Roundtable: Is the rest of NFC West catching up to the Rams?

Get up to speed on all things NFC West with our roundtable divisional preview featuring analysis and insight from @MikeDugar, @mattbarrows, @sbordow and @VinnyBonsignore:https://t.co/CLbizROnJD

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Roundtable: Is rest of NFC West catching up to the Rams?

https://theathletic.com/1061919/

Matt Barrows, Scott Bordow, Vincent Bonsignore, and Michael-Shawn Dugar 3h ago 2
With training camp just around the corner, it’s time to look back on the NFL offseason and ahead to the 2019 campaign. To get you up to speed on the entire league, we’re pooling the talents of our NFL beat writers to give you an in-depth look at each division. Matt Barrows (49ers), Scott Bordow (Cardinals), Vincent Bonsignore (Rams) and Michael-Shawn Dugar (Seahawks) preview the NFC West.

Offseason in a word

49ers: Availability. A full quarter of the 49ers’ 90-man offseason roster missed a week or more of offseason practices due to a spring injury or because players were recovering from a 2018 issue. That doesn’t include Jimmy Garoppolo, who looked close to 100 percent after his ACL tear. But other key components like running back Jerick McKinnon (ACL recovery), defensive end Nick Bosa (hamstring), cornerback Jason Verrett (Achilles recovery) and the starting inside linebacker tandem of Kwon Alexander (ACL recovery) and Fred Warner (knee) were on the sideline. It’s become a cliché, but it’s one the 49ers have been bitten by the last two years: The best ability is ….

Cardinals: Change. The Cardinals completely remade their business model, so to speak. They have a new coach in Kliff Kingsbury, they traded away last year’s first-round pick, Josh Rosen, to select Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick and they’re about to become the first NFL team to use the “Air Raid” as its primary offensive scheme. There’s no middle ground here: This will either be a spectacular success that creates a sea change in the league or a colossal failure that gets everybody fired in two years.

Rams: Disciplined. From free agency to the draft to OTAs, the Rams attacked the offseason with a singular objective: To put themselves in as good a position as possible to return to the Super Bowl. That required meticulously working the draft in order to come up with players they believe can make subtle, if not significant, contributions in specific roles. It meant placing prudency over emotion by parting ways with veterans like Rodger Saffold and John Sullivan — and trusting the development process of young linemen Joe Noteboom and Brian Allen — in order to retain a more pressing need player in Dante Fowler Jr. It meant coming up with a plan to manage the offseason, training camp and in-season usage of running back Todd Gurley, who faded down the stretch last season after his left knee was slow to recover from injury. And it meant shaking off the hurt and disappointment of the Super Bowl loss to the Patriots by returning to work with focus and purpose, which is exactly how they attacked their offseason program. Obviously, that has to carry over to the season, but so far so good for a team with huge aspirations.

Seahawks: Replacements. This offseason is as much about the guys who are here as it is the guys who aren’t. Doug Baldwin is going to retire. Frank Clark has been traded to Kansas City. Earl Thomas is in Baltimore. That means the Seahawks need to lean on mostly unproven receiving talent, up-and-coming pass rushers and relatively unknown defensive backs. A successful year in Seattle will be determined by how well the unfamiliar faces perform in place of the departed stars.

Unfinished business

49ers: The 49ers’ most prominent statistic from 2018: They had just two interceptions. All season long. The defense promises to put more pressure on opposing passers after adding Bosa and his bookend, Dee Ford, in the offseason. But the secondary is largely the same as it was last year. The biggest addition was Verrett, who has appeared in just five games over the past three seasons.

Cardinals: General manager Steve Keim has made good use of the Cardinals having the No. 1 spot in the waiver wire order. He’ll need to continue to scour waivers when cuts are made in August. Arizona needs help at defensive line, depth at linebacker and, with Patrick Peterson suspended for six games, another cover cornerback.

Rams: Until Gurley gets back on the field and plays for extended periods, we simply don’t know the true extent of the knee issue that sabotaged the final month of the regular season and severely limited him in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl. The Rams believe they have a handle on the situation and have come up with a viable plan to manage Gurley’s workload in order to better preserve him for a full season. But until that actually plays out during the season, it remains a great unknown.

Seahawks: Russell Wilson got paid. Clark wanted to get paid, then got traded. Next up is Bobby Wagner, who has opted to attend offseason workouts but abstain from actually practicing until he receives a contract extension (or until those talks are tabled for the year). There are ways for Seattle to justify not giving Clark $100 million, but it’ll be hard to make a reasonable argument in favor of letting the league’s best linebacker hit the open market in March. This situation has to be resolved by the start of training camp.

Impact rookie

49ers: Bosa was the second pick in the draft and is believed to be more advanced at this stage of his career than his brother Joey was in 2016. That’s a meaty sentence when you consider that Joey went on to pick up 10.5 sacks in his 11 starts and was named the defensive rookie of the year. Nick Bosa is playing on a defensive line that teems with talent and in a scheme that emphasizes aggressive play and rushing the passer. Everything seems set up for him to have a hugely impactful rookie season.

