New England Patriots

What is there to say about the defending Super Bowl champs?  As long as Belichick and Brady are around this division belongs to the Patriots.  The offense will change a little bit this season as TE Rob Gronkowski has called it a career.  He was a major security blanket for Brady and with him gone Brady will likely rely on WR Julian Edelman that much more.  The WR corps looks very deep, much deeper than it’s been in years.  Josh Gordon was reinstated from his 197^th suspension (it might be less than that it just feels like that many).  If Gordon can stay on the field, he’s an exceptional talent.  The team drafted N’Keal Harry in round one and he will bring a big, physical presence to the offense, once he’s off injured reserve.  Phillip Dorsett and Demaryius Thomas are two veterans looking to make their mark while Jakobi Meyers, an undrafted free agent out of NC State has looked very good in preseason action.  RB Sony Michel was excellent when he was healthy last season and he can be the work horse while James White remains one of Brady’s favorite weapons out of the backfield.  The team also drafted Damien Harris from Alabama to try to take some pressure off of Michel as an every down back.  The offensive line lost Trent Brown at LT but the team drafted Isaiah Wynn last year in the first round and now he’s slated to take that spot.  He missed his rookie year with an injury but he should be fine for the regular season this year.

The defense isn’t flashy, they don’t get a lot of sacks and the ones they do get they don’t get from a traditional pass rush.  The do create turnovers by getting a lot of interceptions and that comes from playing tough defense that makes teams earn every yard and they just wait for their opportunities.  The defensive line replaces one solid veteran, Trey Flowers, with another solid veteran, Michael Bennett.  The LB corps gets Dont’a Hightower back healthy and adds Jamie Collins after his last few years spent in Cleveland.  Both of these guys add elements the Patriots can use to create pass rush.  CB Stephon Gilmore is the one true standout in the secondary while S Devin McCourty is the rock the secondary is built on.  Gilmore is one of the best CBs in football which makes life harder on the guy lining up across from him.  The team has veteran Jason McCourty and youngsters JC Jackson and Jonathan Jones holding down the fort.  This team won’t rely too heavily on rookies but if one does play on defense Joejuan Williams is a safe bet to be that guy.  He has versatility in the back end and Belichick loves that.

Belichick still has Josh McDaniels around to call the offense and with Brady at the controls things will run smoothly on the that side of the ball.  That’s good because in the last two years the Patriots lost defensive coordinator Matt Patricia (two years ago) and defensive play caller Brian Flores (this off season).  Belichick never named Flores his defensive coordinator last year and he has yet to name one for this year, he probably won’t.  In the preseason it has been said that Jerod Mayo, a former MLB for the Patriots and an assistant coach, has been calling the defense.  Mayo was the signal caller when he played so he should be fine handling the duties but he only gets the benefit of the doubt because it seems Belichick has signed off on it.  If any other coach tried this move it wouldn’t go over well but when you’ve won 6 Super Bowls no one questions you.  The Patriots are my pick to win the Super Bowl, that would be lucky #7.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills invested a first-round pick in QB Josh Allen last season and this year they invested free agent dollars and draft capital to surround him with a better supporting cast. The drafted Devin Singletary and signed free agents Frank Gore and TJ Yeldon, that’s a good thing because they let LeSean McCoy go.  It makes for an interesting group in the backfield. Frank Gore still has some juice left while Singletary is an investment in the future and Yeldon is really good in the passing game.  They are covered in the backfield.  Last year was pretty awful at WR so they signed John Brown to be the deep speed guy and they signed Cole Beasley to be the slot guy.  Brown finally gives the team a guy who can get deep enough to take advantage of Allen’s incredible arm strength while Beasley is a move-the-chains kind of guy that Allen should really learn to love.  At TE the team signed Tyler Kroft and drafted Dawson Knox to remake the position into one that will be useful to Allen.  On the offensive line the team signed free agents Mitch Morse, Quinton Spain and Jon Feliciano to be starters on the inside and drafted Cody Ford to start at RT.  They also signed Ty Nsekhe to bring depth.  That’s a lot of new starters on offense but they team needed a reboot on that side of the ball.  They aren’t going to compete with New England this year but with a better offense this team could push for a wildcard spot.

The offense only has to be average to give this team a shot at the playoff because this defense is really good.  They were the #2 overall defense last season and they have a shot to be even better.  The only real loss was DT Kyle Williams who retired and they replaced him with first-round pick Ed Oliver, he may actually be an upgrade.  With the continued growth of LBs Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano this defense could actually improve.  The rest of the d-line is solid and at times excellent.  The secondary can be lights out with CB Tre’Davious White and S Micah Hyde leading the way.  DE Jerry Hughes has to stave off any drop off with his age if the team wants to continue being dominant but it would help if former 1^st round pick Shaq Lawson could produce a little at DE.  Oliver will help their pass rush as he’s a better penetrator than Kyle Williams was so that should help the entire line be more effective.

Sean McDermott knows how to coach defense which is why the team nearly stood pat on the unit they already have, with the exception of adding Oliver.  On offense they needed to surround Allen with some actual playmakers and try to protect their asset, they did both those things.  I think Brown and Beasley are in for big years at WR and Allen will take a step forward if the offensive line comes together to protect him.  New offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has been around a lot of good coaches (Bill Belichick and Nick Saban) and he knows how to call an offense.  The defense is in good hands with McDermott and his excellent defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier.  The Bills should out duel the Jets for second place in the AFC East.

New York Jets

The Jets have their QB in second-year man Sam Darnold.  He had a solid rookie year considering he wasn’t exactly surrounded by amazing talent and the coaching staff was on the way out.  Now he has a new coaching staff and while the talent level is still a little lacking it’s getting better.  The major off-season addition was RB LeVeon Bell.  After sitting out last season in a holdout Bell signed a massive deal as a free agent.  He’s the best RB the Jets have had in a while and he gives Darnold a weapon all over the field.  The WR corps isn’t great but Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa get the job done.  Anderson can be dynamic but he’s not consistent and he has some off-the-field issues from time to time.  TE Chris Herndon looked good last year but he’ll start the season on suspension so that’s not going to help.  Ryan Griffin was signed to help out there but I’m not sold on him.  The offensive line is where things could go wrong.  OTs Kelvin Beachum and Brandon Shell are nothing special.  Kelechi Osemele came over in a trade from Oakland and while he’s an upgrade over what they had at LG his play isn’t what it used to be.  RG Brian Winters isn’t bad but he isn’t being helped much by the guys around him.  The team was so desperate at center they talked 34-year old Ryan Kalil out of retirement and he immediately stepped in as a starter, that’s not a good sign.

