Welcome to the NFL offseason. If you need to find me, I’ll be solemnly kicking pebbles down a dirt road, merely counting the seconds until football starts again. Luckily, I will be preparing for another great season of fantasy football, and I will be doing that when I’m not kicking pebbles down a dirt road.
There has been some changes to NFL rosters already this offseason. I will be letting you know what you should expect, as well as giving a little personal thoughts on each team.
Houston Texans
Houston had a great season in 2018. They made a playoff run, but lost to their division rival, Indianapolis, in the Wild Card round. Houston finished the season with a record of 11-5. Deshaun Watson’s connection with DeAndre Hopkins allowed the wide receiver to have the second most receiving yards in the league. The team was also successful at stopping the rush. Houston’s defense finished 3rd against rushing yards. However, the defense was not great against the pass. The team allowed 4,477 receiving yards which was only better than Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Kansas City.
It is clear that the majority of these teams did not need to concern themselves with their ability to stop receiving yards. Though none of these teams made it to the Super Bowl. Going into the playoffs I was thinking the Texans were going to end up in the AFC Championship, but the Colts played very well against them.
Recent Changes
The Texans promoted their Tight Ends coach Tim Kelly to offensive coordinator. They also released Demaryius Thomas, who they traded for before the trade deadline in 2018. Thomas had 275 yards on 23 passes and two touchdowns in the seven games he played in for the Texans. When the Texans traded for him last season I did not think it was the right place for Thomas who ended up getting hurt in December any way.
Anticipated Team Adjustments
Re-Signing Jadeveon Clowney: I would be surprised if the Texans moved on from Clowney. Last year was the second season, since Clowney was drafted in 2014, that both JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney have been healthy at the same time. I would figure that the team wants at least one more year of these two on the field at the same time. Fortunately the Texans have the 3rd most cap space and can make this happen.
Offensive Tackle: Julie’n Davenport and Kendall Lamm both had low blocking ratings at the end of the year. I believe that if the team can make adjustments at their offensive line they may be able to achieve a playoff berth in 2019.
Running Back: This is a team that clearly needs a dominant running back. Lamar Miller, their number one running back, has had a difficult time getting to a 1,000 yards in one season. By now Houston should know that Miller is not a game changing running back. D’Onta Foreman was a third round pick in the 2017 draft. I have been anticipating a breakout from Foreman but he has been stuck on injury reserve for so long. It is hard to tell if Houston will ever consider him as a primary running back.
I could see the Texans signing a running back in the NFL Draft this year.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans finished the season with a 9-7 record. However, the AFC South is turning into a highly competitive division. Houston and Indianapolis appear to be on the track for Super Bowl contention, and Tennessee had an above average team last year. Tennessee finished 18th against rushing yards and 6th against receiving yards. They were also ranked as the 9th best offensive line according to Pro Football Focus. This tells me that the team is exceptionally well rounded. So, what is keeping them from flashing on the field. I believe it is a mix of coaching and lack of offensive talent.
Last year, it took them nearly the entire season to recognize that the only way they were going to have rushing success was to give Derrick Henry volume. Henry had a breakout game against Jacksonville in week 14. After that game the team started to give him the ball more. In fact more than half of his 2018 touchdowns came in the last four games of the season. Lets hope they remember to give him plenty of volume next year, and make minor adjustments else where on the team.
Recent Changes
The Titans lost Matt LeFleur to the Packers this offseason. LeFleur was their offensive coordinator in 2018, who took the head coaching position in Green Bay. Also, Tennessee recently promoted Arthur Smith to offensive coordinator, who has been with the Titans since 2011 holding several positions in offensive and defensive positions. Most recently as a Tight Ends coach.
Anticipated Team Adjustments
Re-Vitalize Delanie Walker: Walker has been an important piece of this team since 2013. He was lost in the first week of 2018 with a season ending injury. Loosing this piece of the offense was difficult on Marcus Mariota, who struggled to find reliable receiving options without him. Also with Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator we may see more utilization out of the tight end position.
