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Major problem areas 4 AFC contenders failed to fix in free agency

Brian Spurlock / Reuters

Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns, and spent the last 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of the podcast "Football Today."

The biggest moves in free agency have come and gone. We are still seeing some roster-filling additions, but for the most part, NFL decision-makers are hunkered down in heavy draft preparation. Obviously the draft is a massive component of roster building, but several NFC teams with playoff aspirations have major areas of concern that haven't been addressed. Rookies could be thrust into these areas and asked to play a major role as they acclimate to the NFL.

Related: Major problem areas 4 NFC contenders failed to fix in free agency

Bills - Wide receiver

Sammy Watkins is potentially one of the truly elite wide receivers in the NFL. Injuries have been the obvious shortcoming for this 23-year-old, as Watkins has only appeared in 21 games over the past two years and hasn’t been himself in the contests in which he did see the field.

Robert Woods is now playing for the Rams. Buffalo did add Andre Holmes and Corey Brown in free agency, but neither is close to being an ideal counterpart to Watkins, let alone a replacement should more injuries ensue for the Bills’ top option.

Expect the Bills to strongly consider adding Mike Williams or Corey Davis in the first round of the draft. Another direction Buffalo could go is selecting an excellent tight end prospect like O.J. Howard and then coming back to wide out on Day 2.

Retaining Tyrod Taylor was the right move, but this organization needs to give him someone of substance to throw to.

Dolphins - Guard

The Dolphins could use help at pretty much every position on defense. On the contrary, the offense is close to being complete, with the exception of offensive guard.

As it stands today, it looks like Ted Larsen and Jermon Bushrod are the leaders in the clubhouse for starting jobs, but Miami also has Kraig Urbik and Anthony Steen. None of these four resemble a high-end starter, though.

Being as strong as the Dolphins are at center and both tackle spots alleviates some concern at guard, but it should also be noted that Mike Pouncey has a pretty extensive injury history. On the second day of the draft, Miami should look for a starting-caliber guard that also could potentially play center if needed.

Bengals - Offensive line

This one is rather broad, but the Bengals have been weak at center for some time and need help all over their offensive line. Last year, right tackle was a huge problem spot as well.

Once a very good unit overall, we saw Cincinnati’s offensive line get significantly worse in 2016. Then the Bengals lost their two best offensive players, Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler, in free agency.

Yes, the Bengals did bring back Andre Smith and did plan for this day by drafting Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher atop their 2015 draft class, but none of those three have played high quality football of late. This line could be a disaster in 2016.

Titans - Wide receiver

It would be a major upset if the Titans didn’t land Williams, Davis, or at least were highly proactive in attacking this need with their bevy of draft capital.

Kendall Wright is now in Chicago and Tennessee’s depth chart at wide receiver has Rishard Matthews as the clear top option followed by Tajae Sharpe, Harry Douglas, and not much more to speak of. Matthews was very impressive last year and is certainly a keeper, but far more is needed here for Marcus Mariota.

Because they have a wealth of picks, Tennessee could also draft a receiving tight end to play alongside Delanie Walker from what has shaped up to be a fantastic draft class at that position.

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