Today I will be looking at the offseason moves of the NFC’s strongest division, the West. Last season, the Rams secured the division title on their way to the Super Bowl title. They had to defeat the division rival Cardinals and 49ers in the playoffs just to get to the Super Bowl. If any division knows how important offseason moves can be, it is this one. The addition of Matt Stafford via trade last season was the biggest reason the Rams hoisted the Lombardi last year. Let’s jump in to what these 4 teams have done this time around.

Los Angeles Rams – 12-5 (3-3) in 2021

• Key Acquisitions: LB Bobby Wagner (71.8 PFF Grade in 2021), WR Allen Robinson (66.9 PFF Grade)
• Key Departures: EDGE Von Miller (88.7 PFF Grade), LT Andrew Whitworth (86.1 PFF Grade), WR Robert Woods (75.1 PFF Grade), WR Odell Beckham Jr. (67.8 PFF Grade), DT Sebastian Joseph-Day (61.6 PFF Grade), G Austin Corbett (68.8 PFF Grade), CB Darious Williams (65.3 PFF Grade)
• Key Draft Picks: IOL Logan Bruss, RB Kyren Williams

The addition of Matt Stafford last offseason helped the Rams finally breakthrough and win it all in 2021. Stafford fully unlocked Cooper Kupp who had one of the greatest WR seasons of all time. The other biggest move for LA was picking up Von Miller at the deadline. Miller was elite all playoffs and made Joe Burrow’s life look like hell in the second half of the Super Bowl. LA kept their 4 studs, Stafford, Kupp, Ramsey, and Aaron Donald intact. A big 3 that will always keep them in contention. Fans on twitter complained “the cap isn’t real!” when the Rams signed Bobby Wagner this offseason, but in reality LA lost 7 key starters and will now have to make do without returning starters at LT, EDGE, WR2, WR3, NT, G, and CB2 and only had 1 draft pick in the first two days to try and replenish the roster. The Rams did do a good job of pushing money further down the line again in order to extend Stafford, Donald, and Kupp and still have top notch superstar talent, but they have more holes in their roster than they did in their playoff run of 2021. On offense they lose Woods and Beckham (although still unsigned) and add Allen Robinson. Robinson is coming off the worst year of his career (410 yards and 1 TD in 12 games) in Chicago, but LA is hopeful an upgrade at QB and playcaller can get the 28 year old back on track. The Rams will replace HOF LT Andrew Whitworth with newly-extended reserve Tackle Joseph Noteboom who filled in for 174 snaps last year and looked decent. LA will hope late 3rd round pick Logan Bruss can fill in for Austin Corbett at RG, which could be tough year 1. In the backfield, they lost Sony Michel, but will hope Cam Akers looks healthier along with Henderson and rookie Kyren Williams (who recently broke his foot in OTAs). The Rams struggled to run the ball efficiently in the playoffs, and it’s hard to see how that improves much with the departures up front. But if the passing game is clicking, it may not matter.

On defense, the biggest losses come up front. Von Miller will forever be a legend in LA after his playoff heroics, but he is off to Buffalo on a deal bigger than LA could afford. DT Sebastian Joseph-Day moved across the city to the Chargers. The Rams routinely utilized light boxes but still swallowed up running plays because of the talent on their DL. This scheme was brought to the Rams but former DC Brandon Staley. Staley struggled to replicate it last year with the Chargers when he did not have as talented of a DL at his disposable. Staley’s first move this offseason? Get Joseph-Day and Khalil Mack so they can run a light box scheme effectively. The Rams still have Donald, the best defensive player of his generation who remains a game-wrecker, but will LA have to alter their scheme slightly to fit their new personnel? They certainly will not be lined up exactly the same. The Rams often deployed just one off-ball LB, breakout rookie Ernest Jones, but they just brought in Bobby Wagner on a 5 year, $50 million deal. Perhaps LA runs more stuff with 2 off-ball LBs to counteract the loss of talent on the DL. The loss of Miller is irreplaceable. Donald and Floyd should still get a good amount of pressure, but an elite EDGE threat like Von made the Rams virtually unblockable last season.

Overall, the Rams took a slight step back this offseason but should still be in prime position to repeat as NFC West champs. In a conference that lacks as many contenders as the AFC, the Rams are definitely one of the favorites to return to the Super Bowl. LA, as usual, will be very aggressive at the trade deadline to fill any needs they wish to address. With Donald already pondering retirement, they know their time is now.

