5 NFL teams that need just one more piece to help their Super Bowl chances

Now that the 2020 NFL Draft is over, teams will look at their roster and find spots that can still be improved. As usual, there were contenders that filled holes during the draft, but roster building does not stop then. There are still a few teams out there that could use one more piece to enhance their chances at winning the Super Bowl.

Let’s take a look at a few of them.

I can’t imagine Bill Belichick wants to head into the 2020 season with Jarrett Stidham as his starting quarterback. There’s nothing about him that would make me excited about this season. You could argue the Patriots are “Tanking For Trevor” by keeping Stidham as the quarterback to land Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 draft, but their roster is too good to tank.

So what are the Patriots going to do? There’s only one option, in my opinion. People will point toward Cam Newton, but all my research would lead me to believe there’s a near-zero percent chance this happens. Newton is just not a fit for what Belichick is looking for in a quarterback. The best option, and it hasn’t changed since the season ended, is Andy Dalton.

The Bengals drafted Joe Burrow and then just released Dalton — per his request. The Patriots could probably sign him for cheap. Dalton is reliable and not a turnover machine. Is he dynamic? Not always, but he can be. I think the Patriots could make the playoffs with Dalton. There’s almost no chance with Stidham, which is why I think this move will get made.

I’ve already given my thoughts on the Packers drafting Jordan Love, but this can’t be said enough: They should have taken a wide receiver in the first round. The rest of the NFL believes it’s important to have valuable pieces at that position, while it appears the Packers don’t.

Last season, Green Bay’s receiving corps was brutal.

And the Packers didn’t upgrade at all. They’re just rolling back with the same crew, with the addition of Devin Funchess on a one-year deal. The Packers must trust the growth possible in that group.

But they’d also like to move toward featuring their run game more, and the front office will get their wish. The Packers didn’t draft a wide receiver and there aren’t many options available anymore in free agency. Oh well, I guess the Packers can ground-and-pound their way to victories ... an offensive style that has gone the way of the dodo.

The Chiefs are coming off a Super Bowl 54 victory against the San Francisco 49ers. Yet even with the Lombardi Trophy in the building and 20 of 22 starters returning, the Chiefs still have a glaring weakness, if you want to call it that. It’s at cornerback.

The Kansas City defense improved throughout the season, especially the pass defense. It’s one of the main reasons the Chiefs were able to make the run to the Super Bowl. But they can still get better, especially with Bashaud Breeland facing a possible suspension.

Cornerback might be the deepest position in free agency at this point, with players like Logan Ryan, Prince Amukamara, Eli Apple, Dre Kirkpatrick, and Darqueze Dennard all unsigned. The Chiefs could easily add one more piece here and they’d be pretty set.

There’s an argument to be made that the AFC West improved more than any division this offseason. These teams are chasing the Chiefs, and they know it. However, both the Chargers and Broncos need reinforcements at left tackle to help their young quarterbacks.

At the moment, the Chargers don’t have really any candidate to play left tackle, while the Broncos have penalty machine Garett Bolles. These teams need to add either Donald Penn or Jason Peters. It’s a no-brainer to me. The two veterans would be an immediate upgrade at an extremely important position. This is a must for both of these teams.

I want to end on this note. I tried to find a place to play Jadeveon Clowney and Everson Griffen. The former isn’t signed because his price tag is too high. Age and a lack of free agent visits this offseason might be the reason why Griffen isn’t signed, though he should come cheaper than Clowney and can still play.

The Titans, Cowboys, Seahawks, and Eagles come to mind as potential locations. I could even see the Rams make a play for either of these guys. I also believe the holdup on both of them is they are traditional 4-3 defensive ends and not hybrid players who can function well in a 3-4 defense. Either way, both of them, at the right price, can help any team in the league — especially a contender.