NFC West offseason exit interview: 3 good things, 3 bad things for each team
The Cardinals look like the team to beat in a division that just added Chip Kelly and Jared Goff
By
John Breech
•
20 min read
The roster-building portion of the NFL offseason is all but over. Your favorite team's lineup is pretty much set, with the big names in free agency all snatched up and the 2016 NFL Draft in the books.
How did your favorite team do addressing its biggest needs heading into May and June OTAs? We're taking a team-by-team look with offseason exit interviews for each division. Next up: The NFC West.
San Francisco 49ers
Three positives
1. They hired Chip Kelly
When Chip Kelly was hired by the 49ers back in January, he took over a team that was in complete disarray. Fortunately for San Francisco, Kelly's basically a janitor when it comes to cleaning up messes left by prior coaching staffs. Remember, during his first year in Philadelphia, Kelly took over a 4-12 team left by Andy Reid and turned it into a 10-6 playoff team. Not only that, but the Eagles actually won the division during Kelly's first year in Philly.
That being said, the NFC East isn't the NFC West and it's unlikely that Kelly's going to be able to pull off that type of turnaround in San Francisco. Although Kelly might not be able to completely clean up the mess left by Jim Tomsula in 2016, he's definitely a big upgrade over Tomsula, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the 49ers easily surpass the 5-11 record Tomsula put together in 2015.
2. They picked up two sure-fire starters in the draft
The 49ers didn't make a huge splash in free agency, but they definitely made up for that during the first round of the NFL Draft. Although the Niners only had one first-round pick going into the draft, they left Chicago with two first-round picks who should both turn into sure-fire starters in San Francisco.
With the seventh overall pick, the 49ers selected someone Chip Kelly's highly familiar with: DeForest Buckner. The former Oregon defensive end played one season under Kelly in Eugene before Kelly bolted to Philadelphia in 2013.
The 49ers also beefed up their offensive line by trading up to land Stanford's Joshua Garnett. After making a trade with Kansas City, the Niners were able to move up from the 37th spot in the draft to the 28th. Trading up for a guard can be kind of risky in most situations, but it feels like the 49ers made the right move here. Garnett will likely be the team's starting right guard when the 2016 seasons starts.
3. They put the Colin Kaepernick drama behind them
Chip Kelly probably slightly regretted taking the 49ers coaching job after the Colin Kaepernick trade bomb dropped in February. At the NFL Combine, Kaepernick's agents demanded a trade, which turned into a nightmare for Kelly, because everywhere he went after that, he was pretty much only asked one question: Are you going to trade Kaepernick?
Between the combine and the NFL Draft, Kelly had to answer dozens of questions about Kaepernick, but now that the draft's over, those questions have died down, which has allowed Kelly to start coaching the team without the tension of Kaepernick's trade demands hanging over his every move.
Kaepernick reported to OTAs and he seems to be happy, which means Kelly's already doing a good job of cleaning up the mess left by Tomsula (and the 49ers front office).
Three negatives
1. They still don't have a starting quarterback
It's a good thing the Kaepernick trade drama is over because the 49ers are soon going to have deal with another type of drama: Quarterback controversy.
If Kaepernick had been traded, there would've been no quarterback drama in San Francisco because the job would've been handed to Blaine Gabbert. Instead, Kaepernick and Gabbert and going to duke it out to see who's the starter. Although it's easy to write off Gabbert because he's been pretty horrible during his five NFL seasons, it's hard to blame him for his struggles. The former first-round pick of the Jaguars has had to deal with five offensive coordinators during his five seasons in the league. That number jumped to six this year when Kelly and the 49ers hired Curtis Modkins.
Speaking of Kelly, he knows exactly what he wants in a quarterback, so this competition shouldn't last too long because he's going to play the guy who understands his system the best (Get the ball off quickly, don't take sacks, don't turn the ball over). Kaepernick's health will also play a key part in this competition. If he can't get healthy, it will be kind of tough to win the job. Kap had offseason surgery on his left shoulder and has also been dealing with knee and thumb injuries.
