32. Carolina Panthers

I quickly came up with the Panthers as my choice to have the worst record in the league this season when pduh asked me on his podcast - and while I don't think they have the worst roster in the league - I don't think it was a bad shout at all. I think they're in an awkward position as this season doesn't feel like an opportune time to be rebuilding at all, and no team is going through a bigger transition than the Panthers. New coaching staff, new quarterback, and they are returning the lowest percentage of total snaps from last season of any team in the league. 

With recent marquee players Cam Newton, Greg Olsen and Luke Kuechly all departed, Carolina is unquestionably now Christian McCaffrey's team. With new starting QB Teddy Bridgewater's conservative style you'd expect CMC's usage to be off the charts again this season - but Carolina will surely be wary of overusing their superstar running back now that he has signed a long term deal. Robby Anderson looks like a decent addition to the receiver corps - but can Bridgewater who is infamous for his low air yards average take advantage of his speed and deep play ability?

There are even more question marks on defence. Top draft picks Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos will be important in strengthening a line that couldn't stop the run to save themselves last season, allowing 31 rushing touchdowns which was the most since the 0-16 Lions of 2008. There are no immediately obvious replacements for the leadership of Kuechly and the experience of James Bradberry though. Donte Jackson and Eli Apple look like a susceptible pair of cornerbacks - not great when you have to face Michael Thomas, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Julio Jones twice each.

I can't see Carolina as anything but a distant fourth place in the strong NFC South, and they are well and truly in the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes. 

31. Washington Football Team

Washington could very easily have been bottom of this list, but I can see them pinching some games here and there from opponents like the Giants, Browns and Bengals. I think they have the least talented roster in the league, and are relying on their new group of experienced coaches to coax something halfway decent out of them amongst a lot of off-field turbulence.

I think it's still too early to judge whether Dwayne Haskins has it or not, he only has a handful of staff and last year's coaches didn't seem to trust him throwing at all, but he hasn't exactly been set him up with a huge amount of talent to be able to prove himself with. Haskins' college teammate Terry McLaurin hit the ground running but behind him the receiving options are extremely uninspiring, and while they've got a lot of name brand running backs, they're all injury prone. If Derrius Guice can finally stay healthy then he might have a good season, typically Ron Rivera teams like to run the ball a lot, but it's just as easy to see him getting hurt again and see Washington slip back into ten games of Adrian Peterson averaging 4ypc running up the middle.

Defensively they are relying on Chase Young being a superstar from the off, like his former mentor Nick Bosa was for the 49ers. Washington now has five first round picks on the defensive line, and it's past time for this group to be an elite unit rather than just a decent one. The defensive front really needs to be great if they're going to see any success because the back end doesn't look great at all. There's been quite a bit of turnover in the secondary but no acquisitions that look like they will make a major difference to a defence that couldn't get off the field (worst third down stop percentage in the league in 2019) with Kendall Fuller (127th ranked CB by PFF last season) replacing Quinton Dunbar.

It's really a consolidation year for Washington and a referendum on Haskins potential. If he can improve his accuracy and perform like the efficient player he was in college then they could overachieve. But it's also very possible that we see Alex Smith (a lock for comeback player of the year) in the lineup at some stage in an attempt to avoid a tailspin.

I'm actually curious about the Panthers for the first time in years , I'm not a fan of Teddy Two Gloves by any means but with the new coach and an offense that might be able to really spread it out and put up points - they should be fun. Especially if Moore can make a leap. Don't know that I'd put them #32.

Also curious about Washington's defense and what could transpire from having a real head coach there , one who teaches discipline and the right way to play football and I think their defense could be legit. Not enough for the playoffs but enough to keep them from being laughing stock provided Haskins makes a small jump.

I like the Bears as the bottom team in the league , at least if they stick with Trubisky.

Washington would be my pick for bottom of the league. It is too early to judge the QB but my gut tells me he isn't going to cut it, and outside of McLaurin, there's just nothing inspiring about that offense. Could be an interesting defense but my fear would be they're going to be on the field too much for it to matter. I think the Jags are super-lucky not to be in the bottom two here, although I suspect they are next. We're a long way away from that Superbowl-level team of a few years ago. Minshew played well last year although let's see what he does this year now there's some tape on him. I watched him at Wembley Stadium and he did not convince at all but it's possible I'm biased because I hate the Jags. I'll reserve judgement.

