The NFL always has a myriad of storylines swirling around its elite teams. The various playoff scenarios, chemistry issues, or surprisingly dominant teams seem to hog media headlines while the league’s more mediocre squads are subject to a season of irrelevancy and obscurity.
But last year is long gone. The new season is only a few weeks away and those same written-off teams have been working in the dark, determined to get some credit in cruel media circles and the minds of their fans. Here are some franchises who will prove themselves in 2020 after years of disappointment.
DISCLAIMER: The Broncos will not be mentioned on this list because their future was already discussed in an earlier article, with their roster not changing significantly since the draft.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are so young it’s almost surprising they mustered 5 wins last season. Led by 1st overall pick Kyler Murray at quarterback, Arizona showed great potential last season. Lacking much receiving talent outside of future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald and young WR Christian Kirk, Murray still received Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after a 3,700+ yard year and 20 passing TDs. He will look to build on a strong rookie campaign with a good sophomore season, and it isn’t crazy to believe he could be an MVP candidate either. The last 2 MVPs were 2nd-year quarterbacks who made ridiculous strides by their sophomore campaign, so Murray may be the next to make this jump.
Murray’s play won’t be the only thing elevating in 2020 though, as his receiving talent will be considerably better. The Cardinals traded for All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins this offseason, a monumental move that will give Kyler Murray and this offense one of the best playmakers in the league. In his rookie year, Murray didn’t have a go-to vertical threat in the red zone or on deep balls, so adding Hopkins will not only give him a vertical threat but one of the best in the league.
Despite their “Air Raid” offense that features Kyler Murray throwing the rock 34 times per game, the run game may be a difference-maker for the Cardinals next season. They acquired running back Kenyan Drake last season and in 8 games for Arizona he averaged 5.2 YPC, a solid mark for a team that has struggled in their ground game. If Drake continues his eye-opening play in Arizona, he could open this offense up in a big way in 2020.
The defensive side of the ball is where Arizona struggled last season though. They finished 5th worst in points allowed in 2019 despite having one of the most talented pass rushers in the league in Chandler Jones. Pair him up with the Pro Bowl talent that litters their secondary in Patrick Peterson and Budda Baker and it is clear they have the pieces to build a dominant group. Despite all of this, they were torched for the 2nd most yards through the air and finished bottom 10 in stopping the run.
Even with their seemingly unfixable issues, Arizona added some key pieces to buff up their very weak linebacking corps. They drafted a combine warrior in OLB Isaiah Simmons with the 8th overall pick, a steal for the star potential he has. He will bring an arsenal of defensive prowess, as he can be a great coverage linebacker, he can use his speed to get to the quarterback on blitzes and wraps up extremely well in run support.
Another new linebacker who is going to make an instant impact is former Falcon De’Vondre Campbell. Campbell played a huge role for the Falcons last year, leading them in tackles and playing solid pass coverage throughout the season. The Cardinals are getting a veteran leader to mix in with some of their younger talent and it has the potential to turn this defense around.
But their real leader last season was former Eagles’ linebacker, Jordan Hicks. He compiled 150 tackles last season and it felt as though he was everywhere for Arizona in 2019. Now with an improved defensive lineup all over the field, Hicks’ leadership may even translate into a Pro Bowl nod next year.
Finally, one cannot talk about this defense without mentioning their coaching. Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph has a past in turning bad defenses into well-oiled machines, just take the 2016 Dolphins for example. They were horrible for the beginning of the year but managed to make plays at an alarming rate in the second half of the season. They began to rack up turnover after turnover and helped get the Dolphins to the playoffs after 8 years of disappointment. Now with a faster and more talented lineup to work with, Vance Joseph might be able to turn this bunch into a truly elite defense.
All and all, this Cardinals team could be a serious Wild Card contender by January — their young talent infused with veteran leadership and playmakers is too strong to ignore.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers were one of the most exasperating teams to cheer for last season. Finishing 5–11 despite having one of the most talented rosters in the league is enough to make any fan pull their hair out — especially since 9 of their losses came by one score or less. Remember, the Chargers were 12–4 just 2 years ago, so the past season was disappointing, but the competitive spirit of this squad and their talent may be enough to get them back to a respectable record. But how can LA get back to their winning ways? Let’s examine the basics.
