00:00Five NFL teams we're not talking about enough.
00:02The NFL offseason is full of noise.
00:05One team makes a big free agent signing.
00:07Another lands a highly rated coach.
00:09And suddenly, everyone is calling them the offseason champions.
00:13Then there's the draft, where teams can win the internet before any of their rookies
00:18have even played a snap.
00:20But sometimes, the teams making the least noise are the ones
00:23quietly putting themselves in the best position to win when it actually matters.
00:28Last year, the Seahawks were a perfect example.
00:32They traded Geno Smith, signed Sam Darnold, moved on from DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett,
00:37and brought in players like Cooper Cupp and Demarcus Lawrence.
00:41It didn't exactly scream Super Bowl contender.
00:44Only four of 15 staffers picked Seattle to make the playoffs.
00:48Then the Seahawks went 14-3, earned the NFC's number one seed, and won the Super Bowl.
00:53So, which teams could make a similar jump this year?
00:56Here are five that deserve more attention.
01:08It's strange that the defending champions aren't getting more attention.
01:12But that might be a good thing for Seattle.
01:14Yes, the Seahawks lost Kenneth Walker III.
01:17Furthy Art, in free agency, and moved on from several other contributors.
01:22They also lost offensive coordinator Clint Kubiak, who left to become the Raiders head coach.
01:28Still, it's hard to argue that last season was a fluke.
01:31Seattle went 14-3 in the regular season, won the tough NFC West, and grabbed the number one seed.
01:37Its three losses came by a combined nine points.
01:40In the playoffs, the Seahawks dominated two of their three opponents, including the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
01:47Even more impressive, DVOA ranked the 20C25 Seahawks as the third-best Super Bowl champion ever.
01:54The biggest questions are probably being overblown.
01:57Losing Walker hurts, especially because of his explosiveness.
02:00But Seattle ranked just 28th in rushing success rate last season anyway.
02:05And Mike McDonald deserves plenty of trust.
02:07He was number two in our coach rankings, and the unanimous number one defensive play caller.
02:13The defense should remain excellent.
02:15Devin Witherspoon is already one of the league's best corners,
02:19while Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy II form an outstanding interior defensive line.
02:25Ernest Jones was an all-pro last season, and safety Nick Emanwari looks like a future star.
02:31Seattle may not be making much noise this offseason.
02:33That doesn't mean it won't be making plenty of noise in January.
02:36Less, Packers Super Bowl odds, Pallothane and 1,800 NFC.
02:41North, Pallothane 25 win, total 9.5 green.
02:46Bay looked like a legitimate contender for much of last season.
02:50On Dexter FN, the Packers were 9-3-1 and had won four straight.
02:54And their defense ranked near the top of the league in several important areas,
02:58including yards per play, yards per pass attempt, and explosive play rate.
03:02Then Micah Parsons tore his ACL dot Green Bay loss that game, dropped to the next three regular season games,
03:09and eventually blew a 21-3 lead against the Bears in the wild card round.
03:15The defense clearly wasn't the same without Parsons, while the offense never consistently reached its ceiling.
03:22This could finally be the year Jordan Love, and the offense put everything together.
03:27Love has three talented young receivers around him.
03:31Christian Watson and Jaden Reed received extensions this offseason,
03:35while Matthew Golden has the talent to take a major step forward.
03:39The defense should also get a huge boost when Parsons eventually returns.
03:44He is expecting to be back sometime in the early or middle part of the season.
03:49Green Bay also added defensive pieces, and brought in Jonathan Gannon as coordinator.
03:54With a relatively friendly early schedule, the Packers could build momentum before Parsons returns.
03:59They're not the flashy pick.
04:01But there's plenty of talent here.
04:03Broncos Super Bowl odds.
04:05Level 2,000 AFC West.
04:08Pilot 225 win total.
04:109.5 Denver's season ended with one of the most frustrating what-if.
04:14Moments of the year.
04:16The Broncos beat the Bills in the divisional round,
04:18only to find out afterward that Bo Nix had fractured his ankle.
04:22A week later, backup Jarrett Stidham started against New England,
04:26and Denver lost 10-7.
