As the remaining number of teams dwindles to just 8, we'll take a look at the 24 who have already met their fates and discuss a main thought for their upcoming offseasons. This'll be a fluid document, updated as more teams get eliminated in the coming weekends, so don't lose the link!
In the meantime...
Divisional Exits
-Buffalo Bills: Take a long, hard look in the mirror
What's got to change? You're obviously rolling with Josh Allen, despite the 21 turnovers this season. He's incredible when he's on-- electric, competitive, physically gifted-- pick your adjective, the list goes on much longer. But why can't he get it done in the postseason?
Sure, the defense was extremely injured, but they had plenty of chances in this one. Tyler Bass missing wide right was an eerie way to end this year, but this loss isn't all on him. The Bills were clunky and dysfunctional for too much of the season, culminating into one final letdown. Lots of blame to be shared. And a tricky revamping ahead for GM Brandon Beane.
-Green Bay Packers: Get Jordan Love a WR1
It wasn't the ending that Packers fans were hoping for from their quarterback, but Jordan Love is firmly entrenched as the starter on this team moving forward. Being that he's going into his fourth season, there'll be a few more obstacles than Green Bay would prefer to deal with financially when surrounding him with talent. But given what he did with Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Luke Musgrave, etc...I'm very curious to see how an elite pass catcher would elevate his play.
-Houston Texans: Build up the defense and find Stroud another weapon
This team is super talented and young, with a blindingly bright future. They'd benefit from some help up the middle defensively, particularly at linebacker. Another top tier weapon would take this offense to the next level too. Tank Dell and Nico Collins are firmly above average players, especially with Stroud at the helm, but there's no better time than the present to stack this receiving core while the phenomenal young quarterback is on his rookie contract. Not sure what or who it could be, but a true #1 receiver in this offense would provide some must watch TV.
-Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Extend Baker Mayfield
This feels like a no brainer. How many backup quarterbacks did we have to watch this year? Atlanta went into the season with Desmond Ridder atop their depth chart. Tennessee was between Ryan Tannehill and Malik Willis at one point. Daniel Jones? Life could be a lot worse than rolling with the former top pick at the helm, especially if they can manage to swing a team friendly deal.
Wild Card Exits
-Cleveland Browns: Can Deshaun Watson regain Pro Bowl form?
The maligned quarterback had been playing slightly better ball before going down in November with a season ending shoulder injury, but still nowhere near the level that you'd expect from somebody with his contract--fully guaranteed, let us remind you. After seeing Joe Flacco, fresh off the couch, elevate this team the way he did during their unlikely run to the playoffs, there's even more pressure than ever on Watson to produce. Personally, not thinking he's going to get there.
-Dallas Cowboys: What's the missing piece? Or is it an internal problem?
Things fell into place as perfectly as they could've. Against all odds, Dallas guaranteed themselves two home playoff games by securing the second seed. Dak was playing at an MVP level, CeeDee Lamb was establishing himself as a top wideout in the league, the defense was flying around.
Then the foot came down, in the form of Jordan Love. Prescott was horrendous, clearly not on the same page as his WR1. The D couldn't stop a college team. It was a classic Cowboys collapse, in spectacular fashion. Hard to pick out just one route of action as a result. Does McCarthy go? Dan Quinn is probably safe, despite the thorough wildcard meltdown. Dak isn't going anywhere, but the notion seems to be spreading that maybe we're at his ceiling? Maybe it's just me pushing it.
I can tell you one thing though, Jerry's mind's a spinnin' right now.
-Los Angeles Rams: How many more years of Matthew Stafford?
You'll be seeing a quarterback trend here for much of the rest of this section, but it really is the pressing issue in LA. Les Snead has managed to assemble a really competitive roster composed of a few blue chip talents, but mostly late round/cost effective players. Among a projected ten picks overall, they'll go into the upcoming draft with a first rounder, their first since 2016-- ironically spent on Jared Goff. If Snead can have a few more draft night hits, this roster will just need it's captain under center to get right back here to the postseason.
-Miami Dolphins: How confident is the franchise in extending Tua Tagovailoa?
How could you watch that Dolphins-Chiefs game and be like, "Yeah, that dude #1 in the aqua-blue jersey. That's who I want to pay $240 dollars to over the next 6 years." For every moment Tua shines, he has moments that are equally bad, often detrimental to the success of the team. I.e. last Saturday. 101 passing yards almost two-thirds of the way through the game, with his full arsenal of weapons. Not a juice worth the squeeze, in my opinion. Curious what return Miami could swing for trading Tagovailoa?