2. They're arguably worse at every offensive skill position
The Niners leading receiver from 2015 (Anquan Boldin) is no longer on the team and their leading rusher (Carlos Hyde) isn't exactly healthy. Hyde missed the final nine games of the season in 2015 after suffering a fracture in his foot during a Week 7 loss to the Seahawks.
Hyde could thrive in Kelly's system if he's healthy, but as of right now, it's hard to say how good he'll be. Hyde only rushed for 470 yards in 2015 and 35.7 of those yards (168) came in one game: The 49ers season opener. After that, Hyde only crossed the 60-yard mark one time over the final six games he played in.
The good news for the 49ers is that Hyde's foot was looking kind of healthy during some offseason training back in March.
The above video doesn't mean Hyde's foot will hold up in an NFL game, but it's obviously a good sign.
As for the receiving game, there were seven players who went over 300-yards in Philly last season under Kelly. On the other hand the 49ers had just four. The 49ers are going to have to figure out who they can get the ball to through the air (besides Torrey Smith).
If the 49ers are looking for someone to sign, they can always add James Jones. The Packers leading receiver from 2015 recently said that he'd like to play in San Francisco.
3. The Anthony Davis situation keeps getting weirder
If you don't know who Anthony Davis is, or just forgot him, he's the 49ers offensive tackle who surprisingly decided to retire back in June 2015. The reason this situation is odd is because it seems like Davis wants to play football, he just doesn't want to play for the Niners, which is a problem because the Niners own his playing rights.
At least two times over the past two months, Davis has taken to Twitter to rip 49ers general manager Trent Baalke. In one tweet, Davis said that Baalke gives him a "headache" and in another tweet, Davis wrote that the 49ers front office isn't trying to win games.
The 49ers actually have a hole at right tackle and if a healthy Davis decided to return to football, that'd be a huge pickup for the 49ers offensive line. Unfortunately for San Francisco, it seems that Davis would rather send cryptic messages on Twitter than play football. As of June 1, the lineman hasn't applied for reinstatement.
If Davis does get back on the field, the 49ers will get a guy who started in every regular season game the team played in between 2010-2013.
Los Angeles Rams
Three positives
1. They might actually have a quarterback
Generally, trading up to land a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft is a horrible idea. If you need proof, just consider that Johnny Manziel, Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez and Ryan Leaf were all picked after a team traded up to get them in the first round of their respective drafts.
That being said, you can't fault the Rams for going after Jared Goff, especially since they haven't had anything that even slightly resembles a capable quarterback since Kurt Warner left town 13 years ago.
If the Goff pick pays off, it will almost make up for all the games that Rams fans had to sit through over the past 12 seasons where Sam Bradford, A.J. Feeley, Kellen Clemens, Shaun Hill, Nick Foles, Case Keenum, Marc Bulger, Jamie Martin, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Gus Frerotte or Brock Berlin, Kyle Boller or Keith Null was the starting quarterback. Almost makes up for it.
2. They're finally in Los Angeles
If you've ever made a big move in your life, then you know that it's not easy. Whatever you experienced, multiply that by 100 and that's what the Rams had to go through. Not only did the team have to move computers, whirlpools and 1 million pounds of equipment, but the Rams also had to worry about getting each and every player situated in Southern California. The move didn't happen overnight either. As a matter of fact, the Rams didn't move out of St. Louis until March, which was a full two months after the NFL approved the team's move to L.A.
Now that the Rams are officially in Los Angeles, several headaches should go away. The coaching staff won't be getting blitzed with relocation questions and players won't have to worry anymore about where they're going to live next year.
3. They dumped some people they needed to dump
Ending a long-term relationship is never easy. Just ask the Rams, who were forced to make some tough decisions this offseason. Three of those tough decisions were made on the same day (Feb. 19) when the team decided to cut ties with Chris Long, James Laurinaitis and Jared Cook.
