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Rams’ Ty Simpson gamble headlines 10 biggest mistakes in 2026 NFL offseason
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- Rams’ Ty Simpson gamble headlines 10 biggest mistakes in 2026 NFL offseason
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While some teams approach the NFL season with strong rosters , others have left themselves with plenty of work to do . The offseason offered many opportunities, but questionable decisions were made. And the Rams ' Ty Simpson gamble headlines the 10 biggest mistakes in the 2026 offseason.
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There were some great moves. Teams made very good draft picks. And by the time the 2026 season ends, it will be much clearer which of these moves turned out for the best.
However, it will also be clear which moves left teams in bad spots.
No. 10: Saints signing RB Travis Etienne Jr.
It's not just adding Etienne that makes this a questionable move. It's the length of commitment and the price tag. Etienne signed a four-year , $48 million contract, including a $12 million signing bonus and $28 million guaranteed, according to spotrac.com.
That's a ton of cash for a player who is 27 years old and has over 1,000 touches in his four NFL seasons. Etienne has three 1,000-yard rushing seasons under his belt. And he scored 13 touchdowns last year. But he had fewer yards than expected in 2023 and 2024, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. It's hard to see the return on investment for a four-year deal of that magnitude.
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The biggest issue isn't whether Etienne might provide good value this season. The deal is that the Saints are going nowhere in 2026. By the time they're ready to compete, perhaps in 2027 if QB Tyler Shough emerges, Etienne will be on the decline.
No. 9: Colts overpaying to keep WR Alec Pierce
Yes, Pierce was a premier free agent. Multiple NFL teams seemed willing to pay big for his services.
But what other teams may have done didn't force what the Colts did. They gave him a four-year, $116 million deal. It's $60 million fully guaranteed over the next two years. And Pierce is still working through recovery from ankle surgery. Of course, injuries are something that can hurt any deal.
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But Pierce has one 1,000-yard season in his four years in the league. Yes, he led the NFL in yards per catch each of the last two years. But that statistic means he's not catching a lot of passes. His yards per catch will drop dramatically in 2026 if his catches go up to the 80-90 range — unless he becomes the NFL's best receiver overnight.
No. 8: Titans signing CB Alontae Taylor
The Titans inked Taylor to a three-year , $58 million deal with $42 million fully guaranteed, according to overthecap.com. But there's a production-level issue with Taylor, according to ESPN.
"(Taylor) was coming off a legitimately good season with the Saints but allowed 1.6 yards per coverage snap — far higher than average — in each of the previous two seasons," Seth Walder wrote. "Given the year-to-year variance, I'd be very hesitant to pay this kind of money without a longer track record."
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No. 7: Buccaneers didn't keep CB Jamel Dean
Free agency isn't a smooth ride. Things happen. But the Buccaneers should have exerted more effort to keep Dean. The Steelers grabbed him, and their gain is the Buccaneers' loss.
At 29 years old, Dean may be on the last of his NFL legs. And it's true that he doesn't have a Pro Bowl appearance in his seven seasons. However, he's a solid veteran presence who totaled three interceptions in 2025. And he has 11 for his career. Also, Dean totaled nine passes defended last season. There's something left in his game, and the Buccaneers will miss him.
No. 6: Bears failing to add enough weapons at edge rusher
If you ask Bears head coach Ben Johnson, the Bears have enough at the edge rusher position to scare opposing quarterbacks, according to ESPN.
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"We were excited about the guys that ended up finishing the season on IR, the trajectory that they were on, both Dayo [Odeyingbo] and Shemar [Turner]," Johnson said. "When you look at it from the start of the season to the point where they both got injured, we saw growth. And we saw them trending the right direction in terms of what we want to see on game day.
"[Montez] Sweat had one of his better years in the NFL, whether that shows up in the sack total or not. He's a very complete player, both run game and pass game. And you saw tremendous growth from [Austin] Booker when we were able to get him back as well. The combination of us being able to coach better and those guys taking the next step as part of this system, we've got some pretty good pieces to work with."
But it's hard to see it from looking at the stats. The Bears ranked No. 22 in sacks last year and No. 29 in pressure percentage. And they didn't dramatically enhance the position.
It's the same mistake the Commanders made in 2025 after a brilliant 2024 season. The Bears might find themselves taking the same path the Commanders walked last year.
