2025 NFL Season Previews

Arizona Cardinals 2025 NFL Season Preview

stevenlourie 2025 NFL Season Previews, Cardinals

Quarterback

When Jonathan Gannon took over as the Cardinals’ head coach following the 2022 season, the Cardinals were arguably in the worst situation in the NFL. The Cardinals had the oldest roster in the NFL in 2022 and ranked 8th in roster average annual salary, which tends to correlate heavily with winning percentage, but they went just 4-13. Going into 2023, the Cardinals were in need of a major teardown and rebuild and, one of their few young bright spots, quarterback Kyler Murray, was set to miss the first half of the season after tearing his ACL late in 2022.

With their average age going all the way down to 31st in the NFL and their roster average annual value also falling to 27th, the Cardinals’ 2023 season started about as expected, as they lost eight of their first nine games, but they improved significantly when Murray returned, surprisingly going 3-5 down the stretch and showing promise going into the future. The Cardinals had two first round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, but didn’t do much in free agency, leaving them with a roster average annual value that still ranked just 28th, so expectations were still not high going into 2024.

However, the Cardinals managed to exceed expectations for the second straight season, with Jonathan Gannon constantly getting the most out of his players again. They fell short of the post-season at 8-9, but were better than that suggests in terms of first down rate differential at +1.13% and yards per play differential at +0.31, led by an offense that ranked 7th in both first down rate and yards per play. Now going into 2025, the Cardinals were aggressive this off-season, particularly when it came to making much needed upgrades to their defense and, as a result, they now rank 10th in roster average annual value and look like they could be a playoff team, especially if Gannon continues to coach at a high level.

Murray was a big part of the Cardinals’ offensive success last season, completing 68.8% of his passes for an average of 7.12 YPA, 21 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, while averaging 7.33 YPC with 5 touchdowns on 78 carries. Overall, he ranked 12th among quarterbacks with a 82.1 PFF grade. That’s largely in line with how he has played throughout his career, completing 67.1% of his passes for an average of 7.01 YPA, 115 touchdowns, and 57 interceptions, while averaging 6.00 YPC on 31 touchdowns on 503 carries, with a PFF grade above 80 in three of six seasons in the league. He’s also not really injury prone, only missing four games in his career aside from the time missed with a torn ACL, which he seems to be fully recovered from. Still only in his age 28 season, I would expect more of the same from him in 2025.

The Cardinals also improved the backup quarterback situation this off-season in case Murray does happen to miss time, signing Jacoby Brissett, who has started 53 games in nine seasons in the league, completing 61.1% of his passes for an average of 6.47 YPA, 53 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. The Cardinals would be in trouble if he had to start for an extended period of time, but you could say the same thing about most teams if their starting quarterback got hurt and, all things considered, having Brissett as your backup is better than most teams’ quarterback situations. If he needs to make a couple spot starts, it won’t be the end of the Cardinals’ playoff chances.

Grade: B+

Receiving Corps

One of the key players who has broken out in the past couple years to accelerate the Cardinals’ rebuild is tight end Trey McBride. A second round pick in 2022, McBride didn’t do much as a rookie, with a 29/265/1 slash line and 0.84 yards per route run, and he was off to a similarly slow start to the 2023 season, but he suddenly broke out down the stretch when Murray got healthy, as McBride had a 55/538/2 slash line in the final eight games of the season with Murray under center, which extrapolates to 117/1143/4 over 17 games. 

McBride then continued that into 2024, finishing with a 111/1146/2 slash line in 16 games. In terms of yards per route run, McBride ranked 3rd among tight ends in 2024 with 2.14 and his 86.8 PFF grade ranked 2nd among tight ends. The Cardinals extended him on a 4-year, 76 million dollar deal this off-season that makes him the second highest paid tight end in the league, but I think he is still underpaid as the tight end position is underpaid overall. Think about it this way, McBride’s receiving yardage last season would have been 10th among wide receivers, but his average annual salary would rank just 21st among wide receivers and he isn’t just a good receiver, as he also holds his own as a blocker as well.

One thing that could take this offense to the next level would be a breakout season from Marvin Harrison, who they selected 4th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft because of his massive upside. Harrison wasn’t bad as a rookie, but he wasn’t quite as good as expected, with a 62/885/8 slash line on 116 targets with a 1.63 yards per route run average. However, he still has a massive upside and I would be surprised if he didn’t at least take somewhat of a step forward in 2025, with a strong possibility that he takes a big step forward.

Michael Wilson remains the primary wide receiver opposite Harrison, which makes him a distant third in the pecking order. Wilson was a third round pick in 2023 and showed some promise as a rookie, with a 38/565/3 slash line and 1.36 yards per route run on just 58 targets, but he took a step back in a bigger role in 2024, seeing his targets increase to 71, but still producing around the same level, with a 47/548/4 slash line, and seeing his yards per route run average drop to 1.09. Wilson is still only in his age 25 season and could bounce back to his rookie year efficiency or possibly even have his most efficient year yet in his third season in the league in 2025, but he won’t be a big part of this offense unless McBride or Harrison suffer a significant injury. 

Greg Dortch was the third wide receiver last season and he was underwhelming with a 37/342/3 slash line and a 1.18 yards per route run average, which is in line with the 6-year veteran’s career average of 1.22 yards per route run, but he is likely to remain in that role for another season, without a better option being added this off-season. His primary competition for the job will be veteran Zay Jones, who once was a solid receiver, with a 47/546/1 slash line and 1.38 yards per route run in 2021 and a 82/823/5 slash line and 1.44 yards per route run in 2022, but he has seen his yards per route run average drop to 1.05 in 2023 and 0.50 in 2024 and now he heads into his age 30 season, so his best days are likely behind him. He figures to remain the #4 wide receiver at best for another season.

Behind McBride at tight end, Tip Reiman (451 snaps) and Elijah Higgins (412 snaps) saw roles last season. Both were decent blockers, but Higgins was by far the better of the two as a receiver, with 1.01 yards per route run, as opposed to 0.34 for Reiman, leading to Higgins finishing with a 61.9 PFF grade overall, as opposed to 49.3 for Reiman. Reiman might be the favorite for the #2 tight end job this season though, as he was only rookie last season and, as a former third round pick, he has the higher upside of the two options. Higgins, a 2023 6th round pick who also had a 63.6 PFF grade on 191 snaps as a rookie, will probably continue seeing a situational role either way, but Reiman will likely play more snaps than he does. This is a top heavy receiving corps, led by Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison, but this group could be better than a year ago, if Harrison takes a step forward and/or if Michael Wilson bounces back from an underwhelming second season in the league. 

Grade: B+

Offensive Line

Another young player who has accelerated the Cardinals’ rebuild is Paris Johnson. The 6th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Johnson had a nondescript rookie year with a 60.1 PFF grade in 17 starts at right tackle, before breaking out at left tackle in 2024, with a 80.8 PFF grade in 14 starts. Johnson is technically a one-year wonder, but he entered the league with a huge upside, so there is a good chance he has permanently turned a corner and will remain an elite left tackle going forward and it’s also possible he still has further untapped upside, still only going into his age 24 season. I expect another strong season from him.

The rest of this offensive line is basically the same as a year ago, when they ranked 4th on PFF in pass block grade and 13th in run block grade. Left guard Evan Brown and center Hjalte Froholdt started all 17 games last season and will remain at those spots in 2025. Brown was decent, but unspectacular with a 65.9 PFF grade and I expect more of the same from him. Brown is going into his age 29 season and has mostly been a capable starter over the past four seasons, with PFF grades of 66.8, 64.8, and 55.5 in the three seasons prior to last, while making 57 total starts over that 4-year period.

For Froholdt, his 76.1 PFF grade in 2024 was a career best by a pretty wide margin. A 2019 4th round pick, Froholdt was a late bloomer, playing just 61 snaps in three and a half seasons before taking over a starting role until midway through his fourth season in the league, when he finished with a 61.4 PFF grade in 6 starts with the Browns. The Cardinals took a chance on him as a free agent and it has paid off, as he continued that decent play into his first full season as a starter in 2023, when he had a 64.1 PFF grade in 17 starts, before taking a big step forward in 2024. It’s very possible Froholdt won’t replicate the best year of his career again in 2025, but he should at least be a reliable starting center, with the upside to continue being an above average starter if he has permanently turned a corner.

Unlike at left guard and center, the Cardinals had significant injury issues at right guard and right tackle last season, where expected starters Will Hernandez and Jonah Williams played well with PFF grades of 69.3 and 70.7 respectively, but were limited to just 5 starts and 6 starts respectively by injury. Hernandez was replaced by career backup Trystan Colon, who played pretty well with a 71.0 PFF grade across 386 snaps, but was still benched down the stretch for third round rookie Isaiah Adams, who was mediocre with a 58.4 PFF grade across 462 snaps. 

Hernandez and Colon were not retained this off-season, so Adams will remain the starter, despite his underwhelming performance down the stretch. He could take a step forward in his second season in the league, but that is not a guarantee and the Cardinals are taking a risk by not having a good alternative on the roster, with their top reserve guard likely being Royce Newman, a 2021 4th round pick who made 24 starts for the Packers from 2021-2023, but who finished below 60 on PFF in all three of those seasons, before getting waived last off-season and spending 2024 in Tampa, where he played just three snaps.

