Buying or Selling Every NFL Team's Improvement Efforts for 2015

Buying or Selling Every NFL Team's Improvement Efforts for 2015 By Kristopher Knox Jun 23, 2015 Bill Wippert/Associated Press Every offseason, every NFL team makes an effort to improve. Every offseason, every coach or team executive in the league is going to tell you that his team, in fact, did improve.Unfortunately, not every team can improve every offseason, no matter how optimistic organizations try to present themselves to the public. Injuries, retirements, player aging and the flow of talent in free agency simply make it impossible for everyone to get better. Every team is going to try, though, with varying degrees of improvement and decline being the end result.How have the 32 NFL franchises fared this offseason? Well, we are about to take an individual look at each organization and "buy" or "sell" its efforts to improve since the start of the 2015 league year. Since the excitement of free agency and the draft can often make it feel like every team has come out a winner, we're going to focus on each team's effort to actively improve. Efforts to minimize losses or remain competitive are not going to carry as much weight here as moves that attack weaknesses or build upon strengths.Atlanta Falcons: SellJohn Bazemore/Associated Press The Atlanta Falcons seems to have a sensible long-term game plan in place, which is great. New head coach Dan Quinn (formerly defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks) will bring some much-needed focus to the defense, which was ranked 26th overall last season by Pro Football Focus.However, the Falcons made no real effort to grab a game-changing defender to help the transition in free agency. Linebacker Brooks Reed is a nice addition, but Atlanta left free agency with more than $14 million in available cap space.The Falcons did focus on defense in the draft, grabbing pass-rusher Vic Beasley in Round 1 and cornerback Jalen Collins in Round 2. If these two emerge as rookies, then we could see a greater improvement on defense.Overall, though, it feels more like the Falcons are headed to a bigger improvement in 2016 than in the coming season.Carolina Panthers: SellChuck Burton/Associated Press The Carolina Panthers managed to win the NFC South last season despite producing a mere 7-8-1 regular-season record.The problem is that Carolina appeared to approach this offseason like a defending division champion instead of a sub-.500 football team.The team's "haul" in free agency was headlined by offensive tackle Michael Oher, who was rated 75th overall among offensive tackles by Pro Football Focus in 2014. The team didn't add a pass-catcher for regressing quarterback Cam Newton aside from Ted Ginn, and didn't bring in a back to replace the departed DeAngelo Williams.The draft strategy for Carolina made a little more sense, at least. Pass-rusher Shaq Thompson should be a regular contributor on defense, and receiver Devin Funchess should do the same on the other side of the football.However, the team just signed Newton to a five-year, $103.8 million deal after the worst statistical season of his career. Carolina could have done a heck of a lot more to ensure he has the talent around him to rebound in 2015.New Orleans Saints: BuyGerald Herbert/Associated Press The New Orleans Saints are in an interesting situation because the team is undergoing a rebuilding effort of sorts.Head coach Sean Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis are still in charge. However, the team seems to be moving away from the pass-based offense they have utilized in years past, opting to put more focus on the running game and the defense.The team traded away its top two receivers from last season, tight end Jimmy Graham (85 receptions) and wideout Kenny Stills (63). Giving up Graham yielded a first-round draft pick and Pro Bowl center Max Unger.New Orleans also brought in free-agent corner Brandon Browner and running back C.J. Spiller. Offensive tackle Andrus Peat and linebacker Stephone Anthony were selected in the first round of the draft.There is a lot of risk involved with the Saints' game plan. However, the NFC has been dominated in recent years by teams that have balance on offense and that play tough defense. New Orleans deserves credit for chasing the formula.Tampa Bay Buccaneers: SellChris O'Meara/Associated Press The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 2-14 last season, so the team should improve in 2015. However, the team's strategy for doing so seems to lack any sort of direction or focus.The Buccaneers fell into No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston by failing to win in 2014. It's tough to call Tampa's acquisition of their new signal-caller an effort.More troublesome is the face that general manager Jason Licht had to know his team was leaning toward a quarterback with the first overall pick in the draft, yet he did absolutely nothing to make his new quarterback's transition easier.Tampa's "big" free agents were defensive tackle Henry Melton and linebacker Bruce Carter. Licht got no help for the league's 29th-ranked rushing attack (85.9 yards per game). He also ignored the offensive line, which was rated dead last in pass blocking by Pro Football Focus.Thanks to Licht's misguided free-agency plan, Winston may be forced to start behind two rookie linemen. The entire lack of player movement makes even less sense when you consider that the team still has more than $20 million in cap space.For every team...link