The Bears are set to thrive from 11 personnel: Their two new rookie receivers and revamped offensive scheme under head coach Ben Johnson should lead to a more dynamic offense in 2025.
Philadelphia remains in good shape for a 3-4 front despite offseason losses: Despite the departures of Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham and Milton Williams, it appears that the unit will be just fine with its young pieces.
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Estimated Reading Time: 19 minutes
11 Personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR)
Chicago Bears
The Bears are set to field a new-look offense now that Ben Johnson is their head coach. His arrival, in addition to several other personnel changes, should allow the team to feature a dynamic 11-personnel grouping to help quarterback Caleb Williams thrive.
During his three years as Detroit’s offensive coordinator, Johnson utilized 11 personnel at a slightly below-average rate. When his offense did line up in 11 personnel, though, it was nearly unstoppable. From 2022 to 2024, the Lions led the league in team PFF offense grade when in 11 personnel while ranking second in yards per play and EPA per play.
One of the narrower, yet crucial data points that contributed to that success is that Detroit also tied for the league lead in those seasons with a 79.9 PFF run-blocking grade in 11 personnel. That’s extremely important, because there is only one tight end on the field in any given alignment and the burden on the five offensive linemen to win their matchups is even greater.
Meanwhile, Chicago ranked 25th in PFF run-blocking grade from 11 personnel last season. Johnson analyzed those struggles and knew the team needed to improve, so the front office overhauled the interior offensive line and brought in Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman. Dalman is the key piece as one of the best outside-zone blockers in the league. He helped the Falcons feature their rushing attack in 11 personnel as much as any team in the NFL.
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Further helping matters in the run game is the fact that D'Andre Swift had his highest-graded season in the NFL under Johnson’s leadership in 2022. His 83.2 PFF rushing grade, 5.5 yards per carry and 3.1 yards after contact per carry were all career highs. Perhaps Swift can find that magic again after a lackluster 2024.
The Bears have also fortified their passing game with the additions of two rookies. Tight end Colston Loveland and slot receiver Luther Burden III both offer dynamic ability that Chicago didn’t possess last season. The Bears ranked 30th in tight end PFF receiving grade and 29th in slot PFF receiving grade in 2024.
Loveland’s ability to win from anywhere on the field gives the Bears the flexibility to use him in-line or detached from the line of scrimmage. At Michigan, Loveland earned an incredible 95.8 PFF receiving grade as an in-line tight end. He also earned an elite 91.3 PFF receiving grade from the slot.
Speaking of dynamic slot receivers, Burden was one of the best in college football over the past two seasons. Among FBS wide receivers with at least 40 slot targets since 2023, he ranked sixth with an 89.3 PFF receiving grade. His ability to complement DJ Moore and Rome Odunze with his after-the-catch prowess gives the Bears yet another playmaker when they want to deploy three wide receivers.
Chicago is set up well for serious improvement in 11 personnel as long as Caleb Williams does his part.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders made drastic improvements to their offense with several key offseason additions. Quarterback Geno Smith gives them a viable starter after the team ranked 31st in PFF passing grade last season. Ashton Jeanty should dramatically improve a running back unit that ranked dead last in PFF rushing grade. And rookie wide receivers Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. could make an impact on the outside.
Smith should have no issue making adjustments to his new team's scheme. During his three years as the Seahawks’ starter, Smith recorded the fifth-best PFF passing grade in the NFL (81.5) when utilizing 11 personnel. He also ranked third, behind Josh Allen and Joe Burrow, with 71 big-time throws in those scenarios.
Jeanty is also accustomed to finding space in 11 personnel groupings from his time at Boise State. He posted an FBS-leading 97.0 PFF rushing grade in 2024 when in 11 personnel. He also led the nation in yards after contact and missed tackles forced in those sets, so his ability to create explosive plays through contact will be vital to the Raiders’ success.
The glue that holds the entire unit together, though, will be emerging superstar tight end Brock Bowers. Despite the Raiders’ bleak quarterback situation, Bowers set the NFL rookie record with 1,194 receiving yards in 2024. His 88.4 PFF receiving grade also ranked third among tight ends.
Bowers’ versatility sets him apart. Despite his smaller stature, he recorded a 91.0 PFF receiving grade when lined up as an in-line tight end, fourth best in the NFL. When lined up in the slot, Bowers led all tight ends in receptions and yards while ranking second behind George Kittle with a 79.2 PFF receiving grade.
That flexibility could allow the Raiders to use receivers Jakobi Meyers and Bech anywhere in the formation. When Bowers isn’t on the field, Las Vegas can still stay in 11 personnel with Michael Mayer serving as a viable blocker. New offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has plenty of schematic options to work with in 2025.
