3-Guys Madden League: February 2020

With the passing of another Super Bowl, NFL front offices are swinging their full attention to the 2020 off-season. Each team will be taking an introspective look and identifying roster needs they must address in either free agency or the upcoming NFL draft. New front offices will be hoping to turn around beleaguered franchises, while under the close scrutiny of ever increasing media attention. Given their history of success in the league, decisions by the 3GML general managers this offseason will be sure to draw high praise or loud criticisms from their new fanbases. We will take a look at what team needs may be driving the decision-making for these franchises.

For each team, 3 positions of need will be presented and ranked by how “dire” of a need the roster holes are perceived by our analysts (me). These will be defined as “Explicit Need”, “Strong Need”, or “Probable Need”. Other potential needs are also listed. Team strengths and depth will also be discussed as areas of little need, but per the old GM adage, “Don’t let a good player prevent you from getting a great player.”

Miami Dolphins - GM EP

The Dolphins GM started his offseason with a bang by trading their 27th pick for QB Cam Newton, despite having incumbent starter Jacoby Brissett on the books for a cool $21 million next year. If Cam stays healthy, there is no doubt he is an upgrade over Brissett, but given the last few seasons, that is a big “if”. Regardless, we can wipe QB off the immediate team needs. As well, RB (Ingram/Fournette) is an area of strength, and the TE room is led by superstar George Kittle, who may be looking at a monster contract extension this offseason. While OL depth is always a plus, the Dolphins O-Line boasts some solid starters, including ascending 2019 1st round pick Erik McCoy. The other side of the trenches could stand to be upgraded, but the edge position will become a strength if Shaq Barrett can repeat his success after a breakout campaign. The question will be whether GM EP is willing to pay the money to keep Barrett, who will likely command top dollar in free agency. Assuming Barrett stays, we’ve identified the following top needs for the Miami Dolphins for the 2020 offseason:

Explicit Need: WR1

We know that GM EP loves the old-school power running game, but in today's NFL, a strong WR room is a must. This WR group is led by Sterling Shepard, who is truly best suited in the slot. While Jakobi Meyers posted a strong rookie season, he lacks elite physical traits, posting a pedestrian 4.63s in the 40 (13 percentile) last offseason. The rest of the room is rounded out by Keelan Doss and KeeSean Johnson - players who saw little action last season. This team needs a true alpha on the outside, who can start Day 1 and allow Shepard to operate out of the slot. With arguably the deepest WR class to grace the draft in years up for the taking, we anticipate the Dolphins will take a close look at WR options in the first few rounds.

Strong Need: LB

We go from one of the deepest positions in the draft to one of the shallowest. Luckily, some options will be available in free agency. Either way, the Dolphins will be looking to upgrade their LB corps. Presently, Raekwon McMillan and Jerome Baker hold down the outside, but only FA Josh Bynes is listed as Mike. McMillan could step into this position, but would leave a hole in the lineup without a strong replacement on the roster. If the Dolphins are looking at LB in the draft, it is best they take one early, with targets like Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray or LSU’s Patrick Queen (we expect Isaiah Simmons will go before Miami’s first pick) available in the 1st round. Free agency has several options, but it will depend on whether the Dolphins wish to pay for a position that has seen a recent uptick in annual average money.

Probable Need: CB

It was a toss up between OL or CB here, but we opted for CB for the same reason we see WR as a problem. Miami’s CB group is headed by Desmond King, who does his best work in the slot. You could say the same for Taron Johnson and Siran Neal. The Dolphins could use a true boundary defender, which would allow King to slide into the slot and do his best work. This draft will have a few good day 1 and 2 options for Miami, as the free agent market will look to get pricey with only limited top end talent available like Byron Jones or the aging Chris Harris. Miami could also resign departing FA James Bradberry to help fill this need, but another outside defender would still be beneficial.

