The preseason offered a glimpse of each team’s strengths and weaknesses before the 2023 regular season.
But for this story, let’s focus on just the NFC teams, such as the Giants, who went from having possibly the worst receiving corps in the league last season to boasting a promising unit with the arrivals of Parris Campbell and rookie Jalin Hyatt.
And what about the 49ers? Is the defensive line still their biggest strength if Nick Bosa misses Week 1 with a contract holdup? Let’s find out.
Here are the biggest strengths and weaknesses for every team in the NFC, with just a few days remaining before the regular season officially kicks off.
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Arizona Cardinals
Strength: Budda Baker
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The Cardinals made the right decision not to trade Baker, the lone star player on possibly the worst defensive roster in the league. Baker’s leadership and versatile skill set will be valuable for a defense that has concerns in many areas.
Weakness: Quarterbacks
Yes, the defense is in bad shape, but the Cardinals just released the player who served as their starting quarterback for the entire offseason. Colt McCoy wasn’t an ideal option, but he at least had 36 career starts. Now Arizona will turn to either rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune, or Joshua Dobbs, who has two career starts and little time to learn the offense after being traded by the Browns.
Atlanta Falcons
Strength: Running backs
Bijan Robinson, the No. 8 pick in the 2023 draft, will form a dynamic backfield duo with Tyler Allgeier, who rushed for 1,035 yards as a rookie last season. Allgeier will likely lose snaps to Robinson, but he should remain involved in the offense as his rookie teammate helps out in the passing game.
Weakness: Depth after Drake London
If Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts aren’t available at any point in the season, the Falcons will be in trouble—they lack depth at wide receiver behind Drake London. Atlanta is banking on Mack Hollins to build off his 2022 season (57 catches, 690 yards and four touchdowns with the Raiders).
Carolina Panthers
Strength: Defensive front
Brian Burns gets overlooked at times when it comes to ranking the best edge rushers in the league, but the Rams offering the Panthers multiple first-round picks for Burns in 2022 says plenty about his game. Carolina also has a standout defensive tackle in Derrick Brown, who might be on the verge of breakout season, similar to what Quinnen Williams, Daron Payne and Dexter Lawrence did last year.
Weakness: Offensive line
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This summer, pressure forced Bryce Young to run out of the pocket on most plays—even with most of the starters on the field. It was only preseason, but Carolina is going to need much better play from its offensive line; if not, it will be a long rookie season for the No. 1 pick.
Chicago Bears
Strength: Pass catchers
DJ Moore’s arrival will put less focus on wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool, who are talented but inconsistent at times. But Justin Fields won’t have to force-feed Moore, either, because the quarterback has a security blanket in tight end Cole Kmet, who recently signed a four-year, $50 million contract extension.
Weakness: Defensive line
The Bears are thin at edge rusher after releasing Trevis Gipson, who wasn’t a scheme fit for coach Matt Eberflus. The arrival of Yannick Ngakoue should help, but the former Jaguar has struggled the past two seasons. Chicago might be better at defensive tackle with promising rookies Zacch Pickens and Gervon Dexter Sr.
Dallas Cowboys
Strength: Edge rushers
The Cowboys have a strong case for boasting the best group of edge rushers in the NFL, with plenty of depth behind All-Pro Micah Parsons. DeMarcus Lawrence still has plenty left in the tank, and Sam Williams could have a breakout second season. Dante Fowler Jr. and Dorance Armstrong Jr. are also reliable pass rushers.
Weakness: Tight end
It won’t be easy for Dallas to replace tight end Dalton Schultz, Dak Prescott’s former friendly target. With Schultz now wearing a Texans uniform, the Cowboys are hoping for a big jump from second-year tight end Jake Ferguson, who recorded 19 catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns last season. If Ferguson isn’t the answer at tight end, the Cowboys also have rookie second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker, but he reportedly struggled to keep pace with Ferguson this summer.
Detroit Lions
Strength: Offensive line
Last season, the Lions’ ferocious offensive line bought Jared Goff plenty of time to operate and created lanes for the rushing attack. Newcomer running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery could form a dynamic tandem rushing behind tackles Taylor Decker, Penei Sewell and center Frank Ragnow.
Weakness: Edge rushers
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The Lions lack talent behind edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft. Veterans Charles Harris, Romeo Okwara and John Cominsky are decent rotational players, but they don’t offer much upside. James Houston, a ’22 sixth-round pick, had flashes in his rookie season, but he may have taken a step back in his development this summer.
Green Bay Packers
Strength: Edge rushers
Depth at edge rusher won’t be an issue in Green Bay with the trio of Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Lukas Van Ness, the rookie first-round pick. But there is some uncertainty with Gary starting the season on a “pitch count” as the linebacker works his way back to full strength after sustaining an ACL injury last season.
Weakness: Offensive line
Many mock drafts had the Packers using their first-round pick on an offensive lineman to help first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love, but they favored the versatile Van Ness. Taking the best player available is often the best way to go, but Love could see plenty of pressure this season behind a shaky offensive line that is counting on left tackle David Bakhtiari to stay healthy. The veteran, entering his eleventh year, hasn’t played a full season since 2019.
Los Angeles Rams
Strength: Core group and coaching
GM Les Snead refused to call this season a rebuild thanks to the Rams still having their core trio of Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald. Also, Sean McVay decided to return for a seventh season after contemplating whether to take a break from coaching to explore TV analyst opportunities. It’s hard to count out a team with All-Pro players and good coaching.
