Teams That Wish They Had a Better QB (but are glad they don’t need a better QB)
Chicago Bears
There is no QB in the league that is loathed by his own fan base more than Jay Cutler. The problem is that he has tantalizing physical ability but rubs people the wrong way. He has one of the best arms in the league but an attitude that turns off fans and some coaches and players don’t like him either. The new offensive coaching staff led by former Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase has its work cut out for them but they may be the best suited to get the most out of Cutler. RB Matt Forte, WR Alshon Jeffery and TE Martellus Bennett give Cutler some nice weapons and even though it looks like first round WR Kevin White might miss the season the offense has plenty of potential.
The defense on the other hand looks like a mess. New head coach John Fox brought in former 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio so the entire defense is changing from a base 4-3 to a base 3-4 and they don’t have the personnel to do it. Rookie NT Eddie Goldman will be a key piece up front and they are hoping Jared Allen and Lamarr Houston can make the conversion to OLB. Free agent OLB Pernell McPhee will be counted on to play a lot more than he ever was in Baltimore. CB Kyle Fuller is the best defender on the team and he needs to stay healthy.
Biggest Off Season Move: Hiring head coach John Fox, DC Vic Fangio and OC Adam Gase
McPhee was the biggest personnel move the Bears made on the field but bringing in John Fox gives them a proven head coach, Fangio ran one the best defenses in the league the last few years in San Francisco and Gase spent the last few years running an offense with Peyton Manning. The Bears are lacking on the defense and some would say their offense needs reinforcements too but they have a fantastic new coaching staff.
Player to Watch: QB Jay Cutler
There may not be a team in the league that needs a bounce back season from their QB more than the Bears. Cutler didn’t mesh with the previous coaching staff but Adam Gase learned under Mike Martz and it was a Martz system that allowed Cutler to have his best years back in Denver. Cutler needs to take the coaching because Gase has worked with the smartest QB in the league the last few years and Cutler just needs to do what Gase tells him to do. He needs to have a better attitude and show some leadership or the Bears are going to be picking high in the draft and looking for his replacement.
Sleeper of the Season: WR Marquess Wilson
The Bears don’t have a bevy of players that look like they might break out this season. With first round WR Kevin White looking like he might miss the season the door is open for someone to step up opposite Alshon Jeffery. Veteran Eddie Royal was brought in but he is what he is and they need a more dynamic playmaker. Wilson is a third year guy out of Washington State with good height but isn’t as physical as Jeffery or Brandon Marshall was before. This is Wilson’s chance and it might be his last chance.
San Francisco 49ers
Colin Kaepernick has led his team to a Super Bowl appearance before but he has a new coaching staff and a lot of new faces around him. The confidence that the franchise and the fan base have had in the past was shaken by a rough season last year. Frank Gore is gone but RB Carlos Hyde is ready to step in as the bell cow and the offense needs him to be effective. WR Torrey Smith was signed to be the deep threat and compliment the ageless Anquan Boldin and the hope is he allows Kaepernick to throw it deep and create some room for Hyde. TE Vernon Davis is coming off a disappointing season and they need him to bounce back. The offensive line had been a strength but the early retirement of RT Anthony Davis leaves a big hole to fill.
The defense has been decimated by retirements, suspensions leading to dismissals and some free agent defections. New defensive coordinator Eric Mangini is left with a tough job of replacing all those players. The defense is going to have to count on DE Darnell Dockett, OLB’s Aaron Lynch and Ahmad Brooks and on their secondary led by safeties Antoine Bethea and Eric Reid. Those players are a far cry from the heyday of Justin Smith, Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith.
Biggest Off Season Moves: Losing DE Justin Smith, ILB Patrick Willis, ILB Chris Borland and RT Anthony Davis to retirement, OLB Aldon Smith being released for off the field issues, losing Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree and Mike Iupati to free agency. Oh and firing Jim Harbaugh and replacing him with Jim Tomsula
To call it a time of transition for the 49ers organization would be a massive understatement. No one knows if Tomsula is ready to be a head coach in the NFL but we do know that with the exception of last season Jim Harbaugh set the bar pretty high for his replacement.
Player to Watch: RB Carlos Hyde
Hyde could be an absolute beast out the backfield and the 49ers are going to ride him as far as he’ll take them. Frank Gore held down the 49ers RB spot for many years but he began to pass the torch last season and Hyde is the big, powerful back teams are going with these days. The offensive line won’t be as strong in the run game without Anthony Davis or Mike Iupati but Hyde can make yards.
