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2025 NFC South Preview

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Todd Bowles is back as the head coach but this team is changing offensive coordinators again after Liam Coen got the Jacksonville job.  The new OC is Josh Grizzard who was on the staff last season so they hope he can keep things going with Baker Mayfield and this offense.  The defense returns most of their guys and Bowles knows how to put that side together with his DC Larry Foote.  The Bucs keep winning this division so it’s hard to pick against them especially when the rest of the division has some serious questions. 

Baker Mayfield reignited his career two years ago under Dave Canales and then kept it going under Liam Coen.  I believe there is a rule that says Mayfield can’t have an offensive coordinator for more than one season so he gets Grizzard this year.  He’s so used to it at this point I can’t even hold it against him.  Any passing game that has Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, and Tez Johnson should be good.  Evans is the definition of consistency, and high-level consistency. Godwin is coming back from injury but he’s done it before so I’m not counting him out.  McMillan stepped in for Godwin as a rookie last year and held his own, but now he’s hurt so they need Godwin back.  Egbuka was a surprise pick in round one but he’s a very talented player who can fill in at any WR position, and he will step in for Godwin for now.  Tez Johnson is a small but talented player they may need in the slot until Godwin and McMillan get healthy.  TE Cade Otten is a underappreciated member of this offense too. 

The running game was taken over last season by RB Bucky Irving.  No one is mistaking Irving for Saquon Barkley but he put together a very good season as a rookie last year.  He gives them a more dynamic runner than Rachaad White so that’s helpful.  The offensive line was one of the healthiest units last year and they were excellent.  LT Tristan Wirfs is arguably the best LT in football and unfortunately, he’s starting the year hurt.  He had knee surgery in July and they are hoping he makes it back early in the year.  LG Ben Bredeson was an afterthought starting last year but had a good season and they re-signed him.  C Graham Barton came in as a rookie and took the starting job immediately and never looked back.  He’s an ascending player.  RG Cody Mauch had his best season and RT Luke Goedeke did the same.  It’s a good unit and if Wirfs is healthy, they have potential to be great. 

The defense returns almost entirely intact, that’s both a good thing and a bad thing.  The defense wasn’t elite but they are solid across the board. The one problem is they are getting a little older in some key spots and it’s not clear they improved any deficiencies.  DEs Logan Hall and Calijah Kancey are good and they do their jobs.  Neither one is a superstar but both can be disruptive.  NT Vita Vea is 30 and you can tell he’s not quite what he was in his prime but he’s still one of the better NTs in football.  The pass rush needs some juice but all they did was add Haason Reddick at OLB.  He didn’t really play last year after some contract issues and he’s also 30.  Yaya Diaby is the other OLB and he’s young and could develop into a better player.  Lavonte David is 35 and returns as a starter.  He’s a Bucs legend at this point but he’s definitely lost a step.  SirVocea Dennis is the likely other staring ILB.  Dennis is young and athletic so he’s got that going for him.

The secondary was an issue last year with the CB position one where they were looking for upgrades.  Jamel Dean and Zyon McCollum are the starters but they need some help.  They took a second-round flyer in Benjamin Morrison from Notre Dame who’s coming off an injury.  He’s an excellent talent but it’s a hip injury he’s coming back from so that could be tricky.  They also drafted Jacob Parrish to give them some depth and he can start at nickel.  Tykee Smith was the nickel last year and he was very good but they need him to play more safety this year.  Antoine Winfield Jr. comes back for one safety spot but they don’t have someone locked into the other one.  If Parrish can give them a nickel back then Smith will slot in at safety. 

Atlanta Falcons

Raheem Morris goes into his second season as the head coach but he’s already made a coaching change.  He’s moving on from Jimmy Lake at DC and he hired Jeff Ulbrich who was the DC and then interim head coach of the Jets last season.  It’s once again a change in defensive philosophy for this unit so it could be a bumpy ride.  Zac Robinson is back at OC with Michael Penix Jr. installed as the QB.  They still have Kirk Cousins as their backup QB and I’m sure that’s not weird at all. 

