NFL

Every NFL Team’s Riskiest Moves Of The 2020 Offseason

Darren - July 17, 2020

NFL

Every NFL Team’s Riskiest Moves Of The 2020 Offseason

Darren - July 17, 2020

11. New England Patriots

Tom Brady and Cam Newton combine to make this one of the easiest segments to write on this list. First of all, allowing Brady to depart comes with risks. After 20 historic years with the Patriots, was it really the right time to cut ties with their legendary quarterback?

Meanwhile, signing Newton looks like one of the most sensible moves of the offseason. But will he get close to his 2015 MVP form and can Bill Belichick get the best out of him in a very different system? There are a lot of questions and a lot of risks to consider.

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10. New Orleans Saints

On paper, allowing Teddy Bridgewater to leave might not seem like the biggest deal. He moved to the Carolina Panthers to replace Cam Newton. However, it does shine the spotlight on Drew Brees’s back-ups in New Orleans. There is some cause for worry.

First of all, Brees is 41 now. There are no guarantees that he stays fit for the full season. That leaves Sean Payton with Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill. While Payton ‘loves’ Hill, he hasn’t started a game at quarterback since 2016.

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9. New York Giants

The Giants surprised everybody by signing Joe Judge from the Patriots. Judge has limited experience. First of all, he has never been an offensive coordinator or a defensive coordinator.

In New England, he led their special teams. It’s definitely one of the most intriguing choices we have seen in recent years. Judge has Bill Belichick’s respect and admiration, so it could be a masterstroke. But there’s no doubt that he has everything to prove.

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8. New York Jets

The Jets are investing in quarterback Sam Darnold. After having one of the worst offenses in the league, they did the right thing and boosted their offensive line. However, their concentration on one area of the field does leave gaping chinks in their armor.

Another of the Jets’ flaws last season was getting after the quarterback. The team was just 23rd in the league with 35 sacks. However, apart from drafting third-rounder Jabari Zuniga, they haven’t addressed this area of the field at all. It’s a big risk because they’re relying on the same players to drastically up their game.

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7. Philadelphia Eagles

Allowing Nigel Bradham to move on as a free agent is a risky move from the Eagles. It’s not that he’s a worldbeater, but it does mean that their linebacking corps took a hit. Do you really want to rely on veterans past their prime and rookies?

Bradham is still available as a free agent. He started 58 games for the Eagles over the past five years so it would make sense to extend for another season. If not him, they need another veteran linebacker. Otherwise, they’re taking a big chance.

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6. Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger is back after a nightmare injury year. Yet the Steelers need to take a look at their options if something happens again. Last season, the duo of Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges just couldn’t get them to the postseason.

Furthermore, we don’t know what ‘Big Ben’s’ level will be when he plays again. He’s 38 and more injury-prone these days. A sensational swoop for Colin Kaepernick as a backup would make a lot of sense. It’s a foolhardy move to put all your eggs in Roethlisberger’s basket.

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5. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers traded DT DeForest Buckner for financial reasons. They’ll keep his replacement from South Carolina, Javon Kinlaw, on a rookie contract for four years. Kinlaw also has a lot of potential but he’s not Buckner just yet.

Buckner averaged 66 tackles per season and 28.5 sacks 0ver his first four seasons. Those are great numbers and why the Indianapolis Colts will pay him $21 million per season. If you want to win the Super Bowl you need to keep your best players. The 49ers didn’t do that.

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4. Seattle Seahawks

The whole Jadeveon Clowney situation is a mess for the Seahawks. They need to address the pass rush after a shoddy 28 sacks as a team last season. Clowney only produced three and now has drifted into free agency.

However, in Clowney’s defense, he did suffer from a hernia last year. The Seahawks might be wise to give him another year if he’s still available at the right price. They need to up those numbers somehow but have less than $14 million left in cap space. Could this be their downfall?

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3. Tampa Bay Buccanneers

The Buccanneers’ swoop for Tom Brady was one of the most exciting moves of the offseason. From a commercial standpoint, it makes perfect sense. But on the playing field, it could be a different story. First of all, Brady is almost 43 and coming off a poor year by his standards.

That just won’t stand up in Florida now. Their fans expect them to compete with the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South and push to become the first team to play in a Super Bowl in their own stadium. Meanwhile, Brady has to adapt to Bruce Arians’ preferred style of play. The goodwill could vanish quickly.

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2. Tennessee Titans

Ryan Tannehill just had the best year of his career so far. That’s why the Titans chose to reward him with a lucrative four-year, $118 million extension. However, that may prove to have been misguided. First of all, Tannehill’s excellent season was the exception to the rule.

His passer rating was 30 points higher than his career average. Can the 31-year-old produce those same numbers this year? The Titans extended Derrick Henry’s contract because he is such a key player for them. It’s a fair question if Tannehill would have earned his contract without the bruising runner.

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1. Washington

Last but not least, the decision to change their name is one that could come back to bite Washington in the short-term. While the reasons make total sense from the perspective of racial equality and commercial growth, the truth is that many fans are going to resist this.

With their problems on the field, the last thing the former Redskins need is a divided fanbase too. Add that to a growing sexual harassment scandal, and Washington, who has been one of the worst teams in the NFL on the field, is arguably the worst off the field as well. It seems every move thy make gong forward is a risk no matter what.

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