NFL insider Jason La Canfora speaks with executives and GMs revealing top teams missing pieces

The NFL never sleeps.

June used to be as close to a slumbering month on the football calendar as there was. But we saw an arguably top-10, all-time edge rusher dealt to the Rams (Myles Garrett), who almost reached the Super Bowl last year without him. And an All-Pro receiver was justdealt to the Patriots (AJ Brown), who reached the Super Bowl last year with him.

There is more pressure than ever before for even the teams perceived to have the best rosters to continue pushing for talent. And there are some potentially glaring issues with some of the clubs being most heavily favored to win the Lombardi Trophy. There are holes that stand out immediately to NFL decision makers when they peruse the depth charts of the opponents they deem to be of a certain quality. And there are some potential recourse for these clubs as well, and ways to address those weaknesses.

Rams (Best Defensive Tackle Ever)

Who couldn’t use an Aaron Donald coming out of retirement to join their roster? And when that roster already might be the best in the NFL, all the better. Everyone I talk to in the industry believes this is happening. The future Hall of Famer will don a helmet again and likely wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks.

Maybe it’s the middle of the season. Maybe sooner.

"He’s coming back," another GM said.

Donald and Garrett on the same defensive line just doesn’t seem fair. But it’s happening.

Bills (Pass Rush)

Somebody is going to pry Josh Sweat out of Arizona. He doesn’t want to be there, they aren’t close to winning and the coach who recruited him there got fired. The Bills can’t get caught up in hugging future draft picks, and they haven’t been able to find breakout edge rushers picking in the very back of the first-round as a Super Bowl contender every year.

"They still don’t have a guy, and it’s hard to get where they want to go without one," one top personnel exec said of the Bills. "They’re not going to bring (free agent) Von Miller back. That didn’t work. (Joey) Bosa was at the end. They need more."

Sweat is still just 29, he has 20 sacks the last two seasons and the best pressure rates of his career. He could put them over the top. The Bills were at least on the periphery of Maxx Crosby trade talks with the Raiders. They have to know this isn’t a strength for them.

Packers (Pass Rush)

Micah Parsons might not be back until the middle of the season. Lukas Van Ness just hasn’t become a thing yet. They’ve lost some interior defensive line pass rush in the last few years (as part of the Parsons deal), and Clowney is going to want to sign with a winner at this point in his career. He had some get-along issues early in his career but was great in Baltimore, Carolina and Dallas over the last three years.

"He is still an impact player," NFL analyst Brian Baldinger told me, before spending time with Clowney at Maxx Crosby’s annual pass-rush summit. "He’s not the smoothest pass rusher but he can get home. Still has power. Versatile guy."

Clowney could rush from the inside as well and remains elite against the run. The Cowboys kept him on a snap count last year and he produced a ridiculous 19% pressure rate. He’s not in any hurry to sign, but he will land with a contender soon enough.

Ravens (Center)

The Ravens are considered Super Bowl favorites but had a bad offensive line last season and lost one of the best centers in the NFL to the Raiders in free agency (Tyler Linderbaum). They don’t have anyone on their roster who is close to being starting-caliber, or even replacement level. General manager Eric DeCosta alluded to making a trade but no one around the league is buying that.

"I don’t even know who one of those guys is," said one NFL general manager when looking at Ravens depth chart competing for center jobs. And he doesn’t see a trade option. "No one is trading a starting center."

Former Browns center Ethan Pocic is generally considered the best free agent out there. The Ravens already have a $350M payroll. Seems like another $6M-$8M salary at such a key spot would make sense.

Chiefs (Pass Catcher)

The Chiefs are getting Patrick Mahomes back from season-ending surgery, and we continue to hear that Week 1 is very much in play. He will be driven after missing the playoffs for the first time in his career. Kansas City devoted the bulk of the draft to retooling the defense.

The offense still needs help. Tight end Travis Kelce still gets a lot of publicity with an upcoming marriage to Taylor Swift, but on the field, "he looks done to me," the personnel exec said. Tip receiver Rashee Rice continues to have serious legal issues. Some execs believe that after acquiring AJ Brown that receiver Kayshon Boutte could be dealt by the Patriots. "He’d make a lot of sense for (Chiefs coach) Andy (Reid)," the exec said. "He can win deep."

Darren Waller is nearing the end of his career, and was actually retired for a spell, but performed quite well in a miserable offense in Miami last year that was going nowhere with a QB who wouldn’t push the ball downfield. He only made a few million bucks last year as well. Kelce might not love the idea, but he also might have more leap in his legs and separation than Kelce as well.