Roster Moves Struggling NFL Teams Need To Make Right Now

For some teams, the 2022 NFL season hasn't been much fun.

The good news is that there are still opportunities for teams to improve their rosters. The free-agent market has a few interesting players who have yet to find NFL homes this season, and the NFL trade rumor mill is starting to heat up.

The November 1 trade deadline is now just a few weeks away, so the time to strike a deal is now.

These moves might not make the following teams Super Bowl contenders, but they would go a long way toward addressing glaring needs to maximize their potential this year.

If we're being honest, the Chicago Bears have too many flaws to make a significant turnaround this season. Between the dysfunction of the offensive line, a defense that is transitioning under first-year head coach Matt Eberflus and the struggles of Justin Fields, the Bears appear destined for a top-five pick.

But there's one crucial thing the Bears have to do this season: figure out whether Justin Fields is worth building around.

The quarterback has looked miserable this season. His stats are nearly identical to his rookie season's, and he's completing just 54.8 percent of his passing attempts.

It's hard to figure out how much blame needs to be placed on the different aspects of the Bears' offensive failures. Fields doesn't have the best receiver corps, and the offensive line hasn't offered the best protection.

Adding a veteran receiver who can be a reliable target in the intermediate areas of the field would go a long way in figuring out what Fields can do with a supporting cast.

Kendrick Bourne fits that description, and based on his usage this season, he could be available. Even in a 38-15 blowout win in Week 6, Bourne saw just one target for 17 yards.

On the season, Bourne has seen just 14 targets. For a player who had 55 catches for 800 yards last season, he's become expendable.

While he's fallen out of favor in New England, he could be Fields' favorite target outside of Darnell Mooney in Chicago.

The Cleveland Browns fell to 2-4 with a loss to Bailey Zappe and the New England Patriots.

The fact that the Browns are struggling while Deshaun Watson serves his 11-game suspension is not surprising. The fact that it's their defense that has struggled the most is the shocking part.

On paper, the Browns have talent at every level of the defense. Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, Denzel Ward and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah provide athleticism all over the field.

But the interior of the defense remains a problem. The Browns traded for inside linebacker Deion Jones a week ago, but he has remained on injured reserve this week and earned a 34.6 grade from PFF last season.

There's a good chance he's not the answer.

Instead, the Browns should be looking to take a bigger swing like making a deal for Daron Payne to beef up the interior of their defensive line. Current starters Jordan Elliott and Taven Bryan rank 111th and 82nd out of all interior defensive linemen by PFF.

Payne has been enjoying a good season in Washington. He has 3.5 sacks and had the fifth-most pressures among interior defensive linemen going into Week 6, per Next Gen Stats.

He's also in the final year of his contract with the Commanders and makes a lot of sense as a trade asset for a team that is 2-4.

His arrival in Cleveland would give the Browns added punch in the pass rush while addressing the biggest weakness on the defense.

Hopefully the Detroit Lions spent the bye week analyzing ways they can improve their pass coverage. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was a head coaching candidate who interviewed for both the Broncos' and Saints' openings this offseason.

He's going to have to improve the Lions' struggling defense if he wants to have the same buzz in the 2023 offseason.

So far, the Lions haven't been able to keep opposing passers in check. They are surrendering a league-worst 34 points per game, and giving up over 260 yards passing per game is not helping.

Jeff Okudah has shown some signs of life in his third season, but fellow starter Amani Oruwariye was benched against New England.

What the Lions need are some reinforcements that are going to give Glenn and head coach Dan Campbell a fighting chance to keep their jobs.

Sidney Jones IV makes the most sense. The 26-year-old corner made 11 starts last season and had 10 passes defended but has only seen action in two games for the Seahawks this season. It's clear he doesn't factor into the Seahawks' rebuilding plan.

He may be just what the Lions need to stabilize the secondary, though. With Oruwariye in the doghouse, it makes sense to make a move for Jones to replace his snaps.

The belief that the Green Bay Packers could replace Davante Adams without spending money on a significant free agent or using a first-round pick on the position may have been misguided after all.

The Packers receiving corps has simply not been able to hold up its end of the bargain, and Green Bay has dropped back-to-back games to the New York Giants and Jets to get to 3-3 as a result.

The Packers' performance against the Jets in Week 6 was a great example of the problem. Allen Lazard had four catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. The next best stat line from a receiver was four catches and 21 yards from Romeo Doubs.

That put the onus on Robert Tonyan to carry the passing attack. He brought down 10 passes for 90 yards.

Rodgers needs a proven receiver who can provide a consistent presence and big-play potential. That's free agent Odell Beckham Jr. as soon as he's healthy, which might not be until mid-November, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Green Bay has been mentioned as a possible destination for the veteran receiver.

There are trade options for the Packers. DJ Moore would make sense as a target from the Panthers, but he would likely cost too much draft capital. Then there are young players like Chase Claypool, but the Packers already have young players who might work out.

They need a proven option, and Beckham is the best one available.

The Los Angeles Rams don't look like a team that is coming off a Super Bowl win.

Their 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 6 to get to 3-3 offered some hope, but even that wasn't easy. The Rams got off to a slow start and had to overcome a 10-7 deficit at halftime to a team that just fired their head coach and was playing their backup quarterback.

The Rams' three wins have come against the 1-5 Panthers, 2-4 Cardinals and 3-3 Falcons. That's not exactly a reason to believe they are headed in a good direction.

If they are going to be more than a team that can simply beat bad teams, they are going to have to address the offensive line. Going into Week 6, they had allowed 21 sacks, and the running game averaged 3.2 yards per carry.

Finding offensive line help is never easy during the season, which is why the Rams front office should check in on Isaiah Wynn's situation with the New England Patriots.

Wynn has struggled with penalties this season and was benched against the Cleveland Browns. However, Wynn was a highly rated left tackle by PFF in 2020 and has been asked to play multiple positions throughout his 40 games for New England.

The Rams were dealt another blow on the offensive line when Joe Noteboom left the Panthers game with an injury that is feared to be a season-ending Achilles injury, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Wynn could serve as an upgrade on an offensive line that desperately needs one.

The most disappointing aspect of the on-field product Mike McDaniel has produced with the Miami Dolphins is the running game. McDaniel was expected to elevate the ground attack and even brought in Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert to do it.

Thus far, neither back has done the job.

According to Player Profiler, Edmonds is 64th in yards created, a metric that measures what a back creates beyond the yardage that was blocked. Mostert is ranked 37th.

With Tua Tagovailoa out of the lineup, the team's inability to run the football has been highlighted. After storming out to a 3-0 start, the Dolphins have now lost three in a row with Tagovailoa expected to get back into the lineup in Week 7.

Getting him back should boost the passing game, but the running game still needs rejuvenation.

Cam Akers could be part of the solution. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported the running back is on the trade block and is unlikely to play until he gets traded.

Akers is a talented back who hasn't quite found his footing in Los Angeles. At times he has been stuck behind Darrell Henderson Jr. in the Rams backfield this season, but during last year's playoffs he was the starting back.

Given his struggles, Akers wouldn't cost more than a late draft pick. If he's able to take advantage of a new opportunity, he could finally live up to his second-round pick status.