| We have spent the weekend starting our team-by-team schedule analysis. The AFC and NFC East are on tap today with the other divisions heading your way soon (except the Jets, coming tomorrow). One thing is clear, the Giants and Patriots could play at the same abstract level in 2025 and the Patriots would win more games. Let’s put their schedules, side-by-side and roughly divide them into three categories – green being winnable/comparable opponent, black being slight under dog and red being heavy underdog. GIANTS PATRIOTS1 @ Washington Las Vegas 2 @ Dallas @ Miami3 Kansas City Pittsburgh4 LA Chargers Carolina5 @ New Orleans @ Buffalo 6 Philadelphia @ New Orleans7 @ Denver @ Tennessee8 @ Philadelphia Cleveland9 San Francisco Atlanta10 @ Chicago @ Tampa Bay11 Green Bay NY Jets12 @ Detroit @ Cincinnati13 @ New England NY Giants14 Bye 15 Washington Buffalo 16 Minnesota @ Baltimore17 @ Las Vegas @ NY Jets 18 Dallas Miami For the Giants – 3 green, 2 black, 12 redFor the Patriots – 10 green, 3 black, 4 red Now you can quibble, of course, is Miami really a black for the Patriots? Should the Cowboys be a black for the Giants? But by any measure, New England has significantly more games in which they should be competitive. |
| NFC NORTH |
| GREEN BAYQB JORDAN LOVE is happy with his first round WR, MATTHEW GOLDEN. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com: Wide receiver Matthew Golden has made a good early impression on Packers quarterback Jordan Love. The Packers snapped a streak of more than two decades when they selected Golden in the first round in April and Love said he was “glad to be wrong” about the direction the team would take in the draft after his early practices with the rookie wideout. Golden ran the fastest 40 at this year’s Scouting Combine and Love noted his teammate’s “blazing speed,” but said that Golden is bringing a lot more to the table. “He’s a great dude,” Love said, via Matt Schneidman of TheAthletic.com. . “I’m excited to see just his potential on the football field. But just the start we’ve had, doing routes on air and things like that, he looks like a stud, looks like a very polished receiver, so I’m excited to see just how far he can take it.” The Packers have downplayed the need for a No. 1 receiver while stockpiling wideouts over the last few years. It remains to be seen if the move for Golden changes that approach, but winning the favor of the quarterback is a step toward the top of the depth chart for the first-round pick. |
| NFC EAST |
| DALLAS Thu, Sep 4 @ Philadelphia 8:20 PM EDT NBCSun, Sep 14 NY Giants 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Sep 21 @ Chicago 4:25 PM EDT FOXSun, Sep 28 Green Bay 8:20 PM EDT NBCSun, Oct 5 @ NY Jets 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Oct 12 @ Carolina 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Oct 19 Washington 4:25 PM EDT FOXSun, Oct 26 @ Denver 4:25 PM EDT CBSMon, Nov 3 Arizona 8:15 PM EST ABCBye Mon, Nov 17 @ Las Vegas 8:15 PM EST ABCSun, Nov 23 Philadelphia 4:25 PM EST FOXThu, Nov 27 Kansas City 4:30 PM EST CBSThu, Dec 4 @ Detroit 8:15 PM EST AMZNSun, Dec 14 Minnesota 8:20 PM EST NBCSun, Dec 21 LA Chargers 1:00 PM EST FOXThu, Dec 25 @ Washington 1:00 PM EST NetFLiXSun, Jan 4 @ NY Giants 1:00 PM EST COWBOYS SCHEDULE NOTES The 2025 Cowboys are the first team ever to play four games on Thursday in one season, although only two are on “short” weeks…Plus they get three mini-byes with 10 days of rest against a team that is playing on seven…Two of those “mini-byes” are against the Giants in Weeks 2 and 18…They also play back-to-back games on Monday Night Football (although the bye is in between)…Other than the opener with the Giants, the home schedule is pretty formidable…Still America’s Team to the schedule makers with eight standalone games, three appearances on FOX’s America’s Game of the Week and a 4:25 on CBS…We would think the four early games on FOX would also go far and wide (two against New York teams)…Divisionals in the first two weeks and the last two, so just two in the middle 13…Four home games in five weeks starting on November 23 with the Eagles (all five games against very good teams including the two defending Super Bowl teams), then the final two on the road…With this schedule, the Cowboys could be pretty good and still go 10-7. |
