This division has been a tough one over the past several years.  The Bengals and Browns are no longer laughingstocks of the league and the Ravens and Steelers remain consistent.  The Bengals get Joe Burrow back but there are still some questions about his wrist.  The Browns’ roster is really good but they have Deshaun Watson at QB and he hasn’t been good for a while.  The Ravens are the picture of consistency but their offensive line gives me pause and there was a brain drain on the defensive coaching staff.  The Steelers always finish about .500 but can they do better than 9-8 with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields as their QB options?  I have my doubts. 

Cincinnati Bengals 

The Bengals are my pick to go from worst to first in their division this season.  It happens regularly in the NFL and this team is getting Joe Burrow back.  Yes, I’m concerned he has wrist injury that no QB has ever had before but I’m betting on a bounce back year from him and this team is trying to win.  They didn’t trade Tee Higgins because having him and Ja’Marr Chase at WR gives their offense their identity. They are giving Burrow one last shot to win with his two elite receivers at his disposal.  They signed Zack Moss to replace Joe Mixon at RB but I’m more interested in what Chase Brown gives them there.  The offensive line is only replacing RT Jonah Williams.  They signed Trent Brown which I can tell you is a bad plan, but they also drafted Amarius Mims.  Mims is hurt at the moment but he should be back right around the time Trent Brown gets hurt, Brown is always hurt at this point.  If guys like rookie WR Jermaine Burton and TE Mike Gesicki can contribute, this offense will have plenty of weapons.  It’s all on Burrow’s wrist being fine. 

While the offense wasn’t good once Burrow got hurt, it wasn’t their biggest issue last year.  The defense fell off a cliff and they need Lou Anarumo to get this unit back to where he once had it.  Trey Hendrickson is their one true pass rusher and they need him more than ever.  It would help if Sam Hubbard or Myles Murphy or Joseph Ossai could figure out how to get some pressure.  DT Sheldon Rankins can help some but he and rookie Kris Jenkins Jr. have to replace DJ Reader next to BJ Hill.  The LBs are the same group but Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson have to be better than they were last season.

The secondary was a serious issue, especially at safety.  They’re moving Dax Hill back to CB and replacing both safety spots.  Geno Stone is a nice piece and they brought back veteran Vonn Bell who knows Anarumo’s defense.  They are still counting on Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner at CB but hopefully Mike Hilton, Dax Hill, and rookie Josh Newton give them some depth that will make them better. 

Baltimore Ravens

It’s tough picking against the Ravens, they have Lamar Jackson and now their running game has Derrick Henry, but I’m not convinced this offense will be great just yet.  Jackson covers up a lot of issues but they will have three new starters on the offensive line and one of the returning starters is LT Ronnie Stanley, he hasn’t been the picture of health for quite some time.  That puts a lot on C Tyler Linderbaum.  Andrew Voorhies should start at LG after missing his rookie year coming off an injury.  I’m not sure who the RG is just yet and it’s either rookie Roger Rosengarten at RT or Patrick Makari, I’m no bathed in confidence.  The good news on offense would be a healthy return of TE Mark Andrews, Lamar’s favorite target.  If he’s back, that takes some pressure off Zay Flowers, the only WR Jackson can count on.  Rashod Bateman will try to be worthwhile, he’s not great at that.  Nelson Agholor is okay but not great. They really should see what they have in rookie Devontez Walker, he might actually help.  They’re going to lean on Derrick Henry for sure and he’s used to running behind a suspect offensive lines after the last few years in Tennessee.

The defense returns almost all the key players from last year’s roster with the only real exceptions being OLB Jadaveon Clowney and ILB Patrick Queen.  Where this team really sees the turnover is on the defensive coaching staff.  Mike McDonald left to be the Seahawks head coach, that was foreseeable considering how good he was at his job.  But they also lost Anthony Weaver and Dennard Wilson who both left the staff to be defensive coordinators themselves.  Zach Orr moves from being the LB coach to replace McDonald as the coordinator meaning there are a lot of changes to deal with. 

The talent up front is special with Justin Madebuike having a breakout season last year and Roquan Smit being one of the best ILBs in the game.  The one place this team needs help is outside pass rush.  One of the young pass rushers; Odafe Oweh, David Ojabo, or rookie Adisa Isaac is going to have to give them something because Kyle Van Noy can’t be the best edge rusher again if they want to compete in the AFC. 

The secondary is deep and talented, led by S Kyle Hamilton. He’s the Swiss army knife every defensive coordinator wishes he had.  He erases so many mistakes. Marcus Williams is an excellent partner with Hamilton, he’s smart, experienced and doesn’t make mistakes. Marlon Humphrey is still a really good CB, he’s not what he once was, but he’s good.  Brandon Stephens holds his own at the other spot too.  They drafted Nate Wiggins, who is an excellent cover man, he’s spindly but tough.   

Cleveland Browns

The Browns can’t possibly have the bad injury luck they had last year on offense again, it’s just not possible.  RB Nick Chubb, LT Jedrick Wills Jr, RT Jack Conklin, RT Dawand Jones, and even QB Deshaun Watson (although that one may have helped them) were all for the season at some point.  The offensive line was hit particularly hard and this year they don’t have Bill Callahan to patch it together again.  WRs Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Jerry Jeudy should make a solid trio and if Nick Chubb comes back, he and Jerome Ford are a nice duo at RB.  TE David Njoku is a very good player and this offense will only be limited by Deshaun Watson’s problems.  Watson has yet to regain his playmaking ability he once showed in Houston and this team needs that guy if they are going to compete in this division and this conference. 

The defense can be dominating with Myles Garrett one of the absolute best pass rushers in the NFL.  He dominates up front and makes life hard for opposing offenses.  Za’Darius Smith and Ogbo Okonkwo proved to be decent pickups to give Garrett some pass rushing help even if neither one is great.   The interior of the line was better with Dalvin Tomlinson stuffing up the middle but they brought in more veteran stop-gaps again; Quinton Jefferson and Shelby Harris most notably.   

LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is a playmaker and they signed Jordan Hicks to be a steady MLB.  The secondary is loaded with talent in CBs Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson Jr, Greg Newsome are an awesome trio of CBs. With safeties Grant Delpit and Juan Thornhill who are pretty good, this unit is tough.  This team is set up to be a contender if they can get better QB play and stay healthy all year.  It’s a tough division but they are built for it. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are another team with a really solid roster all over but major questions at QB.  Russell Wilson is supposed to be the starter but he started training camp injured and Justin Fields got reps with the starting unit.  Fields still has issues holding the ball too long but he’s a dynamic player with the ball in his hands so he adds something to the offense.  They are not great at WR with George Pickens the only proven commodity.  Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, and rookie Roman Wilson don’t inspire confidence. 

