Obviously the most important thing for every single team in this 3GML season is the quarterback situation. Every team has a major storyline at the most important position in team sports. The defending champion Packers moved on from 3 time Super Bowl Champion, and defending MVP, Aaron Rogers via a major trade to the Broncos. The 49ers went all in to go get the ultra talented Justin Fields in the draft, signaling a transition period for the franchise. The typically power run focused Dolphins are changing to a spread offense to cater to their young signal caller Jalen Hurts. The Texans are staying the course, going with a retreat who played well last year for them in Andy Dalton and a potential combination with the mustached star Gardner Minshew. The odds are the team that plays the quarterback position the best is going to be the team that hoists the 3GML plaque at the end of the season. This is the first year where none of the teams are favored or even likely to win a Lombardi.
Another major storyline is the weaponry for all of these teams. While the quarterback situation is tenuous at best, all among the bottom quarter of the NFL, the weapons each team have can be described as dynamic. The biggest and most capable receiving corps in the NFL reigns in South Beach. The Dolphins are going all in with their appraoch this offseason, trading for superstar Julio Jones, and adding blossoming star Corey Davis to a duo that includes the best all around tight end in the NFL in George Kittle and one of the top intermediate threats in the league in Allen Robinson. This quartet forms perhaps the greatest weaponry in the NFL. If Jalen Hurts can put up big numbers in a wide open offense with these 4 targets, it’ll be obvious to the Fins’ that Hurts isn’t the guy.
For the Packers, a combination of Justin Jefferson and Stefon Diggs is going to be the best route running duo in the league. Those two are impossible to defend with man coverage and therefore Tua is going to see an insane amount of zone coverage this next season. That should lead to a middle of the field feast for Hunter Henry, who resigned a big contact with the Pack this offseason. One of the bigger questions the team faces though is if JuJu is going to be that big number 3 threat he’s been the past few seasons. If he and Henry see as much zone as we think, Tua should have a ton of easy throws.That won’t be an issue, and it hasn’t been even in the real NFL. The big question is can Tua push the ball down field and fit the ball into the tight redzone windows, if he can GM SD could win his 3rd straight Super Bowl, if he can’t the Packers are going to use all their draft capital to get their guy next April.
How is the Justin Fields experiment going to work in the Bay Area? The 49ers offense is one of the easiest in the league to operate, running mostly half field reads and levels concepts off of play action. Fields should thrive in this type of offense as his biggest weakness is reading the field, his accuracy and athleticism has never been in quesiton though and he could dominate with the offensive scheme. If he’s prepared to be the man in San Francisco they could certainly challenge for a wild card spot. I don’t know if this team, after losing it’s two best players in Williams and Jones this offseason can win the NFC West, but the weaponry here is still quality. Tyler Boyd is one of the most consistent players in the NFL, CeeDee Lamb is an emerging star who will continue to improve, and a recent trade for James Washington adds some much needed depth. Alvin Kamara is still going to be a passing game focus as well. If Fields can play up to his level, even with rookie mistakes, the 9ers could be a factor in the NFC.
The Texans are in the worst long term situation at the quarterback position, going into the season with some mediocre starting options in Andy Dalton and Gardner Minshew. Dalton played fairly well for Houston last season and knows the offense, but Minshew is likely to get some reps for the Texans as well. The Texans have an excellent offensive line, and good running backs to keep the pressure off of whoever lines up behind center. The depth at the receiver and tight end position is enviable as well, with the perennial underrated Brandin Cooks, versatile Sterling Shepard, and John Smoke Brown, the Texans have a dynamic trio. The tight end position has a top 10 player in Mike Gesicki and the most reliable player at the position in the league in Kyle Rudolph. If Dalton and Minshew can play decent football, the Texans will win the AFC South, if they can’t… it’s going to be a long winter on the Gulf.
Outside of quarterback every single team has some issues to deal with as well. While these teams are all competitive and will be tough to beat on a week in and week out basis, each team has some achilles’ heels that may pop up and knock them out of contention.