12 Personnel (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR)
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings' ability to succeed in 12 personnel is crucial to their offensive success. Their 81.6 team PFF overall grade when in 12 personnel last season tied for fifth best. They also ranked fourth in yards per play and second in successful play rate in those sets.
Minnesota's greatest asset in 12 personnel is its tight ends, T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver. Not only are they talented players, but they complement each other extremely well.
Over the past two seasons, Hockenson ranks fifth among all tight ends with an 84.3 PFF receiving grade. His ability to win from anywhere in the formation is made possible by Oliver’s ability to stay in-line and succeed in the run game. Over the past three seasons, Oliver’s 79.1 PFF run-blocking grade ranks second among qualified tight ends, behind George Kittle. His blocking prowess and Hockenson’s versatility give the Vikings’ 12-personnel grouping the feel of an 11-personnel unit.
Of course, it helps to have one of the league’s best wide receiver duos, Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and a stable backfield consisting of Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. The primary area of improvement could be on the offensive line, where the Vikings have reconstructed the interior with ex-Colts Ryan Kelly and Will Fries, as well as first-round pick Donovan Jackson.
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Those additions, along with the return of a healthy Christian Darrisaw, should allow Minnesota to be significantly better, particularly on the ground. When the Vikings were in 12 personnel in 2024, they ranked just 17th in PFF run-blocking grade, and the situation only got worse after Darrisaw suffered his season-ending injury.
The beneficiary of the Vikings’ vast arsenal of weapons will be first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Luckily, if the team continues its usage of 12 personnel, McCarthy will be well adjusted to it. During his final two seasons at Michigan, no Power Four team ran 12 personnel more often than the Wolverines. McCarthy’s comfort in these situations was apparent, as he posted an excellent 81.1 PFF passing grade while leading the nation with 20 big-time throws.
Seattle Seahawks
We move from Sam Darnold’s old team to his new one. While the Seahawks didn’t run 12 personnel very often last season, they will do it more often under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who was Darnold’s quarterbacks coach in San Francisco in 2023. Last season, Darnold posted a solid 77.7 PFF passing grade when the Vikings were in 12 personnel while tying for fourth in the NFL with nine big-time throws.
His ability to succeed in those formations should align with Kubiak’s vision for the offense. With New Orleans last season, Kubiak called 12-personnel plays at the eighth-highest rate. While a look at the entire season displays a team that struggled offensively, the Saints were actually quite successful when they had starting quarterback Derek Carr on the field.
In Carr’s 10 starts last season, the Saints earned a 77.8 PFF offense grade in 12 personnel. That number extrapolated over the full season would’ve ranked New Orleans 12th in the NFL, even with the team's pass protection still working to its detriment. Darnold’s talents are far closer to Carr’s than Spencer Rattler‘s or Jake Haener‘s, and his familiarity with Kubiak should make his transition to Seattle even easier.
Of course, Kubiak will want to establish his outside-zone run game first, and he has a talented trio of running backs to do it with. Kenneth Walker III placed fourth in the NFL last season with a 91.3 PFF rushing grade. Zach Charbonnet sat inside the top 20 with a 78.8 mark. Seventh-round pick Damien Martinez ranked third in the FBS with a 94.4 PFF rushing grade at Miami last season and has extensive outside-zone experience from his time at Oregon State.
Kubiak will also have an intriguing trio of tight ends with which to work. Noah Fant and second-round pick Elijah Arroyo both offer athletic pass-catching options. Arroyo could be particularly interesting, considering he led all FBS tight ends with 16.9 yards per reception at Miami last season. A.J. Barner offers a potentially solid blocking complement as he continues to develop, as well.
The biggest questions for the Seahawks are whether the offensive line will hold up and if Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling can adequately complement the team’s dynamic slot weapon, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. If that happens, the transition from the previous offensive regime in Seattle could be smoother than many think.
4-3 Front
Pittsburgh Steelers
Led by future Hall of Famers T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, Pittsburgh is known to have a terrific defensive front that operates well in its base personnel grouping, particularly when rushing the passer. When they were in their base 4-3 alignment last season, they earned a 75.5 PFF pass-rush grade, ranking third in the NFL.
That ability to rush the passer will only be fortified by the Steelers' first-round draft pick, Derrick Harmon. The athletic interior defender from Oregon recorded an outstanding 86.3 PFF pass-rush grade last season while leading the position with 55 pressures. He also posted a solid 81.6 PFF run-defense grade, so he is a player with true three-down potential.