| NEW YORK GIANTSConnor Hughes of SNYNew York answers a question about when QB JAXSON DART might start? At what point will Jaxson Dart start? – @SeanMaffiaIn a perfect world, the Giants won’t turn to him until 2026. They genuinely believe Russell Wilson can play, play well, elevate those around him and make the Giants a competent club this year. Seldom do things go according to plan. Considering that brutal stretch the Giants face the first nine weeks… it’s hard to imagine things not going haywire. Especially if New York sits at 1-8 or 2-7. There isn’t a soft landing spot for Dart the first two months. The late bye doesn’t make things any easier, either. The Week 10 matchup with the Chicago Bears, whose season feels like it could go in two completely different directions, is the earliest I can see it happening. Week 15 versus Washington is likely where the Giants hope they can get to. Uncertainty with head coach Brain Daboll and his job status clouds this. The play of Wilson and Jameis Winston won’t bring him back in 2026. What will: His hand-picked quarterback showing signs he can be a franchise signal-caller. I could see Daboll going to Dart even earlier than Week 10 if he feels his job is on the line. – – – Sun, Sep 7 @ Washington 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Sep 14 @ Dallas 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Sep 21 Kansas City 8:20 PM EDT NBCSun, Sep 28 LA Chargers 1:00 PM EDT CBSSun, Oct 5 @ New Orleans 1:00 PM EDT CBSThu, Oct 9 Philadelphia 8:15 PM EDT AMZNSun, Oct 19 @ Denver 4:05 PM EDT CBSSun, Oct 26 @ Philadelphia 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Nov 2 San Francisco 1:00 PM EST CBSSun, Nov 9 @ Chicago 1:00 PM EST FOXSun, Nov 16 Green Bay 1:00 PM EST FOXSun, Nov 23 @ Detroit 1:00 PM EST FOXMon, Dec 1 @ New England 8:15 PM EST ESPNBye Sun, Dec 14 Washington 1:00 PM EST FOXSun, Dec 21 Minnesota 1:00 PM EST FOXD27 or D28 @ Las Vegas 1:00 PM EST Sun, Jan 4 Dallas GIANTS SCHEDULE NOTES The Giants could be much improved and still go 5-12 against this schedule…They will be underdogs in all 6 division games…The early DraftKings odds only have them favored at New Orleans in Week 5 (in four other games they are listed as less than a 3 points underdog)…They get three standalone games – as home fodder for the two Super Bowl teams early in the season and a surprising Monday meeting at New England that seems to be a flex candidate…Otherwise, except for Week 7 at Denver, they sit firmly in the early Sunday window with three games on CBS. |
| PHILADELPHIA Thu, Sep 4 Dallas 8:20 PM EDT NBCSun, Sep 14 @ Kansas City 4:25 PM EDT FOXSun, Sep 21 LA Rams 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Sep 28 @ Tampa Bay 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Oct 5 Denver 1:00 PM EDT CBSThu, Oct 9 @ NY Giants 8:15 PM EDT AMZNSun, Oct 19 @ Minnesota 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Oct 26 NY Giants 1:00 PM EDT FOXBye Mon, Nov 10 @ Green Bay 8:15 PM EST ABCSun, Nov 16 Detroit 8:20 PM EST NBCSun, Nov 23 @ Dallas 4:25 PM EST FOXFri, Nov 28 Chicago 3:00 PM EST AMZNMon, Dec 8 @ LA Chargers 8:15 PM EST ABCSun, Dec 14 Las Vegas 1:00 PM EST FOXSat, Dec 20 @ Washington Time: TBD FOXSun, Dec 28 @ Buffalo 4:25 PM EST FOXSun, Jan 4 Washington 1:00 PM EST EAGLES SCHEDULE NOTESSeven standalone games for the defending champs, including one with each divisional foe…They host Chicago on Black Friday…Open and close at home, so 9 of 15 in between are on the road…They play on five days of the week – Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday…Three America’s Game of the Week appearances including road games at AFC powerhouses Kansas City and Buffalo…The biggest oddity of the entire NFL schedule is the first meeting in Washington not happening until Week 16 (December 20 on FOX). |
