Three strengths that Stanford has ahead of the 2023 season

Stanford's 2022 season was nothing short of a disaster. A team mostly by seniors with a handful of NFL players on both sides of the ball, were only able to muster three wins.

David Shaw stepped down at the end of the season, which means 2023 will mark the first time since 2011 he's not the head coach. While many Stanford fans and even those around the country that take a look ahead at what's to come in 2023 and only see the holes in the roster, the Cardinal have three key strengths that are being overlooked.

Troy Taylor inherited a very inexperienced roster, but the new head coach has more to work with than people realize. Here are three strengths that Stanford already has ahead of the 2023 season.

Tight Ends

Returning Benjamin Yursoek may go down as one of the biggest moves of the offseason of Taylor's first year as head coach. When you consider how inexperienced the quarterbacks and the wide receivers are, having a proven pass catcher like Yurosek only helps boost confidence in the offense. Especially when you consider that Taylor's leading receiver at Sacramento State the past couple years has been a tight end. There is also rising star tight end Sam Roush, who similar to Yurosek this past season, was underutilized. Expect for Stanford to heavily rely on their tight ends similar to the way Utah used their two star tight ends.

Pass Rushers

When a team wins just three games and ranks towards the bottom of every important statistical category there isn't much to brag about. However, despite all of the losses and getting pushed around by other teams, Stanford has a couple rising stars across the defensive line in David Bailey and Ernest Cooper IV. Bailey was an immediate starter the moment he set foot on campus recording 46 total tackles and 2.5 sacks, while Cooper took a little time to see the field, but when he did he instantly caused havoc. Cooper recorded 12 tackles (6 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, a sack, and a quarterback hurry in just four appearances. Under the tutelage of new defense coordinator Bobby April, these two young pass rushers could be the key to Stanford returning back to their party in the backfield days.

Running Backs

The running back room was absolutely decimated this past season, as it started with E.J. Smith looking like a potential star and ended with a backup safety being the lead back. With Smith and Casey Filkins both being healthy, and compliments from new faces such as freshman Sedrick Irvin Jr., the running back room will be heavily relied on. Smith can do it all out of the backfield, and has a chance to solidify himself as one of the best running backs in the Pac-12 and maybe even the country. If he can stay healthy, and Taylor can figure out ways to get the ball in his hands, there will be a lot of positive plays. While his injury obviously was detrimental to the team this past season, it did allow for other guys like Filkins and Mitch Leigber to receive significant snaps and build their confidence. Stanford may be home to one of the most underrated backfields in the country going into 2023.