With the Position Breakdown series in full swing, the next division under the microscope is the NFC West. Here’s an offensive position-by-position breakdown of the NFC West, with “the best” at each position followed by “the rest” in descending order.
Check out the defensive breakdown here.
NFC WEST BREAKDOWN BY POSITION: THE OFFENSE
QUARTERBACK
The Best: SEA The Rest: ARI, STL, SF
The best quarterback in the NFC West is Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Some may say he’s the product of having a really good running game and defense, but that doesn’t give Wilson the credit he is due. He certainly benefits from having Marshawn Lynch at running back, and a really talented defense, but other quarterbacks have had those benefits as well, and they didn’t succeed like Wilson has. He is one of the more intelligent signal callers in the NFL. He limits turnovers (seven interceptions in 2014), and he seems to consistently make the smart decision, whether that means throwing the ball away, sliding, or getting out of bounds. He may not appear to be as physically gifted as Aaron Rodgers when it comes to passing, but he’s really talented, and you know you can trust him under center. Wilson knows how to stay healthy, but Seattle probably has the best backup quarterback in the division in Tarvaris Jackson.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer has had a nice career, but he is coming off another knee injury. However, if you had to choose an NFC West quarterback to lead your team in 2015, and Wilson was off the board, Palmer should be your choice. He is 13-2 over his last 15 games, and with him under center the Cardinals got off to a hot start last season. Before the former USC Trojan was lost for the season after hurting his knee, Arizona looked like a legitimate threat to make a Super Bowl run. Of course the injury history is a concern, but when healthy Palmer has proven he can make the throws, and his decision making, while in Arizona, has been really good. If Palmer doesn’t manage to stay healthy, the Cardinals have the second best backup signal caller in the NFC West in Drew Stanton.
Some say that St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles was only successful in Philadelphia (particularly in 2013) because he’s a product of Chip Kelly. It’s possible that is true, and Foles will get a chance to prove himself in 2015. But Foles does have talent, and we saw it on display during 13 games in 2013, when he threw for 2,891 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just two interceptions, while completing 64 percent of his attempts. He only played in eight games last season due to injury, and those eight games were less stellar than his 2013 body of work. In 2014 he threw 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in those eight games. But I still think we’ve seen enough from Foles to rank him third in the division.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is incredibly athletic, and he can put on some amazing displays. But he has a tendency to make poor decisions. When Kaepernick burst onto the scene after Alex Smith went down with a concussion, he used his legs and ran all over defenses. Now defenses have figured him out, and they are making him have to be more of pocket passer. The problem is, even though he has a strong arm, he’s not a great pocket passer. Quite simply, the former Nevada quarterback is the NFC West signal caller I would trust the least to lead my team in 2015. Plus, if Kaepernick goes down with an injury, Blaine Gabbert is waiting as his backup. Uh oh.
RUNNING BACK
The Best: SEA The Rest: STL, SF, ARI
Seattle has one of the best running backs in the league with Marshawn Lynch in the backfield. Beast Mode has been an integral part of the Seahawks offense, and that should continue in 2015. He’s difficult to tackle, and last season he had 280 carries for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns. Pete Carroll’s team also has Robert Turbin and Christine Michael, and a couple of more than capable backups, along with the best starter. That means Seattle has to be ranked first.
St. Louis being ranked second is predicated on rookie Todd Gurley’s knee holding up. He underwent ACL surgery on his left knee in November, and he was just recently cleared to practice. The Rams are hoping he will be ready to go the first week of the regular season. If he is, and he lives up to what he is capable of, the Rams may have one of the better running backs in the NFL. St. Louis also has a pretty good backup with Tre Mason, who had 179 carries for 765 yards and four touchdowns last season. If Gurley stays healthy, that’s a pretty good one-two punch.
