Author: Nathan Hott

2025 AFC East Preview

Buffalo Bills

The Bills are a team that are so close to being a Super Bowl team they can taste it.  They aren’t in the business of making big moves right now, they are simply trying to tweak the spots they need to get over the hump.  Sean McDermott returns with his coaching staff intact and having Joe Brady return at OC instead of losing him to a head coaching job is a win for this team.  Brady has unlocked the running game which has enhanced the offense overall and made Josh Allen that much more frightening for the league. 

Josh Allen is the engine of this offense both in the passing game and the running game.  He’s coming off his first MVP award and it probably won’t be his last.  Allen makes the Bills a contender as long as he’s playing.  WR Khalil Shakir had a good year and may be on the cusp of a breakout season.  He’s not a real WR1 but he’s an effective player who Allen seems to trust.  WR Keon Coleman had a solid rookie season with some ups and downs but he got a lot of reps and that’s the important part.  They signed Josh Palmer from the Chargers to give them a deep threat and while he’s not great, he’s a better deep threat than anyone else they have had.  They have been hoping TE Dalton Kincaid can break out but he hasn’t been consistent enough to overtake Dawson Knox, a guy Allen trusts. 

The running game has gotten a lot better under Joe Brady’s direction and it’s mostly because he has found the keys to unlocking James Cook.  Cook is not the most efficient player but he did well last year and scored a lot of TDs.  It was definitely an outlier season for him but he’s part of the running game they use well.  Allen still gets plenty of yards rushing and they are often some of the most important rushing yards but they need the whole run game. The Bills also have one of the most underappreciated offensive lines in terms of national recognition.  LT Dion Dawkins is very good but the rest of the individuals are usually not discussed amongst the best at their positions.  LG David Edwards, C Connor McGovern, RG O’Cyrus Torrence, and RT Spencer Brown just quietly go about their jobs and I’m sure Josh Allen recognizes them for their work. 

The defensive front returns intact with DE Greg Rousseau, DE AJ Epenesa, DT Ed Oliver, and DT Daquan Jones all back.  The team did look to add some depth but may have misfired a bit.  DE Joey Bosa is already hurt and veteran additions Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht are both suspended to start the season.  Now they will have to hope rookies DE Landon Jackson, DT TJ Sanders, and DT Deone Walker can all be ready to start the year as depth pieces.  LBs Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard return too with only Dorian Williams as depth.  They did sign long-time Panthers LB Shaq Thompson hoping he still has something left but that may be asking a bit much.  He played for McDermott when McDermott was the DC in Carolina a long time ago. 

In 2022 the Bills took Kaiir Elam at CB in the first round of that draft and he turned out to be a bust and was traded to Dallas this off season.  That same year they took Christian Benford in the sixth round and now he’s their top CB and he’s very good.  Their secondary fell apart when he got hurt last year.  This year they took CB Maxwell Hairston in the first round and were hoping he would take the CB spot opposite Benford and run with it, unfortunately, he’s already hurt and starting the season on IR.  Just in case though, they took CB Dorian Strong in the sixth round this year, it’s a very strange coincidence.  They also brought back Tre’Davious White but he looked pretty cooked last year for the Rams, for now, he’s starting as they wait for Hairston to return.  Maybe they should just see if Strong is the next Benford. Taron Johnson is their nickel and he’s excellent. The safeties are a work in progress with second year guy Cole Bishop and Taylor Rapp set to start. 

New England Patriots

Putting the Patriots second in this division is less about how good I think the Patriots will be and more about how bad I think the Dolphins and Jets might be.  Also, I am optimistic that the change from Jerod Mayo to Mike Vrabel will have a substantial effect on the record of the Patriots.  Vrabel is an excellent head coach who brought in a capable offensive coordinator in Josh McDaniels and the overall changes to the coaching staff cannot be overlooked.  Last year’s coaching staff was a travesty and Vrabel brings credibility to the franchise.

On offense the entire focus is finding ways to support the development of QB Drake Maye.  Even under the worst of circumstances (his o-line and WRs) last season, Maye showed why they have confidence in him.  He has all the skills necessary to be a true franchise QB and they just have to give him a pathway. The WR corps last season was horrid.  They signed Stefon Diggs to be the WR1 for Maye.  Diggs is 31 and coming off an ACL repair but he was fully cleared to practice to start training camp so that’s a good sign.  The team also drafted Kyle Williams in round three and he’s a talented playmaker with some speed, something this team sorely needs, he is however, a project.  WR Demario Douglas was a Maye favorite when he was healthy last season and is the starter in the slot, they also kept undrafted free agent WR Efton Chism III just in case Douglas misses time again.  While they wait for Kyle Williams to progress they will count on free agent Mack Hollins to be steadying force and I would keep an eye on Kayshon Boutte.  Boutte became the one guy Maye started to count on at the end of last season when Douglas was out.  He could be a sleeper for this unit. 

The other major issue was the offensive line which was one of the three worst in the league last year.  LT was a massive problem so the team drafted Will Campbell fourth overall and while his arms may not be ideal length, Campbell is a massive upgrade on the blind side.  They team also signed C Garrett Bradbury and RT Morgan Moses as veteran free agents.  Bradbury isn’t great but he’s competent which puts him about five levels above last year’s centers.  Moses is 34 but he’s a mainstay at RT and Demontrey Jacobs, last year’s starter, was the worst starting OT in the NFL, and thankfully they cut him at the end of camp.  RG Michael Onwenu had a tough year even though he’s the best o-lineman they had.  He will be more than thankful to have competent players lined up around him.  LG Cole Strange returned late last season after an injury and played guard and center but he couldn’t even hold on to a roster spot, he’s gone too.  He was one of the last epic draft failures of Belichick’s era.  Rookie Jared Wilson is penciled in as he starting LG for now.  He was drafted as a center but isn’t ready for that responsibility.  He seems like their best option at LG which means it’s two rookies protecting Maye’s blindside, that’s concerning. It’s still less concerning than last year’s plan. 

The running game will start with Rhamondre Stevenson but his hold on the starting job is tenuous at best.  He has had fumbling problems in his career and Mike Vrabel is going to value ball security.  They team drafted Treyveon Henderson in round two and he’s an electric playmaker.  He isn’t really built to be a high-volume RB but he can handle a large part of the load if Stevenson proves unreliable.  Henderson is going to take the job eventually, it’s a matter of when not if.    

As bad as the offense was last season the defense was just as atrocious and they didn’t have the promise of Drake Maye to hold on to.  The closest thing was CB Christian Gonzalez, I’ll get to him in a minute.  The team spent most of their free agent money on defense and up front they signed the most expensive DL they could in Milton Williams.  Williams was excellent for the Super Bowl Champion Eagles last season and the good news is he’s 26 and could get even better.  They hope they get to pair him up front with Christian Barmore who missed last season with blood clots.  Barmore has been healthy this preseason and he and Williams will be a really tough duo at DT.  Those two are going to flank NT Khyiris Tonga, another free agent signing.  Tonga is a run stuffing machine, something they sorely needed.

The Patriots will mostly play a 3-4 defense but Keion White gives them some versitility.  He had a good rookie year two years ago and last year was so-so with that coaching staff.  He’s a good player that Vrabel and new defensive coordinator Terrell Williams will get the best out of.  The team signed former Titan Harold Landry to be one OLB because he was a long-time starter for Vrabel in Tennessee.  The other spot looked like it was White’s to lose but he seems to have lost it to K’Lavon Chaisson, another free agent.  Chaisson resurrected his career with a solid back half of last season in Las Vegas.  He’s looked good in camp and has earned his spot.  Anfernee Jennings is back just in case they need a run-stuffing edge guy. 

The ILB spots needed some updating with the new defensive scheme Vrabel wants.  Belichick’s defenses were built with old school big, physical LBs like Juwan Bentley.  Vrabel wants speed and skill.  Christian Ellis was thrown into the lineup last year due to injury but wasn’t a great fit for it.  He’s a far better fit for Vrabel’s defense.  They team also signed Robert Spillane who is definitely built to be a part of this new unit.  Spillane has asserted himself as a leader in the middle and he’s going to be a favorite for fans and the coaches.   

If the defense has anything close to its own Drake Maye in terms of a guy will great upside, it’s CB Christian Gonzalez.  He has top five CB in the NFL type talent.  He’s big, physical, and can run.  He’s sat out most of camp with a hamstring issue but hopefully he’ll be ready to start the year.  The team decided to complement him with Carlton Davis in free agency.  That gives the Patriots two big, outside man coverage corners, perfect for this defense.  Marcus Jones will look to stay healthy to be the slot guy.

Kyle Dugger and Jabrill Peppers were the starting safeties of this team for a couple of years but they were Belichick safeties, big, physical, and slow.  They didn’t cover the way Vrabel wants his safeties to cover.  Dugger has been demoted and Peppers was released just after rosters were cut down.   It looks like the Patriots are going with rookie Craig Woodson and holdover Jaylinn Hawkins.  Hawkins wasn’t physical enough for the Belichick/Mayo defenses but he works just fine for Vrabel.  Vrabel may have learned under Belichick but he’s been far more progressive in updating his style of defense to work against modern defenses.  LBs and safeties have to be fast and be able to cover. 

New York Jets

The Jets are upgrading the coaching staff with Aaron Glenn coming in as head coach and after watching the Jets last year I can’t imagine OC Tanner Engstrand and DC Steve Wilks could be worse than last year’s coordinators.  The Jets have been a wandering ship for a few years and now they have a whole new front office and coaching staff, that can’t be a bad thing.