| WASHINGTON Sun, Sep 7 NY Giants 1:00 PM EDT FOXThu, Sep 11 @ Green Bay 8:15 PM EDT AMZNSun, Sep 21 Las Vegas 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Sep 28 @ Atlanta 1:00 PM EDT CBSSun, Oct 5 @ LA Chargers 4:25 PM EDT FOXMon, Oct 13 Chicago 8:15 PM EDT ABCSun, Oct 19 @ Dallas 4:25 PM EDT FOXMon, Oct 27 @ Kansas City 8:15 PM EDT ABCSun, Nov 2 Seattle 8:20 PM EST NBCSun, Nov 9 Detroit 4:25 PM EST FOXSun, Nov 16 Miami (at Madrid) 9:30 AM EST NFLNBye Sun, Nov 30 Denver 8:20 PM EST NBCSun, Dec 7 @ Minnesota 1:00 PM EST FOXSun, Dec 14 @ NY Giants 1:00 PM EST FOXSat, Dec 20 Philadelphia Time: TBD FOXThu, Dec 25 Dallas 1:00 PM EST NetFLiXSun, Jan 4 @ Philadelphia0-0 1:00 PM EST COMMANDERS SCHEDULE NOTESWhat difference a year makes – from two scheduled standalones in 2024 to eight in 2025 (plus three appearances on FOX’s America’s Game of the Week)… Commanders fans are used to the early window on FOX, but in 2025 they are there in two of the first three weeks, then not again until December…Now, it’s a tough schedule, like the rest of the NFC East has with the four AFC West teams and four NFC North teams)…After opening with the Giants, the Commanders have only one division game in their next 12 contests…They then finish with four divisionals, including the odd Week 16 and Week 18 duo with the Eagles… |
| NFC SOUTH |
| TAMPA BAYBen Solak of ESPN.com likes the Buccaneers better than most: ESPN BET ranks the most likely NFC representatives for the Super Bowl in this order: Eagles, Lions, 49ers, Commanders, Packers, Rams, Vikings and Buccaneers. I would have the Buccaneers over every team besides the Eagles. Maybe tied with the Lions and Rams, but no lower than that. Part of the reason to like the Buccaneers chances is that they are the clear favorite in their division to get a home game against a lower Wild Card. No one else can say that, perhaps not even the Eagles. |
| AFC WEST |
| LAS VEGASOn the punter scale, P A.J. COLE gets a big money deal from the Raiders: @Schultz_ReportSources: The #Raiders and 2x First-Team All-Pro punter AJ Cole have agreed to a 4-year, $15.8M extension with $11M guaranteed, making him the highest-paid punter in the NFL. Cole had one year remaining on his current deal, so he’s now under contract for the next 5 seasons at just under $20M. Deal negotiated by Erik Schmella, Jordan Donald and Tyler Thomas of @TheFamilie_ |
| AFC NORTH |
| CINCINNATINFL schedule maker Mike North admits that Cincinnati’s nocturnal visit to Baltimore should not have been scheduled, but professes to be powerless to stop it. Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com: Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had two bones to pick about the 2025 schedule: (1) he wanted to play a game overseas; and (2) he didn’t want another night game near the Inner Harbor. Burrow’s wish list came up empty. The Bengals don’t play in one of the seven international games, and the Bengals play a prime-time road game against the Ravens in Baltimore, again. “Playing in Baltimore for the fourth straight year in prime time isn’t ideal,” Burrow said this week. “Maybe we can get one of those in Cincinnati. Please.” It’s also the third straight year the Bengals visit the Ravens on a Thursday night, after playing on the prior Sunday. NFL V.P. of broadcast planning & scheduling Mike North doesn’t take issue with the criticism. “It’s fair,” North told Geoff Hobson of the team’s official website. “It’s not a one-or-two years sort of a league where you fix every problem every other year or every two years. Once you start getting to the same thing three years in a row, four, or five years in a row, whether it’s a short week Thursday on the road or opening on the road.” North said that