Every NFL team has a weakness, or at least the weakest part of the roster. Here is every NFL Team's Biggest Weakness heading into the 2023 season. Check to see what your favorite team's biggest weakness is.
Washington Commanders:
The Commanders' biggest weakness is not the quarterback situation, but rather the offensive line. The offensive line was the prime cause of Carson Wentz's failure during the previous season, as Wentz was a pocket passer. Little was done to improve the shaky offensive line during the offseason, giving a valid reason to be skeptical of the Commanders' offense for this coming season.
Dallas Cowboys:
Will this be the Cowboys' year? It won't be because quarterback Dak Prescott tends to throw interceptions. Prescott led the league in that category in 2022 and only played ten games. This interception problem cost the Cowboys games on many occasions, including a narrow loss to the Packers and a playoff loss to the 49ers. Prescott will have to throw the ball even more often, thanks to the offseason loss of running back Ezekiel Elliot.
New York Giants:
The Giants' biggest weakness is one that is not talked about enough. Saquon Barkley's proneness to injury has ended multiple prior Giants' seasons and could likely end the 2023 season. Barkley goes for a home run ball on nearly every rush attempt, dancing in the backfield. This strategy can cause some insane plays but also significantly increases the chance of injury. The offensive scheme revolves around Barkley, making a potential injury a season-ender.
Philadelphia Eagles:
The Eagles are a pretty stacked team making it tough to find their biggest weakness. Nevertheless, the Eagles' biggest weakness is their rushing defense. It ranked 16th in 2022 and is the only part of the team that's even remotely a weakness.
Detroit Lions:
The Lions are a young and exciting team entering the 2023 season, but they have a glaring weakness, that being the secondary. This problem plagued the team during the season prior, especially during the first half. The Lions' secondary allows way too many explosive pass plays and is the main cause of them missing out on the 2022 playoffs. Cornerback C.J Garder-Johnson was acquired during the offseason, but at the expense of Cornerback Jeffrey Okudah, making the secondary the Lions' biggest weakness heading into 2023.
Minnesota Vikings:
Similarly to the Lions, the Vikings' most glaring weakness is the secondary. They ranked second-to-last in passing yards in 2022, and the inevitable decline of cornerback Patrick Peterson could likely put them in dead last. The secondary is the main factor bringing down the Vikings' defense, and is only supposed to get worse during the approaching season. Though it does make games more exciting, as it allows more long-ball, explosive plays.
Green Bay Packers:
The Packers' rush defense and special teams have been glaring weaknesses in previous seasons, but those have been fixed. The deepest hole in the Green Bay roster is the receiving core. Besides Christian Watson, there is no other potential go-to receiver. Losing Allen Lazard in the offseason was a big hit, as Lazard had veteran experience. The young and inexperienced receiving squad will face many growing pains, especially with the new starter, Jordan Love.
Chicago Bears:
The Bears have holes all across the roster, making it a challenge to find the weakest spot. Nevertheless, the Bears pass rush is as low caliber as it gets. Giving quarterbacks a great deal of time is a recipe for a defensive disaster. It was the main reason that the Bears' defense ranked dead last in scoring.
Tenessee Titans:
An uncertain quarterback situation preluding the season is always a red flag for an offense. But a one-man receiving core with Deondre Hopkins is another red flag. The Titans' passing offense will be a mess during the 2023 season. Derrick Henry may be a hall-of-fame lock at running back, but he can't carry this offense, especially with his proneness to injury. The entire offense should be their biggest weakness, but that's too broad.
Jacksonville Jaguars:
The Jaguars' defense overperformed last season, but the shaky part of the defensive squad is the secondary. That part of the roster is young and inexperienced. Cornerback is a position that takes young players a few years to get the hang of at the NFL level, making this secondary a weak group with plenty of growing pains.
