Each NFL team will experience significant changes. Although free agencies and the draft are obvious sources of movement, unexpected trades and cuts are also expected. Rumors have already surfaced about potential team changes for figures like Maxx Crosby, Kyler Murray, and A.J. Brown. However, more surprising moves are anticipated. Each offseason, several players need a change of scenery for various reasons. Some fail to fully develop and could benefit from a new coaching staff. Others have lost their place due to a lack of success on the field, while some are simply looking for a winning team. Here’s a look at one player from each team who could benefit from a fresh start in 2026. Who might be changing teams this offseason? We’ll start with a wide receiver who could find more success elsewhere.
AFC EAST
Buffalo Bills
Open Receiver: Keon Coleman Coleman could be the perfect example of a player who needs a change of scenery after the Bills’ management publicly criticized him during the presentation of new coach Joe Brady. “I will address Keon’s situation. The coaching staff insisted on choosing Keon,” said Terry Pegula. “I’m not saying Brandon Beane wouldn’t have chosen him, but Coleman wasn’t his first choice.” Coleman was a substitute in several games during the 2025 season and only surpassed 50 receiving yards in one game. The receiver, selected in the second round of the 2024 draft, could find success in another organization, but it’s hard to imagine him reaching his potential if he stays in Buffalo.Miami Dolphins
Quarterback: Tua TagovailoaFormer coach Mike McDaniel benched Tagovailoa with three games remaining in the 2025 season, indicating the organization is looking to get rid of his expensive contract. Tagovailoa ranked 26th out of 28 qualified quarterbacks with a career-low QBR of 37.6, and led the NFL with 15 interceptions.
Most teams believe that his $54 million in guarantees are untransferable unless the Dolphins cover a significant portion of the contract. The Dolphins would have to take on $99.2 million in salary cap charges if they cut Tagovailoa before he receives a $14 million option bonus on March 13.New England PatriotsDefensive Tackle: Christian Barmore The Patriots would need to find a replacement on the field for Barmore’s pass-rushing skills. Last season, he had 11 quarterback hits and two sacks. However, Barmore is facing assault and battery charges, and New England might want to make a change and focus more on improving the running game.New York JetsRunning Back: Breece Hall
Hall will be in free agency in a couple of weeks, and there’s a feeling he wants to move to a more successful organization. (On Super Bowl day, he posted on X: “I hope to experience football on this stage… I’ll get there someday. I know it.”) He remains a highly talented runner and receiver who recorded his first 1,000-yard rushing season in 2025 and also recorded 350 receiving yards. Hall can be an even more important part of the receiving game with a different team, as evidenced by his 76 receptions for 591 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. NFL Next Gen Stats included him with 0.58 rushing yards over expected per carry last season.AFC NORTH
Baltimore RavensOpen Receiver: Rashod Bateman The idea that Bateman needs a change of scenery might be unexpected considering the Ravens signed him to a three-year, $36.75 million extension before the 2025 season. But he had a very disappointing campaign, with only 19 receptions for 224 yards and two touchdowns. Part of their problem last season was that opponents treated Bateman as the Ravens’ WR1 because Zay Flowers was in the slot being covered by a nickelback. Bateman simply isn’t good enough to escape that coverage, and could thrive with a new team for which he can be more of a complementary player.Cincinnati BengalsEdge: Trey Hendrickson The former elite defensive end is desperate to leave Cincinnati. Hendrickson requested a trade for the second consecutive year in March, but ultimately stayed with the team. He finished last season with only four sacks in seven games before being sidelined due to core muscle surgery. The Bengals may use their franchise tag on Hendrickson, who is about to become a free agent, but some kind of sign-and-trade deal seems more likely.Cleveland Browns
Guard: Joel BitonioBitonio remains a top-tier guard in the league, but he deserves to play for a winner before his career ends. He has played his entire 12-year career with Cleveland and has only been in the playoffs twice. Bitonio is a free agent this offseason, and it makes a lot of sense as a one-year reinforcement for a playoff contender that needs an upgrade at the position. Could we interest coach Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers?