This team should run the ball a lot so there should be plenty of carries to go around for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren to share.  Warren is the more dynamic player so expect new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to lean on Harris.  The line will undergo some changes with two rookies, OT Troy Fautanu and C Zach Frazier, looking to find their way into the starting unit.  They need the talent upgrade to go with second-year OT Broderick Jones to make the offense actually work. 

The defense is going to be good, these are the Steelers we’re talking about after all, the defense is always good.  Cam Heyward is apparently ageless on the line and Keanu Benton was very good as a rookie.  They finally decided to solve their ILB issues by signing Patrick Queen and I think drafting Payton Wilson will help too.  The pass rush is going to be elite as long as TJ Watt is still around but Alex Highsmith is a solid edge rusher too. 

The secondary is where this team needs to get better.  Joey Porter Jr. proved he’s a high-level CB but someone else needs to step up.  They got Donte Jackson from Carolina in the Diontae Johnson trade, he’s fine but not great.  They have two young CBs they are hoping find their way, Corey Trice Jr. and Darius Rush. Two guys with size but Trice is coming off a missed rookie year with a torn ACL and Rush has already been on multiple teams in his first two years.  They signed Cam Sutton after the Lions dumped him after some legal problems, he’s facing a suspension but if he comes back this season, he’s a solid pickup on the field. This might be the year Mike Tomlin doesn’t break .500 and I only say that because they may still with Russell Wilson too long.      

The Eagles and the Cowboys look like the class of this division but they both come with questions too.  The Eagles fell apart at the end of last year and they changed both offensive and defensive coordinators in the off season.  The Cowboys have massive contract issues hanging over them with Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons still looking for new deals.  Also, the offense has many serious issues.  The Giants and Commanders are just trying to get their franchises going in the right direction at this point. 

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles face three major changes on offense.  The first one is the new scheme brought in by Kellen Moore who is the coordinator.  He’s mostly here to fix the passing offense as it looked broken last season.  Jalen Hurts is never going to be mistaken for Peyton Manning but he’s better than he looked last season.  With WR AJ Brown, WR DeVonta Smith, TE Dallas Goedert and good pass catching RBs the passing game has all the talent it should need.  Speaking of the RBs, that’s another major change.  D’Andre Swift is out and they upgraded to Saquon Barkley.  Barkley is one of the most gifted RBs in the NFL and while he can be a boom or bust type of runner, he should boom way more behind this offensive line.  That’s the final change.  C Jason Kelce is retired and it will have a major effect, he was not only the brains of the line but a true leader of the team.  They were prepared for this eventuality with Cam Juergens set to move from RG to center but it’s not going to be the same.  Luckily, they have arguably the best o-line coach in the league, Jeff Stoutland, and LT Jordan Mailata and RT Lane Johnson might be the best OT tandem in the league.

The defense fell apart last year after Sean Desai took over for Jonathan Gannon who left to coach the Cardinals.  It got so bad in the middle of the year Desai got demoted and they turned to Matt Patricia, that only made it worse.  Now they moved on from all of that and hired Vic Fangio, the architect of one of the most used defensive schemes in the league.  Things can only get better but that doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges.  The defensive line loses Fletcher Cox to retirement and that means Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter are going to have to carry the load at DT.  They aren’t deep up front.  They do have some depth at pass rusher with Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith Jr, and Brandon Graham. 

They finally decided to address their ILB spot bringing in Devin White from Tampa Bay and Zack Baun from New Orleans.  Both guys have something to prove and both guys are upgrades for the Eagles.  The secondary was where they needed the most help so they went hard on the reset.  They re-signed CJ Gardner Johnson after his year away in Detroit, he’s back and he’s the type of versatile piece they need.  They also got lucky in the draft, twice.  Somehow, Quinyon Mitchell fell to them in round one and Cooper DeJean fell to them in round two.  Mitchell becomes the outside CB opposite Darius Slay and sends James Bradberry looking for a place to stick on the roster (he’s trying to convert to safety).  DeJean has incredible versatility that Fangio will find a way to use to his advantage. 

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys had three very large anvils hanging over their heads this season; the contracts of QB Dak Prescott, WR CeeDee Lamb, and DE Micah Parsons.  They got Lamb’s deal done just as they wrap up camp, that doesn’t solve the biggest issue.  Prescott can’t be franchised and there are plenty of teams ready to pounce if he hits free agency next spring.  Parsons is being a good soldier but if he has another great year his price tag only gets higher.  The team did almost nothing in free agency to help the roster and they are going to be counting on some rookies and some very-past-their-prime veterans to hold this thing together. 

If Lamb doesn’t show up and hit the ground running this offense is a mess.  Brandin Cooks is the next best WR and his glory days are behind him.  The running game is going to be in the hands of Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle, that’s not great.  If Lamb gets off to a slow start, the offense might have to rely quite heavily on TE Jake Ferguson.  The offensive line is going to have rookie Tyler Guyton at LT, at center it’s either rookie Cooper Beebe or Brock Hoffman.  This is not ideal.  Dak may want to leave if this is the offense they are going to have around him. 

The defense has been pretty good the last few years and returns most of its important pieces.  The one thing missing is defensive coordinator Dan Quinn who is now the head coach in Washington. Mike Zimmer is returning to coaching as the new DC here and we will see if he can duplicate Quinn’s success.  Micah Parsons is a true superstar pass rusher and does other things too but he needs DeMarcus Lawrence to return to form at the other DE spot.  Lawrence is 32 so that’s not going to be easy.  They also need Mazi Smith to prove he was worth a first-round pick last year, they need him to stop the run. The Smith thing is so unpredictable they signed nearly 36-year-old Linval Joseph just in case, that’s the definition of desperation.   

The LB group is pretty suspect with Leighton Vander Esch having to retire due to injury and the only guy they brought in was Eric Kendricks.  Kendricks was once a key piece at MLB for the Vikings under Zimmer but that was a while ago.  The secondary gets Trevon Diggs back after he missed last season with an injury.  DaRon Bland stepped in for him and was truly special, but now he’s injured and will miss 6-8 weeks, that’s rough.  Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker return at safety, that position might not be quite as important under Zimmer as it was under Quinn.