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On the second level, the emergence of linebacker Payton Wilson will be a key to success for the Steelers’ defense. Wilson turned in a solid 74.7 PFF overall grade in 2024, placing him second among qualified rookie linebackers. Patrick Queen struggled last season but played his best football in Baltimore when he was paired with Roquan Smith. Perhaps Wilson can be the new partner with whom Queen can rediscover his peak form. Veteran Malik Harrison also presents a solid strongside option who can stop the run when the Steelers want to stay in the base personnel.
The secondary is where Pittsburgh had the most trouble stopping opponents last season, particularly at cornerback. Steelers cornerbacks recorded the third-worst PFF coverage grade in the NFL last season. The hope is that those problems will be alleviated by the arrival of former Eagle Darius Slay, who posted a solid 75.5 PFF coverage grade last season. If Slay can pull off a similar performance, the Steelers’ defense will once again be able to keep the team in games while they wait for the offense to break out.
Cleveland Browns
If the Browns are going to win games this season, it will likely come on the back of their defense. When they were in their base 4-3 front, they earned a 79.1 team PFF defense grade — the top mark in the NFL. Of course, much of that was thanks to superstar edge defender Myles Garrett, who earned a 92.0-plus PFF overall grade for the fourth straight season in 2024.
Added to that excellent defensive front are a pair of talented rookies in defensive tackle Mason Graham and linebacker Carson Schwesinger. Graham was the first defensive tackle selected in this year’s draft, and rightfully so. He led the nation with an elite 92.6 PFF run-defense grade while also sporting an excellent 82.2 PFF pass-rush grade. His ability to play from any alignment, including a two-point stance, gives defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz plenty of options to harass quarterbacks.
Schwesinger is an interesting player who starred on special teams at UCLA for several years before getting a starting opportunity in 2024. He should serve as an excellent weakside complement to Jordan Hicks and Jerome Baker in base looks with his speed and occasional ability to rush the passer.
The questions for the Browns lie in the secondary, where they simply need veteran players to bounce back from a down year. Cornerbacks Martin Emerson Jr. and Greg Newsome II both turned in career-low PFF coverage grades playing opposite Denzel Ward last season. If either can produce as they had prior to 2024, Cleveland has a truly three-layered defense that could allow the offense a bit more room for error.
3-4 Front
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia lost multiple key contributors on its defensive line, including Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham and Milton Williams, yet it appears that the unit will be just fine with its young pieces.
Losing Williams, who led all interior defenders with a 91.7 PFF pass-rush grade last season, certainly hurts, but the Eagles boasted the league’s highest-graded group of interior defenders in 2024 because they also have Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo in the fold. All three earned at least a 70.0 PFF overall grade last season.
Philadelphia’s losses on the edge will be alleviated in a couple of different ways. First, young edge defenders Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt will be tasked with bigger roles. Smith, in particular, surged in last year’s postseason with 19 pressures and four sacks in four games.
Second, the Eagles have a suddenly deep linebacker unit that includes last season’s highest-graded linebacker, Zack Baun, and the best linebacker in this year’s draft, Jihaad Campbell. Baun’s previous experience as an edge defender provides defensive coordinator Vic Fangio the flexibility to match up with heavier offensive fronts and unleash Baun as a pass rusher. Campbell offers similar versatility as one of just four qualified linebackers to earn at least a 76.0 PFF grade in run defense, coverage and pass rushing in 2024. In the latter category, he racked up 20 pressures and eight sacks across just 99 snaps.
The secondary, led by second-year standouts Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, should be excellent once again. The Eagles' combination of talent and versatility allows them to succeed in Vic Fangio’s comfort zone, the 3-4 defense.
Arizona Cardinals
Cardinals head coach and ex-Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is also a disciple of the 3-4 defense. He now has a multitude of options when it comes to deploying five defensive linemen at a time after the team spent this offseason adding a ton of defensive line talent.
The Cardinals actually tied for second in the NFL with a 78.0 PFF run-defense grade from a 3-4 front last season. That could improve even further this season after the team added Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson and Josh Sweat in free agency. The soon-to-be 39-year-old Campbell may be the most impactful of the group in run defense after amazingly leading all interior defenders with an 85.9 PFF run-defense grade last season.
Arizona also added one of college football’s best run defenders, Walter Nolen, with the 16th-overall pick in the draft. Nolen placed second behind Mason Graham last year with a 91.6 PFF run-defense grade. His 35 pressures as a pass rusher were also a top-10 mark in the nation. Those additions, along with incumbents Zaven Collins, Baron Browning and 2024 first-round pick Darius Robinson, could make Arizona’s defensive line one of the most feared units in the league.
