NFL 2023 Season Preview

It’s here, the 2023 NFL season is set to kickoff and so much movement happened this offseason that will bring a ton of anticipation to the season. Aaron Rodgers created a stacked team with the Jets, the Bills and Bengals look to avenge their downfalls to KC, the NFC East will be put to the test with harder schedules, and so much more. Patrick Mahomes was able to hoist another MVP, Super Bowl, and Super Bowl MVP trophies all for the second time in his career, and he, along with the Chiefs, will be the target of the league.

So here it is, my 2023 NFL Season Preview, jam packed with standings projections, playoff predictions, award predictions, roster projections, as well as write-ups on all 32 teams, and my grades for all of them. Your go-to guide for everything heading into the season with all 32 teams is right here. Hope you enjoy!

Standings

NFC EAST
x-Philadelphia Eagles 13-4
y-Dallas Cowboys 10-7
New York Giants 7-10
Washington Commanders 6-11

NFC NORTH
x-Minnesota Vikings 12-5
y-Detroit Lions 11-6
Green Bay Packers 8-9
Chicago Bears 5-12

NFC SOUTH
x-Carolina Panthers 10-7
New Orleans Saints 9-8
Atlanta Falcons 8-9
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-11

NFC WEST
x-San Francisco 49ers 13-4
y-Seattle Seahawks 10-7
Los Angeles Rams 6-11
Arizona Cardinals 3-14

AFC EAST
x-New York Jets 11-6
y-Buffalo Bills 9-8
Miami Dolphins 9-8
New England Patriots 7-10

AFC NORTH
x-Cincinnati Bengals 11-6
y-Pittsburgh Steelers 10-7
Baltimore Ravens 8-9
Cleveland Browns 6-11

AFC SOUTH
x-Jacksonville Jaguars 11-6
Tennessee Titans 8-9
Indianapolis Colts 5-12
Houston Texans 5-12

AFC WEST
x-Kansas City Chiefs 13-4
y-Los Angeles Chargers 10-7
Denver Broncos 8-9
Las Vegas Raiders 4-13

Playoff Predictions

1st Round	2nd Round	NFC Championship	NFC
2 – San Francisco vs. 7 – Dallas
	1 – Philadelphia (BYE) vs. 7 – Dallas
4 – Carolina vs. 5 – Detroit		1 – Philadelphia vs. 6 – Seattle	Philadelphia Eagles NFC Champions
	5 – Detroit vs. 6 – Seattle
3 – Minnesota vs. 6 – Seattle

1st Round	2nd Round	AFC Championship	AFC
4 – Jacksonville vs. 5 – Pittsburgh
	1 – Kansas City (BYE) vs. 4 – Jacksonville
3 – NY Jets vs. 6 – LA Chargers		1 – Kansas City vs. 3 – NY Jets	Kansas City Chiefs AFC Champions
	2 – Cincinnati vs. 3 – NY Jets
2 – Cincinnati vs. 7 – Buffalo

SUPER BOWL LVIII:
Kansas City Chiefs over Philadelphia Eagles

Award Predictions

MVP: Patrick Mahomes, KC
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Justin Jefferson, MIN
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Micah Parsons, DAL
OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Bijan Robinson, ATL
DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jalen Carter, PHI
COACH OF THE YEAR: Frank Reich, CAR

Roster Projections

NFC

Dallas Cowboys

HC: Mike McCarthy (4th year in DAL, Career record: 155-97-2, DAL record: 30-20, Playoff record: 11-10) – AGE: 59
OC: Brian Schottenheimer (1st year as DAL OC, 13th year as OC) – AGE: 50
DC: Dan Quinn (3rd year as DAL DC, 5th year as DC) – AGE: 53

POS	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr/Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#4	Dak Prescott	Mississippi State 8th year, Age: 29	23 TDs, 15 INTs, 2,860 yds, 57.9 QBR 182 rush yds, 1 TD
HB	#20	Tony Pollard	Memphis 5th year, Age: 26	193 carries, 1,007 yds, 9 TDs 39 receptions, 371 yds, 3 TDs
WR	#88	CeeDee Lamb	Oklahoma 4th year, Age: 24	107 receptions, 1,359 yds, 9 TDs 10 carries, 47 yds
WR	#3	Brandin Cooks	Oregon State 10th year, Age: 29	57 receptions, 699 yds, 3 TDs – (HOU)
WR	#13	Michael Gallup	Colorado State 6th year, Age: 27	39 receptions, 424 yds, 4 TDs
TE	#89	Peyton Hendershot	Indiana 2nd year, Age: 24	11 receptions, 103 yds, 2 TDs 1 carry, 2 yds, 1 TD
G	#70	Zack Martin	Notre Dame 10th year, Age: 32
G	#73	Tyler Smith	Tulsa 2nd year, Age: 22
C	#63	Tyler Biadasz	Wisconsin 4th year, Age: 25
T	#77	Tyron Smith	USC 13th year, Age: 32
T	#78	Terence Steele	Texas Tech 4th year, Age: 26

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#90	DeMarcus Lawrence	Boise State 10th year, Age: 31	6 Sacks, 65 Tackles, 3 FF, 1 FR, 3 PD
DE	#56	Dante Fowler Jr.	Florida 9th year, Age: 28	6 Sacks, 27 Tackles, 2 FF, 2 PD
DT	#96	Neville Gallimore	Oklahoma 4th year, Age: 26	1 Sack, 33 Tackles, 1 PD
DT	#97	Osa Odighizuwa	UCLA 3rd year, Age: 24	4 Sacks, 43 Tackles, 1 FF
MLB	#55	Leighton Vander-Esch	Boise State 6th year, Age: 27	1 Sack, 90 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 PD
OLB/DE	#11	Micah Parsons	Penn State 3rd year, Age: 24	13.5 Sacks, 65 Tackles, 3 FF, 3 FR, 3 PD
OLB	#33	Damone Clark	LSU 2nd year, Age: 23	47 Tackles, 2 FF
CB	#7	Trevon Diggs	Alabama 4th year, Age: 24	59 Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 FR, 14 PD
CB	#21	Stephon Gilmore	South Carolina 12th year, Age: 32	66 Tackles, 2 INTs, 11 PD – (IND)
S	#6	Donovan Wilson	Texas A&M 5th year, Age: 28	5 Sacks, 101 Tackles, 1 INT, 2 FF, 1 FR 2 PD
S	#27	Jayron Kearse	Clemson 8th year, Age: 29	2 Sacks, 77 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 2 FR 5 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#1	Brandon Aubrey	Notre Dame Rookie, Age: 28	Signed from USFL
P	#5	Bryan Anger	California 12th year, Age: 34	68 punts, 3,291 yds, 27 <20
KR	#9	Kavontae Turpin	TCU 2nd year, Age: 27	21 attempts, 508 yds
PR	#9	Kavontae Turpin	TCU 2nd year, Age: 27	29 attempts, 303 yds

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Cooper Rush – #10 (Central Michigan, 6th year, Age: 29)
QB: Trey Lance – (North Dakota State, 3rd year, Age: 23)
HB: Ronald Jones* – #32 (USC, 6th year, Age: 25)
TE: Jake Ferguson – #87 (Wisconsin, 2nd year, Age: 24)
TE: Luke Schoonmaker – #86 (Michigan, Rookie, Age: 24)
DE: Dorance Armstrong – #92 (Kansas, 6th year, Age: 26)
DE: Sam Williams – #54 (Ole Miss, 2nd year, Age: 24)
DT: Johnathan Hankins – #95 (Ohio State, 11th year, Age: 31)
CB: DaRon Bland – #26 (Fresno State, 2nd year, Age: 24)
CB: Jourdan Lewis** – #2 (Michigan, 7th year, Age: 27)
S: Malik Hooker – #28 (Ohio State, 7th year, Age: 27)

*Ronald Jones was suspended for the first two games for PED’s
**Jourdan Lewis continues to rehab foot surgery and can miss the start of season

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 10-7, 2nd in NFC East
MVP: LB Micah Parsons
Breakout Player: TE Peyton Hendershot
Offensive Grade: B-
Defensive Grade: B
Strengths: Offensive line, run game, secondary, pass rushers
Weaknesses: run stop, receiving depth

The Cowboys enter the fourth year of the Mike McCarthy era neck deep in a division that went from uncompetitive to arguably the best in the league. It’s not going to be easy for a team that stayed relatively the same. Dak had a bit of a down year while leading the league in INT’s but he’ll be poised to bounce back with the addition of Brandin Cooks to weapons that include Lamb, Pollard, and Gallup. Their offensive line has been one of the most consistent over the past decade and looks to remain the same with Biadasz and Tyler Smith complimenting future HOF’s Zack Martin and Tyron Smith.

On defense, Micah Parsons has become arguably the best EDGE rusher in the league, while stars DeMarcus Lawrence and Leighton Vander-Esch will remain as staples around him. The secondary has become one of the better ones in the league and only improved as they added 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore. Similar to 2022, this year may bring a lot of surprises to the NFC East as the Eagles look to play a tougher schedule and the Giants will try to avenge their magical year. Dallas is going to be as much in the mix as any team in the NFC, but health will play a big part for their star QB who needs to have a big year.

New York Giants

HC: Brian Daboll (2nd year, Career/Team record: 9-7-1, Playoff record: 1-1) – AGE: 48
OC: Mike Kafka (2nd year as NYG OC) – AGE: 36
DC: Don Martindale (2nd year as NYG DC, 6th year as DC) – AGE: 60

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#8	Daniel Jones	Duke 5th year, Age: 26	15 TDs, 5 INTs, 3,205 yds, 60.8 QBR 708 rush yds, 7 TDs
HB	#26	Saquon Barkley	Penn State 6th year, Age: 26	295 carries, 1,312 yds, 10 TDs 57 receptions, 338 yds
WR	#86	Darius Slayton	Auburn 5th year, Age: 26	46 receptions, 724 yds, 2 TDs
WR	#18	Isaiah Hodgins	Oregon State 3rd year, Age: 24	37 receptions, 392 yds, 4 TDs
WR	#3	Sterling Shepard	Oklahoma 8th year, Age: 30	13 receptions, 154 yds, 1 TD
TE	#12	Darren Waller	Georgia Tech 8th year, Age: 30	28 receptions, 388 yds, 3 TDs – (LVR)
G	#64	Mark Glowinski	West Virginia 9th year, Age: 31
G	#66	Shane Lemieux	Oregon 4th year, Age: 26
C	#61	John Schmitz Jr. (R)	Minnesota Rookie, Age: 24	DRAFTED: 57th overall by NYG
T	#78	Andrew Thomas	Georgia 4th year, Age: 24
T	#73	Evan Neal	Alabama 2nd year, Age: 22

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#99	Leonard Williams	USC 9th year, Age: 29	2.5 Sacks, 45 Tackles, 1 FF, 2 FR
DE	#97	Dexter Lawrence	Clemson 5th year, Age: 25	7.5 Sacks, 68 Tackles, 2 FF, 3 PD
NT	#91	A’Shawn Robinson	Alabama 8th year, Age: 28	42 Tackles – (LAR)
ILB	#58	Bobby Okereke	Stanford 5th year, Age: 26	151 Tackles, 2 FF, 2 FR, 5 PD – (IND)
ILB/S	#46	Isaiah Simmons	Clemson 4th year, Age: 25	4 Sacks, 99 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 TD, 2 FF 1 FR, 7 PD – (ARI)
OLB	#5	Kayvon Thibodeaux	Oregon 2nd year, Age: 22	4 Sacks, 49 Tackles, 2 FF, 2 FR, 5 PD
OLB	#51	Azeez Ojulari	Georgia 3rd year, Age: 23	5.5 Sacks, 14 Tackles, 3 FF, 1 PD
CB	#22	Adoree’ Jackson	USC 7th year, Age: 27	51 Tackles, 1 FF, 2 FR, 7 PD
CB	#30	Darnay Holmes	UCLA 4th year, Age: 25	38 Tackles, 1 FF, 8 PD
S	#29	Xavier McKinney	Alabama 4th year, Age: 24	1 Sack, 45 Tackles, 1 FF, 5 PD
S	#21	Bobby McCain	Memphis 9th year, Age: 29	76 Tackles, 1 FF, 5 PD – (WSH)

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#9	Graham Gano	Florida State 14th year, Age: 36	32/34 XP, 29/32 FG — 8/9 50+
P	#6	Jamie Gillan	UAPB 5th year, Age: 26	74 punts, 3,463 yds, 26 <20
KR	#23	Gary Brightwell	Arizona 3rd year, Age: 25	26 attempts, 555 yds
PR	#20	Eric Gray (R)	Oklahoma Rookie, Age: 23	DRAFTED: 172nd overall by NYG

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Tyrod Taylor – #2 (Virginia Tech, 13th year, Age: 33)
HB: Matt Breida – #31 (Georgia Southern, 7th year, Age: 28)
WR: Parris Campbell – #1 (Ohio State, 5th year, Age: 26)
WR: Wan’Dale Robinson* – #17 (Kentucky, 2nd year, Age: 22)
TE: Daniel Bellinger – #82 (San Diego State, 2nd year, Age: 22)
DE: Boogie Basham – #45 (Wake Forest, 3rd year, Age: 25)
DT: Rakeem Nunez-Roches – #93 (Southern Miss, 9th year, Age: 30)
LB: Micah McFadden – #41 (Indiana, 2nd year, Age: 23)
LB: Jihad Ward – #55 (Illinois, 8th year, Age: 29)
CB: Jason Pinnock – #27 (Pittsburgh, 3rd year, Age: 24)
CB: Nick McCloud – #44 (Notre Dame, 3rd year, Age: 25)
S: Dane Belton – #24 (Iowa, 2nd year, Age: 22)

*Wan’Dale Robinson continues to rehab a torn ACL and may miss the first couple of weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 7-10, 3rd in NFC East
MVP: HB Saquon Barkley
Breakout Player: WR Isaiah Hodgins
Offensive Grade: C+
Defensive Grade: B-
Strengths: Young EDGE rushers, improved offensive line, defensive line
Weaknesses: Receiving core, secondary, interior LB’s

After several years deep in a rebuild, the Giants shocked many as being one of the surprise teams of 2022. They ended up 9-7-1 and even won a playoff game against the Vikings. Now with a tougher schedule and more of a notice on them, they’re going to be tasked with trying to avenge their playoff season and prove they are legitimate. Saquon and the team settled on an $11m contract for this season, as his long-term deal disputes will be put off another year. Daniel Jones was signed to a massive extension, paying him about $40m/year, and the question will be if he can truly be worth the money. Darren Waller was added as a huge red zone weapon with a receiving core that is still underwhelming looking.

On defense Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence will man the front with long-time Rams tackle A’Shawn Robinson looming on the horizon while rehabbing. Thibodeaux and Ojulari are two very promising EDGE rushers that will look to continue their development. The secondary remains a little questionable with the team in desperate need of a big season from young safety Xavier McKinney. The Giants are a class below the Eagles but should be fighting it out with Dallas for a Wild Card spot. This year is going to be very telling with new faces, new contracts, and a much harder schedule on the horizon.

Philadelphia Eagles

HC: Nick Sirianni (3rd year, Career/Team record: 23-11, Playoff record: 2-2) – AGE: 42
OC: Brian Johnson (1st year as PHI OC) – AGE: 36
DC: Sean Desai (1st year as PHI DC, 2nd year as DC) – AGE: 40

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#1	Jalen Hurts	Oklahoma 4th year, Age: 24	22 TDs, 6 INTs, 3,701 yds, 66.4 QBR 760 rush yds, 13 TDs
HB	#0	D’Andre Swift	Georgia 4th year, Age: 24	99 carries, 542 yds, 5 TDs 48 receptions, 389 yds, 3 TDs – (DET)
WR	#11	A.J. Brown	Ole Miss 5th year, Age: 26	88 receptions, 1,496 yds, 11 TDs
WR	#6	DeVonta Smith	Alabama 3rd year, Age: 24	95 receptions, 1,196 yds, 7 TDs
WR	#16	Quez Watkins	Southern Miss 4th year, Age: 25	33 receptions, 354 yds, 3 TDs
TE	#88	Dallas Goedert	South Dakota State 6th year, Age: 28	55 receptions, 702 yds, 3 TDs
G	#69	Landon Dickerson	Alabama 3rd year, Age: 24
G	#51	Cam Jurgens	Nebraska 2nd year, Age: 23
C	#62	Jason Kelce	Cincinnati 13th year, Age: 35
T	#65	Lane Johnson	Oklahoma 11th year, Age: 33
T	#68	Jordan Mailata	Australia 6th year, Age: 26

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#55	Brandon Graham	Michigan 14th year, Age: 35	11 Sacks, 35 Tackles, 2 FF, 1 PD
DE	#94	Josh Sweat	Florida State 6th year, Age: 26	11 Sacks, 48 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD, 1 FF 1 PD
DT	#91	Fletcher Cox	Mississippi State 12th year, Age: 32	7 Sacks, 43 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR
DT	#98	Jalen Carter (R)	Georgia Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 9th overall by PHI
ILB	#17	Nakobe Dean	Georgia 2nd year, Age: 22	13 Tackles
OLB	#7	Haason Reddick*	Temple 7th year, Age: 28	16 Sacks, 49 Tackles, 5 FF, 3 FR, 3 PD
CB	#2	Darius Slay	Mississippi State 11th year, Age: 32	55 Tackles, 3 INTs, 14 PD
CB	#24	James Bradberry	Samford 8th year, Age: 29	44 Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 TD, 17 PD
CB	#29	Avonte Maddox	Pittsburgh 6th year, Age: 27	1 Sack, 43 Tackles, 1 INT, 3 FF, 1 FR 3 PD
S	#26	Terrell Edmunds	Virginia Tech 6th year, Age: 26	2 Sacks, 70 Tackles, 5 PD – (PIT)
S	#42	K’Von Wallace	Clemson 4th year, Age: 26	28 Tackles, 2 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#4	Jake Elliott	Memphis 7th year, Age: 28	51/53 XP, 20/23 FG — 5/6 50+
P	#10	Arryn Sippos	Auburn 3rd year, Age: 30	44 punts, 2,005 yds, 16 <20
KR	#35	Boston Scott	Louisiana Tech 6th year, Age: 28	15 attempts, 406 yds
PR	#16	Quez Watkins	Southern Miss 4th year, Age: 25	NO STATS

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Marcus Mariota – #8 (Oregon, 9th year, Age: 29)
HB: Rashaad Penny – #23 (San Diego State, 6th year, Age: 27)
HB: Kenneth Gainwell – #14 (Memphis, 3rd year, Age: 24)
WR: Olamide Zaccheaus – #13 (Virginia, 5th year, Age: 26)
TE: Albert Okwuegbunam – #47 (Missouri, 4th year, Age: 25)
DE: Derek Barnett – #96 (Tennessee, 7th year, Age: 27)
DT: Jordan Davis – #90 (Georgia, 2nd year, Age: 23)
DT: Kentavius Street – #97 (NC State, 5th year, Age: 27)
LB: Zach Cunningham – #52 (Vanderbilt, 7th year, Age: 28)
LB: Nolan Smith – #3 (Georgia, Rookie, Age: 22)
S: Reed Blankenship – #32 (Middle Tennessee, 2nd year, Age: 24)

*Haason Reddick had thumb surgery and may miss 1-2 weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 13-4, 1st in NFC East
MVP: QB Jalen Hurts
Breakout Player: DT Jalen Carter
Offensive Grade: A-
Defensive Grade: A
Strengths: Passing attack, offensive line, EDGE rushers
Weaknesses: Safety core, interior linebackers

Everything clicked in 2022 for the Eagles as the team dominated every aspect of every game they played in, except the Super Bowl. Although they fell short to Mahomes and the Chiefs, their future still looks extremely bright with a few solid additions. D’Andre Swift was added to be the lead back with former Seahawk Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott clogging up the RB room. The receiving core stars A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith but Olamide Zaccheaus is a solid addition they’ll hope makes an impact. The offensive line retains two future HOF’s Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, while returning young studs Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson.

On defense it was very difficult to do much better than the way the 2022 Eagles performed. They had five players record 10+ sacks, and although some left, they will bring back the league’s leading rusher Haason Reddick. The secondary will return stars Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and add Terrell Edmunds to the safety core. Philly will be the preseason team to beat in probably all of football, but once again, a harder schedule could expose some flaws we didn’t quite see in 2022. As you can tell I’m a little skeptical on how the worst division became the best in the matter of a year, and if that consistency will keep up. Only time will tell.

Washington Commanders

HC: Ron Rivera (4th year in WSH, Career record: 98-90-2, Team record: 22-27-1, Playoff record: 3-5) – AGE: 61
OC: Eric Bieniemy (1st year as WSH OC, 6th year as OC) – AGE: 54
DC: Jack Del Rio (4th year as WSH DC, 8th year as DC, 12 years as HC JAX/OAK) – AGE: 60

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#14	Sam Howell	North Carolina 2nd year, Age: 22	1 GP, 1 TD, 1 INT, 169 yds 35 rush yds, 1 TD
HB	#8	Brian Robinson Jr.	Alabama 2nd year, Age: 24	205 carries, 797 yds, 2 TDs 9 receptions, 60 yds, 1 TD
WR	#17	Terry McLaurin	Ohio State 5th year, Age: 27	77 receptions, 1,191 yds, 5 TDs 7 carries, 29 yds
WR	#1	Jahan Dotson	Penn State 2nd year, Age: 23	35 receptions, 523 yds, 7 TDs
WR	#4	Curtis Samuel	Ohio State 7th year, Age: 26	64 receptions, 656 yds, 4 TDs 38 carries, 187 yds, 1 TD
TE	#82	Logan Thomas	Virginia Tech 9th year, Age: 32	39 receptions, 323 yds, 1 TD
G	#76	Sam Cosmi	Texas 3rd year, Age: 24
G	#77	Saadhiq Charles	LSU 4th year, Age: 24
C	#63	Nick Gates	Nebraska 6th year, Age: 27
T	#72	Charles Leno Jr.	Boise State 10th year, Age: 31
T	#71	Andrew Wylie	Eastern Michigan 6th year, Age: 28

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#99	Chase Young*	Ohio State 4th year, Age: 24	3 GP, 5 Tackles, 1 PD
DE	#90	Montez Sweat	Mississippi State 5th year, Age: 26	8 Sacks, 46 Tackles, 2 PD
DT	#93	Jonathan Allen	Alabama 7th year, Age: 28	7.5 Sacks, 65 Tackles, 1 INT, 2 FF, 3 PD
DT	#94	Daron Payne	Alabama 6th year, Age: 26	11.5 Sacks, 64 Tackles, 1 FR, 5 PD
MLB	#52	Jamin Davis	Kentucky 3rd year, Age: 24	3 Sacks, 104 Tackles, 2 FR, 1 PD
OLB	#57	Cody Barton	Utah 5th year, Age: 26	2 Sacks, 136 Tackles, 2 INTs, 6 PD – (SEA)
OLB	#51	David Mayo	Texas State 9th year, Age: 29	1 Sack, 35 Tackles, 1 PD
CB	#29	Kendall Fuller	Virginia Tech 8th year, Age: 28	52 Tackles, 3 INTs, 2 TDs, 13 PD
CB	#13	Emmanuel Forbes (R)	Mississippi State Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 16th overall by WSH
S	#31	Kamren Curl	Arkansas 4th year, Age: 24	1 Sack, 83 Tackles
S	#22	Darrick Forrest	Cincinnati 3rd year, Age: 24	88 Tackles, 4 INTs, 2 FF, 1 FR, 9 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#6	Joey Slye	Virginia Tech 5th year, Age: 27	24/28 XP, 25/30 FG — 4/6 50+
P	#5	Tress Way	Oklahoma 10th year, Age: 33	83 punts, 3,885 yds, 37 <20
KR	#24	Antonio Gibson	Memphia 4th year, Age: 25	21 attempts, 486 yds
PR	#15	Dax Milne	BYU 3rd year, Age: 24	40 attempts, 311 yds

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Jacoby Brissett – #12 (NC State, 8th year, Age: 30)
HB: Antonio Gibson – #24 (Memphis, 4th year, Age: 25)
WR: Byron Pringle – #16 (Kansas State, 5th year, Age: 29)
DE: James Smith-Williams – #96 (NC State, 4th year, Age: 25)
DE: Casey Toohill – #95 (Stanford, 4th year, Age: 26)
DT: Abdullah Anderson – #92 (Bucknell, 3rd year, Age: 27)
CB: Danny Johnson – #36 (Southern, 6th year, Age: 27)
CB: Benjamin St-Juste – #25 (Minnesota, 3rd year, Age: 25)
S: Jeremy Reaves – #39 (South Alabama, 4th year, Age: 26)
S: Jartavius Martin – #20 (Illinois, Rookie, Age: 23)

*Chase Young has a neck injury and may miss the first couple of weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 6-11, 4th in NFC East
MVP: WR Terry McLaurin
Breakout Player: QB Sam Howell
Offensive Grade: C-
Defensive Grade: C+
Strengths: Young receivers, pass defense
Weaknesses: QB situation, LB core, offensive line

Rounding out the NFC East, the Commanders enter the new year coming off of a complete failure in the Carson Wentz experiment. Taylor Heinicke has also left town to compete backup in Atlanta which will leave 5th round pick from a year ago Sam Howell as the man under center. Jacoby Brissett was signed for insurance to carry some of the load if Howell struggles but the job will undoubtedly be looked at as Howell’s. He’s got a few weapons with second year RB Brian Robinson, Antonio Gibson, and receivers McLaurin, Dotson, and Samuel. The offensive line will hopefully hold their end.

