This is going to be the most competitive division in the league. With the expansion of the playoffs to seven teams in each conference there’s a chance this division sends all four teams to the playoffs, it’s unlikely, but it’s possible. I like San Francisco if they can bounce back from the ridiculous number of injuries they had last year, especially on defense. The Rams are getting a lot of love but I have concerns about their offensive line and their running game until Sony Michel gets comfortable. Seattle should have a very potent offense but that defense looks suspect. As for the Cardinals, they have talent on offense and some guys to work with on defense I just don’t trust that coaching staff (mostly Kliff Kingsbury) to out coach anyone in this division. It feels like a tight division race between the top three teams and they could end up in any order.
San Francisco 49ers
The drafting of Trey Lance #3 overall is going to do one of two things; either Jimmy Garoppolo is going to play more than he did last year (he actually wasn’t bad when he was healthy) and he remains the starter, or he will be sitting on the sidelines watching Trey Lance take his job. Either way, the 49ers will be getting better QB play than they got last year. Jimmy G isn’t a bad QB, he just never stays healthy, now the 49ers have an actual plan if he’s not available. The offense should be good with better QB play. WR Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel aren’t Jerry Rice and John Taylor, but they are pretty good players. It would be helpful if they find a third guy (sorry but Mohamed Sanu doesn’t count at this point) but it’s not completely necessary in this offense. TE George Kittle needs to stay healthy, when he’s healthy he’s one of the two best TEs in football.
The reason they don’t need a really deep WR corps is because Kyle Shanahan knows how to design a running game. It starts up front with LT Trent Williams, he’s one of the best in the NFL (and he’s paid as the best in the league). LG Laken Tomlinson isn’t flashy but he does what they need him to do. C Alex Mack is aging but he still has some tread on his tires and he should solidify a spot that has had some injury issues over the last few seasons. RG is Daniel Brunskill’s for now but Aaron Banks may be coming for the job. RT is manned quite well by Mike McGlinchy. Shanahan has turned undrafted Raheem Mostert into an ultra-productive RB, the Shanahan running game has been doing that for decades. Mostert is approaching 30 so it’s almost time for them to cycle in a new guy. Enter draft pick Trey Sermon, he’s next in line. San Francisco is a RB factory as long as Kyle Shanahan is running the offense.
The defense can’t possibly have as many major injuries this year as they had last year, they hope. DE Arik Armstead is the only starter on the defensive line who played in 16 games last year. The other two major pass rushers, Nick Bosa and Dee Ford, played in three games combined. Bosa is a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate if he’s healthy. Ford is an elite pass rusher if he can get on the field. DT DJ Jones is an overlooked player while his new partner on the inside, Javon Kinlaw is an emerging talent. I love Kinlaw.
The Niners have arguably the best MLB in football, Fred Warner. He’s a freak and does everything extremely well. They have a new defensive coordinator with Robert Saleh off to coach the Jets, it’s former star LB DeMeco Ryans. Ryans knows just how valuable Warner is and he will know exactly how to deploy him the best way possible. Weakside LB Dre Greenlaw is the next guy to break out for this defense. He was so good last year the team traded Kwon Alexander during the year just to open up playing time. The other LB spot is a bit suspect. Samson Ebukam was signed but there is no guarantee he’s the answer. Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and Azeez Al-Shaair are young guys looking to break through.
The secondary is where things get a little tough for the Niners. At CB, they have a bunch of twos and threes but they lack a true #1 CB. There was a time Jason Verrett looked like a #1 CB but that was about five years and twelve injuries ago. Emmanuel Moseley is just good enough he’s tough to replace and just bad enough you’re always trying to. K’Waun Williams is a decent nickel back. Ambry Thomas is a rookie they like but not enough to stop them from signing Josh Norman late. The Norman signing is a clear sign of desperation, they need their pass rush to make their secondary look better than it is. SS Jaquiski Tartt and FS Jimmie Ward return as the starting safety duo. They are fine but they aren’t great. The team is so desperate for safety depth they signed Ha Ha Clinton-Dix just to see if he has anything left, he didn’t so they cut him.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams off season is defined by the trade of Jared Goff to the Lions for Matthew Stafford. Stafford is one of the more physically gifted QBs in the NFL when it comes to his ability to throw the ball. Now, after 12 seasons, we will see what Stafford can do for a competent NFL organization. Sean McVay is the best coach Stafford has played for in his professional career and this team gives him an opportunity to show how good he can be. Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp give Stafford the best set of WRs he’s had since Calvin Johnson retired and this team also has Van Jefferson, DeSean Jackson and rookie Tutu Atwell, that’s a pretty deep receiving corps. Tyler Higbee is a legitimate playmaker at TE and while the depth there is suspect it should be fine.