The San Francisco 49ers were almost slotted second, because of Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush, and the questionable health of Gurley’s knee, but I think the former UGA running back has a chance to be really special if he stays healthy. Plus, Hyde didn’t really get a shot to show what he can do in his rookie season. The former Ohio State Buckeye had 83 carries for 333 yards and four touchdowns in 2014, but he should get much more of an opportunity in 2015, with Frank Gore no longer in San Francisco. He has talent, and he’ll have a chance to prove it this season. The 49ers also signed Reggie Bush this offseason, and while he may not end up putting up huge numbers in 2015, he will make an impact.
The Cardinals have possibly the weakest starter in the division (jury is still out on Gurley’s health and Hyde’s productivity once he gets the bulk of the carries) in Andre Ellington. The former Clemson Tiger can certainly make plays, and has shown he’s capable of being dynamic. But he’s not a consistent game changer, and he’s had injuries. He’s healthy now, and the Cardinals added David Johnson (might be better than some think) in this year’s draft, and Stephan Taylor behind Ellington. Arizona could possibly be better at running the ball than some think, but they have to be ranked last in the division as of right now.
WIDE RECEIVER
The Best: ARI The Rest: SF, SEA, STL
This came down to Arizona and San Francisco because they have the two best receivers in the division. Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald is one of the better receivers to ever play the game, but he did have a down year last season, and 49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin outperformed him. That being said, I’d still take Fitzgerald over Boldin on my team, and therefore I have to rank Arizona first.
Fitzgerald had 63 receptions for 784 yards and two touchdowns last season, despite not having his starting quarterback for a significant chunk of the season. His production may not have been the same over the past few years, after being incredibly dominant, but he’s still the receiver you trust the most in the division. If Palmer can stay healthy the entire season, and the other young receivers step up, Fitzgerald could have himself a really good season. Michael Floyd is entering his fourth season in the league, and in 2014 he amassed 47 catches for 841 yards and six touchdowns. He had over 1,000 receiving yards in only his second year in the NFL. He did dislocate three of his fingers, and it’s far from certain, but the Cardinals are hoping he is ready to go Week 1. Even if he’s not, Floyd will be on the field early in the season, and he’ll provide another good target for Palmer to throw to. Bruce Arian’s team has another good, young receiver in John Brown. In 2014, his rookie year, Brown had 48 receptions for 696 yards and five touchdowns.
49ers wide receiver Anquan Boldin had 83 catches for 1,062 yards and five touchdowns in 2014 on an offense that didn’t exactly excel in the passing game. He’s a physical receiver that can certainly make his presence known. Boldin will be trying to gain 1,000 yards receiving for the third straight season, as he enters his 13th year in the NFL. The former Florida State Seminole has eclipsed 1,000 yards seven times in his 12 seasons, and he’s a really consistent receiver, but he’s never been a touchdown machine. He’s recorded double digit touchdowns just once in his life (2008 when he had 11). Torrey Smith is a talented receiver who spent his first NFL seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. In 2014 he recorded 49 catches for 767 yards and 11 touchdowns. He’ll be trying to gel with his new team, but Smith is certainly capable of producing. The 49ers also have Quinton Patton and Bruce Ellington (dealing with leg strain) at receiver.
The Seahawks don’t really have a receiver who is a household name, but there is some talent at the position. Doug Baldwin will be Russell Wilson’s favorite wide receiver in 2015. Last season Baldwin had 66 receptions for 825 yards and three touchdowns. He can produce, but it’s a problem if he’s a team’s number one receiver. After Baldwin is Jermaine Kearse, who had 38 catches for 537 yards and one touchdown last season, his third in the league. Seattle doesn’t really have a great receiving corps, although the addition of tight end Jimmy Graham this offseason should help. But Baldwin still ranks ahead of any wide receiver on the Rams, so Seattle had to be ranked third.