On the defensive side things are slightly better than the offense, but again not great. The defensive line has had big names but a lack of explosive impact over the past few seasons. Chase Young will return from another injury and is in a huge year that will be crucial to show an impact and live up to his potential. The secondary is solid, with vets Kendall Fuller and Kamren Curl as the stars and a couple of top rookies that will look to make impacts in Emmanuel Forbes and Jartavius Martin. Washington is going to have a very tough time competing with the three other teams of their division. Barring any huge breakout seasons, the Commanders are looking at a rough year.

Chicago Bears

HC: Matt Eberflus (2nd year, Career/Team record: 3-14) – AGE: 53
OC: Luke Getsy (2nd year as CHI OC) – AGE: 39
DC: Alan Williams (2nd year as CHI DC, 4th year as DC) – AGE: 53

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#1	Justin Fields	Ohio State 3rd year, Age: 24	17 TDs, 11 INTs, 2,242 yds, 54 QBR 1,143 rush yds, 8 TDs
HB	#21	D’Onta Foreman	Texas 6th year, Age: 27	203 carries, 914 yds, 5 TDs 5 receptions, 26 yds
WR	#2	D.J. Moore	Maryland 6th year, Age: 26	63 receptions, 888 yds, 7 TDs 10 carries, 53 yds – (CAR)
WR	#11	Darnell Mooney	Tulane 4th year, Age: 25	40 receptions, 493 yds, 2 TDs
WR	#10	Chase Claypool	Notre Dame 4th year, Age: 25	46 receptions, 451 yds, 1 TD – (PIT/CHI)
TE	#85	Cole Kmet	Notre Dame 4th year, Age: 24	50 receptions, 544 yds, 7 TDs
G	#64	Nate Davis	UNC-Charlotte 5th year, Age: 26
G	#76	Teven Jenkins*	Oklahoma State 3rd year, Age: 25
C	#65	Cody Whitehair	Kansas State 8th year, Age: 31
T	#70	Braxton Jones	Southern Utah 2nd year, Age: 24
T	#58	Darnell Wright (R)	Tennessee Rookie, Age: 21	DRAFTED: 10th overall by CHI

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#91	Yannick Ngakoue	Maryland 7th year, Age: 28	9.5 Sacks, 29 Tackles, 1 FF – (IND)
DE	#95	DeMarcus Walker	Florida State 7th year, Age: 28	7 Sacks, 32 Tackles – (TEN)
DT	#97	Andrew Billings	Baylor 7th year, Age: 28	1 Sack, 39 Tackles – (LVR)
DT	#93	Justin Jones	NC State 6th year, Age: 26	3 Sacks, 52 Tackles, 1 FR, 4 PD
MLB	#49	Tremaine Edmunds	Virginia Tech 6th year, Age: 25	1 Sack, 102 Tackles, 1 INT, 7 PD – (BUF)
OLB	#53	T.J. Edwards	Wisconsin 5th year, Age: 26	2 Sacks, 159 Tackles, 1 FR, 7 PD – (PHI)
OLB	#46	Mykal Walker	Fresno State 4th year, Age: 25	1 Sack, 107 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 6 PD – (ATL)
CB	#33	Jaylon Johnson	Utah 4th year, Age: 24	35 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 7 PD
CB	#6	Kyler Gordon	Washington 2nd year, Age: 23	71 Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 6 PD
S	#4	Eddie Jackson	Alabama 7th year, Age: 29	80 Tackles, 4 INTs, 2 FF, 6 PD
S	#9	Jaquan Brisker	Penn State 2nd year, Age: 24	4 Sacks, 104 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR 2 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#8	Cairo Santos	Tulane 9th year, Age: 31	27/32 XP, 21/23 FG — 4/5 50+
P	#16	Trenton Gill	NC State 2nd year, Age: 24	66 punts, 3,038 yds, 20 <20
KR	#12	Velus Jones Jr.	Tennessee 2nd year, Age: 26	22 attempt, 607 yds
PR	#86	Dante Pettis	Washington 6th year, Age: 27	18 attempts, 163 yds

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Tyson Bagent – #17 (Shepherd (D-II), Rookie, Age: 23)
HB: Khalil Herbert – #24 (Virginia Tech, 3rd year, Age: 25)
WR: Equanimeous St. Brown – #19 (Notre Dame, 6th year, Age: 26)
TE: Robert Tonyan – #18 (Indiana State, 6th year, Age: 29)
TE: Marcedes Lewis (UCLA, 18th year, Age: 39)
DE: Rasheem Green – #94 (USC, 6th year, Age: 26)
DE: Dominique Robinson – #91 (Miami (OH), 2nd year, Age: 25)
DT: Gerven Dexter Sr. – #98 (Florida, Rookie, Age: 21)
LB: Jack Sanborn – #57 (Wisconsin, 2nd year, Age: 22)
LB: Dylan Cole – #55 (Missouri State, 7th year, Age: 29)
CB: Tyrique Stevenson – #29 (Miami, Rookie, Age: 23)
CB: Jaylon Jones – #31 (Ole Miss, 2nd year, Age: 25)

*Teven Jenkins has a leg injury and will miss at least the first 4 weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 5-12, 4th in NFC North
MVP: QB Justin Fields
Breakout Player: CB Tyrique Stevenson
Offensive Grade: C
Defensive Grade: C-
Strengths: Young QB, receiving depth, secondary
Weaknesses: Offensive line, pass rushers

As one of the teams deepest into a rebuild, the Bears suffered through a 3-14 season a year ago and will look to show some sort of improvement. The positives: Justin Fields broke out in his second year and the team is not only hopeful he can be their cornerstone, but also that he develops a Jalen Hurts type of skillset. The WR room was also improved with D.J. Moore signing a three-year deal to be their WR1. The offensive line added another top draft pick in T Darnell Wright as they look to build a solid unit through him and Teven Jenkins.

On defense, a few veterans were added including Bills star LB Tremaine Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Rasheem Green and others. The Bears had one of the lowest salary caps entering free agency and they took advantage with bringing in some valuable veterans. Their DB core is coming along with vets Eddie Jackson and Jaylon Johnson supported by a couple of young and promising talent’s in Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon. The NFC North is now much more wide open with the rebuild of the Packers, but Lions and Vikings should still be playoff contenders. The Bears are close, but they’re still a year or two away.

Detroit Lions

HC: Dan Campbell (3rd year in DET, Career record: 17-28-1, Team record: 12-21-1) – AGE: 47
OC: Ben Johnson (2nd year as DET OC) – AGE: 37
DC: Aaron Glenn (3rd year as DET DC) – AGE: 51

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#16	Jared Goff	California 8th year, Age: 28	29 TDs, 7 INTs, 4,438 yds, 61.1 QBR 73 rush yds
HB	#5	David Montgomery	Iowa State 5th year, Age: 26	201 carries, 801 yds, 5 TDs 34 receptions, 316 yds, 1 TD – (CHI)
WR	#14	Amon-Ra St. Brown	USC 3rd year, Age: 23	106 receptions, 1,161 yds, 6 TDs 9 carries, 95 yds
WR	#8	Josh Reynolds	Texas A&M 7th year, Age: 28	38 receptions, 479 yds, 3 TDs
WR	#9	Jameson Williams*	Alabama 2nd year, Age: 22	6 GP, 1 reception, 41 yds, 1 TD 1 carry, 40 yds
TE	#87	Sam LaPorta (R)	Iowa Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 34th overall by DET
G	#73	Jonah Jackson	Ohio State 4th year, Age: 26
G	#72	Halapoulivaati Vaitai	TCU 8th year, Age: 30
C	#77	Frank Ragnow	Arkansas 6th year, Age: 27
T	#58	Penei Sewell	Oregon 3rd year, Age: 22
T	#68	Taylor Decker	Ohio State 8th year, Age: 28

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#97	Aidan Hutchinson	Michigan 2nd year, Age: 22	9.5 Sacks, 52 Tackles, 3 INTs, 2 FR, 3 PD
DE	#79	John Cominsky	Charleston 5th year, Age: 27	4 Sacks, 30 Tackles, 1 FF, 3 PD
DT	#54	Alim McNeill	NC State 3rd year, Age: 23	1 Sack, 41 Tackles
DT	#96	Isaiah Buggs	Alabama 5th year, Age: 26	1 Sack, 46 Tackles, 1 FF, 2 PD
ILB	#34	Alex Anzalone	Florida 7th year, Age: 28	1.5 Sacks, 125 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR 6 PD
ILB	#44	Malcolm Rodriguez	Oklahoma State 2nd year, Age: 24	1 Sack, 87 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 2 PD
CB	#1	Cameron Sutton	Tennessee 7th year, Age: 28	43 Tackles, 3 INTs, 15 PD – (PIT)
CB	#39	Jerry Jacobs	Arkansas 3rd year, Age: 25	42 Tackles, 1 INT, 8 PD
S	#2	C.J. Gardner-Johnson	Florida 4th year, Age: 25	1 Sack, 67 Tackles, 6 INTs, 8 PD – (PHI)
S	#21	Tracy Walker III	UL-Lafayette 6th year, Age: 28	1 Sack, 20 Tackles, 1 PD
S	#31	Kerby Joseph	Illinois 2nd year, Age: 22	82 Tackles, 4 INTs, 2 FF, 1 FR, 8 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#36	Riley Patterson	Memphis 3rd year, Age: 23	36/37 XP, 30/35 FG — 2/3 50+ – (JAX)
P	#3	Jack Fox	Rice 4th year, Age: 26	52 punts, 2,525 yds, 14 <20
KR	#11	Kalif Raymond	Holy Cross 7th year, Age: 28	2 attempts, 65 yds
PR	#11	Kalif Raymond	Holy Cross 7th year, Age: 28	20 attempts, 264 yds, 1 TD

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Teddy Bridgewater – #17 (Louisville, 10th year, Age: 30)
HB: Jahmyr Gibbs – #26 (Alabama, Rookie, Age: 21)
WR: Marvin Jones Jr. – #0 (California, 12th year, Age: 33)
TE: Brock Wright – #89 (Notre Dame, 3rd year, Age: 24)
DE: Josh Paschal – #93 (Kentucky, 2nd year, Age: 23)
DT: Benito Jones – #94 (Ole Miss, 3rd year, Age: 25)
LB: Julian Okwara** – #99 (Notre Dame, 4th year, Age: 25)
LB: Romeo Okwara – #95 (Notre Dame, 8th year, Age: 28)
CB: Will Harris – #25 (Boston College, 5th year, Age: 27)
CB: Emmanuel Moseley*** – #4 (Tennessee, 6th year, Age: 27)
S: Brian Branch – #32 (Alabama, Rookie, Age: 21)

*Jameson Williams will miss the first six weeks due to a suspension on gambling
**Julian Okwara has a torn ACL and will miss the entire season
***Emmanuel Moseley has a knee injury and may miss a few weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 11-6, 2nd in NFC North
MVP: DE Aidan Hutchinson
Breakout Player: TE Sam LaPorta
Offensive Grade: B
Defensive Grade: B+
Strengths: WR core, offensive line, secondary
Weaknesses: TE core, pass rush, LB core

After a surprise year that thrusted them into the playoff race, things seemed to click in 2022 for the lowly Lions. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a solid Detroit squad but with Jared Goff leading the way the team will compete hard to win the NFC North. Their receiving core has become one of the deepest with Amon-Ra St. Brown developing as a great WR1. Penei Sewell is beginning to become a star O-Lineman alongside vets Jonah Jackson, Taylor Decker, and more. Veteran Marvin Jones Jr. will also join the stacked WR room with depth just about everywhere.

The defense was one of their bright spots a year ago as top pick Aidan Hutchinson is becoming one of the league’s best new pass rushers. But the defensive backs are what will cause a nightmare for opposing QB’s with C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Cam Sutton joining Tracy Walker and what could end up becoming a second round steal in Alabama safety Brian Branch. With the Packers taking a big step back and the Bears still in a rebuild, this division should come down to the Lions and Vikings atop, with the other most likely being a Wild Card. There is a lot of hope that Detroit will be playing January football for the first time since 2016.

Green Bay Packers

HC: Matt LaFleur (5th year, Career/Team record: 47-19, Playoff record: 2-3) – AGE: 43
OC: Adam Stenavich (2nd year as GB OC) – AGE: 40
DC: Joe Barry (3rd year as GB DC, 7th year as DC) – AGE: 53

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#10	Jordan Love	Utah State 4th year, Age: 24	4 GP, 1 TD, 195 yds, 82 QBR
HB	#33	Aaron Jones	UTEP 7th year, Age: 28	213 carries, 1,121 yds, 2 TDs 59 receptions, 395 yds, 5 TDs
HB	#28	A.J. Dillon	Boston College 4th year, Age: 25	186 carries, 770 yds, 7 TDs 28 receptions, 206 yds
WR	#9	Christian Watson	North Dakota State 2nd year, Age: 24	41 receptions, 611 yds, 7 TDs 7 carries, 80 yds, 2 TDs
WR	#87	Romeo Doubs	Nevada 2nd year, Age: 23	42 receptions, 425 yds, 3 TDs
TE	#88	Luke Musgrave (R)	Oregon State Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 42nd overall by GB
G	#74	Elgton Jenkins	Mississippi State 5th year, Age: 27
G	#76	Joe Runyan	Michigan 4th year, Age: 25
C	#71	Josh Myers	Ohio State 3rd year, Age: 25
T	#69	David Bakhtiari	Colorado 11th year, Age: 31
T	#50	Zach Tom	Wake Forest 2nd year, Age: 24

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#97	Kenny Clark	UCLA 8th year, Age: 27	4 Sacks, 53 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR
DE	#93	T.J. Slaton	Florida 3rd year, Age: 25	31 Tackles, 2 PD
NT	#95	Devonte Wyatt	Georgia 2nd year, Age: 25	1.5 Sacks, 15 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 PD
ILB	#59	De’Vondre Campbell	Minnesota 8th year, Age: 30	96 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 TD, 3 PD
ILB	#7	Quay Walker	Georgia 2nd year, Age: 23	1.5 Sacks, 121 Tackles, 3 FF, 1 FR, 7 PD
OLB	#91	Preston Smith	Mississippi State 9th year, Age: 30	8.5 Sacks, 59 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 PD
OLB	#52	Rashan Gary*	Michigan 5th year, Age: 25	6 Sacks, 32 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 PD
CB	#23	Jaire Alexander	Louisville 6th year, Age: 26	56 Tackles, 5 INTs, 14 PD
CB	#29	Rasul Douglas	West Virginia 7th year, Age: 27	1 Sack, 85 Tackles, 4 INTs, 1 FF, 13 PD
S	#26	Darnell Savage	Maryland 5th year, Age: 25	58 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD, 1 FR, 5 PD
S	#20	Rudy Ford	Auburn 7th year, Age: 28	44 Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 3 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#17	Anders Carlson (R)	Auburn Rookie, Age: 25	DRAFTED: 207th overall by GB
P	#41	Daniel Whelan	UC Davis Rookie, Age: 24	UNDRAFTED in 2023
KR	#25	Keisean Nixon	South Carolina 5th year, Age: 26	35 attempts, 1,009 yds, 1 TD
PR	#11	Jayden Reed (R)	Michigan State Rookie, Age: 23	DRAFTED: 50th overall by GB

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Sean Clifford – #8 (Penn State, Rookie, Age: 25)
TE: Tucker Kraft – #85 (South Dakota State, Rookie, Age: 22)
DT: Colby Wooden – #96 (Auburn, Rookie, Age: 22)
LB: Kingsley Enagbare – #55 (South Carolina, 2nd year, Age: 23)
LB: Justin Hollins – #47 (Oregon, 5th year, Age: 27)
LB: Isaiah McDuffie – #58 (Boston College, 3rd year, Age: 24)
LB: Lukas Van Ness – #90 (Iowa, Rookie, Age: 22)
CB: Eric Stokes** – #21 (Georgia, 3rd year, Age: 24)
S: Jonathan Owens – #34 (Missouri Western, 5th year, Age: 28)

*Rashan Gary continues to rehab an ACL injury and may miss the first couple of weeks
**Eric Stokes has a foot injury and may miss the first few weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 8-9, 3rd in NFC North
MVP: CB Jaire Alexander
Breakout Player: WR Christian Watson
Offensive Grade: D+
Defensive Grade: C
Strengths: Veteran pass rushers, LB core, secondary
Weaknesses: WR core, TE core, unproven QB1 and backups

Well it was one heck of an offseason for the Packers who had to finally face the inevitable, and that was moving on from Aaron Rodgers. Now beginning the post-Rodgers era, it has been a long time since Green Bay has entered the season without a future Hall of Famer under center. In year 4, Jordan Love is now the man to move the franchise forward after sitting for his first 3 years behind one of the best of all-time. It should be a struggle at first, and the WR core will take some time to adjust as well. They lost veterans Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb to the Jets, and Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs will step up as the top targets. The run game still remains strong with the dynamic combo of Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon.

On defense, the team looks relatively similar to their 8-9 squad from a year ago. Veterans Preston Smith and Rashan Gary lead the pass rush while Kenny Clark and T.J. Slaton will clog up the middle. In the secondary, Jaire Alexander will look to return to his old lockdown form while depth definitely will help them throughout the season. This Packers team is definitely not bad, but too many question marks exist on offense to make anyone too excited for them this year. We don’t know who Jordan Love truly is yet, while the lack of veteran receivers may make his time a little more difficult and the lack of a veteran backup to plug in if things go awry. If he truly is the guy though, they should be in the playoff mix as they always are.

Minnesota Vikings

HC: Kevin O’Connell (2nd year, Career/Team record: 13-4, Playoff record: 0-1) – AGE: 38
OC: Wes Phillips (2nd year as MIN OC) – AGE: 44
DC: Brian Flores (1st year as MIN OC, 3 years as HC MIA) – AGE: 42

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#8	Kirk Cousins	Michigan State 12th year, Age: 34	29 TDs, 14 INTs, 4,547 yds, 49.9 QBR 97 rush yds, 2 TDs
HB	#2	Alexander Mattison	Boise State 5th year, Age: 25	74 carries, 283 yds, 5 TDs 15 receptions, 91 yds, 1 TD
WR	#18	Justin Jefferson	LSU 4th year, Age: 24	128 receptions, 1,809 yds, 8 TDs 4 carries, 24 yds, 1 TD
WR	#3	Jordan Addison (R)	USC Rookie, Age: 21	DRAFTED: 23rd overall by MIN
WR	#17	K.J. Osborn	Miami 4th year, Age: 26	60 receptions, 650 yds, 5 TDs
TE	#87	T.J. Hockenson	Iowa 5th year, Age: 26	86 receptions, 914 yds, 6 TDs – (DET/MIN)
G	#72	Ezra Cleveland	Boise State 4th year, Age: 25
G	#67	Ed Ingram	LSU 2nd year, Age: 24
C	#56	Garrett Bradbury	NC State 5th year, Age: 28
T	#75	Brian O’Neill	Pittsburgh 6th year, Age: 27
T	#71	Christian Darrisaw	Virginia Tech 3rd year, Age: 24

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#94	Dean Lowry	Northwestern 8th year, Age: 29	0.5 Sacks, 43 Tackles, 1 PD
DE	#93	Jonathan Bullard	Florida 8th year, Age: 29	23 Tackles
NT	#97	Harrison Phillips	Stanford 6th year, Age: 27	1.5 Sacks, 59 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 PD
ILB	#58	Jordan Hicks	Texas 9th year, Age: 31	3 Sacks, 129 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 10 PD
ILB	#33	Brian Asamoah II	Oklahoma 2nd year, Age: 23	17 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR
OLB	#99	Danielle Hunter	LSU 9th year, Age: 28	10.5 Sacks, 65 Tackles, 1 FF, 3 PD
OLB	#98	D.J. Wonnum	South Carolina 4th year, Age: 25	4 Sacks, 38 Tackles, 1 FF
CB	#7	Byron Murphy Jr.	Washington 5th year, Age: 25	0.5 Sacks, 36 Tackles, 2 FR, 4 PD – (ARI)
CB	#23	Andrew Booth Jr.	Clemson 2nd year, Age: 22	6 GP, 12 Tackles
S	#22	Harrison Smith	Notre Dame 12th year, Age: 34	85 Tackles, 5 INTs, 1 FF, 10 PD
S	#24	Camryn Bynum	California 3rd year, Age: 25	81 Tackles, 2 INTs, 2 FR, 6 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#1	Greg Joseph	Florida Atlantic 4th year, Age: 28	40/46 XP, 26/33 FG — 4/10 50+
P	#14	Ryan Wright	Tulane 2nd year, Age: 23	73 punts, 3,457 yds, 32 <20
KR	#26	Kene Nwangwu	Iowa State 3rd year, Age: 25	35 attempts, 920 yds, 1 TD
PR	#19	Brandon Powell	Florida 6th year, Age: 27	24 attempts, 177 yds – (LAR)

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Nick Mullens – #12 (Southern Miss, 5th year, Age: 28)
HB: Myles Gaskin – #37 (Washington, 5th year, Age: 26)
FB: C.J. Ham – #30 (Augustana, 7th year, Age: 28)
DT: James Lynch* – #92 (Baylor, 4th year, Age: 24)
DT: Khyris Tonga – #95 (BYU, 3rd year, Age: 27)
LB: Marcus Davenport – #0 (UTSA, 6th year, Age: 26)
LB: Troy Dye – #45 (Oregon, 4th year, Age: 26)
LB: Pat Jones II – #91 (Pittsburgh, 3rd year, Age: 24)
CB: Akayleb Evans – #21 (Missouri, 2nd year, Age: 24)
S: Lewis Cine – #6 (Georgia, 2nd year, Age: 23)
S: Josh Metellus – #44 (Michigan, 4th year, Age: 25)

*James Lynch has a knee injury and will miss at least the first 4 weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 12-5, 1st in NFC North
MVP: WR Justin Jefferson
Breakout Player: HB Alexander Mattison
Offensive Grade: B+
Defensive Grade: B-
Strengths: WR core, pass rushers, LB core
Weaknesses: Offensive line, defensive line

After another great season just to see themselves fall in the playoffs, the Vikings are looking once again to change their misfortunes of the past. Kirk Cousins has been consistently a regular season stud, while the playoffs have eluded him to the highest degree. Dalvin Cook was set free after not coming to an extension and Alexander Mattison will see full-time RB1 reps. The WR room is very solid, with the league’s best Justin Jefferson, Osborn, and promising rookie Jordan Addison. The offensive line will stay relatively the same as it has over the past several years.

