During the month of August, the Last Word on Sports NFL department will be breaking down every position in the league by position. This article contains a position-by-position breakdown of the NFC West offenses. The breakdown will contain “the best” at each unit followed by “the rest” in descending order. NFC West Offense Breakdown
2021 NFC West Offense Breakdown by Position
Quarterback
The Best: San Francisco 49ers
The Rest: Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams
This was a difficult choice given the quarterbacks that play in the NFC West. Be sure to read this previous piece on the 2021 NFC West All-Division Team on offense for a breakdown of the quarterbacks in the division. But that article only considered the projected starters.
In looking at every NFC West team’s entire quarterback room, the 49ers have the best situation, at least on paper. As of now, Jimmy Garoppolo is the starter and rookie Trey Lance is second on the depth chart. And while most people have Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray, and Matthew Stafford ranked ahead of both Jimmy G and Lance, the 49ers have the most depth at quarterback. While both Garoppolo (injury history) and Lance (rookie and played in only one college game in 2020 due to COVID) have question marks, both are starting-caliber quarterbacks. The 49ers are the only team in the division that can make that claim. NFC West Offense Breakdown NFC West Offense Breakdown
While Russell Wilson is the best quarterback in the division, and top-five in the league, the only other quarterbacks currently on the Seahawks roster are Geno Smith, Alex McGough, and Sean Mannion. In order for the Seahawks to make noise this season, Wilson must stay healthy. NFC West Offense Breakdown
Kyler Murray has a lot of talent, and he could end up being really special, but behind Murray on the depth chart in Arizona are Colt McCoy and Chris Streveler. The Cardinals better hope that Murray stays on the field this season. NFC West Offense Breakdown
Matthew Stafford put up impressive numbers while with the Detroit Lions. He is now about to start his first season with the Rams. Stafford has proven he has a lot of talent but backing up the former Lions signal-caller are John Wolford, Bryce Perkins, and Devlin Hodges. If the Rams have dreams of making a deep playoff run, they need Stafford to remain injury-free.
Running Back
With Cam Akers out for the season with a torn ACL, Chris Carson is the top back in the division. But a lot of teams utilize a “running back by committee” approach. Which group of backs in the NFC West is the best? NFC West Offense Breakdown
The Best: Cardinals
The Cardinals have the best running back duo in the division in Chase Edmonds and James Conner. Edmonds hasn’t really received the number of opportunities his performance would dictate due to playing behind Kenyan Drake. But in a receiving back role, Edmonds helped his quarterback achieve a passer rating of 112.9 when they targeted him. His average yards per carry and after contact both exceed Drake’s output. If Edmonds can continue to produce at the same rate with more touches, possibly double, he will have a really nice season.
Last season Conner played in 13 games and had 169 carries for 721 yards and six touchdowns and 35 receptions for 215 yards. If he can stay healthy, Conner could have a very production 2021 even though he will be splitting touches with Edmonds.
[pickup_prop id=”5086″]
The Rest: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks
The 49ers could wind up having the best backfield in the NFC West this season, but their backs have to stay healthy and that has been an issue in the past. Raheem Mostert might be the fourth best running back in the division (in 2020 he had 104 carries for 521 yards and 16 receptions for 156 yards and three total touchdowns) but health has been an issue. Trey Sermon is really talented, but he is a rookie. Jeff Wilson rounds out their backfield, but it is uncertain if he will be available when the season starts.
The Rams running backs room looked pretty bleak after Cam Akers was lost for the season. Akers’ injury left Darrell Henderson (last season he had 138 carries for 624 yards and five touchdowns and 16 catches for 159 yards and one touchdown) as the starter with unproven players behind him. The Rams would have been ranked last, but they recently completed a trade with the New England Patriots to bring Sony Michel (in 2020 he had 79 carries for 449 yards and one touchdown and seven receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown) to Los Angeles. That tandem is good enough to be ranked third.
The Seahawks have the best running back in the division in Chris Carson, who is a top-15 back in the league. Over the last three seasons Carson has broken 136 tackles and averaged over three yards after contact. Carson has been productive and is improving as a pass-catcher, but availability has been an issue when it comes to Carson. In the last three years he has failed to play an entire season. And there really isn’t quality depth behind Seattle’s lead back. They have Rashaad Penny, but he hasn’t really performed like the Seahawks would have wanted.