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No. 5: Seahawks not re-signing EDGE Boye Mafe
It's tough for any Super Bowl team to readjust the roster and make things fall into place. The Seahawks brought back Derick Hall , but let Mafe go in free agency. That could be a mistake.
"I'm less fond of the choice of Hall over Mafe," Walder wrote. "This was the easier path because Hall was still under contract. But I would rather have Mafe — who has proved to be very good against the run and the pass on a per-snap basis. Perhaps Seattle could have traded Hall and paid a few more million for Mafe."
No. 4: Falcons rolling out the cash truck for TE Kyle Pitts Sr.
Pitts may always be a victim of his rookie season. He caught 68 passes for 1,026 yards and earned a Pro Bowl berth. That set a bar so high he hasn't been able to get past it over his next four NFL seasons.
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He indeed set a career high with 88 catches last season. But he didn't reach the 1,000-yard mark, and his touchdown total of five isn't earth-shattering. Plus, take away one ridiculous game, and Pitts had 76 catches for 762 yards and only two touchdowns in the other 16 contests.
The Falcons signed him to a three-year, $54 million deal after franchise-tagging him earlier in the offseason. It's a clear overpay.
"That's not an unreasonable number for the best tight ends in football, but is Pitts one of them?" Walder wrote. "His 1.77 yards per route run last season was his best number over the past three seasons but also ranked only 10th among tight ends."
No. 3: Cowboys trading DT Osa Odighizuwa
There's clear evidence that the Cowboys will be vastly better on defense in 2026 than they were last year. And the organization can't be faulted for the whole approach. They went hard and heavy to improve the defense.
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But they will likely miss Odighizuwa. He looks like a burgeoning talent, entering his prime years. The 49ers certainly think that's the case, giving up a third-round pick in this year's draft.
Just imagine if these teams meet in the postseason and Odighizuwa makes a difference. His 112 quarterback pressures are the third-most at the defensive tackle position since 2024, behind only Zach Allen 's 148 and Chris Jones ' 137, according to CBS Sports.
This isn't an indictment of the Cowboys' overall offseason approach. It's just one deal they may wish they had back. Now, is Cowboys' third-round pick Jaishawn Barham turns out to be an immediate stud, that changes this outlook dramatically.
No. 2: Bills trading for WR DJ Moore
There are three parts to this. First, Moore is coming off the least-productive season of his eight-year NFL career. Second, he's 29 years old. And third, the Bills don't have a great track record of getting things right at wide receiver in the draft.
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General manager Brandon Beane has struggled in the draft overall. From 2019-25, the Bills drafted 56 players, and only two of them earned a Pro Bowl selection with the franchise, according to a post on X by Benjamin Solak.
So, it perhaps makes sense that the Bills went the trade route with Moore. And maybe fourth-round pick Skyler Bell will bail them out and be a steal. But expecting Moore to become what he was in 2023 seems like a stretch. At the very least, it doesn't look like a Super Bowl move. And that's all the Bills care about as Josh Allen 's window begins to close.
No. 1: Rams drafting QB Ty Simpson
Sure, maybe Simpson could wind up being the next Payton Manning , or something like that. At which point Rams GM Les Snead would be hailed as a genius.
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But this is 2026. This is a clear-cut, no-doubt Super Bowl-run season for the Rams. Even with Simpson doing nothing more than holding a clipboard from start to finish, the Rams could still win the Super Bowl. Then they really look good.
However, this is the NFL. Receiver Davante Adams is 33 years old. He will be 34 before the playoffs begin. He has 1,017 catches on his body. The Rams desperately needed to add a young receiver for two obvious reasons. First, the young player would have time to develop and be ready to produce in the postseason. Second, it could take some mileage off of Adams throughout the regular season.
When the Rams picked Simpson, Makai Lemon was available. So were KC Concepcion, Omar Cooper Jr., De' Zhaun Stribling, and Denzel Boston.
Sure, Lemon may have been the only one of that group deserving of a pick at No. 13. But any of those other guys could have been secured after a trade down. Also, the Rams could have selected tight end Kenyon Sadiq. Or they could have enhanced the offensive line or secondary.
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There's a chance Simpson will not take a meaningful snap in 2026. And if the Rams don't win the Super Bowl, it will be easy to pick out four, five, six, or maybe 10 guys who could have made a difference that they passed on in the draft.