You don’t have to feel great about Justin Fields as a QB to think he’ll still be better than Aaron Rodgers was last season.  Rodgers played like a guy who didn’t want to be on the team or play football anymore.  Fields is an elite athlete who can at least make the running game great and he and WR Garrett Wilson should find a rhythm pretty easily.  They played together in college and Wilson was clearly not on the same page as Rodgers last year.  He has the ability to be a true WR1, it’s the rest of the receiving corps that could be an issue.  Josh Reynolds and Allen Lazard are likely the next two guys, that’s not ideal.  They are also counting heavily on rookie Mason Taylor to give them legitimate play at TE. 

The running game suffered from an underwhelming season from Breece Hall and the fact that no defenses feared the passing game.  Fields probably doesn’t make teams fear the passing game but he adds a running element from the QB position that will change defenses.  They need Hall to rebound from a lackluster year and if he doesn’t he risks losing his job to Braelon Allen who had a good rookie season last year.

The offensive line is getting much younger and likely healthier.  Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses are gone at OT as Olu Fashanu takes over at LT and rookie Armond Membou takes the RT job.  There will be growing pains with two young guys but these are two very talented young guys.  The interior of the line has plenty of talent with LG John Simpson, C Joe Tippmann, and RG Alijah Vera-Tucker.  If they are healthy (looking at you AVT) they are good there.  Former Lions assistant Tanner Engstrand becomes a first-time play calling OC for this team.  If he can design a run game anything like Ben Johnson did in Detroit, this offense will at least run the ball well.

Aaron Glenn will have his hand on this defense but he also brought in a veteran defensive coordinator in Steve Wilks.  Wilks’ tenure with the 49ers was short and unsuccessful two years ago but he’s been good before, he’s a better fit here.  The front is built around DT Quinnen Williams who is a star.  He needs more help inside than he got last year and they signed Derrick Nnadi in free agency but he was so bad in camp they traded him back to the Chiefs.  Then they traded for Harrison Phillips from Minnesota and are plugging him in next to Williams. They also got new backups, Byron Cowart and Jay Tufele.  The ends will be Jermaine Johnson, returning from injury and Will McDonald IV.  McDonald is still an undersized speed rusher but they don’t have much behind these two.  The good news is LB Quincy Williams is excellent and gives them a dynamic playmaker, he’s a great blitzer.  MLB Jamien Sherwood stepped up last season and played really well, they rewarded him with a new contract.    

The secondary is going to have some new blood and the new guys they hope Aaron Glenn can get the best out of.  They signed Brandon Stephens to replace DJ Reed and that’s a downgrade looking at how those two played last season.  Stephens may need to fend off rookie Azareye’h Thomas to hold one CB spot.  S Andre Cisco steps in at free safety and he’s a talented player.  CB Sauce Gardner is the CB1 and while his second season wasn’t as good as his rookie year, he’s still one of the better CBs in football.  SS Tony Adams is penciled in as the starter but he may have to hold off rookie Malachi Moore.  The nickel spot is Michael Carter II but they have some depth with Isaiah Oliver having experience too. 

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins went 8-9 last year and the vibes weren’t great on that team.  Tua missed six games but at this point you have to assume he’s going to miss some time.  Mike McDaniel lost some of his luster as an offensive genius and the QB moves they made were to sign Zack Wilson and draft Quinn Ewers in the round seven, not sure that helps if Tua goes down again.  They didn’t do much on defense and what they did do, might not help. 

Tua is the straw that stirs the drink but in five years he’s played a full season once.  Last year the passing game fell off a cliff and Tyreek Hill had about half the receiving yardage he had the year before.  He’s 31 and guys who rely on their speed the way he relies on his speed can hit an age cliff quickly.  I don’t think he’s done but I don’t think he’s getting better.  They need Jaylen Waddle to step up to the WR1 role and I’m not sure that’s really him. They signed Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to be their third WR but technically he’s still behind Malik Washington.  They have tried this a couple of times, getting some middling free agent for the role and it hasn’t worked yet.  They traded TE Jonnu Smith just before camp, he was one of their best pass catchers last season and they replaced him with Darren Waller, who’s coming out of retirement.  Waller wasn’t very good for several years before he retired so that’s not great. 

De’Von Achane is absolutely electric with the ball in his hands and they did a great job of using him last year in the passing game.  They nearly tripled his receptions and he was great.  The problem came with them doubling his carries and his yards/carry dropped nearly in half.  He’s not built to carry the ball 250 times a season, last year he was just over 200 carries.  That is probably where they should keep him.  They were hoping Jaylen Wright or Alexander Mattison could take some of those carries but both of them are hurt, it’s a theme with Miami RBs.  That leaves rookie Ollie Gordon to be the guy.  I like Gordon but he had a very rough year at Oklahoma St. last year and I’m not sure what he’s going to be.    

The offensive line is getting a new look.  LT Patrick Paul will become the full-time starter with Terron Armstead retiring.  They signed RG James McDaniels and drafted LG Jonah Savaiinaea in round two.  These three add some size to the line they need but will that actually make them better in McDaniels’ speed-based system. Paul is really a first-time starter and Savaiinaea is a rookie, that’s a whole new left side of the line.  Aaron Brewer is undersized at center and it will help him to have the heft surrounding him but he’s really just a guy.  RT Austin Jackson has been their most consistent lineman for a few years and he was hurt during camp and didn’t play much. 

The defense is where I can see some real problems for this team.  The defensive line has Zach Seiler, who’s really good, but other than that, they need rookies to really show up.  Kenneth Grant was their first-round pick and he starts immediately, he actually looked good in the preseason.  He has some holes in his game so he’s going to be challenged against NFL offensive linemen.  NT Benito Jones is big man in the middle but he’s not great.  Rookies Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers should get every chance to play. 

The pass rush comes from the OLBs.  Bradley Chubb and Jaelen Phillips were injured last season and were non-factors.  They need both of them back and healthy or it’s going to be a long year.  Chop Robinson had a solid season as a rookie but they can’t put that much on him again. They don’t have any depth if Chubb or Phillips go down and they were so desperate they signed Matthew Judon, that’s a bad sign. ILB Jordyn Brooks is fine but it looks like Tyrel Dodson is just holding off Willie Gay Jr at the other spot, not sure that’s a good sign. 

The secondary is where things get really dicey.  The team traded CB Jalen Ramsey to the Steelers for S Minkah Fitzpatrick and while that helps the safety group a bit, Ifeatu Melifonwu and Ashtyn Davis are the other safeties, that’s not good.  Fitzpatrick improves the talent at safety but he’s a guy who’s known to freelance on the back end and if the talent around him is suspect, that’s going to cause issues.  The top players on the depth chart at CB are Storm Duck, Jason Marshall Jr., Rasul Douglas, Jack Jones, and Ethan Bonner.  Storm Duck was a rookie free agent last year, his backup Ethan Bonner is a rookie free agent from this year.  Douglas was signed after training camp and Jack Jones was only signed a couple of weeks ago.  Jason Marshall Jr. is the nickel and he was a fifth-round pick, this last April.  It’s rough and if the pass rush isn’t outstanding, this team isn’t stopping any passing game in the league.  The Dolphins were smart to sign Douglas, I thought they should have signed him a month ago.  They also picked up Jack Jones off the scrapheap, he might be okay. They did make one pickup that could really help, maybe, potentially. They claimed JuJu Brents off waivers after the Colts cut him. Brents has been injured most of the last two seasons. However, if he gets healthy, he might be the most talented CB on the roster.  This secondary is in for a long year unless this team gets 80 sacks. 

2025 NFC East Preview

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles lost OC Kellen Moore off their staff that just won the Super Bowl and that probably didn’t come as a shock considering Moore’s name had been out there a while.  Kevin Patullo steps in after being their passing game coordinator for the past several years and they still employ Jeff Stoutland, the best o-line coach in football, who is also their run game coordinator.  Patullo will call plays for the first time so there could be an adjustment period.  DC Vic Fangio returns to head up the Eagles defense which was the best in football last year. 

The offense will once again be in the capable hands of QB Jalen Hurts.  Hurts isn’t considered to be in the same class as the elite level of QBs in the league, but he’s only one step down.  His skills have been maximized by the Eagles staff and that’s Patullo’s job now.  Hurts plays with one of the best WR duos in football; AJ Brown and Devonta Smith.  Brown is a legitimate WR1 and Smith is essentially a 1B.  As long as those two are healthy, so is the passing game.  Jahan Dotson is WR3 and he’s not great but he’s fine.  TE Dallas Goedert is as solid as they come and knows the offense quite well.  They could really use another WR to step up and they made a late trade for John Metchie III from the Texans who has some promise and they also signed Javon Baker from the Patriots to their practice squad.  Baker has talent, he could be a solid developmental player. 

Everything on this team starts up front with the best line in football, you can thank Stoutland for that being the case every year.  LT Jordan Mailata was a seventh-round afterthought who Stoutland turned into a Pro Bowl player.  LG Landon Dickerson and C Cam Juergens are fantastic inside, two of the best.  Unfortunately Dickerson has an injury they aren’t talking much about so they hope he’s fine early in the season.  RG will most likely be taken over by Tyler Steen who was a mid-round pick a couple of years ago they have been developing.  RT Lane Johnson is 35 and is still probably the best RT in football.  The offensive line is excellent and the run game is even better because they have the best back in football, Saquon Barkley.  Barkley has always been an exceptionally talented back but when you put him behind the Eagles o-line and alongside a QB who’s the running threat Jalen Hurts is, things get scary for the rest of the league.  This offense should keep humming unless Patullo is a complete dud as a play caller. 