At right tackle, Williams was replaced by the seemingly ageless Kelvin Beachum, who performed decently with a 64.1 PFF grade in 12 starts. A 13-year veteran, Beachum has never finished below 60 on PFF for a season and, while his days as a full-time starter are likely over, heading into his age 36 season, Beachum is still good depth behind Williams, who the Cardinals are hoping to get a healthier season out of. 

Williams has missed at least six games with injury in three of six seasons in the league, but he has generally played well when healthy, finishing above 60 on PFF in all but one season, with three seasons above 70. Still only in his age 28 season, the former first round pick of the Bengals has obvious upside if healthy, but it is probably a good thing the Cardinals have a solid insurance option behind him in Kelvin Beachum, given Williams’ injury history. The Cardinals’ offensive line is middling overall outside of left tackle Paris Johnson, but Paris Johnson significantly elevates the overall grade of the group by himself.

Grade: B+

Running Backs

The Cardinals’ running game was the most effective part of their offense last season, ranking second in the NFL with 5.29 YPC. Kyler Murray was a big part of the reason for the Cardinals’ success on the ground, not only averaging 7.33 YPC himself, but also freeing up space for running backs with his dual threat ability, but featured running back James Conner also had a great season, rushing for 1,094 yards and 8 touchdowns on 236 carries (4.64 YPC), while receiving a 90.4 grade on PFF, 5th best among running backs.

Conner is going into his age 30 season in 2025 with 1,642 career touches, so he’s right around where running backs start to drop off significantly, but he also has arguably had the best two seasons of his career in his last two seasons, exceeding 1000 yards rushing in both seasons for the only two times in his career, while averaging 4.81 YPC on a combined 444 carries, as opposed to 4.18 YPC in his first six seasons in the league. Conner also had a 47/414/1 slash line and 1.54 yards per route run last season and has a 1.19 yards per route run average for his career. I wouldn’t expect him to be quite as good again in 2025, given his age, but he still has a good chance to remain at least a solid lead back.

With Conner getting up there in age, the Cardinals used a third round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Trey Benson with the intention of having him give Conner more regular rest in the short-term and potentially taking over for him as the starter in the long-term. Benson was decent as a rookie, averaging 4.62YPC, but he didn’t have much of a role, managing just 63 carries in 13 games. Now in his second season in the league with Conner being another year older, I would expect Benson’s role to grow and he has the talent to do well in that expanded role. 

Emari Demercado was their primary backup in passing situations last season and he could remain in that role, even if Benson has an expanded role. Demercado, a 2023 undrafted free agent, averaged 1.11 yards per route run last season after only averaging 0.73 yards per route run as a rookie. Demercado also averaged 9.29 yards per carry last season, but it came on just 24 carries, mostly against defenses that were expecting the run. Conner will remain the lead back and Benson will have a big role as the backup, but Demercado could remain involved in a situational role as well.

Grade: B+

Edge Defenders

While the Cardinals’ offense is almost identical to last season, when they were a well above average unit, their defense looks much different than a year ago, a good thing, as the Cardinals finished 23rd in yards per play allowed and 29th first down rate allowed. Their biggest single addition on defense this off-season probably edge defender Josh Sweat, who they signed to a 4-year, 76.4 million dollar deal. Sweat has finished above 70 on PFF in pass rush grade in five straight seasons, totaling 39 sacks, 47 hits, and a 11.5% pressure rate in 79 games over that stretch, while also mostly playing solid run defense. Still only going into his age 28 season, he should continue playing at that level into 2025. He was a great value and should be a big upgrade for the Cardinals on the edge.

The Cardinals also used a third round pick on Oregon’s Jordan Burch and are getting 2023 second round pick BJ Olujari back from a torn ACL that cost him all of last season, after he flashed potential with a 64.8 PFF grade across 409 snaps and a 12.4% pressure rate as a rookie. Sweat, Burch, and Olujari are being added to a position group that attempted to deal with their lack of talent last season by using a heavy rotation, with seven players playing at least 150 snaps, but only one of them playing more than 300 snaps. 

That one player is Zaven Collins, who should continue having a role, even in a more talented position group. A first round pick in 2021, Collins began his career as an inside linebacker, but has been better off since switching to the edge over the past two seasons, finishing with a 72.1 PFF grade across 637 snaps in 2023 and a 72.0 PFF grade across 600 snaps in 2024, totaling 8.5 sacks, 5 hits, and a 10.9% pressure rate in 34 games, while particularly playing well against the run, including a 85.4 run defense grade in 2024 that was 4th best in the league among edge defender. Still only in his age 26 season, Collins should continue playing at a similar level in 2025 and should still have a role, particularly in base packages as a run stuffer.

The Cardinals should also get more out of Baron Browning than they did a year ago, as the only reason he just played 232 snaps for the Cardinals last season is because they traded for him mid-season and he played just eight games as a result. Browning isn’t much of a run defender, but he has 11.5 sacks, 12 hits, and a 13.2% pressure rate in 37 games while averaging 464 snaps per season over the past three seasons and will continue having a rotational role, after being kept on a 2-year, 15 million dollar deal this off-season. Xavier Thomas, a 2024 5th round pick, is the only other holdover remaining on the roster from a year ago, but he struggled mightily with a 39.4 PFF grade across 208 snaps and could ultimately find himself on the outside looking in for a final roster spot in what is a much deeper position group this season.

Grade: B+

Interior Defenders

The Cardinals also made several additions at the interior defender position, much needed because their top-3 interior defenders in terms of snap count last season were LJ Collier (588 snaps), Dante Stills (532 snaps), and Roy Lopez (464 snaps), who finished with PFF grades of 49.2, 57.0, and 54.9 respectively. In free agency, the Cardinals added Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell on contracts of 2 years, 29 million and 1 year, 5.5 million respectively.

Tomlinson is going into his age 31 season and is coming off back-to-back down seasons, with PFF grades of 63.3 and 67.4 on snap counts of 617 and 609, after finishing above 70 on PFF in each of his first six seasons in the league prior to that. Given his age, it’s likely his best years are behind him, but he could still remain a solid starting interior defender for at least another season. His run defense is primarily what has declined, but he has still totaled 6 sacks, 22 hits, and a 10.2% pressure rate in 32 games over the past two seasons, which is actually an improvement over the 19 sacks, 46 hits, and 7.5% pressure rate he has in 125 career games.

Campbell is even older, going into his age 39 season, making him the oldest defensive player in the league by three years, but he is seemingly ageless, posting a 82.3 PFF grade across 616 snaps in 2024 that was his best single-season grade since 2019. In total, Campbell has finished above 70 on PFF in fourteen straight seasons, including nine seasons over 80 and four seasons over 90. Over that stretch, he has totaled 97.5 sacks, 166 hits, and a 10.1% pressure rate in 213 games, while also playing the run well and averaging 49.0 snaps per game. At his age, a significant drop off is very possible, but he could also remain at least a useful starter for another season. By signing with the Cardinals this off-season, Campbell returns to the team who drafted him in the second round in 2008 and with whom he spent the first nine seasons of his career.

With Tomlinson and Campbell both on the wrong side of 30, the Cardinals used their first round pick this year on a younger option, taking Walter Nolen 16th overall. He has a huge upside and could also make an immediate impact in a rotational role. He’s also the second straight interior defender the Cardinals have drafted in the first round, as they used their other first round pick in 2024 on Darius Robinson. Robinson missed most of his rookie season with injury, limited to 184 snaps in six games, and he struggled mightily even when on the field, with a 48.4 PFF grade, but he still has a high upside and could be a lot better in his second season in the league if he is healthier. He also figures to rotate heavily with Tomlinson, Campbell, and Nolen.

The Cardinals are also getting back Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols after they missed most of last season with injury, limited to 100 snaps in 3 games and 173 snaps in 6 games respectively, after being signed to deals worth 3 years, 31.165 million and 3 years, 21 million in free agency last off-season. In a much deeper and more talented position group this season, Jones and Nichols are unlikely to see significant roles and both were overpaid as free agents anyway. Jones has finished below 60 on PFF in six of seven seasons in the league, including four seasons under 50, while Nichols has finished below 60 on PFF in three straight seasons. The Cardinals are much better off for not needing them to play significant roles this season.

LJ Collier and Dante Stills also remain on the roster as of this writing, but both may be long shots to make the final roster, given all of the Cardinals’ additions at this position this off-season. Collier is a bust as a 2019 first round pick, finishing below 60 on PFF in all six seasons in the league. Stills, meanwhile, is a 2023 6th round pick who has finished with PFF grades of 59.3 and 57.0 over the past two seasons. Collier and Stills led this position group in snaps last season, but with Tomlinson, Campbell, and Nolen all being added and Robinson, Jones, and Nichols all expected to be healthier, the Cardinals don’t have much need for them any more. This is a much improved position group.

Grade: B+

Linebackers

The Cardinals also signed Akeem Davis-Gaither in free agency, bringing the linebacker in on a 2-year, 10 million dollar deal, but he is not as impactful as the Cardinals’ other off-season additions. A 2020 4th round pick, Davis-Gaither only played 847 underwhelming snaps in the first four seasons of his career, before playing a bigger role in 2024, when he played 535 snaps, but he didn’t perform any better, finishing with a 59.0 PFF grade. Davis-Gaither is replacing Kyzir White, who had a 48.8 PFF grade across 1,015 snaps last season, so it won’t be hard for Davis-Gaither to be an upgrade, but he is still an underwhelming option.