Pittsburgh SteelersEdge: Nick Herbig This is a different type of call for a change of scenery. Herbig is probably happy in Pittsburgh, and he’s certainly providing a lot of value for the Steelers. However, it would be really nice to see what Herbig could do as a starter somewhere, because right now, he’s stuck behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith as a rotational player. Herbig led the league with a 26.3% pass-rush win rate in 2025, and had 7.5 sacks, despite playing only 52% of the snaps. Could he lead the league if he were a starter for another team?AFC SOUTH
Houston TexansCenter/Guard: Juice Scruggs Scruggs was a second-round pick in the 2023 draft, but he missed the first 10 games of his rookie season due to a hamstring injury. He has been in and out of the lineup since then, and has yet to reach his potential. Scruggs started for most of the 2024 campaign, but ranked 32nd out of 33 qualified players for pass-blocking win rate as a center (89.8%). His 64.3% run-blocking win rate was also low. Last season, Scruggs only had one start and primarily appeared on special teams; he was a substitute in one of Houston’s two playoff games. Perhaps in the last year of his rookie contract, another team could discover the skills that made him a high draft pick to begin with.Indianapolis Colts
Quarterback: Anthony Richardson Sr.Richardson’s early performances with Indianapolis simply haven’t been good. As a rookie in 2023, he recorded a QBR of 45.0 in four starts. In 2024, he recorded a QBR of 47.4 in 11 starts. He missed almost all of last season, first because the Colts chose Daniel Jones over him and then because Richardson suffered an orbital bone fracture during pre-game warmups in October.
It was assumed that Shane Steichen was the coach who could develop an offense around Richardson, but it hasn’t worked. Perhaps another coach could make it work for the quarterback.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Open Receiver: Brian Thomas Jr. This idea would have seemed ridiculous a year after Thomas recorded 87 receptions for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns in his rookie campaign of 2024. But Thomas seemed to be on a completely different page than quarterback Trevor Lawrence last season, even when the rest of the Jaguars were succeeding around the receiver. Thomas’ production fell to 48 receptions for 707 yards and two touchdowns. The Jaguars have Travis Hunter returning. They signed Jakobi Meyers with an extension. And Parker Washington had a revealing second half of the 2025 season. There’s room here to trade Thomas, and his talent could fetch a high draft pick to help offset the picks the Jags lost when they traded for Hunter in 2025. It’s certainly something worth considering.Tennessee TitansCornerback: L’Jarius SneedRemember when Sneed was considered one of the best cornerbacks in the league while winning two Super Bowls with the Chiefs? He got a big payday with a trade to the Titans in 2024, but his two seasons with Tennessee haven’t gone as planned. Sneed has played only 12 games due to quadriceps injuries, and he’s had legal troubles off the field. Since 2024, he has recorded 49 total tackles and zero sacks. A fresh start with a new team could be what helps Sneed return to his glory days on the field.
AFC WEST
Denver BroncosEdge: Jonah Elliss This is not a problem of a player who hasn’t developed properly. Instead, Elliss is a young and talented pass rusher who doesn’t have a path to start behind veterans Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. Last season, Elliss had a pass rush win rate of 14.1% and a pressure rate of 12.2%. Both numbers were above average for pass rushers, but he played only 38% of the snaps in the games for which he was active. It would be intriguing to see Elliss get the chance to start elsewhere in the league. Perhaps alongside his brother Christian with New England if K’Lavon Chaisson leaves in free agency?Kansas City ChiefsEdge: Felix Anudike-Uzomah Anudike-Uzomah hasn’t come close to living up to his potential as a first-round pick for the Chiefs. He barely played in his rookie year in 2023 and only had 2.5 sacks with three starts in his sophomore campaign. In 2025, he missed the entire season with a hamstring injury. At best, he’s fourth on the Chiefs’ depth chart, behind George Karlaftis, Mike Danna, and Ashton Gillotte. With one year remaining on his rookie contract, perhaps a trade will allow Anudike-Uzomah to finally find the potential that teams saw when he came out of Kansas State.Las Vegas RaidersRunner: Zamir WhiteIt just never worked for White with the Raiders since they drafted him in the fourth round in 2022. White had just 17 carries for 70 yards as a rookie. In 2023, he managed 104 carries for 451 yards and a touchdown, but finished near the bottom of my DVOA rankings due to a lack of explosive runs. He then recorded just 65 carries in 2024 and 12 carries in 2025, with less than 3 yards per carry in both seasons. But he could be able to resurrect his career if there’s another team looking for a bruiser on early downs in free agency to fill out the depth chart.