Fangio came in last season and turned the Eagles defense into a monster.  It wasn’t just about his scheme, they have great players at every level, but he got the most out of everyone.  It all starts up front with DT Jalen Carter, who should be on the short list for Defensive Player of the Year.  He’s a complete game wrecker up front and teams struggle to handle him.  Jordan Davis is the NT and he’s a behemoth who knows how to occupy blockers and keep the guys behind him clean.  The big change will be Moro Ojomo stepping in for Milton Williams who moved on in free agency. They like Ojomo and I’m not going to doubt Fangio will figure it out up front. 

The LB corps was outstanding last season and might get better if some young guys step up.  Zack Baun came over from New Orleans last year and Fangio unleashed him and he was a star.  He has a variety of skills both as a LB at the second level and especially as a pass rusher.  He paired with Nakobe Dean inside but Dean is rehabbing a bad injury from last season so it should be rookie Jihaad Campbell next to Baun.  The scary part is Campbell has a higher upside than Dean because he has the same type of versatility as Baun.  OLB Nolan Smith had a solid year and they are hoping second-year man Jalyx Hunt takes over the other spot.  They lost some players and some depth at OLB so they signed Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari, both of those guys can contribute. 

The secondary got a makeover last year when CB Quinyon Mitchell, S CJ Gardner-Johnson and nickel back Cooper DeJean took over three important spots there.  Now, there’s some more turnover as Kelee Ringo was supposed to step in for Darius Slay at CB opposite Mitchell and they need to settle on a starter opposite Reed Blankenship at safety.  Ringo was so underwhelming in camp the team has looked to Adoree’ Jackson to step in and traded for Jakorian Bennett.  It might be rookie Andrew Mukuba or it could be Sydney Brown coming off an injury.  They are so desperately looking for answers they signed Patriots castoff Marcus Epps to their practice squad, he played for them a few years ago.  They are working with DeJean at safety a bit because they don’t want him to simply be the nickel back because they want him on the field more than that.  They may want to work him out at outside CB in case their other options fail.  Mitchell was so good as a rookie teams are going to avoid him. 

Washington Commanders

Dan Quinn did a great job with this team last season using a rookie QB, a skill position group that overperformed, and a defense that wasn’t that great.  They upgraded the o-line, maybe helped the WR group, and definitely improved the CBs.  It’s up to OC Kliff Kingsbury and DC Joe Whitt Jr. (with Quinn on defense), to get the whole to be more than the sum of its parts again. 

QB Jayden Daniels was electric and Kingsbury made the offense work with what they had.  The passing offense was largely about WR Terry McLaurin and TE Zach Ertz.  Ertz is back and while he’s not getting any younger, he’s still effective.  McLaurin finally got the new contract he wanted so he should be good to go.  He earned it last season and he’s been a good soldier for a long time playing with some bad QBs in Washington.  They traded for Deebo Samuel in the off season but he’s certainly not a WR1 at this point and I’m not sure he’s a great WR2.  They tried bringing Michael Gallup out of retirement, they cut him at the end of camp.  Noah Brown is injured which leaves them with rookie Jaylin Lane and second-year man Luke McCaffrey after McLaurin and Samuel, no one should feel good about that. 

The running game had Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler last season and they traded Robinson to San Francisco before the season.  They are counting on rookie seventh-rounder Jacory “Bill” Crosky-Merritt.  They are putting a whole lot of faith in Crosky-Merritt and they also like Chris Rodriguez.  Ekeler is an aging player they really need to use sparingly.  The place they are hoping their upgrades really help is the offensive line.  Brandon Coleman held his own at LT last season but they traded for Laremy Tunsil and he should be better.  That means Coleman moves to guard because they also drafted Josh Conerly Jr. who should take over at RT.  If Sam Cosmi returns from injury at RG, Coleman slots in at LG with Tyler Biadasz at center, that’s a solid line.  They also still have OG Nick Allegretti and T/G Andrew Wylie, who were starters last year, as depth.  They line should give them a solid foundation on offense but it all centers on Daniels.  Development isn’t linear so it’s not a guarantee he plays better and he is still going to shoulder most of the load but he’s a dynamic player. 

Dan Quinn and his DC Joe Whitt Jr. did everything they could with the defense they had last year and it was enough to get to the NFC Championship game, now they have to do it again.  Up front, they lost Jonathan Allen and Dante Fowler Jr. and are replacing them with Javon Kinlaw and Von Miller.  Miller hasn’t been healthy much lately and Kinlaw is a downgrade from Allen.  Allen wasn’t healthy last season but Kinlaw still isn’t better.  Perhaps, Jer’Zhan Newton will step up next to Daron Payne inside at DT.  Dorace Armstrong is the other DE starter but they are going to need Deatrich Wise to give them some help on the edge. 

At LB, Bobby Wagner continues to fight off father time and they need him to do it again.  He and Frankie Luvu are the starters at LB and there is no depth to speak of behind them.  They want to play five DBs and they did add some guys to help.  They traded for CB Marshon Lattimore last season and then he was hurt a lot, they need him healthy.  Mike Sanristil stepped up at outside CB but he’s such a good nickel player they want to move him back to that so they drafted Trey Amos in round two.  He can be a starter on the outside but they also signed Jonathan Jones to give them depth and still have Noah Igbinoghene who wasn’t bad last year. The CB group is better this year.  FS Quan Martin returns and he’s solid but Will Harris is the SS for now and that’s not great. 

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys fired Mike McCarthy after last season and inexplicably replaced him with long-time NFL assistant coach Brian Schottenheimer.  He’s been an OC many times, most recently for McCarthy in Dallas last year.  It’s an uninspired choice but Jerry Jones has been hiring placeholder coaches since Bill Parcells left.  Bringing in Klayton Adams as the OC was smart, he was a good run game designer in Arizona.  Matt Eberflus comes to run the defense and that is something he has been good at for a long time, Jerry Jones just made that a lot harder. 

The offense is going to heavily rely on QB Dak Prescott and he’s used to being that guy, it’s been a while since they had a dominant ground game.  Luckily for him, they finally went out and got a WR to help CeeDee Lamb when they traded for George Pickens.  Pickens is a talented outside WR who comes with a reputation for not always keeping his head on straight.  He’s in a contract year, so he has every incentive to be on his best behavior.  Playing with Dak Prescott should be good for Pickens because he’s the best QB Pickens has played with in his career.  CeeDee Lamb is one of the top 3 WRs in the football so he’s still going to get the bulk of the targets but Pickens takes pressure off Lamb and Lamb takes the focus off Pickens.  If they play this right, they both benefit and Prescott benefits the most.  TE Jake Ferguson is the next best pass catcher and he’s solid.  He just got a new contract so they have expectations for him. 

The running game doesn’t look good on paper.  The offensive line is young, and at the moment, a little beat up.  LT Tyler Guyton is going into year two and he’s already dealing with an injury and he needs the reps to get better.  They had signed OG Robert Jones to compete at RG and he’s out with a neck injury meaning first-round pick Tyler Booker is the starter at RG, he’s struggled a bit out of the gate.  If Guyton misses time, they probably move LG Tyler Smith to LT and insert Brock Hoffman at LG meaning it weakens them inside.  If Hoffman and Booker are the starting guards it puts more pressure on second year center Cooper Beebe.  Beebe had a nice rookie year but it’s asking a lot.  RT Terrance Steele is no sure thing either, he’s struggled for a couple years now.  At RB, they signed Javonte Williams from Denver and Miles Sanders from Carolina.  Williams hasn’t been himself since his major knee injury a couple of years ago and Sanders has never been the same player he was when he was running behind the Eagles offensive line.  Sanders also happens to be banged up to start the year. Rookie RB Jaydon Blue can bring them some speed but he’s not an every down back. 

The defense had a chance to be okay under Matt Eberflus and then Jerry Jones decided to go crazy and trade Micah Parsons to the Packers.  This is one of the most inexplicable decisions in football history.  Parsons is 26 years old and one of the three best pass rushers in football and Jones traded him for two first round picks and Kenny Clark.  Don’t get me wrong, DT Kenny Clark is an upgrade over Mazi Smith but he’s 29 and the downgrade at edge rusher far out weights the upgrade at DT. Jerry Jones has officially lost his mind, this is a mistake on the level of firing Jimmy Johnson after winning two Super Bowls.  It’s been 30 years since the Cowboys sniffed the Super Bowl with all the guys Jimmy Johnson drafted and coached, Jones may have just set the Cowboys back another 30 years.

As for who they do have, they brought back Dante Fowler Jr. after his year in Washington, mostly to replace Demarcus Lawrence.  They also have Sam Williams coming off an injury, Marshon Kneeland in his second year, they also signed veteran Payton Turner and drafted Donovan Ezeiruaku.  That’s a lot of guys who aren’t Parsons and won’t be Parsons.  At DT, they still have Mazi Smith who has been bad and was already losing snaps in training camp to Perrion Winfrey, a former Browns draft bust.  That’s not a good sign.  He’s replaced by Kenny Clark.  Osa Odighizuwa is a good DT and he will appreciate having Clark next to him instead of Smith.  They have veteran Solomon Thomas and rookie seventh rounder Jay Toia, it’s not a terrible group but these guys just got handed a way worse hand to play all season. 

