Early NFL picks, predictions for Week 1 of 2023 season

Tennessee Titans (7-10) @ New Orleans Saints (7-10)

Sunday, 1:05 p.m. ET, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans

It’s the beginning of a new and exciting era for the New Orleans Saints in 2023. Or is it?

Is Derek Carr one of the most underappreciated QBs in the NFL or is he one of the league’s most overrated at the position? If you ask a handful of the Raiders fans I’ve spoken with this offseason, it seems to be much more of the latter than the former.

I tend to think that Derek Carr has been a bit underappreciated throughout his NFL career, but I also think he’s overrated by some at times. Carr is firmly in the Kirk Cousins realm at the QB position, although I would say his play — at times — is a bit more erratic than Cousins. Cousins usually loads up the stat sheet, at the very least. There are times when Carr will play with surgical accuracy and operate the offense at a Pro Bowl level, and then there are times when he is a liability.

Overall, it’s hard to know what kind of impact he will make with the Saints until we see all the pieces put together. I do think he’s an upgrade for them.

Speaking of upgrades, how hot is Ryan Tannehill’s seat right now? In consecutive years, the Titans have used Day 2 picks on the QB position (Malik Willis in 2022, Will Levis in 2023). Although Tannehill hasn’t been replaced just yet, I think that time is coming soon.

How heavily will that weigh on him and the Titans’ offense in 2023? Can Mike Vrabel do his best coaching job yet?

Prediction: Saints win 21-17