I also completely agree with UT on the Bears. With Goldman now out, they are looking more like a 7/10 defense rather than the 10/10 defense of a couple of years ago. And it's the same issue as Washington, and Jacksonville really, where the offensive part of the game is so horrendously bad that the defense is going to see snap after snap after snap which is hardly conducive to consistent high-level defense.

Carolina just doesn't strike me as a franchise that's going to suck. I get it though, they're stuck in the most talent-rich (offensively, certainly) division in the league and they've lost both of their leaders at the same time, one on each side of the ball which is brutal. Bridgewater is the new Dalton. Stick him in a good situation and he's good, in a bad situation I'm not convinced he makes it any better. But I just can't see the Panthers winning less than four games. I'd have them low on my list but not bottom.

Great stuff, really looking forward to this thread.

Jacksonville seems like the #32 to me.

- Lame duck head coach in Marrone who has a legit shot of being fired by October if the wheels fully fall off, players have alienated him and he carries the Coughlin stench that has him there just because.
- Gardner Minshew has a full tape now that scouts and pick apart and if he does not take the next step up, they are in deep trouble. Their backup is Dobbs I think still?
- No more Calais Campbell, Jalen Ramsey long gone, Yannick N. sounds like he refuses to play for them. So it's Josh Allen, Myles Jack and who else on defense? They took a CB in Henderson who had some red flags but if he doesn't workout from the get go, they're gonna be thrown on early and often.
- DJ Chalk is their best target............Dede Westbrook is good but who are they throwing to? Laviska Shenault who has so many medical issues but when on the field is electric? 
- If the team is down big, Leonard Fournette becomes essentially useless and he has 1 foot out the door with his 5th year option declined. And their O-Line is pretty mediocre too.


This team is a walking 3-13 team IMHO. Set up beautifully for Lawrence to step on in. They can recruit whoever at HC with Lawrence as the selling point, can be Bienemy or whoever. Maybe Josh McDaniels if the ship does sink in NE or if he isn't given the verbal that he takes over Belichick in NE.


The saving grace for the Jaguars is no London games in this pandemic, this team would shoot themselves in the foot out of sheer Khan foolishness to travel all the way to London for 2 games a year(I think now?) so the mileage will be limited for the very first time in years for this side.


This is set up beautifully for Randy Orton or whoever to bash on "Jacksonville Dixie" sometime this fall or winter. They'll have Trevor Lawrence vs Cody for the TV Title by next May.

30. Jacksonville Jaguars

I like Jacksonville over Washington predominantly because Gardner Minshew showed more promise than Dwayne Haskins last season, particularly when it came to deep passing. PFF ranked Minshew #3 in the league on passes over 20 yards, largely through his connection with DJ Chark who put up 424 yards on deep targets. Behind Chark the options are uninspiring but not invisible, Conley topped 750 yards last season, Westbrook is dependable, and Shenault could give them some dynamism. We're beyond the point of being able to expect Tyler Eifert to be a difference maker but he did play a full season last year for the Bengals and is an upgrade on the talent that the Jaguars put out at tight end in 2019. 

Their defensive line is a similar story to Washington's. They have three first rounders after drafting K'Lavon Chaisson in April, but they need to start seeing the production match the investment. Josh Allen and Taven Bryan have just been alright so far in their careers, neither being the impact pass rusher they were anticipated to be. The front needs to be a strength because the back end looks pretty ugly. Joe Schobert had an impressive last season with the Browns and is a good addition to a rotten group of linebackers - you can add Myles Jack to the list of players that needs to turn it around this season. In the secondary CJ Henderson is definitely going to be starting after Rashaad Melvin opted out and there's going to be a lot of pressure on him to be good straight away given the mediocrity surrounding him. 

There's a lot of "we need x,y,z to perform if we're going to be any good" here but I think there's enough potential. If the draft class turns out well, and guys like Andrew Norwell and Josh Allen have good seasons then there's more than enough to at least replicate last season's six wins. 

