Views From the 206: How Seahawks' Division Rivals Stack Up After Busy Offseason
The NFC West isn't just the best division in the NFL; it may be the best division in major American sports. So much so that many believe it has the best chance to become the first division in the sport to see all four of its teams make the playoffs, thanks to the NFL's expansion to three wild-card teams per conference in 2020.
From the perspective of a pure football fan, no storyline may be more exciting to follow than seeing how the NFC West shakes out later this year. But for Seahawks fans in particular, nothing could be more anxiety-inducing.
Seattle made it through the gauntlet last year, coming out with its first division championship since 2016. But shortly thereafter, its season came to an abrupt end at the hands of none other but the team it eked past in the regular season standings: the Rams—a brutal reminder of how unforgiving this division can be, despite previous successes.
No team is truly out of the woods by simply winning the division, and the Seahawks learned that the hard way this past January. They've also learned that if you can't keep pace, you'll be easily left behind in the arms race that is the NFC West.
Entering this past offseason with one of the worst draft capital and salary cap combos in the entire NFL, Seattle general manager John Schneider and his staff knew they had to get creative to keep their place at the top. As they utilized several uncharacteristic tactics to maneuver their unfavorable situation, the Rams, Cardinals and 49ers all aggressively pursued improvement as well.
So what did the Seahawks' three rivals end up with in all? And how are they looking heading into 2021? Let's recap.
Arizona Cardinals
2020 record: 8-8
Biggest additions: RB James Conner, WR A.J. Green, WR Rondale Moore, C Rodney Hudson, DE J.J. Watt, LB Zaven Collins, CB Malcolm Butler, K Matt Prater
Biggest departures: RB Kenyan Drake, TE Dan Arnold, ED Haason Reddick, CB Patrick Peterson
After barely missing out on the postseason last year, the Cardinals appear primed to take a major step forward in coach Kliff Kingsbury's third year at the helm. Quarterback Kyler Murray will be a popular dark horse candidate for the league's MVP, now back to full strength and with more weapons and better protection at his disposal with the arrivals of receivers A.J. Green and Rondale Moore and center Rodney Hudson. The offense may look a bit strange with Larry Fitzgerald unlikely to return, but it seems to be trending in the right direction.
Where Arizona may make the most strides this fall is with its defense. The free agent losses of longtime cornerback Patrick Peterson and pass rusher Haason Reddick certainly hurt, but the supplementation of defensive end J.J. Watt, rookie linebacker Zaven Collins and cornerback Malcolm Butler should help alleviate some of that pain. The defense's biggest addition of all won't be a player from the outside, however; that goes to edge rusher Chandler Jones, who missed the majority of the 2020 season with a torn bicep suffered in Week 5. That's not very good news for Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson—the victim of 13.5 of Jones's 97.0 career sacks. How the two teams battle it out in the trenches in 2021 is going to be far more interesting than in years past.
Los Angeles Rams
2020 record: 10-6
Biggest additions: QB Matthew Stafford, WR DeSean Jackson, WR Tutu Atwell
Biggest departures: QB Jared Goff, WR Josh Reynolds, TE Gerald Everett, IOL Austin Blythe, DL Michael Brockers, ED Samson Ebukam, CB Troy Hill, S John Johnson
While the Rams' offseason approach wasn't quantity-based, they made the biggest splash in the entire division by swapping quarterbacks with the Lions. Landing gunslinger Matthew Stafford in a pre-Super Bowl trade and shipping off Jared Goff in the process, they're going all-in on 2021 after making it to the divisional round of the playoffs without a healthy quarterback in tow.
That was made possible by a dominant defensive season, spearheaded by first-time coordinator Brandon Staley. But now Staley is gone, accepting a job to become the head coach of the Chargers. Raheem Morris will look to pick up where Staley left off, though he'll be without three of the unit's key starters: defensive lineman Michael Brockers, cornerback Troy Hill and safety John Johnson, who left in free agency. Even with the superstar talents of defensive tackle Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey, it's fair to wonder just how viable a repeat of their top-ranked 2020 performance is. And if Stafford isn't marginally better than Goff, regression could be in their future, though they still have the talent to be a thorn in the collective sides of the Seahawks and the rest of the NFC West.
San Francisco 49ers
2020 record: 6-10
Biggest additions: QB Trey Lance, RB Wayne Gallman, RB Trey Sermon, G Aaron Banks, G Senio Kelemete, C Alex Mack, DL Zach Kerr, DL Arden Key, ED Samson Ebukam
Biggest departures: QB Nick Mullens, RB Tevin Coleman, WR Kendrick Bourne, TE Jordan Reed, DL Solomon Thomas, ED Ronald Blair, ED Kerry Hyder Jr., CB Ahkello Witherspoon
Ravaged by injuries early on, the 49ers had a disappointing followup to their Super Bowl run in 2019. With the likes of running back Raheem Mostert, tight end George Kittle and pass rushers Nick Bosa and Dee Ford fully healthy again, they should be naturally set up for a better 2021. But ultimately, it all comes down to the quarterback position with this team. Mortgaging several future selections to trade up to the No. 3 pick in this year's draft, they selected North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance. However, Jimmy Garoppolo remains on the roster and appears to be in line to start Week 1.
How long they stick with Garoppolo likely depends on Lance's progression. If he doesn't give them a reason to make the transition, the 49ers' ceiling could be significantly capped. There's also the question of how the defense functions under new defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who takes over for Robert Saleh. Now running the Jets' program, Saleh was the driving force of San Francisco's defensive dominance in 2019 and helped patch together a respectable unit despite all the injuries in 2020. That won't be an easy act to follow for Ryans, but the talent is certainly there for a revival tour in the "Bay Area."
