Yet another week, only a few extra sleeps. The Ravens and Chiefs will likely be kicking off the brand new NFL season in a matter of days and the race towards New Orleans for Tremendous Bowl LIX will likely be on.
As we enter the calm earlier than the storm, let’s take this 4 Verts column to have a look at 4 gamers who will likely be among the many most essential gamers within the NFL and the way their presence can form the league’s panorama.
Let’s mash the primary two sections into one as a result of these two quarterbacks are considerably working in the identical area. Cousins and Rodgers are older quarterbacks coming off Achilles tears seeking to write a brand new, profitable web page on a brand new workforce — and so they could be the 2 most essential gamers of the shifted NFL panorama in 2024.
The Falcons and Jets each have postseason hopes, and people hopes dwell and die with the efficiency of veteran quarterback investments that every workforce desperately wanted. No place strikes the needle greater than quarterback and when good QBs transfer groups, the NFL shifts. These two groups are hoping they will catch one sturdy efficiency on the again 9 of those gamers’ careers.
Jets first. It’s cowardly to say that everybody wants to attend and see what form Rodgers is in, but it surely’s true. It’s not possible to know the way he’ll look in dwell video games coming off of his Achilles harm till he will get on the market. His mobility had already drastically decreased throughout his ultimate years in Inexperienced Bay and now he’s 40 years outdated coming off an Achilles harm. Athletically, we actually gained’t be seeing the Rodgers of outdated. That could be wonderful, although.
Past the athletic items that made Rodgers so nice, he has 20 years of expertise of being quarterback. That have taking part in in opposition to all manners of defenses will matter a ton this season as he settles into no matter stage athlete he’s now. It’s much like the place Drew Brees was towards the top of his profession with New Orleans. Brees’ arm was fading quick, however the accuracy and expertise nonetheless allowed to be a extremely efficient quarterback earlier than his arm power grew to become untenable. Rodgers’ arm must be in a drastically higher place than the place Brees was. There’s room for Rodgers to grow to be extra of a stoic pocket passer than he’s usually been identified for in his profession. He has the reps to make it work and if he has safety, he ought to nonetheless be efficient from the pocket. The out-of-structure performs gained’t be there as a lot anymore, however that’s OK.
Rodgers is the last word wild card within the NFL this season. On account of the entire circumstances round his return, actually any final result appears possible for the Jets. He may very well be wherever from nice to utterly washed and it wouldn’t be terribly stunning. If the offensive line can keep wholesome, Rodgers has an opportunity to have a pleasant bounceback season from 2022, the final time he really performed. If the Jets can get Haason Reddick’s state of affairs discovered, they may be capable to go on a run within the playoffs. The remainder of the roster is sweet sufficient.
The Falcons’ roster doesn’t match as much as the Jets’ in total expertise, however they determined to make an enormous splash at quarterback by signing Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract (and drafting Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth total decide, however that’s neither right here nor there — for now). Cousins tore his Achilles in Week 8 of final season, however has been working towards with the Falcons and seems able to go for the common season.
Whereas Cousins has been a quarterback who has been simple to poke enjoyable at through the years, it’s additionally simple to see why the Falcons made this transfer. Previous to his Achilles tear, Cousins was taking part in the perfect soccer of his profession. In keeping with rbsdm.com, Cousins ranked sixth in anticipated factors added per play (0.145) in his shortened 2023 season and confirmed off a stage of consistency he hadn’t actually proven earlier than. Cousins coming off an Achilles will likely be a big-time statue within the pocket, however he’s a large improve over the opposite quarterbacks the Falcons have began since Matt Ryan walked out the door.
There’s additionally this straightforward reality: The Falcons want to begin getting extra out of their proficient trio of younger ability gamers in Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London. Top-of-the-line methods to do this is by getting a quarterback who instantly creates a reputable passing sport. Cousins can try this. If first-year offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is ready to deliver a few of the McVay Magic from the Rams, the place he spent the previous 5 seasons in varied offensive assistant roles, Cousins is sweet sufficient to feed high quality targets to Pitts and London. Darnell Mooney will seemingly be the third receiving choice, which is okay.
The Falcons don’t have the protection that the Jets do, but when Cousins is wholesome and in a position to replicate his season from final yr, they’ll be competing for a playoff spot. They’re nonetheless one other offseason away from having a roster that’s able to happening a playoff run, however they’ve put themselves in a spot the place they will compete this yr. That’s how large of a shift Cousins is for the Falcons, regardless that he’s not one of many elite quarterbacks within the league.
Each of those conditions characteristic veteran quarterbacks who will primarily dictate their workforce’s success this yr. They significantly elevate the ground from the quarterbacks who preceded them, however they arrive with the caveat of coming off of significant accidents. The Jets have a better ceiling than the Falcons, however they’re taking part in the same sport. Anytime there’s a participant who’s probably swinging groups from mediocrity into playoff rivalry (or worse than earlier than!), they must be thought-about probably the most essential gamers within the league.