At LB the team signed Jack Sanborn and Kenneth Murray, Sanborn was a backup in Chicago and he knows Eberflus’ defense. Murray has been just good enough to stay on teams he’s been on but usually bad enough his team is looking to replace him.  The Cowboys hope DeMarvion Overshown can come back from a bad injury this year and that Marist Liufau can really take a step.  Murray and Liufau are listed as the starters, Sanborn will play plenty. 

The secondary could be good if the guys get healthy but right now CBs Trevon Diggs is coming back from a knee injury and Shavon Revel Jr. is out to start the season.  DaRon Bland wasn’t as good last season as the year before but he’s the best CB they have at the moment.  He’s slated to be the nickel guy again as they are planning on using former Bills first-round bust Kaiir Elam opposite Diggs.  With a seriously weakened pass rush, this secondary could be exposed badly.    Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson are as solid safety duo.

New York Giants

GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are getting one last shot to turn around the Giants and this time they aren’t trying to do it with Daniel Jones at QB. I’m not sure hitching their wagon to Russell Wilson is a great idea but that’s where they’re at.  They drafted Jaxon Dart in round one of the draft with the idea he would sit for the year.  After the preseason he had, those plans have to be out the window.  As soon as it looks like Wilson is cooked and the season is about to be lost, you’ll see Dart.   

Wilson is a shell of who he used to be but he might still have the skill to take advantage of WR Malik Nabers considerable talent.  Nabers is a big play WR and Wilson can still throw the deep the ball.  Once it’s not working or they see Wilson doesn’t have the deep ball left, Daboll will play Dart just to save his own job.  If Wilson is bad, they have to pin their hopes on Dart’s potential as soon as possible.  The team did re-sign WR Darius Slayton after years of seemingly trying to get rid of him.  They also have Wan’Dale Robinson as the slot guy.  It doesn’t feel like it but this group isn’t bad and with the right QB, could be fine.  Nabers is a legitimate WR1 and the others fill their roles.  TE Theo Johnson is a young player they hope takes a step forward and Daniel Bellinger is a decent backup. 

The running game found a gem in last year’s fifth-round pick Tyrone Tracy Jr. who had a solid 4.4 yards per rush even behind a poor offensive line.  They still have Devin Singletary and they drafted Cam Skattebo so the talent is fine at RB.  The offensive line is another story.  LT Andrew Thomas is awesome when healthy but he’s sitting out training camp rehabbing a foot injury and they are hoping he’s ready for the regular season.  He’s by far their best lineman so if he’s out, it’s a problem.  Jon Runyan is solid at LG but not great.  John Micheal Schmitz is okay at center but he really needs to step up.  Greg Van Roten is a veteran at RG who they should be looking to replace with an upgrade.  RT Jermaine Eluemunor would be the ideal upgrade at RG but they don’t have anyone else at RT so he stays there. 

The Giants have one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL in NT Dexter Lawrence.  Lawrence had nine sacks from the interior position last season; he’s a dominant force. They have two aging players up front with him in veterans Roy Robertson-Harris and Rakeem Nunez-Roches, both 32.  They drafted Darius Alexander to give them some depth and some youth.  Besides Lawrence their pass rush should be outstanding with OLBs Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux.  Burns and Thibodeaux were the starters last season but Carter was the fourth pick in the draft for a reason and he should replace Thibodeaux.  Either way, the pass rush for the Giants should be outstanding.  Burns isn’t an elite level outside pass rusher but he’s good and matched with all these guys up front, he can be very good.  The ILB duo of Bobby Okereke and Micah McFadden aren’t mentioned with the best in the league but they are a solid duo.

The secondary also got some upgrades this off season but they came in free agency. CB Paulson Adebo was signed to give them a solid outside CB to pair with Deonte Banks.  Banks had a rough year last year but the team isn’t ready to give up on him yet.  Dru Phillips had an excellent season as a rookie in the slot and getting Adebo allows them to leave him inside where he excels, assuming Banks can rebound.  They signed Javon Holland to pair with Tyler Nubin at safety after Nubin had a solid rookie year but the FS spot was a problem.  A year ago, they let Xavier McKinney leave in free agency and then spent the year regretting it so they signed Holland to fill the hole.  Holland and Nubin should be a good, active and athletic pair on the back end.          

2025 AFC North Preview

Baltimore Ravens

If you have ever questioned John Harbaugh as a head coach last year should serve as evidence he’s great as a guy overseeing everything.  They had a brain drain on defense with Mike Macdonald leaving to be head coach of the Seahawks, Dennard Wilson leaving to be DC in Tennessee, and Anthony Weaver left to be DC in Miami and others left to join them. Harbaugh promoted Zach Orr and the defense was still great.  Todd Monken has also proven to be an excellent choice as the offensive coordinator. 

Lamar Jackson has been at his best in Todd Monken’s offense and even took another step forward after being awesome the first year in it. Now he’s adding DeAndre Hopkins as another WR to Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman.  Flowers proved to be a real weapon last year and for some reason Jackson likes Bateman.  Hopkins isn’t the dominant player he once was but he can still do some things and as the third WR in the offense, he’s pretty good.  TE Mark Andrews should give them a solid season but he may continue to turn over some of the TE reps to Isaiah Likely, who’s a dynamic athlete at the position.  Likely is rehabbing from an injury but he should be back eventually.   

Derrick Henry was awesome in this offense and seems to be ageless.  At 30 years old he ran for over 1900 yards and was a freight train all season.  Between his running ability and what Jackson adds as a running threat at QB, the run game is scary.  The offensive line is also better than the sum of its parts.  LT Ronnie Stanley had a bounce back season after years of injuries and got a new contract and C Tyler Linderbaum is one of the best centers in the game.  Those are the only even above average players individually on the line.  RT Roger Rosengarten was a rookie who was fine. Patrick Makari played guard for most of the year and was fine but he left in free agency and will be replaced.  Daniel Faalele is a monstrous player at RG and Andrew Voorhees or Ben Cleveland will be the LG, either way they should be fine. 

Broderick Washington, Travis Jones, and Nnamdi Madubuike return as the starting defensive line and they are a good unit.  Madubuike didn’t have the dominant pass rushing season last year that he had in 2023 but he’s still an effective player.  Somehow, they got 12.5 sacks out of 33-year-old Kyle Van Noy at OLB, he’s been a miracle for them.  Odafe Oweh got 10 sacks so that helps too but they need more pass rush from one of the younger guys and it’s probably coming from rookie Mike Green.  Off the field issues caused him to drop in the draft but he’s a true talent off the edge and should at least be the third rusher.  ILB Roquan Smith is one of the best in the league.  Trenton Simpson holds down the other ILB spot, they did draft Teddye Buchanan in round four, maybe he helps. 

The secondary has been a strength of the Ravens for years and they are trying to get back to that after last year was a little uneven.  Nate Wiggins was good as a rookie last season at CB.  They signed Jaire Alexander after he was released by Green Bay to take the other outside CB spot, he’s already banged up so that’s not optimal. A healthy Alexander would allow them to play Marlon Humphrey as the nickel.  That moves Humphrey to his best position and allows them to move S Kyle Hamilton all over the defense.  Hamilton is the key to the defense and they don’t want to pigeonhole him.  They also drafted Malaki Starks to give them another good safety and he should be excellent. 

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals went 9-8 last year and barely missed the playoffs.  If they get off to a better start than they usually do, they could win this division.  They have basically decided to put all their chips on their offense and hope the defense can be somewhere slightly below average with an incredible offense.  The offense can certainly be a top three unit in the league, getting the defense to be better than the bottom third, that might be a tough task.  Zac Taylor let veteran defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo go and replaced him with Al Golden, he was Notre Dame’s DC last season.  Anarumo had a reputation for not developing the young players while Golden has been working in college for a while so they hope he can do better. 

The offense is called by head coach Zac Taylor but it belongs to QB Joe Burrow.  Taylor did a nice job adjusting the offense when Burrow was hurt last season but they need Burrow to make this unit dominant.  They spent a ton of money this off season to give Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins huge contract extensions to keep the best WR duo in the league together with Burrow.  Chase is arguably the best WR in the NFL (it’s him and Justin Jefferson is a steel cage match for that spot).  Higgins is the best WR2 in the league because he’s really just a WR1 playing alongside Chase.  They are a perfect complementary pair and Burrow is the perfect QB for them.  WR Andrei Iosivas, WR Jermaine Burton, WR Charlie Jones, and TE Mike Gesicki can all fight for the leftover passes but there’s not a ton to go around. 

The run game is an afterthought for the most part but they did look to improve the interior of the offensive line which should help them be more efficient.  RB Chase Brown emerged last season as a viable playmaker with Zack Moss fading into the background and now off the roster.  They have giant OTs in LT Orlando Brown Jr. and RT Amarius Mims.  Brown is solid while Mims should be ascending.  C Ted Karras is solid but he was working with some less than stellar guys inside.  The team signed Lucas Patrick from the Saints and drafted Dylan Fairchild and they beat out Cordell Volson and Cody Ford for the starting OG jobs.  If the line is better, the running game gets better and the offense might be unstoppable at that point.  Chase Brown is an under appreciated runner and he should carry the load. 

