Los Angeles Rams
Jared Goff went from rookie question mark to unquestioned starter in a season thanks to Sean McVay and his competent offensive scheme, yes that’s a shot at Jeff Fisher and whatever he was trying to do his last year with the Rams. The offense found an identity with running back Todd Gurley and a much-improved offensive line. Gurley signed an extension this off season so he is set as the major star of the offense for the foreseeable future. Gurley makes Goff’s life a lot easier and he’s proven to be a versatile weapon across the board. The team lost WR Sammy Watkins in free agency but they traded for Brandin Cooks from the Patriots, then they signed him to an extension. Cooks is a more consistent threat than Watkins and Goff should appreciate that. Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp proved to be two reliable options that keep the offense moving. The team doesn’t have much of a threat at TE but Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett aren’t terrible. The offensive line improved when the team brought in veterans Andrew Whitworth and John Sullivan at LT and C respectively. Whitworth is 36 so the team needs to start planning for the future there and LG Roger Saffold is 30 so the left side is aging. They re-signed RT Rob Havenstein to an extension so that position is solidified for now.
With Gurley, Cooks and Havenstein all signing contract extensions it begs the question why is All-World DT Aaron Donald still waiting for a new contract? Donald is the Defensive Player of the Year and he’s holding out because he still doesn’t have a new contract. Gurley is the face of the offense and the team should want Donald to be the face of the defense considering how good and young he is. I have to believe they will get it worked out by Donald may miss a few games if they don’t figure it out soon. That would be unfortunate because the Rams could have the best defensive line in football with Donald joining Michael Brockers and newly signed Ndamukong Suh. That’s an impressive group up front and it’s necessary because the LBs aren’t so great. The team traded ILB Alec Ogletree to the Giants and OLB Robert Quinn to the Dolphins leaving Mark Barron as the only proven commodity at the position. OLBs Corey Littleton and Samson Ebukam and ILB Matt Longacre are the other starters for now, yeah, I don’t know who those guys are either. The team decided to punt on their CBs from last season and they pulled off two trades for Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. That’s an amazing upgrade overall and while Talib and Peters have big personalities they also have major talent. Peters might be the best cover corner in the league. At safety the team brought back Lamarcus Joyner and John Johnson returns after starting most of the season as a rookie last year. The secondary should be a major strength but it was the run defense that wasn’t great last year so they need the LBs to step up. Having Suh upfront should also help in that regard.
Sean McVay showed up last season as the league’s youngest head coach and proved why he was the right man for the job. He turned the offense around in an instant and found the best ways to use the talent on the team like Gurley and even Sammy Watkins. McVay was also smart enough to hire Wade Phillips to run his defense and they trust Phillips scheme enough that they traded Robert Quinn away because he wasn’t a great fit. They lost offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur and are replacing him with a passing game coordinator and a run game coordinator but that shouldn’t matter because this is McVay’s show. I have no reason to think the team won’t be as good or even better than last season so I’m picking them to win the NFC West.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are the trendy pick to make the playoffs but I’m not sure I’m going that far. They will certainly be much improved and they may compete for a spot but I’m not putting them in just yet. The optimism is understandable considering the way Jimmy Garoppolo played last season after coming over in a trade. Jimmy G hasn’t lost as a starter in the NFL and it’s a nice boost the 49ers organization to have clarity at the QB position. His $137 million contract has drawn a lot of attention but the team decided to commit to him and build around his talent and that’s a good start to turning around the franchise. The team has also made a commitment in both money and draft picks to the offensive line to protect Garoppolo. LT Joe Staley is 34 this season but he’s as solid as a rock and while he has restructured his contract he’s still well paid. The team signed C Weston Richburg to lock down the middle and give Jimmy G someone to count on in front of him. They drafted Mike McGlinchey in the first round and he’ll start at RT. They also have former first round picks Laken Tomlinson, Joshua Garnett and Jonathan Cooper battling for the starting OG spots. At RB the team signed Jerick McKinnon and while he brings a skill set they didn’t have he’s not really an every down back. Perhaps recently signed veteran Alfred Morris or returning from injury Joe Williams will add to the running game. Marquise Goodwin and Pierre Garcon return at WR and Garoppolo made Goodwin look good last year. They didn’t add much at WR but rookie Dante Pettis could contribute. At TE the team hopes George Kittle doesn’t miss much time with his shoulder injury as he was becoming a solid weapon on the inside.