The Chargers need to play cleaner football, simply put. They gave away the rock 31 times in 2019, the 3rd worst rate in the NFL last season. Most of those turnovers came from their former QB and legendary gunslinger, Philip Rivers. Although LA has one of the most talented receiving tandems in the league with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, Rivers often got too comfortable with just chucking it. He threw 20 interceptions, a stat that would’ve led the league if Baker Mayfield and Jameis Winston didn’t have historically pick-ridden seasons.
The current QB room should do better on turnovers though. Tyrod Taylor, a 10th-year veteran, and efficient field general has been named the starter for the beginning of the year, with 6th overall pick Justin Herbert set to back him up. While head coach Anthony Lynn said the job is Herbert’s to win, Taylor will start Week 1 if everything goes to plan. Considering the best year of Taylor’s career saw him throw only 6 interceptions, this Chargers’ offense is going to be far better in maintaining possession of the ball in 2020. It’s also worth mentioning Taylor has never had this kind of receiving talent in his career. This could lead to his best year yet and when Herbert inevitably takes over, he’ll have the tools he needs to succeed. Herbert was also efficient at Oregon, so it isn’t crazy to think the Chargers won’t throw over 10 picks next season, although you never know with rookies.
In the backfield resides Austin Ekeler, an underrated and multifaceted back who can affect the game in several ways. Now the lead back for LA, he will most likely eclipse 100 receptions following his 92 catches in 2019 — landing him some Pro Bowl consideration.
On defense, this squad has somehow increased their talent. They decided to steal a former All-Pro cornerback from the Broncos in Chris Harris Jr. LA already has a former Pro Bowl corner in Casey Hayward Jr. who is still in his prime, and former All-Pro DBs in Derwin James and Desmond King. As you can see from this quick resume of their secondary, this unit is sure to lock up opposing receivers in the coming season.
Making plays in the trenches is where this team needed to improve, and they did just that. The Chargers added a veteran DT in Linval Joseph. The big man has always been a solid run-stuffer and can get to the QB once in a blue moon as well. It was easily one of the most underrated moves of the offseason and the Chargers will reap its benefits in 2020.
In the draft, they selected Oklahoma LB Kenneth Murray Jr. He’s a versatile linebacker who can fly to the ball. Last season at Oklahoma he finished with 17 tackles for a loss and is a great option for run support on a squad that had trouble in that department last year.
When it comes to their edge rushers, Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram III combine to create a duo that can consistently pressure the QB. The tandem combined for 18.5 sacks last season and practically live in the backfield. Without their constant presence in the backfield, LA would not be nearly as daunting as they are right now. This pass rush will need to continue its solid play if the Chargers want to improve their measly record from 2019.
All in all, the Chargers have a roster that is equipped to win 11–13 games if firing on all cylinders. They have star power at just about every position, and once they figure out their long-term situation at QB, they should be giving the Chiefs a run for the division in the seasons to come.
Cleveland Browns
Oh boy. This team garnered so much hype last season, claiming a generational talent in Odell Beckham Jr. to pair with longtime friend Jarvis Landry, creating a top receiving tandem. Coming off a strong rookie year, Baker Mayfield was expected to make that sophomore jump we’ve seen from the likes of Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. Instead, Mayfield took a steep drop from his previous year, posting the 2nd worst interception total in the league, throwing fewer TDs despite playing more games and dropping his passer rating by 15.
Odell Beckham had an alright season, getting over 1,000 yards receiving (which is expected at this point), but failing to be utilized effectively in Cleveland. Landry may have put up good numbers and made the Pro Bowl, but again these are vain stats because they never really translated into wins for the Browns.
So why would I have the audacity to put a team on this list that has responded so negatively to the hype in the past? It’s quite simple: Coaching changes have been made. First-year head coach Freddie Kitchens looked flustered last season and was rushed into a pressure-filled gig for one of the most talented rosters in the league. This season the Browns will acquire a coach who is truly groomed for this role in former Viking Offensive Coordinator Kevin Stefanski. There were reports that Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was giving the new Browns HC pointers all of last season as a parting to Stefanski who had already been a coaching candidate.
That’s great and all, but what does Stefanski bring to the table other than some wisdom from Mike Zimmer? Well for starters, the Vikings offense Stefanski worked with while in Minnesota isn’t so different from the offense he will be coordinating in Cleveland. Both featured non-mobile QBs with big arms with 2 star receivers, to pair with elite running backs who both finished top 10 in yards last season. The difference? The Vikings made the playoffs and won a game while the Browns’ high expectations were shattered by a 6–10 record. Stefanski was able to push an offense whose leader had been mocked for his infamously bad play in big games to the biggest upset of the year in 2019. Kevin Stefanski will have his hands full trying to cope with some of the miscommunication and dysfunction that plagued his new team last year, but he has shown he can get this offense going where it needs to.