I think Haskins has the better arm strength and talent, it's just his OLine was let down between the Sherff injury and Silverback year off. Remains to be seen if they got better in that regard.

I just wonder if Minshew replicates year 2 like he did year 1. Really think scouting and gametape is going to pick apart his game especially with the lack of talent around him.

If Stafford goes down, I would say Lions might be my top choice. ____ games of Chase Daniel is ____ games too damn many. He can buy his own island with the money he's earned as a backup, what a job.

AH DAMN IT! I wanted to do something similar @admin!

Do you mind if I do something like last season which is make my predictions on the winners of the division and team records?

Damn Derrius Guice got arrested on domestic violence. He was best remembered for the guy who got upset when asked if he was gay by an NFL scout 2 combines ago. Wondering if that same scout had some sort of fear in regards to domestic issues or not. Was going to be the RB1 in DC.

Aug 7, 2020 22:59:45 GMT Blindy said:

Damn Darrius Guice got arrested on domestic violence. He was best remembered for the guy who got upset when asked if he was gay by an NFL scout 2 combines ago. Wondering if that same scout had some sort of fear in regards to domestic issues or not. Was going to be the RB1 in DC.

What a bust.

From being injured right off the bat and getting re-injured on his return to this.... sheesh. Some said that he was going to be better then Leonard Fournette also.

Wow Washington cut him now too. What an awful decision. That team rehabbed him and had his back and he completely blew it. Eagles got lucky to pass up on him, wondering if there was a legit red flag on the character issue.

It's Adrian Peterson 30 carries a game now. He's the walking dead, just keeps on going. 

Aug 7, 2020 23:13:40 GMT KING KID said:

Aug 7, 2020 22:59:45 GMT Blindy said:

Damn Darrius Guice got arrested on domestic violence. He was best remembered for the guy who got upset when asked if he was gay by an NFL scout 2 combines ago. Wondering if that same scout had some sort of fear in regards to domestic issues or not. Was going to be the RB1 in DC.

What a bust.

From being injured right off the bat and getting re-injured on his return to this.... sheesh. Some said that he was going to be better then Leonard Fournette also.

Hate to generalize a university but between seeing Odell Beckham show first hand here in NY, Jarvis Landry with some absolute cheapshots on Buffalo few seasons ago and throwing his hissy fit at whatever head coach he had, Jamal Adams pony show that he looked like a baby for and now this.....man IDK about LSU players man.

They won a title and Joe Burrow looks the part but something's wrong over there. Way too many me first selfish players over there. Fournette wants out but that seems like such a minuscule problem. I am weary all of a sudden about taking LSU players. Sounds wrong but man. Not even getting into JaMarcus Russell that was eons ago but man.

Aug 8, 2020 0:00:33 GMT Blindy said:

Wow Washington cut him now too. What an awful decision. That team rehabbed him and had his back and he completely blew it. Eagles got lucky to pass up on him, wondering if there was a legit red flag on the character issue.

It's Adrian Peterson 30 carries a game now. He's the walking dead, just keeps on going. 

I hope Rivera isn’t stubborn and stick AP for 30 carries a game. It would be idiotic with Love and Gibson on the roster. 

A lot of people comparing Gibson’s skill set to CMC by the way. It has me intrigued. 

Ha! Good job I got that little blurb in about Guice and Peterson while I did.

Aug 7, 2020 22:47:42 GMT KING KID said:

AH DAMN IT! I wanted to do something similar @admin !

Do you mind if I do something like last season which is make my predictions on the winners of the division and team records?

No of course not! I enjoyed reading your fantasy previews last season too if you wanted to do that again.

Aug 10, 2020 0:19:04 GMT @admin said:

Ha! Good job I got that little blurb in about Guice and Peterson while I did.

Aug 7, 2020 22:47:42 GMT KING KID said:

AH DAMN IT! I wanted to do something similar @admin !

Do you mind if I do something like last season which is make my predictions on the winners of the division and team records?

No of course not! I enjoyed reading your fantasy previews last season too if you wanted to do that again.

Yes! That’s what I want to do. Thanks.

Aug 10, 2020 0:19:04 GMT @admin said:

Ha! Good job I got that little blurb in about Guice and Peterson while I did.