Davis-Gaither will start next to Mack Wilson, who was decent with a 63.8 PFF grade across 760 snaps last season. That was the first season of his 6-year career in which he played more than 400 snaps and finished above 60 on PFF, but he also had a 81.5 PFF grade across 305 snaps in 2023 and, only in his age 27 season, it’s possible he’s permanently turned a corner and will remain a solid starter going forward. Even if that is the case, however, Davis-Gaither and Wilson are an underwhelming linebacker duo and the Cardinals’ depth behind them isn’t great either, with 2023 5th round pick Owen Rappoe, who has played 245 nondescript snaps in two seasons in the league, and 4th round rookie Cody Simon as their top reserve options. 

Grade: C+

Secondary

The Cardinals also used a second round pick on Michigan cornerback Will Johnson. Johnson was arguably the best cornerback in the draft and could have been a top-10 pick, but concerns about the durability of his knee long-term dropped him into the middle of the second round. If he can stay healthy, he could prove to be a massive steal for the Cardinals. For now, it sounds like he will be healthy enough for the Cardinals off-season program and will compete for a role in what is a very young cornerback group overall.

The Cardinals’ top cornerback and probably the only one locked into a role is slot cornerback Garrett Williams, a 2023 3rd round pick who broke out last season with a 82.0 PFF grade across 778 snaps, after posting an underwhelming 56.7 PFF grade across 360 snaps as a rookie. Williams is a one-year wonder in terms of playing at the level he played at last season and might not be quite as good again in 2025 as he was in 2024, but even if he regressed somewhat, he should still remain an above average slot cornerback and he has the potential to be one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league for years to come. 

In addition to taking Will Johnson in the second round of this year’s draft and Garrett Williams in the third round of the 2023 draft, the Cardinals used second and third round picks on Max Melton and Elijah Jones in the 2024 draft. Melton was mediocre with a 55.5 PFF grade across 565 snaps as a rookie, while Jones missed his entire rookie season with injury, but both could provide more value in their second season in the league and should compete for roles. 

The Cardinals also have Starling Thomas, who, while he went undrafted in the 2023 draft, is also a young cornerback who will compete for a role. After struggling mightily with a 46.1 PFF grade across 473 snaps as a rookie, he was serviceable with a 60.9 PFF grade across 817 snaps last season. The Cardinals are probably hoping one of their higher upside, higher drafted cornerbacks can step up and take over a bigger role from Thomas, but Thomas isn’t a bad option to have either.

The veteran of this cornerback group is Sean Murphy-Bunting, a 2019 second round pick of the Buccaneers who is heading into the second year of a 3-year, 25.5 million dollar deal he signed with the Cardinals last off-season. Murphy-Bunting struggled with a 56.5 PFF grade across 725 snaps in his first season in Arizona and, while he has had some better years, he has also finished below 60 on PFF in four of six seasons in the league and there is a good chance he remains mediocre in 2025. His 8 million dollar salary is guaranteed, ensuring his roster spot, but he is not guaranteed to continue having a significant role in a young cornerback group that has other options. 

Unlike at cornerback, the Cardinals have a veteran duo at safety, where Jalen Thompson and Budda Baker are heading into their 7th straight season as the Cardinals safety duo, but both are still under 30 and are unlikely to regress in 2025. Thompson has played 84 games in six seasons in the league, starting 72 of them, including all 47 games he has played in the past three seasons. He’s never been a spectacular player, but he has finished above 60 on PFF in all six seasons in the league, with his career best coming in 2023, when he finished with a 71.3 grade. Still only in his age 27 season, I would expect more of the same from him in 2025.

Baker, meanwhile, has started 112 of the 122 games he has played since being selected in the second round in the 2017 NFL Draft, including all 92 he has played in over the past six seasons. Like Thompson, he has also exceeded 60 on PFF in every season in the league and he’s shown a higher upside than Thompson, exceeding 70 on PFF in five of those eight seasons, including a career best 77.8 grade in 2024. Still only in his age 29 season, I would expect him to continue being an above average starting safety, even if he might not repeat his career best 2024 campaign.

If either Thompson or Baker miss time with injury, the Cardinals could still be in good hands because 2024 4th round pick Dadrion Taylor-Demerson showed a lot of potential in a reserve role as a rookie, with a 75.5 PFF grade across 258 snaps. He might not be able to keep up that level of play as an every down starter if needed, but he’s still young with upside and he’s a better third safety option than most teams have. The Cardinals’ secondary has a good chance to be better than a year ago, given how many young cornerback options they have that could potentially give them more than they gave them a year ago.

Grade: B+

Kicker

The Cardinals began last season with Matt Prater as their kicker and he excelled, making all six of his field goals and all ten of his extra points in four games, but then he got hurt and was replaced by Chad Ryland. Ryland, a 4th round pick by the Patriots in 2023, was a disaster as a rookie in New England, making just 64.0% of his field goals and finishing the season with a league worst 15.46 points below average, leading to his release from New England after just one season. 

However, he was a lot better in Arizona last season, making 87.5% of his field goals and accumulating 1.81 points above average. With Prater a free agent going into his age 41 season this off-season, the Cardinals opted not to bring him back and instead are going with the younger Ryland going forward. He’s still pretty unproven and it’s possible he could regress in 2025, but he also came into the league with a lot of potential and has a good chance to continue being a solid kicker for the Cardinals going forward.

Grade: B

Conclusion

The Cardinals ranked 7th in both yards per play and first down rate last season and bring back every offensive player who played at least 400 snaps for them last season. Their defense was a problem, as they ranked 23rd in yards per play allowed and 29th first down rate allowed, but they should be significantly healthier on defense, after having the fourth most adjusted games lost to injury on defense last season, and they made several key off-season additions as well, most notably edge defenders Josh Sweat, interior defenders Dalvin Tomlinson and Walter Nolen, and cornerback Will Johnson. If their offense can remain a top-10 unit and their defense can improve to even being a middling unit, the potential is there for this to be a playoff team in 2025, especially since they have a weak schedule.

Prediction: 11-6, 2nd in NFC West

Cleveland Browns 2025 NFL Season Preview

stevenlourie 2025 NFL Season Previews, Browns

Quarterback

Three off-seasons ago, the Browns made a franchise changing move. After years of building their roster after an aggressive rebuilding process, the Browns felt they were a quarterback away from being legitimate contenders and traded three first round picks to Houston for Deshaun Watson, who they promptly gave a new fully guaranteed 5-year, 20 million dollar contract. It was a risky move and not just because of the price they paid to acquire him. Watson came with serious off-the-field accusations and a pending lengthy suspension, even after he had already sat out the entire 2021 season as his legal situation played out.

However, the one thing that didn’t seem to be a concern was his football ability. Watson was in the prime of his career and had career numbers of 67.8% completion, 8.32 YPA, 104 touchdowns, and 36 interceptions, along with 5.46 YPC and 17 touchdowns on the ground, including a career best year the last time he was on the field in 2020, when he completed 70.2% of his passes for an average of 8.87 YPA, 33 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, while rushing for 4.93 YPC and 3 touchdowns on 90 carries, leading to him ranking 2nd overall among quarterbacks on PFF with a 92.4 grade.

Watson missed the first eleven games of the 2022 season with his suspension and then was underwhelming upon his return, completing 58.2% of his passes for an average of 6.48 YPA, 7 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. It was easy to chalk Watson’s underwhelming performance up to being rusty after missing a total of 28 games and adapting to a new scheme, but Watson continued to struggle in 2023, completing 61.4% of his passes for an average of 6.52 YPA, 7 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions in 6 starts, before going down for the season with a shoulder injury. Upon his return in 2024, Watson was even worse, completing 63.4% of his passes for an average of 5.31 YPA, 5 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions in 7 starts, before going down for the season with a torn achilles. 

The reasons for Watson’s sudden regression in the middle of his career are not totally clear, but it probably has something to do with a combination of injuries, being a poor scheme fit, and being out of action for so long between the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Watson does have two years left on his contract, worth a combined 92 million guaranteed, but after his latest injury, the Browns are seemingly ready to give up on him and, even if they aren’t, it’s very possible he’s not healthy enough to play at all in 2025. Making matters worse, the quarterback they jettisoned when they acquired Watson, Baker Mayfield, has since broken out in Tampa Bay, completing 67.9% of his passes for an average of 7.52 YPA, 69 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions over the past two seasons. 

Probably the most frustrating thing about Watson’s struggles for the Browns is the fact that they were right that they were a quarterback away from being legitimate contenders. As poorly as Watson played in 2022 and 2023, the Browns were 8-4 in games he started and, even without him, the Browns made the post-season in 2023 despite starting five different quarterbacks because of the strength of the rest of this roster. However, with their roster getting older and with three missing first round picks as a result of the Watson trade, the rest of this team has declined significantly in 2024 and, still without a competent quarterback, the Browns finished last season 3-14.

This off-season, the Browns opted not to address the quarterback in a significant way, recognizing that this was a bad quarterback draft class and recognizing that their roster would need a multi-year rebuild either way. The Browns used their 2nd overall pick to trade down to the 5th overall pick and accumulated much needed extra draft picks in the process, including the Jaguars’ first round pick in what is projected to be a much better quarterback class next year. In the meantime, the Browns took fliers on former first round bust pick Kenny Pickett, 40-year-old Joe Flacco, and third and fifth round rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, in hopes that one of them can give them respectable quarterback play. Ultimately, that seems unlikely and that might be for the best, as losing as many games as possible would help the Browns secure a high pick in next year’s draft. 

