How long can the Bills hold Josh Allen on the sidelines? Is there a philosophical change in the New England Patriots? When stability finally arrives at the Cleveland Browns, how drastic will the upheaval in Seattle be – and can fans of the Green Bay Packers look forward to a new chapter? Before the summer, SPOX looks at the central story for each of the 32 franchises.
The story: Lamar Jackson.
You can talk about the Interior Offensive Line away from Marshal Yanda, or about the completely refurbished Wide Receiver Corps. The renewed focus on the tight-end position is also worth mentioning in Baltimore. The dominant theme, however, is clearly Lamar Jackson: on the one hand, he is a polarizing prospect, but on the other hand, he could surprise one or the other critic as a passer. Above all, however, Joe Flacco has been a difficult personality in Baltimore for years, because he has steadily reduced since the outstanding playoff appearances in the super bowl season. At the same time, the Ravens had no serious alternative for a long time anyway – Jackson will change that now, and the coaching staff and run-heavy approach could bring Jackson to the field earlier than is generally assumed.
The story: Joe Mixon and a new world.
Jeremy Hill is gone and the Bengals have invested in the offensive line after the expected blocking disaster in the pre-season: Cordy Glenn and Billy Price give Cincinnati many times more stability on the line of scrimmage and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor has shown in the past that he likes to widen defenses, use pre-snap motion to get defenders out of the way and let his offense play at speed to get good matchups. If you think this idea further and combine it with the new offensive line, Mixon in the run and in the Underneath Passing Game should create completely new spaces.
The Story: Finally – finally! Stability. Do you?
Most NFL fans in Germany have never experienced the Browns as anything other than a mixture of sporty sediment and a source of bad quarterback jokes and jerseys. Sashi Brown’s long-term plans combined with continuous, meaningful reinforcements and many high draft picks have taken Cleveland to a point where the next step actually seems possible. The browns should be clearly above average on both sides of the ball on the line of scrimmage. The receiving corps is young and talented, the backfield deep and in Tyrod Taylor – who has already been named starter for 2018 – the Browns finally have a quarterback that doesn’t throw away any games. Hue Jackson’s handling of DeShone Kizer in the pre-season was desolate, but that was also schematic: An offense that hardly helps the quarterback and relies a lot on iso-routes provided for even more turnovers. Cleveland should have won several games by 2017.
The story: Who needs linebacker?
It’s been clear for a while that Ryan Shazier won’t play at least in 2018, and it’s a mystery whether the linebacker will ever enter a football field again. Pittsburgh ignored the position in the draft almost completely, Jon Bostic is now to judge it as starter. The more exciting question will be how intensively Pittsburgh uses (big) nickel packages to get more cornerbacks and above all more safeties on the pitch. Offensively it will be interesting to watch how Randy Fichtner – who had been Ben Roethlisberger’s quarterback coach for seven years now – fares as offensive coordinator. In any case, as Big Ben’s belligerent announcements towards rookie QB Mason Rudolph show, he will be highly motivated for the season.
The story: The most exciting Offense 2018.
Chicago’s offense was really heavy for long stretches last season, with a few exceptions. No explosiveness, no players who make an individual difference in passing, no plan B for Tarik Cohen and no support for Mitch Trubisky. This is to change completely in 2018: With the new coaching staff, and here specifically Matt Nagy and Mark Helfrich, a modern offense performance moves into Chicago. West Coast elements, paired with run pass options, misdirection, tempo and pre-snap motion as well as a good portion of play action – all this will be a new sight for Bears fans. Considering that Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller and Trey Burton make up the most exciting Bears receiving corps in a very long time and that Nagy and Helfrich are sure to have better ideas for Cohen, one can only look forward to Chicago’s offense.
The story: Harder. Tougher. And a run game.
This Lions draft clearly bears the signature of Matt Patricia: Become more physical on the line of scrimmage, play defensively with a gap controlling approach and – as some Lions fans might say – also define themselves via the run game. This philosophy drips out of the Lions draft, with the picks of Frank Ragnow, Tyrell Crosby, Kerryon Johnson and Da’Shawn Hand. Just offensively the Matt Stafford should finally relieve. Defensively, on the other hand, one should continue to wonder how exactly the pass rush should work.
The story: A new era in Wisconsin.
Jimmy Graham and Mo Wilkerson in the Free Agency, the first two picks in the draft in the two perhaps most aggressive cornerbacks of this class and additionally three huge wide receivers in the middle and late rounds: Packers fans may not have recognized the approach of their own team in the free agency and draft. And this aggressiveness, newly found with a new managing director, should also be transferred to the pitch – whether in Mike Pettine’s defense or in the offense, which radiates more speed and more danger in passing. It’s a new era in Green Bay, and Packers fans have every reason to be excited about the coming season.
The story: Who protects Kirk Cousins?
Do the Vikings really plan to use rookie tackle Brian O’Neill as a starter and then pull Mike Remmers inwards? The approach in the draft at least suggests this theory and that would be at least a risky approach, considering the investment in Kirk Cousins and the huge problems in the line, for example in the Championship Game against Philly. It will also be interesting to see what the offense looks like under John DeFilippo, who is known to have learned from Doug Pederson in Philadelphia in recent years. Minnesota’s defense with Sheldon Richardson in the starting formation should become even more dangerous.
Page 1: The AFC North and the NFC North
Page 2: The AFC East and the NFC East
Page 3: The AFC South and the NFC South
Page 4: AFC West and NFC West