Los Angeles ChargersGuard: Zion Johnson Johnson hasn’t lived up to his first-round potential in his four years with the Chargers. Last season, his 87.4% pass-blocking win rate ranked him 62nd out of 65 qualified guards. There could be another coaching staff that knows how to get the best out of him. Johnson remains a strong run blocker, as his 79.3% run-blocking win rate last season ranked him second among guards, only behind Seattle rookie Grey Zabel.NFC EAST
Dallas CowboysEdge: Sam Williams Williams had 8.5 combined sacks in his first two seasons without starting a game. However, he missed the entire 2024 campaign with a torn left ACL. Last season, he started five games and had one sack and 37 total tackles. By the end of 2025, Williams was only playing around 30% of the defensive snaps in each game. Williams could probably use a fresh start to help him reach the potential he showed as a second-round pick from Ole Miss in 2022. He will be a free agent this offseason.New York GiantsGuard: Evan Neal This 2022 first-round selection has been a disappointment. Neal failed as a tackle and was supposed to move to guard; but last season, he dealt with a hamstring injury and wasn’t active for a single game. He’s almost certainly headed to another team this offseason, and maybe he can be useful as an interior lineman elsewhere.
NFC NORTH
Chicago Bears
Offensive Line: Kiran AmegadjieIt’s a shame to get rid of a player who grew up near the Windy City, but it’s pretty clear that Amegadjie is not in the Bears’ plans for the future. The 2024 third-round pick would likely have been cut in last season’s training camp if it weren’t for his Day 2 draft potential. His struggles to block in space led the Bears to start working with him at guard instead of tackle. He could use a fresh start with a new organization for which he could play guard from day one and, hopefully, fulfill his college potential as a run blocker.
Detroit LionsRunner: David MontgomeryIt seemed that the “Sonic” and “Knuckles” backfield of the Lions became more of the Sonic show (also known as Jahmyr Gibbs, 23) as the 2025 season progressed, although Knuckles (also known as Montgomery) still played many snaps. Montgomery only went down from 41% of offensive snaps in 2024 to 37% of snaps in 2025, but also went down from 221 touches to 182. Montgomery will turn 29 in June, and the Lions could look to save some money on the salary cap by dispensing with him this offseason. It could also be better for his career to take on a lead running back role with a different team.
Green Bay PackersLinebacker: Quay Walker Walker is a free agent this offseason, and there could be another team that could better use his skillset. He has strong physical attributes and sideline-to-sideline speed. However, he has really struggled in pass coverage, with a below-average success rate allowed in coverage over the last two seasons. Walker would be a better option for a team that needs a two-down linebacker who doesn’t necessarily play in pass-first situations.Minnesota Vikings
Quarterback: J.J. McCarthyThis probably will never happen, because it would be ridiculous for the Vikings to get rid of a player who still has first-round potential after 10 starts. However, a fresh start for McCarthy with a different organization could be the best thing for his career. Yes, you want a young quarterback to be with an offensive mind like Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell for development purposes. However, things went so wrong for the Vikings with McCarthy last season that it might be best to get him out of the shadow…