Wide Receiver: After missing out on the Antonio Brown sweepstakes, the Titans must look to add wide receiver talent. They lack both top-end and depth at this position.
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts have the most salary cap space to work with this offseason. The team also won’t have to spend that much to re-sign their free agent players. Before I get into the details, I am making the Colts my way too early pick to win the Super Bowl in 2019. However, this past year, the Colts had a record of 1 -6, but lost to the Chiefs in playoffs.
In 2018, their offensive line was ranked 3rd according to Pro Football Focus. On the other side of the ball, the defense ranked 8th against rushing yards and 16th against passing yards. Overall, this team was performing at a high level and merely need fine tuning to make a run at the super bowl. This is a team that had a difficult time establishing a running game while Marlon Mack was off the field.
Recent Changes
Indianapolis will need to make an addition to their offensive live. Matt Slauson announced his retirement recently. Slauson spent the last season with the Colts and was previously a member of the Chargers, Bears, and Jets. The Colts also re-signed offensive guard Mark Glowinski and Kicker Adam Vinatieri. These are obviously not changes but are worth mentioning as these are two important pieces of their team.
Anticipated Team Adjustments
Pass Defenders: Indianapolis was not in a bad position this past year at the end of the season against the pass. However, it is a part of their game that they could improve on. Since this is a defense heavy draft class I could see the Colts adding rookie talent in the NFL Draft.
Wide Receivers: Indianapolis doesn’t need to spend a ton in free agency to keep their players around. However, Indianapolis has Ryan Grant, Dontrelle Inman, Chester Rogers, Zach Pascal, and Marcus Johnson on free agency this year. It is logical to me that they add some wide receiver talent in free agency. They have already brought in former Panther Devin Funchess, but the Colts may not be finished yet.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Many NFL experts were disappointed with the season Jacksonville had. In 2017, Jacksonville had a season to remember. Their defense was number one by far, and their offense had a brand new offensive stud in Leonard Fournette. Even Blake Bortles finished the season with impressive numbers. However, they didn’t live up to the hype in 2018. In fact, the only ranking that was above average was their defense against the pass, which ranked 2nd.
Ultimately, I believe that a large part of the problem was their attitude. Particularly their leading offensive piece, Leonard Fournette. Before the 2017 season began, Fournette was quoted saying that the NFL is easy. I’m sure if you asked him today if he thought it was easy he’d have a different take. This year, Fournette dealt with a leg injury, but upon his return he had three incidents showing that he is not a team player. At least he shows poor sportsmanship.
Recent Changes
The Jaguars added Dom Capers to their coaching staff as a Senior Defensive Assistant. Capers spend nine years with the Green Bay Packers as the Defensive coordinator. While he was in Green Bay, he increased the quality of defense from 21st to 2nd from 2008 to 2009. However, over time the quality of defense declined in Green Bay. We will see if he is able to bring the Jacksonville defense back to their 2017 numbers. The team also made a pretty big move at quarterback.
Anticipated Team Adjustments
Quarterback: The Jaguars have moved on from Blake Bortles and made the big move to sign former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. The deal is worth $88 million over four seasons. Foles will look to carry his success in Philadelphia over to the Jags.
Offensive Line: This is a team that could be ripped apart by free agency. However, they have several offensive line members hitting free agency, Tyler Shatley (G), AJ Cann (G), Josh Wells (RT), Patrick Omameh (G), Ereck Flowers (RT), Corey Robinson (LT), Chris Reed (T), Josh Walker (G), Blake Bell (TE), and James O’Shaughnessy (TE). Keep in mind they have very little cap money to work with. It is almost a certainty that this offensive line will be a completely different line when 2019 season begins.
Running Back: If the issues with Leonard Fournette continue, Jacksonville will have no choice to move on from him. However, their backup running back TJ Yeldon is also hitting free agency. Yeldon was also in the hot seat with Fournette for unsportsmanlike attitude. A back up running back will be needed since it also seems as if they are moving on from Carlos Hyde as well
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