5 teams who may look to tank in 2022 NFL season

The 2022 NFL season is set to be one of the most exciting yet, given the sheer amount of offensive power available across the league.

Yet, despite several teams gearing up for a run at reaching the Super Bowl, there are just as many teams who know going into the campaign that they are going to struggle.

Teams usually have their eyes firmly set on improving year by year. However, in some cases, some teams are right at the beginning of their rebuilding phase ahead of the 2022 NFL season.

Many of these teams don't' have a franchise quarterback in place, and after seeing how weak the class of 2022 was in the NFL Draft, they elected not to take a chance on one of the players available.

Instead, they will look to take advantage of a quarterback class in 2023 that looks exceptional. However, this means that several teams could elect to tank in 2022.

Doing so will ensure they have a chance to pick at the top of the order and secure one of the genuinely talented quarterbacks.

Who are the 5 NFL teams that could tank in 2022?

Houston Texans v Arizona Cardinals

#1 – Houston Texans

The Houston Texans have the worst roster in the NFL going into the 2022 season.

After trading Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns, Houston will rely on Davis Mills to start the 2022 season.

However, Mills doesn't' exactly fill fans with confidence about being a franchise signal-caller, and with Watson's trade, it very much seems as if the Texans were waving the white flag regarding the new season.

So vast in quality is the 2023 quarterback class the Texans will feel that the answer to their problems will be embedded within the NFL Draft rather than by persisting with Mills.

The pieces around him also lack quality, while the defense saw Jacob Martin and Justin Reid depart this offseason.

Having accumulated a lot of draft capital in the Watson trade, the Texans are looking beyond 2022 and expect to be the lowest-ranked team in the NFL by the end of the campaign.

Atlanta Falcons v Buffalo Bills

#2 – Atlanta Falcons

Replacing an aging quarterback is always a decision that you can't' exactly time right. Only the Green Bay Packers have consistently been able to draft a young quarterback and have them sit and wait for the throne to be vacated for them.

The Atlanta Falcons didn't' have such a luxury. Matt Ryan was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in the offseason with the former MVP of the league looking for one last run at the title, and the Falcons did not want to pay a player who couldn't make up for the lack of quality on the Atlanta roster all on his own.

The Falcons know they are at the start of a rebuilding process ahead of the 2022 NFL season and thus could look to tank and ensure they get a shot at either CJ Stroud or Bryce Young: the two outstanding quarterback candidates in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder aren't' the long-term answers, and winning games with them will be hard enough this season. On defense, Dante Fowler Jr'sJr's departure hurts them too.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll; NFL Combine

#3 – Seattle Seahawks

It's difficult to imagine a team coached by Pete Carroll tanking per se; it simply isn't in his DNA to not give everything.

However, this process will be taken out of his control by just how poor the Seahawks roster is compared to what they've had in recent seasons.

The decline of the team that reached back-to-back Super Bowls has been underway for some time, and the decision to trade Russell Wilson to the Broncos all but confirmed that the Seahawks were readying for a challenging 2022.

You can't win without quarterback excellence in the NFL, and in Drew Lock, the Hawks don't have that. He didn't show much in Denver and will merely be a stop-gap in Seattle before Wilson's replacement arrives.

Many thought this would happen in 2022, with Seattle looking to expedite their rebuild by drafting Malik Willis in the first round or trading for Baker Mayfield, yet neither happened.

This was as clear a sign as any that the Seahawks are preparing for a tough 2022 NFL season and will look to reload in the draft next year.

Green Bay Packers v Detroit Lions

#4 – Detroit Lions

This offseason, Detroit had a strong NFL Draft, getting several valuable pieces in key defensive positions, not least being able to snag the best pass rusher in the class in Aidan Hutchinson at No. 2.

Unfortunately for the Lions, they lack depth and real quality beyond this latest pick-up, and Jared Goff will have a huge task in turning his career around this season.

Unlike the teams mentioned above, Goff does have some degree of NFL pedigree, having led the Los Angeles Rams to a Super Bowl in his earlier days, but that player does seem long gone now.

The Lions will have outside hopes that he can recapture that form in 2022. If not, the team won't be disappointed to be picking near the top of the draft in 2023, especially with the quarterbacks on offer, giving them a chance to move on from Matthew Stafford finally.

Washington Commanders Introduce Carson Wentz

#5 – Washington Commanders

Ever since Ron Rivera took over in Washington, it has felt like the team is gradually improving, even though they've recorded just seven wins in both of his first two seasons.

While the team has a new name following the 2022 offseason, it's expected to be much the same for the Washington franchise in the NFL this term.

Carson Wentz's arrival does nothing to improve the quality of the roster. He is an expensive quarterback who the team only took because he was available. If anything, they did the Colts a favor by agreeing to a deal.

Thankfully, the Commanders have the option to get out of this contract at the end of the season and look to plan for the future, building around their promising young defense, led by Chase Young.

Their unwillingness to address issues in the secondary this offseason suggests that the Commanders are okay with a tough year in 2022, provided it sets them up well for the future.