Last Word on Pro Football will be breaking down every position in the league by division. This article contains an in-depth, position-by-position breakdown of the NFC West offenses. The NFC West breakdown will consist of “the best” at every position followed by “the rest”.
NFC West Breakdown By Position: The Offense
2019 NFC West Breakdown By Position: The Defense
Defensive Line
The Best: Los Angeles Rams
The Rest: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks
Aaron Donald is the best defensive tackle in the league and is arguably the best player in the NFL. The runaway two-time Defensive Player of the Year was not only voted as a member of the 2019 first-team All-Pro squad but also was voted as the number one overall player on the NFL’s Top 100 Players List. In an offensive-minded league, Donald remains as a truly transcendent player that is without a doubt the best defensive player in the NFL. When you have a player of this caliber that’s essentially a lock for the Hall of Fame, then your position group is easily considered one of the best in the NFL, let alone the division.
The Seattle Seahawks would’ve been next on this list if it weren’t for a few key factors. The loss of Frank Clark, the six-game suspension of Jarran Reed, and Ziggy Ansah being injured (again) all have led to the significant decline in the Seahawks defensive line. Pete Carroll will coach this group up to be at a respectable level, but nothing close to the dominance that the Rams will have with Donald at the helm. The San Francisco 49ers have the deepest defensive line in the division for sure with the additions of Nick Bosa and Dee Ford presumably providing them with immediate impact players. The Arizona Cardinals, unfortunately, lack punch upfront on their defensive line. Their ability to rush from the interior is by far the weakest of the lot. I expect the Seahawks deprived defensive line to easily yield better results even without Reed and Clark.
Linebackers
The Best: Seattle Seahawks
The Rest: Arizona Cardinals, LA Rams, San Francisco 49ers
Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright make for one of the best linebacker duos in the entire NFL. Add in the recent breaking news of Jadeveon Clowney to the Seahawks and you can wrap this section up in a nice bow. It’s so incredibly lopsided that talking about the rest of the division’s linebackers feels like more of an exercise in illustrating how certain general managers value this position group. In short, I can’t wait to see these star running backs run into the brick wall that is Seattle’s new LB corp.
The Arizona Cardinals added Terrell Suggs, Jordan Hicks, and Joe Walker to assist Pro Bowler Chandler Jones and Haason Reddick to give this team a strong veteran presence. Hopefully, their influence will be able to help Reddick live up to his first-round pedigree.
Prior to Clowney coming to the Seahawks, this could have been a bit more of a discussion. The 49ers made a free agent splash by adding Kwon Alexander from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, there’s a reason that Tampa let him go. He’s flashed moments of greatness with them, but this may be a case where an above-average player got overpaid due to the 49ers team needs. As for the Rams, there is potential with Dante Fowler in defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips’ system. But the rest of the linebacker corp is lacking in talent. Cory Littleton and company don’t even hold a candle to Seattle’s enviable lineup at this positional group. This is the Rams’ weakest position group by far, but at least they can still say that overall they have one of the best rosters in the entire league.
Cornerbacks
The Best: Los Angeles Rams
The Rest: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks
It’s incredibly tempting to side with the Cardinals on this one. After all, Patrick Peterson is one of the best cornerbacks in the league and the additions of veteran Robert Alford and rookie Byron Murphy are enticing. However, Peterson has a six-game suspension to start the season, rookie Byron Murphy will be tested early instead of getting to sit and learn behind him, and Alford is on the back end of his career. On the other hand, the Rams have Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, and Nickell Robey-Coleman. The Seahawks and 49ers definitely leave you wanting more compared to their division rivals.
Safety
The Best: Los Angeles Rams
The Rest: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks
Veterans Eric Weddle and John Johnson make for an underrated safety duo. Weddle may have lost a step but his football IQ has never been higher than it was last season with the Baltimore Ravens. Add in the young promising rookie, Taylor Rapp, and you get the most promising safety group in the division.
NFC West Breakdown By Position: The Offense
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