Offensive Star

Courtland Sutton (WR)

28 years old

SMU

Defensive Star

Jonathon Cooper (LB)

26 years old

Ohio State

Sometimes it’s better to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch then it is try to patch up the holes in a roster, and that seems to be what the Broncos are doing after cutting ties with Russell Westbrook and traded Jerry Jeudy. Sean Payton has a room full of unaccomplished QBs, but we have seen him mold quarterbacks and teams into champions. Sean Payton came into Denver, and was expected to be the savior in the Mile High City. He walked into a situation where the franchise had already invested a great deal in Russell Wilson, but he came in and over. He said some unfortunate things in his first year in Denver, so it’s time to put up and shut up.

ATTACK. The Broncos have cut ties with Jerry Jeudy and have entrusted the WR1 duties with Courtland Sutton. With uncertainty at the QB position, a dependable wide receiver is worth his weight in gold, and Sutton has to shine bright in the Mile High City. He’s not quite the superstar they need, but they will have to make do with what they have at the moment.

DEFENSE. Watch out for Jonathan Cooper this year. He is coming off a year in which he had 8.5 sacks and 72 tackles. The former 7th round pick is in a contract year after getting better and better each and every year. I think he’s going to turn into a leader on the defensive side of the ball, and if he continues to improve he is going to be a wealthy man this time next year..

Offensive Star

Davante Adams (WR)

31 years old

Fresno State

Defensive Star

Maxx Crosby (DE)

26 years old

Eastern Michigan

The Raiders ended last season with their heads held high thanks to the rough and rugged attitude instilled by interim coach turned head coach Antonio Pierce. There are questions at QB, and they did lose their top RB Josh Jacobs. There are questions on offense, but Maxx Crosby and the defense will hold it down on the other side of the ball. Antonio Pierce took over in the middle of last season and led the Raiders to a winning record in the final nine games of the year. The Raiders went 5-4 over those nine games and had big wins over the Chargers and Chiefs late in the season. Results weren’t’ the only thing that improved in Las Vegas. There was an attitude about Antonio Pierce’s team that hasn’t been seen with the Raiders in a long time. He’s the perfect coach for a Raiders team that needs some consistency on the sidelines.

ATTACK. There’s a case of will he stay or will he go brewing in Las Vegas after the Aaron Rodgers comments concerning Davante Adams. Adams was reported as saying he didn’t want Jimmy Garoppolo as his quarterback, and Rodgers comments about them reuniting opened up a can of worms that could be problematic for the Raiders. He is still one of the top WRs in the league, but since he left Green Bay he hasn’t had a QB like Rodgers.

DEFENSE. Without question the leader and heartbeat of this team in Maxx Crosby. He is a quarterbacks nightmare having registered 27 sacks over the last two years and a career high 14.5 last year. With the offense as uncertain as it is, he and Antonio Pierce know that the defense is going to be where this team wins games. Crosby has that game changing ability, and the Raiders are going to need to see it on a weekly basis.

Offensive Star

Justin Herbert (QB)

26 years old

Oregon

Defensive Star

Khalil Mack (DE/OLB)

33 years old

Buffalo

Injuries and underachieving plagued the Chargers in the Brandon Staley era from LA, and now there’s a new boss in charge on the sidelines. Jim Harbaugh is back in the NFL, and he’s got one of the best young guns in the league at QB. They lost their two top WR targets this offseason, but maybe the Chargers needed a changing of the guard at Sofi. The Chargers needed a change on the sidelines after a disappointed couple years with Brandon Staley. Jim Harbaugh is coming off a National Title at the University of Michigan, and knows what it is to take his team to the Super Bowl. Harbaugh took the Niners to the title game back in 2013, just two years before heading to Michigan. He talked about going back to the pros, but the situation needed to be right. Harbaugh is a larger than life California kid, back in his home stats with a top talent quarterback under center.

ATTACK. Since he was drafted back in 2020 we have been waiting for Justin Herbert to turn into the generational quarterback he was expected to be. He’s got a canon for an arm, and has shown that he lead his team to the playoffs if and when healthy. Unfortunately, Herbert has been hampered by injuries throughout his career, and that has kept him and the Chargers from reaching their full potential. They stocked up on offensive lineman this year and brought in a coach who is a quarterback genius. Herbert might be in his best position to flourish in his entire career, despite losing his top two weapons.

DEFENSE. Khalil Mack showed us last year just how dominant he can be with his 17 sacks and his 74 tackles, but when you combine that with Joey Bosa, that is a one-two punch the can wreak havoc on an offensive line. Bosa played just nine games last season before being placed on IR and missing the rest of the season. With Bosa back to his best this could be one of the top pass rushing units in the game.

Offensive Star

Patrick Mahomes (QB)

28 years old

Texas Tech

Defensive Star

Chris Jones (DT)

30 years old

Mississippi State

There is no question who the dynasty of this generation in the NFL is. Back-to-back Super Bowls, three in five years and six straight AFC Championship games. Players come and go, but the formula of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes has been an unstoppable combination. They are a more complete team now than they’ve ever been, so can anyone stop them? Reid was a great coach before he got to Kansas City, but since he teamed up with Patrick Mahomes, those two have been the most dominant player-coach duo since Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Last year’s Super Bowl may have been his crowning achievement considering no one was backing Kansas City to win the Super Bowl with their offensive struggles. If he wins another one, he would join Chuck Noll (4) and Bill Belichick (6) as the only ones to win four Super Bowls.

ATTACK. Is there any doubt who was going to go in this slot? He has been the Chiefs best player since his debut year as a starter in 2018. That year he threw 50 TDs and won his first of two NFL MVPs. Statistically he had maybe the worst year of his career, throwing 27 TDs and 14 INTs, but there were a lot of mistakes from his receivers that caused him to eventually have a sideline meltdown on one or two occasions. It was his worst statistical year, and the Chiefs still won the Super Bowl.

DEFENSE. Reid was a great coach before he got to Kansas City, but since he teamed up with Patrick Mahomes, those two have been the most dominant player-coach duo since Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Last year’s Super Bowl may have been his crowning achievement considering no one was backing Kansas City to win the Super Bowl with their offensive struggles. If he wins another one, he would join Chuck Noll (4) and Bill Belichick (6) as the only ones to win four Super Bowls.