The defense has a chance to be good under the direction of new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.  There is talent at each level but they do have some trouble spots to worry about.  On the defensive line Leonard Williams is fantastic and rookie first-rounder Quinnen Williams is one to be excited about.  At LB, newly signed free agent CJ Mosley is as sure as they come in the middle and his leadership and presence will make a difference in the middle of the line.  They lost there other starting ILB Avery Williamson to an injury but I think they will be okay.  I really like rookie Blake Cashman out of Minnesota, he can be a player.  SS Jamal Adams is a tone-setter for the defense and he’s paired with FS Marcus Maye who’s better than he gets credit for because he’s overshadowed by Adams.  Even with all they have going for them the trouble spots could be big trouble.  They don’t have an elite edge rusher to get to the QB.  They had drafted Jachai Polite, a guy that fell in the draft, hoping he might bring some pass rushing help.  His preseason was apparently as bad as his pre-draft workouts and he was cut before the season.  At CB Trumaine Johnson was solid last year and nickelback Brian Poole is a proven commodity but they are not deep beyond those two.  If your defense doesn’t rush the passer well and you don’t have great coverage in the secondary there is a limit to how good you can be.

Adam Gase is the new head coach and he got the GM who hired him fired and brought in a GM he could work with in Joe Douglas.  Gase was once considered a young offensive genius, much like Sean McVay is now.  That was only a few short years ago.  It goes to show you offensive genius only takes you so far, you have to have some good players (and QBs named Ryan Tannehill and Jay Cutler don’t count).  Gase has a QB to work with now and he was smart enough to hire a great defensive coordinator to run that side of the ball, Gregg Williams will do well even with less than ideal talent.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are a team looking for a direction and at the end of the preseason they chose that direction, it’s all the way down.  New head coach Brian Flores is going to try to bring the Patriot way to Miami but they are essentially starting the team from scratch.  There is no more obvious place this is relevant than at the QB position.  The team signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to be a placeholder as they waited until the 2020 draft to find their QB of the future.  Then the Cardinals took Kyler Murray with the first pick of the 2019 draft and Dolphins made a trade for Josh Rosen.  They aren’t overly committed to Rosen financially but for now he’s behind the 36-year old Fitzpatrick as the starting QB which makes no sense.  The team needs to see if Rosen is worth investing in long-term and they aren’t going to find that out with him on the bench.  The team has little talent on offense.  RB Kenyan Drake is hurt but he should be back at some point.  DeVante Parker offers some talent to throw to as does TE Mike Gesicki.  LT Laremy Tunsil was the only elite player on the offense and they traded him to Houston along with WR Kenny Stills for future 1^st round picks.  They need to invest up front and make a decision on their future QB, Rosen is a talented guy, they need to know if he’s the answer.

Flores is going to call the defense and it’s likely to be a tough year as the team is lacking pretty much throughout the entire unit.  DE Charles Harris is likely their top pass rusher, that’s not a good thing.  DT Christian Wilkins was a first-round pick and he’s a solid building block but the d-line is pretty poor overall.  I like MLB Raekwon MacMillan and WLB Jerome Baker, they are playmakers who just need a little help in front of them.  Kiko Alonso was a solid veteran presence at the other LB spot but they traded him to New Orleans.  CB Xavien Howard is a top-flight cover man and the best player on this defense and it’s not even close.  The team has Reshad Jones, Bobby McCain and Minkah Fitzpatrick at safety but their other CB is Eric Rowe.  Flores brought Rowe with him from New England and as a Patriots fan all I can say is Thank You.  Sorry but Rowe is terrible and with teams trying to avoid Howard and throwing to Rowe’s side it could be a long year for the Dolphins defense.

Flores has the right temperament to be a great head coach and he worked in so many different capacities for the Patriots over the years he has tons of knowledge to fall back on.  He brought Chad O’Shea along from the New England to be his offensive coordinator and it’s up to O’Shea to get the best out of the talent they don’t have.  It will be easier to do once they decide on a QB, as long as that QB is Rosen.  The Dolphins are my choice to be the worst team in the NFL this season and set themselves up to have their pick of one of the top QBs in next year’s draft.  It would be wise to know if they need to invest in Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert or if Rosen can be the guy moving forward.  Unfortunately for Miami it doesn’t look like the Dolphins are very wise.

Pittsburgh Steelers

I know the Browns are the trendy pick to win this division but the Steelers still have Big Ben and Mike Tomlin and the Browns have proven nothing so far.  The Steelers may be without Antonio Brown but they have JuJu Smith-Schuster and he’s pretty good.  They may be without LeVeon Bell for good now but James Connor proved he’s no slouch last year.  I think the combination of JuJu, Donte Moncrief, James Washington and Vance McDonald can make up for the losses of Brown and TE Jesse James.  Connor, Jaylen Samuels and rookie Benny Snell should make for a solid group at RB.  The offensive line is fine although I do think they will miss o-line coach Mike Munchak.  Roethlisberger led the NFL in passing yards last season so I don’t think his advancing age is a problem just yet.  He will have to spread the ball around more instead of focusing on two WRs like he did last year but I don’t think that will be a problem for a veteran like Big Ben.  He seems to have a much better relationship with offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner than the one he once had with Todd Haley.

The defense was fine last season and this year they are hoping for a shot of energy from free agent LB Mark Barron and rookie LB Devin Bush.  The ILB spot was a bit of a problem after they didn’t replace the injured Ryan Shazier from the year before so Bush was drafted to fill that role.  The defensive line is made up of solid veterans Cameron Heyward, Javon Hargrave and Stephen Tuitt, they aren’t flashy but they are effective.  The secondary needs some help.  Joe Haden is a solid CB but they either need Steven Nelson to really step up at the other CB spot or hope that 3^rd round rookie Justin Layne can steal the spot.  At safety they are hoping veteran Sean Davis can hold down one spot while second-year man Terrell Edmunds can live up to his lofty draft status from last year.  He didn’t exactly set the world on fire as a rookie but the light could come on at any moment.