New York Giants

The Giants made some upgrades on their offense starting with the line which was overdue.  LT Andrew Thomas was the only above average starter last year, he’s actually very good.  C John Michael Schmitz is the only other holdover, he struggled last season but he was a rookie playing on a bad line so he gets a pass.  Jermaine Eluemunor seems set to take over at RT with Evan Neal being hurt and being terrible.  Jon Runyan Jr. and Greg Van Roten are free agents set to start at guard.  I don’t think terrible line play was the reason Daniel Jones wasn’t good last year before he got hurt but it didn’t help.  They are planning on Jones at QB again and that’s the reason they won’t compete for the division. 

WR Malik Nabers was drafted sixth overall to be the #1 WR on this team and he has all the talent to do that, he just needs a new QB to get him there.  Nabers, Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, and Jalin Hyatt aren’t a terrible group to try to work with at WR, they just aren’t all that accomplished either.  RB Devin Singletary was signed from Houston to replace Saquon Barkley, that’s a serious downgrade.  They were hoping rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. adds a little pizazz to the backfield as Singletary isn’t all that exciting, then Tracy got hurt in camp.  The Giants offense isn’t meant to have nice things.   

The defense actually has a chance to be good which is why I’m picking the Giants over the Commanders for third in this division.  They traded for Brian Burns to pair with Kayvon Thibodeaux at OLB which should really improve the pass rush especially with Dexter Lawrence up front.  Lawrence is one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league and Burns will complement him quite well.  The rest of the front seven is solid with Rakeem Nunez-Roches added from Tampa Bay and Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden at ILB. 

The secondary was a problem last year and it didn’t help losing Xavier McKinney in free agency but they should be better overall.  Deonte Banks has CB1 potential while they added Dru Phillips in the draft, he could be a steal.  S Tyler Nubin is another rookie who should contribute heavily.  With the improved pass rush, there shouldn’t be as much pressure on the defensive backs and that should help a lot. 

Washington Commanders

Jayden Daniels isn’t my favorite QB prospect but he does have talent and he has talent around him.  WR Terry McLaurin is one of the most underappreciated talents in the league, he’s a legitimate WR1 who has never played with a good QB.  Daniels will be the most talented NFL QB of his career.  Jahan Dotson had a sophomore slump last year and the new regime just traded him to Philadelphia.  He’s a talented guy but when your team ships you off to a division rival for a box of hats, that means they don’t think very much of you.  RB Brian Robinson Jr. is the type of big, physical back who can be a workhorse and I really like that guy.  Austin Ekeler is the perfect complement to Robinson as the pass catching threat who keeps an offense moving.  TE Zach Ertz is past his prime so the team may need rookie Ben Sinnott to step up and don’t count out rookie WR Luke McCaffrey who is all of the sudden WR2. 

Like I said Daniels has talent around him, what he doesn’t have enough of is talent in front of him.  It’s a good thing he’s fast because he’s going to have to run away from pressure.  RG Sam Cosmi was solid last season and new C Tyler Biadasz is at least an above average starter.  That’s where the good news ends.  Rookie LT Brandon Coleman might be starting, he’s going to struggle.  He might be good in a couple of years but Daniels might be cooked by then if he’s sacked 80 times a year.  LG Nick Allegretti was a backup in Kansas City last season, he should still be a backup.  RT Andrew Wylie is passable but not much more.  This offensive line is going to make the offense less than sum of their parts. 

The defense was bad last year and they are hoping Dan Quinn can bring some of the magic he had in Dallas to turn this unit around.  The problem is Dorace Armstrong isn’t Micah Parsons and this team doesn’t have a Trevon Diggs at CB.  They signed Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr. to help the pass rush, they can’t hurt it but they aren’t elite guys.  LB Frankie Luvu was a solid pickup but signing Bobby Wagner feels like desperation.  S Jeremy Chinn has always been a cool idea in theory but hasn’t ever been as good as people thought he should be, maybe Dan Quinn can turn him into Kam Chancellor but that’s a big ask.  Emmanuel Forbes Jr. had a bad rookie year, if Quinn can turn him around that would be amazing.  I did like the Mike Sanristil draft pick, that’s guys a player.   

The Chiefs are running this division until someone takes it away from them.  Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes give them a leg up on the competition but there are a couple of things that could be make you worry about that roster.  The good news for them is the Raiders are nowhere near competing, the Broncos have Bo Nix at QB, and while Jim Harbaugh is a major coaching upgrade over Brandon Staley, the Chargers roster is in flux. 

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs offense is Andy Reid’s brainchild and Patrick Mahomes’ incredible talent coming together to create magic but even they have limits if they don’t have help.  They won the Super Bowl last year using way more Isaiah Pacheco in the running game and only counting on Travis Kelce when it mattered most.  The WR group was unimpressive except for Rashee Rice in his rookie year but even that took some time to get going.  Rice had a rough off season and faces what could be a lengthy suspension from the league so the Chiefs went for a makeover at the position.  The team signed undersized WR Marquise Brown and drafted undersized WR Xavier Worthy in round one of the draft.  Both players bring a level of speed to the offense it’s been lacking since Tyreek Hill was traded.  The hope is they can push the ball down the field and open things up for Kelce and Rice in the intermediate zone. 

Kelce is getting older and his regular season usage isn’t what it once was but he’s still a deadly player when it counts.  The offensive line has four spots locked down, although they hope Jawaan Taylor can play better at RT, it’s LT that is the question.  Rookie Kingsley Suamataia has already taken the LT job from Wayna Morris and while he’ll have his growing pains, he should be fine.  Pacheco is the unquestioned starter but some of that is lack of competition.  He runs hard and gets the tough yards, that’s all they ask of him.   

Steve Spagnuolo has been one of the best defensive coordinators in the league for a while and he proved it last season again by winning another Super Bowl against a talented 49ers team.  They re-signed DT Chris Jones because he was the harder guy to replace and they traded away L’Jarius Snead instead because they like what they have behind him in the secondary.  Jones is a game wrecking player and while he’s a bit like Kelce in the fact he doesn’t always dominate the regular season, he shows up when it matters.  Nick Bolton is an excellent MLB and Drue Tranquill was really good last season, he now replaces Willie Gay.  The LB group is solid with those two and Leo Chanel.

Snead was an excellent player but the team has Trent McDuffie to take over as CB1 and they like the depth they have with Joshua Williams, Jaylen Watson, Nazeeh Johnson and even newly signed Kelvin Joseph.  Justin Reid and Bryan Cook are an excellent safety combination.  Spagnuolo is a creative defensive mind who knows how to construct pass coverage.    

