Quarterbacks on rookie contracts: How NFL teams used offseason to support young guns

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The NFL has evolved a lot over the last few seasons, especially on defense. Teams now prioritize limiting explosive plays over pretty much anything else, which has led to a proliferation of scheme changes like light boxes, two-high coverage and matching heavy personnel groupings. That's all led to a corresponding offensive evolution, where teams prioritize running the ball in those lighter formations, use multiple tight ends and seek explosive plays through avenues beyond the deep ball.

But while all that has changed, one thing has remained the same: the quarterback is king. Nothing is more correlated with success in the NFL than quarterback play. And for a quarterback to succeed in the NFL, he needs a proper infrastructure around him. We see this all the time with quarterbacks, no matter how skilled they might be. They need help in order to play at the highest level.

That's especially true for young quarterbacks. The passers still on their rookie contracts also afford their teams the opportunity to spend big on the infrastructure around them. That's what we're here to talk about today. For those teams with a quarterback on a rookie deal, how are they building support around their young starter? Let's take a look.

Class of 2023 (2)

• Bryce Young, Panthers
• C.J. Stroud, Texans

Carolina needed to address the tackle spot with Ikem Ekwonu dealing with a severe knee injury, and did it twice. The Panthers signed Rasheed Walker away from the Packers in free agency, then used the No. 19 overall pick on Georgia's Monroe Freeling. The Panthers also signed center Luke Fortner after seeing Cade Mays leave in free agency. They brought in Chris Brazzell as another option at wide receiver. Carolina turned over the backup quarterback room, bringing in Kenny Pickett and Will Grier after the departure of Andy Dalton. Young already had his fifth-year option picked up, and needs to prove that season that he's worthy of a lucrative extension.

The Texans made significant changes, mostly (once again) along the offensive line. Gone are Tytus Howard, Juice Scruggs and more. In came free-agent tackle Braden Smith, free-agent guard Wyatt Teller and first-round pick Keylan Rutledge, all of whom figure to start up front. The Texans signed Evan Brown and drafted Febechi Nwaiwu in the fourth round, and they'll presumably provide depth. Houston traded for running back David Montgomery, who should split the backfield with Woody Marks. The Texans added a pair of tight ends in Foster Moreau and second-round pick Marlin Klein. The group up front probably still needs work and the running-back group isn't particularly explosive, but if Tank Dell comes back from injury, the pass-catching corps has some nice depth.

Class of 2024 (4/5)

• Caleb Williams, Bears
• Jayden Daniels, Commanders
• Drake Maye, Patriots
• Michael Penix Jr., Falcons (?)
• Bo Nix, Broncos

Chicago spent most of its resources on defense but made a few small moves to fortify its offense. The Bears traded for Garrett Bradbury after the surprise retirement of Drew Dalman, then supplemented that acquisition by drafting Logan Jones in the second round. The Bears signed Ben Johnson's old friend Kalif Raymond to play a rotational receiver role and drafted speedster Zavion Thomas in the third round to do the same. The Bears joined the blocking tight end run by drafting Sam Roush, which enables them to use more multi-tight end sets. Williams has one of the best offensive environments in the league around him -- even after the Bears traded away DJ Moore.

The Commanders focused their resources this offseason on defense, but still filled key specific roles offensively. They brought in Chig Okonkwo to fill the tight end role left open by Zach Ertz's injury, signed Rachaad White to be a pass-catching back alongside Jacory Croskey-Merritt and signed both Dyami Brown and Van Jefferson to small deals to build out receiver depth. Washington also used a third-round pick on Antonio Williams and is reportedly interested in reuniting Daniels with former college teammate Brandon Aiyuk, though that obviously hasn't happened yet. There is still work to be done here to make things more palatable for Daniels.

The biggest move for the Patriots is yet to come. They are going to trade for A.J. Brown once the calendar flips to June 1, according to multiple league reports, when it becomes more financially palatable for the Eagles to deal him. Along with the Romeo Doubs signing, that will have allowed the Pats to turn over the wide receiver room. New England also signed Alijah Vera-Tucker to start at guard, Reggie Gilliam to be the new fullback and Julian Hill to be a rotational tight end. The Pats used their first-round pick on tackle Caleb Lomu, and we'll see where he lines up and what that means for Will Campbell, a sixth-round pick on Demetrius Crownover and a third on tight end Eli Raridon. If the Pats complete the trade for Brown and the line holds up better than it did a year ago, Maye will be in pretty good shape.