If that group can dominate the trenches, it could certainly make life easier for a defense that still has questions at linebacker and cornerback. There are veteran options at linebacker in Mack Wilson Sr. and Akeem Davis-Gaither, who the Cardinals hope will hold up, and perhaps Zaven Collins takes an occasional rep there, as well.
At cornerback, the Cardinals may have gotten a steal in second-round pick Will Johnson, who earned an elite 91.3 PFF coverage grade during his three years at Michigan. A performance anywhere close to that would greatly benefit an outside cornerback unit that ranked 27th in PFF coverage grade last season.
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There are still some obstacles to address, but the Cardinals have made a statement with their offseason strategy about how they want their defense to look in 2025.
Nickel
Denver Broncos
Denver boasted an excellent defense last season that included NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II and major improvements across the board. Despite expectations this offseason that the Broncos would surround Bo Nix with a litany of offensive weapons, the team chose to dig its heels in and remedy its remaining flaws on defense.
Starting in free agency, the Broncos signed two ex-49ers, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga, to expensive contracts. Linebacker coverage was arguably the biggest hole in Denver’s defense last season, and Greenlaw should be able to fix that. Since his career started in 2019, only three qualified linebackers own a better PFF coverage grade than his 90.0 mark.
Hufanga was brought in to complement free safety Brandon Jones. Jones earned a league-leading 90.7 PFF overall grade last season when lined up as a free safety. The issue is that he lined up there less than 55% of the time, as the Broncos didn’t have a great option in the box. The box is where Hufanga excels, as he has earned a 73.0 PFF overall grade in his career when aligned there. Both players should have more defined roles in Denver this season.
Lastly, Denver’s first-round pick, Jahdae Barron, should have a massive impact on the team’s cornerback unit. He led the FBS in zone PFF coverage grade last season, which bodes well for a defense that plays a heavy amount of Cover 3. Barron also offers versatility to play outside and in the slot.
Surtain is perhaps the best cornerback in the NFL, but the other three cornerbacks who played at least 300 snaps for Denver last season all earned PFF coverage grades below 65.0. Barron’s talent and versatility may allow him to play outside in the Broncos’ base defense and then move to the slot when the team deploys nickel personnel, similar to how the Chiefs use All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie.
When the Broncos are in nickel and Barron can operate as something of a Swiss Army knife, the team's coverage unit should be substantially better in 2025.
New York Giants
Between losing star safety Xavier McKinney last offseason and seeing other young players struggle, the Giants’ coverage unit couldn’t repeat the success it found in 2023 this past season. To remedy that issue, the team took a top-down approach to fixing its defense, starting with McKinney’s direct replacement at free safety.
Former Dolphin Jevon Holland should be capable of filling that void, despite coming off a career-worst season. Since he was drafted in 2021, Holland is tied with Jessie Bates III for the fifth-best PFF coverage grade among qualified safeties. One of the few players in front of him, of course, is McKinney, and both operate best as single-high free safeties. Holland should fit right in with his new defense, which ran the sixth-most single-high defense plays in the NFL last season.
New York will also be looking for a bounce-back from ex-Saints cornerback Paulson Adebo, who struggled to a 63.9 PFF coverage grade through just seven games last season before his campaign ended due to a broken leg. In 2023, he posted an 80.5 PFF coverage grade — a top-20 mark at the position.
Assuming those two can bounce back to their previously excellent production, New York has a chance to have an excellent secondary this year. Tyler Nubin joins Holland at safety and could excel with a greater role in the box after posting a 76.0 PFF run-defense grade in his rookie season. Slot cornerback Andru Phillips earned a 77.5 PFF overall grade in his rookie campaign — a top-10 mark among all qualified cornerbacks. Those two carrying that momentum into 2025, as well as any sort of improvement from Deonte Banks, would make New York’s secondary a potentially fearsome unit.
While the secondary struggled last season and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence eventually suffered a season-ending injury, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen felt the need to blitz more than he ever has as a play-caller. That shouldn’t be the case this season after the Giants added the best pass rusher in this year’s draft class, Abdul Carter.
In his final season at Penn State, Carter earned a 92.4 PFF pass-rush grade, ranking second in college football. Similar to Micah Parsons, his background as a former linebacker gives him the ability to succeed from anywhere in the defensive front. A four-man rush involving Carter, Lawrence, Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux gives the Giants very little reason to blitz next season. That should allow them to leave their best coverage defenders back and stifle opponents with nickel personnel in passing situations.