Turnarounds can happen quickly in the NFL.

The Houston Texans posted an 11-38-1 record during the three seasons prior to the 2023 campaign. The organization cycled through three head coaches (not including the interim tag on Romeo Crennel). During that time, an earnest rebuild never ensued.

Last offseason changed the entire face of the Texans franchise. With the hire of head coach DeMeco Ryans and draft selections of quarterback C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr., who went on to claim the NFL's Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, a complete turnaround occurred last fall, with the Texans capturing the AFC South and advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs.

Every struggling franchise searched for the right pieces this offseason in pursuance of similar improvement. It's not just about a singular addition. Two or more must be made to revamp a critical position group.

Eight organizations did a wonderful job addressing clear areas of need that should help significantly compared to what they fielded last season. It's a sliding scale, though. These moves are ranked in order of how big of an impact they can potentially create over last season's outcome.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers QBs

The Pittsburgh Steelers would be dramatically higher on this list after acquiring Russell Wilson and Justin Fields to replace Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph at quarterback if head coach Mike Tomlin wasn't a wizard and somehow found ways to will his team to a winning record every season.

Make no mistake, the Steelers are dramatically better behind center, even with question marks swirling around both Wilson and Fields.

Pickett and Rudolph severely hampered Pittsburgh's offense to the point where the unit finished bottom three in passing touchdowns (and four of those 13 came from Mitchell Trubisky).

Comparatively, Wilson doubled the Steelers' figure last season even though he's still considered less than the version of himself that everyone remembers playing for the Seattle Seahawks. Fields eclipsed the figure as well, which doesn't even include how dangerous he is with his feet, as he's accumulated 30 rushing scores over the last three seasons.

Still, Pittsburgh battled its way to 10-win season and an appearance in the postseason, where the Steelers lost in the first round to the Buffalo Bills.

While Wilson and Fields are clearly upgrades, their overall impact may be marginal compared to others on this list because they play in arguably the league's toughest division. The Steelers had to do something at quarterback. They did. They'll be better. But it'll be difficult to add a significant number of wins to the overall record.

7. Arizona Cardinals Interior Defense

This list will be offense-heavy and for good reason: The NFL is offense-driven league.

The Arizona Cardinals retooling the middle of their defense isn't sexy. However, head coach Jonathan Gannon is a defensive play-caller at his core. The team simply lacked the bodies it needed to realize the coach's vision.

To be fair, Arizona's defense still isn't fully realized. The front was in a really bad shape, though.

Jonathan Ledbetter, Dante Stills and Kevin Strong played more than anyone else along the interior. Ledbetter and Strong are no longer on the squad. Like Stills, Roy Lopez and Ben Stille are still with Arizona, though they've been pushed down the depth chart after the free-agent additions of Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols, who signed deals worth a combined contractual value of $52.2 million.

The Cardinals finished dead last against the run last season. Neither Jones nor Nichols is a true space-eater. But they are proven veterans to improve the situation and will also help the unit's overall depth.

Maybe the most important addition came in the first round when the Cardinals drafted Darius Robinson with the 27th overall pick. The 6'5", 285-pound Robinson is a defensive end in title, but he can move up and down the line up scrimmage, particularly as an interior pass-rusher.

A more well-rounded defense should help an offense that already has significant talent in quarterback Kyler Murray, tight end Trey McBride, running back James Conner and rookie centerpiece Marvin Harrison Jr. to improve upon last season's 4-13 record.

6. New England Patriots Offense

The Bill Belichick era for the New England Patriots came to a slow, creaking halt—which basically encapsulates last season's offense.

New England fielded the league's least talented offense in 2023. As a result, the Patriots tied for last in scoring offense and finished bottom five in passing and total offense.

An ultra-serious makeover was necessary, like turning Two-Face back into Harvey Dent. To do so, New England had to invest nearly everything it had this offseason into improving the offense.

Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett can be a steadying presence. Running back Antonio Gibson provides a complementary piece to Rhamondre Stevenson. Chukwuma Okorafor is an experienced starter to help at offensive tackle.

But the real work was done in the draft, where the Patriots used seven of their eight selections on offensive prospects.

Quarterback Drake Maye is the class' crown jewel after being the third overall pick. With Brissett already on the roster, the Patriots have no need to rush him into the lineup any sooner than he's ready.

From there, wide receivers Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Foster should be significant contributors. Polk is a physical, outside-the-numbers target, while Foster provides a legitimate vertical presence. Offensive lineman Caedan Wallace will make the transition from right to left tackle.

Along with Maye, those three classmates can lay the foundation of a much-improved offense. The Patriots shouldn't be expected to compete for an AFC East title, but an offense that can actually threaten an opponent should be good enough to elevate a squad that finished 4-13 last season.

5. Carolina Panthers Skill Positions

Bryce Young was set up to fail. There's no other way to look at the Carolina Panthers' plan to "build" around last year's No. 1 overall draft pick.

Aside from Adam Thielen, who is a limited target at 33 years old, the Panthers didn't have the necessary pieces around a rookie quarterback for him to succeed.

Thielen did manage 1,014 receiving yards after being targeted 137 times. No one else on the roster eclipsed 525 yards or 85 targets. Furthermore, running back Chuba Hubbard averaged 3.8 yards per carry and the offensive line allowed Young to be sacked 62 times.

Carolina spent big on guards this offseason. With a short signal-caller, the depth of the pocket is critical. So the Panthers brought in Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis at $153 million in total contractual worth.

While those two are important additions, Carolina provided Young with more weapons.

The organization traded a sixth-round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Diontae Johnson and drafted South Carolina's Xavier Legette with this year's 32nd overall pick to form a legitimate trio of wide receivers. Also, the Panthers picked running back Jonathon Brooks in the second round. Brooks is still recovering from a torn right ACL. Prior to the injury, the Texas product projected as the draft class' best ball-carrier. Once he's ready, the Panthers' backfield will be upgraded.

Young will be helped tremendously by a better supporting cast and an offensive-minded head coach in Dave Canales, who is used to working with reclamation projects. The Panthers shouldn't be the worst team in the NFL for a second straight season.

4. New York Jets OL

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is the biggest piece of the New York Jets puzzle, of course. His return from a ruptured Achilles will profoundly impact how Gang Green performs during the upcoming campaign. The best way to ensure an aging quarterback coming off a major injury remains healthy and effective is by improving his offensive line.

Injuries destroyed any chance of building continuity up front during the 2023 season. The Jets fielded 13 different O-line combinations. This offseason, New York moved on from Connor McGovern, Laken Tomlinson, Mekhi Becton, Billy Turner and Duane Brown—all of whom started at least two games last season.

In their place, general manager Joe Douglas signed left tackle Tyron Smith and left guard John Simpson in free agency. The Jets also traded a sixth-round pick and a swap of fourth-round picks to the Baltimore Ravens for right tackle Morgan Moses.

With center Joe Tippmann and a hopefully healthy Alijah Vera-Tucker back, New York's front five appears set.

But Douglas wasn't quite content to stand pat with that group since age and injuries histories are concerns. So the general manager chose Penn State's Olu Fashanu with this year's 11th overall pick. Fashanu can start his career at guard or serve as a swing tackle behind the highly experienced duo of Smith and Moses.

Whatever the case, the Jets are now more talented and deeper along the offensive line than they were the past few seasons. With a healthy Rogers, New York can do some serious damage and improve significantly over last year's 7-10 record.

3. Tennessee Titans OL

The new-look Tennessee Titans understood how important it was to improve upon last season's league-worst offensive line.

While Derrick Henry still finished second in rushing yards, the Titans were a disaster when pass blocking. According to Pro Football Focus' Zoltan Buday, Tennessee finished dead last in pass-blocking efficiency.