[pickup_prop id=”5164″]
Wide Receiver
The Best: Cardinals
The Cardinals have the top-ranked wide receiver in the NFC West in DeAndre Hopkins, who is arguably the best receiver in the NFL (it’s either Hopkins or Davante Adams). Hopkins can make difficult catches and rarely drops passes thrown his way. He is one of the toughest covers in the league. Behind Nuke, Arizona has A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, and Rondale Moore. Hopkins, Green, and Kirk project to be the starters, but Moore should see a good bit of playing time. By having the top receiver in the division and other talented and quality receivers behind him, the Cardinals have the best wide receiver group in the NFC West.
The Rest: Seahawks, Rams, and 49ers
While the Seahawks have questions as to who will emerge as their third receiver, the duo of D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Locket is formidable enough to earn the Seahawks the second spot here. Metcalf’s combination of size and speed is flat-out scary. He can make contested catches and stretch the field. Lockett is a top-25 receiver in the league and since 2018 Wilson’s passer rating of 136.3 when he targets Lockett is the best of any quarterback, wide receiver tandem. Locket also has the second-most deep receiving touchdowns (13) since 2018.
The Rams have their own talented receiving corps with the tandem of Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp and DeSean Jackson, who is aging, but can still be a deep threat, joining the Rams this off-season. Woods has had at least 120 receptions in each of the last three seasons. Kupp might be the most talented slot receiver in the division and is one of the best in the league. While Jackson is talented, the addition of him to the Rams is not enough for their receiving unit to be ranked ahead of the Seahawks at this time.
Both Brandon Aiyuk (who could have a nice season fantasy-wise) and Deebo Samuel are talented receivers. But neither rise to the level of Hopkins or Metcalf and this duo isn’t as formidable as what the Cardinals, Seahawks, or Rams currently have. The 49ers also don’t have a clear third or fourth receiver, which also hurts them in the overall rankings.
[pickup_prop id=”5086″]
Tight End
The Best: 49ers
George Kittle did miss eight games last season due to suffering a broken foot, but he still managed to finish the season with the third most receptions for the 49ers. Kittle or Travis Kelce is the best tight end in the NFL while no other tight end in the NFC West is in the top 10 (or maybe even the top 15). Kittle makes a significant impact by both his receiving and blocking abilities. Not only is Kittle a significant threat in the passing game, but the 49ers run game averaged a full yard per carry more in the games Kittle played.
While Ross Dwelley isn’t close to being on the same level as Kittle, he is very reliable in the passing game and he has improved as a blocker. The 49ers also have MyCole Pruitt and Charlie Woerner on their roster. Pruitt has largely been used for his run blocking ability. But he more than doubled his career receptions in his first three seasons with the Tennessee Titans.
The Rest: Rams, Seahawks, Cardinals
Over the final five weeks of the 2019 season, Tyler Higbee was scorching hot. But that production didn’t carry over to the following season and he had a pretty disappointing 2020 campaign. However, Higbee is still a top-20 tight end in the league, and he will almost certainly benefit from the addition of Matthew Stafford this off-season. The Rams also have Johnny Mundt, Brycen Hopkins, and Kendall Blanton on their roster.
Gerald Everett split time with Higbee in 2020 and started only seven games. But just as Higbee will benefit from Stafford now being his quarterback, Everett will now have Russell Wilson throwing him passes. Everett joined the Seahawks this off-season on a one-year deal. And in every season, Everett has increased his targets, catches, and yardage. One area where he needs to improve is finding the end zone more. In 61 career games, Everett has only eight receiving touchdowns. But with Wilson now his quarterback and the departures of some pass catchers, Everett should see more opportunities, including in the red zone.
Dan Arnold left the Cardinals in free agency and Maxx Williams and Darrell Daniels figure to be locks to make the Cardinals roster. Behind Williams and Daniels is a lot of inexperience as no tight end outside of those two even caught a pass in 2020. A big question regarding Williams is his health. Last season he had to deal with a bad ankle which started in training camp. He ended up missing seven games in 2020. An issue for the Cardinals tight ends this season will be usage. The Cardinals also run four-receiver sets more than any other team in the league and with the lack of a top-tier tight end, that trend will probably continue.