Penix stepped in last year and started the final three games after the wheels came off for Cousins.  Cousins wasn’t bad to start the year but it started to go bad around November and he threw nine picks in his last five starts.  Penix looked better in his three starts and the team decided to move on but failed to find a trade partner for Cousins.  Cousins isn’t the type of guy to rock the boat but if Penix has some early season struggles, things will get testy in Atlanta.

Penix has the luxury of having a legitimate WR1 in Drake London, he was excellent last season.  Darnell Mooney proved to be solid #2 also but he’s starting the year injured with a shoulder issue.  Ray-Ray McCloud III did fine as the third WR last year but they have no depth and McCloud isn’t really a proven commodity.  TE Kyle Pitts will once again tantalize everyone with his athleticism; the question is will he actually do anything with it.  They need his potential playmaking to add a dimension to the passing game. 

Speaking of dimensions, RB Bijan Robinson had a breakout season with over 1400 yards rushing and he had 61 catches.  He’s the engine of the offense and he’ll keep defenses honest for Michael Penix Jr.  Robinson runs behind a sold offensive line that was set to return all five starters from the end of last season.  LT Jake Matthews is 33 but he’s as reliable as they come.  LG Matthew Bergeron is a good player next to him.  RG Chris Lindstrom is one of the best guards in the league and you know that because you never hear about him.  C Ryan Neuzil returns after stepping in for the injured Drew Dalman last year.  Dalman got a big contract in free agency but Atlanta didn’t even try to re-sign him because they have confidence in Neuzil. The only problem is at RT where Kaleb McGary went down late in camp and is out for the season.  Elijah Wilkinson is penciled in to start because they have other injuries there too.  It’s going to be an issue if they don’t find a suitable replacement. Michael Penix Jr. is a left handed QB so the RT is his blindside protector and entrusting that to Elijah Wilkinson, Michael Jarrell, or Jack Nelson seems like a bad idea.   

The biggest issue with the Falcons is going to be the defense.  Once again, they are changing defensive coordinators and once again it means a change in the scheme and that means some guys already on the roster are odd fits for the new defense.  The biggest issue is in the front seven and most importantly it’s the defensive line.  DT Ruke Orhorhoro probably works fine inside at tackle and not as a nose tackle or 3-4 end.  DE Zach Harrison was drafted to a 3-4 end and he’s not a good fit as a 4-3 DE or as a DT but they are playing him at DT.  David Onyemata has played in various fronts in his career so he can probably make it work but he’s also going to be 33 this year. 

At DE, they signed Leonard Floyd in free agency, drafted Jalon Walker with their first-round pick, and then traded up to get James Pierce Jr. in the first round too.  Walker is practicing exclusively as a pass rusher even though he was a LB at Georgia.  They are hoping Pierce can live up to the trade value they gave up for him.  They also have Arnold Ebikite who was drafted a few years ago to be an OLB.  All four of these guys are undersized DE but they hope to get some edge rush out of them.  Walker and Pierce are especially important given they were first-round picks.    

At LB they are counting on free agent Divine Deablo to man the middle.  He was an underwhelming player for the Raiders; they hope a new system unlocks something.  Kaden Ellis is an excellent pass rushing LB even though he isn’t an OLB.  He’ll likely play the weakside in the new defense but they would be wise to find ways to blitz him and let his natural pass rushing ability shine. 

The secondary is an interesting group.  CB AJ Terrell is not one of the elite cover guys in the league but he’s definitely a CB1.  He holds up well against most of the top WRs.  The other outside CB spot is likely Mike Hughes, he’s a replacement level guy.  They continually try to make Clark Phillips III that guy but he should probably be slot guy.  Dee Alford is their slot guy and he’s fine except they drafted Billy Bowman Jr. who seems to have won that spot.  SS Jessie Bates III is one of the best safeties in football but it’s been a revolving door opposite him and he could use a good partner.  Enter, Xavier Watts, a rookie out of Notre Dame who is a better football player than he is an athlete and that should be music to Bates’ ears.  Watts could help level up this secondary if he plays like I know he can. 

