8. Los Angeles Rams
I’m pushing the Los Angeles Rams way down the list for the time being. The uncertainty facing quarterback Matthew Stafford changes the entire projection of this team. Could they still be good with Jimmy Garoppolo running the show? Sure, they could. The Rams have a lot going for them besides just Stafford. But he’s the most important piece of this roster nad until we know what is for sure going on with him, the Rams have to be expected to be a “mixed bag” type of team on a weekly basis.
7. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are another team I’ve been rather hard on this offseason, but their cornerback group is not good (on paper) and they’re breaking in a redshirt rookie at the quarterback position. I’ve said it time and time again that Kevin O’Connell deserves the benefit of the doubt, and so does this roster. But the Vikings are down Jordan Addison at the start of the year, and any struggles from McCarthy will potentially be amplified by this team’s inability to defend the pass. The Vikings need a lot to go right this season but they could still win 10 games and get into the playoffs.
6. San Francisco 49ers
The more the offseason has gone along, the more I’m talking myself into the 49ers being good again. Of course, as with just about any team, the projection here is dependent on health, and the 49ers have had bad luck in that department. They’ve gotten a much-needed breakthrough offseason from Ricky Pearsall, Christian McCaffrey is healthy, and having Robert Saleh calling the shots defensively is enough to give me confidence that 11 wins might be the floor for this team again. We’ll see what ends up happening, but the Niners have a shot to be a big-time sleeper in the NFC.
5. Washington Commanders
Everyone is jumping all over the Washington Commanders this offseason similar to the way they did last year with the Houston Texans. I’m not going to say there’s a year two slump incoming for the Commanders, but they have a few roster deficiencies that could end up slowing them down compared to the fire they caught last season. Having one of the oldest rosters in the NFL (the oldest, actually) is not necessarily the worst thing, but it could bite them. The Commanders also do not have any real consistent presence on the defensive front in the pass rush department. We’ll see who emerges.