Other potential needs: LG, K

Houston Texans - GM TH

The Texans GM is in an unenviable position this offseason, having already committed top dollar to DE Trey Flowers and LB Myles Jack last season, and with impending contracts for Edge Jadaveon Clowney, and CB’s Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey. All 3 are expected to command top dollar deals, and it will get tight quickly for Houston’s cap space. But it is hard to argue against the talent at those positions. So it's a good thing the Texans are more than set at QB, with Lamar Jackson’s favorable rookie contract on the books for the next few seasons. Throw in a strong RB squad (also mostly rookie contracts) and the picture looks brighter. We also know just how much Lamar likes his TE’s, and it’s hard not to like the upside of O.J. Howard (in an offense that actually will use him) and Jace Sternberger. Aside from these clear roster strengths, we’ve identified the following top needs for the Texans for the 2020 offseason:

Explicit Need: DT

You could argue safety here, but for us, it comes down to winning games in the trenches. The Texans defensive interior is manned by solid NT Steve McLendon, and not much else. We know Trey Flowers slides inside in passing situations, but it is clear this team is hurting for DL depth. There are a number of viable options in free agency that we expect GM TH will take a hard look at, but again, the impending cap situation may prove prohibitive. The draft has some top end talent with Auburn’s Derrick Brown and the Gamecocks’ Javon Kinlaw, but we expect both of these players will be gone in the top 15. The DL depth in this class appears questionable, although the draft process has yet to fully playout. It will be curious to see how the Texans GM navigates this need over the next few months.

Strong Need: S

We stated before that safety could easily be seen as the top need, so it’s clear this position must be addressed. The Texans traded the talented, but oft-injured FS Malik Hooker to the Chargers this offseason, leaving a big hole in his place. Currently, the SS position could be manned by pending FA’s Eric Berry or Vonn Bell, the latter who is a solid, if unspectacular player. Opposite of Bell or Berry, the Texans have last year’s draft pick Deionte Thompson. However, questionable instincts and durability caused him to slide in last year’s draft, and he did little in his rookie season to assuage those concerns. Luckily, we expect 2 solid options (Alabama’s Xavier Mckinney and LSU’s Grant Delpit) will be within reach of the Texans first draft pick. It just depends on whether Houston will be willing to pull the trigger then.

Probable Need: OL

We went with OL in general here, because we feel that the left side of the Texans O-line could stand to be upgraded - both LT and LG. It appears in stark contrast to the right side, which is held down by the mauling RT Orlando Brown, Jr. and solid RG Brian Winters, not to mention their last year FA acquisition C Matt Paradis. The Texans have expressed interest in resigning LT Kelvin Beachum, who is an average starting tackle in the NFL, but we expect them to take a look at the decent tackle class in this year's draft. At the moment, oft-injured G Forrest Lamp is pegged to fill the hole at LG created by Kelechi Osemele’s departure, which shouldn’t inspire much confidence. Unfortunately, this draft is weak at the top with interior OL, although there are some intriguing Day 2 options. Top end free agents are also available with Joe Thuney and Brandon Scherff, but we expect the Texans GM will look elsewhere to fill the hole.

Other potential needs: WR, OLB

San Francisco 49ers - GM CD

San Francisco’s GM has been quiet this offseason, giving little clue as to what SF might do in free agency or the draft. The latest playoff push has shown this roster is deep in several places, but weak in some critical positions. The 49ers boast arguably the deepest LB group, led by Demario Davis, and look to resign the perennially underrated Joe Schobert. Behind them, the safety tandem of Derwin James and Marcus Williams form a rangy backend to the 49ers defense, with upcomers Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Xavier Woods adding solid depth. The 49ers have invested heavily at the Edge position in the recent drafts (two 1st round picks in 2 years), so it is unlikely they will spend high draft capital at that position. On offense, the RB duo of Kamara and Lindsay remain a strength. To aid in the running game, a significant portion of the Niners cap is tied up with the offensive line, which has slowly been upgraded over the last few seasons. Instead, we have identified a few glaring needs that may impact the 49ers ability to get back to the playoffs in 2020.

Explicit Need: QB

This is about as glaring as it gets. Teddy Bridgewater was benched in favor of Marcus Mariota last season, after showing a propensity for turning over the ball. Teddy will again be given a chance at starter, but it is clear he is nothing more than a game manager at best. The 49ers will need a more dynamic QB if they want to get the best out of Shanahan's system and keep up with the dynamic NFC West. Free agency won’t be the answer here, since the team will likely need to pay Teddy decent money to keep him. It also appears the team lacks the draft capital to move in range of the top QB prospects. They will have to wait and see if options like Justin Herbert or Jordan Love fall to them at pick 13 (or in range for a trade up), or whether they wait and see what next year presents. Either way, the long term QB situation is murky for the 49ers.