Carolina Panthers

For the first time in a while the Panthers aren’t going in to the season as the worst team in their division and that’s thanks to head coach Dave Canales.  He benched Bryce Young early last season and even though a weird injury to Andy Dalton put Young back in at QB, it jump started something in Young.  Give Canales credit for finding ways to help Young succeed.  Now it’s up to him to keep the offense moving forward and for Ejiro Evero to fix the leagues worst defense.  They got him some help, the question is, is it enough? 

Young seemed more confident after he got his starting job back last season.  They did things that took advantage of his abilities and some of the guys around him stepped up.  Xavier Leggett wasn’t a star but he made some plays. Even Jalen Coker found some success and made the team think he can actually be a part of the future.  It was still obvious the team needs a WR1 and that’s why they drafted Tetairoa McMillan in round one.  McMillan gives them a legitimate outside playmaker who is some sort of cross between Tee Higgins and Mike Evans if he reaches his potential.  He makes Young’s life easier just by being on the field.  The team did trade Adam Thielen back to Minnesota and then they lost Jalen Coker to an injury to start the year.  They brought back Hunter Renfrow after cutting him initially.  He gives them a slot guy until Coker returns.  TE isn’t a great position for them but they can still hope Ja’Tavion Sanders develops into something.  He’s only 22 and going into his second season.  For now, Tommy Tremble holds down the spot. 

The running game really improved last season with a career year out of Chuba Hubbard and the improvements on the offensive line were noticeable.  Hubbard finally got his chance to be the main back when Miles Sanders failed to be the guy and they never got Jonathan Brooks going.  Hubbard had a great year after the team fixed the interior of the line with new guards Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt.  They added a level of physicality they didn’t have before and that helped Austin Corbett at center.  LT Ikem Ekwonu played a lot better and RT Taylor Moton was his usual consistent self.  Keeping the running game going is paramount because it takes pressure off Young at QB.  That’s why the team signed Rico Dowdle to be the back up RB, he had over 1000 yards last year in Dallas.  They also drafted Trevor Etienne to give them a pass catching third-down back and even more depth. 

The defense was atrocious last year and it all started up front.  It didn’t help that their best DL Derrick Brown was hurt last year.  He should be back healthy and that will help but that wasn’t the whole issue.  That’s why they are making wholesale changes across the entire front seven. Brown gets two new starters next to him on the line with Bobby Brown III at NT and Tershawn Wharton taking the other end position.  Those guys are upgrades for sure and having Brown at NT should help the run defense. 

They didn’t stop there; the LB corps gets a facelift too.  They signed OLB Patick Jones II to pair with DJ Wonnum as their pass rushing ends but they also drafted Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen on day two of the draft.  If that doesn’t juice the pass rush, nothing will.  On the inside they signed Christian Rozeboom to pair with Trevin Wallace as they replace Josey Jewell and long-time stalwart Shaq Thompson at ILB.   

The secondary got some help but still needs some work.  They signed Tre’von Moehrig from Las Vegas and he’s a big upgrade.  The other safety spot is still a work in progress with Nick Scott, Demani Richardson and maybe rookie Latham Ransom as possibilities.  At CB, Jaycee Horn got a huge contract extension and now they need him to be a top-flight CB who stays healthy.  He has the talent, now he needs to show up every week and play to it.  Mike Jackson is just a placeholder at the other spot while they have high hopes for Chau Smith-Wade in the slot. 

New Orleans Saints

Kellen Moore gets his first shot to be a head coach and unfortunately for him, this could be the worst team in the league.  It may largely depend on what they get out of the QB position but I’ll get to that in second.  One of the more curious choices or Moore as first-time head coach was picking Brandon Staley as his defensive coordinator.  Failed head coaches get hired as coordinators all the time but Staley’s defenses for the Chargers were bad. It will be an interesting year in New Orleans.