if he could have one game to change on the schedule, he’d “wave a magic wand” and remove the third straight short-week trip by the Bengals to Baltimore for a Thanksgiving night game. North explained that the rivalry nevertheless required one of the games to be in primetime. “I’m sure Bengals fans would have preferred it in Cincinnati, but it should be fun for you guys to ruin Baltimore’s Thanksgiving,” North said. Baltimore has won four in a row against the Bengals, and three in a row against Cincinnati at home. The rematch comes only two weeks later, at 1:00 p.m. ET on the Sunday of Week 15. The DB’s magic wand isn’t working but we did take a look at Weeks 13 and 15 where the Bengals and Baltimore meet. So in Week 13 play Buffalo at Pittsburgh on Thanksgiving night, Cincinnati at Baltimore on Sunday at 4:25 in place of the Steelers game. Then in Week 15, move Baltimore at Cincinnati to Monday night and slide Pittsburgh at Miami to Sunday. Miami would still have four primetime games – and even that seems excessive. The Ravens would have three of their four primetime games on the road, is that the dealbreaker? Is there some reason Pittsburgh couldn’t host a Thanksgiving game? They never have. Buffalo would have back to back road games on a Thursday (at Houston the previous week), so they would be playing on a full week’s rest while the Steelers played on Sunday. Is that a no-no? Anyway, that’s what we would have done. |
| AFC EAST |
| BUFFALO Sun, Sep 7 Baltimore 8:20 PM EDT NBCSun, Sep 14 @ NY Jets 1:00 PM EDT CBSThu, Sep 18 Miami 8:15 PM EDT AMZNSun, Sep 28 New Orleans 1:00 PM EDT CBSSun, Oct 5 New England 8:20 PM EDT NBCMon, Oct 13 @ Atlanta 7:15 PM EDT ESPNBye Sun, Oct 26 @ Carolina 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Nov 2 Kansas City 4:25 PM EST CBSSun, Nov 9 @ Miami 1:00 PM EST CBSSun, Nov 16 Tampa Bay 1:00 PM EST CBSThu, Nov 20 @ Houston 8:15 PM EST AMZNSun, Nov 30 @ Pittsburgh 4:25 PM EST CBSSun, Dec 7 Cincinnati 4:25 PM EST FOXSun, Dec 14 @ New England 1:00 PM EST CBSSun, Dec 21 @ Cleveland 1:00 PM EST CBSSun, Dec 28 Philadelphia 4:25 PM EST FOXSun, Jan 4 NY Jets BILLS SCHEDULE NOTESBuffalo when it’s balmy, Buffalo when it’s a blizzard – but not much in the fall. The Bills play four of their first five (including three in a row) at home, three of the last five – which leaves a run of five of seven on the road in the middle…Three of those first four home games are in Primetime, two on NBC…The Bills have a Thursday night game in Houston, nothing else on the road west of Atlanta (84@W longitude) and Cleveland (81@W)…Four of the first six in primetime, then only 1 of the last 10 (and no daytime standalones either)…The Bills are featured in four big late Sunday games from November 2 on (2 on CBS with Kansas City and Pittsburgh, then 2 on FOX with home games against Cincinnati and Philadelphia)…Three of the first five are division games. |
| MIAMI Sun, Sep 7 @ Indianapolis 1:00 PM EDT CBSSun, Sep 14 New England 1:00 PM EDT CBSThu, Sep 18 @ Buffalo 8:15 PM EDT AMZNMon, Sep 29 NY Jets 7:15 PM EDT ESPNSun, Oct 5 @ Carolina 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Oct 12 LA Chargers 1:00 PM EDT CBSSun, Oct 19 @ Cleveland 1:00 PM EDT CBSSun, Oct 26 @ Atlanta 1:00 PM EDT CBSThu, Oct 30 Baltimore 8:15 PM EDT AMZNSun, Nov 9 Buffalo 1:00 PM EST CBSSun, Nov 16 Washington (Madrid) 9:30 AM EST NFLNBye Sun, Nov 30 New Orleans 1:00 PM EST FOXSun, Dec 7 @ NY Jets 1:00 PM EST CBSMon, Dec 15 @ Pittsburgh 8:15 PM EST ESPNSun, Dec 21 Cincinnati 8:20 PM EST NBCSun, Dec 28 Tampa Bay 1:00 PM EST FOXSun, Jan 4 @ New England 1:00 PM EST DOLPHINS SCHEDULE NOTESIf, like the DB, you are suspicious about how good the Dolphins might be this year, we have to wonder about five primetime games, including two on back-to-back weeks in December…Two of the Primetime games are on Amazon Prime, so maybe a little sub-Prime…The Dolphins will go six weeks between visits to an opponents home stadium, from October 26 in Atlanta to December 7 at the Jets (there is a trip to Madrid for a “home” game with Washington)…It will be a hot one for the Patriots in Miami at 1 on September 14…Three early divisional games, in Weeks 2-3-4, then 2 in a 12-game span. |