Houston Texans:
With the brilliant defensive mind of Domeco Ryans now coaching the Texans, the defense will no longer be the team's most major liability. That title is now given to the offensive line. Even if rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud turns out to be a generational talent, the O-line will still hold him back. The bottom-tier offensive will have an even more substantial responsibility with new running back Devin Singletary, who does mostly inside running plays.
Indianapolis Colts:
With a rookie quarterback under center and little depth in the receiving core, the Colts' passing offense will be shaky at best. And if Jonathan Taylor gets injured again, the offense would be in shambles with only a passing game. Michael Pittman Jr. and Isaiah Mackenzie are not 1,000-yard receivers, but at least the offensive line will vastly improve during the 2023 season.
New Orleans Saints:
In 2022, the Saints' defense was expected to be one of the league's best, but was only average. A prime cause of this defensive decline was aging. Cam Jordan and Tyrann Mathieu regressed during the 2022 season and are 34 and 31 years old. They will only regress further, making the aging defense the Saints' biggest weakness.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
The Bucs were irrelevant before Tom Brady arrived and will be irrelevant following his departure. But the quarterback situation is not the Bucs' biggest weakness. The Bucs have the oldest roster in the NFL, and we saw plenty of aging declines last season, which will continue in 2023. Linebackers Shaq Barret and Lavonte David are past their primes, as well as receiver Mike Evans and running back Leonard Fournette. The Bucs do not have any young playmakers.
Carolina Panthers:
The Panthers are a surprisingly strong team heading into 2023. But the pass rush is not very strong. The Panthers don't have any playmakers on the front seven or the defensive line and have a lack of depth in that part of the roster. The pass rush was an issue in 2022 and will remain a problem in 2023.
Atlanta Falcons:
The Falcons' pass rush was a weakness in 2022 and will be a weakness in 2023. Grady Jarret used to be a top pass rusher, but he is now past his prime. The group ranked second-to-last in sacks in 2022 and might slide down to dead last in 2023. The Falcons' pass rush has no playmakers and has not improved during the offseason.
Seattle Seahawks:
The Seahawks were a surprisingly good team in the season prior and made plenty of improvements during the offseason. But where the team is lacking is in the offensive line. The group ranks 30th heading into the upcoming season with no improvements during the offseason. Not to mention that they will have to protect an aging pocket passer in Geno Smith.
San Francisco 49ers:
The 49ers are a stacked team, but where they lack is in the secondary. The loss of lockdown safety Jamie Ward in free agency will sting, and losing the brilliant defensive-minded coach, Domeco Ryans, will cause the defense as a whole to decline. The 49ers' secondary will not necessarily be bad in 2023, but it is the weakest part of the roster.
Arizona Cardinals:
The Cardinals will be a mess during the 2023 season, and will likely be winners of the first-round draft pick. But their biggest weakness is the secondary. The secondary has been a mess in previous seasons, but will be even worse in 2023. The group ranked 22nd in interceptions in 2022, but with no playmakers in the secondary, they will slide down the rankings in 2023.
Los Angeles Rams:
While the Rams' roster is one of the league's oldest, their biggest weakness is the rushing game. There are three pieces of a rushing game: A good running back, an effective running scheme, and an effective offensive line. The Rams have none of the three. The O-line was a mess during the season prior, Cam Akers is not a good running back, and there was never a sufficient rushing scheme in 2022, and it is uncertain heading into the 2023 season.
Buffalo Bills:
The Bills have few weaknesses but have an aging defensive line. It's a bit of a nitpick, but it could cost them games. It's hard to expect Von Miller to playing like his prime self at 34 if he even stays healthy. Shaq Lawson will also likely decline with age during the 2023 season, though the aging D-line won't be a big problem for the Bills.
New England Patriots:
It seems highly unlikely that the Patriots will have a weakness on the defensive side of the ball as long as Bill Belichick is coaching the team. The Patriots' biggest weakness is not the defense but the receiving core. When your no.1 wideout is Juju Smith-Schuster the receiving group will be weak. Smith-Schuster is not a 1,000-yard receiver and is overly reliant on his quarterback. He thrived with Patrick Mahomes throwing to him, but you can't expect Mac Jones to play at that level. It's also hard to see Devante Parker has a go-to wideout.