The cuts probably weren't easy to make, but the Rams were almost certainly in a much better mood after they saw how much money they saved. The three cuts shaved roughly $23 million off the 2016 salary cap. If the Rams knew what to do what the kind of salary cap savings, this story would have a happy ending, but the team didn't really fill any holes during free agency.
Three negatives
1. They might have given up too much to land their quarterback
The downside of giving up everything to land the No. 1 pick in the draft is that if it doesn't work, then you just mortgaged your future. If Jared Goff somehow turns into a flop, then the Rams might end up being worse than they've been over the past 10 years, which is saying a lot because the Rams have been pretty bad.
The Rams had a front row seat to a similar trade in 2012 when the Redskins traded with them so they could land Robert Griffin III. Four years later, Griffin is no longer in Washington and neither is the coach who drafted him. As a matter of fact, the last six times a team has traded up in the first round to land a quarterback, the pick hasn't panned out (Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, Tim Tebow, Blaine Gabbert, RG3, Manziel).
On the other hand, the Rams could join the 1984 Patriots and the 1978 Oilers and make some NFL history. Before 2016, those were the only two teams ever to have traded up from a spot 15th or lower to land the No. 1 pick. The trade worked out in both cases: Both the Oilers and Patriots were in the AFC title game within two years.
Unfortunately for the Rams though, neither team drafted a quarterback. The Patriots selected a receiver (Irving Fryar), while the Oilers selected a running back (Earl Campbell).
2. Nick Foles decides he doesn't want to attend OTAs
If Nick Foles' goal this offseason is to make things as awkward as possible for the Rams, then he's probably going to succeed. In an ideal world, Foles would show up at OTAs with a smile on his face and help out Jard Goff. Instead, Foles has turned himself into a headline because he's decided to skip OTAs out of protest.
To be fair, Foles has no obligation to show up to OTAs -- they're voluntary -- but it's still a bad look. The Rams just gave him a two-year, $24.5 million contract that included $13.8 million in guaranteed money. If someone gives you that kind of dough, the least you can do is not cause them a headache, and make no mistake, Foles being a no-show is headache for the Rams whether they'll admit it or not.
3. They lost half of their secondary and there's some legal issues for half of the half that stayed
After three years together, the Rams secondary has officially been broken up. The unit of Rodney McLeod, Janoris Jenkins, T.J. McDonald and Trumaine Johnson had basically started every game together in the Rams secondary since 2013, but that won't happen anymore now that Jenkins (Giants) and McLeod (Eagles) both dipped out of town and headed for the NFC East.
Both players received huge contracts with their new teams and letting them walk might have made financial sense, but that doesn't hide the fact that there's now a gaping hole in the Rams secondary. That gaping hole could bust open even more if McDonald gets suspended by the NFL. The Rams safety was charged with a non-alcoholic DUI after an arrest on May 10.
Seattle Seahawks
Three positives
1. They were ready for Marshawn's retirement
If Marshawn decides to come back, there might not be any room for him in the Seahawks backfield. Coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider obviously had a game plan ready in case Lynch retired and they put that plan into action during the NFL Draft. During the three-day event, the Seahawks selected a total of three running backs in C.J. Prosise (third round), Alex Collins (fifth round) and Zac Brooks (seventh round).
Those three will join Thomas Rawls and Christine Michael in a Seahawks' backfield that's suddenly crowded. The added depth is good news for Rawls, who shouldn't feel any pressure to return early. Rawls is still recovering from a broken ankle he suffered in December.
2. They brought back some familiar faces
If you own a Chris Clemons or Brandon Browner Seahawks jersey, hopefully you didn't throw those away when the two left Seattle during free agency, because both players have returned. (On the other hand, if you own a Brandon Browner Saints jersey, you can probably get rid of that one.)
Although Clemons and Browner were both relatively successful during their time with the Seahawks -- which helped them score huge contracts in free agency -- both players struggled once they left and are now back in Seattle on relatively small deals.
Clemons, a former Jaguar, signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal to return. As for Browner, he signed an even smaller deal to return to Seattle (one-year, $760,000), although he probably doesn't care because he just fleeced the Saints for $7.75 million in guaranteed money -- or as he put it, "Saints weak a-- f--- I took that few millions ran with it sucka."
