Turf Show Times
What did the Cardinals, 49ers, Rams, and Seahawks get wrong in free agency and the draft?
Teams that win offseasons in March through May rarely find themselves atop the standings when the calendar flips to December and January.
Free agent signings commonly become expensive anchors against the salary cap. Draft picks are fifty-fifty propositions in the first round and the odds of hitting get worse as the order progresses. Every year we spend the spring chatting about the largest acquisitions, but the player that wins your fantasy team probably came via the waiver wire.
It’s time to take off the rose-colored glasses and instead replace them with the hater goggles. These are the major moves for each team in the NFC West and why they are destined to now work out:
It was honestly surprising watching Michigan’s Will Johnson fall out of the first round. The rumor mill suggests that he has a degenerative knee issue that could limit the length of his NFL career, and that’s especially concerning for a player whose biggest question mark through the draft process was a potential lack of speed. The margin of error seems slim for this pick. What happens if Johnson loses even a half of step from the height of his athletic powers?
Sure, Kyler Murray got his fair share of new toys a year ago headlined by Marvin Harrison, Jr. In the NFL, if you assume key parts of the roster will continue its upward trajectory while turning your attention to another, you are almost sure to be disappointed. This is a league of parity and there are invisible forces constantly pulling you back toward average. Could we see Arizona take a step forward on defense while regressing on offense?
Arizona has made the playoffs a single time since they drafted Kyler Murray in 2019, and the Rams convincingly bounced them in the first round. I like most of what the Cardinals have done over the last few offseasons, but I can’t trust them to perform on the biggest stages. I’ll have to see it in order to believe it.
It didn’t take a genius to expect significant statistical regression for Stafford after his standout 2023 performance. In fact, I all but called it ahead of last season. The major question is whether this is a sign of decline for an aging player or a return to career averages.
Sean McVay could take nearly any starting caliber quarterback in the NFL and lead him to a career-best season.
LA has a blossoming roster filled with young talent. If Stafford declines beyond his drop last season, the whole system could be thrown into jeopardy.
Am I supposed to feel...