New York Jets:
The Jets made massive improvements on the offensive side of the ball during the offseason. But there remains a hole in the offensive line, especially at the tackle positions. The Jets' offensive line is an aging group that will have to protect an aging Aaron Rodgers.
Miami Dolphins:
The Dolphins also improved quite a bit during the offseason, but where they lack is in the secondary. While they did acquire the pro-bowl talent in Jalen Ramsey, Ramsey tends to cause dysfunction and commit penalties. Without Ramsey, the secondary is one of the NFL's weakest groups. But it's also possible that none of this will be a problem during the 2023 season.
Kansas City Chiefs:
Identifying weaknesses in defending Super Bowl Champions is often difficult. But the Chiefs won the Lombardi Trophy, already having plenty of holes. Their biggest being the secondary. There are no cornerstones on that part of the roster, resulting in plenty of deep ball and explosive plays allowed by the opposition. The secondary was a weakness during the previous season and will remain a weakness during the upcoming season.
Las Vegas Raiders:
While the Raiders' secondary is a substantial weakness on the roster, the main issue with the team is at the head coaching position. When a team with an elite roster only wins six games, the newbie head coach is easy to blame. Josh McDaniels is not quite ready for a head coaching position, and was the main reason for the team's severe underperformance in 2022.
Los Angeles Chargers:
While the Chargers are known for choking, things could change with new head coach Kellen Moore. But what won't change is the lackluster rushing defense. They ranked 28th in rushing yards given up in 2022, there remains a hole at the linebacker position, and the elite defensive ends, Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa are primarily used for pass rushing rather than run defense.
Denver Broncos:
The Broncos' biggest weakness is the most obvious on this list. If there is one person to blame for the team's abysmal 5-win season in 2022, it is quarterback Russel Wilson. Wilson recorded a staggering career-low 84.4 passer rating and a 60.5% pass completion percentage. Because the Broncos' defense was an elite group, the offense only needed to be league average to win ten games during the 2022 season. Wilson will likely improve in 2023 with future hall-of-fame coach Sean Payton now coaching the team, but it's hard to see Wilson returning to his previous elite form, especially at age 34.
Baltimore Ravens:
Despite their efforts to improve it during the offseason, the receiving core is the Ravens' biggest weakness. Odell Beckham Jr. is not a sufficient No. 1 receiver. He is prone to injury and is a merely average receiver if you take away his incredible catch that he made nine years ago. Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman are not go-to receivers, and Mark Andrews does not get the ball thrown to him as much as he should. Lamar Jackson will still have to rely on his legs for offensive production during the 2023 season.
Cincinnati Bengals:
The Bengals are entering 2023 as a weaker team than in the previous season. The main reason for that is the depleted secondary. They lost Eli Apple and Vonn Bell to free agency, leaving the veteran corner Mike Hilton the only playmaker in the secondary. However, Hilton will likely decline during the 2023 season, as has been declining since 2020. The Bengals' secondary will allow plenty of explosive plays during the upcoming season.
Pittsburgh Steelers:
The Steelers made significant improvements during the offseason, but where they are still lacking is at the cornerback position. Signing veteran Patrick Peterson was a mistake, as he will decline in 2023, and it's hard to see Joey Porter Jr. as a very effective corner in his rookie season. Despite their efforts to improve the cornerback situation, it will be a weakness during the 2023 season.
Cleveland Browns:
The Browns have a solid roster, but where they are yet to improve is the rush defense. Without much talent at the linebacker position, the Browns have one of the league's worst rush defenses. They ranked 24th in rushing yards given up in the previous season and will likely slide down the rankings without Jadeveon Clowney. The elite defensive end, Myles Garett is primarily used for pass rushing, as well as the effective defensive end, Za 'Darius Smith.
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