Every NFL team's biggest headache heading into 2019 season

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury is used to playing in track meets like he did with his team at Texas Tech, and the Cardinals are shaping up to be the NFL version. The offense could be exciting with Kyler Murray, David Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk and Co., but the defense took a huge blow when star cornerback Patrick Peterson was suspended six games for PED use. It also remains to be seen how much former Falcons cornerback Robert Alford has left.

Simply put, former first-round picks Vic Beasley and Takk McKinley need to play better this season. The Falcons tied for 22nd with 37 sacks last season, which is unacceptable given the investment Atlanta has made in the two young edge rushers. Beasley had only five sacks in each of the last two seasons after recording a league-high 15.5 sacks in 2016, while McKinley has 13 sacks through two NFL seasons. The team is also counting on defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, who is playing for a big contract.

It's going to be an interesting year in Baltimore after the team lost so many big names on defense, including Terrell Suggs, Za'Darius Smith, C.J. Mosley, and Eric Weddle. Baltimore had one of the top defenses in the league last season but has gone much younger this year, particularly in the front seven. The team is hoping for big years from Matt Judon, Tim Williams, and rookie Jaylon Ferguson.

Buffalo signed John Brown and Cole Beasley to address one of the weakest wide receiver rooms in the league, but was it enough? The knock on Josh Allen coming out of college was his inaccuracy, and he didn't do much to address those concerns in his rookie season despite showing a great deep ball and running ability. Brown has the ability to take the top off the defense, while Beasley is a sure-handed slot receiver, but it remains to be seen if it will be enough to significantly improve a passing offense that averaged only 6.2 yards per pass last season.

Carolina ranked 27th in sacks last season and saw the retirement of Julius Peppers. It was no mystery that addressing the pass rush was a big offseason priority, and the additions of veteran Bruce Irvin and rookie Brian Burns should help. It still remains to be seen if that will be enough in the short term.

The Bears organization is in a much better spot than it was a year ago, following numerous personnel additions and a great first season from head coach Matt Nagy. However, it's no mystery that kicker is a problem after the team's season was ended on a Cody Parkey double doink. Chicago heads into June still without a surefire, experienced replacement.

The Bengals defense got old quickly and finished 2018 last in yards allowed while giving up more than 28 points per game. There has been some turnover on defense during the offseason, but for the most part the personnel remains the same. New coordinator Lou Anarumo will have his work cut out for him.

Cleveland seems to have everything it needs on offense after acquiring Odell Beckham Jr., but the defense still has some concerns. The Browns allowed 4.7 yards per carry last season. They're counting on a healthier year from linebacker Christian Kirksey, as well as the additions of Sheldon Richardson and rookie linebackers Sione Takitaki and Mack Wilson to fix the issues stopping the run.

Dallas has been connected with former Chiefs All-Pro safety Eric Berry this offseason and was resistant to spend an early-round draft pick on that position. George Iloka gives the team some depth behind Jeff Heath and Xavier Woods, but safety remains the clear weak area on an otherwise strong defense.

The Broncos have struggled to find a viable quarterback since Peyton Manning retired, and it remains to be seen if they finally fixed the issue this offseason. They acquired Joe Flacco from Baltimore and drafted Drew Lock in the second round. Flacco struggled in Baltimore recently, while Lock throws a beautiful deep ball but will need some seasoning before he can lead an NFL team.

Head coach Matt Patricia has actively changed Detroit's defensive personnel to fit his scheme, and that's still a work in progress. Beyond Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay, the Lions have issues in the secondary that they tried to address with draft picks Will Harris and Amani Oruwariye, along with free-agent signing of Rashaan Melvin. The Lions need to improve after allowing 7.9 yards per pass attempt last season.

Getting to the quarterback was an issue for the Packers last season, but one that they hope to have solved after adding Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith and first-round pick Rashan Gary this offseason. The team also added more young talent to the secondary with first-round safety Darnell Savage, after allowing 7.7 yards per pass attempt last season.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson was sacked a league-high 62 times last season. Some of the sacks were on him for holding the ball too long, but the play of the offensive line remained subpar. Houston addressed the issues by using a first-round pick on tackle Tytus Howard, followed by a second-round pick on guard Max Scharping.

T.Y. Hilton remains a star and Andrew Luck's favorite receiver, but the talent behind him was lacking last year. Indy addressed that area by signing Devin Funchess and drafting speedy wideout Parris Campbell in the second round. Luck has a shot to win MVP if those moves work out anywhere close to how the 2018 signing of tight end Eric Ebron did.

The fourth overall pick in the 2017 draft, Fournette is looking like a bust through two seasons. While he had more than 1,000 yards rushing in his rookie year, Fournette played in only eight games last season, averaging 3.3 yards per carry and regularly perturbing the team's coaching staff and front office. Jacksonville hasn't been shy about adding running back depth this offseason in Alfred Blue, Thomas Rawls and fifth-round pick Ryquell Armstead, which could come as a warning for Fournette.

The Hill situation is currently at a standstill, as his legal case involving alleged child abuse  was reopened following the release of a recording between Hill and his fiancee. The Chiefs have effectively suspended Hill from team activities as the investigation continues. In the meantime, Kansas City drafted Georgia speedster Mecole Hardman, who could offset the potential loss of Hill. We might have seen the last of Hill in a Chiefs uniform, if not the NFL entirely, depending on the results of the investigation.

L.A. has one of the most complete rosters in the NFL but lost some wide receiver depth with Tyrell Williams' departure, and it hasn't really been replaced in the offseason. Both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams have injury histories, so the Chargers could be playing with fire if they can't find more depth on top of current No. 3 wideout Travis Benjamin.