San Francisco 49ers – 10-7 (2-4) in 2021

• Key Acquisitions: CB Charvarius Ward (65.7 PFF Grade in 2021), S George Odum (62.9 PFF Grade)
• Key Departures: LG Laken Tomlinson (75.9 PFF Grade), DT DJ Jones (73.2 PFF Grade), CB K’Waun Williams (63.3 PFF Grade)
• Key Draft Picks: EDGE Drake Jackson, RB Tyrion Davis-Price, WR Danny Gray

What a strange offseason for the defending NFC runner-ups. The Niners are yet to find a team interested in taking on Jimmy G’s contract and are heading into camp with both Jimmy (who led them to within a drive of the Super Bowl) and Trey Lance (who they traded 3 first round picks for a year ago). It’s like a poor man’s version of the Montana/Young dilemma they faced 30 years ago. Lance’s ability to get out of the pocket and create certainly gives him the higher upside (think rookie RG3 during Shanahan’s stint as OC in Washington), but is he accurate and on time enough to run this offense efficiently? It will truly be the league’s most interesting training camp storyline. The other big news on offense: Is Deebo going to play? Samuel officially broke out last year as both a traditional WR and a Wide Back later in the year but said this offseason he wants out. He is not happy with his role in the offense and noted it is not money related. At the time of writing this story, Deebo was expected to attend mandatory minicamp and GM John Lynch said he has no intention of trading him. With a strong OL and good skill positions, Shanahan’s offense should continue to tick no matter who plays QB.

On defense, the biggest move for San Fran was actually keeping young DC DeMeco Ryans. Ryans ended up declining a second round interview with the Vikings to stay another year with the Niners and is expected to be a top HC candidate next cycle. San Francisco cycled through CBs off the street last year with 34 year old Josh Norman playing the most snaps out of the whole CB room. It didn’t matter. Ryans’ scheme of primarily rushing 4, dropping 7 and playing a fast, hard-hitting zone defense gave offenses issues all year. Fred Warner, who has worked with Ryans throughout his career, is the perfect LB for this scheme and wildly considered the best off-ball LB in football. Nick Bosa came back to full strength last year and was as dominant as any EDGE in the league. Outside of Bosa and versatile DL Arik Armstead, San Fran mostly cycled through cheap D-Linemen and they all produced. The 49ers signed former Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward who should instantly come in and be their best CB. As long as Ryans is in charge, this defense should be one of the strongest in the league.

Overall, the 49ers didn’t have too many shakeups good or bad this offseason. They will continue to be a strong defensive team with a great running game. How good Trey Lance truly is will determine if they are perennial Super Bowl contenders, or just a solid playoff team.

Arizona Cardinals – 11-6 (4-2) in 2021

• Key Acquisitions: WR Marquise Brown (68.6 PFF Grade in 2021), RG Will Hernandez (55.9 PFF Grade)
• Key Departures: EDGE Chandler Jones (70.4 PFF Grade in 2021), WR Christian Kirk (72.7 PFF Grade), LB Jordan Hicks (64.7 PFF Grade), RB Chase Edmonds (67.9 PFF Grade), NT Jordan Phillips (62.7 PFF Grade)
• Key Draft Picks: TE Trey McBride, EDGE Cameron Thomas, EDGE Myjai Sanders

I don’t think I am alone in saying that I am not a fan of pretty much anything that has gone on in Arizona this offseason. The biggest story for much of the spring was QB Kyler Murray deleting all his Cardinals Instagram pictures and making it clear that he is not happy playing without a massive extension. The two are yet to agree on a next contract heading into camp, but Kyler is expected to show. There is a weird tension in Arizona after they started off so hot last year and faded down the stretch, culminating in a first round beat down at the hands of the Rams where the offense looked lost and Kyler looked isolated and disinterested sitting by himself on the sidelines. The offense was plagued by poor OL play for much of the year. The only addition made to the group is Will Hernandez, a below average NFL Guard. At WR, they lost Christian Kirk in free agency and star WR DeAndre Hopkins failed a drug test and will miss the first 6 games. The panic of these moves led the Cardinals to trade their first round pick to the Ravens in exchange for Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and a third round pick. Factoring in both picks, this had the value of an early second round pick. Brown has elite speed but struggled with drops in Baltimore. He is a college teammate of Kyler so the connection should help, but he is a WR2 at best. So for the first 6 weeks, Arizona will be trotting out Hollywood, an old AJ Green, and second year 5’7″ slot WR Rondale Moore, with Antoine Wesley and Andy Isabella as reserves. It doesn’t look great without Hopkins there. Between the average WRs and poor OL, Kyler is going to have to stay healthy and show he can elevate the team around him if they want to be a competent offense.

The Cardinals defense was top 10 in the league last year led mostly by the Secondary. I do not have a lot of confidence in them repeating that this season. Defense, particularly coverage, sees a lot of variance year-to-year. Pass rush metrics are the most stable to project, and Arizona does not have a lot of pass rush. They lost Chandler Jones to Vegas who tallied double digits sacks in Arizona 5 of the last 6 years. They also lost Jordan Hicks who played off-ball LB but was also a crafty blitzer for them. EDGE Markus Golden did have a career year last season with 11 sacks, but just turned 31. The other big name is JJ Watt who is 33 and had just 1 sack in 7 games last season. Watt has dealt with so many injuries in his Hall of Fame career, so it is tough to count on him at this point. The rest of the DL is made up of journeymen. They did draft Thomas and Sanders in the mid rounds of the draft and will hope at least one makes an impact early. Their 2019 and 2020 first round picks were Isaiah Simmons and Zaven Collins. Both were seen as position-less, versatile chess pieces. Both have been converted to off-ball LBs in Arizona. Both have been disappointing. The Cardinals need both of them to start playing up to their draft status if they want to maintain a top half ranked defense.