Let’s talk defense though. The Browns finished in the bottom half of points allowed in 2019, another disappointment for a young talented defense. Although they have lost some key pieces, this D has replaced some of those nicely and even more importantly they secured a new defensive coordinator in former 49ers DB coach Joe Woods. Woods coached the best secondary in the league last year, as they had the best pass defense of any squad since 2009. He did this without many stars outside of future Hall of Famer Richard Sherman, an impressive feat.
The Browns’ secondary is composed of some solid young talent with a rising star in Denzel Ward, and some veteran safeties in Karl Joseph and Andrew Sendejo. These 2 vets will certainly help groom rookie safety Grant Delpit for his eventual starting role. Greedy Williams will likely line up opposite Denzel Ward at CB and has proven to be a bit of a project despite his prototypical size. The untapped potential of this young secondary is clear, so having a coordinator that just coached the best pass defense in the league last year should bring the wisdom they need to reach their ceiling.
Will the Browns win the Super Bowl this year? Probably not. Will they beat the Ravens and secure the division? Probably not. But a young team like this will naturally need time to mature. 2019 was a humbling experience for this organization and it will only make them better going into 2020 — look for Cleveland to be heavily considered in the playoff conversation come late December.
Atlanta Falcons
Even as one of the most consistently talented offenses in the league, the Atlanta Falcons haven’t been able to parlay their star power into a playoff slot for a few years now. Finishing 7–9 in the last 2 seasons, Falcons fans have been seemingly doomed to watch their team sink to mediocrity until something drastic changes.
Thankfully for Atlanta, there have been a few team tweaks that may nudge them into the postseason for the first time since 2017. A motif of almost all the teams on this list, they decided to switch things up at defensive coordinator. They promoted former assistant head coach Raheem Morris to that spot. He oversaw their passing game last year, but following a 1–7 start, he became more of a voice in their secondary in their last 8 contests:
“Over the final eight games, the team went 6–2 and the defense went from having the lowest amount of takeaways in the first half of the season (4) to finishing with the second-most in the NFL (16) after Week 9” (https://www.atlantafalcons.com/team/coaches-roster/raheem-morris).
Morris was able to take a struggling secondary and turn it into a serviceable one that propelled a losing franchise to a nearly perfect final 8 games. Although the secondary has changed a little, one could say it’s gotten even better.
Following the loss of star CB Desmond Trufant, the Falcons decided to use their 16th overall pick to draft A.J. Terrell out of Clemson. The prototypical CB is a spark plug wherever he plays, as he always put himself in a position to impact the game in college. He made his hit power well known last season, consistently being an enforcer for the elite Clemson D. A 4.4 speed guy, Terrell provides more than solid man coverage, but run support that compliments his aggressive tackling style. He is a rookie after all though, so I wouldn’t compare him to his predecessor in Trufant, but he certainly has the potential to be an instant-impact defender for Atlanta.
Speaking of big hitters, the Falcons hope to get back their star safety Keanu Neal this season. Playing only 4 games for the A in the past 2 seasons, Neal has dealt with devastating injuries that have kept this team’s true defensive captain sidelined far too often. If he is back and healthy this season, the Falcons’ defense will be trending upwards.
Now onto the offense. This unit has remained rather the same in terms of talent. Losing star tight end Austin Hooper, the Falcons replaced him with a younger project in Hayden Hurst who has potential that may manifest itself in this pass-heavy offense. In the run game, the Falcons made the rather risky move to acquire former Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley. The star running back has gone from a consistent top-10 player in the league to a seemingly injury-prone back. He has been dealing with an arthritis-like condition in his knee for some time now, and his success will hinge on how that injury diminishes his workload. If he can figure out how to manage that condition and get 250+ carries like he used to, this offense will become a multifaceted unit for the first time since Devonta Freeman was in his prime. If he gets Atlanta into the top 10 in rushing while Matt Ryan and Julio Jones continue to work their magic, we could be looking at an 11–12-win team. This is wishful thinking but expect Gurley to come out with a vengeance next season.
Atlanta has disappointed its fans far too often in the last 2 seasons. With head coach Dan Quinn’s job possibly on the line, the Falcons need to put their talent together and win or they could be thrust into rebuilding by 2021.