Los Angeles Chargers

I cannot overstate the importance of the change from Brandon Staley to Jim Harbaugh for this team.  Staley was clearly in over his head and while Harbaugh may be coming from the college game, he’s not new to this, he’s been a successful NFL head coach before.  This season will be a transition but they will compete because they have the one thing you need to compete in the NFL, a legitimate QB.  Justin Herbert is the ultimate Harbaugh QB, he’s an elite processor who will do what the offensive scheme asks him to do, and he’ll do it well.  The question is the talent around him.  The offensive line should be fine.  LT Rashawn Slater can be better than he was last year, we’ve seen him do that before.  RT Joe Alt is a massive upgrade even if he’s a rookie who was a LT in college.  Bradley Bozeman steps in at center, he’s okay.  They need Zion Johnson to be way better than he was as a rookie last season but he has talent. 

The weapons are the major concern.  Rookie WR Ladd McConkey is going to need to be a real player.  WR DJ Chark is a veteran who has bounced around and Joshua Palmer has flashes but he’s pretty inconsistent.  RB Gus Edwards scored a lot of TDs in Baltimore last season but he’s just a guy.  JK Dobbins wishes he could be just a guy but you have to play to reach that level and he keeps getting hurt.  Jim Harbaugh had Colston Loveland at TE at Michigan last season, this year he has Will Dissly as his TE in LA, he’s going to miss Loveland. 

The defense will be in even more of a transition moving from Staley’s defense to the one run by Jesse Minter.  The personnel has been in transition for a while with them cycling through different defensive linemen the past few years trying to solve their run defense issues.  They still have Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack as their edge rushers but Bosa has constant health issues and Mack is 33, they can’t rely on these two much longer.  Harbaugh and Minter saw fit to draft their MLB from Michigan Junior Colson to try to stabilize the LB group, it’s been a problem for years.

The secondary is led by Derwin James and the hope is that Minter’s defense can unleash him.  He’s always been a good player but he has the potential to be elite.  They need their CBs to be better and Asante Samuel Jr. has talent to be good.  They signed Kristian Fulton to be the other outside CB and he’s underrated.  They need guys like Alohi Gilman and Ja’Sir Taylor to step up or it could be a long year. 

Denver Broncos

The hope for the Broncos starts with the fact that the marriage between Bo Nix and Sean Payton has to be infinitely better than the one between Payton and Russell Wilson because it can’t be worse.  Nix isn’t some superstar QB waiting to happen but he’s a solid player with loads of experience from college.  If Payton can set up the offense to feature Nix’s strengths and hide his weaknesses, the offense should at least function.  How well will depend on some other factors.  Luckily, they already dispensed with the “QB competition” crap and named Nix the starter.  No one was buying the Jarrett Stidham thing.      

The offensive line is fine but they will have a new center, Luke Wattenberg won the job.  It was a competition in camp to watch, way more than the QB one.  There are some weapons to like; WR Courtland Sutton, WR Josh Reynolds, and RB Javonte Williams come to mind.  Sutton is a legitimate top WR for a team and Reynolds is an underrated secondary playmaker.  Some people seem to be out on Williams after he struggled last season but I’m not.  He was coming off a major injury the year before and last year’s offense was a mess.  I think he bounces back.  TE Greg Dulcich is also a solid player and they hope Marvin Mims can be a weapon.  I still have hope that Troy Franklin will be a part of this offense given his connection from college with Nix because I’m not sure the other WRs fit Nix’s style.  Nix is a short area passer and Sutton, Reynolds, and Mims are more down field guys.  It’s a strange stylistic fit. 

The defense is a work in progress.  John Franklin-Meyers, DJ Jones, and Zach Allen are solid but unspectacular upfront.  Baron Browning, Jonathan Cooper, and Nik Bonitto are a decent trio of edge rusher but they could really use rookie Jonah Ellis giving them some help.  The ILBs are only okay after they lost Josey Jewell. Cody Barton an Alex Singleton aren’t getting anyone excited. The secondary has the best player on the defense in Patrick Surtain II.  He’s elite but he needs some help.  They signed Levi Wallace but he’s probably a backup.  They hope Riley Moss stays healthy this year because he’s probably the starter opposite Surtain.  They signed Brandon Jones to replace Justin Simmons, that feels like a downgrade at safety and they can’t afford that with the inconsistencies in the secondary. 

Las Vegas Raiders

The team played better under Antonio Pierce after he replaced Josh McDaniels last season but that’s not setting the bar very high.  It’s his show now and it might not be pretty.  The team will start Gardner Minshew at QB and that’s a tough place to be.  It’s even tougher when the new offensive coordinator is Luke Getsy.  I was never impressed with Getsy in Chicago and it’s not going to get easier in Vegas for him.  The pass catchers are a solid unit but with Minshew at the controls I’m not sure it matters. 

WRs Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers are a legitimate WR1/WR2 combination.  Brock Bowers is an elite talent at TE and Michael Mayer is an excellent TE too.  If this team had a QB I would be a little scared of the passing game.  RB Zamir White is a solid player and he has some potential but it’s going to be tough behind a lot of new faces up front and against defenses that aren’t afraid of the QB.  LT Kolton Miller and potential new LG Jackson Powers-Johnson were both hurt to start camp and that put Powers-Johnson behind.  RG Dylan Parham and RT Thayer Mumford are an uninspiring right side of the line.  C Andre James is fine but it won’t matter with this group. 

The defense is led by DE Maxx Crosby who is a superstar who deserves to be on a better team.  They signed DT Christian Wilkins to give Crosby some help up front but the rest of the defense is underwhelming.  They need young guys like DE Malcolm Koonce and Tyree Jackson to break out or it’s going to be a long year.  The LBs are also underwhelming.  Robert Spillane and Devine Deablo aren’t bad but they are limited.

The secondary needs Jack Jones to be a real player at CB.  He stepped in last year after they signed him after the Patriots cut him for personality reasons essentially.  He’s a talented yet mercurial player.  They don’t have a legitimate #2 outside CB, Jakorian Bennett is probably the closest one.  Nate Hobbs is a solid nickel player.  Safeties Tre’von Moehrig and Marcus Epps are fine but they are really not game changers.  The team also needs to find another CB to play opposite Jones.    

This is going to be an interesting division with Detroit being one of the best teams in the NFC, the Packers hoping to be right on their heels, the Bears looking like a much-improved team.  The Vikings are counting on Sam Darnold with JJ McCarthy out for the year, that’s a tough place to be in this division. 

