2020 N.F.L. Season Preview: A Look at All 32 Teams
Los Angeles Chargers
Key move: Keeping quarterback Tyrod Taylor around to give Justin Herbert time.
Outlook: There’s not much that’s recognizable for fans of a team that said goodbye to a potential Hall of Famer quarterback (Philip Rivers) and a former Pro Bowl running back (Melvin Gordon), while losing one of its best defensive players, safety Derwin James, to a severe knee injury. But then, there aren’t many people who would ID themselves as followers at this point. For the few who do, here are inklings of optimism for the Chargers (5-11).
Los Angeles used the No. 6 draft pick on quarterback Justin Herbert, and while he’s probably not ready yet, the team bought itself plenty of time by retaining Taylor, who should have had a starting job in the first place. Along with the versatile running back Austin Ekeler and wide receiver Mike Williams, the offense has the potential to be far better than last year’s.
The Chargers had a top-10 defense in each of the last two seasons, and even without James they could very well make it three straight years.
Denver Broncos
Key move: Trading for defensive tackle Jurrell Casey.
Outlook: The Broncos (7-9) appear to have settled on Drew Lock at quarterback, and they have worked to build around him with a new offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur, and a fairly robust group of skill players — running backs Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon, wide receivers Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and Jerry Jeudy, and tight end Noah Fant. If the team can patch together a decent offensive line, there will be little excuse for Lock not to succeed, and that might take some pressure off John Elway, the team’s president, who has made some questionable quarterback decisions in recent years.
The team’s defense is not what it was a few years ago, but Von Miller is still Von Miller, even after his struggles with the coronavirus; stealing Casey from the Titans should pay large dividends; and the acquisition of cornerback A.J. Bouye helps blunt the loss of Chris Harris Jr.
Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/07/sports/football/nfl-team-by-team-season-preview.html