The Dolphins biggest issue is definitely their lack of a top end CB option. The team seems obsessed with bringing in slow slot options and has a complete disregard of outside cornerbacks. A really good team with great outside speed like Kansas City is going to present a gigantic problem for the Fins. While the defense is beginning to take shape in a “positionless” league, their inability to matchup on the outside with physical or fast receivers could end up being their undoing. If the Fins are in the mix at the trade deadline I could see them making a big push to grab a CB1 on a losing team. If they don’t and get a poor matchup later in the season, it could cost them a plaque.
The 49ers lack of depth at some key positions, particularly edge rusher, could end up being a big issue. Last season they didn’t get enough pressure on a regular basis, and while the team has two exceptional young talents in Brian Burns and Bradley Chubb, they don’t have any depth behind them. They also have some issues in terms of stopping the run straight up the middle, I’m wondering if their DT’s are strong enough to hold up against the run. This lack of depth is concerning, particularly in a league (Madden) where pressuring the quarterback is such an important piece. If Burns or Chubb get hurt, the team could really struggle to get a pass rush. The team let go of inconsistent but talented Marshon Lattimore this offseason as well. Can they hold up in coverage long enough to get home as a pass rush? What happens when those two get tired, or hurt? If the 49ers are in contention, they may be buyers at the deadline for a pass rusher.
The Texans have excellent depth, going 2 or 3 deep at almost every position, a key piece of the second year for expansion GM TH. However, the team doesn’t have any real true 90 rated players and therefore they don’t have big time difference makers. That lack of big time players is extremely disconcerting. If they can’t have someone who can win one on one battles over and over again they are going to have to play perfect football on a week to week basis to win games. Injuries aren’t going to scare the team but the lack of superstars mean that they aren’t going to get the win or two or three that eams with stars get because they can dominate the games by themselves. Every game the Texans are going to win is going to have to be a team win, and that’s a lot of pressure on David Shaw’s coaching staff, particularly with game managers at quarterback.
Each team really has an x-factor that could help push them from being a good team to being a championship contender. We’ve seen that any team that makes the playoffs regardless of how complete they are can win a title. What players on each team can make these teams go from competitive to legendary?
For the Dolphins the team has some holes but the most insane weapons in the NFL. The most important player for this team moving forward is going to be Hassan Reddick though. Last season for the Cardinals he was dynamic and provided a serious spark as a pass rusher, in this positionless defense he’ll have to provide the same spark. Reddick needs to be a double digit sack guy for this team to be elite becuase they lack the corners to shut down teams on the back end. If Reddick can’t be an elite player, they won’t get enough pressure on defense and their corners will get smoked, he has to be a 3GML all league player or the Fins will be in shootouts all season long.
The Pack absolutely have to have a big season from Liam Eichenberg. The Packers lost both their starting tackles over the past two seasons and now have the most tenuous offensive tackle situation in the NFL. If Eichenberg as a rookie can’t jump in a be at least a decent player protecting Tua’s blindside, the Packers won’t have a chance to see what Tua can become. He’s the most important non quarterback on the defending Super Bowl champs and by far the most important non QB rookie in the NFL.
The 49ers obviously need a big season from Justin Fields, but their most important non quarterback is their arguably best overall player in Derwin James. If James is healthy he’s probably the favorite for the DPOY in the 3GML. He’s someone who can completely dominate games on the defensive side, and if he stays healthy for 14 games or more this season, he’ll likely be in the running again. In a year where the 49ers have stated they are “retooling” they have to have a playmaker who can change games in an instant, nobody fits that bill more than DJ, he’s a superstar.
The Texans have to have someone step up and be a dominant player for them, or they have zero chance of winning the AFC South. That said the guy they need to be great for them is actually someone fairly random, they have to get A graded play from Carlos Dunlap. That may be asking a lot but the Texans don’t have many guys who can win one on one in a pass rush situation, but Dunlap can. If he can be an 8-10 sack guy the Texans have a chance to be very solid defensively, as their secondary is deep and talented. If they can’t get pressure though they’ll expose their defense by blitzing even more frequently than normal, and they blitz the 5th most in the NFL. If Dunlap can give them a solid season and win enough one on ones, they could be dangerous defensively, if not, they could give up some big plays.