Detroit Lions

The offense returns almost everyone of consequence and that includes offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, he might be the most consequential.  QB Jared Goff will trigger the offense built around WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, TE Sam LaPorta, RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.  Detroit has one of the best offensive lines in the league led by RT Penei Sewell and C Frank Ragnow, two of the best in the game at their respective positions.  The biggest issue they offense faces is can Jameson Williams step up and be the #2 WR they need him to be.  He has the pedigree and he’s an electric player but he has yet to put it together as a pro.  They need him to be the big play complement to St. Brown and LaPorta if the offense is going to be elite. 

The defense has questions too but they played well enough last year to make it to the NFC Championship game.  They are led up front by DE Aidan Hutchinson who had 11.5 sacks last season.  He’s not Nick Bosa or Myles Garrett but he’s steady, he’s tough, and he’s reliable.  He sets the tone. They added DT DJ Reader and while he’s not the edge rusher they need opposite Hutchinson, he’s a very good player and he’ll make Alim McNeill even better.  Jack Campbell, Alex Anzalone, and Derrick Barnes should make for a solid LB corps.  Campbell should be better and more consistent in his second year. 

The secondary was the weak link in the defense last year and the Lions clearly noticed.  They traded for Carlton Davis III, signed Amik Robertson, drafted Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw, and are hoping to have Emmanuel Moseley back healthy this year.  That’s five CBs they didn’t have last season, that’s a start.  Brian Branch was good as a rookie and should be even better this year.  The one problem on defense this season shouldn’t be in the secondary, it’s who’s the pass rusher besides Hutchinson on the outside. If they are seriously counting on Marcus Davenport to have that all-so-common seventh-year breakout season, they are going to be sorely disappointed.  There are still veteran pass rushers on the market, they should consider signing one. 

Green Bay Packers

The signed Jordan Love to a massive contract extension and now they have to hope he’s the guy he was in the last half of last season and not the guy from the first half.  They have every reason to think he’s a superstar with the way he finished last year but he needs someone to emerge from his receiving corps.  Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, and Dontayvion Wicks all had good years and flashed potential but one of them has to become the alpha.  Watson profiles like a #1 WR being the highest draft pick of them all (early second round) and he’s the biggest one of the group.  However, Reed and Wicks really stood out last season as playmakers while Doubs was the steady, reliable presence.  If Watson doesn’t show out this season Reed and Wicks might prove to be the better options.  TEs Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft are good players wo keep the offense moving for Love. 

The offensive line is the question, not that they won’t be good or whether they have talent, it’s what is the construction of the lineup.  LT Rasheed Wallace stepped in for David Bakhtiari and was solid but the team drafted Jordan Morgan in round one.  Morgan isn’t guaranteed a shot at the LT spot and it looks like he’s going to be fighting to be a starting guard.  Josh Myers is their starting center but he gets mixed reviews.  Elgton Jenkins is a very good veteran when he’s healthy and he could play almost any position.  Zach Tom started at RT last season and was good, but he might be even better somewhere else.  Matt LeFleur needs to figure out his o-line group quickly. 

The defense is absolutely stacked from a personnel standpoint and their less-than-stellar performance of the last few years is the reason why Joe Barry isn’t the defensive coordinator any more.  Jeff Hafley left being Boston College’s head coach to take over the Packers defense.  If he can get them to play up to their considerable talent, he’ll be on the fast track to an NFL head coaching job.  This defense has six defensive starters who were first round picks; DE Rashan Gary, DT Kenny Clark, DT Devonte Wyatt, LB Quay Walker, CB Eric Stokes, and CB Jaire Alexander.  That doesn’t include backup DE Lukas Van Ness who will be their third DE this season.  Also, they paid former Giants second round safety Xavier McKinney a bunch of money to fix their safety position and Preston Smith is the other starter at DE, he was once a second-round pick before coming to Green Bay as a free agent.  Talent is not lacking here; the previous scheme wasn’t working.  It’s Hafley’s job to fix it.   

The Packers can push the Lions for this division if things go right.  Matt LaFleur is an excellent coach who was too loyal to a defensive coordinator who wasn’t getting it done for too long.  If he found a defensive coordinator who can get them going in the right direction, this team is going to be a handful. 

Chicago Bears

The offense is primed to take a major step forward.  Shane Waldron is a real offensive coordinator and should be a massive upgrade.  Caleb Williams walks into a group of offensive players around him better than any #1 overall QB has ever seen.  DJ Moore is a legitimate #1 WR, Keenan Allen is a highly productive veteran slot guy, and Rome Odunze has serious #1 WR potential.  D’Andre Swift isn’t my favorite RB and his last two teams have let him walk but he’s a talented player and they have Khalil Herbert and Rochon Johnson behind him, they are fine at RB.  The offensive line should be better.  I’ve always liked Braxton Jones at LT and I think he could be a breakout player.  RT Darnell Wright was good as a rookie last year.  The interior of the line should be better with Ryan Bates or Coleman Shelton stepping in to upgrade the group, they can’t be worse than the guys there last year.

DE Montez Sweat transformed this defense last year and probably saved Matt Eberflus’ job.  The defense was really good after they traded for Sweat at the trade deadline and he was the catalyst for the turnaround.  He added the pass rushing element they didn’t have.  It’s too bad they didn’t get him more pass rushing help this off season but they focused on building the offense around Caleb Williams instead.  They need to piece together the pass rush with DeMarcus Walker, Dominique Robinson, and maybe some help from rookie Austin Booker. 

The LBs should be fine after their investments last off season in Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards.  The secondary found some players last season as Jaylon Johnson showed he can handle being the top guy, Kyler Gordon played well in the slot, and Tyrique Stevenson proved his doubters wrong (including me) by being a pretty good rookie CB.  The team signed veteran FS Kevin Byard, who is past his prime but a smart veteran.  SS Jaquan Brisker has a chance to be a breakout player. 

Matt Eberflus has to let Shane Waldron run this offense and build it around Williams’ strengths.  Waldron learned under Sean McVay with the Rams before he ran his own offense in Seattle.  He understands how to build an offense that suits the QB.  Eberflus has to make sure the defense keeps up its play from last year because that saved his job.  They didn’t get the defense much help so it’s up to him to figure it out. 