The defense is a work in progress and that’s putting it lightly.  They finally gave DE Trey Hendrickson a raise for the year but there are going to be some hurt feelings over him not getting an extension.  They also had a contract dispute with first-round pick DE Shemar Stewart who finally signed and lucky for them he did because he’s looked good early, they need him.  They don’t want to count on the rest of the roster at DE.  DT was abysmal last season so they signed TJ Slaton and he looks considerably better than Sheldon Rankins was last year.  BJ Hill is a good DT but he’s coming off an injury. They need Kris Jenkins Jr. or McKinley Jackson to step up. 

At LB, the team released stalwart Germaine Pratt because he was unhappy with the team (there’s a theme here) and are replacing him with second-round pick Demetrius Knight Jr.  Knight is an athletic player who’s a bit raw and it’s going to be a transition.  They really only play two LBs so Logan Wilson is the veteran at the MLB spot and they need him to have a much better year.  Teams generally play in the nickel with two LBs when they have a very good secondary with top talent, that’s not actually the case here.  They aren’t stacked in the secondary but the LB corps isn’t great either. 

The Bengals have Cam Taylor-Britt as their CB1 with the hope that Dax Hill returns from injury and DJ Turner II steps up at the other spot.  None of these guys have proven to be top-level players and Hill and Turner are generally considered disappointments.  Hill started to play better at the beginning of last season and then got hurt, that’s how it goes for the Bengals.  At safety, Jordan Battle stepped in as rookie and was decent and they are hoping Geno Stone rebounds from a pretty awful first season with the team last year after he signed as a free agent.  Beyond those two, they are bad at safety.  At least at CB they could maybe hope Josh Newton progresses. 

Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Tomlin is back and so are OC Arthur Smith and DC Teryl Austin so it must have been a pretty uneventful off season in Pittsburgh.  Or not.  The Justin Fields/Russell Wilson era only lasted one season and if that wasn’t crazy enough for Tomlin, welcome to the Aaron Rodgers experience.  The Steelers won 10 games and made the playoffs last season but getting beat in the wildcard game by their division nemesis Baltimore Ravens wasn’t good enough.  They moved on from Wilson and Fields.

Aaron Rodgers was terrible for most of last year for the Jets after returning from his Achilles injury and he looked disinterested most of the time.  He made the Steelers wait until June before he signed a contract but he was there for minicamp so that’s a start.  I’m not sure he has anything left but watching a few of his games at the end of last year, the arm is still there, even if the desire isn’t.  Arthur Smith will have to try to get Rodgers to play his style of football, it’s not a great match.  Rodgers prefers being the shotgun, Smith is more of an under center kind of guy.  They traded George Pickens away, you could say they traded away talent or they traded away a headache, both are true.  They also traded for DK Metcalf and gave him a massive contract to be their WR1.  He’s less of a headcase than Pickens even if he’s not the most consistent player.  They are putting a lot of eggs in the Roman Wilson basket as their WR2 because it’s him and Calvin Austin III and that’s basically it. They even cut Robert Woods at the end of training camp and he was the veteran body they had.  Perhaps the find a late trade or grab someone off the waiver wire.  They have TE Pat Freiermuth, a good player, and traded for Jonnu Smith right before training camp, he’s an Arthur Smith favorite.  It’s going to be interesting to see if they can squeeze any type of production out of Rodgers and these pass catchers. 

The best thing they have going for them is the potential of the running game.  They have a young, talented, intriguing offensive line and two RBs who could be a dynamic duo.  Jaylen Warren is a talented RB but everyone was wondering if he could be a #1 guy when they lost Najee Harris.  No worries, they drafted Kaleb Johnson and he’s built to be the RB1 for this offense.  He’s the perfect fit in Smith’s preferred outside zone scheme.  Johnson is also 6’1 230 lbs. and while he has great size to handle the load like Harris did, he also has homerun ability as a runner, that’s something Harris never had.  The offensive line is counting on Broderick Jones figuring out how to be a LT and not sucking and they need Troy Fautanu to be the RT after he missed his entire rookie season.  LG Isaac Seumalo, C Zach Frazier, and RG Mason McCormick should be a solid trio inside. 

One of the big reasons the Steelers went for Rodgers at QB is because they don’t have time to waste with this defense.  They have aging players at every level and need to strike while they are still able to do so.  DE Cameron Heyward is a Steelers legend but he’s 36 and can’t play forever.  They drafted Derrick Harmon to play opposite him and eventually replace him, he’s good but he had a late injury in training camp so he won’t be available to start the season.  Keanu Benton hasn’t progressed like they would hope but he’s solid.  NT Yahya Black is a guy to keep an eye on up front.  The pass rush comes from OLBs TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith.  They just gave Watt a big extension and Highsmith is an emerging talent.  ILB Patrick Queen hasn’t been as good as he was in Baltimore but he’s not bad.  They’re hoping Payton Wilson can be the other ILB this year. 

The secondary got some new old blood and they are hoping that helps.  They have needed a CB2 opposite Joey Porter Jr. since they drafted Porter Jr. a couple years ago.  They signed Darius Slay who is 34 and coming off winning a Super Bowl in Philadelphia.  He can still play and he’s an upgrade for them but the cliff could come at any time.  They made the late off season trade to get Jalen Ramsey and he’s their nickel guy and can play some safety.  He can still play outside CB but with Porter and Slay they hope they don’t need him there.  They gave up S Minkah Fitzpatrick in the Ramsey deal and while he was one of their most talented defenders, he’s a guy who was often caught freelancing and out of position.  Juan Thornhill and DeShon Elliot are not as talented as Fitzpatrick but the hope is they are more consistent in their assignments.  Ramsey is the new chess piece to move around so overall the secondary should be better. 

Cleveland Browns

Kevin Stefanski is actually a good coach and for his sake, I hope he gets fired next off season and gets to go to a franchise that isn’t a dumpster fire.  The Browns are in the middle of spending $230 million guaranteed on a QB who has a twice torn Achilles and who they would prefer to pretend doesn’t exist.  They brought in four QBs to try to replace Deshaun Watson with no guarantee any of them can.  And they are counting on a running game to save them but their offensive line is aging and injured and their new RB just got arrested for domestic violence.  This could only be the Browns. 

Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shadeur Sanders were going to stage a 4-way battle for the starting job but it didn’t materialize.  Pickett got hurt early, didn’t play, and then got traded to the Raiders.  Gabriel and Sanders never gave the Browns a reason to think they could be the starter.  So, Joe Flacco gets the job by default; he was always going to be the week one starter.  WR Jerry Jeudy had a solid year last year and I actually like Cedric Tillman as their X receiver.  They don’t have much else at WR so Jeudy and Tillman should get plenty of targets. TE David Njoku is a very good player.  The passing game will likely be inconsequential but they hope it’s at least functional.   

The running game is also in flux with the arrest of Quinshon Judkins just before training camp.  They were counting on him being the guy to replace Nick Chubb, but he still hasn’t signed with the team.  For now, they will have to go back to using Jerome Ford and their other rookie Dylan Sampson will have to pick up the slack.  The offensive line also presents issues.  Dawand Jones is set to be the LT and he’s not really a LT, that’s not great.  The interior of the line didn’t play well last year and Joel Bitonio will be 34, Ethan Pocic will be 30, and Wyatt Teller will be 31, generally offensive linemen don’t get better or healthier as they age past 30.  RT Jack Conklin will also be 31and has a rough injury history.  They don’t have a ton of depth and things could go bad quickly. Joe Flacco behind a suspect offensive line is not a great combination.   

If you told me the defense rebounds this season and plays great, I wouldn’t be shocked.  DE Myles Garrett is one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL.  He’s one of those guys offensive coordinator must have a plan for.  They signed veteran DT Maliek Collins and while he’s not a game changer, he’s a solid player.  They traded down in the draft and still got DT Mason Graham who can be a game changer.  He’s arguably going to be the most talented defensive lineman Myles Garrett has played with.  The other DE sport is either Alex Wright or Isaiah McGuire for now but they have to be looking to bring someone in. 

The LB group will be missing Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah for this season and possibly for good.  He had a neck injury that took him out in week nine last year and is already ruled out for this year, his career is potentially over.  It’s too bad, he was very good player for them and they will miss him.  They drafted Carson Schwesinger in round two of the draft and he’s the starter in place of JOK.  Jordan Hicks announced his retirement before camp leaving the other LB spot open to competition.  Mohamoud Diabate seems to have won that competition. 

They use five defensive backs and given their LB corps, that’s not the worst idea.  They are talented in secondary and they just need to stay healthy.  CB Denzel Ward is a real CB1 when he’s on the field.  Martin Emerson was an excellent CB2 but he’s out for the season and that hurts.  Greg Newsome II now has to step up from the slot CB to be the other outside guy, that’s not ideal but he should be fine.  SS Grant Delpit and FS Ronnie Hickman have their limitations but are a solid safety duo.      

2025 AFC West Preview

Kansas City Chiefs

Most fanbases would be pretty happy after a 15-2 season and a trip to the Super Bowl but the Chiefs have set the bar higher, they expect to win the Lombardi Trophy.  Andy Reid’s coaching staff returns intact and this team will continue to be the standard in the league.  As long as Reid and Patrick Mahomes are together in Kansas City, the Chiefs are contenders. 