On defense they remain a solid pass rushing team with a little bit of a shake up on the CB’s. Patrick Peterson, Chandon Sullivan, and Cameron Dantzler are all out, three guys that started throughout the entire season last year. Former Cardinal Byron Murphy will become the new CB1 and Andrew Booth will look to jump into a starting role. Danielle Hunter stills anchors the defense as one of the league’s best EDGE rushers. This division is far from determined but after a 13-4 season a year ago, the Vikings will be the heavy favorites to win it again. The Lions though are hot on their trail and should make things interesting down the stretch.

Atlanta Falcons

HC: Arthur Smith (3rd year, Career/Team record: 14-20) – AGE: 41
OC: Dave Ragone (3rd year as ATL OC) – AGE: 44
DC: Ryan Nielsen (1st year as ATL OC, 2nd year as OC) – AGE: 44

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#9	Desmond Ridder	Cincinnati 2nd year, Age: 23	4 GP, 2 TDs, 708 yds, 49.8 QBR 64 rush yds
HB	#7	Bijan Robinson (R)	Texas Rookie, Age: 21	DRAFTED: 8th overall by ATL
HB	#84	Cordarrelle Patterson	Tennessee 11th year, Age: 32	144 carries, 695 yds, 8 TDs 21 receptions, 122 yds
WR	#5	Drake London	USC 2nd year, Age: 22	72 receptions, 866 yds, 4 TDs
WR	#18	Mack Hollins	North Carolina 7th year, Age: 29	57 receptions, 690 yds, 4 TDs 4 carries, 40 yds – (LVR)
TE	#8	Kyle Pitts	Florida 3rd year, Age: 22	28 receptions, 356 yds, 2 TDs
G	#65	Matthew Bergeron (R)	Syracuse Rookie, Age: 23	DRAFTED: 38th overall by ATL
G	#63	Chris Lindstrom	Boston College 5th year, Age: 26
C	#67	Drew Dalman	Stanford 3rd year, Age: 24
T	#70	Jake Matthews	Texas A&M 10th year, Age: 31
T	#76	Kaleb McGary	Washington 5th year, Age: 28

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#97	Grady Jarrett	Clemson 9th year, Age: 30	6 Sacks, 61 Tackles, 3 PD
DE	#90	David Onyemata	Manitoba (Canada) 8th year, Age: 30	5 Sacks, 43 Tackles, 1 FR, 1 PD – (NO)
NT	#93	Calais Campbell	Miami 16th year, Age: 36	5.5 Sacks, 36 Tackles, 2 FF, 2 PD – (BAL)
ILB	#44	Troy Andersen	Montana State 2nd year, Age: 24	69 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 PD
ILB	#55	Kaden Elliss	Idaho 5th year, Age: 28	7 Sacks, 78 Tackles, 2 FF, 2 PD – (NO)
OLB	#48	Bud Dupree	Kentucky 9th year, Age: 30	4 Sacks, 18 Tackles, 1 FF, 2 FR – (TEN)
OLB	#0	Lorenzo Carter	Georgia 6th year, Age: 27	4 Sacks, 58 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD, 1 FR 2 PD
CB	#24	A.J. Terrell	Clemson 4th year, Age: 24	47 Tackles, 1 FR, 9 PD
CB	#1	Jeff Okudah	Ohio State 4th year, Age: 24	73 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD, 1 FF, 7 PD – (DET)
S	#30	Jessie Bates III	Wake Forest 6th year, Age: 26	71 Tackles, 4 INTs, 1 FF, 8 PD – (CIN)
S	#27	Richie Grant	UCF 3rd year, Age: 25	123 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 1 FR, 7 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#6	Younghoe Koo	Georgia Southern 5th year, Age: 28	33/35 XP, 32/37 FG — 7/11 50+
P	#13	Bradley Pinion	Clemson 9th year, Age: 29	62 punts, 2,845 yds, 23 <20
KR	#84	Cordarrelle Patterson	Tennessee 11th year, Age: 32	9 attempts, 284 yds, 1 TD
PR	#21	Mike Hughes	UCF 6th year, Age: 26	NO STATS

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Taylor Heinicke – #4 (Old Dominion, 6th year, Age: 30)
HB: Tyler Allgeier – #25 (BYU, 2nd year, Age: 23)
FB: Keith Smith – #40 (San Jose State, 10th year, Age: 31)
WR: KhaDarel Hodge – #12 (Prairie View A&M, 6th year, Age: 28)
WR: Scotty Miller – #16 (Bowling Green, 5th year, Age: 26)
TE: Jonnu Smith – #81 (Florida International, 7th year, Age: 27)
TE: MyCole Pruitt – #85 (Southern Illinois, 8th year, Age: 31)
G: Matt Hennessy* – #61 (Temple, 4th year, Age: 25)
DT: Ta’Quon Graham – #95 (Texas, 3rd year, Age: 24)
DT: Timmy Horne – #98 (Kansas State, 2nd year, Age: 25)
LB: Arnold Ebiketie – #47 (Penn State, 2nd year, Age: 24)
LB: Adetokunbo Ogundeji** – #92 (Notre Dame, 3rd year, Age: 24)
CB: Tre Flowers – #33 (Oklahoma State, 6th year, Age: 28)
CB: Cornell Armstrong – #22 (Southern Miss, 5th year, Age: 27)
S: Jaylinn Hawkins – #32 (California, 4th year, Age: 25)

*Matt Hennessy has a knee injury and will miss the entire season
**Adetokunbo Ogundeji has a foot injury and will miss the entire season

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 8-9, 3rd in NFC South
MVP: CB A.J. Terrell
Breakout Player: QB Desmond Ridder
Offensive Grade: C-
Defensive Grade: C+
Strengths: Offensive line, secondary, veteran EDGE rushers
Weaknesses: Young QB, WR core, defensive interior

After starting the post Matt Ryan era with a positive year, the Falcons are going all in on Desmond Ridder as their QB1 for 2023. 8-9 to some wouldn’t be a positive year but with the low expectations I had for Atlanta going into last season, I think it was a plus. But there’s no more Marcus Mariota and Taylor Heinicke was brought in to help develop the second year QB. The weapons are there they just need to prove themselves, with first round RB Bijan Robinson joining Drake London and Kyle Pitts. The offensive line remains solid with Matthews, McGary, and Lindstrom making up the core.

The veterans on defense are still around with Grady Jarrett and David Onyemata headlining the line. Veteran Calais Campbell was brought in to add some veteran leadership as long-time LB Deion Jones heads out to Carolina. The secondary will be one of the biggest promising points for the team as Jesse Bates was brought in on a long-term deal, along with breakout former 1st rounder Jeff Okudah. A.J. Terrell has become one of the league’s best young DB’s and should slot into the CB1 spot starting alongside Okudah. The NFC South is going to be extremely wide open, with the Saints new QB era, the Bucs without Brady, and the Panthers pushing in rebuild mode. It wouldn’t be a total shock to see Atlanta surprise some people, but the team is still a couple of years away from competing.

Carolina Panthers

HC: Frank Reich (1st year in CAR, Career record: 40-33-1, Playoff record: 1-2) – AGE: 61
OC: Thomas Brown (1st year as CAR OC) – AGE: 37
DC: Ejiro Evero (1st year as CAR DC, 2nd year as DC) – AGE: 42

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#9	Bryce Young (R)	Alabama Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 1st overall by CAR
HB	#6	Miles Sanders	Penn State 5th year, Age: 26	259 carries, 1,269 yds, 11 TDs 20 receptions, 78 yds – (PHI)
WR	#19	Adam Thielen	Minnesota State 10th year, Age: 32	70 receptions, 716 yds, 6 TDs – (MIN)
WR	#17	D.J. Chark Jr.	LSU 6th year, Age: 26	30 receptions, 502 yds, 3 TDs – (DET)
WR	#88	Terrace Marshall Jr.	LSU 3rd year, Age: 23	28 receptions, 490 yds, 1 TD
TE	#81	Hayden Hurst	South Carolina 6th year, Age: 29	52 receptions, 414 yds, 2 TDs – (CIN)
G	#66	Cade Mays	Tennessee 2nd year, Age: 24
G	#70	Brady Christiansen	BYU 3rd year, Age: 26
C	#56	Bradley Bozeman	Alabama 6th year, Age: 28
T	#72	Taylor Moton	Western Michigan 7th year, Age: 28
T	#79	Ikem Ekwonu	NC State 2nd year, Age: 22

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#97	Yetur Gross-Matos	Penn State 4th year, Age: 25	2.5 Sacks, 54 Tackles, 3 FR
DE	#99	Shy Tuttle	Tennessee 5th year, Age: 27	2 Sacks, 49 Tackles, 5 PD – (NO)
NT	#95	Derrick Brown	Auburn 4th year, Age: 25	1 Sack, 67 Tackles, 1 INT, 7 PD
ILB	#7	Shaq Thompson	Washington 9th year, Age: 29	0.5 Sacks, 135 Tackles, 4 PD
ILB	#49	Frankie Luvu	Washington State 6th year, Age: 26	7 Sacks, 111 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD, 1 FF 4 PD
OLB	#0	Brian Burns	Florida State 5th year, Age: 25	12.5 Sacks, 63 Tackles, 1 FF, 3 PD
OLB	#50	Justin Houston	Georgia 13th year, Age: 34	9.5 Sacks, 21 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 PD – (BAL)
CB	#23	C.J. Henderson	Florida 4th year, Age: 24	58 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 6 PD
CB	#26	Donte Jackson	LSU 6th year, Age: 27	35 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 TD, 3 PD
S	#24	Vonn Bell	Ohio State 8th year, Age: 28	1 Sack, 77 Tackles, 4 INTs, 2 FF, 1 FR 8 PD – (CIN)
S	#21	Jeremy Chinn	Southern Illinois 3rd year, Age: 25	1 Sack, 70 Tackles, 6 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#4	Eddy Pineiro	Florida 6th year, Age: 27	30/32 XP, 33/35 FG — 2/2 50+
P	#10	Johnny Hekker	Oregon State 12th year, Age: 33	81 punts, 3,925 yds, 39 <20
KR	#3	Raheem Blackshear	Virginia Tech 2nd year, Age: 25	19 attempts, 513 yds
PR	#3	Raheem Blackshear	Virginia Tech 2nd year, Age: 25	6 attempts, 53 yds

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Andy Dalton – #14 (TCU, 12th year, Age: 35)
HB: Chuba Hubbard – #30 (Oklahoma State, 3rd year, Age: 24)
WR: Laviska Shenault Jr. – #5 (Colorado, 4th year, Age: 24)
TE: Ian Thomas – #80 (Indiana, 6th year, Age: 27)
G: Austin Corbett* – #63 (Nevada, 5th year, Age: 27
DT: DeShawn Williams – #96 (Clemson, 5th year, Age: 30)
LB: Marquis Haynes Sr.** – #96 (Ole Miss, 6th year, Age: 29)
LB: Kamu Grugier-Hill – #54 (Eastern Illinois, 8th year, Age: 29)
CB: Eric Rowe – #20 (Utah, 9th year, Age: 30)
CB: Troy Hill – #33 (Oregon, 8th year, Age: 32)
CB: Jaycee Horn – #8 (South Carolina, 3rd year, Age: 23)
S: Xavier Woods – #25 (Louisiana Tech, 7th year, Age: 28)

*Austin Corbett continues to rehab a torn ACL and will miss the entire season
**Marquis Haynes has a back injury and will miss the entire season

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 10-7, 1st in NFC South
MVP: LB Brian Burns
Breakout Player: QB Bryce Young
Offensive Grade: C+
Defensive Grade: B
Strengths: Secondary, EDGE rushers, depth in LB’s, future QB
Weaknesses: Core of receivers, offensive line

Since the Cam Newton era has ended, the Panthers have had a difficult time staying relevant, especially due to the utter failure of Matt Rhule as HC. Now former Colt Head Coach Frank Reich takes over with the league’s first overall pick Bryce Young becoming the QB of the future. Knowing they have some new positive pieces, the team spent some money as well, bringing in long-time Viking WR Adam Thielen to be Young’s top target, as well as 1200 yard rusher Miles Sanders, D.J. Chark, and Hayden Hurst. With just these few, the team has become exponentially deeper than last year on offense.

On defense Brian Burns remains the team’s cornerstone coming off of a 12.5 sack season on the EDGE. Shaq Thompson and Frankie Luvu both eclipsed 100 total tackles last year and will clog up the interior LB’s. The secondary welcomes in old Bengal safety Vonn Bell who will slot in alongside Jeremy Chinn and Xavier Woods in a deep safety core. Horn and Henderson are two of the better young CB’s in the league and will be the starters full-time this year. I actually like the Panthers a lot, and I can see them being potentially the best team in the South. They have a good mix of veterans as well as Bryce Young who many think can be a very good QB. It’s a year of adjustments with a lot of new pieces but if all goes well, they should be in the mix to win the NFC South.

New Orleans Saints

HC: Dennis Allen (2nd year in NO, Career record: 15-38, Team record: 7-10) – AGE: 51
OC: Pete Carmichael (15th year as NO OC) – AGE: 52
DC: Joe Woods (1st year as NO DC, 6th year as DC) – AGE: 53

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#4	Derek Carr	Fresno State 10th year, Age: 32	24 TDs, 14 INTs, 3,522 yds, 55.5 QBR 102 rush yds – (LVR)
HB	#41	Alvin Kamara*	Tennessee 7th year, Age: 28	223 carries, 897 yds, 2 TDs 57 receptions, 490 yds, 2 TDs
HB	#30	Jamaal Williams	BYU 7th year, Age: 28	262 carries, 1,066 yds, 17 TDs 12 receptions, 73 yds – (DET)
WR	#12	Chris Olave	Ohio State 2nd year, Age: 23	72 receptions, 1,042 yds, 4 TDs
WR	#13	Michael Thomas	Ohio State 8th year, Age: 30	3 GP, 16 receptions, 171 yds, 3 TDs
TE	#83	Juwan Johnson	Oregon 4th year, Age: 26	42 recpetions, 508 yds, 7 TDs
G	#75	Andrus Peat	Stanford 9th year, Age: 29
G	#51	Cesar Ruiz	Michigan 4th year, Age: 24
C	#78	Erik McCoy	Texas A&M 5th year, AGe: 25
T	#71	Ryan Ramczyk	Wisconsin 7th year, Age: 29
T	#70	Trevor Penning	Northern Iowa 2nd year, Age: 24

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#94	Cameron Jordan	California 13th year, Age: 34	8.5 Sacks, 66 Tackles, 2 FF, 2 PD
DE	#96	Carl Granderson	Wyoming 5th year, Age: 26	5.5 Sacks, 53 Tackles, 1 FR
DT	#99	Khalen Saunders	Western Illinois 5th year, Age: 26	3.5 Sacks, 48 Tackles, 1 PD – (KC)
DT	#90	Bryan Bresee (R)	Clemson Rookie, Age: 21	DRAFTED: 29th overall by NO
MLB	#20	Pete Werner	Ohio State 3rd year, Age: 24	80 Tackles, 2 FF, 3 PD
OLB	#56	Demario Davis	Arkansas State 12th year, Age: 34	6.5 Sacks, 109 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR, 6 PD
OLB	#53	Zack Baun	Wisconsin 4th year, Age: 26	16 Tackles
CB	#23	Marshon Lattimore	Ohio State 7th year, Age: 27	29 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD, 4 PD
CB	#29	Paulson Adebo	Stanford 3rd year, Age: 24	60 Tackles, 7 PD
S	#6	Marcus Maye	Florida 7th year, Age: 30	60 Tackles, 1 FF, 2 PD
S	#32	Tyrann Mathieu	LSU 11th year, Age: 31	1 Sack, 91 Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 FF, 1 FR 8 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#19	Blake Grupe (R)	Notre Dame Rookie, Age: 24	UNDRAFTED in 2023
P	#39	Lou Hedley (R)	Miami Rookie, Age: 30	UNDRAFTED in 2023
KR	#22	Rashid Shaheed	Weber State 2nd year, Age: 24	14 attempts, 320 yds
PR	#22	Rashid Shaheed	Weber State 2nd year, Age: 24	20 attempts, 193 yds

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Jameis Winston – #2 (Florida State, 9th year, Age: 29)
HB: Eno Benjamin** – #26 (Arizona State, 4th year, Age: 24)
FB: Adam Prentice – #46 (South Carolina, 3rd year, Age: 26)
WR: Tre’Quan Smith – #10 (UCF, 6th year, Age: 27)
TE: Jimmy Graham – #80 (Miami, 13th year, Age: 36)
TE/QB: Taysom Hill – #7 (BYU, 7th year, Age: 32)
TE: Foster Moreau – #82 (LSU, 5th year, Age: 26)
DE: Tanoh Kpassagnon – #92 (Villanova, 7th year, Age: 29)
DT: Nathan Shephard – #93 (Fort Hays State (D-II), 6th year, Age: 29)
LB: Jaylon Smith – #59 (Notre Dame, 7th year, Age: 28)
CB: Alontae Taylor – #1 (Tennessee, 2nd year, Age: 24)
S: Johnathan Abram – #24 (Mississippi State, 5th year, Age: 26)

*Alvin Kamara will be suspended for the first three weeks for a fight
**Eno Benjamin tore his achilles and will miss the entire season

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 9-8, 2nd in NFC South
MVP: DE Cameron Jordan
Breakout Player: DT Khalen Saunders
Offensive Grade: B-
Defensive Grade: B
Strengths: Run game, pass rushers, offensive line
Weaknesses: receiving depth, secondary depth, linebackers

After a 7-10 season the Saints still seem to be putting pieces together after Drew Brees. The Jameis Winston experiment hasn’t gone as the team hoped, and rather than deciding to introduce a young QB just yet, they traded for 4x Pro Bowl QB Derek Carr. The Raiders and Carr agreed to part ways and now DC will be the man in NOLA who will try to get the organization on the right path. Michael Thomas also returns and looks to put together his first full season since 2020. Kamara will be sidelined with a 3-game suspension but should also return to a dynamic duo with Jamaal Williams.

The defense returns a few major faces, including Cam Jordan who will be the leader of the defense as he has been for a decade now. Veteran safety core of Honey Badger, Marcus Maye, and newly acquired Johnathan Abram could be one of the better rooms in the league. The rest of the defensive line and linebackers are shawty to say the least, and should be a weakness for the bunch. The south will be so wide open and it’s impossible not to say the Saints have a shot at winning it. I still think they have some ways to go and aren’t as deep and young as Carolina.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

HC: Todd Bowles (2nd year in TB, Career record: 34-50, Team record: 8-9, Playoff record: 0-1) – AGE: 59
OC: Dave Canales (1st year as TB OC) – AGE: 42
DC: Kacy Rodgers/Larry Foote (2nd year as TB co-DC)

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#6	Baker Mayfield	Oklahoma 6th year, Age: 28	10 TDs, 8 INTs, 2,163 yds, 24.5 QBR 89 rush yds, 1 TD – (CAR/LAR)
HB	#22	Chase Edmonds	Fordham 6th year, Age: 27	68 carries, 245 yds, 2 TDs 16 receptions, 157 yds, 1 TD
WR	#13	Mike Evans	Texas A&M 10th year, Age: 29	77 receptions, 1,124 yds, 6 TDs
WR	#14	Chris Godwin	Penn State 7th year, Age: 27	104 receptions, 1,023 yds, 3 TDs
WR	#3	Russell Gage	LSU 6th year, Age: 27	51 receptions, 426 yds, 5 TDs
TE	#88	Cade Otton	Washington 2nd year, Age: 24	42 receptions, 391 yds, 2 TDs
G	#67	Luke Goedeke	Central Michigan 2nd year, Age: 24
G	#69	Cody Mauch (R)	North Dakota State Rookie, Age: 24	DRAFTED: 48th overall by TB
C	#70	Robert Hainsey	Notre Dame 3rd year, Age: 25
T	#78	Tristan Wirfs	Iowa 4th year, Age: 24
T	#71	Matt Feiler	Bloomsburg (D-II) 7th year, Age: 31

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#50	Vita Vea	Washington 6th year, Age: 28	6.5 Sacks, 31 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR
DE	#90	Logan Hall	Houston 2nd year, Age: 23	2.5 Sacks, 12 Tackles
NT	#94	Calijah Kancey (R)	Pittsburgh Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 19th overall by TB
ILB	#45	Devin White	LSU 5th year, Age: 25	5.5 Sacks, 124 Tackles, 2 FF, 3 FR, 5 PD
ILB	#54	Lavonte David	Nebraska 12th year, Age: 33	3 Sacks, 124 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 5 PD
OLB	#7	Shaquil Barrett	Colorado State 10th year, Age: 30	3 Sacks, 31 Tackles, 1 FF
OLB	#98	Anthony Nelson	Iowa 5th year, Age: 26	5.5 Sacks, 46 Tackles, 3 FF, 1 FR
CB	#24	Carlton Davis III	Auburn 6th year, Age: 26	65 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR, 12 PD
CB	#35	Jamel Dean	Auburn 5th year, Age: 26	57 Tackles, 2 INTs, 8 PD
S	#31	Antoine Winfield Jr.	Minnesota 4th year, Age: 24	4 Sacks, 80 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 3 PD
S	#23	Ryan Neal	Southern Illinois 4th year, Age: 27	1 Sack, 66 Tackles, 1 INT, 2 FF, 8 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#4	Chase McLaughlin	Illinois 5th year, Age: 27	21/21 XP, 30/36 FG — 9/12 50+ – (IND)
P	#5	Jake Camarda	Georgia 2nd year, Age: 24	79 punts, 3,859 yds, 22 <20
KR	#83	Deven Thompkins	Utah State 2nd year, Age: 23	12 attempts, 263 yds
PR	#83	Deven Thompkins	Utah State 2nd year, Age: 23	6 attempts, 61 yds

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Kyle Trask – #2 (Florida, 3rd year, Age: 25)
HB: Rachaad White – #1 (Vanderbilt, 4th year, Age: 26)
C: Ryan Jensen* – #66 (CSU-Pueblo, 10th year, Age: 32)
DE: William Gholston – #92 (Michigan State, 11th year, Age: 32)
DT: Greg Gaines – #96 (Washington, 5th year, Age: 27)
LB: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka – #9 (Washington, 3rd year, Age: 24)
CB: Dee Delaney – #30 (Miami, 3rd year, Age: 28)
CB: Zyon McCollum – #27 (Sam Houston State, 2nd year, Age: 24)

*Ryan Jensen has cartilage issues in his knee and will miss the entire season

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 6-11, 4th in NFC South
MVP: WR Mike Evans
Breakout Player: HB Rachaad White
Offensive Grade: C-
Defensive Grade: C-
Strengths: Star receivers, pass rushers, veterans ILB’s
Weaknesses: Secondary, QB situation, offensive line

Now that Tom Brady is (legitimately) calling it a career, the era of rebuild has been thrusted on the Bucs. I’m sure they’re still pleased with trading a few years of a rebuild for that SB banner hanging in their rafters, but the time to retool is now. Baker Mayfield seemed to outduel Kyle Trask and will be the man under center to start the season. He’ll have two perennial 1,000 yard receivers to throw to in future HOF Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. The rest of the offense is questionable with Chase Edmonds and Rachaad White leading the backfield and star Tristan Wirfs being the Lamborghini in an offensive line room full of Kias.