| NEW ENGLANDJacob Robinson of The Athletic ponders if the 2025 Patriots can go Worst to First: Getting back to the Patriot wayLast offseason, the word in New England was change. The goal? Establish a new culture, replacing the emotionless, do-your-job style of Bill Belichick with a more modern, player-friendly approach. To begin the Jerod Mayo era, a Week 1 upset win over the heavily favored Bengals signaled that perhaps today’s players respond best to positivity, to a coach willing to install a locker-room basketball hoop. That victory concluded with a post-game Gatorade shower to celebrate Mayo’s first win as a head coach. There wasn’t another opportunity to celebrate like that in 2024. New England lost their next six games and finished 4-13 for the second consecutive year. It’s fair to wonder if any coach would’ve succeeded with that roster, but Mayo’s inversion of Belichick’s approach — best illustrated by Chad Graff’s story about card games prioritized over film — seemed a poor fit for a franchise built by maintaining the highest standards. It was clear the Patriots had lost their way. Enter new head coach Mike Vrabel, tasked with returning New England to the road he helped pave. “The banners that hang in our stadium, they’re not going to help us win,” Vrabel said during his introductory press conference. “But I think they’re a reminder of what it takes to win.” Is this a 2025 playoff team? Vrabel and de facto GM Eliot Wolf immediately started remaking the roster in the new coach’s linebacker image. They spent $150 million in guarantees on improving their defense in the first wave of free agency and used an early draft pick on the offensive line. But there’s also been flash, including the signing of former Pro Bowl WR Stefon Diggs. Now armed with the full schedule, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe and Austin Mock ran 100,000 simulations to project 2025. (The results include the 49ers and Bengals replacing the Vikings and Steelers in the playoffs.) Of the eight teams with the worst records in 2024, Vrabel’s Patriots are projected to have the biggest turnaround. Their 8.9 wins have them a hair behind the Chargers for the AFC’s final playoff spot. History suggests they might make it. Each of the past 10 seasons has included at least one team that drafts in the top eight and then makes the playoffs. Most of those playoff appearances required strong quarterback play. Even the worst of the bunch got solid seasons — in 2015, Kirk Cousins led the league in completion percentage for Washington. Mitch Trubisky was a 2018 Pro Bowler for the Bears. Even Marcus Mariota (Titans, 2017) and Blake Bortles (Jaguars, 2017) played well enough to let their talented teammates lead the way. This new generation of Patriots will go as far as sophomore QB Drake Maye can take them. Thankfully, he now has help. New England transformed last year’s 30th-ranked defense (by DVOA, per FTN Fantasy) into one of the league’s most improved position groups. Their most glaring needs — a No. 1 receiver and left tackle — are being addressed by Diggs and Campbell. Now, with nearly half a century (48 years, five months, to be exact) separating the combined ages of Belichick and Tom Brady from current counterparts Vrabel and Maye, we’ll quickly learn if this duo can restore New England to the winning course in a new way.