For every team, the offseason is a finely crafted building process that leads to a blissful July and August when each and every club is undefeated and has a chance.
But there are times when this building process takes on a greater meaning, or the process is the prelude to a goal that is never achieved. Every team has something to lose every week, but there are some teams with far more at stake.
Here is our list of five teams with the most to lose by losing in 2015:
1. Miami Dolphins
The team's executive vice president of football operations, Mike Tannenbaum, has seen what a disastrous quarterback contract can do to a franchise and he's hoping that the start of the true Ryan Tannehill Era puts fans at ease. But it's more than just Tannehill. The team just broke the bank on a 28-year-old defensive tackle who has the potential to change their defense. Behind J.J. Watt, Ndamukong Suh is arguably the second-best down lineman in all of football, but is he an asset the Dolphins are ready to truly utilize? In so many ways, Suh seems like a player a team would acquire to go that extra inch toward a Super Bowl. Now, it's playoffs or bust in Miami. With a new executive and new expectations, it won't be an easy season for head coach Joe Philbin.
2. Dallas Cowboys
Though it isn't Dallas' fault, their place atop the NFL attention throne has never been more secure. Jerry Jones smells a championship and is building a delicate house of cards in which to place his latest Lombardi Trophy. He took some serious risks in the draft and free agency and is playing contract chicken with perhaps his best offensive player. If any team can thrive amid the chaos, though, it's Dallas. However, a collapse this season with an aging franchise quarterback and a slew of talent in flux would be a gigantic shot to the gut.
3. Buffalo Bills
Rex Ryan has had one previous head coaching stop and when he first got that Jets job, he was able to be himself. He was able to be Rex Ryan because the Jets made it to the AFC Championship Game and built a juggernaut that was one bad play call from a Super Bowl. Then, things unraveled and Rex Ryan wasn't able to be Rex Ryan anymore. The organization backed away from the persona it once fell in love with, and now Ryan is about to begin his second head coaching job. At the moment, the Bills are built like a possible playoff team, but in order for Ryan and the Bills to thrive, they need to win right away. A Ryan team that isn't taken seriously is difficult to project as a winner.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
General manager Dave Caldwell and head coach Gus Bradley are almost universally thought of as the right people to turn around the Jaguars. The team's owner, Shad Khan, is also thought of as patient, pragmatic and understanding. But at some point, people are going to need some tangible progress from an organization that is built on a mammoth number of high draft picks and expensive free agents. Most importantly, of course, is Blake Bortles winning a few games under center. Hopefully he'll get all 16 games under his belt this season. Winning six or seven of them would go a very long way.
5. Tennessee Titans/Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston will be mercilessly compared throughout the beginning of the season and will be fairly or unfairly judged on their statistics and records. But winning is something that heals all wounds, and if either quarterback can get his team near the .500 mark this season, they'll buy the front office and coaching staff a little more time to get their teams on track.
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