The defense is where the team will likely struggle. They were bottom ten in the league last year and there isn’t much help on the way. Up front the team has former first round picks DE Solomon Thomas, DE Arik Armstead and DT DeForest Bruckner along with veteran DT Earl Mitchell. There is plenty of potential but Thomas and Armstead are banged up and the team needs them to generate a pass rush or it will be a long year for the secondary. At LB Reuben Foster is the best on the team but he will start the year on a suspension and the team has to hope he can keep himself out of trouble because they can’t afford to lose him for longer. Malcolm Smith is a solid veteran but he’s pretty much all they got after Foster. The team hopes rookie Fred Warner can contribute early the rest of the group is non-descript. At CB they have Ahkello Witherspoon who was pretty solid once he took over the starting job last year. They signed Richard Sherman after the Seahawks cut him and while he should be motivated to prove he still has something left he is coming off of an Achilles injury and he’s 30, that’s not a great combination. Jimmy Ward moved from safety to CB and he’s competing to be the nickel back. Jaquiski Tartt is set to start at SS with Adrian Colbert lining up at FS. They are young safeties without a lot of experience and if the pass rush is non-existent this team is going to struggle defensively.
After the debacle that was the Jim Tomsula and then Chip Kelly years as head coach the team finally made the smart decision to hire Kyle Shanahan last year. His partnership with new GM John Lynch is off to a solid start the team actually seems to have a direction now. Shanahan got a lot out of Jimmy G last year even with a mediocre supporting cast at the skill positions. They didn’t upgrade much there but they offensive line should be better and Jimmy G should have even better command of the offense with a full off season under his belt. The defense still leaves a lot to be desired and unless the three former first round picks on the defensive line really blossom it isn’t going to change just yet. The team will be better and they are on the right track but a playoff spot in the NFC is going to be difficult to come by.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are undergoing some major changes from last years team as Bruce Arians retired from coaching and QB Carson Palmer retired from playing. In steps Steve Wilks and new coaching staff and the team signed Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon and drafted Josh Rosen to completely reset the QB position. Bradford is set to start but he’s proven to be injury prone, I know that’s an understatement, and Rosen is the future, the future could be very soon. Either of them would benefit with the healthy return of David Johnson who was injured last season at RB. Johnson is a playmaker and has a vast array of skills. At WR future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald returns again and at age 34 he’s coming off a season with 109 catches, yes, those numbers are both correct. The team lost both John and Jaron Brown but rookie Christian Kirk looks like the real deal. The team is hoping Ricky Seals-Jones can give them something at TE. This offense will come down to how the offensive line performs. LT DJ Humphries only played in five games last season and the team needs him healthy and playing like the 1st round pick he was. They signed RG Justin Pugh and are counting on RT Andre Smith to stabilize the right side, that’s a dicey proposition. At C rookie Mason Cole is looking to step in for veteran AQ Shipley who will miss the season with an injury. LG Mike Iupati is the only sure thing but even he had an uneven year last year. If the offensive line comes together the offense will be fine if not it could be a disaster.
The Cardinals defense is entering a transition from the 3-4 to a 4-3 under new head coach Steve Wilks and new defensive coordinator Al Holcomb. This isn’t going to be an easy transition as the team is dealing with some injuries on the defensive line. DTs Robert Nkemdiche and Corey Peters are both banged up and DE Markus Golden is still on the PUP list recovering from an ACL tear. That leaves DE Chandler Jones as the only healthy presumed starter and while he’s good he can’t do it alone. The LB corps should be a strength with MLB Josh Bynes flanked by Deone Buchanan and Hassan Reddick. The secondary still boasts CB Patrick Peterson and he’s one of the best in the league but his running partner is still questionable. The team traded for Jamar Taylor and signed Bene Benwikere, two guys who have flashed talent at times but are hardly consistent performers. The team decided not to bring back Tyrann Mathieu so Budda Baker will be the SS and Antoine Bethea will play FS. The team recently signed Tre Boston and he makes for good depth.