For now, Spencer Rattler seems to have held off rookie Tyler Shough at QB.  I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.  Either one is likely overmatched.  Rattler was pretty bad last year when he stepped in for the injured Derek Carr but Shough hasn’t been good enough to beat him out.  The team drafted Shough in the second round hoping to catch lightening in a bottle but it doesn’t look good at this point. 

There are some talented players on this offense if they’re healthy.  WR Chris Olave is a legitimate WR1 but he’s been dealing with concussion issues and he’s one bad hit away from being done.  Rashid Shaheed missed most of last season with a meniscus tear and they hope he rebounds with the same speed he brought before.  They signed Brandin Cooks as a solid veteran presence after the WR group turned into a MASH unit last year.  They turned over the back half of the WR corps when they traded for DeVaughn Vele from Denver and picked up Trey Palmer after he was cut from Tampa Bay.  Solid additions but it might not matter. TE Juwan Johnson is a solid pass catcher but Taysom Hill is going to be 35 and is coming off an injury too so they shouldn’t count on him too much. 

The offensive line had injuries last season too and they need everyone to get healthy and settle into their new positions.  They drafted Kelvin Banks and are installing him at LT which means Taliese Fuaga is flipping over to his more natural RT spot.  That in turn moves last year’s RT Trevor Penning to LG, a position he’s never played.  He’s probably better suited for the interior but it will be a transition.  Both C Erik McCoy and RG Cesar Ruiz had various injuries and missed games last season.  They need both to stay healthy this year and play their best football.  RB Alvin Kamara missed a few games last season but he was still easily their best offensive weapon.  He’s been a mainstay on this offense for years and while this is his age 30 season, they need him to be the main piece again.  They have more depth at RB but no one who moves the needle like him. 

The defense underwhelmed last year and they are downgrading from Dennis Allen’s defense to Brandon Staley calling things.  They are running out the same front as they have been using with the only addition up front being Davon Godchaux, a DT the Patriots jettisoned. Godchaux brings some size on the inside but he’ll be 31 this year and his play wasn’t great last year.  They still have Bryan Bresee but he hasn’t had any kind of breakout season yet.  DE Nathan Shepard and the Saints legend himself Cameron Jordan return too.  Jordan is 36 and this group doesn’t inspire confidence.  They re-signed Chase Young as one of the edge rushers and it will be interesting to see how he fits in Staley’s defense.  Carl Granderson also returns at edge and we will see how it works for him too. 

Again, they are counting on an aging veteran at ILB in Demario Davis, he’s also 36, he was still good last year but that age cliff could hit at any moment.  Pete Werner is the other ILB and we will see if Staley can get something out of a young guy like rookie Danny Stutsman.  The secondary is facing almost a whole facelift.  They traded Marcus Lattimore at last year’s trade deadline, they let Paulson Adebo leave in free agency, and both starting safeties are gone.  That means Kool-Aid McKinstry goes from backup CB to CB1.  They signed veteran Isaac Yiadom as the other starter, that’s not great.  Alontae Taylor returns as the nickel, he’s fine.  The safety spots should be fine after they signed Justin Reid from Kansas City and then picked up Julian Blackmon later in free agency.  The safety spots have a chance to be good if those two play their usual football.  The depth in the secondary are CB Quincy Riley and S Jonas Sanker.     

2025 NFC West Preview

Los Angeles Rams

Sean McVay is one of the best coaches in the NFL and for the first time in quite a while he didn’t lose either of his coordinators in the off season. OC Mike LaFleur and DC Chris Shula return and will look to build on the successes of last season and plug the holes they had.  The Rams were a tough out in the playoffs last season and they are hoping to push themselves even farther this year. 

QB Matthew Stafford flirted with leaving this off season as he looked for more certainty in his contract and the team debated the idea of trying to get younger at QB.  Eventually, both sides realized they were better off together and they agreed to a reasonable extension.  Stafford can still have some good years left and the team will look to manage his workload to keep him healthy.  He has been dealing with a back issue throughout camp and that could be a concern.