The defense still holds onto star LB’s Devin White, Lavonte David, and Shaq Barrett while the rest of the secondary and defensive line is thin. The NFC South is very light but the Buccaneers don’t really have the makings to compete much against any competition this year. It’ll probably also be several years before they start to build up another winner, unless Baker or Trask prove to be the future at QB. I anticipate it being a down year where the team will have to face some hard questions regarding their veteran stars (Evans, Barrett, David, Godwin, etc.)

Arizona Cardinals

HC: Jonathan Gannon (1st year) – AGE: 40
OC: Drew Petzing (1st year as ARI OC) – AGE: 36
DC: Nick Rallis (1st year as ARI OC) – AGE: 30

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#15	Joshua Dobbs	Tennessee 7th year, Age: 28	2 GP, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 411 yds 44 rush yds – (TEN)
HB	#6	James Conner	Pittsburgh 7th year, Age: 28	183 carries, 782 yds, 7 TDs 46 receptions, 300 yds, 1 TD
WR	#2	Marquise Brown	Oklahoma 5th year, Age: 26	67 receptions, 709 yds, 3 TDs
WR	#4	Rondale Moore	Purdue 3rd year, Age: 23	41 receptions, 414 yds, 1 TD
WR	#83	Greg Dortch	Wake Forest 3rd year, Age: 25	52 receptions, 467 yds, 2 TDs 7 carries, 44 yds
TE	#85	Trey McBride	Colorado State 2nd year, Age: 23	29 receptions, 265 yds, 1 TD
G	#76	Will Hernandez	UTEP 6th year, Age: 27
G	#65	Elijah Wilkinson	UMass 7th year, Age: 28
C	#72	Hjalte Froholdt	Arkansas 5th year, Age: 26
T	#74	D.J. Humphries	Florida 9th year, Age: 29
T	#70	Paris Johnson Jr. (R)	Ohio State Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 6th overall by ARI

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#93	Jonathan Ledbetter	Georgia 2nd year, Age: 25	1 Sack, 22 Tackles
DE	#95	Leki Fotu	Utah 4th year, Age: 24	31 Tackles, 1 FR
NT	#94	Carlos Watkins	Clemson 7th year, Age: 29	26 Tackles, 1 FF – (DAL)
ILB	#25	Zaven Collins	Tulsa 3rd year, Age: 24	2 Sacks, 100 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD, 1 FF 6 PD
ILB	#7	Kyzir White	West Virginia 6th year, Age: 27	1.5 Sacks, 110 Tackles, 7 PD – (PHI)
OLB	#41	Myjai Sanders*	Cincinnati 2nd year, Age: 25	3 Sacks, 23 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 3 PD
OLB	#18	B.J. Ojulari (R)	LSU Rookie, Age: 21	DRAFTED: 41st overall by ARI
CB	#20	Marco Wilson	Florida 3rd year, Age: 24	58 Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 TD, 1 FF, 10 PD
CB	#33	Antonio Hamilton Sr.	South Carolina State 8th year, Age: 30	44 Tackles, 1 INT, 5 PD
S	#3	Budda Baker	Washington 6th year, Age: 27	111 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 7 PD
S	#34	Jalen Thompson	Washington State 5th year, Age: 25	110 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR, 8 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#5	Matt Prater	UCF 17th year, Age: 38	17/18 XP, 22/25 FG — 5/6 50+
P	#1	Nolan Cooney (R)	Syracuse Rookie, Age: 26	UNDRAFTED in 2022
KR	#83	Greg Dortch	Wake Forest 3rd year, Age: 25	11 attempts, 218 yds
PR	#83	Greg Dortch	Wake Forest 3rd year, Age: 25	26 attempts, 172 yds

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Kyler Murray** – #1 (Oklahoma, 5th year, Age: 26)
HB: Corey Clement – #23 (Wisconsin, 7th year, Age: 28)
HB: Marlon Mack*** – #32 (South Florida, 7th year, Age: 27)
WR: Zach Pascal – #0 (Old Dominion, 6th year, Age: 28)
TE: Zach Ertz**** – #86 (Stanford, 11th year, Age: 32)
TE: Geoff Swaim – #84 (Texas, 9th year, Age: 29)
DE: L.J. Collier – #91 (TCU, 5th year, Age: 27)
LB: Dennis Gardeck – #45 (Sioux Falls, 6th year, Age: 28)
CB: Rashad Fenton***** – #24 (South Carolina, 4th year, Age: 26)
S: K’Von Wallace (Clemson, 4th year, Age: 26)

*Myjai Sanders has a hand injury and will miss at least 4 weeks
**Kyler Murray continues to rehab a torn ACL and may return at the end of the season
***Marlon Mack has a torn achilles and will miss the entire season
****Zach Ertz continues to rehab a torn ACL and PCL and may return at the end of the season
*****Rashad Fenton has an undisclosed injury and will miss at least 4 eeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 3-14, 4th in NFC West
MVP: WR Marquise Brown
Breakout Player: DE Jonathan Ledbetter
Offensive Grade: D-
Defensive Grade: D+
Strengths: Solid receivers, LB core
Weaknesses: QB issue, offensive line, defensive line, secondary

Probably the favorite by many to land the first overall pick in 2024, the Cardinals enter the season fresh off of a 3-14 season, a new Head Coach, and they’ll be without their star QB for potentially the entire season. Long-time veteran Colt McCoy will step in to try to stop the bleeding for the time that Murray is out and the offense around him may make it difficult to be competitive. Hollywood Brown and James Conner will be two reliable pieces with a bunch of gap fillers surrounding them. The offensive line could also be one of the worst in football with rookie first round pick Paris Johnson potentially being the best of the bunch.

Defensively, the team will retain Zaven Collins, Marco Wilson, Jalen Thompson, and Budda Baker who all had solid 2022 seasons. Besides them, the depth isn’t too keen with an extremely inexperienced defensive line after the team lost J.J Watt and Zach Allen. Markus Golden, Byron Murphy, and Ben Niemann were reliable starters in 2022 that all left as well. There isn’t much hope for this bunch in 2023, as I think many can agree they are one of the biggest guarantees to put up a down year with all of their injury issues and free agent losses.

Los Angeles Rams

HC: Sean McVay (7th year, Career/Team record: 60-38, Playoff record: 7-3) – AGE: 37
OC: Mike LaFleur (1st year as LAR OC, 3rd year as OC) – AGE: 36
DC: Raheem Morris (3rd year as LAR DC, 4th year as DC) – AGE: 47

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#9	Matthew Stafford	Georgia 15th year, Age: 35	10 TDs, 8 INTs, 2,087 yds, 50.3 QBR 9 rush yds, 1 TD
HB	#3	Cam Akers	Florida State 4th year, Age: 24	188 carries, 786 yds, 7 TDs 13 receptions, 117 yds
WR	#10	Cooper Kupp	Eastern Washington 7th year, Age: 30	75 receptions, 812 yds, 6 TDs 9 carries, 52 yds, 1 TD
WR	#12	Van Jefferson	Florida 4th year, Age: 27	24 receptions, 369 yds, 3 TDs
WR	#18	Ben Skowronek	Notre Dame 3rd year, Age: 26	39 receptions, 376 yds 1 carry, 17 yds, 1 TD
TE	#89	Tyler Higbee	Western Kentucky 8th year, Age: 30	72 receptions, 620 yds, 3 TDs
G	#65	Coleman Shelton	Washington 5th year, Age: 28
G	#73	Steve Avila (R)	TCU Rookie, Age: 23	DRAFTED: 36th overall by LAR
C	#55	Brian Allen	Michigan State 6th year, Age: 27
T	#79	Rob Havenstein	Wisconsin 9th year, Age: 31
T	#70	Joe Noteboom	TCU 6th year, Age: 28

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#91	Kobie Turner (R)	Wake Forest Rookie, Age: 24	DRAFTED: 89th overall by LAR
DE	#92	Jonah Williams	Weber State 3rd year, Age: 27	0.5 Sacks, 23 Tackles
NT	#99	Aaron Donald	Pittsburgh 10th year, Age: 32	5 Sacks, 49 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 2 PD
ILB	#53	Ernest Jones	South Carolina 3rd year, Age: 23	114 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 2 PD
ILB	#56	Christian Rozeboom	South Dakota State 3rd year, Age: 26	8 Tackles
OLB	#97	Michael Hoecht	Brown 3rd year, Age: 25	4.5 Sacks, 36 Tackles, 1 FF
OLB	#0	Byron Young (R)	Tennessee Rookie, Age: 25	DRAFTED: 77th overall by LAR
CB	#14	Cobie Durant	South Carolina State 2nd year, Age: 25	22 Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 TD, 5 PD
CB	#1	Derion Kendrick	Georgia 2nd year, Age: 22	43 Tackles, 4 PD
S	#4	Jordan Fuller	Ohio State 4th year, Age: 25	3 GP, 12 Tackles, 1 FF
S	#43	John Johnson III	Boston College 6th year, Age: 27	0.5 Sacks, 101 Tackles, 1 INT, 2 FF, 2 FR 4 PD – (CLE)

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#8	Brett Maher	Nebraska 6th year, Age: 33	50/53 XP, 29/32 FG — 9/11 50+ – (DAL)
P	#42	Ethan Evans (R)	Wingate (D-II) Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 223rd overall by LAR
KR	#5	Tutu Atwell	Louisville 2nd year, Age: 23	NO STATS
PR	#5	Tutu Atwell	Louisville 2nd year, Age: 23	NO STATS

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Stetson Bennett – #13 (Georgia, Rookie, Age: 25)
WR: Demarcus Robinson – #15 (Florida, 8th year, Age: 28)
TE: Brycen Hopkins – #88 (Purdue, 4th year, Age: 28)
DT: Larrell Murchison – #52 (NC State, 4th year, Age: 26)
CB: Ahkello Witherspoon – #23 (Colorado, 7th year, Age: 28)
S: Russ Yeast – #2 (Kansas State, 2nd year, Age: 24)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 6-11, 3rd in NFC West
MVP: DT Aaron Donald
Breakout Player: LB Byron Young
Offensive Grade: C
Defensive Grade: D+
Strengths: Healthy Stafford, offensive line, Aaron Donald
Weaknesses: Pass rush, secondary, WR core

Fresh off of their Super Bowl victory in the 2021 season, the Rams were slammed with injuries and overall terrible play that led to a 5-12 season in 2022. Among those injured was Matthew Stafford who dealt with shoulder issues all season and forced the Rams to use Baker Mayfield and John Wolford as band-aids. Now it seems Stafford is fully healthy, but the team is not nearly the same as they were when they won the Super Bowl. Darrell Henderson and Allen Robinson are both gone, leaving Cam Akers as the primary back. Cooper Kupp returns but his injury issues seem to be lagging from last season.

On defense, Bobby Wagner, Jalen Ramsey, Taylor Rapp, A’Shawn Robinson, and Leonard Floyd are all gone leaving behind a mammoth gap in the core. Aaron Donald will look hold it down without his supporting pieces and guys like Jonah Williams, Christian Rozeboom, rookie Byron Young, and Larrell Murchison will be relied on heavily to make impacts. Cobie Durant and Derio Kendrick were two surprisingly good rookie CB’s from last year that will most likely be the full-time starters now. It’s tough to believe things will be extremely different from last year even if Stafford stays healthy. With all of the draft capital they lost, the Rams sold their soul for that Super Bowl, the rebuild era may just be beginning.

San Francisco 49ers

HC: Kyle Shanahan (7th year, Career/Team record: 52-46, Playoff record: 6-3) – AGE: 43
DC: Steve Wilks (1st year as SF DC, 3rd year as DC, 1 year as HC ARI) – AGE: 54

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#13	Brock Purdy	Iowa State 2nd year, Age: 23	13 TDs, 4 INTs, 1,374 yds, 65.6 QBR 13 rush yds, 1 TD
HB	#23	Christian McCaffrey	Stanford 7th year, Age: 27	244 carries, 1,139 yds, 8 TDs 85 receptions, 741 yds, 5 TDs – (CAR/SF)
FB	#44	Kyle Juszczyk	Harvard 11th year, Age: 32	19 receptions, 200 yds, 1 TD 7 carries, 26 yds, 1 TD
WR	#19	Deebo Samuel	South Carolina 5th year, Age: 27	56 receptions, 632 yds, 2 TDs 42 carries, 232 yds, 3 TDs
WR	#11	Brandon Aiyuk	Arizona State 4th year, Age: 25	78 receptions, 1,015 yds, 8 TDs 2 carries, 23 yds
TE	#85	George Kittle	Iowa 7th year, Age: 29	60 receptions, 765 yds, 11 TDs
G	#65	Aaron Banks	Notre Dame 3rd year, Age: 25
G	#74	Spencer Burford	UTSA 2nd year, Age: 23
C	#64	Jake Brendel	UCLA 7th year, Age: 30
T	#71	Trent Williams	Oklahoma 14th year, Age: 35
T	#68	Colton McKivitz	West Virginia 4th year, Age: 27

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#97	Nick Bosa	Ohio State 5th year, Age: 25	18.5 Sacks, 51 Tackles, 2 FF, 1 PD
DE	#91	Arik Armstead	Oregon 9th year, Age: 29	11 Tackles
DT	#98	Javon Hargrave	South Carolina State 8th year, Age: 30	11 Sacks, 60 Tackles, 1 FF, 2 FR, 1 PD – (PHI)
DT	#99	Javon Kinlaw	South Carolina 4th year, Age: 25	6 GP, 4 Tackles
MLB	#54	Fred Warner	BYU 6th year, Age: 26	2 Sacks, 130 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 10 PD
OLB	#57	Dre Greenlaw	Arkansas 5th year, Age: 26	127 Tackles, 1 INT, 2 FF, 2 FR, 6 PD
OLB	#48	Oren Burks	Vanderbilt 6th year, Age: 28	0.5 Sacks, 38 Tackles, 1 PD
CB	#7	Charvarius Ward	Middle Tennessee 6th year, Age: 27	87 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR, 11 PD
CB	#2	Deommodore Lenoir	Oregon 3rd year, Age: 23	1 Sack, 79 Tackles, 1 INT, 5 PD
S	#29	Talanoa Hufanga	USC 3rd year, Age: 23	2 Sacks, 97 Tackles, 4 INTs, 1 TD, 2 FF 9 PD
S	#31	Tashaun Gipson Sr.	Wyoming 12th year, Age: 33	0.5 Sacks, 61 Tackles, 5 INTs, 8 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#4	Jake Moody (R)	Michigan Rookie, Age: 23	DRAFTED: 99th overall by SF
P	#18	Mitch Wishnowsky	Utah 5th year, Age: 31	61 punts, 2,676 yds, 32 <20
KR	#3	Ray-Ray McCloud III*	Clemson 6th year, Age: 26	26 attempts, 599 yds
PR	#3	Ray-Ray McCloud III*	Clemson 6th year, Age: 26	33 attempts, 356 yds

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Sam Darnold – #14 (USC, 6th year, Age: 26)
HB: Elijah Mitchell – #25 (UL-Lafayette, 3rd year, Age: 25)
HB: Jordan Mason – #24 (Georgia Tech, 2nd year, Age: 24)
WR: Jauan Jennings – #15 (Tennessee, 3rd year, Age: 26)
TE: Cameron Latu** – #81 (Alabama, Rookie, Age: 23)
DE: Clelin Ferrell – #94 (Clemson, 5th year, Age: 26)
DE: Kerry Hyder Jr. – #92 (Texas Tech, 8th year, Age: 32)
DT: Kevin Givens – #90 (Penn State, 4th year, Age: 26)
LB: Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles – #45 (Arizona, 4th year, Age: 26)
CB: Samuel Womack III – #0 (Toledo, 2nd year, Age: 24)
CB: Terrance Mitchell*** (Oregon, 10th year, Age: 31)

*Ray-Ray McCloud III has a broken wrist and will miss the first 4-6 weeks
**Cameron Latu has a knee injury and will miss at least the first 4 weeks
***Terrance Mitchell has an undisclosed injury and will miss the entire season

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 13-4, 1st in NFC West
MVP: DE Nick Bosa
Breakout Player: DT Javon Kinlaw
Offensive Grade: B+
Defensive Grade: A-
Strengths: Playmakers on offense, defensive line, secondary
Weaknesses: No definitive QB, depth at LB

Despite going 13-4 while balancing injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, the headline of San Fran’s season was the emergence of 7th round rookie Brock Purdy. Being forced to become the full-time starter in his rookie year, Purdy played fantastic and folded the 49ers hands to let Garoppolo go to Las Vegas. Now with the path pretty clear after the trade of Trey Lance, Purdy is the QB of the future with Sam Darnold as his backup. He’ll have so many weapons that this team should be able to be dominant regardless of who is under center.

The defense will return a lot of the playmakers that made them so difficult to beat in 2022, including DPOY Nick Bosa. Arik Armstead will look to have a bounce back season while Javon Hargrave was added after an 11 sack season for the NFC champ Eagles. Fred Warner has become one of the league’s best interior linebackers and Charvarius Ward will once again be the top CB after signing the big free agent deal leaving the Chiefs. A couple of breakout seasons from their two safeties Hufanga and Gipson will cement them as the starting core. Gipson’s career is now back in the limelight as one of the league’s most underrated safeties over the past decade, with 32 interceptions in his 11 year career. I think the 49ers are the team to beat in the NFC West, and no matter who they choose at QB, I think one of those three will be able to be capable enough to lead them atop the NFC.

Seattle Seahawks

HC: Pete Carroll (14th year in SEA, Career record: 161-112-1, Team record: 128-81-1, Playoff record: 11-11) – AGE: 72
OC: Shane Waldron (3rd year as SEA OC) – AGE: 44
DC: Clint Hurtt (2nd year as SEA DC) – AGE: 44

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#7	Geno Smith	West Virginia 11th year, Age: 32	30 TDs, 11 INTs, 4,282 yds, 60.8 QBR 366 rush yds, 1 TD
HB	#9	Kenneth Walker III	Michigan State 2nd year, Age: 22	228 carries, 1,050 yds, 9 TDs 27 receptions, 165 yds
WR	#14	DK Metcalf	Ole Miss 5th year, Age: 25	90 receptions, 1,048 yds, 6 TDs
WR	#16	Tyler Lockett	Kansas State 9th year, Age: 30	84 receptions, 1,033 yds, 9 TDs
WR	#11	Jaxon Smith-Njigba (R)	Ohio State Rookie, Age: 21	DRAFTED: 20th overall by SEA
TE	#87	Noah Fant	Iowa 5th year, Age: 25	50 receptions, 486 yds, 4 TDs
G	#68	Damien Lewis	LSU 4th year, Age: 26
G	#60	Phil Haynes	Wake Forest 5th year, Age: 27
C	#63	Evan Brown	SMU 5th year, Age: 26
T	#67	Charles Cross	Mississippi State 2nd year, Age: 22
T	#72	Abraham Lucas	Washington State 2nd year, Age: 24

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#55	Dre’Mont Jones	Ohio State 5th year, Age: 26	6.5 Sacks, 47 Tackles, 1 FF – (DEN)
DE	#97	Mario Edwards Jr.	Florida State 9th year, Age: 29	3 Sacks, 17 Tackles, 1 PD – (TEN)
NT	#90	Jarran Reed	Alabama 8th year, Age: 30	2.5 Sacks, 52 Tackles, 1 FF, 2 FR – (GB)
ILB	#54	Bobby Wagner	Utah State 12th year, Age: 33	6 Sacks, 140 Tackles, 2 INTs, 5 PD – (LAR)
ILB	#56	Jordyn Brooks*	Texas Tech 4th year, Age: 25	1 Sack, 161 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 5 PD
OLB	#10	Uchenna Nwosu	USC 6th year, Age: 26	9.5 Sacks, 66 Tackles, 3 FF, 2 FR, 4 PD
OLB	#52	Darrell Taylor**	Tennessee 3rd year, Age: 26	9.5 Sacks, 26 Tackles, 4 FF, 1 FR, 1 PD
CB	#27	Tariq Woolen	UTSA 2nd year, Age: 24	63 Tackles, 6 INTs, 1 TD, 2 FR, 16 PD
CB	#21	Devon Witherspoon (R)	Illinois Rookie, Age: 24	DRAFTED: 5th overall by SEA
S	#33	Jamal Adams***	LSU 6th year, Age: 27	1 GP, 3 Tackles, 1 PD
S	#6	Quandre Diggs	Texas 9th year, Age: 30	71 Tackles, 4 INTs, 1 FF, 7 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#5	Jason Myers	Marist 9th year, Age: 32	41/42 XP, 34/37 FG — 6/6 50+
P	#4	Michael Dickson	Texas 6th year, Age: 27	66 punts, 3,199 yds, 22 <20
KR	#31	DeeJay Dallas	Miami 4th year, Age: 24	12 attempts, 270 yds
PR	#31	DeeJay Dallas	Miami 4th year, Age: 24	14 attempts, 102 yds

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Drew Lock – #2 (Missouri, 5th year, Age: 26)
HB: Zach Charbonnet – #26 (UCLA, Rookie, Age: 22)
TE: Will Dissly – #89 (Washington, 6th year, Age: 27)
LB: Nick Bellore – #44 (Central Michigan, 13th year, Age: 34)
LB: Devin Bush – #0 (Michigan, 5th year, Age: 25)
LB: Boye Mafe – #53 (Minnesota, 2nd year, Age: 24)
CB: Artie Burns – #23 (Miami, 8th year, Age: 28)
S: Julian Love – #20 (Notre Dame, 5th year, Age: 25)

*Jordyn Brooks continues to rehab a torn ACL and may miss the first 1-2 weeks
**Darrell Taylor has a strained shoulder and may miss a few weeks
***Jamal Adams continues to rehab a torn quad and may miss the first 1-2 weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 10-7, 2nd in NFC West
MVP: WR DK Metcalf
Breakout Player: CB Devon Witherspoon
Offensive Grade: B-
Defensive Grade: B
Strengths: WR core, offensive line, secondary
Weaknesses: pass rush, depth in run game

After a surprisingly solid year in the beginning of the post-Russell Wilson era, the Seahawks enter 2023 with as good of a chance to win the NFC West as anyone else. Long-time plug-in starter/backup Geno Smith had an incredible season that landed him a 3-year/$75m deal to be the QB in Seattle. Both Metcalf and long-time star WR Tyler Lockett had 1,000 yard seasons and rookie Kenneth Walker implemented himself as the lead back, allowing them to let Rashaad Penny walk in free agency. The offensive line has rebuilt solidly with two rookie tackles from a year ago joining the starters and Damien Lewis as the main piece.

