makes clear that Saleh and GM Mike Borgonzi are wasting no time in shaking up this roster to fit what the new head coach wants to do on the field. Johnson fills a need at a dire spot for the Titans, though it shouldn’t make it any less likely that they grab an edge at No. 4 if the right one is available. A great player at any position would be a welcome development for the deficient roster Saleh inherited. — Joe Rexrode
Washington Commanders
The Commanders aren’t afraid of change — for better or worse. After changing coordinators to implement new systems on offense and defense, the Commanders are now shopping for players who fit their scheme and goals. They need to get faster and they need to get younger. They also need to add length, and they really need to build a foundation through the draft. Their biggest needs are on defense, with voids at every level, especially the line. Adding a true No. 2 receiver is a must, and ensuring left tackle Laremy Tunsil remains a Commander for years to come is high on their priority list. — Nicki Jhabvala