Aug 7, 2020 22:47:42 GMT KING KID said:

AH DAMN IT! I wanted to do something similar @admin !

Do you mind if I do something like last season which is make my predictions on the winners of the division and team records?

No of course not! I enjoyed reading your fantasy previews last season too if you wanted to do that again.

Also; are we doing our yearly PW fantasy football league?

29. Cincinnati Bengals

There seems to be a lot of "they weren't as bad as their record" sentiment about the Bengals going around, but I'm still quite sceptical of a team suddenly becoming a chance for the playoffs just because they drafted a #1 quarterback. Maybe Joe Burrow does take to the NFL like a duck to water and instantly improves the Bengals - but until then this is a team that only won two games last season, and they were against the Jets and Browns. I don't think we got any indication that Zac Taylor is any sort of difference maker head coach compared to Brian Flores for instance, who dramatically over performed with the Dolphins.

You can certainly see why people think the Bengals can make a big leap though. The quality at the offensive skill positions has been there for a while now, Mixon is just outside the top-tier RB group and Bernard is a more than capable backup. AJ Green is back now because there is a quarterback he wants to play with, they drafted Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd has registered two consecutive 1000 yard seasons after a slow start to his career. Aside from how quickly Burrow hits the ground running, I think the offence really hinges on how Jonah Williams settles in at left tackle. It's been a major problem since Andrew Whitworth left in 2017.

Cincinnati were unusually active in free agency, a spending splurge likely brought about by Burrow's selection. DJ Reader was great for Houston last season, and the Bengals will be hoping he can help them improve a league worst run defence that allowed nearly 150 yards per game. I'm not quite as sold on the investment in the secondary with the two ex-Viking corners Waynes and Alexander, but Vonn Bell should make a good safety partner for Jessie Bates. 

Former franchise QB Andy Dalton got a reputation for being the perfect meridian quarterback, because how well he played completely depended on his supporting cast. If they were strong, he played well, if they were weak he wasn't good. Where Cincinnati go from here really depends on whether Burrow can be a quarterback that elevates those around him and makes them better.

What they got going for Cincy is they get their 1st round OLine back. Jonah Williams lost his year before it even really began and Billy Price also hurt himself in the combine 2 years ago and could never really find himself there.

I think Joe Burrow is miles and miles better than Ryan Lindlay who was god awful and so bad Taylor had to go back to Dalton for the sake of giving his team the best chance possible.

I think they're 5 win type of good. I don't see them as this year's Cardinals of being ultra competitive as I like their division but I think it's set up beautiful for their next coach(Brady of CAR?) to roll. 


We are going to see if John Ross can stay healthy and perform, it's his contract year. Would not be shocked if he randomly has a year and suckers somebody into giving him a multi year deal.

28. New York Giants

The Giants make the fourth team in a row here with a quarterback who simply hasn't had enough starts to really form an opinion on yet. Daniel Jones showed in his rookie season that he's an aggressive downfield passer, including when under pressure, and that led to some spectacular big plays but also a litany of mistakes and turnovers. If he can maintain the former whilst reducing the latter then the Giants will undoubtedly rise up this list. Helping Jones take the next step is going to be keeping the wide receivers on the field. Tate, Shepard and Slayton are a good looking trio (even if none really fit the X-receiver mould) but the two veterans along with Evan Engram missed 18 games combined last season.

Injury also limited superstar running back Saquon Barkley, but back to 100%, and with a potentially improved o-line in front of him with new coach Marc Colombo and first round LT Andrew Thomas, this feels like the season that he will put up a 1500/500 type season. Giants fans have complained about the offensive line for years now, but Thomas, Hernandez and Zeitler could very easily make this an above average group. 

The defence doesn't look anywhere near as pretty, and figure to be near the bottom of the league in PPG allowed as they were last season (28.2). Dave Gettleman's notorious hogmollies are the focal point, and while there's four decent football players there, none of them are effective pass rushers, which is really what you need in today's NFL. That means the onus falls on the outside linebackers like Markus Golden who's coming off 10 sacks but didn't receive any interest in free agency, and the so-far underwhelming Oshane Ximines and Lorenzo Carter. James Bradberry was the big acquisition in the secondary, escaping the WR gauntlet of the NFC South, and the Giants are going to need him to play up to his FA contract because the #2 CB position looks troublesome following DeAndre Baker's arrest. 