The biggest story on defense was the return of all-time Seahawk legend Bobby Wagner, who left after being let go a year ago and spent 2022 on the struggling Rams. The 8x Pro Bowler and future HOF will look to end his career in Seattle. He joins a young and solid LB core of Uchenna Nwosu, Jordyn Brooks, and Darrem Taylor who all had breakout seasons in 2022. Rookie standout Tariq Woolen will become CB1, joined by this year’s 5th overall pick Devon Witherspoon. Jamal Adams returns from injury as well and joins a stacked safety core. In my eyes it’s going to be between the 49ers and Seahawks in the division, as those two are the only ones who have a real chance at the playoffs. I’m leaning more towards San Fran, but Seattle will be an easy Wild Card pick if they don’t win the West.

AFC

Buffalo Bills

HC: Sean McDermott (7th year, Career/Team record: 62-35, Playoff record: 4-5) – AGE: 49
OC: Ken Dorsey (2nd year as BUF OC) – AGE: 42
DC: Al Holcomb (1st year as BUF DC, 2nd year as DC) – AGE: 53

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#17	Josh Allen	Wyoming 6th year, Age: 27	35 TDs, 14 INTs, 4,283 yds, 71.4 QBR 762 rush yds, 7 TDs
HB	#4	James Cook	Georgia 2nd year, Age: 23	89 carries, 507 yds, 2 TDs 21 receptions, 180 yds, 1 TD
WR	#14	Stefon Diggs	Maryland 9th year, Age: 29	108 receptions, 1,429 yds, 11 TDs
WR	#13	Gabriel Davis	UCF 4th year, Age: 24	48 receptions, 836 yds, 7 TDs
WR	#16	Trent Sherfield	Vanderbilt 6th year, Age: 27	30 receptions, 417 yds, 2 TDs – (MIA)
TE	#88	Dawson Knox	Ole Miss 5th year, Age: 26	48 receptions, 517 yds, 6 TDs
G	#66	Connor McGovern	Penn State 5th year, Age: 25
G	#71	Ryan Bates	Penn State 4th year, Age: 26
C	#60	Mitch Morse	Missouri 9th year, Age: 31
T	#73	Dion Dawkins	Temple 7th year, Age: 29
T	#79	Spencer Brown	Northern Iowa 3rd year, Age: 25

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#40	Von Miller*	Texas A&M 13th year, Age: 34	8 Sacks, 21 Tackles, 1 FF, 2 PD
DE	#50	Greg Rousseau	Miami 3rd year, Age: 23	8 Sacks, 37 Tackles, 1 FF, 4 PD
DT	#91	Ed Oliver	Houston 5th year, Age: 25	2.5 Sacks, 34 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 3 PD
DT	#92	DaQuan Jones	Penn State 10th year, Age: 31	2 Sacks, 38 Tackles, 1 FR
MLB	#58	Matt Milano	Boston College 7th year, Age: 29	1.5 Sacks, 99 Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 TD, 2 FR 11 PD
OLB	#56	Leonard Floyd	Georgia 7th year, Age: 30	9 Sacks, 59 Tackles, 1 FR – (LAR)
OLB	#53	Tyrel Dodson	Texas A&M 4th year, Age: 25	1 Sack, 32 Tackles, 1 FR
CB	#27	Tre’Davious White	LSU 7th year, Age: 28	6 GP, 20 Tackles, 1 INT, 6 PD
CB	#30	Dane Jackson	Pittsburgh 4th year, Age: 26	57 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 12 PD
S	#23	Micah Hyde	Iowa 11th year, Age: 32	2 GP, 7 Tackles
S	#21	Jordan Poyer	Oregon State 11th year, Age: 32	63 Tackles, 4 INTs, 1 FF, 8 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#2	Tyler Bass	Georgia Southern 4th year, Age: 26	48/50 XP, 27/31 FG — 2/3 50+
P	#8	Sam Martin	Appalachian State 11th year, Age: 33	45 punts, 2,146 yds, 16 <20
KR	#11	Deonte Harty	Assumption (D-II) 5th year, Age: 25	6 attempts, 137 yds – (NO)
PR	#11	Deonte Harty	Assumption (D-II) 5th year, Age: 25	3 attempts, 8 yds – (NO)

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Kyle Allen – #9 (Houston, 5th year, Age: 27)
HB: Damien Harris – #22 (Alabama, 5th year, Age: 26)
HB: Latavius Murray – #28 (UCF, 11th year, Age: 33)
FB: Reggie Gilliam – #41 (Toledo, 4th year, Age: 25)
WR: Khalil Shakir – #10 (Boise State, 2nd year, Age: 23)
TE: Dalton Kincaid – #86 (Utah, Rookie, Age: 23)
DE: A.J. Epenesa – #57 (Iowa, 4th year, Age: 24)
DE: Shaq Lawson – #90 (Clemson, 8th year, Age: 29)
DT: Poona Ford – #98 (Texas, 6th year, Age: 27)
DT: Jordan Phillips – #97 (Oklahoma, 9th year, Age: 30)
LB: A.J. Klein – #52 (Iowa State, 11th year, Age: 32)
LB: Terrel Bernard – #53 (Baylor, 2nd year, Age: 24)
CB: Kaiir Elam – #24 (Florida, 2nd year, Age: 22)
CB: Taron Johnson – #7 (Weber State, 6th year, Age: 27)
S: Taylor Rapp – #20 (Washington, 5th year, Age: 25)
S: Damar Hamlin – #3 (Pittsburgh, 3rd year, Age: 25)

*Von Miller continues to rehab a torn ACL and will miss the first 4+ weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 9-8, 2nd in AFC East
MVP: QB Josh Allen
Breakout Player: HB James Cook
Offensive Grade: A-
Defensive Grade: B+
Strengths: Star QB, options in the backfield, secondary, defensive line
Weaknesses: Offensive line, LB core, edge rushers

In a year that saw them fail to reach the AFC championship yet again, some think the window of opportunity has closed on Buffalo. Now with Aaron Rodgers in the AFC and the super teams in KC and Cincy, the road to the Super Bowl will not be easy. Josh Allen’s consistency needs to be a lot better in 2023, with disgruntled WR Stefon Diggs as his top target. James Cook will become the lead back after a solid rookie year and former Dolphin Trent Sherfield and Khalil Shakir should see bigger roles on the WR core.

The defense remains relatively similar with veteran Von Miller returning from injury and looking to make more of an impact on that huge contract he signed before last season. Greg Rousaeau had a breakout sophomore year and Ed Oliver was rewarded with a contract extension. Leonard Floyd was a big pickup to add to their EDGE rush, and Matt Milano mains the MLB with yet another good season. The defense this year has a lot of depth after they saw many injuries plague them a year ago. They have at least two backups at all of the major positions that saw some starting time in 2022, including Taylor Rapp, Shaq Lawson, and A.J. Epenesa. Buffalo will probably be the favorite to win the AFC East but come playoff time, it’s anyone’s game. Until they prove to be able to handle the spotlight it’s tough to give them the nod over Kansas City or Cincinnati.

Miami Dolphins

HC: Mike McDaniel (2nd year, Career/Team record: 9-8, Playoff record: 0-1) – AGE: 40
OC: Frank Smith (2nd year as MIA OC) – AGE: 42
DC: Vic Fangio (1st year as MIA DC, 20th year as DC, 3 years as HC DEN) – AGE: 65

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#1	Tua Tagovailoa	Alabama 4th year, Age: 25	25 TDs, 8 INTs, 3,548 yds, 68.8 QBR 70 rush yds
HB	#31	Raheem Mostert	Purdue 9th year, Age: 31	181 carries, 891 yds, 3 TDs 31 receptions, 202 yds, 2 TDs
FB	#30	Alec Ingold	Wisconsin 5th year, Age: 27	15 receptions, 105 yds, 1 TD 6 carries, 8 yds, 1 TD
WR	#10	Tyreek Hill	West Alabama (D-II) 8th year, Age: 29	119 receptions, 1,710 yds, 7 TDs 7 carries, 32 yds, 1 TD
WR	#17	Jaylen Waddle	Alabama 3rd year, Age: 24	75 receptions, 1,356 yds, 8 TDs 3 carries, 26 yds
TE	#81	Durham Smythe	Notre Dame 6th year, Age: 28	15 receptions, 129 yds, 1 TD
G	#74	Liam Eichenberg	Notre Dame 3rd year, Age: 25
G	#68	Robert Hunt	UL-Lafayette 4th year, Age: 26
C	#58	Connor Williams	Texas 6th year, Age: 26
T	#72	Terron Armstead	UAPB 11th year, Age: 32
T	#73	Austin Jackson	USC 4th year, Age: 24

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#92	Zach Sieler	Ferris State (D-II) 6th year, Age: 27	3.5 Sacks, 70 Tackles, 2 FF, 4 PD
DE	#98	Raekwon Davis	Alabama 4th year, Age: 25	1 Sack, 33 Tackles
NT	#94	Christian Wilkins	Clemson 5th year, Age: 27	3.5 Sacks, 98 Tackles, 2 FF, 1 FR, 6 PD
ILB	#55	Jerome Baker	Ohio State 6th year, Age: 26	4 Sacks, 100 Tackles, 1 FF, 4 PD
ILB	#51	David Long Jr.	West Virginia 5th year, Age: 26	86 Tackles, 2 INTs, 5 PD
OLB	#2	Bradley Chubb	NC State 6th year, Age: 27	8 Sacks, 39 Tackles, 3 FF, 1 PD – (DEN/MIA)
OLB	#15	Jaelan Phillips	Miami 3rd year, Age: 24	7 Sacks, 61 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 2 PD
CB	#25	Xavien Howard	Baylor 8th year, Age: 30	45 Tackles, 1 INT, 2 FR, 12 PD
CB	#4	Kader Kohou	Texas A&M-Commerce 2nd year, Age: 24	72 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 10 PD
S	#8	Jevon Holland	Oregon 3rd year, Age: 23	1.5 Sacks, 96 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 7 PD
S	#29	Brandon Jones	Texas 4th year, Age: 25	2 Sacks, 49 Tackles, 1 FF, 3 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#7	Jason Sanders	New Mexico 6th year, Age: 27	41/44 XP, 26/32 FG — 2/6 50+
P	#16	Jake Bailey	Stanford 6th year, Age: 26	37 punts, 1,557 yds, 12 <20 – (NE)
KR	#0	Braxton Berrios	Miami 5th year, Age: 27	28 attempts, 600 yds – (NYJ)
PR	#0	Braxton Berrios	Miami 5th year, Age: 27	21 attempts, 240 yds – (NYJ)

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Mike White – #14 (Western Kentucky, 5th year, Age: 28)
HB: Jeff Wilson Jr. – #23 (North Texas, 6th year, Age: 26)
WR: Cedrick Wilson Jr. – #11 (Boise State, 6th year, Age: 28)
DE: Emmanuel Ogbah – #91 (Oklahoma State, 8th year, Age: 29)
LB: Andrew Van Ginkel – #43 (Wisconsin, 5th year, Age: 28)
LB: Duke Riley – #45 (LSU, 7th year, Age: 29)
CB: Jalen Ramsey* – #5 (Florida State, 8th year, Age: 28)
CB: Eli Apple – #20 (Ohio State, 8th year, Age: 28)
CB: Nik Needham** – #40 (UTEP, 5th year, Age: 26)
CB: Kelvin Joseph – (Kentucky, 3rd year, Age: 22)
S: DeShon Elliott – #21 (Texas, 6th year, Age: 26)

*Jalen Ramsey has a torn meniscus and will miss most of the season
**Nik Needham continues to rehab a torn achilles and may miss the start of the season

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 9-8, 3rd in NFC East
MVP: WR Tyreek Hill
Breakout Player: CB Nik Needham
Offensive Grade: A-
Defensive Grade: B
Strengths: WR core, run game, offensive line, secondary
Weaknesses: Tua’s health, defensive line

The Dolphins, no doubt, have the makings to be one of the surprise teams of 2023, but it will all rely heavily on the availability of Tua. They started off dominant last year, but after two concussions put Tua on the sideline, they finished 9-8 and were forced to start Skylar Thompson in their first round playoff loss. Now Miami seems like the biggest wild card in the AFC, with the potential to do serious damage. We know Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are probably the best 1-2 punch at WR in the league. Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. make up a dominant run-game and Terron Armstead leads a very solid offensive line.

The big news on defense is star CB Jalen Ramsey, who was acquired from the Rams this offseason, will miss potentially all of the season with a torn meniscus. Luckily they have depth, with stars Xavien Howard and Jevon Holland leading the secondary. Bradley Chubb was also extended after being acquired from Denver and will add to their plethora of LB options. In my opinion, the ceiling for this team is the AFC championship and winning the East, but the floor could easily be a near .500 season that misses the playoffs. We saw a lot of promise in the time that he did play, but Tua’s head injuries are nothing to ignore. This team is too good and a year of missing the playoffs could put Mike McDaniel’s job on the line.

New England Patriots

HC: Bill Belichick (24th year in NE, Career record: 298-152, Team record: 262-108, Playoff record: 31-13) – AGE: 71
OC: Bill O’Brien (1st year as NE OC, 7 years as HC HOU) – AGE: 54
No DC

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#10	Mac Jones	Alabama 3rd year, Age: 24	14 TDs, 11 INTs, 2,997 yds, 36.1 QBR 102 rush yds, 1 TD
HB	#38	Rhamondre Stevenson	Oklahoma 3rd year, Age: 25	210 carries, 1,040 yds, 5 TDs 69 receptions, 421 yds, 1 TD
WR	#7	JuJu Smith-Schuster	USC 7th year, Age: 26	78 receptions, 933 yds, 3 TDs – (KC)
WR	#1	DeVante Parker	Louisville 9th year, Age: 30	31 receptions, 539 yds, 3 TDs
TE	#85	Hunter Henry	Arkansas 8th year, Age: 28	41 receptions, 509 yds, 2 TDs
TE	#88	Mike Gesicki	Penn State 6th year, Age: 27	32 receptions, 362 yds, 5 TDs – (MIA)
G	#71	Mike Onwenu	Michigan 4th year, Age: 25
G	#69	Cole Strange	Chattanooga 2nd year, Age: 25
C	#60	David Andrews	Georgia 9th year, Age: 31
T	#77	Trent Brown	Florida 9th year, Age: 30
T	#74	Riley Reiff	Iowa 12th year, Age: 34

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#91	Deatrich Wise Jr.	Arkansas 7th year, Age: 29	7.5 Sacks, 59 Tackles, 2 FF, 3 PD
DE	#93	Lawrence Guy Sr.	Arizona State 13th year, Age: 33	2 Sacks, 46 Tackles
NT	#92	Davon Godchaux	LSU 7th year, Age: 28	1.5 Sacks, 62 Tackles
ILB	#8	Ja’Whaun Bentley	Purdue 6th year, Age: 26	3 Sacks, 125 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR, 2 PD
ILB	#48	Jahlani Tavai	Hawaii 5th year, Age: 26	1.5 Sacks, 69 Tackles, 2 PD
OLB	#9	Matthew Judon	Grand Valley State 8th year, Age: 31	15.5 Sacks, 60 Tackles, 2 FF, 1 FR, 3 PD
OLB	#55	Josh Uche	Michigan 4th year, Age: 24	11.5 Sacks, 27 Tackles, 2 FF
CB	#31	Jonathan Jones	Auburn 8th year, Age: 29	69 Tackles, 4 INTs, 1 TD, 3 FF, 11 PD
CB	#27	Myles Bryant	Washington 4th year, Age: 25	70 Tackles, 1 INT, 6 PD
S	#23	Kyle Dugger	Lenoir-Rhyne (D-II) 4th year, Age: 27	1 Sack, 78 Tackles, 3 INTs, 2 TDs, 1 FF 1 FR, 8 PD
S	#21	Adrian Phillips	Texas 9th year, Age: 31	66 Tackles, 3 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#38	Chad Ryland (R)	Maryland Rookie, Age: 23	DRAFTED: 112th overall by NE
P	#15	Corliss Waitman	South Alabama 3rd year, Age: 28	96 punts, 4,470 yds, 30 <20 – (DEN)
KR	#25	Marcus Jones	Houston 2nd year, Age: 24	27 attempts, 645 yds
PR	#25	Marcus Jones	Houston 2nd year, Age: 24	29 attempts, 362 yds, 1 TD

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

HB: Ezekiel Elliott – #15 (Ohio State, 7th year, Age: 28)
WR: Tyquan Thornton – #11 (Baylor, 2nd year, Age: 23)
WR: Kendrick Bourne – #84 (Eastern Washington, 7th year, Age: 28)
ST: Matthew Slater – #18 (UCLA, 16th year, Age: 37)
DT: Christian Barmore – #90 (Alabama, 3rd year, Age: 24)
DT: Daniel Ekuale – #95 (Washington State, 5th year, Age: 29)
LB: Chris Board – #45 (North Dakota State, 6th year, Age: 28)
LB: Anfernee Jennings – #33 (Alabama, 4th year, Age: 25)
LB: Mack Wilson Sr. – #3 (Alabama, 5th year, Age: 25)
CB: Jalen Mills – #2 (LSU, 8th year, Age: 29)
CB: Christian Gonzalez – #19 (Oregon, Rookie, Age: 21)
S: Jabrill Peppers – #5 (Michigan, 7th year, Age: 27)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 7-10, 4th in AFC East
MVP: LB Matthew Judon
Breakout Player: WR Tyquan Thornton
Offensive Grade: C+
Defensive Grade: C
Strengths: EDGE rushers, WR core, run game
Weaknesses: Offensive line, secondary depth, LB core

Competing in most likely the toughest division in football, the Patriots seem to be the odd man out amongst the four. They don’t necessarily have a bad team, with Ezekiel Elliott, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki added to the offense and Mac Jones poised to bounce back after a sophomore slump. Rhamondre Stevenson now will become the full-time back with Damien Harris’ departure, and the offensive line looks a little shaky outside of veteran Tackles Duane Brown and Riley Reiff.

The defense returns a few guys who had great 2022 season’s in Matthew Judon, Ja’Whuan Bentley, Kyle Dugger, and Jonathan Jones. The entire starting 11 should consist of starters from a year before where their defense was solid but not great. Any Bill Belichick led team will get the most out of their defense though, and we should expect more improvement from a few pieces. New England is definitely not a bad team, as they should be able to play spoiler to the powerhouses of the AFC East and maintain right around .500. It will be tough to imagine them being better than the Jets, Bills, or Dolphins though if they all stay healthy.

New York Jets

HC: Robert Saleh (3rd year, Career/Team record: 11-23) – AGE: 44
OC: Nathaniel Hackett (1st year as NYJ OC, 9th year as OC, 1 year as HC DEN) – AGE: 43
DC: Jeff Ulbrich (3rd year as NYJ DC. 4th year as DC) – AGE: 46

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#8	Aaron Rodgers	California 19th year, Age: 39	26 TDs, 12 INTs, 3,695 yds, 39.3 QBR 94 rush yds, 1 TD – (GB)
HB	#33	Dalvin Cook	Florida State 7th year, Age: 28	264 carries, 1,174 yds, 8 TDs 39 receptions, 295 yds, 2 TDs – (MIN)
WR	#17	Garrett Wilson	Ohio State 2nd year, Age: 23	83 receptions, 1,103 yds, 4 TDs
WR	#10	Allen Lazard	Iowa State 5th year, Age: 27	60 receptions, 788 yds, 6 TDs – (GB)
WR	#18	Randall Cobb	Kentucky 13th year, Age: 32	34 receptions, 417 yds, 1 TD – (GB)
TE	#83	Tyler Conklin	Central Michigan 6th year, Age: 28	58 receptions, 552 yds, 3 TDs
G	#75	Alijah Vera-Tucker	USC 3rd year, Age: 24
G	#78	Laken Tomlinson	Duke 9th year, Age: 31
C	#60	Connor McGovern	Missouri 8th year, Age: 30
T	#54	Billy Turner	North Dakota State 10th year, Age: 31
T	#61	Max Mitchell	UL-Lafayette 2nd year, Age: 23

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#58	Carl Lawson	Auburn 7th year, Age: 28	7 Sacks, 33 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR
DE	#99	Will McDonald IV (R)	Iowa State Rookie, Age: 24	DRAFTED: 15th overall pick by NYJ
DT	#95	Quinnen Williams	Alabama 5th year, Age: 25	12 Sacks, 55 Tackles, 2 FF, 1 FR, 4 PD
DT	#93	Quinton Jefferson	Maryland 8th year, Age: 30	5.5 Sacks, 29 Tackles, 2 PD – (SEA)
MLB	#57	C.J. Mosley	Alabama 9th year, Age: 31	1 Sack, 158 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR, 7 PD
OLB	#56	Quincy Williams	Murray State 5th year, Age: 26	3 Sacks, 106 Tackles, 1 PD
OLB	#11	Jermaine Johnson	Florida State 2nd year, Age: 24	2.5 Sacks, 29 Tackles
CB	#1	Sauce Gardner	Cincinnati 2nd year, Age: 22	75 Tackles, 2 INTs, 20 PD
CB	#4	D.J. Reed	Kansas State 6th year, Age: 26	80 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 12 PD
S	#0	Adrian Amos	Penn State 9th year, Age: 30	1 Sack, 102 Tackles, 1 INT, 5 PD – (GB)
S	#3	Jordan Whitehead	Pittsburgh 6th year, Age: 26	89 Tackles, 2 INTs, 8 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#9	Greg Zuerlein	Missouri Western (D-II) 12th year, Age: 35	28/29 XP, 30/37 FG — 6/11 50+
P	#5	Thomas Morstead	SMU 15th year, Age: 37	61 punts, 2,828 yds, 28 <20 – (MIA)
KR	#6	Mecole Hardman Jr.	Georgia 5th year, Age: 25	1 attempt, 4 yds – (KC)
PR	#6	Mecole Hardman Jr.	Georgia 5th year, Age: 25	6 attempts, 55 yds – (KC)

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Zach Wilson – #2 (BYU, 3rd year, Age: 24)
HB: Breece Hall – #20 (Iowa State, 2nd year, Age: 22)
HB: Michael Carter – #32 (North Carolina, 3rd year, Age: 24)
WR: Randall Cobb – #18 (Kentucky, 13th year, Age: 32)
TE: C.J. Uzomah – #87 (Auburn, 9th year, Age: 30)
T: Duane Brown* – #76 (Virginia Tech, 17th year, Age: 37)
DE: John Franklin-Myers – #91 (Stephen F. Austin, 6th year, Age: 26)
DE: Solomon Thomas – #94 (Stanford, 7th year, Age: 27)
DE: Michael Clemons – #72 (Texas A&M, 2nd year, Age: 25)
DT: Al Woods – #96 (LSU, 13th year, Age: 36)
CB: Michael Carter II – #30 (Duke, 3rd year, Age: 24)

*Duane Brown continues to rehab shoulder surgery and may miss the first few weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 11-6, 1st in AFC East
MVP: QB Aaron Rodgers
Breakout Player: LB Jermaine Johnson
Offensive Grade: B+
Defensive Grade: A-
Strengths: QB, depth in WR, secondary, EDGE rushers
Weaknesses: Offensive line

The talk of the offseason was no doubt centered around the Jets as they landed 4x MVP and SB champion Aaron Rodgers. Along with Rodgers came a few of his friends from Green Bay in Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, as well as star RB Dalvin Cook. Add this to the young pieces on offense and their spectacular defense, they may now be the team to beat in the AFC. The one big question will be centered around their offensive line, with Mekhi Becton returning from injury and not looking to be on the first team, and injury concerns around 17-year veteran Duane Brown. Billy Turner, Max Mitchell, and Alijah Vera-Tucker will look to manage the load in the meantime, but this offense will have plenty of ammunition from many different contributors.