They did cut ties with Stafford favorite WR Cooper Kupp as his age has been catching up to him.  They still have Puka Nacua who took over Kupp’s WR1 role last year and he looks like he’s not slowing down. They needed a running mate for him and someone to fill the X receiver role instead of someone who was duplicative like Kupp was to Nacua.  They signed Devante Adams who is the perfect outside X receiver.  He wins one-on-one and doesn’t need to move around the formation to do so.  Also, Stafford is the best QB he’s played with since Aaron Rodgers last MVP season, that was in 2021.  I’m not completely sure why but McVay likes Tutu Atwell as his third receiver so we will go with it.  They did draft Terrance Ferguson to give them a dynamic athlete at TE and they hope Tyler Higbee can stay healthy and, on the field, to give them some two-TE sets. 

RB Kyren Williams is the unsung hero of McVay’s offense.  There are not a lot of RBs who get 300 carries in a season anymore as teams generally go with a shared backfield these days.  Not McVay, he rides Williams as much as just about any coach.  There were only six backs with 300+ carries last year and the only two who had more than Williams were Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry.  Williams didn’t have the per carry average of those two but his offensive line wasn’t as good either. 

The offensive line can be good as a group but everyone has to be healthy and playing their best.  LT Alaric Jackson is dealing with blood clot issues to start training camp but is starting to work out already.  LG Steve Avila started last year playing center but was moved back to guard, he’s better there.  Beaux Limmer stepped in at center and played well enough but the team did re-sign veteran Coleman Shelton and it seems they are going with Shelton, I’m guessing Bears’ fans would advise against that.  RG Kevin Dotson has a big contract and can be very good.  RT Rob Havenstein is an aging veteran they are trying to squeeze every last ounce out of before they have to replace him.  This line is on the razor’s edge; they don’t have much depth if the five starters aren’t healthy or are struggling.  This line is “good enough” but they barely meet that threshold.   

Chris Shula took over the defense last year and did as good of a job as anyone could reasonably expect with a young defensive front, a suspect LB corps, and a secondary you can’t expect much out of. The team drafted a pair of Florida St. defenders in the first two rounds last year and it worked.  OLB Jared Verse was great and provided the outside pass rush they needed. He’s a power rusher who dominates at the point of attack and crushes the pocket.  DL Braden Fiske was the 3-4 DE they needed up front and he was good too. DL Kobie Turner has been excellent for his first two years in the league but this line was missing something, a dynamic run stuffer.  Bobby Brown III was fine but they upgraded when they stole Poona Ford from the Chargers.  Ford doesn’t look like the typical NT since he’s 5’11 310 lbs. but he’s a beast in the middle of a three-man line.  He will improve the run defense himself. OLB Byron Young is a good complementary speed rusher opposite Verse.

The Rams seem to have an aversion to good ILBs.  Former undrafted free agent Omar Speights will start at one ILB spot, he’s okay.  For now, it looks like former Falcon Nate Landman, another former undrafted free agent, will be the other guy.  Fifth-round pick Chris Paul Jr. out of Ole Miss seemed like a potential sleeper but clearly he was too good for them because they cut him.

The Rams secondary returns unchanged and that’s one of the bigger mysteries of the off season.  Did the Rams not watch their secondary last year?  CB Darious Williams is their top CB with Ahkello Witherspoon the other outside guy and Quentin Lake as the nickel.  This felt like an area they would address in the off season and they didn’t.  They picked up Emmanuel Forbes after the Commanders cut him last season, and he’s a former first-round pick, but he’s been terrible in his career.  There was some thought they would look to trade for former Ram Jalen Ramsey when Miami was looking to dump him but he got traded to Pittsburgh instead.  Kam Curl and Kamren Kitchens are fine as a safety duo but they aren’t exactly the most dynamic.  They are not the problem in the secondary and I shouldn’t lump them in with the underwhelming CB group. 

