NFL Teams that Stayed Pat in the Off Season

Over the past few days we have discussed the teams that made the biggest off season moves and truly improved their team the most. The Seahawks, Bears and Bills all made aggressive moves that have them poised to really improve on their dismal seasons last year. Now let us take a quick look at some of the teams that really didn’t do much, but are hoping to build on what they already have.

The Dallas Cowboys made one of the biggest decisions in the off season and released star wide receiver Terrell Owens and really did nothing to replace him. The team has high hopes for its young receiving corps and a lot of pressure is sure to put on the shoulders of Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin. The team did not have a draft pick until the third round and surprised everyone by not trading up to get one of the young and promising receivers eligible. By the team the Cowboys were called on there were already 8 top receivers chosen and slim pickings were left. However the lack of a move suggests that the team really is confident in Austin and Crayton and are hoping the team can gel better now that Owens has moved on.

There were big rumors swirling around the New England Patriots all off season but not too much noise actually came out. The team was linked to trade rumors involving Julius Peppers, and they were interested in signing defensive end Jason Taylor. It appears that the Carolina Panthers have no interest in moving Peppers and Taylor decided to head back home and suit up once again for the Miami Dolphins. The Patriots stood by in the draft as well and neglected to pick up anyone for their outside linebacker need, so it appears they are set with sticking with Shawn Crable and Pierre Woods. That is not to say that the team may not make a move for a veteran in the summer, but it does show that they don’t feel the absolute need to make a major move for their defense.

Speaking of the Carolina Panthers, they are another team that really did not do much to improve even after a disappointing season. The team really made no moves whatsoever in the off season thanks to the fact that they were up so tightly against the salary cap. They didn’t make any major signings and opted not to draft a wide receiver in the draft. The Panthers lost both D.J Hackett and Mark Jones so the receiving corps will be extremely thin to say the least. Most of the pressure will be put on young Dwayne Jarrett to step up and become something special. That is a lot of pressure for a guy with one career start, no touchdowns and 16 career receptions overall. The Panthers do seem confident that they are in a good spot going into this year still however, and that was proven by the fact that they did not trade up or go after an impact player in the first year player draft.