The issues arise when you start looking at the offensive line and the running game. The running game took a major hit when Cam Akers was lost for the season before training camp. Darrell Henderson is slated to replace him but he was so suspect during camp the team traded for Sony Michel from the Patriots. Michel is an injury risk too but once he learns the playbook he will take the starting job from Henderson, he’s a better back. Stafford never had a competent running game while in Detroit and now he’s hoping McVay can piece something together for the year. The line is what concerns me. LT Andrew Whitworth will be 40 in December and he missed time last year when he tore his MCL and PCL in his knee, that’s not ideal. They have no viable backup for him either. David Edwards and Austin Corbett or underwhelming players at guard and this team needs to protect Stafford. Brian Allen steps in at center with Austin Blythe departing and he’s not great either. RT Rob Havenstein is solid but that’s one out of five and that doesn’t make me feel good. Stafford is going to have to raise the play of the guys around him, at least this time he has a coach who can help him do that.
Aaron Donald has been a one-man wrecking crew for the past several years, unfortunately, he’ll have to continue to be if the Rams defense is going to be good. Donald is an undersized defensive lineman who turned 30 this year so the team needs to get hm some help. Instead, they traded his long-time linemate Michael Brockers and they are planning on A’Shawn Robinson finally stepping up, a dubious plan if I’ve ever heard one. The rest of the defensive line options are just as suspect as Robinson and they are counting on Sebastian Joseph-Day at NT. Last year, Brandon Staley did a wonderful job a scheming up the defense to make it greater than the sum of its parts. This year Staley is the head coach of the other LA team, the Chargers, and they are turning the defense over to Raheem Morris. Morris has been a good defensive coach in his career but it’s a lot to ask.
The LB corps returns Leonard Floyd at OLB and he finally lived up to his potential as a pass rusher, he finally broke double digits in sacks after six years in the league. If Morris can coax that out of him again, that would be wonderful. They lost Samson Ebukam on the other side and are counting on either Justin Hollins or Ogbonnia Okoronkwo to step up. They have options at ILB with Kenny Young, Troy Reeder and rookie Ernest Jones. They’re pretty non-descript but they do the job.
The secondary took some major hits with CB Troy Hill and S John Johnson III leaving in free agency. They still have arguably the best cover corner in football with Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey can line up on any WR or TE and never backs down from facing the other team’s top pass catcher. Darious Williams will line up opposite him and he has to step up because teams will throw his way just to avoid throwing at Ramsey. They need a nickel back to step up because that was Hill’s specialty and everyone needs three CBs. Taylor Rapp and Jordan Fuller are two young safeties the team is counting on. They are talented guys who have always had a veteran or two around to bail them out but now it’s just them. The good news is Raheem Morris was a secondary coach by trade and he should be able to push their development forward. The Rams’ defense was the best in the NFL last year and they have a lot to live up to this season. The offense should help them out more but they can’t afford to take to far of a step back.
Seattle Seahawks
As long as the Seahawks have Russell Wilson at QB their offense will be effective. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try to get better and they made a couple of moves to try to help him. Wilson made it abundantly clear he wanted offensive line help and the Seahawks mostly ignored him but they did make one significant move, they traded for RG Gabe Jackson. Jackson just turned 30 so he’s a bit older but he’s still a very good guard and he’s a huge upgrade for Seattle. He should stabilize a position that has been quite inconsistent for years. The team hopes Damien Lewis, a second-year guy, can step up at the LG spot and be a consistent player too. The team needs Brandon Shell to be good enough at RT because Cedrick Ogbuehi starts the year on IR. LT Duane Brown has been good since he came over years ago from Houston but he wants a contract extension and the team doesn’t want to pay him. He’ll be 36 soon and there’s reason to believe he won’t last much longer. You can see why Wilson complains about the offensive line.
Wilson can’t complain too much about his skill position talent though. WR DK Metcalf is an ascending talent and his physical dominance makes him a matchup nightmare. Tyler Lockett is a fantastic route runner and Wilson’s most trusted playmaker. He isn’t the physical specimen Metcalf is but he beats defenses with his intelligence and innate receiving skills. They want rookie D’Wayne Eskridge to become a third weapon at WR, they don’t have much else there to count on. They signed TE Gerald Everett and while no one is going to confuse him for Travis Kelce or George Kittle, he’s an effective player. He also makes Will Dissly a more helpful player as a second TE instead as the top guy. RB Chris Carson is back and he can be extremely effective in this offense but he has to stay healthy, he’s really bad at staying healthy. They don’t have a good backup for him, Rashaad Penny has proven to be a bust. The rest of the RB group leaves a lot to be desired.
The offense is going to have to carry this team because this defense has some major issues. They have a pupu platter at DE; Carlos Dunlop is 32 and hasn’t had double digit sacks in a season since 2015, LJ Collier has three sacks in two years, Rasheem Green has seven sacks in three years, Kerry Hyder and Benson Mayowa are both better served to be backups. And that’s the good news on the defensive line. Poona Ford starts at one DT spot, he’s fine but he’s still undersized. Somehow, they lost Jarran Reed after inexplicably cutting him and not getting him re-signed. They signed 34-year-old Al Woods, who opted out of 2020 and he has to be the other starter because there are no other options, there’s just no depth. Bobby Wagner returns as the heart and soul of this defense at MLB but it feels like he’s working alone. He’s 31 and not getting any younger, he needs help. Jordan Brooks started six games as a rookie last year and he has potential but there will be growing pains with him. At times he looks incredible but sometimes he gets lost. Cody Barton, Ben Burr-Kirven or someone else will be the third LB.