Mahomes is still one of the best QBs in the league and while a few guys may have caught up to him, none have really surpassed him.  He raises the game of the guys around him and if the offensive line had been better, he may have beaten the Eagles in the Super Bowl.  They had to make some choices on the line this year, RG Trey Smith was a free agent and they needed to upgrade at LT.  They traded Joe Thuney so they need a new LG.  The originally signed Jaylon Moore to be their LT but then Josh Simmons fell to them in the draft.  Simmons has recovered from his knee injury and already took the LT spot from Moore. They need either Kingsley Suamataia or Mike Caliendo to step up at LG, it’s not apparent either one is going to be that good.  Moore could also potentially replace Jawaan Taylor at RT, for now, he’s the swing tackle.  They did eventually re-sign Trey Smith to a massive extension so C Creed Humphrey, Smith, and Taylor should give them stability on the right side unless Taylor struggles.  These changes were necessary after last year’s Super Bowl debacle where the Eagles defensive line destroyed the Chiefs offense before it could even start. Moore is an expensive third OT but after last season, I don’t think the team minds paying a premium, I’m sure Mahomes appreciates. 

Mahomes is the guy who makes the skill position guys better than they really are.  At WR, they are looking to get Rashee Rice back after his injury but he’s also looking at a six-game suspension for a hit-and-run.  He’s their top WR once he’s back.  They did find ways to use Xavier Worthy last year as more than just a fast guy running decoy routes.  He’s still undersized and you can’t count on him being a big volume guy.  Hollywood Brown returns after a lost season due to injury, that’s a familiar story for him, but wait, hold up, he already has a foot/ankle issue.   JuJu Smith-Schuster is the only veteran to count on.  The one guy I want to see is rookie fourth-round WR Jalen Royals, he’s a good player.  RB Isaiah Pacheco hopes the offensive line gets him and the running game back on track.  They brought back Kareem Hunt but rookie seventh-rounder Brashard Smith is an intriguing back to me.  He could give them a little Jerrick McKinnon type of player. 

Steve Spagnuolo is one of the best defensive play callers in football and he has had this unit humming the last few years.  The front four is still dominated by DT Chris Jones but he’s starting to get some help.  DE George Karlaftis is an excellent end and Mike Danna has proven to be a steady player on the other side.  It would have helped if former first-rounder Felix Anudike-Uzomah could have contributed as a designated pass rusher but he’s already been placed on IR.  DT Mike Pennel is a decent rotation guy but rookie Omar Norman-Lott is going to be needed to add something inside. The team wasn’t satisfied with the DL rotation coming out of camp so they traded for Derrick Nnadi who was a free agent they let leave in the spring for the Jets but decided to reacquire just before cutdown day.  He’s a familiar face they are glad to have back.  He’s already listed as the starter next to Chris Jones.   

Nick Bolton was re-signed at MLB; he’s the brains of the operation.  Drue Tranquill and Leo Chenal fill their roles flanking Bolton at LB.  The secondary has Trent McDuffie; he’s an elite player who is best in the nickel role but can play outside too.  CB Jaylen Watson returns and they added Kristian Fulton hoping these two could play outside so McDuffie can stay at nickel.  S Jaden Hicks steps in for Justin Reid and pairs with Bryan Cook.  These are smart players who fit Spagnuolo’s style which is why they work. 

Los Angeles Chargers

The Jim Harbaugh era got off to a good start with an 11-win season and a playoff berth.  The team tried to commit to the run but the offensive line had some issues and they didn’t have the best luck with their running backs.  The offense has one of the better QBs in the league with Justin Herbert but they have lacked the overall talent at WR to take advantage of Herbert’s gifts. 

Herbert is considered one of the top QBs in the league but there is a question if he is held back by offensive coordinator Greg Roman.  Roman is a solid but unspectacular play caller. Herbert is also hindered by the lack of a game breaker at WR.  Last season Ladd McConkey was excellent as a rookie but he’s more of a move-the-chains, keep the drive going WR and not a downfield threat.  The team tried bringing back Mike Williams but he announced his retirement before training camp.  The guy they need to step up is rookie Tre Harris.  Harris has the skill set to be the big, downfield guy to open up the offense, but again, he’s a rookie.  Quentin Johnston played better last season but he’s still not a great player.  Late in training camp the team decided to reach into their recent past to try to help the WR group and they re-signed Keenan Allen.  Allen is a solid pro who is definitely careening towards the end of is career but he’s a guy Herbert will trust in key situations. The TE position doesn’t have any dynamic weapons unless rookie Oronde Gadsden breaks out.  Will Dissly and Tyler Conklin are solid vets but that’s it. 

The running game was set back last season because JK Dobbins couldn’t stay healthy and neither could Gus Edwards. The team decided it needed new blood so they signed Najee Harris and drafted Omarion Hampton.  Harris wasn’t a factor in training camp due to an eye injury he sustained on July 4th due to a fireworks accident.  Hampton can be the dynamic piece they have been missing and it’s his job now.  He can be difference maker for this offense.

The offensive line got an emergency shuffle during training camp as LT Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending knee injury.  Joe Alt will move from RT to LT while Trey Pipkins gets the RT job unless they find an alternative before the season starts.  Mekhi Becton was brought in to be the new RG, he should help if he’s healthy.  Zion Johnson was the LG last year and Bradley Bozeman was the center. They tried to switch those two this preseason and the experiment apparently didn’t work because Johnson and Bozeman are back to their original positions. They were hoping the offensive line would be a strength but without Slater that’s a tough ask.  They have to just hope for competent play now.  Alt will be fine at LT, the other four spots have questions.    

Jesse Minter is a very good defensive coordinator but they are going to test him from a personnel standpoint this season.  They lost NT Poona Ford and Ford was the best player they had up front.  The defensive line looks like Da’Shawn Hand, Teair Tart, and Otito Ogbonnia which doesn’t instill confidence.  This defense wasn’t great at stopping the run last year and they lost Ford who was the best run stuffer they had.  Joey Bosa is finally gone after a few years of looking like they might cut him.  He’s not a huge loss because he’s injured more than he’s healthy.  Khalil Mack is aging but still quite good at OLB while Tuli Tuipulotu should step in for Bosa as the full-time starter. They need Tuipulotu to be a real player now, it’s his time. At ILB, Daiyan Henley is a potential breakout star but there was a last minute change at the other spot. Junior Colson, who was a third-round pick last year and a guy they were hoping would have a breakout season, ends up with a undisclosed injury and has been placed on season-ending IR. That’s a blow and now it’s veteran Denzel Perryman trying to fight off father time for another year. They need the ILBs to be good because the guys in front of them are average at best. 

The secondary was better last season than it had any right to be given the personnel.  SS Derwin James is a good player and his partner Alohi Gilman is solid but unspectacular.  At CB, they found some late round gems in the draft with Cam Hart playing well when he was healthy and Tarheeb Still being a solid player too.  Veteran Donte Jackson is penciled in at the other CB spot on the outside.  It’s not a dynamic group but Jesse Minter gets the best out of these guys.  For some reason, Minter also likes free agent signing Benjamin St.-Juste who came over from Washington. For the life of me I’m not sure why, he was never good in Washington but Minter sees something.

Denver Broncos

Sean Payton took his shot on his QB last year with Bo Nix and it worked out quite well for the Broncos.  Between a good rookie year out of Nix, a solid offensive line, and a great defense, the Broncos won 10 games and made the playoffs.  That was better than most probably thought the Broncos would do last year, now they need to build on that success.  Payton has the offense working for Nix and Vance Joseph is running an incredible defense. 

Nix isn’t the most physically gifted QB but he does all the things Payton likes in his offense.  He has athletic ability to keep a play alive, he’s excellent in the short to intermediate passing area, and he efficiently moves the offense down the field.  The passing game is a lot of short stuff but he does have one big play WR in Courtland Sutton even if they don’t use his downfield ability as much as they could.  Payton found a way to turn Marvin Mims into a run after the catch weapon in the offense.  Payton got some good play out of DeVaughn Vele too but between Troy Franklin stepping up and rookie Pat Bryant looking good, the Broncos felt safe trading Vele to the Saints.  That bodes well for Franklin and Bryant. Payton also went out this off season and got Evan Engram who is a playmaker at TE they just didn’t have.  He should be a favorite of Nix’s pretty quickly. 

The running game wasn’t good last year despite a very good and very healthy offensive line.  They let RB Javonte Williams leave in free agency and drafted RJ Harvey.  Harvey should be the starter but they did also sign JK Dobbins hoping he’ll be healthy enough to give them a veteran presence.  Dobbins is listed as the starter but that doesn’t feel like it will last and is probably not a great bet by Payton, Harvey is a more dynamic back.  Their offensive line of LT Garrett Bolles, LG Ben Powers, C Luke Wattenberg, RG Quinn Meinerz, and RT Mike McGlinchey started most of the games as a unit and they were quite good.  Wattenberg and McGlinchey missed some games but if they get the same health out of this group, they will again be very good.  Adding a more talented RB will enhance the running game. 

Vance Joseph’s defense was extremely tough to move the ball against.  They don’t have superstars on the front line but DE Zach Allen, DE John Franklin-Myers, and NT DJ Jones are as tough as they come.  Allen is one of the best pass rushing 3-4 DEs in the league, it’s not something you normally expect at that position.  These guys also push the pocket to help OLBs Nic Bonitto and Jonathan Cooper excel off the edge, and they did with both getting double digit sacks.  It makes the pass rush really good and that makes the pass defense overall, very tough.  One thing they need to do better is be strong up the middle. ILB Alex Singleton is fine but they wanted an upgrade next to him so they signed Dre Greenlaw.  When he’s healthy, Greenlaw is a star but he’s coming off an injury and it’s a risk. 