Seattle Seahawks

Mike Macdonald is an excellent defensive coach and with the players he has on that side of the ball, he could really raise the play there.  His first OC was Ryan Grubb and it didn’t go well, he decided to replace him after one year with Klink Kubiak.  Kubiak brings the Shanahan offense with him and it should be a great fit with the guys they have on offense.  However, the biggest change isn’t the offensive coordinator it’s the QB.

The team traded Geno Smith to the Raiders and signed Sam Darnold coming off his career resurgent season in Minnesota.  Darnold operated a similar offensive system last year with Kevin O’Connell and now he’ll get the Kubiak version of the offense.  It fits him well but he won’t have the same level of talent around him in the passing game as he had with the Vikings.  WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is a very good player who is ascending but he’s not in the same class as Justin Jefferson.  He can be a #1 WR for sure but he’s a step below.  Cooper Kupp is 31-year-old WR but he might as well be 35 with all the punishment his body has taken and the injuries he’s dealt with.  They hope he’s got at least one good year left in him.  They signed Marqez Valdes-Scantling who played for Kubiak in New Orleans last season to be the downfield threat but they cut him at the end of the preseason.  Fifth-round WR Tory Horton got off to an excellent start in camp and he beat out MVS.  Horton is a truly talented player who had some unfortunate injury luck in his college career, if he’s healthy, he’s really good.  At TE, the team cut Noah Fant right before training camp and they will go with AJ Barner, a very good blocker, and rookie Elijah Arroyo, he’ll be the more dynamic weapon.

One player who should really benefit from the new offensive system is RB Kenneth Walker III.  The Shanahan offense is a zone based running scheme and Walker should find more holes to exploit and his burst and acceleration will be a great match.  That’s assuming Walker stays healthy, that’s been an issue for him.  Luckily for the Seahawks, Zach Charbonnett has looked excellent in the preseason.

 The entire offense is designed to help hide the deficiencies of the offensive line, the 49ers have been doing this for years.  The Seahawks actually have some talent on the line but this system will make those guys better and hopefully hide the problems they may still have.  LT Charles Cross is a talented player and as long as he’s healthy, his athleticism should thrive in this system.  The team drafted LG Gray Zabel in round one to fill that hole and he too is a good athlete who can excel in the system.  C Olu Oluwatimi stepped in last season when their center retired mid-season and he wasn’t bad.  He’s not the strongest player at his position but again, in this offense, that’s less of an issue.  The RG position was supposed to be a battle between Anthony Bradford and Christian Haynes but Bradford wins by default as Haynes went on IR.  RT Abe Lucas is a talented player who just needs to get healthy and stay that way. When he plays, he’s pretty good, he just misses far too many games and they don’t have any OT depth to speak of. 

Mike Macdonald can get the best out of this defense no matter who plays but the front office is trying to give him some real players to work with.  DE Leonard Williams was awesome last season and while he’s no spring chicken, he should have some good years left.  DE Jarran Reed is also aging but he’s rock solid.  They need second-year man Byron Murphy II to be the playmaker he was in college on the interior of the line.  He and Williams could be a devastating duo up front. 

This team needed pass rush help on the edge and signed Demarcus Lawrence from Dallas, he’s definitely not what he once was but he’s still solid. They would really love it if Uchenna Nwosu would get healthy on the other side but he’s already hurt in camp.  They have some depth with Derik Hall and Boye Mafe so they aren’t completely screwed by Nwosu’s injury.  The ILB were awful last year until they traded for Ernest Jones IV mid-season.  Macdonald needs a good ILB to run his defense and Jones is just that guy.  He stabilized the defense and now they hope he can elevate it in his second year.  Tyrice Knight was a solid partner for Jones but he’s still developing. 

The secondary has a chance to be one of the better secondaries in the league if a couple of things fall right.  CB Riq Woolen has an incredibly high ceiling but he can be very inconsistent.  He has the size and physical tools to be a Pro Bowler, now he just has to play like it.  Devon Witherspoon can play the other outside CB spot but his best spot is the nickel.  If Josh Jobe could hold down the second outside CB spot, that would allow Witherspoon to be the nickel and they could unleash him.  The X factor is second round safety Nick Emmanwori.  He’s one of the most athletic players you’ll ever see but his best spot is up for debate.  The Seahawks have been having him concentrate on learning the nickel spot because they have two good starting safeties.  SS Julian Love and FS Cobe Bryant are a very underrated duo. If the team can unlock Emmanwori and leave Witherspoon at outside CB or get one of the outside CBs to step up so Witherspoon is the nickel, this unit could be elite under Macdonald.   