Sleeper of the Season: Rookie OLB Eli Harold or OLB Corey Lemonier
Starting OLBs Aaron Lynch and Ahmad Brooks are fine but the two backups need to step up and bring some pass rush and I think one of them will. Lemonier is another year removed from injury and that might make him more effective. Harold is a solid rookie that needs some work but he can get after the QB.
Houston Texans
The Texans just settled on Brian Hoyer as their starting QB so you could say they need to upgrade and apparently they don’t think Ryan Mallet is that guy or they would have gone with him instead. The injury to Arian Foster could keep him out until midseason and that’s tough for a team that was planning on winning with defense and a running game. RB Alfred Blue is a nice backup but expecting him to be as good as Foster would be foolish. The line is solid and DeAndre Hopkins broke out last year but without Foster and the departed Andre Johnson that’s a lot of reliability missing and Hoyer needs playmakers he can rely on.
JJ Watt is one of the rare defenders in the NFL that changes a game so much he legitimately deserves MVP consideration. He has redefined what a 3-4 DE should be and he’s a one man wrecking crew. The Texans wish he didn’t have to be a one man wrecking crew and they are hoping Jadeveon Clowney can come back from his knee surgery and be the player they thought he could be when he was drafted #1 overall. There is a lot of potential on this defense with free agents NT Vince Wilfork and FS Rahim Moore brought in to fill key holes and rookie Benardrick McKinney hopefully lining up at ILB next to a healthy Brian Cushing. Rookie CB Kevin Johnson was added to starters Kareem Jackson and Jonathan Joseph so they should be good there. The Texans have a lot of ifs and plenty of potential but they have to play up to it.
Biggest Off Season Move: Letting WR Andre Johnson leave and watching him sign with Indianapolis
Johnson has been a mainstay with the franchise for a long time and while DeAndre Hopkins surpassed him last year as the top WR he was still a very good player. The other issue is that he went and signed with division rival and champion Indianapolis. Andrew Luck is in the driver’s seat of the division and he just got a very good veteran complement to youngster TY Hilton.
Player to Watch: QB Brian Hoyer (for now)
Hoyer is a pro but he’s never been able to seize the starting job anywhere and hold on to it. He has knowledge of Bill O’Brien’s offense from his time with the Patriots but so does Ryan Mallet and while Hoyer may be the steady choice if he doesn’t make a few plays he could be out the door, again. Hoyer is a placeholder and the only advantage he has in Houston that he didn’t have in Cleveland last season is that the Texans actually have some good offensive skill players.
Sleeper of the Season: Rookie WR Jaelen Strong
From what I’ve heard about Strong in training camp he is coming along slowly. Hopkins is the sure thing of the WR group and free agents Nate Washington and Cecil Shorts are solid veteran guys but Strong can be something more. He has size, strength and speed and with the right playing time and good QB play he can break out. He was one of my favorite WRs in the draft and I hope he gets a chance to show why.
Kansas City Chiefs
It isn’t completely Alex Smith’s fault that the team didn’t have a TD completion to a WR for the entire 2014 season but he deserves plenty of the blame. Dwayne Bowe and Donnie Avery weren’t exactly lighting up the place but you would have thought eventually the law of averages would have caught up and one of them would get in the end zone. WR Jeremy Maclin was signed to add some playmaking to the team but he’s a deep threat and that has never been Smith’s forte. RB Jamaal Charles and his backup Knile Davis might be the best tandem in the league and Davis would start for a lot of teams but the offensive line is still suspect so the offense needs some balance. If TE Travis Kelce could have a fully healthy year he would be a nice weapon for Smith. Alex Smith is just good enough to keep this team from drafting high enough to pick his replacement but if the draft pool is deep enough this next season the Chiefs shouldn’t hesitate to grab his eventual replacement.
OLB Justin Houston got paid this off season and when you register 22 sacks on the year and nearly break the league record the money is well worth it. Houston is the playmaker on defense but he has plenty of help around him. OLB Tamba Hali is the grizzled veteran that keeps chugging along and while he isn’t as dynamic as he once was and isn’t as dynamic as Houston he’s the heart and soul of the unit. CB Sean Smith played well last year as the #1 corner and while he has to sit the first three games due to suspension he should come back strong. The last player to mention is safety Eric Berry who is making an awesome comeback from cancer and if he can make it back at all it’s a victory but he was once a very bright future star for the team and I hope he recaptures that magic.