Tyler Linderbaum, C, Ravens
Yeah, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are going to be the driving drive of the Ravens’ offensive success, however that may be too simple of a decide right here. Somebody who may also help elevate the ground on what’s doable for that duo this yr is Linderbaum.
In only a couple years, Linderbaum has developed into probably the greatest facilities within the sport. His presence and abilities will likely be wanted going right into a yr when the Ravens will likely be making an attempt out a number of unproven commodities as they try and return to the Tremendous Bowl.
“Unproven” is the proper phrase for this offensive line. Outdoors of longtime Raven Ronnie Stanley, the Ravens’ projected beginning linemen are all on their rookie contracts. Rookie Roger Rosengarten is slated to begin at proper sort out, whereas 2022 fourth-round decide Daniel Faalele will man one guard spot and 2023 seventh-round decide Andrew Vorhees will play the opposite. That may be a inexperienced unit. Stanley himself is an up-and-down participant after accidents robbed him of some mobility, however his stability will likely be helpful this season because the Ravens insert three new beginning offensive linemen.
Linderbaum goes to must be the quick glue man for a unit that hasn’t performed a lot collectively within the NFL — or the NFL generally. There’s no actual time to waste for a workforce that has a two-time MVP quarterback in his prime, Henry and arguably the perfect protection within the league. It’s time to win now for the Ravens so these guys are going to must get off the bottom rapidly.
Facilities have an affect over the sport that the majority informal followers don’t see. The actually good ones assist type visitors and clear up the blocking image for his fellow linemen and quarterback. That’s the model of Tyler Linderbaum the Ravens want to point out up on this time of change. Dependable facilities are sources of communication for the whole offense. With the ability to get these gamers with much less sport expertise transferring in the suitable path could be an enormous increase to the Ravens’ offensive line, on high of Linderbaum’s personal glorious ability as a blocker.
Play effectively sufficient to buoy an offensive line with Tremendous Bowl aspirations, get three new starters with a mixed one NFL begin on the identical web page in a rush and likewise carry out effectively on his personal particular person blocks. Straightforward peezy. Linderbaum is able to executing this function and if he does, the Ravens’ offense has an opportunity to be among the many finest within the league once more.
Trent McDuffie, DB, Chiefs
L’Jarius Sneed is now in Tennessee, creating an extremely younger cornerback room for the Chiefs. They don’t have a single cornerback on their roster who was drafted previous to 2022, which means, at most, these gamers are nearly to enter their third yr within the NFL (with two Tremendous Bowl rings to begin off their careers). In actual fact, the one defensive again who was drafted previous to 2022 is security Justin Reid. That’s a little bit of a scary proposition for a workforce with astronomical expectations, however a type of younger cornerbacks has already developed into probably the most proficient gamers at his place.
McDuffie’s efficiency this yr goes to be crucial for the Chiefs. It helps having an awesome defensive thoughts like coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and star lineman Chris Jones blowing up offensive traces, however the items round these two nonetheless must do their justifiable share. McDuffie goes to have to select up proper the place he left off: being dominant, much like his efficiency within the Chiefs’ Tremendous Bowl win over the 49ers.
McDuffie was arguably the perfect slot defender within the league final yr. In keeping with Sports activities Information Options’ Factors Saved metric, primarily a extra complete model of anticipated factors allowed per play, McDuffie ranked third within the league amongst slot corners in factors saved (19.00) and tied for third in factors saved per play (0.051) with Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II. McDuffie is certainly one of many premier slot defenders within the league, however he’s going to must increase upon that this offseason.
With Sneed off to the Titans and no one among his caliber introduced in to exchange him, McDuffie might be going to play outdoors greater than he has within the NFL. That function would extra intently mirror what he performed on the College of Washington, the place he was primarily an outdoor nook. In keeping with Professional Soccer Focus, McDuffie performed 1,454 snaps at outdoors nook in faculty and simply 38 within the slot. For his total profession. McDuffie had 378 protection snaps from the slot alone simply final season.
Whereas this will likely be a brand new journey for him within the NFL, his outdoors nook tape and metrics had been adequate in faculty to get him drafted within the first spherical. Despite the fact that he’s been moved inside with great success, it doesn’t imply that he’ll fail as an outdoor nook. McDuffie could find yourself having to be a do-it-all cornerback who has his palms in each function all through the course of the season, particularly if his unproven teammates battle round him. McDuffie has already mentioned this coaching camp that he’s doing his finest to grasp the slot and out of doors nook positions, which have vastly totally different roles that grow to be solely extra sophisticated in a Spagnuolo protection.
It’ll be fascinating to see if McDuffie settles again down within the slot for the lengthy haul (which might be wonderful) or if he winds up turning into the NFL’s most versatile cornerback. If he can do the latter, the Chiefs’ protection has an awesome probability to be a top-tier unit once more, making McDuffie a vital determine of the 2024 season.