Offensive Line
The Best: Rams
The Rams offensive line left much to be desired in 2019, but they got back on track last season. Left tackle Andrew Whitworth has been one of the best tackles in the NFL. He has allowed only two total sacks over the past two seasons. Left guard David Edwards is athletic and versatile, and he has a high football IQ. Center Brian Allen missed the entire 2020 season as he rehabbed his knee. He struggled in 2019 and it is possible that Whitworth moves to playing center this season. But if Allen improves that could be a huge boost for the Rams offensive line. Right guard Austin Corbett, who is entering a contract year, had a really good 2020 season, especially against the run. If he can make strides in pass blocking, he will be in line for a nice contract next off-season. Right tackle Rob Havenstein had a down 2019 season, but he bounced back in 2020. Like Corbett, Havenstein was better against the run than he was in pass blocking, but he was still a top-20 tackle in the league (probably in the top 15).
[pickup_prop id=”5153″]
The Rest: 49ers, Cardinals, Seahawks
San Francisco’s Trent Williams is not only the best left tackle in the NFC West, he is arguably the best tackle in the NFL. In 2020 Williams allowed only 19 quarterback pressures on 562 pass-blocking attempts and he was the best run-blocking tackle in the league. Left guard Laken Tomlinson has allowed three sacks in each of the last three seasons and has been a really good run-blocker. Alex Mack might not be what he once was (a top center in the league) but he is still at least top-15 at the position. Last season Mack allowed just one sack in 633 pass-blocking attempts. He also has been durable for the majority of his career. Mack has played in the NFL for 12 months and has failed to complete a 16-game season only twice.
Right guard Daniel Brunskill is the incumbent but the 49ers drafted Aaron Banks out of Notre Dame. Due to injuries, Brunskill has had to play multiple positions along the 49ers offensive line, but he should be able to focus on playing right guard this season. If Banks wins the starting right guard position, Brunskill could once again be a swing player. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey had a disappointing 2020 season, but he did start all 16 games. McGlinchey’s strength has always been his run-blocking ability, but he needs to improve in pass blocking. This off-season he has added bulk and worked on getting his mind right and both could help him show improvement in 2021.
The Cardinals have a great left tackle in D.J. Humphries. At the beginning of his NFL career availability was an issue. The former Florida Gator played in only 27 of his first 48 games. But he started all 32 games the past two seasons and in 2020 he allowed only three sacks. Justin Pugh will handle left guard responsibilities. He agreed to a restructured contract this off-season which provided the Cardinals some salary cap room. Pugh was efficient in 2020 and the Cardinals are probably happy to have him back at a reduced cap number this season.
Rodney Hudson might be the best center in the NFL. He is one of the most consistent pass blockers in the league and also good against the run. Right guard is a question mark, but either Brian Winters or Justin Murray will most likely take over at that position. This off-season right tackle Kelvin Beachum signed a new two-year deal. Last season, he played in 100% of Arizona’s offensive snaps. He has 115 starts and has played in 120 games in his NFL career.
While this Seahawks offensive line unit might be an improvement over last season’s, it will still probably be the worst in the division this season. There is a reason that earlier this off-season quarterback Russell Wilson voiced his unhappiness about being hit so much. Since he entered the league in 2012, he has been sacked more than any other quarterback. He was sacked 47 times in 2020, the third most in the NFL.
Left tackle Duane Brown has been really good and last season he allowed only two sacks, but he will turn 36 years old on August 30. Brown also has yet to participate in a practice due to ongoing contract negotiations. Left guard Damien Lewis has potential after a strong rookie season which saw him start all 16 games and allow three sacks. If Brown’s contract issues get resolved and both him and Lewis play to their potential, the left side of the line could be really good.
[pickup_prop id=”7229″]
Center Ethan Pocic, the Seahawks 2017 second-round pick was re-signed to a one-year, $2 million deal this off-season. But he has been battling a hamstring injury. Kyler Fuller seems ready to battle Pocic, especially if Pocic’s hamstring issues continue to linger. Right guard Gabe Jackson joined the Seahawks this off-season in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders and he could be a reason the offensive line is better this year. He is talented, played in all 16 games last season, and had just two penalties called against him. Right tackle Brandon Shell missed five games in 2020, his first with Seattle, due to injury. He was effective, overall, while on the field, and was only flagged five times last season. However, he was better against the pass than the rush. The Seahawks seem to have some nice pieces along the offensive line, but until they actually showed marked improvement, the unit has to be ranked last.
Check out the 2021 AFC East Breakdown by Position: Defense
Main Photo
