Aaron SchatzFeb 18, 2026, 06:30 AM ETCloseAaron Schatz is an NFL analyst for ESPN.com. He has more than 20 years of experience working in NFL analytics and is the creator of the DVOA and DYAR metric. He also serves as the Chief Analytics Officer at FTN Network.Follow on XMultiple Authors
play0:53What is Anthony Richardson’s future with the Colts?Stephen Holder explains why Anthony Richardson’s time with the Colts could be coming to an end this offseason.
play2:20Are the Giants overhyped heading into next season?Mike Tannenbaum, Domonique Foxworth and Dan Graziano discuss the Giants’ potential for next season.
Why Hasselbeck expects the Dolphins to move on from Tua (1:56)The “Get Up” crew debates what Tua Tagovailoa’s future looks like in Miami. (1:56)
What is Anthony Richardson’s future with the Colts?Stephen Holder explains why Anthony Richardson’s time with the Colts could be coming to an end this offseason.
Stephen Holder explains why Anthony Richardson’s time with the Colts could be coming to an end this offseason.
Are the Giants overhyped heading into next season?Mike Tannenbaum, Domonique Foxworth and Dan Graziano discuss the Giants’ potential for next season.
Every offseason, there are players who need a change of scenery for a variety of reasons. Some players just never quite develop and could benefit from a new coaching staff that might be able to unlock their potential. Some have worn out their welcome because of a lack of success on the field. Others just want to go to a winning team.
Below, I’ve picked out one player from each team who could benefit from a fresh start in 2026. Who could be on the move this offseason? Let’s start with a wide receiver who might have more success elsewhere.
Coleman might be the perfect example of a player who needs a change of scenery after the Bills’ ownership threw him under the bus during the news conference introducing Joe Brady as the new coach. “I’ll address the Keon situation. The coaching staff pushed to draft Keon,” Terry Pegula said. “I’m not saying [team executive] Brandon [Beane] wouldn’t have drafted him, but [Coleman] wasn’t his next choice.”
Coleman was a healthy scratch for multiple games during the 2025 season and went over 50 receiving yards in a game only once. The 2024 second-round draft pick might be able to find success with a new organization, but it’s hard to see him reaching his potential if he stays in Buffalo.
Former coach Mike McDaniel benched Tagovailoa with three games left in the 2025 season, so it’s clear the organization is trying to figure out how to shed his huge contract. Tagovailoa ranked 26th out of 28 qualifying quarterbacks with a career-low 37.6 QBR, and through his 14 games, he also led the NFL with a career-high 15 interceptions.
Most teams consider his $54 million in guarantees untradable unless the Dolphins cover a significant portion of the contract. The Dolphins would get hit with $99.2 million in salary cap charges if they cut Tagovailoa before he receives a $14 million option bonus on March 13.
The Patriots would definitely need to find an on-field replacement for Barmore’s interior pass-rushing skills. Last season, he had 11 quarterback hits and two sacks. However, Barmore is facing an assault and battery charge, and New England might want to make a change and focus more on improving on the edge.
Hall will be hitting free agency in a couple of weeks, and there’s a sense that he wants to move to a more successful organization. (On the day of the Super Bowl, he posted on X, “Hope I get to experience football on this stage. … I’ll get there one day. I know it.”)
He’s still a very talented runner and receiver who posted his first season with 1,000 rushing yards in 2025 and also recorded 350 receiving yards. Hall can be an even bigger part of the receiving game with a different team, as evidenced by his 76 catches for 591 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. NFL Next Gen Stats listed him with 0.58 rushing yards over expected per carry last season.
The idea that Bateman needs a change of scenery might be unexpected considering the Ravens signed him to a three-year, $36.75 million extension before the 2025 season. But he had a very disappointing campaign, with just 19 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns.
A part of his problem last season was that opponents treated Bateman as the Ravens’ WR1 because Zay Flowers was in the slot being covered by a nickelback. Bateman just isn’t good enough to get away from that coverage, and he might flourish with a new team for whom he can be more of a complementary player.
Bitonio is still a top-caliber guard in the league, but he deserves to play for a winner before his career is over. He has played his entire 12-year career with Cleveland and has been to the playoffs only twice. Bitonio is a free agent this offseason, and he makes a lot of sense as a one-year plug-in for a playoff contender that needs an upgrade at the position. Could we interest coach Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers?
