AFC offseason grades: Steelers, Texans impress, but this AFC East team flopping

We’re at the halfway point of the NFL season, an opportune time to grade each team’s offseason.

Did the New York Jets do enough? How about the New England Patriots, who made a splash with their first-round draft pick, and the Las Vegas Raiders, who made a surprising pick in the first round?

Ahead of Week 10 games, here are evaluations of all 16 AFC teams.

AFC East

BUFFALO BILLS (7-2) | Grade: B+ | The Bills were limited financially after cutting ties with several veterans because of salary-cap constraints, but GM Brandon Beane still excelled with the resources he had. Free-agent signing Curtis Samuel (12 catches, 92 yards), a wideout, has disappointed, but the emergence of rookie WR Keon Coleman (417 yards receiving) and rookie RB Ray Davis (262 yards rushing) has helped Buffalo’s offense average the fourth-most points per game this season (28.9).

MIAMI DOLPHINS (2-6) | Grade: F | Miami has felt the effects of letting several impactful contributors — including DT Christian Wilkins, edge-rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and center Connor Williams — walk in the offseason without adequately replacing them. The additions in free agency of WR Odell Beckham Jr. and center Aaron Brewer haven’t panned out, though drafting first-round edge-rusher Chop Robinson (one sack in eight games) over an offensive lineman was arguably the team’s biggest mistake.

NEW YORK JETS (3-6) | Grade: D- | Although the Jets bolstered their offensive line, the on-field results haven’t improved much, with the unit ranking 21st in pass-block win rate and 27th in run-block win rate. The rookie class has also underwhelmed, and while WR Mike Williams (12 catches, 166 yards) proved to be a terrible signing, New York at least netted a fifth-round pick for him in a trade with Pittsburgh.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-7) | Grade: C+ | Despite having the most cap space in the NFL, the Patriots didn’t make a splash in free agency, as executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf focused more on the team’s long-term future. New England might have found a franchise QB in rookie Drake Maye with the third overall pick, but first-year HC Jerod Mayo’s struggles raise questions about the direction this rebuild is heading. — Colum Dell

AFC West

DENVER BRONCOS (5-4) | Grade: B+ | Free-agent safety Brandon Jones has exceeded expectations, allowing no TD catches and a below-average 55.8 passer rating in nine games (via Pro Football Focus). Rookie QB Bo Nix has posted a slightly above-average 53.3 QBR in nine starts, but he could produce better numbers if Denver surrounds him with better weapons in 2025.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (8-0) | Grade: B- | DT Chris Jones is proving he deserved his five-year, $158.75M contract extension, as he’s tied for the league’s 10th-most pressures (37). However, K.C.’s WR investments haven’t paid dividends. Free-agent WR Marquise Brown injured his shoulder in the preseason and was recently placed on injured reserve, while rookie WR Xavier Worthy has 19 catches for 235 yards and three TD catches in eight games.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (2-7)  | Grade: D- | If it weren’t for first-round rookie TE Brock Bowers (13th overall pick) — who has the league’s second-most receptions (57 in nine games) — the Raiders would receive an F. Free-agent DT Christian Wilkins logged two sacks in five games before being placed on injured reserve with a foot injury. Free-agent QB Gardner Minshew ranks 28th in the league in QBR (38.5) in eight games.

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (5-3) | Grade: A | RB J.K. Dobbins has looked like a free-agency steal for the Bolts, rushing for the league’s 11th-most yards (620). CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso recently named right tackle Joe Alt and WR Ladd McConkey to his Midseason All-Rookie team. — Clark Dalton

AFC North

BALTIMORE RAVENS (6-3) | Grade: B+ | RB Derrick Henry, who leads the NFL in rushing (1,052 yards), is the perfect thunder to QB Lamar Jackson’s lightning, but the Ravens were already the best rushing team in the NFL without him. This grade gets bumped down because Baltimore has gone from the best-scoring defense in the league to the 10th worst (24.3 PPG) after losing Mike Macdonald, now Seattle HC, and multiple defensive starters in the offseason.

CINCINNATI BENGALS (4-5) | Grade: D+ | Joe Mixon has rushed for at least 100 yards and a touchdown in five of his six starts with the Houston Texans, while Zack Moss, his replacement, is ranked 48th of 55 qualified running backs by Pro Football Focus and is out indefinitely. On defense, offseason signings Geno Stone and Vonn Bell make up one of the worst safety tandems in the league.

CLEVELAND BROWNS (2-7) | Grade: B- | The Browns had an incredibly meh offseason that didn’t involve many impact players. Adding QB Jameis Winston gives them a chance to compete for the rest of the season with Deshaun Watson injured and done for the season, and WR Jerry Jeudy (33 catches, 418 yards) could have a bright future in Cleveland.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS (6-2) | Grade: A | Ditching Kenny Pickett for Russell Wilson and Justin Fields was a bold move by the Steelers, who lead the AFC North. Plus, the additions in free agency of linebacker Patrick Queen and safety DeShon Elliott have also been key pieces in Pittsburgh’s second-ranked scoring defense (14.9 PPG). — Jack Dougherty

AFC South

HOUSTON TEXANS (6-3) | Grade: A | The Texans’ free-agent signings have looked like hits thus far. RB Joe Mixon is 12th in the league in rushing yards (609 in six games), and defensive end Danielle Hunter is tied for 15th in sacks (5.5 in nine games).

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (4-5) | Grade: B- | As of Wednesday, FanDuel Sportsbook gives defensive end Laiatu Latu — who has 20 pressures in nine games, per Pro Football Focus — the second-best Defensive Rookie of the Year odds (+700). The Colts signed QB Joe Flacco to mentor Anthony Richardson, but he recently replaced the struggling second-year passer. Flacco has an above-average 62 QBR in five games, but it remains unclear if he can lead the Colts to the playoffs.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (2-7) | Grade: B- | First-round rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. — who has the league’s eighth-most receiving yards (595 in nine games) — could be a budding star. Free-agent WR Gabe Davis has underperformed, recording 18 receptions for 217 yards and two TD catches in eight games.

TENNESSEE TITANS (2-6) | Grade: C | The Titans signed RB Tony Pollard and WR Calvin Ridley to elevate second-year QB Will Levis, but he ranks 30th in QBR (26.5), minimizing their impact. Rookie left tackle JC Latham has had an up-and-down season, posting an average 60.9 Pro Football Focus grade in eight games. — Clark Dalton