This is the time of year for every NFL team and their fan base deserves to be leaning heavily on the “optimistic” side. There are certainly teams that need to be a bit more realistic than others and there are some clear barriers for teams trying to become contenders or even relevant.
Unfortunately, sometimes you can see the future coming from a mile away. Although anything is possible, there are a few NFL teams that look destined to repeat in 2023, and not in a good way. There are teams that look like they are poised to repeat as last-place teams based on what we saw transpire in the offseason or how good the teams are around them.
Which NFL teams are the most likely to stay in last place for the 2023 season?
3 NFL teams most likely to stay in last place in 2023
3. Atlanta Falcons, NFC South
Sorry, Atlanta Falcons fans. Despite an improved roster this offseason, when you look across the NFL landscape, it just feels like this is a team that is more likely than others to stay in last place.
There is really one primary reason for that, and it’s the unknown with Desmond Ridder.
To the Falcons’ credit, they qualify as a “last place” team but out of all the teams that finished last place last season, not many were in the thick of the division race to the very end. For good stretches of the 2022 season, the Falcons actually had one of the better offenses in the league.
Will the addition of guys like Jessie Bates III and Jeff Okudah to the secondary be enough to take this team to the next level?
Again, I think way too much of the projection for this team depends on what’s going to unfold with Ridder. Ridder is really the one that will either push this team forward or hold them back. I was a big fan of his coming out of Cincinnati but I also just don’t know how he’s going to translate as a full-time starter in the NFL.
Even with that in mind, I think the Falcons could find their way out of last place simply by way of the Bucs’ quarterback situation going even further south than their own. It’s not a strong conviction, but out of the eight teams that finished in last place last season, I think the Falcons are one of the top three most likely to repeat.
2. Washington Commanders, NFC East
There’s certainly been a lot of excitement over the last couple of months for the Commanders’ franchise. In bigger news, it seems like the franchise is soon to be rid of the toxic culture created by owner Dan Snyder. A sale is seemingly imminent, although nothing is finalized. It does feel like that’s where things are heading.
Beyond all that’s going on in the Commanders‘ front office, the team has made some necessary changes this offseason to its coaching staff. Most notably, they were able to lure Eric Bieniemy away from his sweet gig in Kansas City and make him their new offensive coordinator.
Bieniemy, undoubtedly looking for head coaching opportunities eventually, is now the offensive coordinator for the Commanders and their highly intriguing young core of players led by wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. The only question mark right now is — how good will Sam Howell be?
Once projected as a possible first-overall pick, Howell lasted to the 5th round of the 2022 NFL Draft where the Commanders scooped him up. He’s now in line to start Week 1 for this team but veteran Jacoby Brissett is the fail-safe.
The primary reasons why I think the Commanders could repeat as a last place team in the NFC East? Very simply, this division is still quite strong, and the questions surrounding Sam Howell as a full-time starter are too great. I liked Howell almost as much as the next person in the 2022 NFL Draft process, but the reality is, he’s a 5th-round pick who’s going to have to prove his worth on a team that faces long odds even to be third place in its own division.
1. Arizona Cardinals, NFC West
The most likely team to repeat as a last place team in 2023 is undoubtedly the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals could be gearing up for one of the worst years in franchise history.
Not to be hyperbolic, but the Cardinals truly have the worst roster in the league going into this season, and general manager Monti Ossenfort is clearly preparing for wholesale changes to be made as early as 2024.
The bright side for the Cardinals? They might end up with Caleb Williams or Drake Maye when this is all said and done. But for the time being, this is going to get ugly.
Why are the Arizona Cardinals likely to repeat as a last-place team in 2023?
Kyler Murray is still recovering from a major knee injury suffered near the end of last season. The roster has no established studs at the most critical positions, namely: WR, OT, EDGE, CB. Yes, the Cardinals have a big-time player in Kyler Murray at the QB position under contract, but his future with the organization is very much up in the air at this point and he could be one of the biggest names on the 2024 trade market.
The Cardinals’ best veterans are all gone. They let their top players walk in free agency.
This is a team that’s clearly hit the reset button, which is fine. It’s a strategy new general managers often use. But for the Arizona Cardinals, it makes them the most likely team in the NFL to repeat as a last place team in 2023.