Mike Tomlin is arguably the most underrated and underappreciated coach in the NFL, especially by his own fanbase.  Tomlin has tons of experience and all he does is win at least 10 games every year.  For me, he’s the reason I’m giving the Steelers the edge over the Browns in the AFC North.  The Browns are led by a first-time head coach Freddie Kitchens.  When I say first-time, I mean at any level.  No disrespect to what he did with that team last year once he took over but he’s going to have to prove it over more than half a season before I’m buying the Browns knocking off the Steelers in the division.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns probably have the most talented roster in the AFC North and they actually have one of the more talented starting lineups in the NFL.  They are going to give the Steelers everything they can handle in the division race and I think they make the playoffs.  They have a few questions marks that give me some pause.  On offense they are stacked at the skill positions with RB Nick Chubb, WRs Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins and TE David Njoku, not to mention halfway through the season they will get RB Kareem Hunt off suspension.  That’s a lot of weapons for QB Baker Mayfield and he set the rookie passing TD record last year without Beckham.  The real question is the offensive line.  They re-signed LT Greg Robinson after he stepped in and stabilized the position last year.  Robinson is a former 1^st round bust and the team is counting pretty heavily on him continuing to play well, that’s a little concerning.  They traded RG Kevin Zeitler to the Giants and they are counting on veteran Eric Kush to step in because former 2^nd round pick Austin Corbett has been pretty bad.  They have to hope the offensive line doesn’t undermine the potential of this offense.

The defense is led by DE Myles Garrett.  He’s a legitimate defensive player of the year candidate.  He’s an elite pass rusher who just got his first legitimate pass rushing partner in Olivier Vernon.  Vernon was miscast last year with the Giants and their 3-4 defense and now he goes to Cleveland where he gets to be a DE again.  He will benefit from all the attention Garrett gets.  The interior of the line should be good with Larry Ogunjobi and free agent signee Sheldon Richardson.  At LB they have two steady players in Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey.  Genard Avery takes over for Jaime Collins and he should be more reliable, that was the reason they got rid of Collins, he was too inconsistent.  The question mark is still the secondary for the Browns defense.  CB Denzel Ward was fantastic as a rookie and Damarious Randall was solid at safety.  The other two spots need some help.  They signed veteran SS Morgan Burnett to stabilize that spot but he’s not the player he once was.  For now, veteran CB Terence Mitchell is holding on to the other CB spot over rookie Greedy Williams but Williams isn’t making it easy and the team really needs him to step up and be the cover corner they know he can be.  The pass rush should be excellent which will help the secondary as long as the secondary doesn’t completely fall apart.

The offensive line and the secondary are the two biggest question marks when it comes to the personnel for this team but the real question is, can Freddie Kitchens handle being the full-time head coach and all the expectations there are for this team?  Kitchens has never been a head coach at any level and that’s concerning.  He turned over the staff from last season as he brought in some new blood to replace the guys that had been hired by Hue Jackson.  Todd Monken was brought in as offensive coordinator and he has plenty of weapons to work with.  Steve Wilks takes over as defensive coordinator after being fired after one year as the Cardinals head coach.  He may have failed in Arizona as a head coach but he’s always been a good defensive mind and he has plenty to work with here too.  I’m not ready to anoint this team Super Bowl contenders or AFC North Champs just yet but considering where this team was just a couple of years ago this is a pretty impressive turn around.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are in a transition period as they move to an offense that will feature the unique talents of QB Lamar Jackson and as the defense adjusts to losing some important veterans.  Lamar Jackson is a freakish athlete who still has a lot to learn about playing QB in the NFL.  As much as he wants to use his legs to make plays that’s only going to shorten his career and open him up to missing time with injuries.  The team signed RB Mark Ingram because they lacked consistency at the position.  Ingram isn’t flashy but if consistency is what you want, he’s your man.  The team has three TEs of note; Nick Boyle, Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst.  Jackson would be wise to use these guys to make his life easier.  At WR the transition is in full effect.  John Brown and Michael Crabtree are gone and the team is hoping rookies Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin fill their shoes and then some.  Slot receiver Willie Snead is the only known commodity.  The offensive line returns four starters; LT Ronnie Stanley, RT Orlando Brown Jr, RG Marshall Yanda and C Matt Skura.  The LG spot is up for grabs but the unit should be pretty solid if they stay healthy.

The defense was excellent last season but they lose three highly important players off that squad.  OLB Terrell Suggs has been a stalwart for a long time.  ILB CJ Mosley was the leader of the unit and called the plays on the field.  S Eric Weddle was great last year even at his advancing age.  The team signed Earl Thomas to replace Weddle and he’s coming back from an injury.  If he’s healthy he can be pretty good but the jury is still out.  To replace Suggs the team brought back former Raven Pernell McPhee and they are counting on Tim Williams to step up and hoping rookie Jaylon Ferguson can give them something.  The team is counting on internal candidates to replace Mosley, most of the burden will fall on Patrick Onwuasor to lead the defense from the middle.  The defensive line is solid and they get a little help with rookie Daylon Mack adding some depth.  The linebacking corps needs Tim Williams and Jaylon Ferguson to provide some pass rushing help.  McPhee is a steady veteran but he’s never been an elite pass rusher.  Matt Judon was good opposite Suggs last year and he should be steady.  The secondary is counting on Earl Thomas to be a playmaker.  SS Tony Jefferson is solid.  At CB Jimmy Smith and Marlon Humphrey are big, physical corners that can hold their own.

John Harbaugh has been pretty successful in Baltimore.  He almost always has a winning record and he’s got one Super Bowl win, that earns a coach a lot of leeway.  Not too many coaches get a chance to remake a team the way Harbaugh is right now with Lamar Jackson completely changing their offense.  There is going to be some growing pains and for now they are behind Pittsburgh and Cleveland, at least for this year.  I don’t see the Ravens making the playoffs but they will not be easy to beat any given week.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are making the transition away from long-time head coach Marvin Lewis to a very young head coach Zac Taylor.  Taylor comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree, a very popular coaching tree this off season.  Taylor was the QB coach under McVay for the Rams and now he will try to get the Bengals into the playoffs and over that hurdle of the first round.  Taylor’s new offense starts with Andy Dalton.  Dalton has been the Bengals QB for what feels like forever and while the Bengals have been more successful with Dalton than they had been in decades he’s still just a guy.  Dalton is not a transcendent talent but he can run an offense.  The team has an excellent RB in Joe Mixon and some depth with Gio Bernard.  At WR, AJ Green is one of the best in the NFL and Tyler Boyd had a break out season last year.  It would really help if John Ross would stop being a bust and bring a deep speed element to the team.  Green is dealing with a foot injury the team hopes won’t affect him for too much of the season.  TE Tyler Eifert is excellent when healthy, unfortunately that just doesn’t happen very often.  CJ Uzomah has thankfully proven to be a solid fill-in.  The offensive line is pretty suspect.  LT Cordy Glenn came over in a trade before last season and he’s fine but that’s about it.  The guards are rookie Michael Jordan and John Miller, that’s not great.  RT Bobby Hart leaves a lot to be desired.  Trey Hopkins is playing center, they need Billy Price to be healthy and actually play up to his potential.  It’s tough for the offense to get going when the line doesn’t hold up and I’m afraid it won’t especially in division with three teams that I expect to have very good defenses.