Strong Need: DT

Until this offseason, no one would have pegged DT as a strong need for the 49ers, but Damon “Snacks” Harrison surprised the football world when he announced that retirement was an option. While the 49ers are excited for their young 3T Maurice Hurst, no solid replacement for Harrison is currently on the roster. Even if Snacks decides to come back, his age and recent injury history suggest it is time the 49ers start thinking about the future of their DL. Look for the 49ers to address their DL in free agency or the NFL draft. At pick 13, Auburn’s Derrick Brown and SC’s Javon Kinlaw may be in consideration for the 49ers.

Probable Need: WR

This was a toss up between CB and WR, but WR gets the nod here after a strong season by CB J.C. Jackson. The 49ers invested heavily at WR this last off-season, signing Julio Jones to a fully guaranteed contract and locking up Tyler Boyd after a breakout 3rd campaign. While Jones is the clear X receiver, Boyd is best suited in the slot. This leaves the Z receiver position in question. For the last 3 seasons, the 49ers have lacked a true field stretcher to pair with Julio, and have trotted out the likes of Jermaine Kearse and Nelson Agholor with marginal returns. With a very deep WR draft, the 49ers might look to finally get a deep threat to pair with Julio and open up the vertical passing game they have long desired.

Other potential needs: CB, DE

Green Bay Packers - GM SD

Up until recently, there weren’t many roster needs for the reigning 3GML Super Bowl champion. As is often the case, a Super Bowl roster is hard to keep, with players looking to cash in on their recent success. But this team has answers for many of the departing players. While star RB Gurley is out the door, a strong season by Kenyan Drake suggests little transition will be needed. Recent draft capital has built a strong young interior OL led by the elite LG Quiton Nelson, and the left side is manned by the underrated LT Jake Matthews, who locked up for several more years. The DL is coming off a monster year leading the league with sacks, with both Myles Garrett and Geno Atkins breaking league records. The 2019 3GML rookie of the year, MLB Devin Bush, brought a much needed presence to the middle of the defense, and shored up a previously weak area. We should note that there has been some questions surrounding the future of the Packers Star QB Aaron Rodgers, who might be showing signs of regression with age. But this roster is still in win now mode, and Rodgers is still dangerous. Given that, we will look elsewhere for roster holes:

Explicit Need: RT

The departure of RT Ryan Ramczyk has left a massive whole in this talented O-Line. We know that GM SD has spent a lot of recent draft capital to protect Rodgers and boost the Packers running game, and that practice has brought this team success. Currently, David Edwards and Tyrell Crosby are the rostered replacement options, but the former is best at G and the latter a backup swing tackle. Given the pride GM SD puts in his offensive line, we expect the Packers to address this need high in the draft and / or in free agency. With the 3rd pick in the draft, the Packers could have their choice out of the top trio of Jedrick Wills, Tristen Wirfs, and Andrew Thomas.

Strong Need: WR

On the surface, this wouldn’t look like a need, but GM SD will tell you it has been for a while now. Brandin Cooks and JuJu Smith-Schuster form a great 1A / 1B tandem, but there is little appealing talent behind them. Last year's 3rd round pick, Hakeem Butler, had a lost season, and the remaining positions are filled by UDFA’s and a specialist (Tavon Austin). To truly take this WR room to the next level, the Packers need a true X-receiver, allowing the speedy Cooks to stretch the field from the Z-position, and JuJu to get clean releases from the slot where he is most dangerous. It is hard to imagine the Packers won’t look to take advantage of a deep WR draft and a plethora of Day 2 picks to address this long-standing need.

Probable Need: CB

At this point, team needs become a little less clear for the Packers. You could argue TE, although with Kyle Rudolph at TE2 and Hunter Henry likely retained, the situation could be worse. OLB springs to mind as well, as the position opposite of Zach Cunningham is a question mark. We settled on a CB instead. CB1 is clearly locked up by the underpaid Casey Hayward. The Packers seem likely to resign Mackenzie Alexander, who has settled comfortably in the slot position after a rocky start in the league. However, the other CB position remains unfilled. The Packers drafted the talented CB Greedy Williams, who fell to the 2nd round last year due to character concerns and an latent allergy to tackling. He did not progress as hoped this last season, battling injuries and rookie growing pains. Greedy will need to show considerable growth over the next season to step into a full-time starting role in the Packers vaunted defense. We expect that the Packers will be looking for a veteran presence in free agency to mentor the young CB and lock down the field opposite of Hayward.

Other potential needs: OLB, S

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