They took another risk trying to improve the middle of the secondary with another former 49er, SS Talanoa Hufanga.  Hufanga is the type of enforcer this team needs up the middle of the defense but like Greenlaw, he’s coming off injury and has an extensive injury history.  Brandon Jones is a solid FS to play with Hufanga.  At CB, the Broncos have the best in the game, Patrick Surtain II.  He was the Defensive Player of the Year so he gets the #1 spot even if he has some competition (Derek Stingley mainly).  Riley Moss stepped up to be the other outside CB last season and he was solid.  When you’re the guy opposite Surtain, teams look your way a lot. The team did draft Jahdae Barron in the first round and he’s going to be a great addition.  He will be the nickel corner, he can also play some outside CB, or he could be another safety.  Barron is a real talent and Vance Joseph will find a way to use him. 

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders were bad last year and with a coach like Antonio Pierce, a starting QB like Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew, and a running game led by Zamir White it’s not hard to figure out why.  Tom Brady has become a minority owner, they hired John Spytek from Tampa Bay to be the GM, and installed Pete Carroll as head coach.  That’s what it looks like to add competence all around, Carroll also hired Chip Kelly to be the OC after he won a National Championship as Ohio St’s OC last year. Retaining Patrick Graham as DC was also a good move.

The first moves this team made personnel wise were trading for Geno Smith to fix the QB problem.  Smith isn’t a long-term solution but Pete Carroll is 73, he’s not working on a five-year window.  It’s going to be an interesting mix in the passing game with what Chip Kelly will want to do, what Geno Smith is best at, and what the pass catchers can do.  Smith is a downfield thrower but the receiving talent isn’t necessarily built for that at first glance.  The best pass catcher is TE Brock Bowers who was elite as a rookie.  He can get down the field but he’s better getting the ball and making things happen.  Jakobi Meyers is probably the best WR they have and he’s more of a slot guy, over the middle type.  They drafted Jack Bech who’s an outside receiver but not a true down the field threat.  The best down the field guy is their fourth-round pick Dont’e Thornton Jr.  He’s big, he’s fast, a he’s raw but he has really performed in camp and he’s listed as a starter.  They really think they found something in Thornton.  Tre Tucker is a nice speed receiver too and he should benefit from having Geno Smith around.  Smith is a huge upgrade talent wise; it’s going to depend on if they can put the offense together for him. 

The running game was awful last season with an offensive line that was finding it’s footing and almost no talent at RB.  They fixed the running back talent issue by taking Ashton Jeanty in the first round, he’s an elite talent.  He alone will make this running game better but he won’t have to do it alone.  They moved Jackson Powers-Johnson to center towards the middle of last season and thought he would stick there but in camp they moved Jordan Meredith to the pivot and JPJ is playing RG now.  LT Kolton Miller is a very solid guy while they liked what they saw from rookie DJ Glaze at RT.  Glaze is a work in progress but should get better with more reps.  With Meredith moving to the middle, Dylan Parham should be the LG with Alex Cappa as a depth piece.  The other big upgrade is Chip Kelly calling the offense, especially the running game.  He’s light years ahead of where they were last year with Luke Getsy calling the offense. 

Pete Carroll made a great call by keeping Patrick Graham as his defensive coordinator.  The Raiders defense wasn’t good last year but Graham got the best out of what he had.  They didn’t exactly stack the defense this off season as they seemed more focused on offense, but they did get some veteran help. DE Maxx Crosby is one of the best in the NFL and now he’s paid like it. He needed some help after team cut DT Christian Wilkins in one of the more stunning moves before fall camp even started.  Wilkins had some issues with the organization and let’s just say it ended ugly. They traded former starting CB Jakorian Bennett to Philadelphia for DT Thomas Booker IV and he looks like a great addition as he’s already a starter. DT Adam Butler is a solid player and if Malcolm Koonce comes back healthy at DE, that would really help.  Perhaps Pete Carroll can find a way to motivate Tyree Wilson and turn his career around so he’s not a bust at DE. 

At LB, they made a late off season addition of Germaine Pratt who had been released by Cincinnati.  Pratt isn’t an elite LB but he’s a big upgrade for this team.  Elandon Roberts was signed too but he’s a downgrade from Robert Spillane.  The secondary is where they need to really up their game.  They signed SS Jeremy Chinn and he’s solid, even if he’s not better than Tre’von Moehrig.  The other safety spot isn’t good at this point.  Rookie Darien Porter had a shot to start at one CB spot but looks like he’s been pushed aside by Kyu Blu Kelly, a guy I really liked in the 2024 draft.  Porter will still get a chance but Eric Stokes is the other starting outside CB.  Those could be upgrades at outside CB but Darnay Holmes is almost assuredly a downgrade from Nate Hobbs in the slot.  It’s a mixed bag but overall, there is more talent for Graham to work with on defense.              

2025 NFC North Preview

Detroit Lions

The Lions went 15-2 last season but came up short in the playoffs and now they have to replace both their offensive and defensive coordinators along with a number of coaches on the staff.  Dan Campbell hired John Morton to replace Ben Johnson at OC and promoted LB coach Kelvin Sheppard to replace Aaron Glenn as DC.  The roster returns almost every key piece and that will help the transition. 

QB Jared Goff comes back as the steady piece of the offense but he will have John Morton calling plays and a new guy, David Shaw (passing game coordinator), in his ear.  Losing Johnson and coaches like Tanner Engstrand, Antwaan Randle-El, and JT Barrett will put more on Goff to keep the offense on track.  Mark Brunell returns as QB coach and Hank Fraley is the offensive line coach and run game coordinator, that’s good news. 

Amon-Ra St. Brown returns as the alpha dog of this pass game, he’s incredibly productive.  Last season, they finally got Jameson Williams to be the type of playmaker they hoped he would be.  It’s up to Morton, Shaw, and the others to keep him progressing.  They have TE Sam LaPorta as arguably their second-best pass catcher although he had a bit of a down year last season.  With St. Brown, Williams, and LaPorta, they don’t have a huge need for more production from the pass catching group but they hope either Tim Patrick can stay healthy this season or rookie Isaac TeSlaa steps up for the third WR spot. TeSlaa has had an excellent preseason and it’s just a matter of time before he passes Patrick. 

Fraley is one of the better offensive line coaches in the league and some teams looked at him pretty hard for their OC job.  He returns to Detroit with the run game coordinator title and they will need some help from him keeping the offense running.  Jamyr Gibbs broke out last season and showed he can be a top-level RB and David Montgomery can still be productive. 

The offensive line has been top-notch for years but that will be put to the test this season.  LT Taylor Decker is still as solid as they come and RT Penei Sewell is arguably the best RT in the league who isn’t Lane Johnson.  The interior of the line is the question.  C Frank Ragnow retired this summer and Kevin Zeitler left in free agency.  The team drafted Tate Ratledge knowing they would need him with Zeitler leaving.  That also means they are counting heavily on Christian Mahogany’s development as a second-year guy.  Graham Glasgow was the LG last year and struggled, they are moving him to center to step in for Ragnow.  Glasgow isn’t great at center but for now he’s a better option than trying to teach the rookie Ratledge a new position before he’s even played a snap in the NFL.  They are dangerously thin on the line and the interior of the line is compromised and could be their Achilles heel. 

The defense is also changing the coordinator as Kelvin Sheppard was promoted to DC when Aaron Glenn took the Jet’s job.  Sheppard knows this defense well and these players so it should be a simpler transition.  The defense will be built around the talent of Aidan Hutchinson as he returns at DE from his season ending injury.  He should be 100% for the season but he needs some help off the edge.  The team has been trying to find a suitable complement at DE and they are running it back with Marcus Davenport, who missed almost all last season after signing with them.  They may need to look to re-sign Za’Darius Smith if Davenport doesn’t hold up again.  AT DT they still have DJ Reader and Alim McNeill is returning from injury too.  They drafted Tyliek Williams so he steps in as a starter until McNeil is ready.    

The LB corps feature Alez Anzalone, Jack Campbell, and Derrick Barnes, assuming they are all healthy.  That’s an assumption that could prove untrue but they are solid if those guys are playing.  The secondary just re-signed S Kerby Joseph to a massive contract and he and Brian Branch are an excellent duo at safety.  CB DJ Reed was signed to replace Carlton Davis.  Reed is more of a CB2 so they are clearly hoping Terrion Arnold ascends to the CB1 spot in year two.  Amik Robertson is the nickel with Rock Ya-Sin and Avonte Maddox as depth pieces. 

The Lions will be good once again but the coaching staff changes, the interior offensive line issues and the health on defense are all reasons to question where this team ends up.  The NFC North is not for the faint of heart and if this team’s performance slips even a little bit, all three teams in the division could give them trouble. 

Green Bay Packers

The Packers were 11-6 last year and they return everyone of consequence and have added a few key players.  Matt LeFleur is one of the better coaches in the NFL and his staff is intact for the most part so they are counting largely on the development of their younger players to help get them over the hump in the playoffs.  It all starts with QB Jordan Love.  He’s a truly talented player who they need to stay healthy and he should be entering his prime.  He’s already dealing with a thumb issue and they hope it doesn’t hamper him all season.    