The Bengals defense lacks playmakers.  The team ranked 30^th in sacks last season and they were in the bottom third of the league in interceptions.  They simply lack an elite pass rusher and while their secondary isn’t terrible they just don’t take the ball away enough.  Carlos Dunlap and Sam Hubbard start at DE but the team really needs Carl Lawson to get healthy, stay healthy and provide an edge rusher.  DT Geno Atkins is aging and simply isn’t the player he once was while Andrew Billings is solid in the middle but not a “collapse the pocket” type of player.  The LB corps is devoid of any real difference makers too.  Nick Vigil is fine and Preston Brown is solid in the middle but no one is spending extra time accounting for the Bengals LBs during game prep.  The secondary has good players like Dre Kirkpatrick, William Jackson and Jessie Bates but none of them make plays to change the game.  It doesn’t help that the pass rush doesn’t put pressure on the offense but they don’t always give the guys up front time either.

It could be a rough year in Cincinnati especially with AJ Green starting the year injured.  This team simply lacks playmakers on defense and a steady line on offense.  I think Taylor is going to want a different QB sooner rather than later and I can’t blame him, Dalton excites no one.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see Taylor give rookie Ryan Finley some serious playing time if the season goes downhill fast.  Finley has looked good in the preseason and the team already knows what they have in Dalton.  Mixon should have a good year but he’s going to have to earn every yard behind his less than stellar offensive line.

Philadelphia Eagles

This team’s season hinges on the health of QB Carson Wentz.  Nick Foles is no longer around to step in and the team just signed 40-year old Josh McCown to be the backup because Nate Sudfeld was injured in the preseason.  Whether it’s McCown or Sudfeld backing up Wentz it’s a serious downgrade.  The last time Wentz was completely healthy and not coming back from an injury he was an MVP candidate, that’s the guy they need.  There is plenty of offensive talent around with WRs Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor and the newly returning DeSean Jackson.  TE Zach Ertz is one of the best in the league and his second-year backup, Dallas Goedert, is pretty solid too.  The team traded for RB Jordan Howard and he will be more consistent than what they had last year but that’s only if he holds off impressive 2^nd round rookie Miles Sanders.  Sanders had the unenviable task of replacing Saquon Barkley at Penn St. so he didn’t really stand out but he’s a talented player and is a more well-rounded back than Jordan.  The offensive line has plenty of talent; LT Jason Peters, C Jason Kelce and RT Lane Johnson are Pro-Bowl level talents.  Also, the team finally drafted a LT prospect to back up the aging Peters who is prone to missing time due to health issues.  Rookie LT Andre Dillard has looked good in camp and better protection is music to the ears of Carson Wentz.

The defense should be good even with a few adjustments being made.  DT Malik Jackson comes over from Jacksonville and he should give Fletcher Cox a nice running mate inside.  DE Derek Barnett will get a lot more snaps with Chris Long retired and Michael Bennett traded.  The team brought in some new blood at LB with Zach Brown, LJ Fort and TJ Edwards joining the roster around the steady Nigel Bradham.  Avonte Maddox was a revelation last season when he was pressed into action at CB after being a bit of a CB/S hybrid.  He’s now the top guy and with Ronald Darby still around and Sidney Jones healthy the team has three solid CBs.  Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod are a solid safety duo and Andrew Sendejo was signed to add depth.  Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has always been a good play caller and he has some talent to work with on the defensive side.

Doug Pederson proved he can coach when he led this team to their Super Bowl win a couple of years ago.  The coaching staff has taken a few losses over the last couple of off seasons but Pederson and Schwartz are steady influences.  It’s hard to gauge this team until we see Carson Wentz stay healthy for 16 games but I think he does it this year with a better o-line in front of him.  The Eagles are just a little bit better than the Cowboys in my opinion but it should be close.  The Redskins and Giants aren’t built to put up much of a fight in the division.

Dallas Cowboys

This is an offense built behind a fantastic offensive line, that didn’t quite play up to their abilities last year, with a solid QB and some nice WRs but if Ezekiel Elliott isn’t on the field when the games start to count, all bets are off.  QB Dak Prescott is about to become the most overpaid player in the NFL when he gets a new contract.  I’m not trying to diss Prescott but a QB who throws for 3800 yard, 22 TDs and 8 Ints, isn’t work over $30 million.  Elliott is the centerpiece to this offense and he’s a special talent.  The Cowboys are going to pay Prescott because they don’t want to go through finding another QB like they did between Troy Aikman’s era and Tony Romo’s era.  Prescott was better last year once Amari Cooper arrived and that’s because contrary to some people’s beliefs, you do need a #1 WR, especially if your QB isn’t elite.  Cooper will make Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb better which will help too.  The other piece of the puzzle that will really help the offense is having a healthy Travis Frederick at center.  He missed last season with an illness and he’s the glue that holds the unit together.  Finally, to the delight of every Monday Night Football watcher Jason Witten unretired and returned to the field.  He’s an aging TE but he will still be better on the field than he was in the booth.

The defense must overcome some obstacles.  DE Demarcus Lawrence isn’t quite healthy just yet and Robert Quinn is suspended to start the year.  Former 1^st round DE Taco Charlton is fighting for his spot on the roster and they need him to perform.  The linebacking corps is built around the newly extended Jaylon Smith and second-year stud Leighton Vander Esch.  They are still trotting out Sean Lee’s corpse but his value is in his leadership, not his play.  They should really just let that dude retire.  The secondary has some issues.  Top CB Byron Jones isn’t healthy yet and they need him.  Anthony Brown is a solid complement but he shouldn’t be the top CB on the team.  Jeff Heath and Xavier Woods are a decent pair of safeties but they don’t exactly strike fear in their opponents.

