NFL Offseason Preview: The NFC

Let's look at the NFC teams and their positions as they enter the 2022 offseason.

NFL teams will be attending the annual combine later this week, in which team reps not only will scout 2022 draft prospects but meet with agents to discuss free agency.

Last week, I covered the AFC teams and what their positions look like when it comes to their ability to improve their teams this offseason. This week, we'll look at the NFC teams.

I utilized Over the Cap's offseason resources ranking, in which it looked at the percentage of snaps that team free agents played, their projected cap space and the total value of their draft capital. It includes two additions of mine, regarding team needs and the quarterback situation.

A reminder about the points covered:

Free agent snaps: The percentage of snaps pending free agents played in 2021.

F-S value: This refers to the Fitzgerald-Spielberger draft pick valuation chart, which is explained here. It tells you the total value of the draft capital.

OTC ranking: The offseason resource ranking for a team by Over the Cap.

QB situation: A team with a "settled" situation has its starting QB and there are no questions about his status. A team with an "iffy" situation has questions it needs to answer about its QB for one reason or another and needs to make a decision. A team with an "urgent" situation needs to find a starting QB. Those who have first-round picks from 2021 are listed as "developing" because the jury is still out on whether those QBs will prove to be long-term solutions.

NFC East

Dallas

• Free agent snaps: 35.7 percent

• Projected cap space: $22.1M over

• Draft picks: 7 (4,719)

• OTC ranking: 31st

• Team needs: EDGE, LB, G

• QB situation: Settled

The Cowboys have a fair number of players eligible for free agency who got a lot of playing time. They will need to restructure a few contracts to get under the cap but probably won't have to make a lot of cuts. Though having Dak Prescott keeps them in playoff contention, they will have to be selective in free agency and might want to consider trading down in the first round for more draft capital.

NY Giants

• Free agent snaps: 33.2 percent

• Projected cap space: $12.2M over

• Draft picks: 11 (9,332)

• OTC ranking: 17th

• Team needs: G, EDGE, C

• QB situation: Urgent

The Giants are in a great position as far as the upcoming draft goes, but not in terms of the cap situation and the number of snaps the team could lose in free agency. They will likely need to cut a couple of players and may have to let most of their free agents depart, settling for compensatory picks. The Giants should then draft players to build their core, with an eye toward 2023's QB draft class.

Philadelphia

• Free agent snaps: 17.9 percent

• Projected cap space: $18.5M

• Draft picks: 10 (8,671)

• OTC ranking: 2nd

• Team needs: LB, EDGE, WR

• QB situation: Iffy

The Eagles were above the cap last year, but did a good job of managing it, found a trading partner for Carson Wentz, and now have the majority of the roster returning. Add in multiple draft picks in the first three rounds and the Eagles have a good chance of contending for the NFC East title. The only question is whether Jalen Hurts is the long-term answer at quarterback.

Washington

• Free agent snaps: 23.6 percent

• Projected cap space: $31.8M

• Draft picks: 6 (4,921)

• OTC ranking: 8th

• Team needs: QB, WR, LB

• QB situation: Urgent

The Commanders have plenty of cap space but not a lot of draft picks. Everything indicates this is a team whose coaches and front office are trying to keep their jobs beyond 2022, so they may go "all in" on free agency, given that they don't have a lot of snaps to replace. Quarterback remains the biggest need -- though Taylor Heinicke has played well at times, he doesn't look like the QB to build around.

NFC North

Chicago

• Free agent snaps: 40.6 percent

• Projected cap space: $19.4M

• Draft picks: 5 (3,266)

• OTC ranking: 30th

• Team needs: WR, CB, G

• QB situation: Developing

The Bears are a team that should be looking to find as many players as possible to build around Justin Fields but are somewhat lacking in the resources to do so. Their cap space isn't great, they have a lot of players who played many snaps eligible for free agency, and they don't have a lot of draft picks. The lack of picks probably couldn't have been helped, given their decision to move up last year to acquire Fields. The best strategy may be to look for value in free agency, possibly trade away Robert Quinn for more draft capital, then be prepared for big moves in 2023 while Fields is still on his draft pick contract.

Detroit

• Free agent snaps: 25 percent

• Projected cap space: $19.6M

• Draft picks: 8 (7,681)

• OTC ranking: 7th

• Team needs: WR, CB, S

• QB situation: Urgent

The Lions are in a decent position with draft capital, but don't have the cap space to make a big move in free agency. However, this is clearly a team who has been building with an eye toward 2023. They will have to ride it out with Jared Goff for one more season, find additional players in the draft to build the core, then begin scouting 2023 QB draft prospects. That's when the Lions can think about being more aggressive with their approach to free agency.

Green Bay

• Free agent snaps: 28.8 percent

• Projected cap space: $30.4M over

• Draft picks: 9 (5,020)

• OTC ranking: 20th

• Team needs: WR, S, LB

• QB situation: Iffy

The Packers have already restructured the contracts for David Bakhtiari, Aaron Jones and Kenny Clark in their quest to get under the cap. They still have plenty of work ahead, though, given that they need the space to keep Davante Adams, their top unrestricted free agent. Until Aaron Rodgers makes it official that he will return to the Packers, their QB situation will remain iffy -- and if he does return, an extension has to happen to ensure compliance with the salary cap.