Minnesota Vikings

The offense is set up to be highly productive this year.  Kevin O’Connell is a smart, forward-thinking play caller and the talent is really good almost everywhere.  WRs Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are a great duo.  TE TJ Hockenson is coming off a knee injury but he’s a real talent.  RB Aaron Jones is an upgrade over what they had last year and the offensive line is pretty good with LT Christian Darrisaw and RT Brian O’Neill holding down the edges.  There’s just one issue, the QB.  Sam Darnold was supposed to have to beat out JJ McCarthy and probably give way to him eventually, well that’s not happening. McCarthy will miss his rookie season and it’s Darnold or bust.  In the Vikings’ world bust means Nick Mullens or Jaren Hall, that was a bad plan last year and I doubt it will be better.  Can Darnold be Kirk Cousins? History says no, it’s up to O’Connell to get him there.    

The defense was better than the sum of its parts last season thanks to defensive coordinator Brian Flores.  He schemed it up well enough to keep the defense respectable but they lost Danielle Hunter, their top pass rusher and he has to get the best out of Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel.  Those two guys were signed as edge players to give Flores the versatility he wants in the front seven.  At LB they found Ivan Pace as an undrafted free agent last season and he was very good.  Blake Cashman steps in coming over from Houston, he’s solid but not spectacular.  The front seven should be fine, it’s the secondary that’s going to cause issues. 

Byron Murphy Jr. was their best CB last year but it was a low bar to clear.  They signed Shaq Griffin off the scrapheap but even they realized that wasn’t going to fix anything.  They finally signed Stephon Gilmore to give them legitimate shot at having a #1 CB.  Gilmore is past his prime but he’s still an upgrade for the Vikings.  At safety, Harrison Smith returns for his centennial anniversary with this team, or it just feels that way.  He’s old but still effective.  Cam Bynum is his partner, he’s fine. 

First, the unexpected bit of news that dropped the week before the season, Kirk Ferentz is suspended for the first game of the year. This is the stupidest thing ever as it’s absolute proof that Kirk Ferentz doesn’t cheat. How do I know that? He got caught doing the one thing every coach in the country is doing, he contacted a guy before he entered the transfer portal. If he was used to cheating there’s no chance he gets caught. Iowa made the decision with Ferentz to take the suspension now and pre-empt any possible NCAA suspension. I find this ludicrous because the NCAA’s power is negligible at best right now and while the Big Ten could have stepped in, I find it hard to believe Ferentz would have faced a suspension from the conference. A slap on the wrist, maybe a fine, and taking an extra class on compliance would have sufficed. College sports is a shitshow and it’s going to get worse before it gets better, that’s what happens when you have no leaders and no direction. Okay, on to the real issue.
The Iowa defense will be awesome, I have no doubt about that. I stopped doubting Phil Parker many moons ago and he’s the one guy who could lose Cooper DeJean early to the draft and he might have an even better secondary overall this season. In Phil we trust, always. The offense is wait and see at this point but I have a hard time believing it could ever be worse or more unwatchable than last season. Let’s get into it.

Offense
Quarterback
Starter: Cade McNamara (Sr)
Backup: Brendan Sullivan (Jr)
Depth: Marco Lainez (RS Fr), Jackson Stratton (So.), James Resar (Fr)

The Kid’s Day open practice was not a good look for the offense as Cade McNamara looked off all day long and while Brendan Sullivan looked better, it wasn’t good either. The passing offense is out of sync which is understandable. McNamara hasn’t played in a year and Sullivan just transferred in over the summer. Everyone is learning the offense and the only guys who have any real reps together are Sullivan and WR Jacob Gill who transferred to Iowa from Northwestern just like Sullivan. The look of the offense is different from a motion and movement perspective and while I’m sure it won’t look pretty at times; I don’t think it will make me want to gouge my eyes out. I think McNamara gets the starting nod because I’ve been around Ferentz too long to think otherwise. McNamara is a leader on this team, that won’t be overlooked by Kirk.

Sullivan gives the Hawkeyes a legitimate backup QB though. This guy can actually play Big Ten football and he would fit Tim Lester’s offense quite well. Marco Lainez still looks pretty rough around the edges. He’s a very good athlete and runner but he’s got a long way to go to be a Big Ten passer. I was slightly impressed by Jackson Stratton’s arm at the open practice. He probably has too much confidence in it at times but he can sling it. Resar is redshirting, he’s nowhere near ready to play.

Running Back
Starters: Leshon Williams (Sr), Kaleb Johnson (Jr)
Backups: Kamari Moulton (RS Fr)
Depth: Jaziun Patterson (So), Terrell Washington Jr. (RS Fr) Xavier Williams (Fr), Brevin Doll (Fr)

This group is stacked and it shows. Leshon Williams will be the “starter” for the same reason McNamara will, he’s a leader and Ferentz will trust him. You won’t convince me he’s better the Kaleb Johnson. Johnson looks healthy and he’s just got a different gear. I still maintain the opinion he’s one of the most talented RBs Iowa has had in Ferentz’s tenure. It’s going to be an impossible task to split up the carries with this group because Leshon is Leshon but Kaleb and Kamari Moulton have looked seriously impressive. Moulton has vision and balance that you can’t teach and runs with attitude. At any time of any game one of those three can be in the backfield and you feel like Iowa has a chance to run the ball very well. Patterson had felt like one of those guys before but he feels slightly behind those guys now.

Patterson runs with power and attitude like Moulton but he just doesn’t seem to have the same vision or feel for hitting the hole. When he finds the right gap, he can be electric, when he doesn’t, he looks like a guy running full steam into a brick wall. Terrell Washington Jr. can play RB but he’s too versatile to just hand him the ball. The two freshmen look like they have great futures. Xavier Williams is a beast and Brevin Doll is seriously athletic.

Fullbacks
Eli Miller (Jr), Rusty VanWetzinga (RS Fr), Hayden Large (Grad)

I don’t think Lester’s offense is going to “start” a fullback the way Iowa has in the past. Miller is coming back from missing last season with an injury, he’s a solid blocker. Large plays some TE and fullback, he played a lot of fullback last season with Miller out. They can handle the blocking assignments when called upon. VanWetzinga is the future of the position, assuming there is one.

Tight Ends
Starter: Luke Lachey (Sr)
Backup: Addison Ostrenga (Jr)
Depth: Zach Ortwerth (So), Johnny Pascuzzi (Jr), Gavin Hoffman (Fr), Michael Burt (Fr)

Luke Lachey will continue the TE tradition at Iowa and he’s set up to have a great season. He’s a massive target at 6’6 with long arms and can catch over anyone. He’s a QB’s best friend because when in doubt just throw up high to him. Having him back from injury will improve this offense alone. Addison Ostrenga stepped up when Lachey was hurt last year and did the best he could in a dysfunctional offense. I’m excited to see what happens when he has a functional QB.

