Most Improved Rosters Heading into the 2022 NFL Season

The 2022 NFL Season is fast approaching. It has been the most wild offseason in recent memory, and now that the dust has settled, it is time to take a look at five of the most improved rosters in the league. I tried to keep it limited to teams that missed the playoffs in 2021, aside from one exception on the list. Without further ado, let’s start things off with an AFC team that’s looking to climb up from the cellar.

5. New York Jets

The Gang Green added as much talent as anyone this offseason, doing so primarily through the 2022 NFL Draft. General manager Joe Douglas found himself with four picks inside of the top-38, and he made the most of each one. At No. 4 overall, the Jets got themselves a potential lockdown cornerback in Cincinnati’s Sauce Gardner. Their second pick inside the top-10 was a wide receiver from Ohio State, Garrett Wilson. Rather than allowing Jermaine Johnson to fall into the hands of someone else, the Jets opted to move up from No. 38 overall, packaging it in a deal to acquire the No. 26 pick of the first round, where they took the Florida State pass rusher. The final of the first four picks was used on a bellcow running back out of Iowa State, Breece Hall.

Gardner and Johnson will both immediately elevate the defensive unit as a whole. Add in the fact that Carl Lawson (their biggest signing from 2021) is expected to be 100% entering the season, and it’s easy to get excited for the potential on defense. DJ Reed, another stout cornerback, came over from Seattle and Buccaneers’ free agent Jordan Whitehead made the move to New York as well. With Quinnen Williams on the verge of breaking out, the Jets have a number of young pillars on that side of the ball.

The offense might be even more improved than the defense, which is saying a lot. The Jets added a potential No. 1 wide receiver and No. 1 running back in the league, and both guys are ready to produce results immediately. Wilson is among the best route runners to enter the league in the past few seasons, and this should translate into some wide open throws for quarterback Zach Wilson. Elijah Moore and Corey Davis give them a strong trio of pass catchers. Breece Hall can come in and be the every down back from day one. He’s got the vision to dice up defenses between the tackles, and breakaway speed when he takes runs to the outside or catches screen passes out of the backfield. Michael Carter, a 2021 NFL Draft pick, will serve as the ideal counterpart to Hall.

Who are the Most Improved Teams Heading into the 2022 NFL Season?

The final aspect that will make all the difference for Zach Wilson and the New York Jets: the offensive line. Being first-round investments, it’s fair to assume that both Mekhi Becton and Alijah Vera-Tucker both take a step up in development. Both already provide serviceable play, but I expect to see them enter top-ten talks at their respective positions in 2022. The most under-the-radar move of the offseason was easily the signing of Laken Tomlinson. Tomlinson is one of the best interior offensive linemen in the league, and he is going to be the key piece that takes this unit to the next level. The pieces are in place, now it’s time for the Jets to turn the talent on paper into production on field.