There's upside here - Jones has shown he could be the guy, Saquon is elite, and you'd hope that the new staff can get the most out of the offence after two bad HC hires. But a weak defence with an unproven coordinator, combined with a tough schedule (Steelers, 49ers, Bucs, Seahawks, Ravens) surely means the ceiling is pretty low.

Think the Giants are banking on a massive year out of Leonard Williams and he's going to as always fail them and be a complete non-factor for them. Well it's a contract year so you never know but still. He supposedly commands "Double Teams" but every single time I watch him, he is a complete nonfactor and by the end of the game is tired and worn down. Not someone to pay the big bucks too, Giant fans will learn this the hard way.

Oh and Chandler Catanazaro SHOULD NEVER BE YOUR KICKER. Holy shit he was BAD last preseason, he retired immediately after a failed kick. Different team, same stadium. Find a kicker please. Cutting Rosas punk ass, right move but find someone! We had to take a chance of Vedvik last season, that's how bad he looked. They gotta find someone, their special teams are going to cost them.

Aug 11, 2020 0:58:27 GMT Blindy said:

Oh and Chandler Catanazaro SHOULD NEVER BE YOUR KICKER. Holy shit he was BAD last preseason, he retired immediately after a failed kick. Different team, same stadium. Find a kicker please. Cutting Rosas punk ass, right move but find someone! We had to take a chance of Vedvik last season, that's how bad he looked. They gotta find someone, their special teams are going to cost them.

Feel like we'll probably sign Gostkowski at some point.

Aug 11, 2020 1:04:26 GMT @admin said:

Aug 11, 2020 0:58:27 GMT Blindy said:

Oh and Chandler Catanazaro SHOULD NEVER BE YOUR KICKER. Holy shit he was BAD last preseason, he retired immediately after a failed kick. Different team, same stadium. Find a kicker please. Cutting Rosas punk ass, right move but find someone! We had to take a chance of Vedvik last season, that's how bad he looked. They gotta find someone, their special teams are going to cost them.

Feel like we'll probably sign Gostkowski at some point.

If I recall, his touchbacks were lacking and I think the Pats had their punter do it. Wonder if NYG would do the same. He looked shot last year, maybe he gets revitalized. Joe Judge would know best there.

27. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins massively over performed expectations last season, with Brian Flores deserving all the credit in the world for making them competitive after the bye following their horrendous first four games had them appearing like a potential all-time bad team. Ryan Fitzpatrick, probably one of the most disrespected players in the league, had his second straight really strong season and really maxed out an offence with absolutely zero running game and a poor offensive line. The Dolphins have already drafted his replacement in Tua Tagovailoa and while it's likely we'll see him play at some stage this season, I don't think it will be until Miami are eliminated from playoff contention.

One aspect that will make Fitzpatrick's life more difficult this season are the two WR opt outs, Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns. Neither are amazing, but it does leave Devante Parker (coming off a great season) and Preston Williams as the only two established receivers on the roster. The Dolphins will be hoping for Mike Gesicki to take another step up in production after a decent 50/500/5 sophomore season. While the receiving corps are slightly diminished, the running game should be improved with the acquisition of Jordan Howard and Matt Breida (leading RB from last season Mark Walton had just 200 yards!). Howard is a unfashionable two-down back but is a reliable yards after contact creator, while Breida has one of the best per-carry averages in recent times but may find big plays harder to come by away from the 49ers scheme, and running behind a diametrically opposite o-line. Said line has been made over from the unit that was the worst in the NFL last season, but changes in personnel don't necessarily mean improvements - Ereck Flowers might make a slightly better guard than left tackle but he's still bad.

There's equal as many changes up front on defence in an attempt to improve their non-existent pass rush (trivia: who had the most pressures for the Dolphins last season?), but the new faces on this side of the ball are more inspiring. Kyle Van Noy, Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah all had productive 2019 seasons. The acquisitions in the secondary are even more enticing, Byron Jones is one of the better corners in the league, and Miami used one of it's bounty of first round picks on Noah Igbinoghene, to lessen the responsibility on Xavien Howard.