– – – Sun, Sep 7 Las Vegas 1:00 PM EDT CBSSun, Sep 14 @ Miami 1:00 PM EDT CBSSun, Sep 21 Pittsburgh 1:00 PM EDT CBSSun, Sep 28 Carolina 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Oct 5 @ Buffalo 8:20 PM EDT NBCSun, Oct 12 @ New Orleans 4:25 PM EDT CBSSun, Oct 19 @ Tennessee 1:00 PM EDT CBSSun, Oct 26 Cleveland 1:00 PM EDT FOXSun, Nov 2 Atlanta 1:00 PM EST CBSSun, Nov 9 @ Tampa Bay 1:00 PM EST CBSThu, Nov 13 NY Jets 8:15 PM EST AMZNSun, Nov 23 @ Cincinnati 1:00 PM EST CBSMon, Dec 1 NY Giants 8:15 PM EST ESPNBye Sun, Dec 14 Buffalo 1:00 PM EST CBSSun, Dec 21 @ Baltimore 1:00 PM EST CBSSun, Dec 28 @ NY Jets 1:00 PM EST CBSSun, Jan 4 Miami 1:00 PM EST PATRIOTS SCHEDULE NOTESThe Patriots have a manageable schedule although with two games with the Bills and road trips to Baltimore and Tampa Bay there is some challenge…Although the schedule tilts with nine home games and eight on the road, there still is a three-game road trip that starts with a game at Buffalo on October 5…The NFL showed some confidence in the Pats, giving them three primetime contests – although two are against fellow recent bottomfeeders from New York…Stuffed with turkey on Thanksgiving Monday, the nation gets Giants at Patriots (barring a flex)…Three of the last four are division matchups…Six of the last 10 at home…New England plays in the early window on CBS 10 times (plus 2 more on FOX). |
| THIS AND THAT |
| NAMES TO KNOWTen people, three are coaches, who will be breaking out in 2025 per Ben Solak of ESPN.com: 10 names to knowThey’ll be big deals in the 2025 season. Meet them now and get ahead of the curve. Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Green Bay PackersThe light bulb went on for Cooper last year, as he rose from sub-package player to 100% snap starter by season’s end. From December on, I’m not sure there were five more impactful linebackers in all of football. Cooper is highly active against the run and a reliable tackler in space, and he has the size and athletic ability to be a solid coverage man. After he got one All-Pro vote last season, I’d wager Cooper gets double-digit votes in 2025. Elgton Jenkins, C, Green Bay PackersJenkins is one of the coolest players in the league. In six seasons, he has played at least 300 snaps at four of the five offensive line positions: both tackle spots, left guard and center. The film has been good everywhere, too — absurd consistency. His last extensive experience at center was in 2020, but he’s expected to fill that spot in 2025 after Josh Myers left for the Jets in free agency. Jenkins is in a contract dispute with the Packers right now, as he has only one year left on his deal and believes he should be compensated in reflection of his versatility. I agree with him. What a player. Nick Caley, offensive coordinator, Houston TexansI’m always hesitant about later branches plucked off coaching trees. The first few Sean McVay assistants probably have the goods, but the fourth, fifth and sixth options were probably in the back of the line for a reason. But Caley, who spent the past two years in the McVay incubator, was a longtime offensive coach for the Patriots before joining the Rams, so he isn’t really a continuing chip off a chip off a chip off the block. No offense was held back more by coaching errors last season than Houston’s unit. If Caley is even league average as a Year 1 playcaller, expect the Texans to finally deliver on their 2024 preseason hype. Kelee Ringo, CB, Philadelphia EaglesThe reigning Super Bowl champions used the draft to address immediate needs in their defense, which was left bare by free agent departures. But they didn’t draft a cornerback until Round 5, leaving room for Ringo, a 2023 fourth-round pick, to win the starting job opposite rookie star Quinyon Mitchell. Ringo has played fewer than 400 defensive snaps in his two seasons as a pro, but he’s only turning 23 this summer — the same age as some rookies. He has elite athletic traits to boot. If Ringo is ready for his moment, the Eagles’ defense looks adequately and rapidly retooled for another postseason push. Al Golden, defensive coordinator, Cincinnati BengalsImagine last season’s Bengals with a league-average defense. That’s not just a playoff team. That’s a team that could have beaten the Ravens, Bills, Chiefs or any other AFC