-Philadelphia Eagles: How much time ya got buddy?
Not sure we've seen a defense go from historical prominence to as terrible as Philadelphia's, especially with such minimal roster turnover. Jalen Hurts went from MVP runner up to being cursed out by two of his top three targets in the final month of the year. Nick Sirianni went from a weird guy with potential for greatness to a weird guy on a scorching seat. All in the matter of 12 months. Not For Long, am I right? Similar to Dallas, this appears to be a multi-layered conundrum that Jeffrey Lurie is going to be tasked with unraveling.
-Pittsburgh Steelers: Can they admit wrong and cut ties with Kenny Pickett?
It's not like the Steelers traded up for Kenny and wasted a bunch of draft capital, he simply fell into their laps at the 20th pick two years ago-- seemingly for good reason. So they shouldn't get blasted for the miss either. I'm all for giving guys a chance to develop and generally am slow to slap the bust tag on most, but Kenny Pickett ain't it. If that wasn't clear while he was playing, Pittsburgh's offensive success once Mason Rudolph took the reins was more than enough confirmation.
Pickett's under contract for the next 2 years, so no need to cut him outright. But it's time to start looking for the actual future at quarterback in the Steel City.
Non-Playoff Teams
-Arizona Cardinals: What happens with Kyler Murray?
After returning from his ACL injury, the Cardinals' short quarterback didn't vehemently solidify himself as the guy moving forward, but he didn't really do himself any disservice either. He led the woefully undertalented roster to a 3-5 record, with 10 passing and 3 rushing touchdowns, saving his best play for the final three weeks of the season. If Jonathan Gannon and company feel good about him under center, they'll be able to expedite this rebuild.
-Atlanta Falcons: Who's playing quarterback next season?
Please, anybody but Desmond Ridder or Taylor Heinicke. This Falcons roster is absolutely loaded with offensive playmakers, just wasting away their prime with the shit Atlanta's put under center. Easier said than done, but there has to be an upgrade at the position
-Carolina Panthers: How do we get David Tepper to be Donald Sterling'd?
Until this happens, the future in Charlotte seems very, very bleak. I know there's only 32 positions, but I'm curious how many people would even consider this head coach opening.
-Chicago Bears: Justin Fields or Caleb Williams?
Justin Fields' stock in this debate took a big hit after he laid an egg week 18 versus the Packers. It always felt like a long shot that the organization was going to stick with him, even after DJ Moore's vocal endorsement, but that felt like the final nail in a coffin. Given the sparse spread of available quarterback talent, combined with Fields' astronomical ceiling, you have to wonder how lucrative of a return Chicago could get for their former 1st round selection
-Cincinnati Bengals: Is the Tee worth the steep?
Bengals fans love to harp on the narrative that Joe Burrow is going to take all of these pay cuts to keep his weapons around, a la Tom Brady. Hasn't happened yet. Tee Higgins will likely be a victim of Cincinnati's cap situation, as he seeks his first big, long-term contract on the open market. Plenty of pieces that could be shuffled to make it work, but certainly a situation worth monitoring-- especially for WR-needy teams
-Denver Broncos: What cost is worth cutting Russell Wilson?
A report came out on the ninth that Sean Payton had allegedly discussed Russell Wilson's future with him, informing the maligned quarterback that his time in Denver may not necessarily be over. $38 million dollars in dead cap will certainly have one reconsidering such a drastic move. There may be some market to move him, possibly requiring the Broncos to absorb some of his contract or package him with a premium pick, a la Brock Osweiler. But the cap stipulations of simply cutting Dangeruss are massive.
-Indianapolis Colts: Build around Anthony Richardson, while also making him watch Lamar Jackson footage of avoiding big hits
Anthony Richardson blew my expectations for his rookie season out of the water, albeit an abbreviated stint, as he was constantly injured due to his reckless play style. It was awesome to watch, absolutely electric, but completely unsustainable. They've got Jonathan Taylor under contract, plus a decent young receiving core. Time to bolster the trenches and get this team back to the postseason.
-Jacksonville Jaguars: What happened?
From 8-3, in the mix for the #1 seed, to the couch for wildcard weekend. Where do we start throwing the blame? Trevor Lawrence was often banged up, and bad when he wasn't. Christian Kirk's injury took away a key piece of the offense. Outside of Josh Allen and Travon Walker, the whole defense forgot how to play football. Doug Pederson went from a Coach of the Year candidate to the hot seat in two months. He better figure out what went wrong and fix it ASAP.