Biggest Off Season Moves: Resigning OLB Justin Houston and signing WR Jeremy Maclin
Keeping Houston was expensive and it was a no-brainer. He’s the best player on the team and he’s still young and extremely effective. Andy Reid reached back to his Philadelphia Eagles days and grabbed Maclin who had a pretty good year coming back from a knee injury and fills a gigantic hole on the offense. Dwayne Bowe had ceased to be effective and it was time for him to go now the Chiefs just have to hope Alex Smith can find a way to get Maclin the ball.
Player to Watch: LT Eric Fisher
The Chiefs offensive line is in a state of flux with Ben Grubbs coming over from New Orleans, Eric Kush and Mitch Morse fighting to take over the center spot from the departed Rodney Hudson and the right side being less than stellar. Fisher was the #1 overall pick a few years ago in a less than impressive draft but his transition hasn’t been smooth. Fisher needs to solidify the left side of the line so the offense can move the ball. He has the talent he just needs to put it all together.
Sleeper of the Season: Rookie CB Marcus Peters
With CB Sean Smith suspended for the first three games rookie CB Marcus Peters is going to have to step in next to Phillip Gaines and my guess is when Smith returns in game 4 it will be Gaines that loses playing time. Peters had his issues in college but he seems to have matured and he’s an incredible talent. He has great natural coverage instincts and ability.
Cincinnati Bengals
Andy Dalton has been a pretty good QB in the regular season during his career but when it comes to the playoffs he turns into a pumpkin. The Bengals are a loaded team both offensively and defensively so Dalton usually carries the weight of the franchise and determines their destiny. Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard form an excellent duo in the backfield and AJ Green is a dynamic WR. The offensive line is aging but it is still a very good unit. TE Tyler Eifert needs to step up and become more of a threat but that is certainly possible if he stays healthy.
Last year the defense dealt with many injuries at LB and the return from injury of its most important player DT Geno Atkins. All reports this preseason say Atkins looks like he’s back to his pre-injury form and that is a scary thing for opposing offenses. Atkins is a destructive force when healthy and he makes this a better defense. The team needed a better outside pass rush than it got last year so they re-signed former DE Michael Johnson and he could be key. The health of OLB Vontaze Burfict is also key as he’s a playmaker they count on heavily and they don’t have a strong replacement for him. The secondary needs either Dre Kirkpatrick or Darqueze Dennard to step up opposite Leon Hall and it would be helpful if both of them play well because every team needs as many good CBs as they can find.
Biggest Off Season Move: Re-signing DE Michael Johnson
A year ago the Bengals let Michael Johnson walk when the Bucs offered him a huge free agent deal and it didn’t work out for either party. Johnson had a less than stellar year in Tampa Bay and was cut after only one season and the Bengals pass rush just wasn’t the same. Both sides are hoping that you can go home again and that Johnson can be the type of pass rusher he was that earned that huge free agent deal a year ago.
Player to Watch: RB Jeremy Hill
Something tells me that the Bengals are going to do everything they can to make sure that their season doesn’t hinge on the play of QB Andy Dalton and the best way to do that is to rely on the strength of the running game. Hill is the big, physical back that can carry the load and he gets better the more carries he gets. Giovani Bernard is a great complement as he’s a faster and more elusive player but it’s Hill’s downhill pounding style that wears out a defense and that is what the Bengals need to help Dalton be effective.
Sleeper of the Season: Rex Burkhead
I didn’t list a position for Burkhead because every report this preseason has him playing all over the offense. With Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard clearly ahead of him in the RB pecking order Burkhead has used his versatility to find a way to help the Bengals’ offense. He has lined up as a slot receiver quite a bit and while they have Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones after AJ Green both of those players are more possession type receivers while Burkhead brings a more dynamic element. He gives them versatility not only on the field but with possible roster flexibility too.
These next two teams are linked together
Philadelphia Eagles
Chip Kelly’s bold off season move was to trade Nick Foles for Sam Bradford and hitch his wagon to a player that has missed the lion’s share of the last two seasons because his ACL is made of tissue paper. Bradford has talent coming out of his ears but it doesn’t really help when he spends most of his time with the training staff rehabbing a knee injury. He is a nice fit in the up tempo style of offense that Kelly likes but the Eagles have to hope they get more snaps from Bradford than Mark Sanchez because they aren’t really a contender otherwise. In the last two years Kelly has lost or sent packing DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin meaning he’s replaced a number of playmakers. Bradford will rely on Kelly’s guys like Jordan Matthews, Riley Cooper and rookie Nelson Agholor but mostly on RB DeMarco Murray who brings a different style than McCoy did.