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers had the season from hell last year with injuries all over the place to go along with some poor personnel moves over the years finally adding up.  The coaching staff had also had plenty of turnover and Kyle Shanahan didn’t do a great job of filling the holes last season.  There’s some turnover again, mostly on the defensive side, where it was badly needed.  Robert Saleh returns to the team as defensive coordinator after his tenure as the Jets head coach ended mid-season last year.  He’s an excellent defensive mind and has made some noted changes to get the defense back on track.  Shanahan is still one of the smartest offensive minds in the game but he did promote Klay Kubiak to offensive coordinator to acknowledge the job he’s doing.  Shanahan will still call plays but Kubiak is an important voice in the room.

QB Brock Purdy finally got his new contract extension this off season and it’s a big one.  Now the pressure is on him because the team needs him to raise the level of the play around him as his supporting cast is changing. The team traded Deebo Samuel who was a reliable target for Purdy.  WR Brandon Aiyuk is still rehabbing from a major knee injury and it’s not certain when he’ll be ready.  WR Jauan Jennings wants a new contract and he’s banged up.  That leaves an unproven Ricky Pearsall as the most reliable WR.  The other WRs they have are Russell Gage, who hasn’t been healthy in years and Skyy Moore, a former Chiefs bust.  Luckily, Purdy does still have TE George Kittle who had a great season last year.  He’s getting a bit older but doesn’t look to be slowing down just yet. 

The running game is always good under Shanahan and he proved that last year using Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo in place of Christian McCaffrey when he was hurt.  That said, the running game is a lot better if McCaffrey is healthy.   He’s still one of the most dynamic playmakers in football.  He’s 29 and he’s had a lot of touches in his career so they need to manage his workload to keep him healthy. They traded Jordan Mason in the off season and then saw a number of injuries at RB so they made a brilliant trade to get Brian Robinson Jr. from Washington.  He’s going to be a key piece of the offense to keep McCaffrey healthy.   

Shanahan’s offense is known for making the offensive line better than the sum of its parts and they are really putting that to the test.  LT Trent Williams will be 38 this year and he took some time off for personal reasons last season, he’s not going to be around forever.  They let LG Aaron Banks leave in free agency, it was smart not to pay him what the Packers are paying him, but they don’t have great replacement options. Ben Bartch is penciled in for now.  C Jake Brendel is fine but not great.  RG Dominic Puni played well for them as a rookie last year, it would be nice if he continues to develop. The problem is he was hurt in camp and his return is unknown. RT Colton McKivitz is somehow still the starter there.  They also lost OT Jaylon Moore to an overpay by the Chiefs in free agency but that means they have no depth on this line at all.  This line is one Trent Williams injury away from being very bad. 

The defense gets a makeover on the coaching staff and they didn’t stop there.  The 49ers were awful up front on defense last year as it was basically DE Nick Bosa and a bunch of guys you didn’t want starting.  They started the makeover with the draft taking DE Mykel Williams in round one.  He’s not a great pass rusher but he’s an excellent run defender already and he’ll start.  The run defense was terrible so they didn’t stop with Williams. At DT they have Jordan Elliot but they drafted Alfred Collins and CJ West in rounds two and four respectively in the draft.  Collins and West are going to be big for them whether they start or not.  GM John Lynch pulled off one more move to help up front.  He made a trade to get Bryce Huff from the Eagles as a designated pass rusher.  Huff was a bad free agent signing for the Eagles last year but he played well under Saleh in New York and should fill a need here. 

