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The moves and machinations of the NFL offseason are basically complete at this point. As teams move through minicamps and OTAs, the 32 head coaches in the NFL have a strong idea of who they will be leading in the 2024 season.
While there will be additional moves throughout training camp, the major strengths of nearly every team appear to be set in stone.
There will be pressure on every head coach in the league to get the most out of his team. But the NFL coaches with the most pressure are the ones that have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. This is not a discussion about the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, Minnesota Vikings or Las Vegas Raiders, who are playing for improvement and respectability.
This discussion involves the Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. These are the teams that should have the best chances of wresting the title from the Kansas City Chiefs and becoming the NFL's next Super Bowl champions.
Campbell puts out the challenge in bold fashion
Start with Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions, who brought his team to a new level of success last year. The Lions won the NFC North in decisive fashion, won two playoff games for the first time in the Super Bowl era and nearly knocked off the 49ers in the NFC Championship game.
Campbell was asked if he sees this season as Super Bowl or bust.
“I see Super Bowl, I don’t see bust,” Campbell said without any hesitation.
Campbell is clearly placing pressure on quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson – his three best players. Goff, St. Brown and offensive tackle Penei Sewell are the key to the Lions offense, and they appear to be capable of handling the pressure.
But the defense is another story. The Lions showed significant improvement last year by going from 32nd to 19th in the NFL. Does Campbell really think a similar jump will happen this year and the Lions will have a top-10 defense? Apparently he does, and so does Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
This is a team that has a powerful offense, and one that is fully capable of repeating the NFC North title it won a year ago, and then going all the way to the Super Bowl.
Defensive rankings in NFL remains the issue for Lions
Hutchinson will get help from linebacker Alex Anzalone and the Lions have high hopes for rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold, who was selected in the first round out of Alabama. His work in the offseason has been stellar and it would be a shock if he is not starting opposite Carlton Davis in Week 1.
However, the team could still be vulnerable on defense. “I heard what Campbell said and he is quite bold,” said one AFC general manager. “But I don’t see where they are suddenly going to be a shut down defense. Hutchinson can’t do it by himself and the rest of their pass rush seems ordinary. I’m not saying Campbell is wrong, but the Detroit defense is going to have to prove it to me.”
Falling short in overtime should motivate 49ers
The Niners are clearly known commodities at this point. They not only made the Super Bowl last year but had the lead in the fourth quarter before the Chiefs took over and won the game in overtime.
The fact that the game was as close as it was proves Kyle Shanahan has this team on track, and like the Lions, it’s the offensive stars who are going to push this team once again. Brock Purdy has answered most doubters – although a few are still out there – and Christian McCaffrey is the best running back in the NFL by a fairly wide margin.
The receiving crew is deep and talented, and the addition of rookie Ricky Pearsall to that group should give Purdy one more option.
The Niners are a much better defensive team than the Lions. If Nick Bosa, Dre Greenlaw, Fred Warner and Talanoa Hufanga can all stay healthy, it will be difficult to unseat the 49ers in the NFC.
Ravens face crucial NFL season opener vs. Chiefs
The Ravens are similar to the 49ers in that their run at a championship was derailed by the Chiefs last year. The Ravens offense nearly stalled out completely against the improved Kansas City defense, falling by a 17-10 margin at home in the AFC title game.
There will clearly be something of a hangover impact on head coach John Harbaugh and his players this year – at least until the kickoff game in Week 1 when the Ravens go to Kansas City. If Lamar Jackson & Co. can get the jump on the Chiefs in the opener, it could lead to a special season.
If not, the Ravens will have to live with the fact that they are not as strong as Kansas City throughout the year. The coaching staff will try to plant seeds that tell a different story in the minds of the players, but those seeds are not likely to bear fruit.
Bengals must find a way to keep Burrow upright
The key for the Bengals is the health of Joe Burrow. It may not be fair to say the Cincinnati quarterback is injury prone, but he has battled a slew of injuries throughout his career.
He tore a ligament in his hand and wrist last year in Week 11 against the Ravens that sent him to the injured list for the remainder of the season. That followed a right calf strain last summer that limited his participation in training camp. He also reaggravated that injury in a Week 2 game against the Ravens.
Burrow was relatively healthy in 2022, but he did suffer a dislocated pinkie on his passing hand late in 2021. He also twisted his knee in the AFC Championship Game victory over the Chiefs and suffered an MCL sprain in the final minutes of the Super Bowl loss to the Rams.
He also tore his ACL during a Week 11 game with Washington during his rookie season of 2020, and that forced the team to shut him down and put him on the injured list.
The Bengals desperately need Burrow to stay healthy if they want to make a return trip to the Super Bowl.
This and that …
The Chicago Bears have been selected for HBO's Hard Knocks series, and this is something that the team had desperately and successfully tried to avoid for years. However, after picking Caleb Williams with the No. 1 selection in the NFL Draft and garnering quite a bit of heat with the acquisition of wideout Keenan Allen and the drafting of wideout Rome Odunze, they could not avoid the spotlight this time around.
Team president/CEO Kevin Warren knows that raising the Bears profile can only help in their pursuit of a new lakefront stadium that the team would like to make their new home. However, the Illinois state legislature has not indicated that it will help the Bears in their desires. Turning the Bears into an HBO event may or may not help the cause. …
Rookie Drake Maye of the Patriots may be the last of the six rookie quarterbacks selected within the first 12 picks to get an NFL start. Head coach Jerod Mayo does not want to put undo pressure on the former North Carolina star. The Patriots have veteran Jacoby Brissett to man the position in 2024, and no quarterback has a better interception rate — just 1.4 percent — throughout his career. Brissett has thrown just 23 interceptions in 1,600 pass attempts.
