Throughout last season, the Seattle Seahawks played great football, which eventually led a to winning a Lombardi Trophy against the Denver Broncos. Seattle had the best defense in the NFL, a great young quarterback in Russell Wilson, and a powerful running game, making them one of the deepest teams in the league. Like most championship teams, the main challenge now is to keep their talent, and not so much gaining talent. The Seattle Seahawks are a very complete team with only one issue: receivers. During the 2013 season, Seattle receivers were either injured, inconsistent or just not very good. If general manager John Schneider can give his up-and-coming quarterback a great receiver, then this Seattle Seahawks team will be primed to win a second straight Super Bowl. Along with the need of receivers on this team, I would expect the Seahawks to add more depth to the offensive and defensive lines. I'm expecting this to happen because several lineman will be lost to free agency this free agency period. Adding to the good situation in Seattle, the organization has around $17.8 million in cap space, which should be enough money to re-sign key players and add new talent to this team. Like I said before, if the Seattle Seahawks can add talented receivers and lineman, this team will definitely be a Super Bowl contender again.
San Francisco 49ers: Finished 12-4
Similar to the Seattle Seahawks, the San Francisco 49ers are among the most complete teams in the NFL. This team has a young and mobile quarterback, a great defense, and a powerful running game through Frank Gore. Although the 49ers are one of the best teams in the league, there are a few places where this team can improve to match their division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks. These positions are not necessarily weak in this organization, but lack a 'game-changing' player, like Richard Sherman. The San Francisco 49ers could use additional depth on the defensive line, who allowed 11 rushing touchdowns last year The 49ers could also use a 'big-play' receiver to compliment two good receivers in Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree. Most importantly, the 49ers could use a legitimate play-maker in the defensive secondary, who ranked 10th in the NFL in interceptions. During free agency, I would expect the San Francisco 49ers to add explosive (and somewhat inconsistent) players to the secondary, defensive line, and receiving corps with their $13.7 million in cap space. If the 49ers can add talented players to this already stacked roster, then they could definitely rival Seattle for the NFC West division title.
Arizona Cardinals: Finished 10-6
By the end of the 2013 season, the Arizona Cardinals had quietly risen to a 10-6 record, and just barely missed out on making the playoffs. After winning 7 of their last 9 games, the Cardinals were one of the hottest teams in the NFL, riding a talented defense centered around Patrick Peterson. Unfortunately, their talent on offense came nowhere near their talent on defense, and can improve in nearly every position. One of the biggest issues with the Arizona Cardinals' offense starts in the trenches. Both the passing and running game on offense were hindered by a poor offensive line. In average yards per rush, sacks allowed, and quarterback hits, the Arizona Cardinals' offensive line was within the bottom ten in the league. Along with this, a lack of talent at the running back position did not help the offense whatsoever, only averaging 3.6 yards per rush. I believe that the Arizona Cardinals' front office will target offensive lineman and running backs at a cheap price during free agency. Although it is not a large amount of money by NFL standards, the Cardinals have about $18 million in cap space, which should be enough to fill some of the key positions on this team. If the Arizona Cardinals can have a productive off-season this year, then I think that they have a legitimate chance at a playoff berth.
During the 2013 NFL season, the St. Louis Rams seemed like just an average team, which is exactly what their record shows. Statistically, the Rams' defense seems just average, but yet they did generate a good pass rush with Chris Long and Robert Quinn. Along with this, St. Louis' linebackers and secondary played relatively well, but nowhere near the level of play by the rest of the NFC West. The real issues with the St. Louis Rams lies in the offense, where the center of the team is a still-developing Sam Bradford. Last season, both running the ball and passing the ball on offense was a struggle, but the Rams have made it clear that there will not be a quarterback change. I would expect the Rams to target both running backs and receivers during free agency, to provide Sam Bradford with as many options as possible. These new options should provide their quarterback with new options to throw or hand off to, taking pressure off of Bradford. Along with this, there is a minor concern at the depth of the offensive line, which allowed far to much pressure to reach the quarterback. Despite these three obvious issues on the St. Louis Rams' depth chart, I am doubting any major free agency activity from the team. The Rams only have $7.3 million in cap space, and are completely stacked for the NFL Draft in May. But, if St. Louis can address at least one of these three problems during free agency, the Rams could have a good shot at ending the season over .500 for the first time in 10 years.
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