The young and powerful defense is what truly led these stars to join the Jets, as they were possibly the best on that side of the ball in 2022. Young CB Sauce Gardner looks like the second coming of Darelle Revis, while Quinnen Williams and Carl Lawson lead a dynamic pass rush. C.J. Mosley and Quincy Williams were one of the better LB duos in football, and the amount of veteran depth the team has will look to keep them dominant. The Chiefs are still the best in the conference in my opinion, but the Jets have the potential to overtake them if all works out.

Baltimore Ravens

HC: John Harbaugh (16th year, Career/Team record: 147-95, Playoff record: 11-9) – AGE: 61
OC: Todd Monken (1st year as BAL OC, 5th year as OC) – AGE: 57
DC: Mike MacDonald (2nd year as BAL DC) – AGE: 36

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#8	Lamar Jackson	Louisville 6th year, Age: 26	17 TDs, 7 INTs, 2,242 yds, 59.1 QBR 764 rush yds, 3 TDs
HB	#27	J.K. Dobbins	Ohio State 4th year, Age: 24	92 carries, 520 yds, 2 TDs 7 receptions, 42 yds, 1 TD
FB	#42	Patrick Ricard	Maine 7th year, Age: 29	11 receptions, 74 yds 7 carries, 16 yds
WR	#3	Odell Beckham Jr.	LSU 9th year, Age: 30	DNP – INJURED/FREE AGENT
WR	#4	Zay Flowers (R)	Boston College Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 22nd overall by BAL
TE	#89	Mark Andrews	Oklahoma 6th year, Age: 27	73 receptions, 847 yds, 5 TDs
G	#70	Kevin Zeitler	Wisconsin 12th year, Age: 33
G	#71	Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu (R)	Oregon Rookie, Age: 24	DRAFTED: 199th overall by BAL
C	#64	Tyler Linderbaum	Iowa 2nd year, Age: 23
T	#79	Ronnie Stanley	Notre Dame 8th year, Age: 29
T	#78	Morgan Moses	Virginia 10th year, Age: 32

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#92	Justin Madubuike	Texas A&M 4th year, Age: 25	5.5 Sacks, 42 Tackles, 3 PD
DE	#96	Broderick Washington	Texas Tech 4th year, Age: 26	1 Sack, 49 Tackles, 6 PD
NT	#58	Michael Pierce	Samford 7th year, Age: 30	3 GP, 6 Tackles, 1 FF
ILB	#0	Roquan Smith	Georgia 6th year, Age: 26	4.5 Sacks, 169 Tackles, 3 INTs, 6 PD – (CHI/BAL)
ILB	#6	Patrick Queen	LSU 4th year, Age: 24	5 Sacks, 117 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 2 FR 6 PD
OLB	#24	Jadeveon Clowney	South Carolina 10th year, Age: 30	2 Sacks, 28 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 3 PD – (CLE)
OLB	#54	Tyus Bowser	Houston 7th year, Age: 28	2 Sacks, 13 Tackles, 1 FF, 2 PD
CB	#44	Marlon Humphrey*	Alabama 7th year, Age: 27	3 Sacks, 71 Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 FF, 2 FR 7 PD
CB	#23	Rock Ya-Sin	Temple 5th year, Age: 27	45 Tackles, 7 PD – (LVR)
S	#32	Marcus Williams	Utah 7th year, Age: 26	61 Tackles, 4 INTs, 1 FR, 8 PD
S	#14	Kyle Hamilton	Notre Dame 2nd year, Age: 22	2 Sacks, 62 Tackles, 1 FF, 2 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#9	Justin Tucker	Texas 12th year, Age: 33	31/32 XP, 37/43 FG — 9/14 50+
P	#11	Jordan Stout	Penn State 2nd year, Age: 25	57 punts, 2,618 yds, 26 <20
KR	#13	Devin Duvernay	Texas 4th year, Age: 25	15 attempts, 383 yds, 1 TD
PR	#13	Devin Duvernay	Texas 4th year, Age: 25	16 attempts, 190 yds

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Tyler Huntley – #2 (Utah, 4th year, Age: 25)
HB: Gus Edwards – #35 (Rutgers, 6th year, Age: 28)
WR: Nelson Agholor – #15 (USC, 9th year, Age: 30)
WR: Rashod Bateman – #7 (Minnesota, 3rd year, Age: 23)
TE: Isaiah Likely – #80 (Coastal Carolina, 2nd year, Age: 23)
DE: Brent Urban – #97 (Virginia, 10th year, Age: 32)
DT: Travis Jones – #98 (UConn, 2nd year, Age: 23)
LB: Malik Harrison – #40 (Ohio State, 4th year, Age: 25)
LB: Odafe Oweh – #99 (Penn State, 3rd year, Age: 24)
LB: David Ojabo – #90 (Michigan, 2nd year, Age: 23)
CB: Damarion Williams** – #22 (Houston, 2nd year, Age: 25)
CB: Ronald Darby – #28 (Florida State, 9th year, Age: 29)
CB: Arthur Maulet – #34 (Memphis, 7th year, Age: 30)
S: Geno Stone – #26 (Iowa, 4th year, Age: 24)

*Marlon Humphrey had foot surgery and will miss the first 2-4 weeks
**Damarion Williams had ankle surgery and will miss the first several weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 8-9, 3rd in AFC North
MVP: QB Lamar Jackson
Breakout Player: WR Zay Flowers
Offensive Grade: B-
Defensive Grade: B+
Strengths: Backfield core, LB core, secondary
Weaknesses: Defensive line, depth at WR

After dealing Marquise Brown before last season, the Ravens left a big hole at WR, one that was exposed in their 10-7 season. Lamar had another great year in the run game but his passing numbers suffered. Reinforcements were brought in though, with Odell Beckham set to join them and Zay Flowers as their first round pick. Mark Andrews returns after a bit of a down year as one of the league’s best receiving tight end’s. Ronnie Stanley and Kevin Zeitler continue to lead a solid offensive line with second-year breakout center Tyler Linderbaum.

The defense will be the source of improvement in 2023 for Baltimore with Jadeveon Clowney and Rock Ya-Sin joining them. Roquan Smith will enter his first full season with the Ravens and joins Patrick Queen as possibly the best LB duo in the league. Several veterans are on their way out though, with Marcus Peters, Justin Houston, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Calais Campbell all leaving town. I’m not too worried as several young pieces who stepped up last year should make solid impacts in starting roles. They probably still are the second best team in the AFC North, but again the Browns are such wild cards it’s so tough to predict.

Cincinnati Bengals

HC: Zac Taylor (5th year, Career/Team record: 28-36-1, Playoff record: 5-2) – AGE: 40
OC: Brian Callahan (5th year as CIN OC) – AGE: 39
DC: Lou Anarumo (5th year as CIN DC) – AGE: 57

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#9	Joe Burrow	LSU 4th year, Age: 26	35 TDs, 12 INTs, 4,475 yds, 58.7 QBR 257 rush yds, 5 TDs
HB	#28	Joe Mixon	Oklahoma 7th year, Age: 27	210 carries, 814 yds, 7 TDs 60 receptions, 441 yds, 2 TDs
WR	#1	Ja’Marr Chase	LSU 3rd year, Age: 23	87 receptions, 1,046 yds, 9 TDs
WR	#5	Tee Higgins	Clemson 4th year, Age: 24	74 receptions, 1,029 yds, 7 TDs
WR	#83	Tyler Boyd	Pittsburgh 8th year, Age: 29	58 receptions, 762 yds, 5 TDs
TE	#81	Irv Smith Jr.	Alabama 5th year, Age: 25	25 receptions, 182 yds, 2 TDs – (MIN)
G	#65	Alex Cappa	Humboldt State (D-II) 6th year, Age: 29
G	#74	Max Scharping	Northern Illinois 5th year, Age: 27
C	#64	Ted Karras	Illinois 8th year, Age: 30
T	#75	Orlando Brown Jr.	Oklahoma 6th year, Age: 27
T	#73	Jonah Williams	Alabama 5th year, Age: 25

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#91	Trey Hendrickson	Florida Atlantic 7th year, Age: 28	8 Sacks, 32 Tackles, 3 FF, 3 PD
DE	#94	Sam Hubbard	Ohio State 6th year, Age: 28	6.5 Sacks, 60 Tackles, 1 FF, 3 PD
DT	#92	B.J. Hill	NC State 6th year, Age: 28	3 Sacks, 68 Tackles, 1 FF, 3 FR, 4 PD
DT	#98	D.J. Reader	Clemson 8th year, Age: 29	27 Tackles, 1 FF, 2 FR, 4 PD
ILB	#55	Logan Wilson	Wyoming 4th year, Age: 27	2.5 Sacks, 123 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 4 PD
ILB	#57	Germaine Pratt	NC State 5th year, Age: 27	1 Sack, 99 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 1 FR 10 PD
CB	#22	Chidobe Awuzie	Colorado 7th year, Age: 28	35 Tackles, 1 FF, 5 PD
CB	#20	D.J. Turner II (R)	Michigan Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 60th overall by CIN
CB	#21	Mike Hilton	Ole Miss 7th year, Age: 29	60 Tackles, 1 INT, 6 PD
S	#33	Nick Scott	Penn State 5th year, Age: 28	86 Tackles, 2 INTs, 2 FF, 5 PD – (LAR)
S	#23	Dax Hill	Michigan 2nd year, Age: 22	16 Tackles

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#2	Evan McPherson	Florida 3rd year, Age: 24	40/44 XP, 24/29 FG — 5/5 50+
P	#10	Brad Robbins (R)	Michigan Rookie, Age: 24	DRAFTED: 217th overall by CIN
KR	#25	Chris Evans	Michigan 3rd year, Age: 25	10 attempts, 211 yds
PR	#15	Charlie Jones	Purdue Rookie, Age: 24	DRAFTED: 131st overall by CIN

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Jake Browning – #6 (Washington, Rookie, Age: 27)
WR: Trenton Irwin – #16 (Stanford, 3rd year, Age: 27)
T: La’el Collins* – #71 (LSU, 9th year, Age: 30)
DE: Cam Sample – #96 (Tulane, 3rd year, Age: 23)
DE: Myles Murphy – #99 (Clemson, Rookie, Age: 21)
DE: Joseph Ossai – #58 (Texas, 2nd year, Age: 23)
DT: Zach Carter – #95 (Florida, 2nd year, Age: 24)
LB: Akeem Davis-Gaither – #59 (Appalachian State, 4th year, Age: 25)
CB: Cam Taylor-Britt – #29 (Nebraska, 2nd year, Age: 23)

*La’el Collins continues to rehab a torn ACL and will miss the first several weeks

Projected Record: 11-6, 1st in AFC North
MVP: QB Joe Burrow
Breakout Player: DE Myles Murphy
Offensive Grade: A
Defensive Grade: B
Strengths: Star QB, WR duo, improved offensive line, LB core
Weaknesses: Pass rushers, secondary

Coming off of their second straight trip to the AFC championship, the Bengals didn’t see the same luck against Kansas City that they did in 2021. Now entering the new year, the dynamic and explosive offense of Burrow, Chase, Higgins, and Mixon will try to raise the team’s first ever SB banner. The clock is ticking, and it’s not due to age but moreso the contracts of their stars Burrow, Chase, and Higgins who all have yet to sign extensions. As we see with many team’s the hard salary cap will make it difficult to retain all three, with Burrow being the obvious and most important one to re-sign to a hefty deal. The offensive line has improved with Orlando Brown enterring to become the future LT and Williams and Karras returning after solid years.

The defense is a little bit of a different story, with a couple of notable losses in Jesse Bates and Vonn Bell. Former Ram Nick Scott and 2022 draft pick Dax Hill will look to replace the productiveness that those two gave them. Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, Germaine Pratt, and Logan Wilson all return though becoming the faces of the defensive front. I think deals will get done soon with Burrow and Chase and I don’t anticipate them going anywhere. As for Tee Higgins, the demand may be too high to extend him long-term without a big pay cut. This gives them a couple of years to raise that title before this core breaks up. But as we’ve seen with Mahomes, I don’t think Burrow will need the plethora of starts year after year to keep them in SB contention.

Cleveland Browns

HC: Kevin Stefanski (4th year, Career/Team record: 26-24, Playoff record: 1-1) – AGE: 41
OC: Alex Van Pelt (4th year as CLE OC) – AGE: 53
DC: Jim Schwartz (1st year as CLE DC, 14th year as DC, 5 years as HC DET) – AGE: 57

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#4	Deshaun Watson	Clemson 7th year, Age: 27	6 GP, 7 TDs, 5 INTs, 1,102 yds 175 rush yds, 1 TD
HB	#24	Nick Chubb	Georgia 6th year, Age: 27	302 carries, 1,525 yds, 12 TDs 27 receptions, 239 yds, 1 TD
WR	#2	Amari Cooper	Alabama 9th year, Age: 29	78 receptions, 1,160 yds, 9 TDs
WR	#11	Donovan Peoples-Jones	Michigan 4th year, Age: 24	61 receptions, 839 yds, 3 TDs
TE	#85	David Njoku	Miami 7th year, Age: 27	58 receptions, 628 yds, 4 TDs
TE	#88	Harrison Bryant	Florida Atlantic 4th year, Age: 25	31 receptions, 239 yds, 1 TD
G	#75	Joel Bitonio	Nevada 10th year, Age: 31
G	#77	Wyatt Teller	Virginia Tech 6th year, Age: 28
C	#55	Ethan Pocic	LSU 7th year, Age: 28
T	#78	Jack Conklin	Michigan State 8th year, Age: 29
T	#71	Jedrick Wills Jr.	Alabama 4th year, Age: 24

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#95	Myles Garrett	Texas A&M 7th year, Age: 27	16 Sacks, 60 Tackles, 2 FF, 4 PD
DE	#99	Za’Darius Smith	Kentucky 9th year, Age: 30	10 Sacks, 44 Tackles, 1 FF, 5 PD – (MIN)
DT	#97	Shelby Harris	Illinois State 9th year, Age: 32	2 Sacks, 44 Tackles, 4 PD – (SEA)
DT	#94	Dalvin Tomlinson	Alabama 7th year, Age: 29	2.5 Sacks, 42 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR – (MIN)
ILB	#6	Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah	Notre Dame 3rd year, Age: 23	70 Tackles, 2 FF, 4 PD
ILB	#5	Anthony Walker Jr.	Northwestern 7th year, Age: 28	3 GP, 13 Tackles, 2 PD
CB	#21	Denzel Ward	Ohio State 6th year, Age: 26	53 Tackles, 3 INTs, 2 FR, 15 PD
CB	#0	Greg Newsome II	Northwestern 3rd year, Age: 23	0.5 Sacks, 42 Tackles, 6 PD
S	#22	Grant Delpit	LSU 4th year, Age: 24	105 Tackles, 4 INTs, 10 PD
S	#1	Juan Thornhill	Virginia 5th year, Age: 27	1 Sack, 71 Tackles, 3 INTs, 9 PD – (KC)
S	#26	Rodney McLeod	Virginia 12th year, Age: 33	96 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 TD, 1 FR, 8 PD – (IND)

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#7	Dustin Hopkins	Florida State 10th year, Age: 32	5 GP, 12/12 XP, 9/10 FG – (LAC)
P	#13	Corey Bojorquez	New Mexico 6th year, Age: 26	61 punts, 2,959 yds, 23 <20
KR	#34	Jerome Ford	Cincinnati 2nd year, Age: 23	30 attempts, 723 yds
PR	#11	Donovan Peoples-Jones	Michigan 4th year, Age: 24	18 attempts, 223 yds

NOTABLE

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Dorian Thompson-Robinson – #17 (UCLA, Rookie, Age: 23)
WR: Elijah Moore – #8 (Ole Miss, 3rd year, Age: 23)
WR: Marquise Goodwin* – #19 (Texas, 10th year, Age: 32)
WR: Jakeem Grant Sr.** – #9 (Texas Tech 7th year, Age: 30)
TE: Jordan Akins – #84 (UCF, 6th year, Age: 31)
DE: Alex Wright – #91 (UAB, 2nd year, Age: 22)
DE: Ogbo Okoronkwo – #54 (Oklahoma, 6th year, Age: 28)
DT: Jordan Elliott – #96 (Missouri, 4th year, Age: 25)
LB: Sione Takitaki*** – #44 (BYU, 5th year, Age: 28)
LB: Matthew Adams – #40 (Houston, 6th year, Age: 27)
LB: Jordan Kunaszyk – #51 (California, 5th year, Age: 26)
CB: Martin Emerson Jr. – #23 (Mississippi State, 2nd year, Age: 22)
S: D’Anthony Bell – #37 (West Florida (D-II), 2nd year, Age: 26)

*Marquise Goodwin has blood clots and may miss several weeks
**Jakeem Grant has a torn right patellor tendon and will miss the entire season
***Sione Takitaki continues to rehab a torn ACL and may miss a couple of weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 6-11, 4th in AFC North
MVP: DE Myles Garrett
Breakout Player: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
Offensive Grade: B-
Defensive Grade: B
Strengths: Run game, offensive line, pass rushers
Weaknesses: LB core, WR core

After only getting new franchise QB Deshaun Watson for 6 games, Cleveland had trouble competing and finished 7-10. This year, there is no excuse, and I think it is vital that the Browns show major improvement. Watson missed nearly two seasons and to justify his contract he needs to be a lot better than 7 TDs and 5 picks. They have the best RB in the league and a very good offensive line that seems to remain consistent regardless of who they plug in.

The defense will most likely be the source of consistency with stars Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith rushing from both EDGE’s. Shelby Harris and Dalvin Tomlinson were brought in to clog the middle and they’ll rely on two young LB’s to lead that core. Juan Thornhill was a secretly special move, bringing championship pedigree and consistent play to a secondary with a lot of young pieces. Denzel Ward has became a great CB1 as well, and Greg Newsome II will be promoted into the starting lineup. It’s a tough division with a lot of Wild Card’s, but I can’t seem to get myself to predict the Browns being better than, well, the usual Browns. Prove me wrong Cleveland.

Pittsburgh Steelers

HC: Mike Tomlin (17th year, Career/Team record: 163-93-2, Playoff record: 8-9) – AGE: 51
OC: Matt Canada (3rd year as PIT OC) – AGE: 51
DC: Teryl Austin (2nd year as PIT DC, 7th year as DC) – AGE: 58

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#8	Kenny Pickett	Pittsburgh 2nd year, Age: 25	7 TDs, 9 INTs, 2,404 yds, 51.5 QBR 237 rush yds, 3 TDs
HB	#22	Najee Harris	Alabama 3rd year, Age: 25	272 carries, 1,034 yds, 7 TDs 41 receptions, 229 yds, 3 TDs
WR	#18	Diontae Johnson	Toledo 5th year, Age: 27	86 receptions, 882 yds 7 carries, 25 yds
WR	#14	George Pickens	Georgia 2nd year, Age: 22	52 receptions, 801 yds, 4 TDs 3 carries, 24 yds, 1 TD
WR	#11	Allen Robinson II	Penn State 10th year, Age: 30	33 receptions, 339 yds, 3 TDs – (LAR)
TE	#88	Pat Freiermuth	Penn State 3rd year, Age: 24	63 receptions, 732 yds, 2 TDs
G	#73	Isaac Seumalo	Oregon State 8th year, Age: 29
G	#78	James Daniels	Iowa 6th year, Age: 25
C	#61	Mason Cole	Michigan 6th year, Age: 27
T	#76	Chukwuma Okorafor	Western Michigan 6th year, Age: 26
T	#77	Broderick Jones (R)	Georgia Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 14th overall by PIT

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#97	Cameron Heyward	Ohio State 13th year, Age: 34	10.5 Sacks, 74 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 4 PD
DE	#99	Larry Ogunjobi	Charlotte 7th year, Age: 29	1.5 Sacks, 48 Tackles
NT	#57	Montravius Adams	Auburn 7th year, Age: 28	26 Tackles, 1 PD
ILB	#55	Cole Holcomb	North Carolina 5th year, Age: 27	69 Tackles, 1 PD – (WSH)
ILB	#50	Elandon Roberts	Houston 8th year, Age: 29	4.5 Sacks, 107 Tackles – (MIA)
OLB	#90	T.J. Watt	Wisconsin 7th year, Age: 28	5.5 Sacks, 39 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 5 PD
OLB	#56	Alex Highsmith	Charlotte 4th year, Age: 26	14.5 Sacks, 63 Tackles, 5 FF, 1 PD
CB	#29	Levi Wallace	Alabama 6th year, Age: 28	48 Tackles, 4 INTs, 13 PD
CB	#20	Patrick Peterson	LSU 13th year, Age: 33	66 Tackles, 5 INTs, 15 PD – (MIN)
S	#39	Minkah Fitzpatrick	Alabama 6th year, Age: 26	96 Tackles, 6 INTs, 1 TD, 11 PD
S	#31	Keanu Neal	Florida 8th year, Age: 28	0.5 Sacks, 63 Tackles, 1 INT, 4 PD – (TB)

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#9	Chris Boswell	Rice 9th year, Age: 32	18/18 XP, 20/28 FG — 7/9 50+
P	#6	Pressley Harvin III	Goergia Tech 3rd year, Age: 24	69 punts, 3,072 yds, 20 <20
KR	#19	Calvin Austin III	Memphis Rookie, Age: 24	DNP – Injured
PR	#19	Calvin Austin III	Memphis Rookie, Age: 24	DNP – Injured

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Mitchell Trubisky – #10 (North Carolina, 7th year, Age: 29)
QB: Mason Rudolph – #2 (Oklahoma State, 6th year, Age: 28)
HB: Jaylen Warren – #30 (Oklahoma State, 2nd year, Age: 24)
WR: Gunner Olszewski – #89 (Bemidja State (D-II), 5th year, Age: 26)
DT: Keeanu Benton – #95 (Wisconsin, Rookie, Age: 22)
DT: Armon Watts – #94 (Arkansas, 5th year, Age: 27)
LB: Markus Golden – #54 (Missouri, 9th year, Age: 32)
LB: Kwon Alexander – #26 (LSU, 9th year, Age: 29)
CB: Desmond King II – #25 (Iowa, 7th year, Age: 28)
CB: Chandon Sullivan – #34 (Georgia State, 6th year, Age: 27)
CB: Joey Porter Jr. – #24 (Penn State, Rookie, Age: 23)
S: Damontae Kazee – #23 (San Diego State, 7th year, Age: 30)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 10-7, 2nd in AFC North
MVP: S Minkah Fitzpatrick
Breakout Player: WR George Pickens
Offensive Grade: C+
Defensive Grade: A-
Strengths: Secondary, pass rush, defensive line
Weaknesses: Unproven QB, run game, offensive line

After barely hanging onto Mike Tomlin’s 16-year above .500 streak, the Steelers enter the new year poised to do it again. It’ll be the first full year of sophomore QB Kenny Pickett, who struggled a bit while showing a lot of glimpses of potential. He has formed a very fierce duo with sophomore WR George Pickens as the two may be the best thing the offense has going for them. Najee Harris was up and down as full time RB and no real veteran exists on the roster to lighten his work load. The offensive line was one of the worst in football last year, and is looking relatively the same but now with first round rookie Tackle Broderick Jones.

In typical Steelers fashion, it’s the defense that will keep them in the thick of things as they look dominant yet again this season. Cam Heyward clogs the middle as one of the best run stuffers in football, with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith making up one of the best EDGE rushing duos. Markus Golden and Kwon Alexander were brought in to give the LB room some veteran depth with Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts both signed to be the starting interior LB’s. The secondary is deep with the best safety in the league in Minkah Fitzpatrick and future HOF Patrick Peterson brought in after a 5 INT age-32 season. The defense alone gives me more hope in this division than the Browns and Ravens and I think Pittsburgh is a solid QB performance away from being a Wild Card team.