Zach Ortwerth also got thrown into the deep end when Lachey went down and he was only a freshman. He held his own and while not as much should be asked of him this year, he looks like a solid future TE. Pascuzzi is a walk-on who has earned playing time and he’s an upper classman so he can step in if needed. Hoffman and Burt are true freshmen with talent, hopefully everyone else is healthy and they can take the year to just learn.

Offensive Line
Starters: LT Mason Richman (Sr), LG Beau Stephens (Jr), C Logan Jones (Sr), RG Connor Colby (Sr), RT Gennings Dunker (Jr)
Backups: LT Jack Dotzler (So), LG Kade Pieper (RS Fr), C Tyler Elsbury (Sr), RG Nick DeJong (Grad), RT Trevor Lauck (RS Fr)
Depth: C Mike Myslinski, G/C Leighton Jones, C Cade Borud, OT Kale Krough, OT Cannon Leonard

Generally, if a Kirk Ferentz coached offensive line is starting three seniors and two juniors with as many starts as these guys have, you should feel pretty good about it. I’m not as optimistic as I would hope to be but they did look solid at the open practice. Mason Richman and Logan Jones were both playing through injuries last season and they didn’t play well. That said, Kirk hasn’t given up on either one of them at this point and he better hope it finally pays off this year. Richman is the best option at LT but that says more about his backups than anything. Don’t kid yourself, if Richman goes out it won’t be Dotzler first up to play LT, Ferentz will undoubtedly turn to 47th year grad student Nick DeJong, and yes, I’ll complain if he does. Beau Stephens has the LG spot until he gets hurt, lets be honest, he’s going to get hurt. Connor Colby is somehow a senior already and if he takes a step forward in consistency he’ll have a good senior year. Gennings Dunker was probably the most consistent player on the line last year at RT. He missed most of the off season after surgery but he’s back and hopefully fully healthy. This unit should be better than they were last year and hopefully Lester’s less predictable offense will help them get an edge in blocking.

Dotzler is once again listed as the backup LT, a lot of guys have to be hurt for him to actually play there. Kade Pieper was a true freshman that stepped in last year towards the end of the season and held his own. Now that he’s closer to actually being the size of a Big Ten offensive lineman he could be pretty good. Elsbury was the better center last year, sorry but it’s true. I can’t believe Nick DeJong is still here. Trevor Lauck is a guy I’m truly intrigued with. I think he has a future at OT and perhaps it could be on the left side.

There is no depth with real experience besides Elsbury and DeJong. Guys like Kale Krough and Mike Myslinski have been passed by younger players. Cannon Leonard and Leighton Jones are those younger players. Cade Borud is a center prospect who transferred in from North Dakota and should be ready to take the center job after Jones and Elsbury graduate. There is talent coming in the freshmen class but those guys probably don’t play more than a few snaps if anything this year.

Wide Receivers
Starters: Kaleb Brown (Jr), Kaden Wetjen (Sr), Jacob Gill (Jr)
Backups: Jarriett Buie (RS Fr), Seth Anderson (Jr), Terrell Washington Jr. (RS Fr)
Depth: Dayton Howard (RS Fr), Reece Vander Zee (Fr), Alex Mota (Fr), KJ Parker (Fr)

This is the group that Iowa needs to play way beyond expectations if the offense is going to be functional and we have seen very little proof of what they are capable of doing. Kaleb Brown has flashed but he’s suspended for the first game of the season for an OWI. If he can get his act together and find some consistency with the QB he has all kinds of talent, if not he’s just a fast guy they can’t rely on. Kaden Wetjen is a walk on who hasn’t proven he can be a Big Ten WR yet. He’s fast and the coaches seem to like him but he’s unproven to say the list. Jacob Gill is the one guy who has played Big Ten football quite a bit but that was at Northwestern. Gill has apparently been the best and most consistent WR in training camp so that’s good for him, maybe not good for the other guys. It’s not all that surprising that Gill is the most consistent player, he’s played real reps in a real offense before.

Seth Anderson was supposed to be a starter but it just feels like he’s never healthy enough to stay on the field long enough to earn the job. Jarriett Buie brings a different skill set than these other guys as he’s a bigger player on the outside. I’m listing Terrell Washington Jr. as a WR here because I think he gets most of his playing time in the slot and he’s a playmaker. I think Tim Lester will look for ways to use him if guys like Brown and Wetjen prove to be unreliable.

The depth is three very young guys. Dayton Howard and Reece Vander Zee are the outliers for this WR corps. They are both 6’4 and somewhere around 205 lbs. which makes them considerable bigger than the rest of this group (Buie is the only other one over 6’0). Lester made a living at Western Michigan with smaller, quicker WRs but he didn’t exactly have access to big WR there so he worked with what he had. Vander Zee has apparently looked really good even though he’s a true freshman who played multiple sports in high school and is just now focusing full time on football, that’s a good sign. I don’t expect Alex Mota or KJ Parker to contribute unless things really go off the rails.

Defense

Defensive Line
Starters: DE Deontae Craig (Sr), DE Ethan Hurkett (SR), DT Yahya Black (Sr), DT Aaron Graves (Jr)
Backups: DE Max Llewellyn (Jr), DE Brian Allen (So), DT Jeff Bowie (Jr), DT Jeremiah Pittman (Jr)
Depth: DE Kenneth Merriweather (RS Fr), DT Luke Gaffney (So), DE Caden Crawford (So),
Chase Brackney (RS Fr), Maddux Borcherding-Johnson (RS Fr)

Last season Joe Evans was the best pressure player coming off the edge, this year, unless Deontae Craig breaks out, this team is going to count on the interior to be the better players. Yahya Black is in for a monster senior season and I think he could play himself into be a first-round draft pick by the end of the season. Aaron Graves has been biding his time behind Logan Lee and now it’s his time to shine. Graves and Black are going to destroy some offenses from the inside out. Craig needs to find his pass rush skills. Two years ago, he started to look like a guy who would figure it out and last year it just never happened. Hurkett is a sold end who will set the edge in this defense and get some pressure but he’s not changing the game.