That's way more eloquent than anything I could have written.
3. Ricardo Lockette's retirement
A retirement doesn't usually qualify as a "positive" thing during the offseason, but it does in Lockette's case. The wide receiver announced on May 12 that he's done playing football. One of the main reasons that Lockette had to call it quits is because he's having trouble moving his head. Remember, this is a guy who almost died on the field after taking a crushing blow during a November game against the Cowboys.
"Tough day for me, but I don't want anyone to be sad," Lockette said.
The wide receiver also said he had no regrets about retiring: "I love my family, and I'd rather walk."
Three negatives
1. Russell Wilson running for his life is something that's likely to continue
Pete Carroll and John Schneider do a great job of identifying talent, but it's almost as if they've given up on trying to make the Seahawks offensive line better. If Russell Wilson was hoping that his team would beef up the line this offseason, he's going to be depressed when he shows up for minicamp because that definitely didn't happen.
Over the past three months, the Seahawks lost two starters on the offensive line (Russell Okung, J.R. Sweezy) and didn't exactly bring in adequate replacements (Bradley Sowell, J'Marcus Webb). Of course, the fact that the Seahawks' offensive line struggles almost every year isn't completely related to the amount of talent on the line, it also has to do with amount of money the Seahawks spend on that talent. According to OverTheCap.com, the Seahawks have only spent $11.69 million on their offensive line in 2016. That's an extremely low number when you consider that the Vikings have spent $43 million and no other team has spent less than $15 million.
For the third year in a row, Russell Wilson running for his life and then making a spectacular throw while being hit will probably be the most successful play in the Seahawks' playbook.
2. They let two defensive starters walk
In what has basically become an annual tradition, a starter from the Seahawks defense jumped ship to sign with another team. This year, it was actually two starters who jumped ship when Brandon Mebane signed with the Chargers and Bruce Irvin signed with the Raiders. Of course, those two weren't jumping off a sinking ship, they were going to a ship that had way more money on it: Mebane signed a three-year, $13.5 million deal, while Irvin signed a four-year, $37 million deal.
Although both losses could sting, they likely won't and that's because the Seahawks have managed to overcome major defensive losses in the past. After the 2013 season, they lost Clemons and Browner, and managed to get along just fine. The Seahawks also lost Byron Maxwell after the 2014 season and managed to survive, so although the losses of Mebane and Irvin could hurt early, they probably won't hurt for long.
3. Marshawn Lynch's non-retirement retirement
It's been almost four months since Marshawn Lynch unofficially retired during the Super Bowl, yet, we're still talking about him today because no one seems to know if he's actually retired. Richard Sherman and Seahawks general manager John Schneider both seemed unsure about Lynch's future plans when they were recently asked whether or not they thought he would stay retired.
The negative here is that if Lynch does come back, the Seahawks will have to decide pretty quickly what they're going to do with him. Although the Seahawks placed Lynch on the reserve-retired list on May 5, that doesn't make him retired. Lynch still hasn't filed his retirement papers, which means all he has to do to play in 2016 is let the NFL know that he wants to play. At that point, Lynch would be taken off the reserve-retired list and the Seahawks would have an $11.5 million decision to make.
As mentioned earlier, it seems like the Seahawks have already moved on from Lynch, so if he does decide to unretire, it's very likely that Seattle wouldn't hang on to him.
Arizona Cardinals
Three positives
1. They pulled off the best trade of the offseason
It's not often that you can add an elite pass-rusher to your roster for under $8 million, but that's exactly what the Cardinals did in March when they pulled off a trade for Chandler Jones. All the Cards had to give up to land Jones was trade a player they didn't want anymore (Jonathan Cooper) and a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. It was probably the easiest trade that Cardinals general manager Steve Keim will ever make in his life.
The Cardinals defense was already good and the addition of Jones has the potential to make them great this season. It's almost unfair that the Cards will have Jones and Calais Cambell on the same defensive line (Plus first-round draft pick Robert Nkemdiche). Arizona had the fifth-best defense in the NFL in 2015, so don't be surprised if they crack the top 3 in 2016.
