In the second half of this little two-piece mini series, I’m switching over the AFC and ask myself “what is the one burning question I have for each team as I think about the 2024 NFL season?”
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One burning question for each NFC team ahead of the 2024 season
Following my month-long divisional draft & roster review series, I’m back with a little two-piece project, where instead of diving into a bunch of individual players, I looked at each team as a whole and asked myself “what is the one burning question I have for them as I think about the 2024 NFL season?”
A look ahead to the top half of the 2024 NFL Draft:
We’ve arrived at the week of Thanksgiving and since I’m in a generous, giving mood, I decided to give something to look forward to for fanbases of the teams that aren’t currently projected to be factors in the playoff picture. And while this includes a couple of teams from the NFC South, that could ultimately still host a playoff game due to the division they’re in, and two .500 teams from the AFC, I think when you look at the list of teams, they all still lack certain elements, which the best way to acquire those is with high draft picks.
I will start by quickly listing the current draft order – if the season ended today – then share my general bird’s-eye view of the upcoming class, before we work our way through each team, shortly discussing their overall state and how they may already look ahead to February through April with their scouting staffs to some degree.
The cut-off for the teams discussed here is pick 16, which makes sense considering the next teams up would be the Bengals and Bills before we get to the current playoff seeds – Cincinnati may have a couple of uncomfortable decisions to make in free agency but were on pace to be one of the most dangerous groups in the AFC, while Buffalo is still very much in the thick of things with the way they looked this past Sunday and being just half a game back from the number seven seed.
Analyzing the 2023 trade deadline moves:
The NFL trade deadline for 2023 has come and gone. Unfortunately, we didn’t get as much action altogether as last year, nor did we have legit superstars being moved. Most frustrating among the names everybody wanted to see with a change of scenery was Davante Adams, whose frustration in Las Vegas has continued to grow and since then the names at the top of the operation have been let go. However, we did see a few contenders make potentially crucial additions and also a couple of surprises on Halloween.
So now I want to take a look at those eight trades that went down this week, talk about the compensation and break down what those mean for both sides. I did not include Kevin Byard being shipped from Tennessee to Philadelphia for a bag of chips a week prior, because Eagles GM Howie Roseman yet again was able to acquire a veteran DB that should be a key pieces at a position of need for way under market value.
Let’s focus on the rest of the list now:
Three key takeaways from each week one NFL game (2023):
Every week of the NFL season there are a million things going on and it’s impossible to keep up with it all. So after watching the first full slate of games, I decided to outline three key storylines or takeaways for all 16 contests. These can be based around an individual player, coach, team unit or schematic nuance to track going forward.
Of course, week one can be liar and we shouldn’t overreact to anything we just watched, but based on where we stand right now, these are things that jumped to me across the league upon watching every game and trying to put them into context.
Most pivotal situations of the 2023 NFL season:
Only two weeks away from the 2023 NFL season being kicked off, I decided highlight some situations across the league that are highly volatile and I’m most interested in how they work out. These can be players, team units or coaches heading into crucial years. Altogether I came up with eight questions I’m waiting to have answered.
Just two quick disclaimers:
– Obviously how Deshaun Watson might bounce big for the Browns will be key, but I wanted to focus on different topics, without any off-field implications
– And I had already recorded this before the 49ers lost Taco Charlton to IR
The 10 most intriguing battles at 2023 NFL training camps:
Training camps are now in full swing for all 32 NFL teams and I once again went through the exercise of outlining the most interesting battles for starting positions and specific roles across the league!
Why football nerds will fall in love with the 2023 Falcons offense
With three straight top-10 draft picks spent on their versatile skill-position group, a bruising offensive line, a promising second-year quarterback & some of the most well-rounded play-calling, the Falcons offense is about to rise up in 2023!
Second- and third-year NFL players ready to break out in 2023 – Defense edition:
This is the second half of our series on the biggest breakout candidates across the NFL this upcoming season, where we focus on players heading into year two or three.
Once again, I’ll start by giving a quick introduction to each player with his collegiate background and time spent in the NFL so far, discuss the strengths of those players and some areas in which they flash certain skills, list a few things they should focusing on improving upon and then explain my reasoning for them establishing themselves as impact players this year
In order to bring some fresh names to the table, I didn’t include players who have already recorded double-digit sacks or tackles for loss, recorded three or more interceptions, earned a Pro Bowl or All-Pro nomination so far. Furthermore, I didn’t list a few other names that are largely already considered to be young stars, such as Jaelan Phillips or Jaycee Horn, and there will be no repeats from last year, which included names like Dayo Odeyingbo, Isaiah Simmons and Richie Grant.
We already started with the offensive guys last week and now we transition to eight more names over on the defensive side of the ball:
Second- and third-year NFL players ready to break out in 2023 – Offense edition:
After talking about the veteran NFL players changing places, extensively discussing the athletes entering the league via the draft and then pointing out the biggest needs for each team over a two-part series, I went back to watching a bunch of guys who have recently entered the fray and who I believe are bound to emerge as more household names in 2023. In particular, this exercise is aimed at find those breakout candidates about to enter their second or third season in the pros.
First, I will give a quick introduction to each player with college background and NFL experience up to this point, break down everybody’s strengths and flashes of what they could excel in soon, mention some areas of improvement and why I believe they are bound to take a leap forward this upcoming season.
In order to bring some fresh names to the table, I didn’t include players who have already recorded 1000 rushing or receiving yards, 4000 passing yards, scored double-digit touchdowns, earned a Pro Bowl or All-Pro nomination so far. Furthermore, I didn’t list somebody like Jets running back Breece Hall, who was on pace for those kind of benchmarks prior to getting injured or some other names that are largely already considered to be young stars.
We will start on offense and then switch over to the defensive side of the ball next week:
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