Houston Texans

HC: DeMeco Ryans (1st year) – AGE: 39
OC: Bobby Slowik (1st year as HOU OC) – AGE: 36
DC: Matt Burke (1st year as HOU DC, 3rd year as DC) – AGE: 47

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#7	C.J. Stroud (R)	Ohio State Rookie, Age: 21	DRAFTED: 2nd overall by HOU
HB	#31	Dameon Pierce	Florida 2nd year, Age: 23	220 carries, 939 yds, 4 TDs 30 receptions, 165 yds, 1 TD
WR	#2	Robert Woods	USC 11th year, Age: 32	53 receptions, 527 yds, 2 TDs – (TEN)
WR	#12	Nico Collins	Michigan 3rd year, Age: 24	37 receptions, 481 yds, 2 TDs
WR	#85	Noah Brown	Ohio State 7th year, Age: 27	43 receptions, 555 yds, 3 TDs – (DAL)
TE	#83	Dalton Schultz	Stanford 6th year, Age: 27	57 receptions, 577 yds, 5 TDs – (DAL)
G	#69	Shaq Mason	Georgia Tech 9th year, Age: 29
G	#59	Kenyon Green	Texas A&M 2nd year, Age: 22
C	#70	Juice Scruggs (R)	Penn State Rookie, Age: 23	DRAFTED: 62nd overall by HOU
T	#78	Laremy Tunsil	Ole Miss 8th year, Age: 29
T	#71	Tytus Howard*	Alabama State 5th year, Age: 27

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#51	Will Anderson Jr. (R)	Alabama Rookie, Age: 21	DRAFTED: 3rd overall by HOU
DE	#55	Jerry Hughes	TCU 14th year, Age: 34	9 Sacks, 35 Tackles, 1 INT, 2 FF, 1 PD
DT	#96	Maliek Collins	Nebraska 8th year, Age: 28	3.5 Sacks, 37 Tackles, 2 PD
DT	#98	Sheldon Rankins	Louisville 8th year, Age: 29	3 Sacks, 43 Tackles, 1 FF – (NYJ)
MLB	#6	Denzel Perryman	Miami 9th year, Age: 30	1 Sack, 83 Tackles, 2 INTs, 2 PD – (LVR)
OLB	#48	Christian Harris	Alabama 2nd year, Age: 22	1 Sack, 74 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 5 PD
OLB	#53	Blake Cashman	Minnesota 5th year, Age: 27	26 Tackles, 1 FR, 2 PD
CB	#21	Steven Nelson	Oregon State 9th year, Age: 30	1 Sack, 52 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 7 PD
CB	#24	Derek Stingley Jr.	LSU 2nd year, Age: 22	1 Sack, 43 Tackles, 1 INT, 5 PD
S	#5	Jalen Pitre	Baylor 2nd year, Age: 24	1 Sack, 147 Tackles, 5 INTs, 8 PD
S	#1	Jimmie Ward	Northern Illinois 10th year, Age: 32	50 Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 FF, 5 PD – (SF)

POS.	NO.
K	#15	Ka’imi Fairbairn	UCLA 8th year, Age: 29	24/24 XP, 29/31 FG — 6/6 50+
P	#11	Cameron Johnston	Ohio State 6th year, Age: 31	88 punts, 4,229 yds, 37 <20
KR	#13	Tank Dell	Houston Rookie, Age: 23	DRAFTED: 69th overall by HOU
PR	#13	Tank Dell	Houston Rookie, Age: 23	DRAFTED: 69th overall by HOU

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Davis Mills – #10 (Stanford, 3rd year, Age: 24)
HB: Devin Singletary – #26 (Florida Atlantic, 5th year, Age: 25)
FB: Andrew Beck – #47 (Texas, 5th year, Age: 27)
WR: John Metchie III – #8 (Alabama, Rookie, Age: 23)
DE: Jonathan Greenard – #52 (Florida, 4th year, Age: 26)
DT: Hassan Ridgeway – #97 (Texas, 8th year, Age: 28)
LB: Neville Hewitt – #57 (Marshall, 9th year, Age: 30)
LB: Jake Hansen – #35 (Illinois, 2nd year, Age: 25)
CB: Cameron Dantzler – #20 (Mississippi State, 4th year, Age: 24)
CB: Shaquil Griffin – #16 (UCF, 7th year, Age: 28)
CB: Tavierre Thomas – #4 (Ferris State (D-II), 6th year, Age: 27)
S: M.J. Stewart – #29 (North Carolina, 6th year, Age: 27)
S: Eric Murray – #23 (Minnesota, 8th year, Age: 29)

*Tytus Howard has a broken hand and will miss the first few weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 5-12, 4th in AFC South
MVP: S Jalen Pitre
Breakout Player: QB C.J. Stroud
Offensive Grade: D
Defensive Grade: C-
Strengths: Young QB, secondary, defensive line
Weaknesses: LB core, WR core, offensive line

After trading up and landing both the second and third overall picks, the Texans selected their future QB C.J. Stroud and lead EDGE rusher Will Anderson Jr. The Texans’ rebuild has taken major steps forward this offseason led by who they hope to be the next big name QB in the league. Dameon Pierce has a dynamic nearly 1,000 yard rookie season and leads as RB1 with veteran Devin Singletary brought in behind him. John Metchie is fully healthy after missing his entire rookie year while battling cancer, and he joins a WR room that is still looking for a true WR1. Dalton Schultz was brought on as the team’s TE and star Tackle Laremy Tunsil was extended to be the piece to build around on the offensive line.

The story of the defense last year was rookie safety Jalen Pitre who amassed 147 tackles and 5 INTs in his breakthrough into the NFL. Derek Stingley Jr., Christian Harris, and Roy Lopez are a few young guys that the team will rely on to take big steps. The CB room brought in a lot of depth with veterans Shaquil Griffin, Steven Nelson, and Cameron Dantzler providing depth. It’s not going to be a true playoff push season for the Texans, but development should begin to give Houston fans hope. Their defense is so far a little further along then their offense, but the team will hope to move forward.

Indianapolis Colts

HC: Shane Steichen (1st year) – AGE: 38
OC: Jim Bob Cooter (1st year as IND OC) – AGE: 39
DC: Gus Bradley (2nd year as IND DC, 10th year as DC, 4 years as HC JAX) – AGE: 57

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#5	Anthony Richardson (R)	Florida Rookie, Age: 21	DRAFTED: 4th overall by IND
HB	#21	Zack Moss	Utah 4th year, Age: 25	93 carries, 456 yds, 1 TD 11 receptions, 39 yds – (BUF/IND)
WR	#11	Michael Pittman Jr.	USC 4th year, Age: 25	99 receptions, 925 yds, 4 TDs 3 carries, 30 yds
WR	#14	Alec Pierce	Cincinnati 2nd year, Age: 23	41 receptions, 593 yds, 2 TDs
WR	#1	Josh Downs (R)	North Carolina Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 79th overall by IND
TE	#81	Mo Alie-Cox	VCU 6th year, Age: 29	19 receptions, 189 yds, 3 TDs
G	#56	Quenton Nelson	Notre Dame 6th year, Age: 27
G	#75	Will Fries	Penn State 3rd year, Age: 25
C	#78	Ryan Kelly	Alabama 8th year, Age: 30
T	#72	Braden Smith	Auburn 6th year, Age: 27
T	#79	Bernhard Raimann	Central Michigan 2nd year, Age: 25

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#51	Kwity Paye	Michigan 3rd year, Age: 24	6 Sacks, 45 Tackles, 1 FR
DE	#52	Samson Ebukam	Eastern Washington 7th year, Age: 28	5 Sacks, 36 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 PD – (SF)
DT	#99	DeForest Buckner	Oregon 8th year, Age: 29	8 Sacks, 74 Tackles, 2 FF, 1 FR, 3 PD
DT	#90	Grover Stewart	Albany State (D-II) 7th year, Age: 29	4 Sacks, 70 Tackles, 1 FR, 3 PD
MLB	#53	Shaquille Leonard	South Carolina State 6th year, Age: 28	3 GP, 11 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 PD
OLB	#44	Zaire Franklin	Syracuse 6th year, Age: 27	3 Sacks, 167 Tackles, 3 FF, 6 PD
OLB	#45	E.J. Speed	Tarleton State 5th year, Age: 28	1 Sack, 63 Tackles, 2 FF, 2 PD
CB	#23	Kenny Moore II	Valdosta State (D-II) 7th year, Age: 28	1 Sack, 65 Tackles, 4 PD
CB	#29	JuJu Brents (R)	Kansas State Rookie, Age: 23	DRAFTED: 44th overall by IND
S	#32	Julian Blackmon	Utah 4th year, Age: 25	1 Sack, 50 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD, 1 FR 2 PD
S	#25	Rodney Thomas II	Yale 2nd year, Age: 25	52 Tackles, 4 INTs, 6 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#7	Matt Gay	Utah 5th year, Age: 29	31/32 XP, 28/30 FG — 7/9 50+ – (LAR)
P	#8	Rigoberto Sanchez	Hawaii 7th year, Age: 28	DNP – Injured
KR	#33	Dallis Flowers	Pittsburgh State 2nd year, Age: 26	23 attempts, 715 yds
PR	#1	Josh Downs (R)	North Carolina Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 79th overall by IND

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Gardner Minshew – #10 (Washington State, 5th year, Age: 27)
QB: Sam Ehlinger – #4 (Texas, 3rd year, Age: 24)
HB: Jonathan Taylor* – #28 (Wisconsin, 4th year, Age: 24)
HB: Deon Jackson – #35 (Duke, 3rd year, Age: 24)
TE: Kylen Granson – #83 (SMU, 3rd year, Age: 25)
TE: Jelani Woods – #80 (Virginia, 2nd year, Age: 24)
DE: Dayo Odeyingbo – #54 (Vanderbilt, 3rd year, Age: 23)
DT: Taven Bryan – #96 (Florida, 6th year, Age: 27)
CB: Chris Lammons – #34 (South Carolina, 4th year, Age: 27)
S: Nick Cross – #20 (Maryland, 2nd year, Age: 21)

*Jonathan Taylor is holding out for a trade and will miss at least the first 4 weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 5-12, 3rd in AFC South
MVP: LB Shaquille Leonard
Breakout Player: QB Anthony Richardson
Offensive Grade: D+
Defensive Grade: D
Strengths: Young QB, LB core
Weaknesses: Defensive line, offensive line, WR core, secondary

It seems like the era of placeholder QB’s has finally come to an end in Indy as Anthony Richardson will be their first long-term solution since Andrew Luck retired. The exciting young QB has a great arm and provides a lot of potential as a mobile QB. The team around him will try to adjust as the big story of the offseason, Jonathan Taylor’s demand of a trade, looks like it will leave them without him into the season. He was placed on the PUP list and miss at least the first 4 weeks while the Colts work out a trade for the 2021 league leading rusher. To replace him, Zack Moss and Deon Jackson should bring in the workload while the receiving core remains the same with Pittman and Pierce.

The defense still consists of the same big names in Shaq Leonard, Kwity Paye, DeForest Buckner, and Kenny Moore. The depth is very thin with rookie JuJu Brentz looked at to most likely be the CB2 right out of the gate. In a very weak division, the Colts will most likely struggle in creating some form of identity barring any breakout performance by their young QB. It’s definitely the Jags’ division to lose and Indy won’t compete much.

Jacksonville Jaguars

HC: Doug Pederson (2nd year in JAX, Career record: 51-45-1, Team record: 9-8, Playoff record: 5-3) – AGE: 55
OC: Press Taylor (2nd year as JAX OC) – AGE: 35
DC: Mike Caldwell (2nd year as JAX DC) – AGE: 52

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#16	Trevor Lawrence	Clemson 3rd year, Age: 23	25 TDs, 8 INTs, 4,113 yds, 56.1 QBR 291 rush yds, 5 TDs
HB	#1	Travis Etienne Jr.	Clemson 3rd year, Age: 24	220 carries, 1,125 yds, 5 TDs 35 receptions, 316 yds
WR	#0	Calvin Ridley	Alabama 5th year, Age: 28	DNP – Suspended
WR	#13	Christian Kirk	Texas A&M 6th year, Age: 26	84 receptions, 1,108 yds, 8 TDs
WR	#7	Zay Jones	East Carolina 7th year, Age: 28	82 receptions, 823 yds, 5 TDs
TE	#17	Evan Engram	Ole Miss 7th year, Age: 28	73 receptions, 766 yds, 4 TDs
G	#68	Brandon Scherff	Iowa 9th year, Age: 31
G	#78	Ben Bartch	St. John’s (MN) (D-III) 4th year, Age: 25
C	#79	Luke Fortner	Kentucky 2nd year, Age: 25
T	#74	Cam Robinson*	Alabama 7th year, Age: 27
T	#76	Anton Harrison (R)	Oklahoma Rookie, Age: 21	DRAFTED: 27th overall by JAX

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#95	Roy Robertson-Harris	UTEP 7th year, Age: 30	3 Sacks, 45 Tackles, 4 PD
DE	#94	Folorunso Fatukasi	UConn 6th year, Age: 28	1.5 Sacks, 24 Tackles, 3 PD
NT	#52	DaVon Hamilton	Ohio State 4th year, Age: 26	2.5 Sacks, 56 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 PD
ILB	#33	Devin Lloyd	Utah 2nd year, Age: 24	115 Tackles, 3 INTs, 2 FR, 8 PD
ILB	#23	Foyesade Oluokun	Yale 6th year, Age: 28	2 Sacks, 184 Tackles, 2 FF, 2 FR, 5 PD
OLB	#41	Josh Allen	Kentucky 5th year, Age: 26	7 Sacks, 57 Tackles, 4 FF, 2 FR, 2 PD
OLB	#44	Travon Walker	Georgia 2nd year, Age: 22	3.5 Sacks, 49 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 2 PD
CB	#32	Tyson Campbell	Georgia 3rd year, Age: 23	70 Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 FF, 2 FR, 15 PD
CB	#31	Darious Williams	UAB 6th year, Age: 30	53 Tackles, 16 PD
S	#2	Rayshawn Jenkins	Miami 7th year, Age: 29	1 Sack, 116 Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 TD, 3 FF 12 PD
S	#5	Andre Cisco	Syracuse 3rd year, Age: 23	1 Sack, 73 Tackles, 3 INTs, 1 TD, 10 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#10	Brandon McManus	Temple 10th year, Age: 32	25/27 XP, 28/36 FG — 8/13 50+ – (DEN)
P	#9	Logan Cooke	Mississippi State 6th year, Age: 28	58 punts, 2,862 yds, 24 <20
KR	#39	Jamal Agnew	San Diego 7th year, Age: 28	21 attempts, 547 yds
PR	#39	Jamal Agnew	San Diego 7th year, Age: 28	25 attempts, 205 yds

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: C.J. Beathard – #3 (Iowa, 7th year, Age: 29)
HB: D’Ernest Johnson – #25 (South Florida, 5th year, Age: 27)
TE: Brenton Strange – #85 (Penn State, Rookie, Age: 22)
DE: Adam Gotsis – #96 (Georgia Tech, 8th year, Age: 30)
LB: K’Lavon Chaisson – #45 (LSU, 4th year, Age: 24)
LB: Dawuane Smoot** – #91 (Illinois, 7th year, Age: 28)
CB: Tre Herndon – #37 (Vanderbilt, 6th year, Age: 27)
S: Andrew Wingard – #42 (Wyoming, 5th year, Age: 26)

*Cam Robinson was suspended for the first 4 weeks for PED use
**Dawuane Smoot has an achilles injury and will miss at least the first 4 weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 11-6, 1st in AFC South
MVP: QB Trevor Lawrence
Breakout Player: TE Brenton Strange
Offensive Grade: B
Defensive Grade: B-
Strengths: Star QB, WR core, LB core
Weaknesses: Offensive line, secondary

After a surprise 2022 season that saw a breakout sophomore year from Trevor Lawrence, the Jags made the playoffs at 9-8 for the first time since their 2017 AFC Championship appearance. Lawrence and Etienne have created a dynamic duo that shines back in their days at Clemson. Calvin Ridley, who missed all of 2022 after a gambling scandal, will slot in as the Jags’ top receiver. Christian Kirk had a fantastic season as the WR1 and will provide a solid piece along with Zay Jones in that receiving core. The offensive line lost a big piece in Jawaan Taylor, but still has star guard Brandon Scherff and Cam Robinson who will be sidelined for a bit due to a suspension.

The story of the defense were the breakouts of two 2022 1st round picks at LB, including the #1 overall pick Travon Walker and Devin Lloyd. They are the young core to build around, with a lot of depth especially at the safety position. The vibe completely seemed to shift a year ago as the Doug Pederson era began with the Jaguars. They are not slowly becoming one of the more feared teams in the AFC. With the Chiefs, Jets, Bengals, Bills, and more, it still may be tough to go far, but that doesn’t mean longevity is not on their side.

Tennessee Titans

HC: Mike Vrabel (6th year, Career/Team record: 48-34, Playoff record: 2-3) – AGE: 48
OC: Tim Kelly (1st year as TEN OC, 4th year as OC) – AGE: 37
DC: Shane Bowen (3rd year as TEN DC) – AGE: 36

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#17	Ryan Tannehill	Texas A&M 12th year, Age: 35	13 TDs, 6 INTs, 2,536 yds, 51.2 QBR 98 rush yds, 2 TDs
HB	#22	Derrick Henry	Alabama 8th year, Age: 29	349 carries, 1,538 yds, 13 TDs 33 receptions, 398 yds
WR	#10	DeAndre Hopkins	Clemson 10th year, Age: 31	64 receptions, 717 yds, 3 TDs – (ARI)
WR	#16	Treylon Burks	Arkansas 2nd year, Age: 23	33 receptions, 444 yds, 1 TD 4 carries, 47 yds
WR	#15	Nick Westbrook-Ikhine	Indiana 4th year, Age: 26	25 receptions, 397 yds, 3 TDs
TE	#85	Chigoziem Okonkwo	Maryland 2nd year, Age: 23	32 recpetions, 450 yds, 3 TDs
G	#77	Peter Skoronski	Northwestern Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 11th overall by TEN
G	#60	Daniel Brunskill	San Diego State 5th year, Age: 29
C	#55	Aaron Brewer	Texas State 4th year, Age: 25
T	#71	Andre Dillard	Washington State 4th year, Age: 27
T	#66	Chris Hubbard	UAB 10th year, Age: 32

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#98	Jeffrey Simmons	Mississippi State 5th year, Age: 26	7.5 Sacks, 54 Tackles, 1 FF, 7 PD
DE	#96	Denico Autry	Mississippi State 10th year, Age: 33	8 Sacks, 27 Tackles, 2 FF, 4 PD
NT	#93	Teair Tart	Florida International 4th year, Age: 26	1.5 Sacks, 34 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FR, 6 PD
ILB	#2	Azeez Al-Shaair	Florida Atlantic 5th year, Age: 26	44 Tackles, 1 FR – (SF)
ILB	#56	Monty Rice	Georgia 3rd year, Age: 24	66 Tackles, 1 PD
OLB	#58	Harold Landry III	Boston College 6th year, Age: 27	12 Sacks, 75 Tackles, 1 FF
OLB	#49	Arden Key	LSU 6th year, Age: 27	4.5 Sacks, 27 Tackles, 1 FR, 2 PD – (JAX)
CB	#21	Roger McCreary	Auburn 2nd year, Age: 23	84 Tackles, 1 INT, 8 PD
CB	#26	Kristian Fulton	LSU 4th year, Age: 24	48 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR, 5 PD
S	#31	Kevin Byard	Middle Tennessee 7th year, Age: 30	108 Tackles, 4 INTs, 6 PD
S	#37	Amani Hooker	Iowa 5th year, Age: 25	46 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR, 3 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#6	Nick Folk	Arizona 16th year, Age: 38	32/35 XP, 32/37 FG — 4/5 50+ – (NE)
P	#4	Ryan Stonehouse	Colorado State 2nd year, Age: 24	90 punts, 4,779 yds, 30 <20
KR	#36	Julius Chestnut	Sacred Heart 2nd year, Age: 22	10 attempts, 215 yds
PR	#18	Kyle Phillips*	UCLA 2nd year, Age: 24	5 attempts, 62 yds

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Malik Willis – #7 (Liberty, 2nd year, Age: 24)
WR: Chris Moore – #11 (Cincinnati, 8th year, Age: 30)
DE: Trevis Gipson – #91 (Tulsa, 4th year, Age: 26)
DT: Naquan Jones – #90 (Michigan State, 3rd year, Age: 25)
LB: Jack Gibbens – #50 (Minnesota, 2nd year, Age: 24)
LB: Rashad Weaver – #99 (Pittsburgh, 3rd year, Age: 25)
CB: Tre Avery – #23 (Rutgers, 2nd year, Age: 26)
CB: Caleb Farley – #3 (Virginia Tech, 3rd year, Age: 24)
CB: Sean Murphy-Bunting – #0 (Central Michigan, 5th year, Age: 26)

*Kyle Phillips continues to rehab an MCL injury and will miss at least 4 weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 8-9, 2nd in AFC South
MVP: HB Derrick Henry
Breakout Player: CB Caleb Farley
Offensive Grade: B-
Defensive Grade: C
Strengths: Run game, Hopkins, pass rush
Weaknesses: Offensive line, secondary, QB situation

Too many “close but not quite” moments have seemed to add up in Tennessee, as their true competitive window has passed them. Ryan Tannehill is entering his age-35 season and back-to-back drafted QB’s Malik Willis and Will Levis will look to be the future of the Titans. DeAndre Hopkins opted to play for the Titans after a free agency that was met with a lot of suitors, and of course Derrick Henry will give them another scary target to look out for. Their offensive line is not nearly what it used to be, with Taylor Lewan’s retirement and only one true veteran left on the starting lineup.

The defense that used to scare so many teams still can be quite fierce, but again, not what it once was. Jeffrey Simmons and Harold Landry are the two veterans to watch out for while having a few young LB’s in the lineup. The secondary will look for big years from Kristian Fulton and Caleb Farley, two CB’s who had a lot of promise and are yet to show much in the league. Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker will return as the starting safeties and one of the better duos at that in the entire league. The Titans shouldn’t be terrible, and are clearly still the biggest threat to Jacksonville in the South. Too many teams are clogging up the AFC though and I don’t see this core as a playoff team.