Scruggs was a second-round pick in the 2023 draft but missed the first 10 games of his rookie season with a hamstring injury. He has been in and out of the lineup ever since — and has yet to reach his potential. Scruggs started most of the 2024 campaign but ranked 32nd out of 33 qualifying players for pass block win rate as a center (89.8%). His 64.3% run block win rate also was poor.
Last season, Scruggs had only one start and mostly appeared on special teams; he was a healthy scratch in one of Houston’s two playoff games. Perhaps in the final year of his rookie contract another team could figure out the skills that made him a high draft pick to begin with.
Richardson’s early performances with Indianapolis just haven’t made the grade. As a rookie in 2023, he posted a 45.0 QBR in four starts. In 2024, he registered a 47.4 QBR in 11 starts. He missed almost all of last season, first because the Colts chose to start Daniel Jones over him and later because Richardson sustained a fractured orbital bone during pregame warmups in October.
Shane Steichen was supposed to be the coach who could develop an offense around Richardson, but it hasn’t worked out. Perhaps another coach could make it work for the signal-caller.
What is Anthony Richardson’s future with the Colts?
This idea would have seemed ridiculous a year ago after Thomas put up 87 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns in his 2024 rookie campaign. But Thomas seemed to be on a completely different page from quarterback Trevor Lawrence last season, even as the rest of the Jaguars were having success around the wideout. Thomas’ production fell to 48 catches for 707 yards and two scores.
The Jaguars have Travis Hunter coming back. They signed Jakobi Meyers to an extension. And Parker Washington had a breakout second half of the 2025 season. There’s room here to trade Thomas, and his talent could fetch a high draft pick to help make up for the picks the Jags lost when they traded up for Hunter in 2025. It’s certainly something worth considering.
This is not an issue of a player who has not properly developed. Instead, Elliss is a talented young pass rusher who doesn’t have a path to start behind veterans Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. Last season, Elliss had a 14.1% pass rush win rate and a 12.2% pressure rate. Both numbers were above average for edge rushers, but he played only 38% of snaps in the games for which he was active.
It would be intriguing to see Elliss get a chance to start elsewhere in the league. Perhaps alongside his brother Christian with New England if K’Lavon Chaisson leaves in free agency?
Johnson hasn’t lived up to his first-round potential in his four years with the Chargers. Last season, his 87.4% pass block win rate ranked 62nd out of 65 qualifying guards. There might be another coaching staff out there that knows how to get the best out of him. Johnson is still a strong run blocker, as his 79.3% run block win rate last season ranked second among guards, behind only Seattle rookie Grey Zabel.
This 2022 first-round pick has been a disappointment. Neal washed out at tackle and was supposed to move to guard; but last season, he dealt with a hamstring injury and wasn’t active for a single game. He’s almost assuredly headed to another team this offseason, and perhaps he can be useful as an interior lineman elsewhere.
Mike Tannenbaum, Domonique Foxworth and Dan Graziano discuss the Giants’ potential for next season.
Carter was near the top of the league in my coverage DVOA metric as the nickelback for the 2023 Jets. He sustained injuries in 2024, and New York traded him to the Eagles in the middle of last season. However, he is kind of wasted playing behind Cooper DeJean, and Carter barely saw the field for defensive snaps after the Eagles acquired him in October. Carter might still be able to be the lead nickel for another team, but I’m guessing the Eagles would not get much for him in the trade market.
Lattimore shined in the first half of the 2024 season before struggling with a hamstring injury. But really, nothing has gone right since the Saints dealt him to the Commanders in the middle of that campaign. Last season, the 29-year-old was one of the worst starting cornerbacks in the league with 27 tackles and one interception in nine games, before suffering a torn left ACL.
Lattimore still has one year left on his contract, but there’s no guaranteed money, so the Commanders could easily cut him with a post-June 1 designation. If he wants to continue playing in the NFL, he would be better off putting his time in Washington behind him.
Walker is a free agent this offseason, and there might be another team out there that could better use his skill set. He has strong physical attributes and sideline-to-sideline speed. However, he has really struggled in pass coverage, with a below-average success rate allowed in coverage over the past two seasons. Walker would be a better fit for a team that needs a two-down linebacker who doesn’t necessarily play in pass-first situations.