Most Improved Offenses of the 2015 NFL Offseason

Most Improved Offenses of the 2015 NFL Offseason By Zach Kruse , NFL Analyst May 29, 2015 Associated Press A look at the NFL's most improved defenses of the 2015 offseason requires a complementary examination of the other side of the ball. Several teams have also used free agency and the draft to get better on offense. The name of the game is still scoring points. A lot of points, preferably. Case in point: The top five scoring offenses last season (Green Bay, Denver, Philadelphia, New England and Dallas) won a combined 58 regular-season games, while the bottom five (Jacksonville, Oakland, Tennessee, Tampa Bay and New York Jets) won just 14. And only two teams from the bottom third of the league in scoring managed to make the postseason (Detroit, Arizona). In the following slides, we'll highlight the franchises that have improved the most on offense this offseason. In theory, scoring more points should mean more wins. Honorable MentionMark Humphrey/Associated Press Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last season's scoring rank: 29th)The Bucs replaced a mistake (journeyman Josh McCown) with the polarizing Jameis Winston, a Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Tampa Bay also added two potential starters up front in tackle Donovan Smith and guard Ali Marpet. Much depends on Winston and his transition, but the 29th-ranked scoring offense from a season ago should improve. 7  New York JetsJulio Cortez/Associated Press Getting out of the league's basement for scoring offense will require the Jets to receive considerably better quarterback play, but there's little doubting that the cast around the position is significantly improved for 2015. In just the past few months, New York has dealt for veteran receiver Brandon Marshall and running back Zac Stacy, signed running back Stevan Ridley and guard James Carpenter, as well as drafted vertical speedster Devin Smith. Receiver Eric Decker, running back Chris Ivory and tight end Jace Amaro return to round out the club's offensive weaponry, which will be coordinated by Chan Gailey. Geno Smith is still the quarterback most likely to be under center for Week 1, but the Jets safeguarded the position by signing Ryan Fitzpatrick—who actually threw 17 touchdowns with a passer rating of 95.3 for the Houston Texans last season. It's a much better setup than in 2014, when Michael Vick was Smith's primary backup. New York has given Smith everything he needs to take the next step. If he does, last season's 28th best scoring offense should soar up the rankings in 2015. 6  Buffalo BillsKevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports No team added more firepower this offseason than the Buffalo Bills. The unexpected Kiko Alonso trade netted Buffalo running back LeSean McCoy, who is just one year removed from winning the rushing title in Philadelphia. An explosive runner in the open field and one of the game's true home run-hitting backs, McCoy has rushed for nearly 3,000 yards and 14 scores since 2013.The Bills weren't done, later adding the multi-dimensional Percy Harvin in free agency. A volatile but versatile weapon capable of producing as a receiver, running back and returner, Harvin remains one of the league's most unique players. Adding McCoy and Harvin wasn't enough. Buffalo also snagged emerging tight end Charles Clay from the Miami Dolphins, signed two established fullbacks (John Conner and Jerome Felton) to pave holes for McCoy and added guards Richie Incognito (free agency) and John Miller (draft) to the offensive line.  The Bills' improvement on offense still hinges on the quarterback position, which is set to feature a four-way competition between EJ Manuel, Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor and Jeff Tuel. But with a running game set to carry the load, Buffalo probably only needs to be marginally better at quarterback for Buffalo to take a step forward on offense in 2015.5  Jacksonville JaguarsGary McCullough/Associated Press The NFL's 31st-ranked scoring offense from 2014 is attempting to put the necessary pieces around its franchise quarterback. The Blake Bortles-led Jaguars made a splash in free agency, using a boatload of cash to sign tight end Julius Thomas to a lucrative multiyear deal. The move has risks—Thomas' numbers were certainly a product of playing with Peyton Manning in Denver—but he's a talent at a position that features very few in today's game.Jacksonville also found a new starting right tackle in Jermey Parnell and made a smart late signing in young center Stefen Wisniewski, who will battle to start immediately.The draft brought more help, as the Jaguars pounced on taking Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon in the second round and South Carolina guard A.J. Cann in the third. Yeldon could be a three-down back starting in Week 1. Cann projects as a future starter inside. Fifth-round pick Rashad Greene has a pro-ready game and could produce right away at receiver.Slowly, the Jaguars have assembled a promising cast on offense. All the pieces now need to come together around Bortles, who is entering his sophomore season. Development will determine how good these young cats become. 