The Rams have Tavon Austin who is entering his third season in the NFL. In 2014 the former West Virginia receiver posted 31 catches for 242 yards and no receiving touchdowns. He did carry the ball 36 times for 224 yards and two touchdowns, but St. Louis will be looking for more production out of him in his third season. Kenny Britt is the best receiver on the Rams, and in 2014 he had 48 receptions for 748 yards and three touchdowns. If new quarterback Nick Foles gels with the team, Britt may be able to improve upon those numbers in 2015, but he’s still not a true number one receiver.
TIGHT END
The Best: SEA The Rest: SF, STL, ARI
Seattle made a great acquisition this offseason when they signed former New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham. He is the second best tight end in the league, and he will immediately improve Seattle’s passing game. Last season he had 85 receptions for 889 yards and ten touchdowns. Russell Wilson now has a true, go-to guy in the passing game. After Graham the Seahawks have Luke Willson (entering his third season and had 362 yards and three touchdowns in 2014), and Anthony McCoy. McCoy has talent and potential, but he can’t seem to stay on the field.
The 49ers tight end Vernon Davis may not be as good as Graham, but he’s definitely the second best tight end in the NFC West, even if he had his worst season in 2014. Last season Davis caught 26 balls for 245 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. That big drop off in production may have been due to injuries, but those numbers are no bueno, and Davis is better than that. But he’s a really good blocker, and if he gets back to playing to his potential, the 49ers will be just fine at tight end. Vance McDonald is the number two tight end for San Francisco, but he has yet to produce at the level of which he is probably capable. McDonald will probably never be one of the better tight ends in the league, but he can certainly perform better than he has.
Ranking the 49ers second was based mainly on Davis being 100% healthy. If he’s not, then the Rams should be second, in terms of tight ends, because they have Jared Cook. He may have under performed last season, catching 52 balls for 634 yards and three touchdowns, but he has potential, and he’s capable of more than that. It is very possible Cook could have a pretty big season in 2015, especially if Kaepernick can limit the turnovers, and play much smarter. After Cook the 49ers have Lance Kendricks, who had 27 receptions for 259 yards and five touchdowns in 2014. Kendricks proved to be a pretty good red zone target.
The Cardinals are last in the division when it comes to tight end, but if Davis doesn’t stay healthy, Cook under performs again, and Jermaine Gresham, who they picked up this offseason, performs well, they could possibly move up in the rankings. Gresham had 62 catches for 460 yards and five touchdowns last season. He’s battling a back injury right now, but if he’s healthy, he immediately improves the Cardinals at tight end, even if it’s not enough to move them up in the rankings. After Gresham, Arizona has Darren Fells (five receptions for 71 yards and no touchdowns in 2014), Troy Niklas and Ted Bolser. Their group of tight ends just doesn’t look like it will take the division by storm in 2015.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The Best: ARI The Rest: SEA, SF, STL
The Cardinals have left guard Mike Iupati and left tackle Jared Veldheer, along with number one draft pick right guard Jonathan Cooper. Veldheer was Pro Bowl caliber in 2014 and Iupati has already made the Pro Bowl before. Arizona will probably prove to have the best offensive line in the NFC West in 2015.
Seattle gave up center Max Unger to get tight end Jimmy Graham from the Saints. Graham is a heck of a receiving tight end, but he is definitely not a great blocker. That being said, the Seahawks still have enough talent, including left tackle Russell Okung, on their offensive line to be ranked as the second best in the division.
The 49ers no longer have Iupati, who is in Arizona, but they still have left tackle Joe Staley, who is certainly one of the best, if not the best offensive lineman in the division. The gap between San Francisco’s offensive line and Seattle’s might not be huge, but the loss of Iupati is a big one, made even worse because he went to the Cardinals.
St. Louis has certainly shored up their defensive line, but they haven’t done much to upgrade their offensive line. Plus, their line is young. Greg Robinson was drafted in 2014, and while he is good when the Rams run the ball, he has struggled in pass protection. This line is big and physical, and there is a lot of potential, but I need to actually see something more concrete before I move them up in the rankings.
Check out the defensive breakdown here.
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