04:28Would Nix have guaranteed a win?
04:30Obviously not.
04:31But considering how well Denver's defense played,
04:34it's hard not to wonder what could have happened.
04:36That's why the Broncos' current odds feel surprisingly low.
04:41They're behind both Kansas City and the Chargers in the AFC West.
04:45And their Ples 2000 Super Bowl odds are longer than Detroit's.
04:49Their 9.5 win total also seems conservative after winning 14 games last year and 10 the year before.
04:57The offense should be better.
04:582. Denver added Jalen Waddell,
05:02giving Nix a dynamic weapon,
05:03who can create explosive plays both downfield and after the catch.
05:08He should complement Cortland Sutton nicely.
05:10The offensive line remains a strength,
05:12while J.K. Dobbins is healthy again,
05:14and leads a deep running back group.
05:17Defensively, Denver brings back almost everyone except John Franklin Myers.
05:22If Nix stays healthy, this looks like a playoff team at minimum.
05:25There's a very real argument that Denver should be considered a Super Bowl threat.
05:37The Jaguars might be the hardest team on this list to believe in,
05:41because their offseason hasn't been particularly exciting.
05:45Jacksonville lost Travis Etienne and All-Pro.
05:47Linebacker Devin Lloyd.
05:49The team made only minor additions and used its only top 80 draft pick on Nate Burkirker,
05:55a tight end who projects more as a rotational blocker.
06:00But offseason activity isn't everything.
06:03Trevor Lawrence finished last season playing some of the best football of his career.
06:07Jacksonville won eight straight games before losing a close playoff game to Buffalo.
06:12Now Lawrence gets another year in Liam Cohen's offense,
06:15and Cohen has already shown that he knows how to maximize quarterbacks and offenses.
06:19The Jaguars also have an interesting group of weapons.
06:23Brian Thomas Jr., Jacoby Myers, and Parker Washington give Lawrence a nice mix of skills,
06:28while Travis Hunter could become an important offensive contributor as well.
06:32The running game will need to replace N.E.N.
06:35But Peicheltutin and Chris Rodriguez Jr. could form a useful combination.
06:40Then there's Hunter's potential impact on defense.
06:43Jacksonville already had a top 10 defense by many measures last season.
06:47If Hunter becomes a major two-way contributor,
06:49the Jaguars could be much better than their modest expectations suggest.
06:55Saints NFC
06:56South, close 270 playoffs.
06:59Palsy 184.
07:01Win total, 7.5.
07:03The Saints are the biggest long shot on this list,
07:05but they might also be the most interesting.
07:07New Orleans improved its running game by adding Etienne,
07:11and strengthened the offensive line with David Edwards.
07:14The team also drafted Jordan Tyson eighth overall,
07:17giving Chris Olav another talented weapon.
07:20The Saints finished last season by winning four of their final five games,
07:24and Tyler Show looked increasingly comfortable after taking over at quarterback.
07:29There are reasons for optimism on defense.
07:322.
07:33Chase Young quietly had a strong bounce-back season.
07:35Recording 10 sacks in just 12 games while producing an 18.1% pressure rate.
07:41Seventh in the NFL among players with at least 200 pass-rush snaps.
07:47New Orleans also has young talent in the secondary.
07:49The biggest concern is Brian Breese's injury,
07:52which could be a major blow.
07:54Still, the NFC South has been one of the league's least predictable divisions.
07:59And the Saints have enough young talent to make things interesting.
08:02They probably aren't a Super Bowl favorite.
08:05But at 7.5 wins, they're worth watching.
08:09The bottom line, the NFL offseason often rewards the loudest teams.
08:14But the teams that quietly improve internally
08:16can end up being the ones still playing when January arrives.
08:20Seattle already showed us how quickly that can happen.
08:24Green Bay has the talent to take another step.
08:26Denver could be much better than its odds suggest.
08:29Jacksonville has a quarterback and coach worth believing in.
08:32And New Orleans has enough young pieces to surprise people.
08:36None of these teams needs to win the offseason.
08:38They just need to win football games.
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