The big off-season news besides the holdout of Ezekiel Elliott is the promotion of Kellen Moore from QB coach to offensive coordinator replacing Scott Linehan.  Moore is quite young and was the back up QB not too long ago.  The hope is that his intelligence and ingenuity will lead to a more progressive offense, something a little more creative than Linehan’s.  Jason Garrett is still the head coach and as long as he is willing to do what Jerry Jones wants, he probably holds onto the job but he did make the move to Moore because he was feeling some heat with the Cowboys unimaginative offense.  Rod Marinelli is still technically the defensive coordinator but Kris Richard, the defensive backs coach, seems to have quite the say in the defense these days.  That’s not a bad thing, he just needs a little more personnel help on that side of the ball.  The Cowboys should press the Eagles in the division but they are a wildcard team.

New York Giants

The Giants are ever the optimists, just clinging to the hope that Eli Manning has one more year of being a good QB left in him.  It’s been a few years since he was one but they can still hope.  They finally pulled the trigger on finding who they hope is his replacement when they drafted Daniel Jones.  Regardless of whether you believe in Daniel Jones or not (I’m leaning heavily in the not direction) at least the team has finally acknowledged the end is near for Manning.  The offense will lean heavily, and I mean Sumo wrestler-sized heavily, on RB Saquon Barkley.  Barkley is a generational talent and for now the Giants are seemingly wasting that talent.  TE Evan Engram is good player, he would be a better player with a better offense around him.  A WR corps led by Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard wouldn’t be terrible but Tate is suspended for the first four games of the season and Shepard was injured in the preseason.  The offensive line added RG Kevin Zeitler in the off season but they are still pretty poor at RT and C.  LT Nate Solder and LG Will Hernandez are good but the unit still needs work.

The defense is still a work in progress as they transition to James Bettcher’s 3-4 alignment.  They hope rookie d-lineman Dexter Lawrence can provide a boost up front.  He has the right build for a guy on a 3-man line.  The linebackers leave a lot to be desired but keep an eye on OLB Oshane Ximines, he’s a small-school rookie with some solid pass rush skills to build on.  In the secondary the team let S Landon Collins walk in free agency but they picked up Jabrill Peppers in the Odell Beckham trade with Cleveland.  The team needs two rookies to really step up in the secondary too, Deandre Baker and Julian Love.  Baker doesn’t wow with his physical skills but he can cover and Love is much the same way.  Janoris Jenkins is a solid starting CB but his play has leveled off the last few years and he’s not getting any younger or cheaper.  Baker has the ability to be a #1 CB and the Giants need him to be one sooner rather than later.

Pat Shurmur is in a tough spot.  He wants to try to compete with Eli Manning on his last legs and Saquon Barkley on his fresh ones but this team is just not built to compete.  They haven’t fully embraced a rebuild but if the team gets off to a rough start, and that’s very likely with an offense without any real threats at WR, the switch to Daniel Jones becomes unavoidable.

Washington Redskins

Washington is so close to embracing a full rebuild, they have a young QB in Dwayne Haskins and young returning RB in Derrius Guice.  Haskins was their first-round pick this year and Guice was their second-round pick last season, then he missed the year with a knee injury.  Unfortunately, the team seems hell bent on starting Case Keenum at QB and using Adrian Peterson at RB.  Peterson was effective last year but it’s time to turn the page.  Keenum doesn’t offer the potential that Haskins brings.  Yes, Haskins comes with some serious growing pains to live through but at least he brings hope of a brighter future.  Josh Doctson finally got cut which leaves Paul Richardson as the top WR but watch out for two rookies, Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon.  McLaurin was Haskins’ teammate at Ohio St. so their connection would be instant.  Trey Quinn mans the slot.  TE Jordan Reed is a fantastic talent who just can’t seem to stay healthy for very long, when he’s on the field he’s awesome, that needs to happen more.  The drama of the off season happened on the offensive line.  Perennial Pro-Bowl LT Trent Williams is upset with the team due to some mishandling of a medical situation and he’s refusing to play for the team ever again.  So far, the team is dug in and refuses to trade him.  He’s a major loss and the offensive line can’t afford to not have him at LT.  The new LG is former Giants’ bust Ereck Flowers.  Flowers has failed at both LT and RT but for some reason the Redskins think he can play LG.  As long as they don’t plan to try him at LT, he’s not the worst choice at LG.  Center Chase Roullier is okay and the right side of the line is good with Brandon Scherff at guard and Morgan Moses at tackle.

The Redskins defense is a bit of a mystery.  The defensive line has solid guys in Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne and Matt Ioannidis but unless Allen really steps up, they aren’t scaring anyone.  They needed more pass rush so they took a chance on OLB Montez Sweat in draft after some questions about his healthy made him drop a bit.  If it pays off, he’s a huge get as monster pass rusher.  The secondary is hoping Josh Norman can stop his slide into mediocrity and that free agent safety Landon Collins can stabilize the back end of the defense.  The defense has quite the mix of older guys; LB Jon Bostic, OLB Ryan Kerrigan and CB Josh Norman, and young guys; Allen, Payne and Sweat.  The question is, does this team have an actual plan for a rebuild or are they going to just keep spinning their wheels with middling veterans?

Jay Gruden has lasted longer as Washington’s head coach than anyone could have imagined given owner Daniel Snyder’s penchant for changing course randomly.  The team needs to embrace the rebuild behind Haskins, Guice, McLaurin, Harmon and others on offense and Allen, Sweat, Payne and even CB Quinton Dunbar who played well last year.  Gruden is a good coach and I think he would get the most out of Haskins.  This team isn’t going to compete for a playoff spot this year unless something strange happens.  Embrace the future and let go of the past.

 

Kansas City Chiefs

It’s Patrick Mahomes world and we’re all just living in it.  At age 23 he threw for 50 TDs in a season, only the third time that’s been done in NFL history.  The other two guys were Peyton Manning and Tom Brady so that’s pretty good company. Mahomes rightfully won the MVP award but the Chiefs once again came up short in the playoffs.  Mahomes leads a star-studded cast on offense.  WR Tyreek Hill is a speed freak and now that he isn’t going to be suspended for his off the field issues the team can breathe a little easier.  TE Travis Kelce is one of the best in the business and a fantastic security blanket for the young QB.  WR Sammy Watkins had a good year playing second fiddle to Hill at receiver.  The team cut ties with Kareem Hunt during the season last year but Damien Williams stepped in at RB and they didn’t miss a beat.  After final roster cuts the Chiefs have added LeSean McCoy who was somewhat surprisingly cut from the Bills.  McCoy isn’t that far removed from being a very productive back.  He struggled a little last season but he should still have something left to give the Chiefs.  The offensive line was good last year but they lost Mitch Morse at center and the interior of the line might not be great, it’s the one thing that could derail this offense, if anything can derail this offense.