The Eagles defense wasn’t very good and they are mostly hoping for improvement from within up front but they did an almost complete rebuild in the secondary. Free agent CB Byron Maxwell was the big move, drafting CB Eric Rowe was a smart move and hoping Walter Thurmond III can be the free safety is a questionable move. Trading for ILB Kiko Alonso should really help the run defense if he’s healthy and they need all the help they can get.
Biggest Off Season Moves: Trading LeSean McCoy for Kiko Alonso, trading Nick Foles for Sam Bradford and signing DeMarco Murray.
Chip Kelly took over as the personnel decision maker this year and he wasted no time making major moves. He decided Nick Foles wasn’t his QB of the future and he rolled the dice on Bradford’s questionable knees. He didn’t think McCoy was his type of RB so he shipped him to Buffalo for a guy he knows is his kind of LB. Then when it looked like he was ridding his team of all playmakers he went out and signed the league’s leading rusher DeMarco Murray, his kind of RB.
Player to Watch: QB Sam Bradford
As much as the team is going to rely on DeMarco Murray’s running ability Chip Kelly’s offense is still QB centric. There is no denying Bradford’s talent and he played in an up tempo, spread type of offense at Oklahoma where he won the Heisman and was the #1 overall pick in the draft. Anyone that thinks he doesn’t fit is mistaken but his career has been defined by the time he has missed due to injury and not by his talent. If he stays healthy he could be the future for the club but if he goes down again with a season ending injury, any season ending injury, Kelly won’t hesitate to replace him for good.
Sleeper of the Season: WR Jordan Matthews
Matthews was one of my favorite receivers in last year’s draft and he had a pretty solid rookie year. He did that without much consistency at QB as they started with Nick Foles and then went to Sanchez and he never had a chance to establish a connection. If Bradford stays on the field he’s an upgrade and he’ll love the way Matthews can get open. He doesn’t “wow” you but he’s effective and he’ll catch a lot of passes from Bradford and keep the offense moving.
St. Louis Rams
The Rams and Eagles are linked together because of the QB trade they pulled off in the spring. It’s pretty rare to see two teams trade their starting QBs for each other and this one could work out for both teams or it could blow up in their faces. Nick Foles was dynamite two years ago in Chip Kelly’s offense but last year was rough and he missed time with an injury. The Rams see Foles as a better bet to stay healthy after two lost years of Sam Bradford and they need some consistency at the position. Jeff Fisher wants to build his offense around first round RB Todd Gurley and a remade offensive line but Foles quick throwing ability might just make WR Tavon Austin a worthwhile player too.
The Rams defense is excellent and it’s built around one of the league’s finest defensive lines. DEs Chris Long and Robert Quinn are fantastic and Quinn is a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate and could win it if JJ Watt were human. DTs Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers are great complements to each other. LBs James Laurinaitis and Alec Ogletree are playmakers and the secondary has added some good talent over the past few years.
Biggest Off Season Move: Trading for Nick Foles and drafting Todd Gurley
After two lost years of Sam Bradford Jeff Fisher decided it was time for change and Nick Foles was a pretty nice get for a QB coming off back-to-back torn ACL seasons. No one is quite sure if Foles is the guy from last year or the player from two years ago but he’s worth the risk. Fisher drafted Gurley with visions of his Tennessee heyday with Eddie George carrying the load and Gurley is a special talent. It looks like he’ll be ready to open the season and while the Rams can afford to ease him in with last year’s RB Tre Mason still around eventually it’s Gurley’s job and it’s his offense.
Player to Watch: RB Todd Gurley
I’m not sure how much more I can say about Gurley but I’ll try. In college his running style was most often compared to Marshawn Lynch as he had a tendency to look like he was going into his own version of “Beastmode”. When Jeff Fisher drafted him the comparison became to Eddie George as Gurley has a similar build and upright running style and was headed to George’s former coach. Now that he’s made a quick recovery from his ACL tear and is such an amazing physical specimen he could be compared to Adrian Peterson, in a good way. Lynch, George and Peterson are three incredible talents to be compared to and Gurley has the ability to live up to those three.
Sleeper of the Season: WR Stedman Bailey
Everyone has been waiting for former first round pick Tavon Austin to break out but I still think he is limited and while he can be a weapon I don’t see him being a top WR. Bailey isn’t a #1 WR either but he’s a very good #2 and I think with a more consistent QB he could really blossom. He has the size to play outside and he’s a solid all-around talent. He may not by the dynamic athlete Austin is but I think he’s a better football player and he knows how to be effective.
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