Now that the draft is over, and free agency has simmered, it’s time to look ahead to the 2020 season, and take a look at how each team looks.
I have saved the best division for last. The 49ers were the surprise team last year, almost coming away with their sixth Lombardi trophy. In a stacked NFC, are they still the team to beat in that conference? Despite Russell Wilson’s greatness, will the suspect defense keep the Seahawks from getting back to the Super Bowl? The Cardinals performed the heist of the year by plucking Deandre Hopkins out of Houston, as well as having Isaiah Simmons fall to them in the draft. Will those two acquisitions help propel them to the next level? Can the Rams rebound from a tough 2019 season despite losing Todd Gurley? Let’s look at the NFC West.
Rookies will be noted with * and players from the 2019 Pro Bowl will be in bold.
Arizona Cardinals
Offense
QB: Kyler Murray
RB1: Kenyan Drake
RB2: Chase Edmonds
FB: Parker Houston *
WR1: Deandre Hopkins
WR2: Larry Fitzgerald
WR3: Christian Kirk
TE1: Maxx Williams
TE2: Darrell Daniels
LT: DJ Humphries
LG: Justin Pugh
C: Mason Cole
RG: JR Sweezey
RT: Marcus Gilbert
Defense
DE: Zach Allen
NT: Jordan Phillips
DE: Corey Peters
OLB: Chandler Jones
ILB: Isaiah Simmons *
ILB: De’Vondre Campbell
OLB: Jordan Hicks
CB: Patrick Peterson
FS: Budda Baker
SS: Jalen Thompson
CB: Byron Murphy
Special Teams
K: Zane Gonzalez
P: Andy Lee
Don’t sleep on the Cardinals, people. I’m not saying that they’ll win this division, but don’t be shocked if they’re in the playoff mix come December. Embattled GM Steve Keim could’ve potentially saved his job after plucking Deandre Hopkins from the Texans to give Kyler Murray an explosive outside target still in his prime, while at the same time giving Houston the remains of David Johnson, who clearly was not fitting in Kliff Kingsbury’s system. Defensively, they should be much better. It’s not like they lack talent. Chandler Jones is one of the best pass rushers, Patrick Peterson is one of the best cornerbacks, Budda Baker was a Pro Bowl safety in 2019, and had the Swiss Army Knife in the form of Isaiah Simmons fall in their lap in the draft. If the Cardinals can put it all together, they could be a frisky team in the NFC.
Los Angeles Rams
Offense
QB: Jared Goff
RB1: Darrell Henderson
RB2: Cam Akers *
WR1: Cooper Kupp
WR2: Robert Woods
WR3: Josh Reynolds
TE1: Tyler Higbee
TE2: Gerald Everett
LT: Andrew Whitworth
LG: Austin Corbett
C: Brian Allen
RG: Austin Blythe
RT: Rob Havenstein
Defense
DE: Michael Brockers
NT: A’Shawn Robinson
DT: Aaron Donald
EDGE: Samson Ebukam
LB: Terrell Lewis *
LB: Micah Kiser
LB: Leonard Floyd
CB: Jalen Ramsey
FS: John Johnson
SS: Taylor Rapp
CB: Troy Hill
Special Teams
K: Sam Sloman
P: Johnny Hekker
It was a Jekyll and Hyde season for the Rams, and it was ironic that their best defense in the Sean McVay era came in the same year of the worst offense of the Sean McVay era. Jared Goff had a down year, but the offensive line was a huge problem. Poor performances up front led to Todd Gurley becoming a non-factor, and ultimately led to his release. Brandin Cooks is out the door as well after Les Snead shipped him to Houston. There were some bright spots last year, though. Tyler Higbee had a breakout December, and became Goff’s go-to guy down the stretch. Aaron Donald is coming off his fifth straight All-Pro season. Terrell Lewis and Leonard Floyd should be utilized plenty in blitz packages. It’s not a talentless team in Los Angeles, but if they want to get back to the playoffs, they may want to wish they were in another division.
San Francisco 49ers
Offense
QB: Jimmy Garoppolo
RB1: Raheem Mostert
RB2: Tevin Coleman
FB: Kyle Juszczyk
WR1: Deebo Samuel
WR2: Brandon Aiyuk *
WR3: Kendrick Bourne
TE1: George Kittle
TE2: Ross Dwelley
LT: Trent Williams
LG: Laken Tomlinson
C: Weston Richburg
RG: Tom Compton
RT: Mike McGlinchey
Defense
DE: Nick Bosa
DT: Solomon Thomas
DT: Javon Kinlaw *
DE: Arik Armstead
OLB: Kwon Alexander
MLB: Fred Warner
OLB: Dre Greenlaw
CB: Richard Sherman
FS: Jimmie Ward
SS: Jaquiski Tartt
CB: Ahkello Witherspoon
Special Teams
K: Robbie Gould
P: Mitch Wishnowsky
I look at this roster, and I don’t see a ton of turnover from the Niners’ Super Bowl team last year. Kyle Shanahan’s brilliant play-calling can make stars out of average starters. Deebo Samuel had a solid rookie season, and he looks to be the #1 receiver in front of their rookie Brandon Aiyuk. Another reason as to why receivers are always wide open in this offense is how much coverage their All-Pro tight end George Kittle garners. At left tackle, they replace the retired veteran Joe Staley with an All-Pro Trent Williams, who couldn’t wait to get out of Washington. The defense should still be just as good as they were a year ago, especially with another first-rounder Javon Kinlaw on their defensive line. I still think the 49ers are the team to beat in the NFC West because they don’t have any glaring holes.
Seattle Seahawks
Offense
QB: Russell Wilson
RB1: Chris Carson
RB2: Carlos Hyde
FB: Nick Bellore
WR1: DK Metcalf
WR2: Tyler Lockett
WR3: David Moore
TE1: Greg Olsen
TE2: Will Dissly
LT: Duane Brown
LG: Mike Iupati
C: BJ Finney
RG: Phil Haynes
RT: Cedric Ogbuehi
Defense
DE: LJ Collier
DT: Jarran Reed
DT: Poona Ford
DE: Bruce Irvin
OLB: Jordyn Brooks *
MLB: Bobby Wagner
OLB: KJ Wright
CB: Shaquill Griffin
FS: Marquise Blair
SS: Jamal Adams
CB: Tre Flowers
Special Teams
K: Jason Myers
P: Michael Dickson
Don’t be surprised if the Seahawks finish 2020 with a top 5 offense. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the game, a nice 1-2 punch at running back, two deep threats at wide receiver, and a former All-Pro at tight end. That’s all great, but at the same time, they will have to be a top 5 offense to win a lot of games because they have a severe lack of pass rush after letting Jadaveon Clowney go. However, they did make a monster trade to acquire Jamal Adams from the Jets, and the way he can play in the box and as a blitzer, he can make up for the lack of an edge rusher. Plus the culture in Seattle is something that Adams can thrive in with his leadership. The Seahawks can never be counted out as a playoff contender.
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