The Packers have a bevy of young WRs to like but they don’t have that one ace they can count on when the chips are down.  For the first time in about a quarter century they invested a first-round pick in a WR, Matthew Golden.  He wasn’t my favorite prospect but it’s easy to see how he fits their needs. Christian Watson has been their only real deep threat for the past few years and he’s been inconsistent and is coming off an injury.  Golden can be that guy instead and really complement Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs.  It also means counting less on Dontayvion Wicks, he’s a guy with suspect hands.  The TE position is in good hands with Tucker Kraft really breaking out last season and Luke Musgrave is good when he’s healthy. 

RB Josh Jacobs pretty much carries the running game on his back at this point until they can get something out of MarShawn Lloyd, he’s already banged up.  Jacobs fits the scheme quite well and while he’s only 27, he’s got a lot of carries on his legs.  It would be helpful if Lloyd could take some of the load.  The running game should be aided by the addition of LG Aaron Banks.  The team spent big to bring him in as a free agent and he allows them to move Elgton Jenkins to center.  Jenkins is an upgrade at center over Josh Myers assuming he agrees to move to center.  Jenkins didn’t seem thrilled about the possibility after Banks was signed.  LT Rasheed Wallace is a decent starter and RT Zach Tom is a good starter on the opposite side.  The team should be hoping Jordan Morgan wins the RG job after they drafted him in round one last year but they are also getting him time at LT.  Wallace is in a contract year and they just gave RT Zach Tom a contract extension so Wallace is probably a free agent next off season.    

Jeff Hafley took over the defense last year and transitioned them to more of a 4-3 base defense and while they weren’t elite, the defense was pretty good.  DEs Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness are penciled in to start.  Gary is an accomplished player who had 7.5 sacks last year. They would like a little more out of him but it’s Van Ness who really has to step up.  As a former first-round pick, he needs to give them more than three sacks.  They aren’t that deep on the edge so fourth-round pick Barryn Sorrell has a chance to play.  The DT rotation has Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, and Karl Brooks after TJ Slaton left in free agency. Those guys are solid on the inside, it’s the edge that needs better production.   

The LB corps still has Quay Walker but they are going to be playing Edgerrin Cooper more.  Isaiah McDuffie and Ty’Ron Hopper will fill roles too.  Walker is coming off an injury and needs to steady his play if he wants to continue to play.  The secondary has Xavier McKinney at SS and then there are questions all around.  Evan Williams stepped in at safety as a rookie and played well and they hope their other rookie from last year, Javon Bullard, becomes their full-time nickel.  The team finally cut Jaire Alexander at CB but that leaves them with an unproven group at CB.  Keisean Nixon played well last year on the outside but he came up as a nickel corner and doesn’t have a long track record on the outside.  They signed Nate Hobbs to be the other CB; he’s also mostly been a nickel.  Nixon and Hobbs on the outside is tenuous at best.  Carrington Valentine is the other option. 

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are coming off an incredible 14-3 season where they finished one game behind the Lions in the division.  Head coach Kevin O’Connell is known as a QB savant and that reputation was only enhanced by the season Sam Darnold had under O’Connell.  Darnold was great until the last couple of games of the year and that’s why they didn’t re-sign him.  O’Connell will look to work his magic with JJ McCarthy this season.

After sitting out his rookie year with a knee injury, it’s McCarthy’s job now and he steps into an even better situation than Darnold had.  Justin Jefferson is arguably the best WR in the game, it’s either him or Ja’Marr Chase.  Jordan Addison is a great second WR and the team has TE TJ Hockenson, who should only be better another year removed from his ACL injury.  That’s three top receiving options for McCarthy.  The problem is that Addison is suspended for the first three games of the season, Jefferson is dealing with a hamstring injury, and even Jalen Nailor is banged up. Nailor isn’t the best option at WR3 even when healthy which is why the Vikings pulled off the much talked about trade for Adam Thielen. Thielen is a Vikings legend and now he returns to the team. He’s still a productive player even at 35 and he’ll be a reliable target for McCarthy.

The team also went into the off season intent on fixing their interior offensive line issues and they certainly succeeded.The offensive line was abysmal last year on the interior so we have wholesale changes this season. C Ryan Kelly and RG Will Fries were signed as free agents from Indianapolis and the team drafted LG Donovan Jackson in the first round of the draft.  Adding those three to LT Christian Darrisaw, one of the best LTs in football, and RT Brian O’Neill, a very good player himself, and you have an excellent offensive line.  Aaron Jones returns as the main RB but Jones is 30 and he gets banged up.  They didn’t have a great option behind Jones so this off season they traded for Jordan Mason from San Francisco.  He was a very effective back when he played in place of Christian McCaffrey last year, he’s an upgrade to the unit. 

Brian Flores is a defensive mastermind and O’Connell lets him do his thing on defense.  Last year it took some Flores magic to cover some of the holes in the defense so this year they got him a little more help.  The DT position was rough last year so they signed veterans Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave.  Those two are probably upgrades but there are some questions given they are aging players coming off injuries.  Allen probably still has something left in the tank but Hargrave is 32 and it’s not clear he’s going to be the guy he once was.  These two are a big bet that this team needs to pay off.  Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel proved to be excellent additions last year as both guys had double digit sacks.  If they can get last year’s other first-round pick, Dallas Turner (the non-McCarthy pick), to give them anything as a third pass rusher, it takes the defense to a different level.  Ivan Pace Jr. and Blake Cashman are good ILBs who have the skills Flores likes from his LBs.  Pace Jr. was especially affective for Flores. 

The secondary is where things could go wrong for this group.  They re-signed CB Byron Murphy, he’s become a Flores favorite but they are still a bit thin at CB.  Isaiah Rodgers was signed as a free agent to replace Stephon Gilmore.  Rodgers is a lot younger but way less accomplished.  He takes one outside CB spot.  Murphy does some of his best work in the slot so they are hoping either Mekhi Blackmon returns from injury or Jeff Okudah emerges for the other outside CB spot. Harrison Smith is 36 but still getting it done at FS while they hope Josh Mettelus can step in as a full-time player for Cam Bynum and Theo Jackson becomes the third safety. 

Chicago Bears

The Bears could be one of the most improved teams this season over last year and could still finish last in this division, it’s that tough.  They were six games worse than the third place Packers in the division last season.  Ben Johnson and his new coaching staff are probably worth three or four more wins alone after the debacle the end of the Matt Eberflus era was last year.  Johnson is one of the smartest offensive minds in football and he was smart enough to hire Dennis Allen to run his defense.  Allen has proven he’s not a great head coach but he’s also proven he’s a master defensive coordinator. 

Ben Johnson’s most important job is getting QB Caleb Williams to live up to his incredible talent.  Williams has skills that could make him one of the better QBs in the league, but he has to harness those skills in an effective manner.  Johnson can design an offense to highlight Williams and find the best way to use the talent around him, and there’s plenty of it.  WR DJ Moore is a legitimate WR1 in the NFL.  His usage last year was confusing but Johnson will fix that.  WR Rome Odunze is one of the most physically gifted WRs you’ll see, Johnson won’t squander that skill.  They signed Olamide Zaccheaus to be the slot guy and then stumbled into Luther Burden III in round two of the draft, Burden is a playmaker.  TE Cole Kmet is a weapon but rookie TE Colston Loveland might be an upgrade in the passing game. 

The offensive line was the biggest personnel issue last season and it was the interior that was the issue.  The team traded for LG Joe Thuney and RG Jonah Jackson and then signed C Drew Dalman in free agency.  If those three guys are all healthy and playing, that’s a significant upgrade inside.  LT Braxton Jones needs to be healthy and needs to improve. They have spent most of training camp trying to find a different LT but it looks like Jones is still the best bet.  RT Darnell Wright is solid and should benefit from Ben Johnson’s offense.  At RB, D’Andre Swift is the most likely starter and Rochon Johnson shouldn’t be forgotten.  However, rookie seventh rounder Kyle Monangai has really stood out in camp and the coaches love him.  I think he’s going to be the guy by the end of the year. 

Dennis Allen will run the defense and this group should work well for him. DE Montez Sweat isn’t the speed rusher off the edge you typically think of for the top edge guy but Allen prefers big, power DEs.  The team signed Deyo Odeyingbo because he’s also a big power end like Sweat.  This team’s pass rush will come from pushing the pocket more than beating teams off the edge.  At DT they are hoping for development from Gervon Dexter, a talented young player.  They also inexplicably signed Grady Jarrett to a fairly expensive contract.  It’s the one major move that I questioned from the off season but Jarrett is a pro’s pro and the team needs that for sure.  Andrew Billings is still around and they drafted Shemar Turner so hopefully for the Bears, if Jarrett doesn’t pan out on the field, they can cover. 

At LB, MLB Tremaine Edmunds is an expensive player but he’s been solid for them since they signed him as a free agent.  TJ Edwards was brought in at the same time and he’s a good LB too.  They mainly used two LBs last year and if Allen wants to use three, he may have to look to rookie Ruben Hyppolite II because there’s not a lot of depth. 

Mostly they used nickel so they use five defensive backs because they have a strong secondary. CB Jaylon Johnson may not be in the top, elite tier of CBs but he’s the next level down from them.  Tyrique Stevenson has had some ups and downs in his short career but he’s got talent.  If Allen can get him straight, they should be fine.  Nickel back Kyler Gordon is one of the best at that position in the league.  Safeties Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard are a solid duo.  Brisker is a guy who could still get a little better and be one of the better safeties in the game.  Byard is an older veteran who just knows what to do.