What really hurt this team last season was a defense that was terrible.  DC Bob Sutton was dismissed and Steve Spagnuolo was brought in to fix things.  Spagnuolo has coordinated some of the best defenses in the league before and the first thing he’s doing is ditching the 3-4 alignment and moving to a 4-3.  That meant trading OLB Dee Ford and not bringing back the aging Tamba Hali.  The team needed pass rushing from the DE spot so they traded for Frank Clark from Seattle and gave him a huge deal.  There are going to be some growing pains while the team changes personnel to better fit the 4-3 defense but this unit can’t be much worse so it’s worth the pain.  S Tyrann Mathieu was signed as stalwart Eric Berry wasn’t re-signed and while Berry was the heart and soul of the defense for a few years, Mathieu is the superior player now.  DT Chris Jones was one of the bright spots last season and he has the versatility to make the transition to the new front four.  The hope is that Clark’s presence will make Jones that much more affective.  The team is also hoping rookie Juan Thornhill can make the back end of the defense faster and more athletic.

On offense the idea is to change as little as possible and just let Patrick Mahomes keep maturing.  The weapons on offense are outstanding and he runs the offense well.  If Spagnuolo can get the defense to be halfway decent the team will be a major Super Bowl threat. Mahomes probably won’t throw for 50 TDs again, teams will adjust against him, but he could throw for 45 and still lead the league.  The AFC east won’t be a cakewalk as the Chargers are a tough team and Denver and Oakland won’t be as bad as they were last year.

Los Angeles Chargers

It’s still Phillip Rivers’ team and just once Chargers’ fans would like to know what this team could do if they could stay healthy.  Sorry, this probably isn’t the year you find out either.  LT Russell Okung starts the year injured and the team lost starting safety Derwin James for 3-4 months after foot surgery.  The team is also starting the season without holdout RB Melvin Gordon as he is angling for a new contract which he has no real leverage to get.  The team seems fine running out Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson at RB and they have survived without Gordon before.  Gordon’s penchant for missing time with injuries is not helping his cause in getting a new contract.  The team still has #1 WR Keenan Allen and last season former first-round pick WR Mike Williams started to really show some progress.  TE Hunter Henry returns after missing all of last season and that’s good news because Antonio Gates can’t play forever.  The offensive line still has questions.  With Okung out, their lack of depth is even more evident.  They aren’t exactly teeming with great offensive linemen and they could really use a breakout year from a guy like Forrest Lamp who hasn’t been healthy enough to live up to his draft billing.

On defense the team is happy to get back a healthy Joey Bosa who missed a lot of last season and only had 4 sacks.  He teams with Melvin Ingram to create a great pass rushing duo when healthy.  The d-line depth took a hit in off season and DT Brandon Mebane is aging so the team hopes rookie Jerry Tillery can contribute.  The defense isn’t great at LB but they get by.  The secondary has talent all over with CB Casey Hayward and nickel back Desmond King being two of the best in the game at their respective positions.  Losing Derwin James is going to be a killer though.  He may be listed as a safety but really, he’s a defensive chess piece that can be moved all over the field by defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.  Veteran Adrian Phillips has to step up now and the team may have to rely more on King to pick up some of the slack.  Rookie Nasir Adderley is a talented guy they drafted in the second round out of Delaware.  The team may look to him to really step up too but he’s making a leap in competition coming from a small school like Delaware.

Anthony Lynn has done a nice job in his time with the Chargers and it hasn’t been easy because this team always seems to have injuries to key personnel.  His coaching staff is led by coordinators Ken Whisenhunt and Gus Bradley so they won’t be outcoached by anyone.  The James injury is a killer to that defense, the kid was an All-Pro as a rookie.  Okung isn’t the greatest OT around but he’s far better than anyone else they have to man the position.  Melvin Gordon’s absence can be mitigated but he’s pretty good and they will miss him a least a little.  These issues likely put the team just slightly behind the Chiefs in the division but they are still a very likely playoff team.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos made a few of major moves this off season that should highly impact the franchise.  The biggest and most obvious move was trading for Joe Flacco from the Ravens.  The team has had a revolving door at QB since Peyton Manning’s retirement and while Flacco isn’t the most exciting option he does stabilize the position.  Flacco has had a steady career sandwiched around one great playoff run that helped Baltimore win the Super Bowl.  He won’t be the next Manning but he’s better than Trevor Simien.  Last season the Broncos offense was mostly made up of undrafted rookie RB Phillip Lindsay. Lindsay was a fantastic find but they hope RB Royce Freeman can give them a nice duo with Lindsay in the backfield and take the pressure off of Flacco.  WR Courtland Sutton had some good games after Demaryius Thomas was traded so they hope he can build on that.  Sutton will be more effective if Emmanuel Sanders can return from his injury that wrecked last season for him.  The Broncos invested their 1^st round pick in TE Noah Fant and that was a smart investment because while Joe Flacco isn’t the sexiest choice as a new QB he’s always loved getting the ball to his TEs.  The offensive line struggled last year and this season they imported Ja’Wuan James at RT and drafted Dalton Risner at LG and they are hoping new o-line coach Mike Munchak can work some magic and save LT Garrett Bolles from being a complete bust.  If the line can hold up this offense has a chance to be effective.

The defense still has plenty of talent and it’s still built around OLB Von Miller and his second-year running mate Bradley Chubb.  However, the biggest addition wasn’t on the field it was on the sideline where Vic Fangio takes over as the head coach and brings his incredible defensive mind to this team.  Giving a guy like Fangio players like Miller and Chubb to work with is almost unfair.  The Bears defense under Fangio for the past several seasons has been fantastic and when he got Khalil Mack last year, they were downright nasty.  Fangio unleashing Miller and Chubb is going to keep this team in a lot of games.  The defensive line isn’t sexy but they are effective.  At ILB, Josey Jewell takes over for the departed Brandon Marshall and he and Todd Davis will be asked to do a lot in Fangio’s scheme.  The secondary replaced Bradley Roby with Kareem Jackson, Jackson isn’t flashy but he’s versatile and that will go a long way in the new defense too.