-Las Vegas Raiders: Antonio Pierce or the field?
Mark Davis has played this game before with an interim head coach that'd gained some favor in the locker room. The Raiders played with much more fire under Pierce than they did Josh McDaniels, much to the surprise of nobody. But was it enough to earn him to job moving forward? Given the money Davis owes to McDaniels and Jon Gruden, his predecessor, a move to a lower cost HC would be a financially prudent move-- something he isn't known for. The Jim Harbaugh rumors have already began swirling too. As a betting man, I'd say prepare that resume Antonio.
-Los Angeles Chargers: How do we get the on-field product to match the talent levels?
There aren't many teams in the league with more talented rosters top to bottom than the Los Angeles Chargers. Record-wise, there were only 4 teams worse than them this season. What a vehement failure by Brandon Staley and his coaching staff to not elevate this group anywhere near their potential. This should be a really appealing position for prospective head coaches, if they can get past working for the Spanos.
-Minnesota Vikings: Kirk Cousins or the field?
Kirk isn't getting any younger, but he was having one of the finest seasons of his career prior to tearing his Achilles at the end of October. Given his familiarity with the organization, it'd probably make sense to at least franchise tag Cousins this offseason while planning the contingency plan. Minnesota currently sits at the 11th pick in the upcoming draft, which could be a nice landing spot for a Michael Penix-type QB-- one who'd immensely benefit from a year behind an established veteran.
-New England Patriots: Surely we're not doing Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe round 3, right?
With the Jerod Mayo era officially underway in New England, I'd imagine there's no world that the franchise would want to enter 2024 with Jones/Zappe at 1/2 on the quarterback depth chart. Armed with the third overall pick, the Patriots will have a number of fascinating possibilities to address the position with youthful talent. No pressure on whoever the future GM is, but Mayo and his legacies will align very directly with whoever the selection is.
-New Orleans Saints: Can we break this cycle of mediocrity?
The Saints are so overwhelmingly mid, pretty much for the last decade at this point. Can this be the offseason to end it? Given their financial attachment to Derek Carr, and perpetual cap hell, they're probably destined for another season hovering around .500-- Maneuvering contracts and hoping old talents can rediscover their former glory and lead New Orleans back to the Promise Land. 451Rinse, repeat.
-New York Giants: What happens to Daniel Jones?
Obviously Jones was never going to be a Mahomes-esque sort of quarterback in this league, but what a meteoric fall from grace. Dude went from your Ollies'-brand Lamar Jackson to...Daniel Jones, in just a matter of a few games for the G-Men. To compound issues, Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito (briefly) seemed to be able to function just fine in this same offense. Luckily for New York, they're really only strapped to Danny Dimes for one more season-- perhaps he'll figure his shit out in that stretch.
-New York Jets: Fix the offensive line
Aaron Rodgers is supposedly this franchise's savior right? Well, not if they can't keep him upright or open up holes for the uber-talented Breece Hall. Revamping the offensive line needs to be priority 1, 2 and 3 for the Jets.
-Seattle Seahawks: Is Geno the guy? And if so, how much pressure or leash will he be afforded?
Pete Carroll's already out, subtracting one proponent for Geno Smith under center. I'll go out on a limb and assume the new coach will have some interest in changing up Seattle's QB situation, meaning Geno could be on the block/bench sooner than later. His contract is easily expendable after 2024, really putting his future into limbo.
-Tennessee Titans: How do we build around Will Levis?
It was clear that Deandre Hopkins presence was a positive for Will Levis, in more than one facet. But the star receiver was on a one year deal and surely would seek a greener pasture, if such an opportunity provided itself. There's going to be a new coach in town, with Mike Vrabel's shocking termination last week. Derrick Henry has also literally said goodbye to Tennessee's fans. So what is Ran Carthon going to do to facilitate the growth of their young, promising quarterback? Long list to get started with.
-Washington Commanders: Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels or Michael Penix Jr.?
Barring an Earth-shaking development, the Commanders know they're on the clock for anybody except for Caleb Williams. With Sam Howell's heavy fade over the second half of the season, it'd be stunning to see the franchise not jump at the opportunity for a top tier talent at QB.
------
@Choppinglines
*I own no rights to any images found in this blog
Comments
Post a Comment