Flacco went 4-1 for the Browns in 2023, but he was two years younger then and had about a league average 90.2 QB rating, mostly winning games because of a strong supporting cast that is no longer what it once was. Pickett was the 20th overall pick by the Steelers in 2022, but he was always a reach in a terrible quarterback draft and has shown nothing in three years in the league that suggests he should have been taken there, completing just 62.6% of his passes for an average of 6.31 YPA, 15 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in 25 starts with the Steelers and Eagles. Gabriel and Sanders have some upside, but ultimately the odds of finding even a solid starting quarterback outside of the top-50 picks of a draft are very slim, particularly when you consider that this was overall a bad quarterback draft class. It’s very likely that at least two or three of these options make starts for the Browns in 2025 and it’s also very likely that they all struggle.

Grade: C+

Offensive Line

The Browns still have four of their five primary starting offensive linemen from their 2023 playoff team, but four of their five offensive line starters are on the wrong side of 30 and, overall, this group is not as good as it was two years ago. Center Ethan Pocic is the youngest of the over 30 offensive linemen, only going into his age 30 season this season. He’s been a solid starter for the past five seasons, finishing in the 60s and 70s on PFF in all five seasons, including a 71.4 PFF grade in 2023 and a 63.6 PFF grade in 2024. Given his age, he could remain a solid starter for another couple seasons, but it’s also possible he declines a little bit.

Right guard Wyatt Teller is going into his age 31 season. At his best, he was one of the top guards in the league, with PFF grades of 92.7 and 84.9 in 2020 and 2021 respectively, but he also maintained above average grades into 2022 and 2023, when he received grades of 70.3 and 72.9, before falling to 62.6 in 2024. It’s likely at this point in his career that he is on the decline and it’s very possible he’ll never be as good as he was in 2022-2023 again, let alone 2020-2021, but he probably will remain at least a capable starter.

Left guard Joel Bitonio is the oldest of the bunch, going into his age 34 season, and reportedly contemplated retirement this off-season. The 11-year veteran was consistently one of the best guards in the league in his prime, with eight seasons above 70 on PFF and four seasons above 80, but he has finished with grades of 68.0 and 63.9 over the past two seasons and it’s likely that is the best we can expect him from at this point in his career. It’s also possible he declines even further and struggles.

The Browns did sign Teven Jenkins to a 1-year, 3.05 million dollar deal in free agency to give themselves some insurance at guard. Jenkins, a 2021 2nd round pick, has performed at a pretty high level over the past three seasons, with PFF grades of 80.7, 72.6, and 75.4, but he has durability concerns, missing 23 of a possible 68 games in his career, with a maximum of 14 starts in a season, which is likely why he didn’t have a strong free agent market. As far as reserve guards go, he is one of the best in the league, as he arguably is good enough to start for a number of teams around the league. The Browns also have 2024 3rd round pick Zak ZInter, who struggled mightily with a 43.9 PFF grade across 233 snaps as a rookie, but who still has upside and could provide good depth at both guard and center.

At right tackle, Jack Conklin is going into his age 31 season. He actually missed most of the 2023 season with an injury he suffered week 1, which carried into 2024, when he missed the first four games of the season. Having him healthy in 2025 would be one thing the Browns have in 2025 that they didn’t have in 2023, but it’s also unlikely the Browns go the full season without any offensive line injuries, so they won’t necessarily be healthier upfront in 2025 than they were in 2023, especially when you consider that injuries have cost Conklin at least five games in four of the past seven seasons, with 41 total games missed in those seven seasons. Conklin also saw his PFF grade fall to a career worst 66.2 in 2024 and, while he could bounce back a little bit in 2025, another year removed from injury, but it’s also very likely that his best days are behind him, given his age.

When Conklin was out in 2023, his primary replacement was Dawand Jones, who did a decent job with a 64.8 PFF grade in 9 starts, despite being just a 4th round rookie, before suffering his own season-ending injury. With left tackle Jedrick Wills, who had PFF grades of 54.0 and 52.9 in 2023 and 2024 respectively, no longer with the team, Jones is expected to take over as the starting left tackle in 2025, but his long-term trajectory doesn’t look as good now as it did after his solid rookie season, as he regressed significantly to a 46.4 PFF grade in 8 starts in 2024, before his season was ended by another significant injury. 

Coming off of a terrible season and back-to-back major injuries, Jones is a shaky starting option going into 2025. The only other option the Browns have though is veteran free agent addition Cornelius Lucas, who has been a solid swing tackle for most of his career, finishing above 60 on PFF in eight straight seasons, but who has also never made more than 12 starts in a season in his career and now is heading into his age 34 season. With a questionable situation at left tackle and the Browns’ other four expected starting offensive linemen on the wrong side of 30, the Browns’ offensive line has a lot of concerns, though at least they have above average depth if needed.

Grade: B-

Receiving Corps

In 2023, the Browns’ receiving corps was led by Amari Cooper, who had a great year, posting a 80.3 PFF grade, with a 72/1250/5 slash line and 2.31 yards per route run on just 128 targets, despite an inconsistent quarterback situation. Cooper declined significantly in 2024 though, not coincidentally his age 30 season, when he had just a 63.0 PFF grade with a 24/250/2 slash line and 1.46 yards per route run on 53 targets in 6 games, before being traded to the Bills mid-season. 

Fortunately, the Browns had Jerry Jeudy, who they acquired last off-season, to step up in his absence, but, while he did have an impressive 90/1229/4 slash line, he was far less efficient than Cooper was in 2023, totaling those numbers on 145 targets, averaging 1.72 yards per route run, and finishing with a 73.5 PFF grade as a result. In fact, Jeudy’s yards per route run average was lower than the average he had in his first four seasons in the league in Denver (1.83), when he averaged just a 53/763/3 slash line per season. Jeudy should still be productive in 2025, but that’s because he remains by far the top wide receiver option in an underwhelming position group.

After Jeudy on the depth chart, Cedric Tillman and Diontae Johnson are expected to be the Browns’ top wide receivers. Tillman, a 2023 3rd round pick, struggled mightily as a rookie with 0.63 yards per route run, before taking a step forward in his second season in the league, with 1.22 yards per route run. He could take another step forward in his third season in the league, but that’s far from a guarantee and, overall, he seems likely to be an underwhelming #2 wide receiver option. 

Diontae Johnson is much more proven, with an average of 1.70 yards per route run in his career and was primarily available on just a minimum one-year dollar deal in free agency this off-season because of issues he has had with coaching staffs in the past, especially last season, when he spent times on three different rosters, after spending the first five seasons of his career in Pittsburgh. As a result, he finished last season with a career worst 33/375/3 slash line. Johnson is only in his age 29 season and still averaged a decent 1.52 yards per route run last season, so if he can be coachable, he could be a solid receiving option, especially compared to Elijah Moore (0.91 yards per route run), who he is essentially replacing, but he comes with a lot of risk.

Behind their top-3 wide receivers, the Browns are very limited on options, as the other wide receivers on their roster are return man DeAndre Carter, who is heading into his age 32 season, with a career 1.11 yards per route run average, David Bell, a 2022 3rd round pick who hasn’t developed, averaging 0.92 yards per route run in three seasons in the league, Jamari Thrash, a 2024 5th round pick who averaged just 0.24 yards per route run as a rookie, and Michael Woods, a 2022 6th round pick with a career 0.38 yards per route run average. All four are bottom of the roster wide receiver talents, but if any of their top-3 receivers miss significant time with injury, one of them will be forced into a significant role, which is very likely, given how common injuries are.

With the issues the Browns have at wide receiver, expect them to lean heavily on tight end David Njoku, who had 123 targets in 2023 and 97 targets in just 11 games in 2014. Njoku was better in 2023 than 2024, with a 81/882/6 slash line and 1.70 yards per route run, as opposed to 64/505/5 and 1.33 yards per route run in 2024, but he is only in his age 29 season, so he could bounce back in 2025 if he’s healthy. The Browns added Harold Fannin in the third round of the draft, but I think that was more for depth purposes in the short-term and that he won’t cut heavily into Njoku’s workload. Fannin will replace Jordan Akins, a veteran who was decent in an expanded role last season with Njoku missing time, finishing the season with a 40/390/2 slash line and 1.24 yards per route run on 58 targets. Overall, this is an underwhelming receiving corps, with Njoku likely functioning as the #2 receiver.

Grade: B-

Running Backs

The Browns’ running game was a problem last season, as they ranked 29th in the NFL in carries, 29th in rushing yards, and 23rd in yards per carry at 4.11. Leading rusher Jerome Ford averaged 5.43 YPC on 104 carries, but 45.1% of his rushing yards came on 7 carries of 15+ yards and he averaged just 3.20 YPC on his other 97 carries. Ford was also the Browns’ leading rusher in 2023, when he averaged 3.99 YPC on 204 carries, with 32.7% of his yards coming on 8 carries of 15+ yards and a 2.79 YPC on his other 196 carries.

In order to improve this running game, the Browns did not retain Nick Chubb, who averaged just 3.25 YPC on 102 carries last season, after missing most of 2023 with a significant knee injury, and they replaced him with second and fourth round picks Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson. Judkins, a physical inside runner, is likely to be their lead back in 2024, while the smaller, speedier Sampson can provide a change of pace. Ford will likely remain involved, particularly in passing situations, where he has slash lines of 44/319/5 and 37/225/0 on target totals of 63 and 43 over the past two seasons respectively. This still looks like an underwhelming backfield, but they have significant upside with a pair of talented rookies coming in. 