Fangio is a very, very long-time assistant at the NFL level and he’s one of the best defensive minds in the game.  He waited a long time to get his opportunity as a head coach and while this team is still a little short on talent compared to the Chiefs and the Chargers they won’t be outcoached.  Fangio brought in Rich Scangarello from San Francisco to run his offense so there will be a return to a familiar Shanahan style offense in Denver.  The biggest addition could very well be Mike Munchak as the offensive line coach.  He interviewed for the head job but when Fangio got it instead Munchak was one of his first hires.  The offensive line has been a problem for a few years and Munchak is one of the best in the business, if anyone can fix it, it’s him.  Denver still has a little bit to go on this reboot but they won’t be an easy out for the Chiefs or the Chargers.

Oakland Raiders

After the debacle that was Jon Gruden’s first season back on the sidelines the Raiders have made some major changes.  The skill positions around Derek Carr are completely overhauled and if Carr can’t get this offense moving now he’ll be looking for a new job next year.  WR Antonio Brown was the big name but Tyrell Williams is a fantastic addition too and a perfect complement to Brown.  Even the backups are changing at WR with JJ Nelson and Hunter Renfrow around.  Marshawn Lynch is out at RB with rookie Josh Jacobs ready to take the reins.  Jacobs is a playmaker and Gruden should use him extensively.  They also brought in two big additions to the offensive line in OT Trent Brown and OG Richie Incognito.  Brown had a great year for the Patriots last season and Incognito is looking for redemption after his previous transgressions.  If the offensive scheme is from this decade and not the 90’s there is no reason this offense shouldn’t put up points.

The defense was pretty bad last season and the team is taking some chances hoping for a payoff.  They drafted DE Clelin Ferrell #4 overall and most people saw that as a reach (because it was).  Ferrell is going to be a starter but that’s as much of an indictment of the rest of the DE position than anything.  Ferrell is a solid player but he was a little over drafted.  The team needed a lot of help at LB and they signed Brandon Marshall, who’s a solid if unspectacular, and then they cut him.  That’s not a good sign.  They also signed Vontaze Burfict who is a wildcard, and not in a good way.  Burfict has numerous injury issues and he’s more likely to get fined and suspended for illegal hits than to actually contribute to the defense.  The team signed S Lamarcus Joyner and CB Nevin Lawson and drafted S Jonathan Abram which should tell you how they felt about their secondary.  All three should find significant roles on the defense and they should be upgrades over last year’s guys.

Jon Gruden’s big off the field move was replacing GM Reggie McKenzie with former NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock.  Mayock knows football but he has a certain type of player he’s looking for and I’m not sure it’s the best for today’s NFL.  Gruden is calling the shots but he’s taking Mayock’s advice for sure.  The biggest on the field move was trading for Antonio Brown.  So far, it’s been a circus.  Antonio Brown got frostbite because he didn’t prepare properly for cryotherapy and he’s had a dispute with the NFL over his helmet.  They haven’t even played a game yet and he’s sucking all the oxygen out of the room.  The team needs him to get his helmet on straight (literally) and play up to his considerable talent.  He will make Derek Carr a far better QB if he can just play football and forget all the other stuff.  This team still lacks playmakers on defense and they play in a tough division so they will finish fourth but they will make it harder on the other teams than they did last year.

 

 

 

Chicago Bears

The Bears ran away with the division last year so it’s completely understandable that they basically are standing pat with last season’s starters, there are a few notable exceptions.  On offense, they will count on the continued maturation and development of QB Mitchell Trubisky under the tutelage of head coach Matt Nagy to take them up a notch.  Trubisky isn’t asked to carry the offense just keep things moving and get the ball to the playmakers.  The team has a number of good playmakers in WRs Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller, TE Trey Burton and RB Tarik Cohen.  The one significant change came when the team traded RB Jordan Howard to Philadelphia in the off season.  They signed Mike Davis and drafted David Montgomery to be the complements to Cohen in the backfield.  Cohen is an offensive weapon that is best used in a variety of ways and not as a every down runner.  Davis had a good year in Seattle last season but I look for Montgomery to stake his claim to the job of doing the heavy lifting for the offense.  Montgomery is a talented back and will be a little more dynamic and versatile in the offense, more so than Howard was last year.  The offensive line will start the same five but there is one change.  Cody Whitehair and James Daniels will switch positions as Daniels moves over to the center spot while Whitehair will man left guard.  This switch is intended to put both players in spots they will be more comfortable and it should help the group overall.  LT Charles Leno Jr, RG Kyle Long and RT Bobby Massie fill out the unit that plays better than the sum of its parts.  This unit isn’t going to be confused for the high-flying Kansas City Chiefs but the offense is more than enough to win the division.

The Bears defense is what sets it apart from the rest of the division and what gives this team a chance to make noise in the playoffs.  The trade last season for Khalil Mack was the final piece to making this unit one of the best in the NFL.  There are a couple of subtle changes in personnel on the field, the most noteworthy being new safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.  He comes over from Washington after being traded there last year by Green Bay.  Clearly, he’s familiar with this division after his time in Green Bay and my guess is, he’ll be motivated to show the Packers they shouldn’t have traded him.  The real concern is the loss of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio who left to become the Broncos head coach.  He’s replaced by Chuck Pagano.  Fangio certainly knew how best to use his personnel but Pagano has been a successful defensive coordinator before too.  The team has talent at all levels of the defense.  DL Akiem Hicks, edge rushers Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd, inside LB Roquan Smith, safety Eddie Jackson and CB Kyle Fuller are all terrific defenders.  The transition to Pagano may slow them a bit to start the year but I fully expect this to be one of the best units in the league again.

Head Coach Matt Nagy won 12 games and the division in his first season as a head coach.  He returns his offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich which should really help Mitchell Trubisky’s development.  The change from Vic Fangio to Chuck Pagano will take a little time to settle but Pagano runs the same type of attacking 3-4 defense Fangio was known for so the concepts shouldn’t be hard for the players to pick up.  Chicago walked away with the division last season and while I think their competition will be tougher, I still see the Bears winning this division.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers were bad last season.  There were problems all over the place.  The team had a number of significant injuries and the working relationship between QB Aaron Rodgers and then head coach Mike McCarthy was clearly broken.  A team with this much talent and Aaron Rodgers at QB shouldn’t be this bad and I expect them to be much better this year.  The unimaginative offense of McCarthy is gone and the team’s inability to recognize the value of a good RB is hopefully over.  It took the team far too long last season to see the value in RB Aaron Jones and once they did it was too late to save the season.  Matt LaFleur comes in after one season as the Titans offensive coordinator to take over as head coach.  His career in Green Bay will be defined by his relationship with Aaron Rodgers.  The team has a legitimate #1 WR in Devante Adams but they let Randall Cobb go in free agency so the position of #2 WR is up for grabs.  Marques Valdez-Scantling, Equanimeous St. Brown, and J’Mon Moore will all take a shot at being Adams partner.  Geronimo Allison is likely to be the slot WR but the team needs another weapon outside.  Jimmy Graham and Mercedes Lewis hold down the TE spot but rookie Jace Sternberger could become a valuable weapon in the passing game.  The offensive line has serious talent especially at OT but they need everyone to stay healthy, that’s been the issue of the past few years.