2. They added by subtraction on the offensive line
Unlike the Seahawks, the Cardinals aren't afraid to spend money on their offensive line, something they proved once again this offseason when they brought in veteran guard Evan Mathis on a one-year, $6 million deal. The move comes two years after the Cards brought in Jared Veldheer and one year after they brought in Mike Iupati. The Cardinals are slowly constructing a Frankenstein offensive line that will likely dominate the division in 2016.
In Mathis, the Cardinals get a player who's an instant upgrade over Jonathan Cooper.
By the way, Cooper wasn't the only offensive lineman to leave Arizona this offseason, the Cardinals also lost Bobby Massie to the Bears. However, "lost" might not be the right word to use there because the Cardinals were completely OK with his exit. When you lose two linemen and only sign one, but still improve your team, that's some old-fashioned addition by subtraction.
3. Tom Brady's suspension
If Tom Brady's four-game suspension sticks, the biggest winner would probably be the Cardinals. The Patriots only play one road game during Brady's suspension and it happens to be at Arizona in the regular-season opener.
Although there are no easy games in the NFL, there are definitely winnable games and the Patriots game becomes a lot more winnable if Brady's out. The Cardinals' 2016 schedule is actually front-loaded with winnable games, and if Arizona can get past New England in the opener, they'll have a good shot of starting 6-0.
And by the way, don't think this Brady suspension isn't being talked about in the Cardinals locker room. As a matter of fact, Larry Fitzgerald didn't even try to hide his feelings when he was asked recently if he wanted Brady to play in the opener.
"C'mon, man, I think that's a pretty easy question to answer," Fitzgerald said. "I love Tom, that's my man. But if he doesn't play, I wouldn't shed any tears. I'd love to see him back the next week, though."
Three negatives
1. Everyone's going to be a free agent after 2016
If the Cardinals are going to win a Super Bowl, they might want to do it this season, because there's quite a few guys who likely won't be around after 2016. There could be a mass exodus from Arizona after this season because several important contracts are set to expire.
Tyrann Mathieu, Calais Campbell, Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, Chandler Jones, Evan Mathis and Jeramine Gresham are all starters going into the final year of their current deal. The Cardinals will likely get something done with the Honey Badger before the 2016 season starts, but unless the NFL abolishes the salary cap, don't look for all of the other guys to return to Arizona in 2017.
2. Negotiations with the Honey Badger could get interesting
It's pretty much a certainty that the Cardinals are going to give a contract extension to the Honey Badger, but it's not clear when that's actually going to happen. Negotiations with Mathieu could get tricky for two reasons: For one, he's coming off an ACL injury for the second time in three years.
Mathieu tore his right ACL in December, an injury that came two years after he tore his left ACL in a December 2013 game.
The other tricky part of negotiations is that it's not clear what position Mathieu plays. The Cards basically put Honey Badger on the field wherever they see fit, which sometimes means he's playing safety and sometimes means he's playing corner. That's fine and dandy when he's on the field, but it's not an easy thing to hash out in terms of a contract because the NFL's best corners make a lot more money than the NFL's best safeties.
The good news for the Cardinals is that Mathieu doesn't want to be paid like a corner, it sounds like he's willing to split the difference between the two positions.
"I just want to get paid as a top defender," Mathieu told ESPN.com recently. "I don't want to be slotted as a corner or a safety, because I'm not Patrick Peterson and I'm not Earl Thomas. I'm kind of different than both of those guys, but I still have the same type of impact on the game as those guys do.
3. They still need to fill some minor holes
When it comes to their offensive and defensive starters, the Cardinals don't have any glaring holes on their roster, but they could definitely stand to beef up their depth at a few key positions. Both the offensive line and secondary could use another player or two. Right tackle D.J. Humphries, who was the 24th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, has never played in a regular season game, so it'd probably be smart for the Cardinals to make sure they have some extra depth behind him.