The AFC East has simultaneously become more open than it's been in decades, as well as being pretty inarguably the weakest division in the league. The latter means that they're probably an outside chance to sneak in as a wildcard team if things go well - but I think we'll have to wait to see the true ceiling of this team when Tua enters the lineup, and that might only come when they're comfortable with the offensive line being able to protect him adequately.

Buffalo>Dallas
Philadelphia>New England
NY Jets>NY Giants
Miami>Washington

NFC East is the worst IMO! Love the writeups though @admin!

Aug 12, 2020 15:34:55 GMT Blindy said:

Buffalo>Dallas
Philadelphia>New England
NY Jets>NY Giants
Miami>Washington

NFC East is the worst IMO! Love the writeups though @admin !

WTF?

Dallas > Buffalo
Philly > NE
NYG > NYJ
Miami > Washington

3-1 NFC EAST.

Aug 12, 2020 17:47:57 GMT KING KID said:

Aug 12, 2020 15:34:55 GMT Blindy said:

Buffalo>Dallas
Philadelphia>New England
NY Jets>NY Giants
Miami>Washington

NFC East is the worst IMO! Love the writeups though @admin !

WTF?

Dallas > Buffalo
Philly > NE
NYG > NYJ
Miami > Washington

3-1 NFC EAST.

Buffalo I think will have better record than Dallas unless McCarthy is just THAT much of a difference maker at HC. Dallas on paper I think is more complete than Buffalo but I think the Bills defense, particular their secondary is better than Dallas. Dallas offense is much better than Buffalo's but I side with the Bills D overall vs the Dallas one. Comes down to what your preference is. 

Giants are not better than the Jets. Jets are better at QB, OLine(Which isn't saying much) and have the more proven defense even with no Adams or Mosely. It's close though. Giants have better skill players though and maybe the better HC which is a knock on Gase than a glowing indication for Judge.

Aug 12, 2020 18:13:10 GMT Blindy said:

Aug 12, 2020 17:47:57 GMT KING KID said:

WTF?

Dallas > Buffalo
Philly > NE
NYG > NYJ
Miami > Washington

3-1 NFC EAST.

Buffalo I think will have better record than Dallas unless McCarthy is just THAT much of a difference maker at HC. Dallas on paper I think is more complete than Buffalo but I think the Bills defense, particular their secondary is better than Dallas. Dallas offense is much better than Buffalo's but I side with the Bills D overall vs the Dallas one. Comes down to what your preference is. 

Giants are not better than the Jets. Jets are better at QB, OLine(Which isn't saying much) and have the more proven defense even with no Adams or Mosely. It's close though. Giants have better skill players though and maybe the better HC which is a knock on Gase than a glowing indication for Judge.

I do not want to spoil my prediction thread too much, but I'll give you this one.

I think Dallas is going to be the #1 seed in the NFC this year. 

Aug 12, 2020 18:52:45 GMT KING KID said:

Aug 12, 2020 18:13:10 GMT Blindy said:

Buffalo I think will have better record than Dallas unless McCarthy is just THAT much of a difference maker at HC. Dallas on paper I think is more complete than Buffalo but I think the Bills defense, particular their secondary is better than Dallas. Dallas offense is much better than Buffalo's but I side with the Bills D overall vs the Dallas one. Comes down to what your preference is. 

Giants are not better than the Jets. Jets are better at QB, OLine(Which isn't saying much) and have the more proven defense even with no Adams or Mosely. It's close though. Giants have better skill players though and maybe the better HC which is a knock on Gase than a glowing indication for Judge.

I do not want to spoil my prediction thread too much, but I'll give you this one.

I think Dallas is going to be the #1 seed in the NFC this year. 

Gotcha, we shall see. Center is an unproven commodity with a 5th rounder in the Wisconsin kid who fell really deep. Secondary is woozy with the Byron Jones loss to MIA, older DLine with the addition of McCoy and their LB are so injury proned with both Vander Esch and Sean Lee. 

EDIT: Oh they still have the JAG Looney at Center. 