Cardinals: Has to be Murray, right? He’s only the No. 1 overall pick, he’s playing in the same system that he won the Heisman Trophy with at Oklahoma, and he’s already being compared to Russell Wilson, Michael Vick and Patrick Mahomes. Other than that, he’s not much of a story.

Rams: The Rams drafted Memphis running back Darrell Henderson hoping his unique skill set will add a dose of versatility to their powerful offensive attack. Ideally, Henderson plays an off-set role to Gurley as a change of pace back in both the run and pass game. But given the uncertainty of Gurley’s left knee — and that the Rams plan to manage his workload — Henderson should get plenty of chances to make a significant impact.

Seahawks: DK Metcalf was brought in to be a deep threat at the outside receiver position, and he’ll be paired with one of the best deep passers in the league. The potential for explosive plays is certainly there, particularly in the play-action game, when Wilson is at his best. The 6-foot-3, 229-pound rookie should step in and contribute immediately.

Position battle to watch

49ers: A year ago, there was no question that veterans Pierre Garçon and Marquise Goodwin would be the 49ers’ starting wideouts. Now Garçon is gone and the team wants to use the speedy Goodwin in a more limited capacity. A pair of former second-round picks, Dante Pettis and Deebo Samuel, probably are the frontrunners for the starting roles. But it’s the deepest group Shanahan’s had since arriving in Santa Clara, and it should be interesting to see who wins the six spots on the 53-man roster.

Cardinals: Who will be the starting center? Mason Cole played well as a rookie in 2018 but veteran A.Q. Shipley has returned from reconstructive knee surgery. Given the fact Murray is a rookie, the Cardinals might go with Shipley, hoping his experience can help guide Murray through the season.

Rams: The Rams need to find starters at nose tackle to replace Ndamukong Suh and at inside linebacker to replace Mark Barron. Greg Gaines, a rookie draft pick from Washington, is the favorite to win the nose tackle job in the Rams base defense, but second-year tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day has absolutely thrust himself into the running after a solid offseason. Micah Kiser, a second-year linebacker from Virginia, looked the part while running with the defense during OTAs, and the Rams use of various sub-packages to deal with the passing game will mitigate some of his inexperience. For now, Kiser will likely be counted on as a run-down backer. Nevertheless, he’ll have to ward off challenges from veteran Bryce Hager, second-year ‘backer Travin Howard and rookie Dakota Allen, so his work is cut out for him.

Seahawks: This is Pete Carroll’s first season without both Kam Chancellor and Thomas on the roster, and that creates an intriguing battle at the safety spots. Tedric Thompson assumed the free safety duties last year when Thomas suffered a season-ending leg injury and Bradley McDougald led the team in interceptions (3) from his strong safety position. Expect both those jobs to be up for grabs as Shalom Luani, Lano Hill and rookies Ugo Amadi and Marquise Blair compete for playing time this offseason.

Strongest unit

49ers: That’s easy. The 49ers’ second-string defensive line has two former first-round picks on it. The starting unit has three: DeForest Buckner, Ford and (likely) Bosa. The defense has made stopping opposing passers its priority and will be playing the run on the way to the quarterback. They have the depth and personnel to do that. The biggest concern might now be: What happens if opponents decide to run the ball against this suddenly pass-obsessed defense?

Cardinals: Probably running back. It’s been a rough go for David Johnson the past two seasons — a wrist injury wiped out his 2017 campaign and a poorly-constructed offensive scheme neutralized him last year — but he should excel in Kingsbury’s wide-open offense as both a runner and receiver. Chase Edmonds proved last season he can be a good change-of-pace to Johnson, and T.J. Logan is an able third back and kick returner.

Rams: You couldn’t go wrong at a number of different positions on a loaded Rams team, but it’s hard to argue against a wide receiver group consisting of Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp and Josh Reynolds. Provided Kupp is fully healthy after suffering a season-ending knee injury last year, the Rams have three wide receivers fully capable of reaching more than 1,000 yards receiving. In fact, prior to Kupp going down in early November, he, Cooks and Woods were on target to all hit the 1,000-yard mark.

Seahawks: Linebacker. Wagner is the best in the business, and K.J. Wright is a Pro Bowl talent when healthy. Mychal Kendricks, who is expected to avoid jail time in his insider trading case, is another proven, veteran talent. Their combination of skill and experience is perhaps the most encouraging sign for those hoping Seattle recaptures its defensive magic this year, even with a new-look secondary.

Weakest unit

49ers: One cornerback, Ahkello Witherspoon, might have been the 49ers’ best defensive player of the spring while the other, Richard Sherman, is in significantly better shape than he was last year when he was returning from a pair of Achilles ailments. But what happens if one gets hurt? Behind them, the team has Verrett and a lot of unproven commodities. With Verrett out this spring, the 49ers had two cornerbacks they’ve already cycled through — Greg Mabin and Dontae Johnson — in the backup roles.