The offensive line's pitiful performance may not have been the sole reason the organization moved on from veteran quarterback Ryan Tannehill and fired head coach Mike Vrabel, but it didn't help matters.

The Titans roster had been slowly crumbling, and general manager Ran Carthon needed to fix the foundation upon the arrival of new head coach Brian Callahan.

Lloyd Cushenberry III's signing in free agency provides the Titans with a legitimate anchor at center. Cushenberry has 57 career starts in four seasons. Tennessee also drafted Alabama's JC Latham with this year's seventh overall draft pick. The 6'6", 342-pound rookie will make the transition from right to left tackle.

"He's really obsessive about getting everything correct," Titans offensive line coach Bill Callahan told reporters. "He's a perfectionist that way. So it's fun to watch him go back out on the field and correct something that he wants to get better at."

Callahan himself must be added to the equation. The elder coach followed his son to the Volunteer State after the latter earned his first head coaching gig. Callahan is arguably the league's best offensive line coach. His presence alone will drastically improve the Titans' front five.

Along with the additions of running back Tony Pollard and wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, the Titans could be in the playoff conversation after finishing dead last in the AFC South last season.

2. Chicago Bears WRs

The Chicago Bears took a mulligan regarding the quarterback position by moving on from Justin Fields to select Caleb Williams with this year's No. 1 overall pick.

The previous sentence has nothing to do with the caliber of prospects that Fields and Williams are. Rather, a franchise is obligated to provide the caliber of talent around a first-round quarterback to help in his development.

Chicago general manager Ryan Poles learned from previous mistakes. A change in operation began last offseason, when the Bears acquired DJ Moore from the Carolina Panthers as part of the deal that led to the No. 1 overall selection of quarterback Bryce Young.

But the Bears still lacked a secondary threat at wide receiver. That's no longer a problem.

This offseason, Chicago obtained Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick. Allen is an exemplary route-runner and reliable veteran who produced 100-catch and 1,000-yard campaigns in five of the last seven seasons, including last year.

Poles also drafted Rome Odunze with this year's ninth overall pick. Odunze is a 6'3", 212-pound target with more than enough speed to stack defensive backs and provide a big downfield target.

What's impressive about this wide receiver trio is that they're versatile and present differing skill sets, which should allow Williams to capitalize in nearly any scenario. Yes, the Bears' new quarterback is a far superior passer entering the professional ranks. He'll also benefit from a first-rate wide receiver corps that's now arguably the league's best.

The Bears have become a legitimate threat in the NFC North after finishing in the basement during the previous two seasons.

1. Atlanta Falcons QBs

The Atlanta Falcons will no longer be held back by the quarterback position any longer.

After moving on from the franchise's all-time leading passer, Matt Ryan, the Falcons never found themselves in a position to land another quality starter. Instead, they leaned on Desmond Ridder, whom the organization drafted with a third-round pick in 2022, which was notorious for being one of the weakest quarterback classes ever even leading up to the event.

Unsurprisingly, Ridder failed to elevate a squad that finished 7-10 in each of the last three seasons. This offseason, the Falcons front office decided to take a completely different approach.

First, the organization signed the top available free agent, Kirk Cousins, to a four-year $180 million deal. Cousins is coming off a torn Achilles tendon, but he was playing as well as he ever had before the injury. General manager Terry Fontenot then decided to select Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick.

Whether or not Penix was the right choice at the time, the Falcons had a plan.

"When you can add a high-caliber player like that, with his intangibles, those tools, he's a winner," Fontenot told reporters after the selection. "Very, very excited. You don't pass up that opportunity. Kirk Cousins is our quarterback, we're very excited about Kirk. Very excited about this team. Michael Penix is–we're talking about the future."

Instead of not having a starting-caliber quarterback, the Falcons now have two. They were mediocre without one. In the short term, Cousins is the guy. Atlanta should be considered the favorite to win the NFC South as a result. If another injury occurs or the Falcons are ready to move on, the franchise has already invested in the veteran's eventual successor.