contender in any playoff environment. The Bengals’ defensive depth chart remains a substantial impediment to their ascension to league average, but outgoing coordinator Lou Anarumo ran a system renowned for its complexity and need for quality communication, something that many young defenders in Cincinnati struggled to grasp. Could Golden, who just worked with young players for three years at Notre Dame, offer a quick boost to early draft picks like Dax Hill or Myles Murphy by simplifying their roles? I’m not betting on a big leap in the Bengals’ defense, but it is at least in the cards. RJ Harvey, RB, Denver BroncosIf you’re a fantasy player, you already know what I’m about to tell you, but let’s catch everyone else up to speed. The Broncos, who have an incredible offensive line and a coach historically willing to involve the running back in the passing game, drafted Harvey in the second round. The 24-year-old carried a big load at UCF, so he’s presumably pro-ready for the primary role in the backfield, and he showed some talent in the passing game. The Broncos need better performances from all their non-Courtland Sutton playmakers, and Harvey is first in line to provide that jump. Nate Wiggins, CB, Baltimore RavensWiggins was nominally the Ravens’ CB2 last season, starting as a rookie opposite veteran Brandon Stephens. But he was functionally their CB1. Highly competitive and physical at the line of scrimmage, Wiggins played his best ball against his best opponents (Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Malik Nabers). He wasn’t perfect, but rookie corners rarely are. If he plays with greater consistency, he’ll be considered one of the league’s better starting corners. And the team is banking on that improvement because its outside corner depth behind Wiggins is perilously thin. He needs to be the guy. Josh Grizzard, OC, Tampa Bay BuccaneersThe Buccaneers have achieved a rare and wonderful thing this offseason: They are slated to return all 11 starters from their 2024 offense. The only change is on the headset. Liam Coen left for the Jaguars head coaching job, and Grizzard was elevated from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator. Grizzard has had a quick rise in the NFL coaching ranks; he was first an offensive quality control coach with the Dolphins in 2017 and had only two years as a wide receivers coach in Miami before he got the Bucs job last season. At only 34 years old, and with experience under Mike McDaniel and Coen, it’s fair to have “next big thing” suspicions around Grizzard. If he can keep the train chugging from last season, the Bucs should have a top-10 offense again. Daiyan Henley, LB, Los Angeles ChargersThe Chargers had a starting linebacker spot up for grabs in 2024 after Kenneth Murray Jr. signed with the Titans in free agency. Rookie Junior Colson was expected to fill it. He was the Michigan man, after all, following his coach (Jim Harbaugh) and defensive coordinator (Jesse Minter) to the big leagues. Instead, it was Henley, the 2023 third-rounder who plays much bigger than his 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame would suggest. Henley has the instincts, quickness and tackling ability to influence the game sideline to sideline — something many linebackers aspire to do, but few can. He got 18 All-Pro votes in 2024 and deserved more. Deonte Banks, CB, New York GiantsCornerback is a hard position. As a rookie in 2023, Banks looked like a rising star. (Read about Wiggins above and just switch the names.) But Banks’ sophomore campaign was plagued with mental lapses, unnecessary risks and lost 50-50 balls. The Giants hit on their slot corner (Dru Phillips), added a starting safety (Jevon Holland) and snagged a new CB1 in free agency (Paulson Adebo). So a return to 2023 form for Banks could well elevate the Giants’ secondary to top-10 levels. And if you start doing the math on a defense with a top-10 pass rush and a top-10 secondary … |
