Yesterday, Sports Illustrated's Rick Gosselin released his offseason NFL Rankings, and they certainly came with some surprises.
The first NFC West team in the rankings came in at No. 5, behind the likes of Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Buffalo, and Baltimore.
It turned out to be the Arizona Cardinals.
"The Cardinals have seen an opening in the NFC West and were aggressive this offseason in pursuing it, adding several veteran Pro Bowlers – pass rusher J.J. Watt, WR A.J. Green, center Rodney Hudson, cornerback Malcolm Butler and kicker Matt Prater."
Watt was last a Pro Bowler in 2018, Green was last a Pro Bowler in 2017, and Butler was last a Pro Bowler in 2015.
In addition, Gosselin noted that "for the second consecutive draft, Arizona selected a linebacker in the first round – Isaiah Simmons in 2020 and Zaven Collins in 2021. They join a talented cast that already features QB Kyler Murray, WR DeAndre Hopkins, edge rusher Chandler Jones and safety Budda Baker. The key to an Arizona return to the playoffs is Murray, who passed for 26 touchdowns and rushed for 11 more in 2020 in his second NFL season. The Cardinals finished fourth in the NFL in sacks last season with 48 and the addition of Watt should push that count into the 50s."
His second NFC West team, the Seattle Seahawks, came in at No. 12, behind the likes of Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Indianapolis, Green Bay and the Los Angeles Chargers, despite the loss of top cornerback Shaquill Griffin.
"The burden to carry the Seahawks gets heavier by the year for QB Russell Wilson. Seattle is now a shadow of the team that went to back-to-back Super Bowls in 2013-14. The Legion of Boom has gone bust, finishing 22nd in the NFL in defense last season. Only Pro Bowl LB Bobby Wagner remains. The Seahawks will again be entertaining with the ball in the air with D.K. Metcalfe and Tyler Lockett running under Wilson's passes. But Seattle still can't protect Wilson, who was sacked 47 times in 2020."
Gosselin's third NFC West team, the Los Angeles Rams came in at No. 15 on his list, behind the Las Vegas Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys, after the addition of quarterback Matthew Stafford.
"The Rams also are a shadow of their recent Super Bowl selves. Elite talents – HB Todd Gurley, WR Brandin Cooks, DE Michael Brockers, DT Ndamukong Suh, CBs Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib – have departed from the 2018 NFC champions. But the Rams still have the game's best defensive player in DT Aaron Donald and Coach Sean McVay hopes to reignite the franchise's Super Bowl aspirations with the acquisition of QB Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions."
Lastly, Gosselin put the San Francisco 49ers as his fourth ranked team in the NFC West, and at No. 23 on his overall ranking, listing them behind Washington, Miami, Minnesota, New Orleans, Carolina, New England, and the New York Giants.
"The future is now QB Trey Lance, who the 49ers claimed with the third overall pick of the 2021 draft. But he only threw 318 career passes at a small-college level. So the present remains Jimmy Garoppolo, who has a 24-8 career starting record and an NFC title to his name – but little love these days from 49ers management."
You can check the rest of his rankings here: Rick Gosselin's Offseason NFL Rankings