Grade: B

Edge Defenders

The Browns’ defense was the biggest reason for their success in 2023, as they ranked 1st in the NFL in first down rate allowed and 4th in yards per play allowed. In 2024, they were still pretty good, but fell to 2nd in first down rate allowed and 23rd yards per play allowed. That wasn’t that surprising. Not only does defensive performance tend to be much less consistent year-to-year than offensive performance, but they also had several key players from 2023 who were getting up there in age. Going into 2025, the Browns have lost several key players from their dominant 2023 defense, while others have declined or are likely to decline due to age.

At the beginning of this off-season, the Browns thought they might be losing their most important player on defense, Myles Garrett, who initially demanded a trade, before opting to come back after the Browns gave him a 4-year, 160 million dollar extension that reset the edge defender market at the time. Garrett was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, receiving a 94.0 PFF grade on 805 snaps, excelling against the run, while also totaling 14 sacks, 15 hits, and a 17.2% pressure rate, and he wasn’t much worse in 2024, when he had a 92.3 PFF grade on 822 snaps, 14 sacks, 13 hits, and a 17.4% pressure rate. In total, Garrett has finished above 80 on PFF in all eight seasons in the league, since being #1 overall in 2017, including four straight seasons above 90. He’s now going into his age 30 season, so he could start declining soon, but even if he declines somewhat in 2025, it’s hard to imagine him not being one of the best edge defenders in the league.

In 2023, Garrett lined up opposite Za’Darius Smith, who also played at a high level with a 82.6 PFF grade across 580 snaps and a 15.5% pressure rate, while Ogbo Okoronkwo had a 65.7 PFF grade across 443 snaps and a 12.0% pressure rate as the primary reserve. In 2024, Smith got off to a solid start, with a 73.6 PFF grade across 324 snaps and a 13.2% pressure rate through 9 games, but he wasn’t quite as good as he was in 2023 and then he was traded to the Lions for draft compensation, with the Browns’ season going nowhere. Meanwhile, Okoronkwo dropped all the way to a 45.3 PFF grade, struggling against the run and as a pass rusher (8.7% pressure rate). Okoronkwo had finished above 60 on PFF in each of his first five seasons in the league prior to last season, so he has some bounce back potential, but he’s going into his age 30 season, so it’s also possible his best days are behind him and that he will continue to struggle.

Isaiah McGuire, a 2023 4th round pick, was a bright spot for the Browns last season. He struggled with a 46.9 PFF grade across 93 snaps as a rookie, but in 2024 he excelled as a run stopper (86.1 PFF grade against the run, 3rd best among edge defenders), while also adding 2.5 sacks, 5 hits, and a 12.5% pressure rate in a part-time role. He finished last season with 469 snaps played, 297 of which came in 8 games after Smith was traded, and he figures to continue having an expanded role in 2024. It’s possible he’s not quite as good in 2025 in that expanded role as he was in 2024, but he seems to have a bright future, especially as a run stopper.

The Browns will get Alex Wright back from injury this season, after he was limited to 103 snaps in four games last season. Wright wasn’t bad last season before going down, with a 60.2 PFF grade, but that was a limited sample size and he struggled with PFF grades of 38.4 and 54.8 on snap counts of 543 and 385 in his first two seasons in the league in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Wright was a third round pick in 2022, so he has potential and it’s possible he has permanently turned a corner and will remain a decent rotational player upon his return in 2025, but he also could regress back to struggling.

The Browns also took a flier on Joe Tryon-Shoyinka this off-season and will give the 2021 first round pick a chance to earn a rotational role. Tryon-Shoyinka has largely been a bust to this point in his career, playing 630 snaps per season, but maxing out with a 67.1 PFF grade in 2022 and finishing below 60 on PFF in two of four seasons in the league, including a 52.0 PFF grade across 539 snaps in 2024. In total, he has just 15 sacks, 22 hits, and a 9.6% pressure rate in 66 career games, including 2 sacks, 1 hit, and a 8.0% pressure rate in 15 games in 2024. Still only in his age 26 season, he may still have some untapped potential, but he’s running out of time to make good on that potential. The Browns still have the dominant Myles Garrett and Isaiah McGuire has potential, but the rest of this edge defender group is underwhelming and, overall, this group looks noticeably worse than it was in 2023.

Grade: A-

Interior Defenders

In 2024, the Browns were led in snaps at the interior defender position by Dalvin Tomlinson (609 snaps) and Shelby Harris (527 snaps), who also led the Browns in snaps at the interior defender position in 2023. Both had solid seasons in 2024, with PFF grades of 67.4 and 66.7 respectively, but are on the wrong side of 30, so Tomlinson wasn’t retained in free agency, while Harris is expected to play a smaller role, now in his age 34 season. An 11-year veteran, Harris has never finished below 60 on PFF in any season, with seven seasons over 70, but his best days are almost definitely behind him and he could continue declining in 2025.

To make up for the loss of Tomlinson and Harris likely moving into a smaller role, the Browns used the 5th overall pick on Mason Graham, signed veteran Maliek Collins to a 2-year, 20 million dollar deal, and will likely get more out of 2024 2nd round pick Michael Hall, who was limited to 232 snaps in 8 games as a rookie due to injury and suspension. Graham is NFL ready, in addition to having a huge upside, while Hall showed a lot of potential in a limited role as a rookie, with a 67.7 PFF grade. 

Collins, meanwhile, is also getting up there in age, heading into his age 30 season. A 9-year veteran, Collins has consistently been a good interior rusher throughout his career, finishing above 60 on PFF as a pass rusher in all but one season, while totaling 30.5 sacks, 60 hits, and a 8.5% pressure rate in 136 career games, but he has also consistently struggled as a run defender, finishing below 60 on PFF in seven of nine seasons in the league. I would expect more of the same from Collins in 2025, with potentially some decline overall due to his age.

The Browns also have Sam Kamara and Jowan Briggs, who showed some potential in limited roles last season, with PFF grades of 65.7 and 72.2 respectively on snap counts of 273 and 133 respectively. Kamara is a 2021 undrafted free agent who only played 194 snaps in his first three seasons in the league, prior to last season, while Briggs was a 2024 7th round pick, so neither of them have a high upside and both could struggle if forced into a larger role, but they should still compete for rotational roles, even if they are likely to need an injury ahead of them on the depth chart to see significant playing time. This isn’t a bad position group, but it is not a particularly good one either.

Grade: B

Linebackers

Outside of Myles Garrett, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah might have been the Browns’ most important defensive player in 2023. A 2021 2nd round pick, Owusu-Koramoah had a 75.3 PFF grade in 2023 and was having an even better season in 2024 with a 80.6 PFF grade, but he suffered a scary neck injury last season that ended his season after 460 snaps in 8 games and that already has him out for all of 2025, making it likely that his career is in doubt. Needless to say, his absence in 2025 and potentially beyond are a huge blow to this defense.

Fellow linebackers Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush also had good seasons in 2024, with PFF grades of 77.4 and 79.2 respectively across snap counts of 602 and 497. For Hicks, it was his fifth season over 70 on PFF in ten seasons in the league, including back-to-back in 2023 and 2024. Hicks is going into his age 33 season though and reserve option Mohamed Diaboute struggled with a 52.5 PFF grade across 581 snaps last season, which mostly came after Owusu-Koramoah got hurt, so the Browns prioritized re-signing Bush in free agency and then used a second round pick on Carson Schwesinger. 

Bush also comes with some concerns, in part because he was arrested this off-season, but also because he is a one-year wonder in terms of playing at the level he played at last season, with his previous career high single-season grade on PFF being 62.9. Bush is a former 2019 1st round pick who is still only going into his age 27 season, so it’s possible he could have permanently turned a corner and will remain at least a solid starting option, but that’s not a guarantee. WIth Owusu-Koramoah out for the season, Hicks going into his age 33 season, Bush being a one-year wonder with off-the-field concerns, and Schwesinger being a rookie, this is a shaky linebacker group, but there is at least some upside here if everything goes right.

Grade: B

Secondary

The Browns’ secondary didn’t change much between 2023 and 2024 personnel wise, but all of their key players had a worse season in 2024 than they did in 2023. That’s despite the fact that many of their key defensive backs were not on the wrong side of 30. The most noticeable decline was probably cornerbacks Martin Emerson and Greg Newsome. Neither were spectacular in 2023, with PFF grades of 65.8 and 69.6 respectively across snap counts of 856 and 770 respectively, but both struggled in 2024, falling to PFF grades of 47.9 and 52.2 respectively across snap counts of 827 and 571.

Both are still only going into their age 25 season and 2024 is the outlier when you look at their careers, as Emerson is a 2022 3rd round pick who also had a 72.5 PFF grade across 783 snaps as a rookie, while Newsome is a 2021 1st round pick who has finished with PFF grades above 68 in each of the first three seasons in the league prior to last season, so both have significant bounce back potential in 2024, but they overall don’t look as promising long-term as they did a year ago, given how badly they played last season. If Emerson and/or Newsome continue to struggle, the Browns won’t have much choice but to continue playing them in significant roles as their top alternative is Cameron Mitchell, a 2023 5th round pick who has struggled with PFF grades of 58.1 and 52.9 across snap counts of 277 and 371 in his first two seasons in the league respectively. 