The secondary has its strengths and weaknesses, that’s the nice way to put it. SS Jamal Adams came over in a trade and recently Seattle gave him his big contract extension. He needs to play like a star because he’s the best thing the secondary has going for it. Quandre Diggs should be the starter at FS and while he makes some big plays, he can also give some up. Marquise Blair is coming off a knee injury and he’s looking for playing time. At CB, DJ Reed started eight games last year and he probably starts this year. He’s undersized but his competition is lacking. The team let Shaquill Griffin leave in free agency and instead signed Ahkello Witherspoon and Pierre Desir hoping one of them can play well enough to be the starter. They trade Witherspoon after the preseason and cut Desir, not optimal outcomes. They signed Jets castoff Blessuan Austin and traded for Sidney Jones, dubious moves to say the least. Tre Flowers is still around but he was demoted last year from his starting role so he has to turn things around if he wants to play. They drafted Tre Brown in round four hoping to find a mid-round gem like they have in the past, he might start.
Arizona Cardinals
Kliff Kingsbury has his QB Kyler Murray, he’s stocked up his WR group, and he’s ready to throw the ball all over trying to win with his pass happy offense. Murray is a fantastic playmaker at QB and he helps bailout a sometime suspect offensive line and he’s a major part of the running game whether he wants to be or not. Last year they made the big trade to get DeAndre Hopkins in the theft of the century. This year they signed an aging AJ Green to replace an even older Larry Fitzgerald on the outside opposite Hopkins. They also drafted Rondale Moore hoping he can stay healthy and either push Christian Kirk or simply replace him. Kirk is a favorite of the coaching staff but with Hopkins, Green, and Moore, targets will be hard to come by. Andy Isabella made the roster as the fifth WR. The team doesn’t really use the TE spot but Maxx Williams has made himself useful within Kingsbury’s system.
The team let Kenyan Drake leave in the off season and Chase Edmonds returns as the new top guy. Edmonds is a good receiver out of the backfield, making him perfect for this offense. They did need to find someone to help get the tough yards so they signed James Connor to be their big back. The offensive line mostly has to worry about pass blocking and they do it fairly well. Murray’s athleticism and elusiveness come in handy when things break down. LT DJ Humphries does well on the blindside. The team traded for Rodney Hudson from Las Vegas at center and while he’s no spring chicken, he stabilizes the inside which was sorely needed. RT Kelvin Beacham is fine and had arguably his best season last year. LG Justin Pugh and RG Justin Murray are fine inside and should be better with Hudson playing the pivot. The offense is certainly counting on some aging players (Green, Hudson, Beacham, Pugh) but also has some good players in their prime. If all goes well the offense can be fine.
The defense is a different story. The team gave JJ Watt $23 million guaranteed over two years after the Texans let him go. The Texans have made some back decisions but letting Watt go wasn’t one of them. He hasn’t exactly been the picture of health over the past five years or so, he’s 32 and he hasn’t been an elite player in a while. The Cardinals needed help up front but they paid a lot for a guy that isn’t guaranteed to give it to them. For now, he starts opposite Leki Fotu at the other end position with Rashard Lawrence at NT. That’s not great. The LB group offers a lot more hope except star OLB Chandler Jones, their most effective pass rusher, wants out of Arizona. That’s not ideal. He was hurt last season and their pass rush was subpar. Markus Golden is the other OLB and he only had 4.5 sacks. In the middle, they need to figure out how to use Isaiah Simmons, last year’s rookie. He’s an amazing talent but was poorly deployed in this defense. They also drafted Zaven Collins in the first round to pair with Simmons inside, hopefully they figure out the best way to use both of them. They may have to use Collins as a pass rusher if Jones gets his way and leaves town.
The secondary has one superstar, FS Budda Baker. He’s one of the best in the NFL and he deserves to play with better players than the Cardinals will have around him. Jalen Thompson missed most of last year and he returns at SS, he’s not great. The team has Byron Murphy returning at CB and he’s best suited for the nickel role. Because of that the team signed 32-year-old Robert Alford, 31-year-old Malcolm Butler and soon-to-be 30-year-old Darqueze Dennard. Alford is coming off an injury and ended camp on the Covid list, Butler retired for personal reasons and Dennard is starting the year on IR. It looks like sixth-round rookie Tay Gowan will start opposite Murphy with fourth-round rookie Marco Wilson the third CB. Even if they get a great pass rush out of Chandler Jones, Markus Golden and JJ Watt, I’m not sure it’s enough to save this secondary in a division against Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford, Jimmy G and Trey Lance.
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