Steve Wilks spent last year as the defensive coordinator in Carolina after serving the previous five as defensive backs coach. With only one year as a coordinator Wilks steps up to the top job and he’ll have his work cut out for him transitioning this defense to a four-man front. In the long run it’s a better fit for both Chandler Jones and Robert Nkemdiche and they are the most talented players up front. He brought long-time Panthers LB coach Al Holcomb along as his defensive coordinator and Holcomb did a great job in Carolina with the talent there, he should love Buchanan and Reddick. Veteran offensive coordinator Mike McCoy comes in after being the scapegoat for a terrible offense in Denver last year (like it was his fault the line was terrible and his QB was Trevor Simien). McCoy coached Phillip Rivers to some great seasons in San Diego and he should do well bringing Rosen along. This team either needs Bradford to stay healthy (that’s a longshot) or Rosen to step up (more probable) and the defense has to make a quick transition. The division is in transition as the Rams look to solidify the top spot, the 49ers try to continue their growth and the Seahawks try to figure out what they are doing.
Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson had a fantastic year last year and that managed to get the team a 9-7 record, unless he has a superhuman season this year 9-7 is just wishful thinking. He carried the offense when the running game was non-existent and the offensive line was in shambles. Even if those two things are better this year the defense is going to fall off. The team drafted RB Rashad Penny in the first round to try to kick start their running game but it’s last year’s rookie Chris Carson who has looked the best in the preseason and if he stays healthy it should be his job. At WR Doug Baldwin has become one the most dependable receivers in the game and Wilson relies on him heavily. They need either Tyler Lockett or the newly signed Jaron Brown to provide a spark opposite Baldwin. The team let TE Jimmy Graham go in the off season and while he wasn’t his old Saints self they will miss his playmaking. The offensive line still looks like a mess. LT Duane Brown was brought in last season in a trade and he should finally stabilize that spot and Justin Britt is solid at C. However, the other three spots are still a question mark. RT Germain Ifedi has been bad but none of George Fant, Isaiah Battle and Jamarco Jones have been healthy enough to take the job away from him. They would be better off with one of those three at RT and moving Ifedi to the bench or the unemployment line. They hope a healthy Ethan Pocic can lock down the LG spot and that DJ Fluker can be the RG.
While the offense certainly has question marks the defense looks pretty rough. Up front the team has DT Jarran Reed and DE Frank Clark and then…well that’s where it gets rough. At defensive end they are either counting on uber-bust Dion Jordan to recover from a leg injury (he’s missed training camp) or then need rookie Rasheem Green to find his way or Eric Walden needs to find the fountain of youth and the fountain of talent. For now, former practice squad player Branden Jackson is lining up opposite Clark. DT Tom Johnson was a veteran signed for depth but now he’s penciled in as the starter next to Reed. They don’t even have options at DT to replace him. At LB Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright return and they will be the backbone of the defense. The other linebacker is another former first round bust Barkevious Mingo. If you thought the defensive line was in trouble you should see the secondary. CB Shaquill Griffin had a good rookie year this year but for now his counterpart is Byron Maxwell. Maxwell shouldn’t be a starter for anyone at this point. They have to be hoping Justin Coleman or another young corner steps up. At safety the team is locked in a stalemate with Earl Thomas who wants a new contract or to be traded, he’s not with the team for now. Tedric Thompson is taking Thomas’ place at the moment and he’s a serious downgrade. SS Kam Chancellor retired due to injury thus leaving Bradley McDougald to take his spot. He’s not bad but he’s not Chancellor either.
There is a lot of upheaval taking place in Seattle as Pete Carroll decided to make some major changes to his coaching staff. He used to have to replace defensive coordinators because they moved on to head coaching jobs (Gus Bradley, Dan Quinn) but this time he fired Kris Richard and replaced him with Ken Norton Jr. Norton was fired last year from his defensive coordinator position with the Raiders but he returns to Seattle where he once coached for Carroll before. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell was also shown the door (a move applauded by all Seahawk fans who remember the Super Bowl loss) but I’m not sure Brian Schottenheimer was the big-name people were hoping for as a replacement. He’s been around a long time but he’s bounced around too. For some reason NFL head coaches like to recycle offensive coordinators like Schottenheimer, Greg Olson, Bill Musgrave and Norv Turner, it’s a pattern. We will see if Schottenheimer and new offensive line coach Mike Solari can get the guys upfront to play better and give the offense a chance to do something. It’s going to take more than a little good coaching to get the defense to be good. For Seahawks fans I fear time may be running out on the Pete Carroll magic and this coach shuffling is just a last-ditch effort to fix things. It rarely works if ever and they may just be wasting a year of Russell Wilson’s prime.
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