The NFC West may not be the simple prediction it appears to be.
While the 49ers are in terrific position to once again threaten for a Super Bowl, they’ll have serious competition within the division first.
Last year, it was the Seahawks who stunned the prognosticators by earning a wild-card berth after trading away Super Bowl–winning quarterback Russell Wilson and replacing him with Geno Smith. As it turned out, Wilson bombed with the Broncos, while Smith earned a Pro Bowl berth in Seattle, throwing 30 touchdowns.
Beyond Seattle, can the Rams rebound after the worst Super Bowl defense in NFL history? Los Angeles still has quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp to ignite the offense, but will that be enough?
Finally, the Cardinals are hoping to prove nearly everyone wrong about their short-term future, even with a first-year coach in Jonathan Gannon and a rehabbing quarterback in Kyler Murray.
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Arizona Cardinals
Can the Cardinals be anything but a bottom-tier team?
Rob Schumacher/The Republic/USA TODAY Network
Nobody is expecting much from the Cardinals. But is there a chance they become the league’s biggest surprise?
Arizona is hamstrung by Murray rehabbing his torn ACL, suffered in Week 14 of last season. Should the quarterback miss time, the Cardinals are banking on Colt McCoy to keep them afloat against a schedule that includes six 2022 playoff teams in the first eight weeks.
Furthermore, Arizona’s coaching staff is largely untested: Gannon, Drew Petzing and Nick Rallis will all be in their first season at their respective positions (coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator). The Cardinals are trusting in youth and potential over experience on the sideline, something the Broncos did last year—to incredible disaster. Between the trio, only Gannon is 40 years old.
If the Cardinals are going to be a pleasant shock, it’ll be because their rookies pay off immediately. Arizona used the No. 6 pick on left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., followed by its second-round pick for LSU edge rusher BJ Ojulari. In the third round, first-year general manager Monti Ossenfort took two swings, with corner Garrett Williams and receiver Michael Wilson coming into the fold.
For the Cardinals, youth must serve, both on the sideline and the field.
Los Angeles Rams
Has the lack of young talent caught up with the Rams?
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The Rams haven’t had a first-round selection since 2016, when they used the No. 1 pick to select Jared Goff.
Of course, Los Angeles then flipped Goff to the Lions ahead of the 2021 season, and had to include two first-rounders to rid themselves of his contract while acquiring Stafford. All the while maneuvering for veterans—the ensuing picks have been used to trade up for Goff (’17), the Stafford deal (’22 and ’23), trading for receiver Brandin Cooks (’18), moving back in the draft (’19) and a big move for corner Jalen Ramsey (’20 and ’21).
Incredibly, only Stafford is left from all those moves. Furthermore, Los Angeles hasn’t drafted an All-Pro or Pro Bowler in its last five classes, not including April’s. Defensively, the Rams’ depth chart is tackle Aaron Donald, linebacker Ernest Jones and nine other players, who most football fans couldn’t name. Offensively, there’s more talent, with Stafford and Kupp being flanked by receiver Van Jefferson and tight end Tyler Higbee—but nobody will confuse them with the Greatest Show on Turf.
For coach Sean McVay, this season could be another challenging campaign unless the rookies and younger players make large leaps.
San Francisco 49ers
Will the 49ers regret their quarterback situation?
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Nobody would argue about the 49ers having an elite roster. They’re the only team in football who literally have All-Pros in every meeting room, save for one very important one: quarterback.
Going into the season, it’s uncertain whether second-year QB Brock Purdy will be able to play come Week 1 as he rehabs from a torn UCL. If Purdy can go, he’ll start. If he can’t, the job then falls to either veteran Sam Darnold or 2021 first-round pick Trey Lance.
In what has become an annual ritual, the quarterback is the clear question in San Francisco. The Niners traded three first-rounders to move up and acquire Lance, but he’s seemingly fallen out of favor after having attempted only 102 passes in the big leagues. Meanwhile, Darnold is a journeyman at this juncture, having played for the Jets, Panthers and 49ers over the past four seasons. The USC product has posted 61 touchdowns against 55 interceptions in his career.
All of this puts a ton of pressure on Purdy, to not only return quickly but also maintain his level of play from last year, when he stunned the football world as a seventh-round pick who won all of his starts until the NFC title game.
Seattle Seahawks
Did the Seahawks hit again on their draft class?
Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports
No team had a better 2022 draft than the Seahawks. General manager John Schneider walked away with a pair of quality offensive tackles in Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, along with a Pro Bowl corner in Tariq Woolen. The result was an unexpected playoff berth.
This spring, it seems Schneider might have pulled off another heist. With two selections in the first round (one came from Denver thanks to the Wilson deal), the Seahawks nabbed corner Devon Witherspoon from Illinois and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba out of Ohio State. Both were widely considered the best at their respective positions, and they were each the first players selected from those groups.
With the mass influx of high-end youth, the Seahawks are making a push to contend in the NFC. Seattle has loads of proven talent, including receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, along with free-agent additions in All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner and defensive end Dre’Mont Jones. If Smith can come close to playing as he did last year under center, Seattle has one of the league’s most complete rosters.