The Rams have downplayed Gurley's "arthritic" knee in the media, but all of their personnel decisions suggest that they are worried. They brought back Malcolm Brown when there was competition for his services as a restricted free agent and also spent a third-round pick on Darrell Henderson. Gurley makes Sean McVay's offense go, and the Rams are likely headed for a regression if he can't bounce back.

Miami has viable competition at quarterback between Josh Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick, but neither quarterback is a sure thing. As the Dolphins start a rebuild, they'd love to see Rosen be their signal-caller of the future, but it remains to be seen if he's capable after a shaky rookie season on a terrible Arizona team.

Dalvin Cook has shown great flashes in two seasons, but he's played a total of only 15 games due to injuries. Head coach Mike Zimmer would like to see the Vikings shift to a more balanced offense after throwing more often early last year, but it remains to be seen if Cook can handle a regular workload. Strapped with salary cap issues, the Vikings also had to let Latavius Murray walk in free agency and spent a third-round pick on Alexander Mattison.

The Patriots always seem to find a way, but their issues with receivers this year are concerning. Rob Gronkowski retired, and Josh Gordon's playing status is still up in the air with an indefinite suspension. New England selected N'Keal Harry with its first pick in the draft, signed tight end Ben Watson out of retirement and still has Julian Edelman. But the overall talent is clearly downgraded from recent seasons.

The Sean Payton/Drew Brees marriage has been going strong since 2006, but the Saints have won only one Super Bowl despite 13 highly productive offensive seasons. Brees is entering the final year of his contract at age 40, and it's clear that the Saints are going all in to win this year. 2019 could be Brees' final season, and anything short of a Super Bowl win will be a disappointment for New Orleans with time running out on the future Hall of Fame quarterback's career.

Giants general manager Dave Gettleman would probably call quarterback one of his team's biggest strengths, but not many other NFL evaluators would agree. Eli Manning has struggled over the last several seasons, and the Giants have finished below .500 in five of the last six years with Manning as the starter. Daniel Jones never threw for 3,000 yards in college, yet the Giants still selected him sixth overall in the draft. A poor start for Manning in 2019 would create an uncomfortable situation in New York, but Jones looks like a long-term wild card.

What a mess. General manager Mike Maccagnan was fired in mid-May after spending big in free agency and taking charge of the Jets draft. Head coach Adam Gase is running the team in the interim, but his track record as a personnel man isn't great if we're judging by what he did in Miami last year. The Jets desperately need to calm the storm and find an experienced, proven decision maker to work in tandem with Gase and lead the team. With the way the offseason has been handled by acting owner Christopher Johnson, there's no reason to think this endeavor will go smoothly.

There were a lot of headaches for head coach Jon Gruden in his first season. The Raiders roster has clearly improved in the offseason, though it remains to be seen if they've done enough to address last year's biggest weakness: the pass rush. The team had only 13 sacks last year, and rookies Clelin Ferrell and Maxx Crosby will need time to develop. The weakness continues to put pressure on an overmatched Raiders secondary that is also extremely young.

Philadelphia had some issues at linebacker last season, a big reason why they allowed 4.7 yards per carry. The addition of former Washington middle linebacker Zach Brown could be a big upgrade, though the Redskins' willingness to move on from him and a limited market going into Brown's age 30 season could be telling.

Antonio Brown became a huge headache for the Steelers with his antics last season and into the offseason, but replacing him could be an even bigger issue for the Steelers. JuJu Smith-Schuster has quickly become a star, but James Washington didn't show much in his rookie season. Elsewhere, the Steelers hope third-round pick Diontae Johnson and newcomer Donte Moncrief are able to compensate for Brown's loss.

Tight end George Kittle broke the receiving yardage record at the position last year, but some of his workload was due to the lack of talent at wideout for the 49ers. San Francisco is hoping for a healthier season from Marquise Goodwin and added Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd in the first three rounds of the draft. Along with 2018 second-round pick Dante Pettis, San Francisco has plenty of bodies, but it remains to be seen if it will take the wide receiving corps to the next level.

The reality of paying a quarterback elite money is that teams have to sacrifice other areas. In Seattle's case, it had to trade star Frank Clark rather than sign him to an extension. The Seahawks hope his loss is offset by Ezekiel Ansah and first-round rookie L.J. Collier, but Ansah could miss the start of the season with a shoulder injury and rookies can't be counted on to make a big impact. With a young secondary that's still developing, Seattle can't afford a big drop off from the pass rush.

This is a pivotal year for Winston after two su-par seasons. He's a pending free agent, and his success under new head coach Bruce Arians in 2019 will ultimately determine whether he's offered a long-term contract or the team looks for another signal-caller in the 2020 draft.

Mariota was taken in the same draft as Jameis Winston, in 2015, and the two face the same questions heading into 2019. Injuries have been a major issue for Mariota, and he's failed to develop over the last two years even when he has been healthy. He now has his third offensive coordinator in as many seasons, which is hardly a recipe for success as he enters what could be his final year in Tennessee.

Quarterback became a top priority for Washington after Alex Smith's catastrophic leg injury last year. Now that the team obtained Dwayne Haskins in the draft, wideout becomes the bigger concern. Former first-round pick Josh Doctson hasn't developed as planned, and 2018 free-agent signing Paul Richardson had a poor first year in Washington. It's not a surprise that the team drafted two more wideouts this year, as they hope to give Haskins enough weapons to succeed.