4  Miami Dolphins Jeff Haynes/Associated Press Few quarterbacks are feeling better about their offseason than Miami's Ryan Tannehill. Not only did he become a $96 million man, but his offense added some serious talent at the skill positions. Gone is Charles Clay, who bolted for Buffalo. So is Mike Wallace, a misfit for the Dolphins offense. But arriving in Miami is a hoard of help, including Kenny Stills, a more efficient deep threat than Wallace; Greg Jennings, a crafty veteran still capable of getting open; Jordan Cameron, a productive tight end when healthy in Cleveland and Clay's obvious replacement and DeVante Parker, Miami's first-round pick and potentially the next A.J. Green. The Dolphins did even more to appease Tannehill. His center (Mike Pouncey) and backup quarterback (Matt Moore) signed new deals, and the fifth round of the draft saw Miami take running back Jay Ajayi, who has starting-level talent if his knee holds up. Miami finished 11th in scoring offense a season ago. With this enhanced cast, and another jump in development from Tannehill, there's no reason to think the Dolphins can't flirt with the top 10 in 2015. 3  Oakland Raiders Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports The Raiders are doing everything in their power to provide talent around their own young quarterback.A season in which Oakland finished 31st in scoring offense wasn't a lost one. Rookie Derek Carr emerged as the franchise's building block at quarterback, and a three-win finish allowed the Raiders to take a stud receiver in last month's draft.  That new pass-catcher is Alabama's Amari Cooper, a polished, refined talent capable of giving Carr a go-to target immediately. The two could be the NFL's next big quarterback-receiver combination. The draft also saw the Raiders take athletic tight end Clive Walford in the third round.Free agency filled in other holes. Receiver Michael Crabtree and running back Trent Richardson were buy-low finds, Rodney Hudson has Pro Bowl potential at center and Roy Helu caught over 70 passes as Washington's third-down back the last two seasons. The Oakland offense is far from complete, and Carr needs to improve greatly on his completion percentage and yards-per-attempt numbers from a year ago. But for the first time in a long time, there's serious hope for the Raiders offense. 2  Arizona Cardinals Matt York/Associated Press The two biggest moves of Arizona's offseason demanded very little of the headlines, but each should help better protect quarterback Carson Palmer—who missed the final 10 games of last season due to a torn ACL. The final result should be significant improvement for an offense that finished 24th in scoring in 2014. Cardinals general manager Steve Keim first used free agency to lure former 49ers guard Mike Iupati to the desert, before using the club's first-round pick on offensive tackle D.J. Humphries. Iupati will start right away at left guard, while Humphries will battle with Bobby Massie to play at right tackle. Arizona also added versatile running back David Johnson in the fourth round. If the Cardinals are better along the offensive line and Palmer plays close to 16 games, expect Arizona to finish in the top half of the NFL in scoring next season. 1  Indianapolis Colts Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press There isn't significant room for last season's sixth-ranked scoring offense to improve in 2015, but the supporting cast certainly looks upgraded for quarterback Andrew Luck and the Colts. Indianapolis used free agency to add veterans Frank Gore and Andre Johnson, who are both entering the twilights of their careers. Yet neither has shown significant signs of slowing down. Gore has rushed for over 1,000 yards in eight of the last nine seasons, while Johnson—who replaces Reggie Wayne—has averaged over 100 catches per season since 2012. Still not satisfied, the Colts somewhat surprisingly used their first-round pick on Miami speedster Phillip Dorsett. His skill set might be redundant with T.Y. Hilton's in Indianapolis, but it's hard to argue with giving Luck another dangerous vertical threat. And don't overlook running back Josh Robinson, who was a bowling ball of production for Mississippi State. Luck has never played in an offense with this much talent. The Colts should be a good bet to finish in the top three in scoring in 2015.link