Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals fit the same mold as all the other teams in the vaunted NFC West; strong defense and very good depth. Their deepest position is one that doesn’t necessarily feature a superstar but is one with more than one solid backup. The position is running back.
Their starter, Andre Ellington, had a PFF (subscription) rating of 14.7 in 2013, making him the 10th highest rated running back last season. He’s fast, agile, and strong enough to run between the tackles. However, this is the season the Cardinals will most likely start to use backup Stepfan Taylor predominantly between the tackles. He doesn’t have breakaway speed like Ellington does but he has exceptional balance and vision which makes him extremely dangerous between the tackles. Taylor also does the little things very well, such as pass blocking.
While the 1-2 punch of Ellington and Taylor doesn’t have much experience, their third string running back has experience and has also been a successful back in the NFL. Their third string back is former Pittsburgh Steeler Jonathan Dwyer. Last season in Pittsburgh Dwyer didn’t fair so well but with the Cardinals he won’t be asked to carry the ball very often. Dwyer will most likely be used to spell the younger backs from time to time to make sure they stay fresh all year. Having a capable third string running back is a luxury most teams don’t have.
Seattle Seahawks
The deepest position for the Seattle Seahawks is no secret, it’s at cornerback. Although they lost two very skilled cornerbacks this offseason in Brandon Browner and Walter Thurmond, this group of cornerbacks is still scary to opposing quarterbacks. They still have one of the best cornerbacks in the entire NFL with Richard Sherman. His PFF rating of 12.4 was the sixth best in the league for 2013. Sherman doesn’t handle receivers with straight line speed very well, but his technique and footwork more than make up for that deficiency.
Their other starter across the field is Byron Maxwell. He had a PFF rating of 9.3 last season, ranking him 13th in the league. Maxwell is a good all around cornerback and, just like most cornerbacks the Seahawks bring in, he has very good technique. He also plays smart and doesn’t get fooled by play action and double moves very often. Both starting cornerbacks are capable of covering most receivers on just about every play.
The backups are almost just as good as the starters in Seattle. Jeremy Lane and Tharold Simon are both names that not many people outside of Seattle are too familiar with but both can play some football. Both of these guys would start on just about any other team in the league but are buried on the depth chart. The good thing for both of them is that Seattle uses 3+ cornerbacks fairly often compared to other teams.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers might have the deepest position group in the entire NFL. They have five running backs that would get significant carries on most other teams. Their feature back and work horse hasn’t changed as Frank Gore looks to go toe to toe with Father Time. Gore runs just as hard as ever, is staying healthier than ever, and does the little things on every single play. He knows what every player on every play is supposed to do, knows the entire route tree for wide receivers, picks up the slack if someone misses their assignment on a certain play, and is the best pass blocking running back in the NFL and it isn’t even close.
The running back with the next highest amount of yards returning from last season is Kendall Hunter and he’s their change of pace back. When Hunter runs the ball he just looks faster and quicker than anyone else on the field. The other back that is returning from last season is LaMichael James. While James’ stats aren’t particularly astonishing so far in his young career, the talent is undeniable. One could easily argue that the 49ers’ coaching staff hasn’t utilized James properly thus far. However, he is extremely agile and one of the fastest players on the team. If Offensive Coordinator Gregg Roman figures out how to use James to the best of his skill set, James will be a force in 2014.
After James on the depth chart is rookie Carlos Hyde and red shirt sophomore Marcus Lattimore. Both of these running backs are the backs of the future in San Francisco. Lattimore is a lot like Gore in his running style and history of injuries. Lattimore is the back that will break the 60 yard runs, use his vision to change fields in traffic, block anyone he’s asked to block, and is also able to get the short yardage if they need him to. However, this is where Hyde will most likely come in. Hyde is the “four yards in a cloud of dust” running back. He’s most likely going to be their goal line and short yardage back but that’s not his limit. He’s much more than that and will be hungry to prove it this season.
St. Louis Rams
The defensive line for the Rams is going to give offensive lines around the league fits. They’re fast, agile, and powerful. They have three-down linemen and situational linemen. Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams is going to have the time of his life calling blitzes and stunts with the guys he has on the line.
Their defensive line begins and ends with two guys; Chris Long and Robert Quinn. These two are stars at defensive end and probably the best defensive end duo in the NFL. They’re solid against the run and almost unstoppable in their pass rush. On the inside is rookie Aaron Donald and veteran Michael Brockers. Donald was considered by many to be the top defensive lineman in the 2014 draft and somehow slipped to the Rams at 13th overall. What Long and Quinn can do on the outside, Donald is able to do that on the inside. Brockers isn’t that good rushing the passer (but with the three guys surrounding him he doesn’t need to be) but is extremely stout against the run.
Behind Long is William Hayes. Hayes ranked 11th overall in the league with an 11.4 PFF rating in 354 snaps. While Hayes is a solid pass rusher, he makes his money stopping the run. Backup defensive tackles Alex Carrington and Kendall Langford are also very solid backups that can come in and do whatever they’re asked to do when needed. Not only is the depth on this line impressive, their versatility is equally impressive. Gregg Williams will be able to call any stunt or blitz he wants to no matter what personnel he has on the field. That’s any defensive coordinator’s dream.