Max Llewellyn has played quite a few snaps as a back up edge rusher and if Craig or Hurkett faulter he would be a guy who can start. Brian Allen has been a tantalizing talent since he arrived on campus but he’s inconsistent. He has some juice off the edge, which this team needs, but you have to be a sound fundamental player for Phil Parker and d-line coach Kelvin Bell to trust you and he hasn’t been that so far. Jeremiah Pittman is the third DT and will rotate in but Jeff Bowie as the fourth DT is less of a sure thing. Pittman can play and he’ll be solid. Bowie has fought injuries for many years and they are just hoping he’s healthy enough to give them some quality snaps.

This team doesn’t have the depth it’s had in the past several years but there’s still talent. They are really hoping some of the young guys can contribute. Merriweather could be a designated pass rusher if the need one. I’m not sure they want to count on Gaffney or Crawford and Brackney and Borcherding-Johnson are still trying to figure out if they are inside or outside guys. It’s possible a true freshman makes an appearance. DE Joseph Anderson could be a speed rusher off the edge or Devan Kennedy could take a few snaps at DT. Neither is physically ready to play that much in the Big Ten, however, if needed they could play.

Linebackers
Starters: MLB Jay Higgins (Sr), WLB Nick Jackson (Grad), Cash Sebastian Castro (Grad)
Backups: Karson Sharar (Jr), Jaden Harrell (Jr), Kyler Fisher (Grad)
Depth: Landyn Van Kekerix (So), Jayden Montgomery (So), Zach Twedt (Jr), Jaxon Rexroth (Jr)

While the defense lacks its usual depth on the line, there is an embarrassment of riches at LB. Jay Higgins is an All-American candidate after his stellar season last year. He’ll run the Iowa defense from his MLB spot once again. Nick Jackson can become the all-time leading tackler in Division 1 football this season with just a pedestrian year for himself. These two are the best LB duo in college football. Iowa uses the Cash position for its base defense most of the time and Sebastian Castro returns to continue to destroy opposing offenses. He has a legitimate shot to be the Big Ten defensive player of the year, he may just have to beat out Higgins for the award. Castro is a masterful chess piece that Phil Parker can move just about anywhere on the defense and wreak havoc with the opposition.

Karson Sharar and Jaden Harrell are extremely patient players as they have been biding their time waiting to play behind Higgins and Jackson. It’s a testament to them, this team culture, and this coaching staff that neither one transferred out looking for a starting job. They both could be starting on good teams in college football. Kyler Fisher returns for his 100th year at Iowa (that may be an exaggeration). He’s generally the third LB to play if they go to a three LB look and move Castro to safety. Fisher is a good coverage LB who has years of experience to pull from and he does his job well.

Landyn Van Kekerix, Jayden Montgomery, Zach Twedt, and Jaxon Rexroth are all guys who will contribute heavily on special teams and something tells me if they are needed to step in, they will be ready to play. There are some very good freshmen too, they will have to wait their turn, but the position is in good shape for quite some time.

Defensive Backs
Starters: CB Jermari Harris (Grad), CB TJ Hall (Jr) or CB Deshaun Lee (So) or CB John Nestor (So), FS Quinn Schulte (Grad), SS Xavier Nwankpa (Jr)
Backups: Two of the CBs listed above. FS Zach Lutmer (RS Fr), SS Koen Entringer (So)
Depth: CB Deavin Hilson (Jr), DB Kahlil Tate (RS Fr), S Jamison Heinz (Sr), Jaylen Watsson (Fr), Rashad Godfrey Jr. (Fr), Teegan Davis (RS Fr)

The team lost Cooper DeJean and while it’s a significant player to lose, they return everyone else who started and have more depth than they know what to do with. CB Jermari Harris and FS Quinn Schulte joined Higgins, Jackson, Fisher, and Castro as guys who returned for an extra year and they make this secondary very good and those guys together make this defense scary. Harris will start at one CB spot but the other one still seems up for grabs. It felt in spring like John Nestor might take the job, but TJ Hall has gotten healthy and seems like he may have moved ahead. Deshaun Lee stepped in at the beginning of last year when Harris was out and played well. Then he stepped back in after DeJean got hurt and got even more experience. Regardless of who plays, Phil Parker has plenty of options at CB and it’s a nice problem to have. SS Xavier Nwankpa is a great athlete and while he sometimes gets taken off the field when Castro moves to SS, he’s a very good player. He could be the breakout player of this defense. Schulte quarterbacks this secondary from he FS spot and he’s excellent at it.

The two backup safeties are Koen Entringer who is coming off an injury late last year so we will see what he looks like getting back. He’s a great special team’s player who will get some time on defense but with Schulte, Nwankpa, and Castro, he’s really the fourth safety. Lutmer is a young guy who made some plays at the open practice and the coaches seem to like a lot. He might be Schulte’s replacement next season or he’s the third safety behind Nwankpa and Entringer. Either way, he’s good depth for now. You won’t see much from these depth pieces. Hilson is the fifth CB and Tate looks to be behind him. Heinz is the sixth safety essentially. Phil Parker has never had a problem playing true freshman so it’s possible Watson or Godfrey play but it just seems like there are a lot of guys ahead of them. Davis had a major injury his senior year of high school and missed all last year as freshman so while he’s technically a redshirt freshman, he’s basically in year one.

Kicker
Drew Stevens- he’s having a good camp after struggling at the end of last year. That’s a good thing.
Punter
Rhys Dakin-Another Aussie punter with a ridiculous leg. He won’t have Tory Taylors perfect aim just yet, Dakin is a freshman. However, give him time and for now, he will unleash a few booming punts everyone will love.

Final Thoughts

It’s going to be a strange season as we get a look at what Tim Lester’s offense is going to look like and find out if Cade McNamara is the QB we need. If McNamara isn’t the guy, at least Sullivan looks like a legitimate Big Ten QB. Iowa’s schedule sets up pretty well. They get a warmup game against Illinois St. to start the season, a team returning about 4 starters. They can work out some kinks before they get Iowa St. The Big Ten schedule isn’t terrible. They only got Ohio St out of the top teams. The one west coast trip is to the weakest west coast opponent UCLA, see you there! The Hawkeyes won 10 games last season with a non-functioning offense, if the offense is simply just not the worst in college football 10 wins is easy to see happening. Rivalry games like Iowa St, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Minnesota are always challenging but not impossible this year. I’m cautiously optimistic about the offense, I’m completely sold on the defense and special teams, and I think the schedule is manageable. At the very least, this should be more fun team to watch because the offense shouldn’t make me sick to my stomach. If the offense isn’t better, it’s the beginning of the end for Kirk. Let’s hope Tim Lester was the right choice and the solution to the problems. Enjoy the season.