Overall, I think the Cardinals took a real step back this offseason. They failed to improve their biggest needs at EDGE, WR, and DL, lost their WR1 for 6 games, have a disgruntled Kyler, and lost their best player on defense. The NFC isn’t as strong as it once was, and the Cardinals ~in theory~ have one of the conference’s better QBs, but it is going to be a battle to make the playoffs this year in my opinion.

Seattle Seahawks 7-10 (3-3) in 2021

• Key Acquisitions: TE Noah Fant (61.6 PFF Grade in 2021), EDGE Uchenna Nwosu (64.3 PFF Grade), QB Drew Lock (60.0 PFF Grade), DT Shelby Harris (61.3 PFF Grade)
• Key Departures: QB Russell Wilson (73.9 PFF Grade in 2021), LB Bobby Wagner (71.8 PFF Grade), CB DJ Reed (78.6 PFF Grade), TE Gerald Everett (63.5 PFF Grade)
• Key Draft Picks: OT Charles Cross, EDGE Boye Mafe, RB Ken Walker, OT Abraham Lucas

It’s not fun to look at the Key Departures section and see Seattle’s leaders on both sides of the ball gone. But it truly was time to hit the reset button. Trading two firsts for Jamal Adams and making him the highest paid Safety of all time by a healthy margin, and Russell Wilson not looking like himself but also making top dollar meant this team has not looked like a true contender for a few years now. In exchange for Wilson, Seattle received two first round picks, two second round picks, Noah Fant, Shelby Harris, and tank commander Drew Lock. Not a bad haul for the 33 year old. In the draft they used Denver’s pick to select LT Charles Cross, one of the 3 elite Tackle prospects in this draft, and he should be their blindside protector for the foreseeable future. They also took OT Abraham Lucas in the third round, an extremely athletic Tackle who should eventually be a good pass protector on the right side. In true Pete Carroll fashion, the drafted a RB, yes a bad team with no QB, took RB Ken Walker in early Round 2. Walker was the second best Back in this class (a class that really dropped off after the top 2) and is a speedy dynamic runner. Carroll loves to run the ball, so Walker should get plenty of chances early in his career. I would have liked to see them take a higher value position since they are in year 1 of a rebuild, but I am not sure anyone told Pete Carroll that they are rebuilding. The Seahawks kept their WR corps in tact, but are yet to pay DK Metcalf. Lockett is 30 this year and would have a dead cap hit of over 30 mill if they cut him, so he is locked in for a few years here. I would absolutely pay Metcalf. He is the one true cornerstone piece this franchise has at a premium position. Despite solid WRs and RBs, the OL was bad last year, and the rookie Tackles will likely struggle early this year to find their footing (as do most rookie OTs). The OL will still be among the weakest in the league in 2022. At QB, Drew Lock is an abomination and will compete with career backup Geno Smith. Whoever lines up under center will likely lead one of the league’s most inefficient offenses.

On defense, Seattle brought back FS Quandre Diggs, and has Adams locked in forever since no one else in the league would pay that kind of money to an average box Safety. The rest of the defense leaves a lot to be desired. They lost future HOF Bobby Wagner in the middle who was the face of this defense for many years. CB DJ Reed left after a career year and left their Corner room looking poor. Seattle took day 3 fliers on CBs Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen. Bryant is a smart Corner who is an average athlete, and should be a career CB3/4. Woolen is 6’4″ and tested like one of the greatest athletes at this history of the position, but has average tape, and very poor change of direction. His size makes him clunky when turning his hips. Obviously the upside is there, but it’s really a shot in the dark. Up front they acquired IDL Shelby Harris in the Denver trade and signed EDGE Uchenna Nwosu. Both are decent players who can play a lot of snaps this year. With their other pick in round 2, they took EDGE Boye Mafe, a great athlete who broke out as a senior at Minnesota. He is a little on the older side, but could be a game wrecker if he develops a more diverse pass rush arsenal. This defense will not be very good in 2022, and with limited pass rush and poor Corners, I am not sure how close they are to being good.

Overall, Seattle made the right call to move on from Wilson. This roster was not making another Super Bowl run anytime soon. They still have a long way to go to get back to being a playoff team, but Cross and Mafe being good would be a quite a strong start. The worst thing this team could do this year is go 7-9. Overachieving expectations, but missing the playoffs and taking them out of the CJ Stroud/Bryce Young sweepstakes next year. If they are able to add one of those two 2023 QBs along with 3 other top 64 picks in the 2023 Draft, they could be well on their way to a quick rebuild.