Denver Broncos

HC: Sean Payton (1st year in DEN, Career record: 152-89, Playoff record: 9-8) – AGE: 59
OC: Joe Lombardi (1st year as DEN OC, 5th year as OC) – AGE: 52
DC: Vance Joseph (1st year as DEN DC, 6th year as DC, 2 years as HC DEN) – AGE: 51

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#3	Russell Wilson	Wisconsin 12th year, Age: 34	16 TDs, 11 INTs, 3,524 yds, 38.7 QBR 277 rush yds, 3 TDs
HB	#33	Javonte Williams	North Carolina 3rd year, Age: 23	4 GP, 47 carries, 204 yds 16 receptions, 76 yds
FB	#20	Michael Burton	Rutgers 9th year, Age: 31	5 carries, 7 yds 2 receptions, 11 yds – (KC)
WR	#10	Jerry Jeudy	Alabama 4th year, Age: 24	67 receptions, 972 yds, 6 TDs 4 carries, 40 yds
WR	#14	Courtland Sutton	SMU 6th year, Age: 27	64 receptions, 829 yds, 2 TDs
TE	#80	Greg Dulcich	UCLA 2nd year, Age: 23	33 receptions, 411 yds, 2 TDs
G	#77	Quinn Meinerz	UW-Whitewater (D-III) 3rd year, Age: 24
G	#74	Ben Powers	Oklahoma 5th year, Age: 26
C	#79	Lloyd Cushenberry III	LSU 4th year, Age: 25
T	#69	Mike McGlinchey	Notre Dame 6th year, Age: 28
T	#72	Garett Bolles	Utah 7th year, Age: 31

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#99	Zach Allen	Boston College 5th year, Age: 26	5.5 Sacks, 47 Tackles, 8 PD – (ARI)
DE	#98	Mike Purcell	Wyoming 8th year, Age: 32	1.5 Sacks, 45 Tackles, 1 FR
NT	#93	D.J. Jones	Ole Miss 7th year, Age: 28	2 Sacks, 34 Tackles, 2 PD
ILB	#47	Josey Jewell	Iowa 6th year, Age: 28	2.5 Sacks, 128 Tackles, 2 INTs, 2 FF, 2 FR 4 PD
ILB	#49	Alex Singleton	Montana State 5th year, Age: 29	163 Tackles, 1 FF, 3 PD
OLB	#55	Frank Clark	Michigan 9th year, Age: 30	5 Sacks, 39 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 PD – (KC)
OLB	#0	Jonathon Cooper	Ohio State 3rd year, Age: 25	2 Sacks, 48 Tackles
CB	#2	Pat Surtain II	Alabama 3rd year, Age: 23	60 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 10 PD
CB	#27	Damarri Mathis	Pittsburgh 2nd year, Age: 24	65 Tackles, 7 PD
S	#31	Justin Simmons	Boston College 8th year, Age: 29	69 Tackles, 6 INTs, 3 FF, 1 FR, 7 PD
S	#22	Kareem Jackson	Alabama 14th year, Age: 35	94 Tackles, 2 FR, 3 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#16	Wil Lutz	Georgia State 8th year, Age: 29	33/33 XP, 23/31 FG — 4/6 50+ – (NO)
P	#19	Riley Dixon	Syracuse 8th year, Age: 30	71 punts, 3,434 yds, 19 <20 – (LAR)
KR	#83	Marvin Mims Jr. (R)	Oklahoma Rookie, Age: 21	DRAFTED: 63rd overall by DEN
PR	#83	Marvin Mims Jr. (R)	Oklahoma Rookie, Age: 21	DRAFTED: 63rd overall by DEN

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Jarrett Stidham – #4 (Auburn, 4th year, Age: 27)
HB: Samaje Perine – #25 (Oklahoma, 7th year, Age: 27)
WR: Tim Patrick* – #81 (Utah, 6th year, Age: 29)
WR: Phillip Dorsett – #13 (Miami, 9th year, Age: 30)
TE: Adam Trautman – #82 (Dayton, 4th year, Age: 26)
DT: Jonathan Harris – #92 (Lindenwood, 3rd year, Age: 27)
LB: Nik Bonitto – #42 (Oklahoma, 2nd year, Age: 23)
LB: Baron Browning** – #56 (Ohio State, 3rd year, Age: 24)
LB: Randy Gregory – #5 (Nebraska, 6th year, Age: 30)
CB: Fabian Moreau – #36 (UCLA, 7th year, Age: 29)
CB: K’Waun Williams – #8 (Pittsburgh, 9th year, Age: 32)
CB: Tremon Smith – #23 (Central Arkansas, 6th year, Age: 27)
S: P.J. Locke – #6 (Texas, 4th year, Age: 26)

*Tim Patrick has a torn achilles and will miss the entire season
**Baron Browning had knee surgery and will miss the first several weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 8-9, 3rd in AFC West
MVP: S Justin Simmons
Breakout Player: TE Greg Dulcich
Offensive Grade: C-
Defensive Grade: C+
Strengths: QB, LB core, secondary
Weaknesses: Offensive line, WR core, defensive line

After a year with an incredibly disappointing outcome, the Broncos enter the new year with a relatively similar team, hoping that the talent they brought in can step up their game. Russell Wilson had the worst year of his career in his first one outside of Seattle, and the future HOF now has experience coaching him with Sean Payton and Joe Lombardi. Tim Patrick will miss another full season and the team will look at rookie Marvin Mims Jr. to make an impact. The offensive line added star tackle and former 49er Mike McGlinchey to protect their 34-year-old QB.

On defense, they traded away Bradley Chubb in a move to clear salary and will lack depth at the EDGE position. Frank Clark was signed to be the leader in that front, and Zach Allen was also brought in to lead the team in sacks. The secondary is still strong with two of the best at their relative positions, Pat Surtain and Justin Simmons. This division boded not too well a year ago, but Nathaniel Hackett is no longer the man in charge and Denver has a lot of question marks with the beginning of the Sean Payton era. I don’t see them bouncing back too much, but they are a team to look out for if Wilson figures it out and the defense is able to click.

Kansas City Chiefs

HC: Andy Reid (11th year in KC, Career record: 247-138-1, Team record: 117-45, Playoff record: 22-16) – AGE: 65
OC: Matt Nagy (3rd year as KC OC (2nd stint), 4 years as HC CHI) – AGE: 45
DC: Steve Spagnuolo (5th year as KC DC, 11th year as DC, 3 years as HC STL) – AGE: 63

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#15	Patrick Mahomes	Texas Tech 7th year, Age: 27	41 TDs, 12 INTs, 5,250 yds, 79 QBR 358 rush yds, 4 TDs
HB	#10	Isiah Pacheco	Rutgers 2nd year, Age: 24	170 carries, 830 yds, 5 TDs 13 receptions, 130 yds
WR	#19	Kadarius Toney	Florida 3rd year, Age: 24	16 receptions, 171 yds, 2 TDs 7 carries, 82 yds, 1 TD
WR	#11	Marquez Valdes-Scantling	South Florida 6th year, Age: 28	42 receptions, 687 yds, 2 TDs
WR	#24	Skyy Moore	Western Michigan 2nd year, Age: 22	22 receptions, 250 yds 3 carries, 24 yds
TE	#87	Travis Kelce	Cincinnati 11th year, Age: 33	110 receptions, 1,338 yds, 12 TDs
G	#62	Joe Thuney	NC State 8th year, Age: 30
G	#65	Trey Smith	Tennessee 3rd year, Age: 24
C	#52	Creed Humphrey	Oklahoma 3rd year, Age: 24
T	#74	Jawaan Taylor	Florida 5th year, Age: 25
T	#79	Donovan Smith	Penn State 9th year, Age: 30

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#56	George Karlaftis	Purdue 2nd year, Age: 22	6 Sacks, 33 Tackles, 2 FR, 7 PD
DE	#97	Felix Anudike-Uzomah (R)	Kansas State Rookie, Age: 21	DRAFTED: 31st overall by KC
DT	#91	Derrick Nnadi	Florida State 6th year, Age: 27	25 Tackles
DT	#98	Tershawn Wharton	Missouri S&T (D-II) 4th year, Age: 25	5 GP, 1 Sack, 8 Tackles
MLB	#32	Nick Bolton	Missouri 3rd year, Age: 23	2 Sacks, 180 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 3 PD
OLB	#50	Willie Gay Jr.	Mississippi State 4th year, Age: 25	2.5 Sacks, 88 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD, 1 FR 8 PD
OLB	#23	Drue Tranquill	Notre Dame 5th year, Age: 28	5 Sacks, 146 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 4 PD – (LAC)
CB	#38	L’Jarius Sneed	Lousiana Tech 4th year, Age: 26	3.5 Sacks, 108 Tackles, 3 INTs, 3 FF, 1 FR 11 PD
CB	#22	Trent McDuffie	Washington 2nd year, Age: 22	1 Sack, 44 Tackles, 1 FF, 7 PD
S	#20	Justin Reid	Stanford 6th year, Age: 26	1 Sack, 83 Tackles, 7 PD
S	#6	Bryan Cook	Cincinnati 2nd year, Age: 23	1 Sack, 33 Tackles, 2 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#7	Harrison Butker	Georgia Tech 7th year, Age: 28	38/41 XP, 18/24 FG — 3/7 50+
P	#5	Tommy Townsend	Florida 4th year, Age: 26	53 punts, 2,672 yds, 22 <20
KR	#17	Richie James	Middle Tennessee 6th year, Age: 27	NO STATS
PR	#17	Richie James	Middle Tennessee 6th year, Age: 27	24 attempts, 174 yds – (NYG)

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Blaine Gabbert – #9 (Missouri, 13th year, Age: 33)
HB: Jerick McKinnon – #1 (Georgia Souther, 10th year, Age: 31)
HB: Clyde Edwards-Helaire – #25 (LSU, 4th year, Age: 24)
WR: Justyn Ross – #8 (Clemson, 2nd year, Age: 23)
WR: Rashee Rice – #4 (SMU, Rookie, Age: 23)
TE: Noah Gray – #83 (Duke, 3rd year, Age: 24)
TE: Jody Fortson* – #88 (Valdosta State (D-II), 3rd year, Age: 27)
DE: Charles Omenihu – #90 (Texas, 5th year, Age: 26)
DE: Mike Danna – #51 (Michigan, 4th year, Age: 25)
DT: Chris Jones** – #95 (Mississippi State, 8th year, Age: 29)
LB: Leo Chenal – #54 (Wisconsin, 2nd year, Age: 22)
CB: Joshua Williams – #2 (Fayetteville State (D-II), 2nd year, Age: 23)
CB: Jaylen Watson – #35 (Washington State, 2nd year, Age: 24)
S: Mike Edwards – #21 (Kentucky, 5th year, Age: 27)

*Jody Fortson had shoulder surgery and will miss the entire season
**Chris Jones continues his holdout for a new contract and will be out indefinitely

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 13-4, 1st in AFC West
MVP: QB Patrick Mahomes
Breakout Player: WR Justyn Ross
Offensive Grade: A+
Defensive Grade: B
Strengths: Patrick Mahomes, offensive line, LB core, targets on offense
Weaknesses: Defensive line (without Chris Jones), secondary

The reigning Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs have now hosted five straight AFC championship games, appeared in three of the last four Super Bowls, and won two of them, all since Patrick Mahomes became QB1. It’s shaping up to be one of the greatest dynasties the game has ever seen, but again, the AFC is hungry to knock the Chiefs off of the top. Mahomes proved that as long as he had Travis Kelce he doesn’t need any other stars, and the WR core will consist of a plethora of young guys looking to make an impact. Orlando Brown left during free agency and was replaced by Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith who will be the two new tackles.

The defense will be the source of concern, that is until the Chris Jones situation is figured out. The star DL is seeking a new contract and remains sidelined until he’s able to land one. With no clear sight for his return, rookie Felix Anudike-Uzomah, George Karlaftis, and Derrick Nnadi will be relied on heavily up front. Nick Bolton has become one of the league’s best LB’s and the CB core of L’Jarius Sneed and Trent McDuffie looked very promising a year ago. The safeties will be a bit more questionable with second-year DB Bryan Cook needing to replace the hole Juan Thornhill left. Whether it’s the die-hard fan in me or not, this is still the team to beat in the whole league. And until our streak of hosting the AFC championship is stopped, I won’t be too worried as long as we have a healthy Andy Reid, Mahomes, and Kelce.

Las Vegas Raiders

HC: Josh McDaniels (2nd year in LV, Career record: 17-28, Team record: 6-11) – AGE: 47
OC: Mick Lombardi (2nd year as LV OC) – AGE: 35
DC: Patrick Graham (2nd year as LV DC, 5th year as DC) – AGE: 44

POS.	NO.	OFFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#10	Jimmy Garoppolo	Eastern Illinois 10th year, Age: 31	16 TDs, 4 INTs, 2,437 yds, 56.3 QBR 33 rush yds, 2 TDs – (SF)
HB	#8	Josh Jacobs	Alabama 5th year, Age: 25	340 carries, 1,653 yds, 12 TDs 53 receptions, 400 yds
WR	#17	Davante Adams	Fresno State 10th year, Age: 30	100 receptions, 1,516 yds, 14 TDs
WR	#13	Hunter Renfrow	Clemson 5th year, Age: 27	36 receptions, 330 yds, 2 TDs
WR	#16	Jakobi Meyers	NC State 5th year, Age: 26	67 receptions, 804 yds, 6 TDs – (NE)
TE	#82	Austin Hooper	Stanford 8th year, Age: 28	41 recpetions, 444 yds, 2 TDs – (TEN)
G	#66	Dylan Parham	Memphis 2nd year, Age: 24
G	#70	Greg Van Roten	Penn 9th year, Age: 33
C	#68	Andre James	UCLA 5th year, Age: 26
T	#74	Kolton Miller	UCLA 6th year, Age: 28
T	#72	Jermaine Eluemunor	Texas A&M 7th year, Age: 28

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#98	Maxx Crosby	Eastern Michigan 5th year, Age: 26	12.5 Sacks, 89 Tackles, 3 FF, 1 FR, 4 PD
DE	#55	Chandler Jones	Syracuse 12th year, Age: 33	4.5 Sacks, 38 Tackles, 1 FF, 3 FR, 3 PD
DT	#91	Bilal Nichols	Delaware 6th year, Age: 26	1.5 Sacks, 44 Tackles
DT	#90	Jerry Tillery	Notre Dame 5th year, Age: 26	10 Tackles
MLB	#5	Divine Deablo	Virginia Tech 3rd year, Age: 25	74 Tackles, 1 PD
OLB	#41	Robert Spillane	Western Michigan 5th year, Age: 27	1 Sack, 79 Tackles, 4 PD – (PIT)
OLB	#59	Luke Masterson	Wake Forest 2nd year, Age: 25	59 Tackles
CB	#24	Marcus Peters	Washington 9th year, Age: 30	1 Sack, 47 Tackles, 1 INT, 2 FF, 2 FR 6 PD – (BAL)
CB	#39	Nate Hobbs	Illinois 3rd year, Age: 24	1 Sack, 72 Tackles, 1 FF, 1 FR, 4 PD
S	#1	Marcus Epps	Wyoming 5th year, Age: 27	94 Tackles, 1 FF, 6 PD – (PHI)
S	#25	Tre’von Moehrig	TCU 3rd year, Age: 24	55 Tackles, 5 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#2	Daniel Carlson	Auburn 6th year, Age: 28	35/36 XP, 34/37 FG — 11/13 50+
P	#6	A.J. Cole	NC State 5th year, Age: 27	59 punts, 2,884 yds, 26 <20
KR	#3	DeAndre Carter	Sacramento State 6th year, Age: 30	26 attempts, 497 yds – (LAC)
PR	#3	DeAndre Carter	Sacramento State 6th year, Age: 30	29 attempts, 339 yds – (LAC)

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Brian Hoyer – #7 (Michigan State, 15th year, Age: 37)
HB: Zamir White – #35 (Georgia, 2nd year, Age: 23)
FB: Jakob Johnson – #45 (Tennessee, 5th year, Age: 28)
TE: Michael Mayer – #87 (Notre Dame, Rookie, Age: 22)
DT: Adam Butler – #69 (Vanderbilt, 5th year, Age: 29)
DT: John Jenkins – #95 (Georgia, 11th year, Age: 34)
CB: Amik Robertson – #21 (Louisiana Tech, 4th year, Age: 25)
CB: David Long Jr. – #28 (Michigan, 5th year, Age: 25)
S: Roderic Teamer – #33 (Tulane, 4th year, Age: 26)

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 4-13, 4th in AFC West
MVP: WR Davante Adams
Breakout Player: TE Michael Mayer
Offensive Grade: C
Defensive Grade: C-
Strengths: Pass rushers, offensive targets
Weaknesses: LB core, offensive line, secondary

The Raiders enter the new coming off of another down season as the team continues their transition into Las Vegas. The Derek Carr has officially come to an end as the team opted to send him to NOLA while bringing in a new veteran in Jimmy Garoppolo. So the team is clearly still playing for now, while maintaining a bit of a disaster roster. Davante Adams remains one of the best WR in the game while Josh Jacobs ended his holdout coming off of a career year in rushing. The offensive line is still piecing things together, with Kolton Miller remaining the focal point.

On defense, Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones return as the leading edge rushers, and headline a core that isn’t full of big names. Prized young LB Divine Deablo returns and will look to stay healthy leading the LB room. The secondary brings in two solid veterans in Marcus Epps and Marcus Peters to join a group full of young faces. The Raiders don’t have too much of a chance this year, and it will be very tough to compete in not only the division but in the entire AFC. Jimmy G won’t have his usual stacked supporting cast that he is accostumed to, and we’ll see a lot of truth out of him because of it.

Los Angeles Chargers

HC: Brandon Staley (3rd year, Career/Team record: 19-15, Playoff record: 0-1) – AGE: 40
OC: Kellen Moore (1st year as LAC OC, 4th year as OC) – AGE: 35
DC: Derrick Ansley (1st year as LAC DC) – AGE: 41

POS.	NO.	STARTERS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
QB	#10	Justin Herbert	Oregon 4th year, Age: 25	25 TDs, 10 INTs, 4,739 yds, 60.2 QBR 147 rush yds
HB	#30	Austin Ekeler	Western Colorado (D-II) 7th year, Age: 28	204 carries, 915 yds, 13 TDs 107 receptions, 722 yds, 5 TDs
WR	#13	Keenan Allen	California 11th year, Age: 31	66 recpetions, 752 yds, 4 TDs
WR	#81	Mike Williams	Clemson 7th year, Age: 28	63 receptions, 895 yds, 4 TDs
WR	#5	Joshua Palmer	Tennessee 3rd year, Age: 23	72 receptions, 769 yds, 3 TDs
TE	#7	Gerald Everett	South Alabama 7th year, Age: 29	58 receptions, 555 yds, 4 TDs
G	#77	Zion Johnson	Boston College 2nd year, Age: 23
G	#68	Jamaree Salyer	Georgia 2nd year, Age: 23
C	#63	Corey Linsley	Ohio State 10th year, Age: 32
T	#70	Rashawn Slater	Northwestern 3rd year, Age: 24
T	#79	Trey Pipken III	Sioux Falls (D-II) 5th year, Age: 26

POS.	NO.	DEFENSE	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
DE	#56	Morgan Fox	CSU-Pueblo (D-II) 7th year, Age: 28	6.5 Sacks, 38 Tackles
DE	#98	Austin Johnson	Penn State 8th year, Age: 29	1 Sack, 22 Tackles, 1 PD
NT	#51	Sebastian Joseph-Day	Rutgers 6th year, Age: 28	2 Sacks, 56 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 FR 1 PD
ILB	#6	Eric Kendricks	UCLA 9th year, Age: 31	1 Sack, 137 Tackles, 1 FR, 6 PD – (MIN)
ILB	#9	Kenneth Murray Jr.	Oklahoma 4th year, Age: 24	1 Sack, 76 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 3 PD
OLB	#97	Joey Bosa	Ohio State 8th year, Age: 28	5 GP, 2.5 Sacks, 10 Tackles, 1 FF
OLB	#52	Khalil Mack	Buffalo 10th year, Age: 32	8 Sacks, 50 Tackles, 2 FF, 2 FR, 2 PD
CB	#27	J.C. Jackson	Maryland 6th year, Age: 27	5 GP, 15 Tackles, 2 PD
CB	#26	Asante Samuel Jr.	Florida State 3rd year, Age: 23	57 Tackles, 2 INTs, 1 FR, 11 PD
S	#3	Derwin James Jr.	Florida State 6th year, Age: 27	4 Sacks, 115 Tackles, 2 INTs, 2 FF, 6 PD
S	#32	Alohi Gilman	Notre Dame 4th year, Age: 25	58 Tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF, 2 FR, 3 PD

POS.	NO.	SPECIAL TEAMS	College/Yr./Age	2022 Season Stats
K	#11	Cameron Dicker	Texas 2nd year, Age: 23	24/24 XP, 21/22 FG — 0/1 50+ – (PHI/LAC)
P	#16	JK Scott	Alabama 5th year, Age: 27	73 punts, 3,186 yds, 28 <20
KR	#12	Derius Davis (R)	TCU Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 125th overall by LAC
PR	#12	Derius Davis (R)	TCU Rookie, Age: 22	DRAFTED: 125th overall by LAC

NOTABLE BENCH PLAYERS:

QB: Max Duggan – #8 (TCU, Rookie, Age: 22)
HB: Joshua Kelly – #25 (UCLA, 4th year, Age: 25)
WR: Jalen Guyton* – #15 (North Texas, 4th year, Age: 26)
TE: Donald Parham Jr. – #89 (Stetson, 4th year, Age: 26)
DT: Christian Covington – #95 (Rice, 8th year, Age: 29)
LB: Tuli Tuipulotu – #45 (USC, Rookie, Age: 21)
LB: Chris Rumph II – #94 (Duke, 3rd year, Age: 24)
CB: Michael Davis – #43 (BYU, 7th year, Age: 28)

*Jalen Guyton has a knee injury and will miss at least the first 4 weeks

PAUL’S THOUGHTS:

Projected Record: 10-7, 2nd in AFC West
MVP: QB Justin Herbert
Breakout Player: WR Derius Davis
Offensive Grade: B+
Defensive Grade: B
Strengths: Pass rushers, star QB, run game, WR core
Weaknesses: Defensive line, TE group

Entering another season with a stacked roster, the Chargers have not been able to figure things out in the Justin Herbert era. Entering year four, the offense has the same cast of characters with Ekeler, Kelly, Allen, and Williams as the prime targets. The offensive line has developed some great young talent with Rashawn Slater and Jamaree Salyer developing well. This offense on paper should be up there with the Chiefs, Jets, Bengals, and Bills, but we are yet to see consistency in that aspect.

The defense also retains big names, with star EDGE rusher Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack leading the front. Eric Kendricks was also added to be the star interior linebacker, and the long-time Viking has eclipsed 100 tackles effortlessly throughout his career. J.C. Jackson is healthy, and they’ll look for him to lead the CB room after getting big money an offseason ago. Derwin James stayed healthy all of last year, and in doing so, recorded 4 sacks, 115 tackles, and 2 picks. I think the Chargers will once again be a playoff team, and I don’t anticipate a downfall like what happened last year. This team is too good to not put together double digit wins, and I’m expecting some big games out of their star talent.

NFL 2023 Season Preview

Standings

Playoff Predictions

Award Predictions

MVP: Patrick Mahomes, KC
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Justin Jefferson, MIN
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Micah Parsons, DAL
OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Bijan Robinson, ATL
DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jalen Carter, PHI
COACH OF THE YEAR: Frank Reich, CAR

Roster Projections

Dallas Cowboys

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Commanders

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Arizona Cardinals

Los Angeles Rams

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Tennessee Titans

Denver Broncos

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Published by The Sports World According to Paul

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Standings

Playoff Predictions

Award Predictions

MVP: Patrick Mahomes, KCOFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Justin Jefferson, MINDEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Micah Parsons, DALOFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Bijan Robinson, ATLDEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jalen Carter, PHICOACH OF THE YEAR: Frank Reich, CAR

Roster Projections

Dallas Cowboys

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Commanders

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Arizona Cardinals

Los Angeles Rams

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

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MVP: Patrick Mahomes, KC
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Justin Jefferson, MIN
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Micah Parsons, DAL
OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Bijan Robinson, ATL
DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Jalen Carter, PHI
COACH OF THE YEAR: Frank Reich, CAR