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Weakness: Inexperience
The Rams lack experienced players after Stafford, Kupp and Donald. They opened training camp with about 40 rookies, and they’re counting on a handful of them to start this season. Luckily for the Rams, they have gotten promising early results from the draft class, including wide receiver Puka Nacua and cornerback Tre Tomlinson.
Minnesota Vikings
Strength: Pass catchers
Justin Jefferson, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, will likely have help this season with the arrival of rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison. The first-round pick will see plenty of single-coverage playing next to Jefferson and tight end T.J. Hockenson, who just signed a four-year, $66 million contract extension.
Weakness: Defense
The Vikings have many new pieces defensively, but that might not be enough to repair one of last season’s worst units in the league. New defensive coordinator Brian Flores will have a tough time getting positive results from the secondary, but the team did add cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., who had a productive 2022 season with the Cardinals.
New Orleans Saints
Strength: Wide receiver
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The Saints could have one of the best receiving corps in the NFL if—and it’s a big if—Michael Thomas plays a full season, something he hasn’t done since 2019. Thomas has had a strong training camp, and he doesn’t have the pressure of being a No. 1 target this season with the emergence of second-year stud Chris Olave. Also, rookie sixth-round pick A.T. Perry could develop into a standout playmaker after an impressive training camp.
Weakness: Defensive line
The Saints will have a new-look interior defensive line this season with the arrivals of defensive tackles Nathan Shepherd, Khalen Saunders and rookie Bryan Bresee. As for the defensive ends, Cameron Jordan will play with Payton Turner and Carl Granderson, two inexperienced players tasked with replacing Marcus Davenport, who’s now with the Vikings.
New York Giants
Strength: Defensive front
The Giants have standout playmakers at edge rusher (Kayvon Thibodeaux), interior defensive line (Dexter Lawrence, Leonard Williams) and inside linebacker (Bobby Okereke). New York, however, could use another reliable edge rusher, but luckily they can move the pocket with a deep rotation at interior defensive line, which includes A’Shawn Robinson and Rakeem Nunez-Roches.
Weakness: Offensive line after LT Andrew Thomas
Andrew Thomas took steps forward last season as one of the best left tackles in the league, but the Giants have many question marks regarding the rest of the starting line. Right tackle Evan Neal struggled as a rookie, and New York has a rookie starting at center with John Michael Schmitz. But the weakest area of all might be the lack of talent at guard.
Philadelphia Eagles
Strength: Offensive and defensive line
The Eagles have made the postseason five of the past six years, because they have prioritized the offensive and defensive lines in the draft and free agency. They’re deep on both sides of the trenches and probably won’t miss a beat this season, despite a few departures in the offseason. Guard Cam Jurgens and defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis are next up in Philadelphia.
Weakness: Unreliable running backs
On paper, the Eagles should be fine with the combo of D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny to replace Miles Sanders (who is now with the Panthers). But Sanders played in all 17 games last season, while Penny played a combined 18 games over his last three seasons with the Seahawks. Swift hasn’t missed as much time as Penny due to injuries, but he was inconsistent on the field in three seasons with the Lions.
San Francisco 49ers
Strength: Inside linebackers
The 49ers are loaded at this position, with Dre Greenlaw, one of the most underrated players in the league, and Fred Warner, a two-time first-team All-Pro. They also have depth with reliable rotational players Oren Burks and Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles.
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Weakness: Kicker
The 49ers took a gamble by drafting kicker Jake Moody in the third round, which was a strange move for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. And Moody doesn’t appear ready for pressure moments after missing a handful of kicks in the preseason. Also, backup kicker Zane Gonzalez was recently placed on injured reserve. San Francisco could soon call back ol’ reliable Robbie Gould.
Seattle Seahawks
Strength: Wide receivers
What separates the Seahawks’ wide receivers trio from the rest is the diversity of ability. DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba each provide a different skill set on the field. The 6'4", 235-pound Metcalf has size and strength; Lockett stretches the field with his 4.4 speed; and Smith-Njigba can move the chains as a smooth route runner.
Weakness: Injury concerns for key defensive players
The Seahawks are a sleeper team for most football pundits, but they won’t be Super Bowl contenders without safety Jamal Adams and linebacker Jordyn Brooks. Both were sidelined most of the offseason and training camp, but they’re trending in the right direction by avoiding the injured reserve list to start the regular season. (Adams has been ruled out for the opener, however.) As for another area of concern, rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon hasn’t practiced since Aug. 7 because of a hamstring injury.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Strength: Super Bowl experience
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Tom Brady is gone, but the Buccaneers still have standout players from their 2020 Super Bowl team who can possibly make noise in a subpar NFC South this season. Wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin could help new quarterback Baker Mayfield have a career resurgence in Tampa Bay. Veterans Lavonte David, Vita Vea, Shaquil Barrett, Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis III could form a productive defensive unit.
The Buccaneers struggled to protect Brady last season partly because of the absence of center Ryan Jensen, who missed all of the regular season but managed to return for the wild-card loss against the Cowboys. Tampa Bay had hopes of Jensen playing this season, but he was recently placed on season-ending injured reserve with a knee injury. The Buccaneers also tinkered with the offensive line by moving players to different positions, such as Pro Bowler Tristan Wirfs going from right tackle to the left side.