In contrast to the offense the defense kept their coordinator as LaFleur decided to keep Mike Pettine but they changed out some important pieces on the field.  OLBs Clay Matthews and Nick Perry are gone, replaced by free agents Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith.  On the eve of training camp, the team cut DL Mike Daniels, a former Pro Bowler, in a cap saving move.  At safety free agent Adrian Amos comes in and the team drafted Darnell Savage Jr in the first round and he will have a shot at the other job.  The team also drafted DL Rashan Gary in round one and all these moves were made with the purpose of getting younger and giving Pettine some more athleticism to work with.  I think overall this defense will be improved.  While some of the guys they let go were excellent players in their prime they are mostly past their primes now.  These guys fit Pettine’s scheme and while I’m not a huge fan of Gary or Savage they do bring athleticism the team has been lacking.

I see the Packers bouncing back this season as long as they can be healthier than they were last year.  The youth movement on defense should help them stay fresh and avoid injury, they probably should have opted for more of that on the offensive line.  Keeping Rodgers free and clear to run the offense would help a lot.  LaFleur comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree, hence the reason he got the job, but he also ran the offense in Tennessee last year where he relied heavily on the run.  He would be wise not to forget about using Aaron Jones to keep teams honest and allow Rodgers to have a complete offense around him.  I think the Packers will be better than the Vikings by just a little bit but not quite as good as the Bears.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings offense is based around WRs Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.  Both players had over 100 catches each and over 1000 yards a piece.  QB Kirk Cousins had a good statistical year and the passing game is fine with Cousins, Thielen, Diggs and TE Kyle Rudolph.  The running game is a different story.  Dalvin Cook has simply been unable to stay healthy and last season was no exception.  Latavius Murray stepped but he’s moved on.  The team desperately needs Cook to stay on the field, he has great skill, it’s his availability that’s an issue.  The offensive line was once again an issue and the interior of the line was especially questionable.  The team drafted center Garrett Bradbury and they plan on installing him in the pivot.  The hope is that Bradbury at center allows them to move Pat Elflein to guard and that should improve two positions.  They’re still hoping Brian O’Neill can provide some consistency at RT also.  Kyle Rudolph almost got traded this off season but instead he inked an extension.  The hope is his consistency continues while rookie Irv Smith Jr. can be the dynamic receiver at TE.  Kirk Cousins can stuff a stat sheet but QBs are judged by their teams win/loss record and 8-7-1 isn’t getting it done for a guy making as much money as Cousins.

The defense took a pretty dramatic step backwards last season from the sensational year they had two seasons ago.  The personnel is still there to be excellent as DE Danielle Hunter, LB Anthony Barr, S Harrison Smith and CB Xavier Rhodes are some of the best at their respective positions.  Outside of Hunter the rest of the defensive line was a bit disappointing and that seemed to have an effect on the rest of the defense as a whole.  There is plenty of talent with guys like MLB Eric Kendricks, CB Trae Waynes and DT Linval Joseph all capable of terrific play.  The one guy that struggled last year was DE Everson Griffin, he had some serious personal issues and the team is hoping he’s ready to get back on track.  If the defense can return to being closer to what they were two years ago the team can compete in the NFC for a playoff spot.

Head coach Mike Zimmer has a lot of goodwill built up after the team was so good two years ago but that will dissipate quickly if this team hovers around .500 with an $84 million QB and as much talent as the team has.  The offense is in the hands of Kevin Stefanski after he took over during last season.  The team also brought in Gary Kubiak from Denver to “advise” them on that side of the ball.  If Kubiak can get the running game going that would help a lot.  Although he’s not a magician so I’m not sure he can cure Dalvin Cook’s inability to stay healthy.

Detroit Lions

Matt Patricia begins his second season as the Lions head coach and he’s turning the offense over to Derrell Bevell.  I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing but it is pretty much what the Lions do, they hire new offensive coaches every couple of years.  Bevell replaces Jim Bob Cooter who replaced Joe Lombardi who replaced…ah you get the picture.  QB Matthew Stafford is the one constant on the team and he always put up good stats.  Stafford has never played with a great RB and while Kerryon Johnson is better than most RBs Stafford has played alongside, he struggles with injury so he’s inconsistent.  Stafford has Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and the newly signed Danny Amendola to throw to but his new favorite target just might be rookie TE TJ Hockenson.  Hockenson is turning heads in the training camp early and he will almost certainly become a Stafford favorite in the red zone and on third down.  The offensive line was better last season and some stability goes a long way when it comes to how an offensive line performs.  If the Lions can find a running game, they will be better, they just won’t be great.

Matt Patricia is a defensive coach and he has been stacking defensive linemen all over for this team.  Last year they traded for DT Damon Harrison to go with A’Shawn Robinson.  In the off season they signed DE Trey Flowers and then this summer they signed DT Mike Daniels.  Patricia knows the value of a deep defensive line and while none of these guys are 15 sack type players, they will all be valuable pieces.  The LBs aren’t great; Devon Kennard, Jarrad Davis and Christian Jones aren’t Hall of Famers but they will be better with more consistent play in front of them.  CB Darius Slay is one of the more underappreciated players in the NFL.  He doesn’t always get mentioned with the best CBs in the game but he’s excellent.  The team needs to get him more help, Jalen Tabor isn’t great starting opposite him.  The team did sign free agent Justin Coleman to be the nickel back, that’s a step in the right direction.  Quandre Diggs is a solid find at safety but Miles Killebrew is a replacement level player.  I really like their mid-round draft pick Amani Oruwariye out of Penn St. he could be a real find.

I think Patricia is a good coach and he seems to be on the same page as GM Bob Quinn so that’s a solid start for the team.  Derrell Bevell isn’t an inspired choice as an offensive coordinator but they need some stability there.  The team needs to commit to fining a running game if they want to get better in the long run.  The defense is making strides but this team plays in a tough division so I don’t expect much out of them.  Hockenson is a dark horse for Offensive Rookie of the Year.