Denzel Ward remains as the Browns’ top cornerback. His dropoff from 2023 to 2024 was negligible, going from a 69.6 PFF grade across 617 snaps in 2023 to a 68.4 PFF grade across 757 snaps in 2024. Last season was actually the second worst single-season grade of his 7-year career, as he’s mostly been an above average cornerback since entering the league as the 4th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Ward is still only going into his age 28 season and should remain an above average starter in 2025, but durability has consistently been a problem for him and will likely remain one going forward. Ward has never had a major injury, playing in at least 12 games in every season in the league, but he has also missed at least one game in every season, 21 games total in seven seasons, while maxing out at 855 snaps played in a season.

At safety, the Browns also got negligible declines from Juan Thornhill, who had a 67.3 PFF grade across 602 snaps in 2023 and a 65.5 PFF grade across 401 snaps in 2024, and Rodney McLeod, who had a 54.1 PFF grade across 280 snaps in 2023 and a 50.9 PFF grade across 565 snaps in 2024. With Thornhill and McLeod heading into their age 30 and age 35 seasons respectively, the Browns did not retain either and instead will give Ronnie Hickman a full-time starting job. Hickman also regressed from 2023 to 2024, but he showed a lot of potential in both seasons, with a 86.5 PFF grade across 308 snaps in 2023 and a 77.2 PFF grade across 463 snaps in 2024. Hickman went undrafted in 2023 and his impressive play over the past two seasons might not translate into an every down role, so he does come with some risk, but he also has a lot of upside.

If Hickman can’t translate to a larger role, the Browns’ best alternative is veteran Damontae Kazee, who they signed in free agency. Kazee has been a solid situational player/starter for most of his career, starting 62 of 92 games he played in from 2017-2023 and averaging 45.0 snaps played per game, while finishing above 60 on PFF in all seven seasons. However, he fell to a 58.8 PFF grade across just 290 snaps last season and now heads into his age 32 season, so his best days are almost definitely behind him and he would likely struggle if forced back into a starting role. 

Grant Delpit will remain as the other starting safety. He fell from a 70.0 PFF grade across 738 snaps in 2023 to a 65.2 PFF grade across 978 snaps in 2024. His 2023 season was the best season of his career thus far, but he’s also had a PFF grade above 60 in each of the past four seasons and, still only in his age 27 season, he should remain at least a capable starter in 2025, even if he doesn’t reach the heights he reached in 2023. The Browns have a solid secondary if everything goes right, but there is also downside here as well.

Grade: B

Kickers

The Browns’ kicker situation was a big part of the problem last season, as kicker Dustin Hopkins ranked dead last in the NFL with 14.8 points below average, probably costing the Browns at least one win, if not more. The Browns didn’t bring in any meaningful competition for him this off-season, with the only other option on their roster being 2024 undrafted free agent Andre Szmyt, who didn’t attempt a kick as a rookie. Instead, the Browns are hoping for a bounce back season from Hopkins. Hopkins did have three straight above average seasons prior to last season, accumulating 10.3 points above average over those three seasons, including 7.4 points above average in 2023, 6th best in the NFL. However, he is now heading into his age 35 season, so his best days may be behind him and, even if he bounces back somewhat in 2025, he could still struggle and be below average. 

Grade: C+

Conclusion

The Browns figure to be one of the worst teams in the league again this season. Their quarterback situation is one of the worst in the league and they lack high level young talent throughout their roster, in large part due to not having a first round pick for three straight seasons from 2022-2024. The Browns look like they are in the early stages of a teardown before a rebuild and might have been better off more aggressively tearing down this roster in an attempt to free up more cap space for 2026 and get to the building part of their rebuild sooner. As of right now, the Browns still have a roster that has the 5th highest average age in the NFL and they have just 14.75 million in cap space for 2026, 25th in the NFL. By not going through a full teardown, they will probably win a couple more games than they otherwise would have, but it seems highly unlikely this team will compete for a playoff spot in the AFC.

Prediction: 2-15, 4th in AFC North

San Francisco 49ers 2025 NFL Season Preview

stevenlourie 2025 NFL Season Previews, 49ers

Quarterback

The 49ers were probably the most disappointing team in the league last season, going from a 12-win season and a Super Bowl appearance in 2023 to being seen as one of the early favorites in 2024 to finishing with a 6-11 record and in last place in their division. This off-season, the 49ers lost among the most key players of any team in the league, without replacing most of them. Despite that, I still like the 49ers’ chances for a bounce back season, for several reasons.

For one, the 49ers were statistically much better than their record suggested last season, as they finished the season 2nd in yards per play differential and 5th in first down rate differential, which are both much more predictive year-to-year than a team’s win-loss record. The 49ers did that despite having the most adjusted games lost to injury of any team in the league last season, by a wide margin. In fact, there was a bigger gap between the 49ers and the second most injury plagued team in the league last season than there was between the second most injury plagued team and the 12th most injury plagued team.

The 49ers lost a lot this off-season, but many of the players they lost either missed significant time and/or had down years in 2024. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw missed all but 34 snaps due to injury last season. Interior defender Javon Hargrave was limited to 104 snaps in 3 games. Safety Talanoa Hufanga struggled with a 57.8 PFF grade in 304 snaps across 7 games after returning from injury. Cornerback Charvarius Ward missed five games and was not himself when on the field while dealing with tragedy in his personal life, finishing the season with just a 56.2 PFF grade. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel only missed two games, but was limited due to injury in numerous games, resulting in a career low 1.60 yards per route run average and a career low 70.9 PFF grade.

When the 49ers were at their best in 2023, they were led by nine players between their offense and defense who played at least 700 snaps and finished with a PFF grade above 80: quarterback Brock Purdy, running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle, left tackle Trent Williams, edge defender Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner, and cornerback Charvarius Ward. In 2024, Purdy missed two games and did not seem to be himself when he returned, McCaffrey was not himself across 167 snaps in four games, Samuel and Ward missed time and were not themselves when on the field, as mentioned, Williams missed seven games, Aiyuk missed ten games, Kittle missed two games, Bosa missed three games, and Warner did not miss a game, but played through a broken bone in his leg for most of the season. 

Samuel and Ward are gone, Kittle and Williams are on the wrong side of 30 and could decline this season, and Aiyuk and McCaffrey still have significant injury concerns, but overall I would expect much more in 2025 out of those core players from the 49ers’ 2023 team than the 49ers got from them in 2024. The 49ers also drafted well in the 2024 NFL Draft, with second round pick cornerback Renaldo Green (69.2 PFF grade across 675 snaps), third round pick guard Dominick Puni (80.5 PFF grade across 1,078 snaps), and fourth round pick safety Malik Mustapha (63.9 PFF grade across 755 snaps) all showing a lot of promise as rookies, not to mention first round wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who could take a step forward in year two. With those players added to the mix and healthier seasons from their core players from 2023, the 49ers still have a team that could compete in the NFC in 2025, assuming they don’t have the historically bad injury luck they had last season.

The biggest reason the 49ers had to let so many players leave this off-season was the fact that they owe quarterback Brocky Purdy a huge raise from his rookie deal. Purdy got a lot of criticism for the 49ers’ struggles last season and his TD/INT ratio noticeably declined from 31/11 to 20/12 between 2023 and 2024, but yards per attempt is much more predictive year-to-year than TD/INT ratio and he still ranked 3rd in yards per attempt (8.49), despite not having as good of a supporting cast as he had in years past and despite playing through injury in his final five starts of the season. 

Overall, Purdy finished the season with a PFF grade of 82.4 in 2024, 11th among quarterbacks, after posting a 88.4 PFF grade, 4th among quarterbacks, in his first full season as a starter in 2023. He has proven he can produce at a high level even without an elite supporting cast and that he can post MVP level production with an elite supporting cast, so he deserves a top quarterback contract, at least more than most of the quarterbacks who have gotten them recently, including Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence, Dak Prescott, and possibly Jared Goff.

Purdy will be backed up this season by free agent signing Mac Jones. Jones is a bust as a former first round pick, completing 65.9% of his passes for an average of 6.75 YPA, 54 touchdowns, and 44 interceptions in 49 starts in four seasons in the league since being selected 15th overall in 2021, but he’s a solid backup, he came relatively cheaply (2-year, 8.41 million), and he is a good fit for the 49ers’ scheme. At the very least, he should be an upgrade over Brandon Allen and Josh Dobbs, who combined for 63.6% completion, 7.27 YPA, 3 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions in the absence of Purdy last season. The 49ers would likely still be in trouble if Purdy suffered a serious injury and Jones had to play for a significant period of time, but that’s true of almost every team and Jones is above average as far as backup options go.

Grade: A-

Running Backs

The 49ers’ running backs were probably their position group that was hardest hit by injuries last season. Not only did Christian McCaffrey miss most of the season and disappoint in limited action when on the field, but top backup Elijah Mitchell missed all of the season and expected third string Jordan Mason, who surprised as the lead back in the absence of McCaffrey and Mitchell with 5.17 YPC on 153 carries, also missed five games, leaving the 49ers down to their 4th or even 5th string running back at times.

Mitchell and Mason were not brought back this off-season, but 2024 4th round pick Isaac Guerendo flashed potential as a rookie last season, with 5.00 YPC on 84 carries and 1.42 yards per route run as a receiver, and the 49ers also added Oregon’s Jordan James in the 5th round of this year’s draft, so their depth situation isn’t bad. Of course, if Christian McCaffrey does end up missing more time this time, it would be a huge blow to this offense even if their depth at the position isn’t bad. 