Cardinals: The defensive line has a lot of question marks. The Cardinals signed free agent Darius Philon away from the Chargers to be a starting defensive end in its 3-4 scheme, but Philon never has had more than 4.5 sacks in a season. Rodney Gunter, slotted to start opposite Philon, played well as a backup for Arizona last season, but can he excel playing 65-70 snaps per game? Also, Arizona has little proven depth behind Philon, Gunter and nose tackle Corey Peters.

Rams: This is a “relatively speaking” answer, as the Rams boast one of the strongest rosters in the NFL and appear set across the board. But given the youth at linebacker — and with one new starter needed — that is a position with some “unknown” factor. Can Samson Ebukam take another step forward on the outside? Will Fowler finally live up to the promise as a former third pick overall? Will Cory Littleton match or exceed the fabulous season he had as a first-year starter? Will Kiser claim the inside linebacker position alongside Littleton? And how much gas does Clay Matthews have left in the tank?

Seahawks: Seattle traded its best defensive lineman (Clark), then just lost its second-best defensive lineman, Jarran Reed, to a six-game suspension. The third-best defensive lineman, Ezekiel Ansah, has a bad shoulder. The unit is basically a bunch of young, unproven talents and 32-year-old Al Woods. I’m not sure where the Seahawks will get a pass rush from. Ideally, it would come from first-round pick L.J. Collier, Rasheem Green, Quinton Jefferson, Cassius Marsh, Branden Jackson and Jacob Martin, but those guys aren’t exactly household names. At defensive tackle, the most talented player might be Poona Ford, an undrafted second-year pro who climbed into the rotation midway through last season. That’s not what Seahawks fans want to hear after years of having Pro Bowl pass-rushers up front.

Best-case scenario

49ers: Garoppolo takes off in Year 2 of the offense the way Atlanta’s Matt Ryan did in his second season — one that ended at the Super Bowl — under Shanahan. Reasons for optimism: The team has a stable, experienced offensive line; the 49ers proved last year they could consistently run the ball even when backup quarterbacks were under center; Shanahan has his best group of skill players, including George Kittle who set a single-season record for receiving yards for a tight end. With all those weapons at his disposal, an offensive wizard like Shanahan could scheme the 49ers to their first playoff appearance since 2013.

Cardinals: Murray is who the Cardinals think he is, Kingsbury’s “Air Raid” attack stuns NFL defenses, and the Cardinals go from the worst team in the NFL to a team that is competitive week in and week out. Expecting Arizona to make the playoffs as they kick off this experiment is folly. Just have a chance to win most of its games in the fourth quarter. After 3-13, that will do.

Rams: The Rams avoid costly injuries, manage Gurley in order to set him up for s strong finish, Jared Goff takes another big step forward, first-year offensive line starters Noteboom and Allen are up to the challenge at left guard and center, respectfully, Matthews and veteran safety Eric Weddle still have major gas left in the tank and the Rams coast to a division title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. If so, they’ll be set up to make another Super Bowl run and perhaps finish the job this time should they get there.

Seahawks: Any team with a recent championship history and a top-5 quarterback should expect nothing less than a Super Bowl appearance. There are more talented teams in Seattle’s path — including the division rival Rams, fresh off a Super Bowl showing — but if Wilson takes his game to another level, the rushing attack continues to rank atop the league and the defense recaptures its 2013 tenacity with Wagner leading the way, then this team could be playing in February.

Worst-case scenario

49ers: Perhaps Garoppolo’s Week 3 injury last year means he’s still somewhere in the midst of Year 1 under Shanahan. He wasn’t all that efficient before his ACL tear, completing fewer than 60 percent of his passes in his three starts of 2018. Injuries sunk the team the last two years and the spring sessions suggested the 49ers haven’t shaken their bug. A might-is-right squad under Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers have trended toward smaller, shiftier players at nearly every position in recent years. Did that make them more injury-prone? If so, the team could be headed for another sub-.500 season.

Cardinals: The skeptics are right. Murray’s small frame can’t handle the physical beating and he winds up on injured reserve. The jump from fired Texas Tech coach to NFL head coach is too much for Kingsbury to handle. The Cardinals, again, finish with the worst record in the league.

Rams: Gurley is more hurt than we thought, the youth and inexperience on the offensive rears its ugly head and impacts Goff as a result, and the Rams take a major step back, enabling the Seahawks to close the gap and surpass them as division champs.

Seahawks: Any losing record would be a massive disappointment, as would an 8-8 campaign. But Seattle’s worst nightmare: Missing the playoffs after making your quarterback the highest-paid player in the league. Another scary scenario: The run-first philosophy puts a ceiling on Seattle’s offensive potential, making it nearly impossible — without the help of an elite defense — to keep pace with top-tier teams like the Rams and Saints. That’s most troubling because a philosophical change isn’t easily fixed by tweaking the roster, it would likely require overhauling the coaching staff, Carroll included.