MLB Fred Warner is still one of the best in the league but he’s working with an unproven group around him.  Dee Winters was a sixth-round pick in the 2023 who stepped in when Dre Greenlaw was hurt last season but doesn’t have much experience. The other likely LB is rookie third-round pick Nick Martin.  He’s fast but a little undersized and has no experience. Saleh has his work cut out for him with this group but even more so with the secondary. 

At CB, Deommodore Lenoir will have to step into the CB1 spot with Charvarius Ward leaving for Indy.  He’s a good player but it’s a big step up for him.  Renardo Green was solid as a rookie but now he’s moving up the depth chart too.  They are also counting on rookie Upton Stout to be the slot corner.  The safety spot is also beat up.  Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha are supposed to be the starters but both are injured and Mustapha starts the year on the PUP list. For now, it’s rookie Marques Sigle, a fifth-round pick and Jason Pinnock, a career backup.  It could get ugly fast if they don’t get pressure up front. 

Arizona Cardinals

This will be year three for head coach Jonathan Gannon, OC Drew Petzing, and DC Nick Rallis and it’s time to take a step forward.  The offense should have consistency at least with almost no turnover in personnel.  They are looking for development from the young guys and for Kyler Murray to step up.  On defense they needed a lot of help and they made some major upgrades in personnel, especially on the front. 

QB Kyler Murray is going into his seventh year in the league and he needs to take a step forward if this offense is going to succeed.  Last year was his first full year in the offense after missing the first half of 2023 coming off a knee injury.  He had 11 interceptions last season and that’s a little high considering he only had 21 TDs.  It’s on Murray to find ways to improve because the team didn’t get him any real help, they are running it back on offense. 

Marvin Harrison Jr. didn’t have a great season as a rookie but contrary to some opinions, he wasn’t bad.  WR Michael Wilson is probably the WR2 with Greg Dortch set to be the slot guy.  It’s not a great group and veteran Zay Jones is the next guy.  TE Trey McBride did have a breakout season last year as he lived up to his talent.  He’s the top target although they would like to get Harrison to be that guy.

The running game was effective last year with James Connor leading the way.  Connor is a solid back but they hope to get Trey Benson more involved to add a more dynamic element to the run game.  The offensive line isn’t teeming with great talent but they work well as a unit.  LT Paris Johnson Jr. is a good player.  C Hjalte Froholdt has turned into a competent center.  LG Evan Brown returns after a decent year while RG Isaiah Adams steps in full-time at RG.  RT Jonah Williams missed most of last season and they hope to have him back this year.  They don’t have depth to count on so they need these guys to be healthy. 

The defensive front has undergone a major revamp.  Veterans DE Calais Campbell and DT Dalvin Tomlinson were signed to give the front some much needed heft and consistency.  Add in the return of last year’s first-round pick Darius Robinson and you have a whole new look up front.  They also drafted Walter Nolen III in round one this year but he’s injured to start the year.  Pushing guys like Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols to backup roles also helps the depth up front. 

They also spent big to get themselves a new pass rusher in Josh Sweat.  He is coming off a good year in Philadelphia where he once played for Jonathan Gannon.  OLB Baron Browning should start opposite Sweat with BJ Ojulari eventually returning from injury as the third guy.  LB Zaven Collins has been a pass rusher for a few years but the team is also looking at him back at ILB where he played early in his career.  The have Mack Wilson returning at one ILB spot and then they signed Akeem Davis-Gaither as the new running mate inside.  They aren’t a dynamic duo but they are a solid pair.   

The secondary has some nice pieces but besides FS Budda Baker they lack top-end talent.  Or at least they did until round two of the draft when they stole CB Will Johnson.  They have needed a CB1 for a few a while and Will Johnson had some injury history and some speed questions that had him fall to round two of the draft.  He’s a massive steal and he’s looked awesome in camp and should be their top CB immediately.  Max Melton is their second-year guy who can be the CB2 with Garrett Williams as the nickel guy.  That’s a decent trio to go to work with.  Baker teams with SS Jalen Thompson who is an underrated player.  The secondary could be good if the team can get a pass rush up front to help them out.              

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.