At his best, McCaffrey is the best all-purpose running back in the league, averaging 256 carries for 1,271 rushing yards (4.96 YPC) and 11 rushing touchdowns with an average 94/794/6 slash line and 1.69 yards per route run in his last four healthy seasons in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023, but he has also been limited to 3 games, 7 games, and 4 games in 2020, 2021, and 2024 respectively, so the injury risk is obvious. Making matters worse, McCaffrey is now heading into his age 29 season with 1,871 career touches, which is a relatively advanced age with a relatively high career usage for a running back, which, not only could increase his injury risk, but could prevent him from being at his top form even when on the field. Ultimately, I would expect a lot more out of McCaffrey in 2025 than 2024, even if he’s not at his best, but the injury and age risk is obvious as well. 

Grade: A-

Receiving Corps

With Deebo Samuel having a down year and Brandon Aiyuk missing all but seven games last season, Jauan Jennings surprisingly stepped up and had a career year with a 77/975/6 slash line and 2.26 yards per route run (14th among eligible wide receivers), after combining for just 78 catches, 963 yards, and 7 touchdowns across his first four seasons in the league from 2020-2023, when he averaged just 1.23 yards per route run. Jennings is a one-year wonder and might not be as efficient as he was a year ago, but Samuel is gone and Aiyuk could be out until mid-season as he recovers from a multi-ligament tear in his knee, so Aiyuk could see even more playing time than a year ago, when he ranked just 48th among wide receivers in routes run.

Ricky Pearsall, their first round pick in 2024, also figures to have a big role this season. He had an underwhelming rookie year with a 31/400/3 slash line on 1.31 yards per route run, but he has a valid excuse, missing the first six games of the season after an off-season gunshot wound, which likely led to him not being 100% all season even when he did play. Now in his second season in the league, he has the upside to take a big step forward. Jennings will probably lead 49ers wide receivers in production, but Pearsall probably has the highest upside of any of their options, aside from Aiyuk, who obviously has a serious injury concern.

When Aiyuk is not on the field, veteran free agent addition DeMarcus Robinson will likely be the 49ers’ #3 receiver behind Jennings and Pearsall. He’s an underwhelming option though, as the 505 receiving yards he had last season was the highest total of his 9-year career, a career in which he has averaged just 0.96 yards per route run, and now he is heading into his age 31 season, so he almost definitely is what he is at this point of his career and easily could regress and be even less effective than he has been throughout his career. He could face competition for his role from 2024 4th round pick Jacob Cowing, who played 106 nondescript snaps as a rookie, and 4th round rookie Jordan Watkins, but Robinson will likely be ahead of Cowing and Watkins on the depth chart and, even if he isn’t, it’s unlikely Cowing or Watkins would be any better.

Obviously the big question mark in this receiving corps is Aiyuk. In his last full season in 2023, Aiyuk was one of the best receivers in the league, totaling a 75/1342/7 slash line on just 105 targets, averaging 3.01 yards per route run, 3rd in the NFL among eligible wide receivers, and posting a 92.3 PFF grade, 2nd in the NFL among eligible wide receivers. However, in addition to dealing with a significant injury, he is also a one-year wonder in terms of performing at that level, averaging just 1.78 yards per route run, with a career high of 1.91 yards per route run in his other four seasons in the league. Even in 2024 before his injury, he had just a 25/374/0 slash line and 1.74 yards per route run in seven games. Aiyuk’s return from injury could still be a big boost for this offense, but I wouldn’t expect him to be anywhere near his 2023 form.

Tight end George Kittle will remain a big part of the offense. His age is becoming a concern, now going into his age 32 season, but he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down, recording the second highest receiving yardage total of his career last season with a 78/1106/8 slash line on just 94 targets, and, even if he does decline a little bit, he will likely remain one of the best tight ends in the league because he is declining from such a high base point. In addition to averaging 2.48 yards per route run and a 86/1191/7 slash line per 17 games over the past seven seasons, he is also an elite run blocker, leading to him receiving PFF grades of 89.7, 95.0, 84.9, 90.9, 82.0, 87.6, and 92.1 over those seven seasons.

Eric Saubert was the #2 tight end last season, but he wasn’t retained as a free agent this off-season and instead was replaced with Luke Farrell on a 3-year, 15.75 million dollar deal. Saubert had a 51.2 PFF grade across 377 snaps last season, so it won’t be hard for Jarrell to be better, but he was still likely overpaid as a free agent. Jarrell is a capable blocker, which is primarily what his role will be in San Francisco, but he has only averaged 0.96 yards per route run with 36 catches in 66 career games, so he won’t be much more of a factor in the passing game than Saubert was. This is still a talented receiving corps, even with Deebo Samuel gone, Brandon Aiyuk likely to miss the start of the season, and George Kittle getting older, but they are not the elite unit they were in 2023.

Grade: A-

Offensive Line

Getting left tackle Trent Williams back from injury will also be a big boost for this offense, though with him coming off of a significant injury and going into his age 37 season, it is fair to question if he will be the same player. Williams has exceeded a 75 grade on PFF in every season since 2011 though, with 10 seasons over 80, including an 85.6 PFF grade last season before his injury, so, even if he isn’t quite the same, the future Hall of Famer should still remain at least an above average left tackle, barring a massive decline.

Left guard Aaron Banks left as a free agent this off-season, one of the few players the 49ers lost this off-season who was actually healthy last season, but he was a middling starter with a 65.4 PFF grade in 13 starts, so it’s not as if he’s irreplaceable. In his place, the 49ers will likely start Ben Bartch. Bartch has only started 22 games in five seasons in the league, with a career high of 11 starts back in 2021, but he has mostly been decent when called upon, finishing above 60 on PFF in every season except his rookie season, and he flashed a lot of potential in limited action last season, with a 74.8 PFF grade across 65 snaps. 

Bartch is still a projection to a season-long starting role, but the 49ers have a history of getting the most out of their offensive lineman, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he proved to be a capable starter. His primary competition for the job is Spencer Burford, a 2022 4th round pick who struggled with PFF grades of 49.6 and 50.4 across 29 starts in his first two seasons in the league, before posting a 57.6 PFF grade across 113 snaps as a reserve in 2024. Bartch should beat him out for Aaron Banks’ old job unless something strange happens.

Center is also somewhat of a concerning position for the 49ers. Jake Brendel remains as the starter, after making all possible 51 starts over the past three seasons, but he has been middling at best in those three seasons, with PFF grades of 64.9, 63.9, and 65.0, and now he heads into his age 33 season and could decline, which would likely push him down into below average starter territory. If Brendel struggles, the 49ers’ other option is Matt Hennessy, a 2020 3rd round pick who excelled as a run blocker with a 88.1 PFF run blocking grade in 17 starts in 2021, but he also struggled mightily in pass protection with a 50.5 PFF pass blocking grade that season and, aside from that season, he has only ever played 398 snaps and started 5 games in his other four seasons in the league.

Fortunately, the 49ers found a steal in the third round of last year’s draft in Dominick Puni, who started all 17 games for the 49ers at right guard last season and was PFF’s 8th highest ranked guard with a 80.5 grade. Even if Puni isn’t quite as good again in 2025, he should remain at least an above average starter and he has the upside to develop into one of the consistently best guards in the league. He’ll continue starting next to right tackle Colton McKivitz, who wasn’t quite as good last season as Puni was at right guard, but who still had a solid season, with a 72.2 PFF grade in 17 starts. 

A 2020 5th round pick, McKivitz played sparingly in his first three seasons in the league, but had a solid 65.1 PFF grade while also making all 17 starts in his first season as a starter in 2023, before taking another step forward in 2024. Now with two solid seasons as a starter under his belt, I would expect more of the same from him in 2025, still only his age 29 season. McKivitz and Trent Williams will likely be backed up by swing tackle DJ Humphries. Humphries finished above 60 on PFF in nine straight seasons from 2015-2023, but he missed 49 games due to injury over that stretch, played just 92 snaps last season primarily as a reserve, and now he is going into his age 32 season, so his best days are almost definitely behind him. He’s probably still a good swing tackle option though. The 49ers have some question marks at left guard and center, but this should still remain at least a solid offensive line, especially if left tackle Trent Williams stays healthy and continues to avoid declining for another season, despite his age.

Grade: B+

Edge Defenders

The 49ers didn’t have quite as many injuries on defense as they did on offense, but they did have some key players miss significant time. Stud defensive end Nick Bosa missed three games and he was sorely missed in those three games, as he had a 91.0 PFF grade across 693 snaps, excelling both as a run defender and a pass rusher, with 9 sacks, 16 hits, and a 16.4% pressure rate, while none of the 49ers’ other edge defenders finished with a PFF grade above 60 on the season. 

Bosa’s dominant play in 2025 when healthy was no surprise, as he has consistently been one of the best defensive players in the league since being the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, finishing above 80 on PFF in all six seasons in the league, including three straight seasons over 90. In total, he has 62.5 sacks, 108 hits, and a 16.2% pressure rate in 82 career games. Still only going into his age 28 season, I would expect more of the same from Bosa again in 2025 and, aside from last season and a 2020 campaign ended by a torn ACL, he has played at least 16 games in every season in the league, so I wouldn’t necessarily classify him as injury prone.