The Falcons made a bunch of moves, but we don't know whether they were to help Penix or the guy that might replace him, Tua Tagovailoa. Atlanta signed Jawaan Taylor to be its new right tackle, Austin Hooper to provide tight end depth, Brian Robinson to replace Tyler Allgeier and both Olamide Zaccheaus and Jahan Dotson to fill out the wide receiver room. The Falcons used a third-round pick on Zachariah Branch. In a perfect world, Branch overtakes the two veterans to become a No. 2 wideout for Penix Jr. or Tagovailoa.

The Broncos did not make many offensive moves in terms of volume, but the trade for Jaylen Waddle was among the most impactful. Other than that, they solely used Day 3 draft picks to fortify the offense: guard Kage Casey and running back Jonah Coleman as well as tight ends Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley. Nix is working his way back from an injury, but with Sean Payton at the sticks, a strong offensive line and a plethora of weapons, he has a good infrastructure around him.

Class of 2025 (3/4)

• Cam Ward, Titans
• Jaxson Dart, Giants
• Tyler Shough, Saints
• Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel, Browns (?)

Tennessee went to work on both sides of the ball, possessing more spending power and draft capital than almost anyone. The Titans lavished Wan'Dale Robinson with a huge contract in free agency to be Ward's slot receiver, then used the No. 4 pick on Carnell Tate to be his top option on the outside. They signed center Austin Schlottman and guard Cordell Volson in free agency, then drafted center Pat Coogan and guard Fernando Carmona on Day 3. They signed Daniel Bellinger and Kylen Granson after tight end Chig Okonkwo left in free agency. They brought in Michael Carter and drafted Nick Singleton at running back. How well any of this works is anyone's guess, but the Titans did use a lot of resources on trying to upgrade the environment around Ward, who was left out to dry for much of his rookie season. Still, they probably need more help along the offensive line.

The Giants lost Robinson and a few other pieces in free agency, but they also brought in a bunch of guys to fortify both the starting unit and the depth. The most significant resource was used on Francis Mauigoa, who will start his career at guard before eventually (possibly) kicking out to tackle. The Giants also brought in a few of John Harbaugh's old friends in Isaiah Likely, Daniel Faalele and Patrick Ricard, who all came over from the Ravens. New York additionally signed Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin to provide receiver depth, then traded up for Malachi Fields in the third round. They've given Dart a pretty good environment to succeed.

The Saints did a whole lot to help Shough. They broke the bank for Travis Etienne and David Edwards in free agency. They used their first-round pick on Jordyn Tyson to complement Chris Olave, then backed that up by using Day 3 picks on Bryce Lance and Barion Brown. They also added interior line depth with Jeremiah Wright and multiple tight ends by signing Noah Fant and drafting Oscar Delp. Along with Kellen Moore calling the plays, Shough has a supporting cast.

We don't yet know if Sanders or Gabriel will even play -- the latest chatter indicates that Deshaun Watson has the inside track. But the Browns allotted significant resources to improve the offense. On the offensive line, they traded for Tytus Howard, signed Elgton Jenkins and Zion Johnson and drafted Spencer Fano, Austin Barber and Parker Brailsford. They drafted both KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston at wide receiver. They added a pair of tight ends late in the draft in Joe Royer and Carsen Ryan. And of course, they added another body to the quarterback room in Taylen Green.

Class of 2026 (1)

• Fernando Mendoza, Raiders

We don't yet know if the Raiders are going to start Mendoza from Day 1 -- or even if he'll start at all during his rookie season. That's because they signed Kirk Cousins to mentor the No. 1 overall pick. Las Vegas also gave center Tyler Linderbaum the largest contract for an interior offensive lineman and signed guard Spencer Burford to play next to him before drafting Trey Zuhn III in the third round. The Raiders signed Jailon Nailor to play receiver and used a sixth-round pick on Malik Benson at that spot as well. And they drafted Mike Washington Jr. to complement Ashton Jeanty in the backfield. They probably still need more at receiver, but if Mendoza isn't going to start right away, that's not as pressing an issue.