Minnesota

• Free agent snaps: 31.1 percent

• Projected cap space: $16M over

• Draft picks: 8 (5,281)

• OTC ranking: 18th

• Team needs: G, EDGE, CB

• QB situation: Iffy

A brand-new regime takes over the Vikings, and given its current situation, the team needs to undergo at least a soft rebuild. That means trading away players who don't figure into the long-term plans, sitting out most of free agency and focusing on the draft. Kirk Cousins has a high cap number but extending him isn't a good idea. It doesn't appear he will be traded, so the Vikings will have to navigate the cap without touching his contract.

NFC South

Atlanta

• Free agent snaps: 36.7 percent

• Projected cap space: $7.3M over

• Draft picks: 8 (6,491)

• OTC ranking: 24th

• Team needs: WR, DL, IOL

• QB situation: Iffy

I've talked about the Falcons before -- the team is still trying to dig its way out of the mess that former general manager Thomas Dimitroff left behind. Most likely, the Falcons will ride it out with Matt Ryan for one more year, then focus on the 2023 draft to find their next quarterback. The Falcons are a team that could be interested in trading down to acquire more draft capital.

Carolina

• Free agent snaps: 35.2 percent

• Projected cap space: $12.3M

• Draft picks: 5 (3,867)

• OTC ranking: 27th

• Team needs: QB, LB, IOL

• QB situation: Urgent

The Panthers don't have a lot of cap space, are losing plenty of snaps to free agency and have little draft capital to work with. They are likely stuck with Sam Darnold and his $18.5M base salary, which is fully guaranteed. It's not hard to figure out that the Panthers are the team with a head coach whose seat is hotter than any other team. General manager Scott Fitterer needs to be smart about his offseason moves, or he could join Matt Rhule on the hot seat.

New Orleans

• Free agent snaps: 21.9 percent

• Projected cap space: $42.2M over

• Draft picks: 8 (5,253)

• OTC ranking: 16th

• Team needs: QB, WR, S

• QB situation: Urgent

The Saints have become a running joke when it comes to cap management. They spent so many years chasing another Super Bowl and now, are just trying to get back to the playoffs. It's probably time for the Saints to recognize that they need to start a new era, do as much as they can to clear cap space and focus on the draft. While they aren't losing a lot of snaps to free agency, they could lose more snaps after they cut certain players.

Tampa Bay

• Free agent snaps: 39 percent

• Projected cap space: $1.3M over

• Draft picks: 7 (4,102)

• OTC ranking: 32nd

• Team needs: QB, WR, DT

• QB situation: Iffy

The Buccaneers pushed to get as many players as possible back from their Super Bowl team in 2021 and fell short of returning. Now, with Tom Brady retiring, it may be time to hit the reset button. The smart move may be to roll with Kyle Trask as the starting QB in 2022 and see what he does. Either they'll find out they have the QB to build around or they'll be seeking another option in 2023. Trying to swing for the fences on a QB in free agency probably isn't a smart move.

NFC West

Arizona

• Free agent snaps: 31.7 percent

• Projected cap space: $813K over

• Draft picks: 8 (4,298)

• OTC ranking: 26th

• Team needs: WR, CB, IDL

• QB situation: Settled

The Cardinals have some difficult decision to make this offseason. I don't believe that Kyler Murray wants out, but the Cardinals do have to ask themselves how much he's worth in an extension. They aren't in a position to be active in free agency and will need to cut players or adjust contracts to become cap compliant. The Cardinals will need to do a good job with drafting players, because they need younger players to build their core now that Murray is eligible for an extension.

LA Rams

• Free agent snaps: 25.1 percent

• Projected cap space: $21.6M over

• Draft picks: 8 (2,810)

• OTC ranking: 29th

• Team needs: G. LB, WR

• QB situation: Settled

The Rams are projected to be over the cap, but an extension for quarterback Matthew Stafford will help with that. A couple other restructures will help and, if Andrew Whitworth retires, they'll have more room available. The Rams are in a better position than the Buccaneers to get most of their pending free agents back for another Super Bowl because Stafford isn't close to retirement. While they have eight picks, they are in the later rounds, so they'll need to do a good job of finding potential contributors.

San Francisco

• Free agent snaps: 27.7 percent

• Projected cap space: $11.4M over

• Draft picks: 9 (3,931)

• OTC ranking: 23rd

• Team needs: CB, S, G

• QB situation: Developing

The Niners have some work to do to get under the cap and can do that, in part, by moving on from Jimmy Garoppolo. The question is whether or not they find a trading partner or if they'll have to cut him instead. They are fortunate to have Trey Lance on an inexpensive contract, because players such as Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel are in line for extensions. The Niners will likely sit out free agency and focus on taking care of their own.

Seattle

• Free agent snaps: 35.4 percent

• Projected cap space: $31.5M

• Draft picks: 6 (3,875)

• OTC ranking: 22nd

• Team needs: EDGE, CB, T

• QB situation: Iffy

The Seahawks have a lot of cap space but plenty of players who had significant snaps who are eligible for free agency. While Russell Wilson isn't guaranteed to be traded, the QB situation remains iffy until it's clear he won't be. Even so, the Seahawks have a regime that could be playing for their jobs. The lack of draft capital means, if the Seahawks keep Wilson. they'll have to be aggressive in free agency to find the players that will get them back into playoff contention.