26. New York Jets

I really want to see Sam Darnold do it properly this season, so I can only imagine what it's like for actual Jets fans. There's been so many ups and downs already in his career, but he's shown in brief spurts that he has the quality to be an above average starter. If things don't go particularly well for him this year then he'll get a new coach (which would probably be better for him long term) but I just want to see him put together a decent season that's representative of his talent and what he could be. It's easy to forget that he's younger than Joe Burrow and already has two seasons of NFL experience! On the other end of the age spectrum are the Jets running backs after adding Frank Gore to Le'Veon Bell to form what must be the oldest back field in the league. The Jets must be anticipating more production from Bell in his second season after a pedestrian return to the league, but that will hinge on whether the remade offensive line is an improvement on what was fielded in 2019. Mehki Beckton's strength coming out of college is his run blocking (with question marks over his size and agility to pass protect) so that bodes well, but the rest of the acquisitions are journeymen and project players.

I'm well and truly on the Denzel Mims bandwagon thanks to the glowing reviews he's received from Bob Bates DDS. Quiet rookie WR seasons seem to be a thing on the past and I can see Mims instantly coming in and demanding a lot of targets given what else is available. I'm not relying on Breshad Perriman after a handful of games late last season, Josh Doctson has opted out, and Jameison Crowder operates out of the slot. The receiving options can be boosted by TE Chris Herndon who has flashed but needs to put together a complete season and establish himself as a reliable starter. 

On the other side of the ball, the player the Jets are relying on to improve is Quinnen Williams. There are some excellent examples of d-lineman who took until their second seasons to start producing at an elite level (JJ Watt & Aaron Donald) but that type of leap is going to be critical to help a defence that's lost focal point Jamal Adams, and expected returnee CJ Mosley this offseason. The edge rush options behind Williams are not impactful, the linebackers are bad (although Avery Williamson should help a little bit) and the cornerbacks are uninspiring. I did post after the draft that I think Bryce Hall was a fantastic late round pick and I think he could get a lot of playing time. 

I'm honestly quite surprised the Jets decided to give Adam Gase another year, I don't think he's shown anything to suggest that he is a particularly good coach, and is still largely living off his time with Peyton Manning. No one is expecting the Jets to be a top team considering their personnel, but Gregg Williams maxed out what the defence could achieve last season, whereas Gase failed to do that with the offence. That group needs to improve dramatically, and it starts with Gase getting more out of the players the team has invested heavily in - Bell and Darnold.

I think your higher on Detroit than I am but I am not optimistic Matt Stafford gets 16 games in and his backup is the unreliable Chase Daniel. Matt Patricia is the defense's answer to Adam Gase, ask Quandre Diggs and Darius Slay how great he was to them  He blew so many games last year and had his players running crazily during training camp which angered most of the players. 

I'm higher on McGovern and Van Roten than you are. Fant is such a wildcard but I look at it like can he be any worse than Shell? They upgraded C massively, RG I think Winters was lousy at RT again cannot be any worse.

The Dotson opt out makes me think it's inevitable Dey Thomas is brought back again, not that he's anywhere near the talent he once was in Denver but still continuity. At worst he's a great mentor for Mims. Herndon and Ryan Griffin are one of the better 1-2 punches at TE so I think a lot of 2 TE formations will be going down. They drafted Perine in early round 4 as the energy back so I think if he has any talent he might find a role as soon as this year.

I think in a contract year, watch out for Jordan Jenkins, probably the best sacker on the squad. They are hoping Onuawasor is the 2018 version rather than the 2019 and I think the thought was reuniting him with Mosely was going to be big but that didn't happen. Brian Poole was one of the best slot CBs in the game, Pierre Desir>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Trumaine Johnson(Which isn't saying much) and they are banking on Bless Austin, their rookie from Rutgers last year can build off the spurts he showed in year 1 despite injury.

Curious if and when Quinnen Williams gets suspended for his arrest back in January with him bringing a gun into LaGuardia stupidly. Nathan Shepard, Henry Anderson, Steve McClendon, and few others have to step up in the absence and be decent.

Jets schedule is rough, two road games in NFC West & AFC West, the AFC East as a whole is traveling big time. I think a 6 win season looms and that should do Gase in. I just want to see Darnold show flashes to be honest.