The rest of the 49ers’ edge defender group could be better this season too, after adding Georgie’s Mykel Williams in the first round of the draft. Williams is raw, particularly as a pass rusher, but he should still be able to be an upgrade as a rookie and he has a huge upside long-term. He figures to replace veteran Leonard Floyd as the starter opposite Bosa and, while Floyd had 8.5 sacks last season, that was mostly because of Bosa facing double teams and causing disruption opposite him, as Floyd finished the season with a 53.5 PFF grade across 604 snaps, so it wouldn’t be hard for Williams to be better overall than Floyd was last season.

The rest of this edge defender group consists of holdovers who struggled a year ago, most notably Sam Okuayinonu, who had a 54.1 PFF grade across 451 snaps, Yetur Gross-Matos, who had a 51.5 PFF grade across 367 snaps, and Robert Beal, who had a 55.3 PFF grade across 149 snaps. Okuayinonu is a 2022 undrafted free agent who had played just 105 mediocre snaps in his career prior to last season, so he’s unlikely to ever develop into even a useful rotational player. 

Gross-Matos was a second round pick in 2020 by the Panthers, but has finished below 60 on PFF in three of five seasons in the league and, now going into his age 27 season, is running out of time to deliver on his upside. Beal was a fifth round pick in 2023 and has shown very little across 188 career snaps. The 49ers are likely to get a healthier season out of Nick Bosa and the addition of Mykel Williams should make the rest of this edge defender group better in 2025 by default, but there are still significant depth concerns at this position.

Grade: B+

Interior Defenders

The 49ers also used significant draft capital on the interior defender position this year, taking Alfred Collins in the second round and CJ West in the fourth round, but this is still an underwhelming position group. Even though they were drafted two rounds apart, Collins and West are similar prospects, earning third round grades from PFF, excelling against the run in their final collegiate season, ranking 5th and 9th in run defense grade on PFF, but also possessing limited athleticism and pass rush upside. 

One or both of Collins and West figure to play a significant role in an unsettled position group this season. Javon Hargrave missed all but 104 snaps in three games last season, so his departure this off-season won’t hurt this team much, nor will the loss of Maliek Collins, who had a 57.9 PFF grade across 715 snaps, but the rest of this position group still consists of a mostly mediocre group of holdovers, including Jordan Elliott (440 snaps), Evan Anderson (267 snaps), Kalia Davis (259 snaps), and Kevin Givens (185 snaps). 

Elliott struggled with a 47.6 PFF grade last season, which is nothing new for him, as the 5-year veteran has finished below 60 on PFF in every season in the league, including four straight seasons below 50. Davis was also terrible last season with a 47.3 PFF grade, in the first significant action of the 2022 6th round pick’s career. Anderson wasn’t terrible last season with a 60.8 PFF grade, but it came in very limited action and he was an undrafted free agent in 2024, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he never developed into even a consistently capable rotational player. Givens, meanwhile, is a 6-year veteran who has averaged 261 snaps per season in his career, while never finishing above 60 on PFF for a season, including three seasons below 50 and a 49.6 PFF grade in 2024. With rookies set to play a big role amidst a mediocre group of holdovers, the interior defender position figures to be a big position of weakness for the 49ers again in 2025.

Grade: C+

Linebackers

As I mentioned earlier, linebacker Fred Warner played most of last season through a broken bone in his leg, which makes it even more impressive that he had a 89.2 PFF grade across 997 snaps, while not missing a game. For Warner, it was his fourth season over 80 on PFF in the past five seasons, including a career best 90.2 PFF grade in 2023. In seven seasons in the league, he has missed just one game, while averaging 60.9 snaps per game in an every down role. Still in his prime in his age 29 season, I would expect another dominant season from him in 2025, perhaps even better than a year ago if he’s healthier.

Dee Winters figures to be the 49ers other starting linebacker next to Warner. Winters showed some potential last season with a 66.4 PFF grade across 398 snaps last season, after he took over the starting role down the stretch last season from veteran De’Vondre Campbell, who had a mediocre 58.3 PFF grade across 719 snaps and was not retained this off-season. Winters could continue being a solid starter into 2025, but he was only a 6th round pick in 2023 and struggled across 61 rookie season snaps before showing potential last season, so he’s still very unproven.

The 49ers also don’t have a good alternative if Winters cannot continue playing at the level he played at down the stretch last season. The rest of the 49ers’ linebacker depth chart consists of Luke Gifford, a career special teamer who has played 288 mediocre snaps on defense in six seasons in the league, 2024 7th round pick Tatum Bethune, who played just 52 snaps as a rookie, and some former undrafted free agents who have never played a snap. Warner is one of the best and more durable linebackers in the league and Winters at least has potential, but depth is a big concern at this position, particularly if Winters is unable to make good on his upside.

Grade: B+

Secondary

I mentioned earlier that the 49ers did not retain Chavarius Ward this off-season, after he had a 56.2 PFF grade across 694 snaps last season. The 49ers also did not bring back Isaac Yiadom, who was also mediocre with a 59.5 PFF grade across 488 snaps. In their absence, the 49ers will be expecting more out of 2024 2nd round pick Renaldo Green, who flashed potential with a 69.2 PFF grade across 675 snaps as a rookie and who should be able to translate that into a slightly larger role in 2025, now as a full-time starter opposite fellow holdover Deommodore Lenoir, who had a 67.3 PFF grade across 922 snaps in 15 games last season. 

A fifth round pick in 2021, Lenoir took a couple years to develop, struggling with a 57.1 PFF grade across 238 snaps as a rookie and continuing to struggle in a bigger role in his second season in the league with a 55.9 PFF grade across 887 snaps, before breaking out as a starter with a 72.5 PFF grade across 981 snaps in his third season in the league in 2023, which he then carried into 2024. He should remain a solid starter this season, still only in his age 26 season.

Green and Lenoir should be a solid starting duo, but the third cornerback role is a bit of a question mark. Free agent addition Tre Brown is probably the favorite for the job and the 2021 fourth round pick wasn’t bad in a similar role with a 62.8 PFF grade across 603 snaps in 2023, but he has played just 566 snaps in his other three seasons in the league combined, so he’s not the most proven option. His biggest competition for the job will be third round rookie Upton Stout, who played at a high level at a small school at Western Kentucky, but who lacks elite athleticism to make up for his lack of size and, as a result, could struggle to translate his game to the NFL. The 49ers also have Darrell Luter, a 2023 5th round pick who has played just 67 snaps in his career, and Tre Avery, a 2022 undrafted free agent who has played just 651 snaps over the past three seasons with the Titans and who was not tendered as a restricted free agent this off-season.

The 49ers also didn’t retain Talanoa Hufanga this off-season and he also didn’t contribute in much of a positive way last season, in an injury plagued season in which he had a mediocre 57.8 PFF grade across just 308 snaps in seven games. Malik Mustapha, a 2024 4th round pick, had already taken his starting job even before Hufanga wasn’t re-signed and had a 63.9 PFF grade across 755 snaps as a rookie, so he looks like a solid starter long-term, though in the short-term he is questionable for the start of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL. If he misses time or isn’t the same right away when he returns, the 49ers would likely turn to free agent acquisition Jason Pinnock. 

Pinnock has made 32 starts over the past two seasons, but has been inconsistent, with a 67.8 PFF grade in 2023, but a 54.5 PFF grade in 2024. He’s not a bad reserve option and spot starter, but the 49ers are definitely hoping Mustapha can return sooner rather than later. The 49ers also signed Richie Grant this off-season, a 2021 2nd round pick who started 32 games for the Falcons between the 2022 and 2023 season, but who was also inconsistent, with a 64.9 PFF grade in 2022 and a 51.5 PFF grade in 2023, before being benched and playing just 165 snaps in 2024. Like Pinnock, Grant is an option to start in Mustapha’s absence, but would be best as a reserve.

Ji’Ayir Brown is locked into one of the starting safety jobs. A 2023 3rd round pick, Brown flashed a lot of potential in limited action as a rookie with a 77.9 PFF grade across 396 snaps and, while he couldn’t quite translate that into a larger role in 2024, he still wasn’t bad with a 64.8 PFF grade across 886 snaps and, now in his third season in the league, he has the upside to take a step forward. He should at least be a capable starter, with the upside to develop into an above average starter. This isn’t a great secondary, but, even with some off-season losses, they aren’t really any worse in the secondary than they were a year ago. 

Grade: B-

Kicker

The 49ers used a third round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on kicker Jake Moody, but he has been a huge disappointment thus far, costing the 49ers 3.71 points below average as a rookie and then plummeting to 12.2 points below average in 2024, third worst in the NFL. The 49ers did not bring in another kicker this off-season, so they are giving Moody another chance and he could be better than a year ago, but he also figures to be on a pretty short leash and could be replaced with a free agent mid-season if he struggles. 

Grade: C+

Conclusion

The 49ers won just six games last season, but they were much better than their record suggested, ranking 2nd in yards per play differential and 5th in first down rate differential, which are both much more productive year-to-year than a team’s win-loss record, and they did that despite being by far the most injury plagued team in the league. The 49ers seemingly lost a lot in free agency this off-season, but the majority of the players they lost this off-season either missed significant chunks of last season or did not play at a high level. Most of the core from the team who made the Super Bowl two seasons ago is still there and, while this team isn’t as good overall as they were two years ago, they’re still much more talented than you would think if you just looked at their record last season and the off-season they had. They also go from having arguably the toughest schedule in the league last season to arguably the easiest this season. They should win among the most games in the NFC this season.

Prediction: 15-2, 1st in NFC West