The NFC West was as dominating as any division in recent NFL history last season and it only promises to get tougher with pretty much each team either maintaining its high level of play or improving a great deal in the offseason.
Can the Seattle Seahawks repeat as Super Bowl champions? Will the San Francisco 49ers finally get over the final hurdle and bring a sixth Lombardi Trophy to the organization? Do the Arizona Cardinals or St. Louis Rams stand a chance with the top tow dogs in the division?
These questions will all be answered in the coming months. For now, it's all about preparing for the season and making sure everything goes right during training camp.
Here is eDraft's 2014 training camp preview of the toughest division in football.
Top Newcomers
Steve Johnson, Wide Receiver, San Francisco 49ers
The addition of Johnson seems to be flying under the radar, but it was an extremely important move for Trent Baalke and Co. Adding him to the mix will enable the 49ers to go away from their conservative nature and utilize more three wide receiver sets. This is something that was needed in order for quarterback Colin Kaepernick to progress on the field in 2014.
Prior to struggling with injuries and connecting with rookie quarterback E.J. Manuel last season, Johnson had tallied three consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns for the Buffalo Bills. He's a starter-caliber receiver that will be relegated to a No. 3 role with the 49ers. The idea of Michael Crabtree, Anquan Boldin, Vernon Davis and Johnson being on the field together at the same time has to be scary to opposing defenses in the NFC West, Seattle included.
Antoine Bethea, Safety, San Francisco 49ers
Bethea is a few years removed from being a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback, but he's still above average in all the aspects that San Francisco will look for him to contribute in this season. With fellow safety Eric Reid surprising a great deal in coverage, the 49ers can interchange these two throughout the game, which will cause some issues for offenses. While Bethea is nothing more than a short-term fix until Jimmie Ward is ready to play, he fits the 49ers defense to a T.
Kenny Britt, Wide Receiver, St. Louis Rams
Britt's off-field and injury issues have been well documented. Those are the two primary reasons he's no longer a member of the Tennessee Titans after they made him a first-round pick in 2009. Britt has tallied a total of less than 800 yards in the last three seasons combined.
With that said, he is still only 25 years old and is right up there with Tavon Austin as the most-talented receiving option on the Rams. If Britt can get his head straight off the field, he's going to be a darn good addition for Sam Bradford and Co.
Jared Veldheer, Offensive Tackle, Arizona Cardinals
Arizona finally has that blindside protector on the offensive line. It took years of failed experiments in both free agency and the draft, but Veldheer is going to help stabilize what promises to be a much improved offensive line in front of Carson Palmer. Couple this with the return of Jonathan Cooper from an injury he suffered prior to his rookie campaign, and things are looking up for Arizona's offensive line. It may have cost the Cardinals a nice amount of cash, but the benefits will be clear come gamedays this upcoming season.
Antonio Cromartie, Cornerback, Arizona Cardinals
If Cromartie can rebound from a disappointing 2013 season and return to full health, this could be a major coup for the Cardinals. When healthy, the 30-year-old cornerback is a darn good starter in the NFL. Lining him up opposite Patrick Peterson represents a tremendous upgrade from last season. Add rookie Deone Bucannon to the mix and the Cardinals secondary could end up being one of the best in the NFL this year.
Top Training Camp Battles
Larry Foote and Ernie Sims, Linebackers, Arizona Cardinals
The loss of Daryl Washington to suspension is going to be huge for Arizona's defense. He's among the best inside linebackers in the NFL and will be missed big time. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they didn't plan ahead during the draft. Instead, they are stuck attempting to scrape through with a couple below-average options.
Foote started 105 games in 11 seasons with Pittsburgh, but he hasn't been anywhere near the same player in recent years. The 34-year-old linebacker played in just one game due to injury last season and is a replacement-level player, at best. Sims, a former top-10 pick of the Detroit Lions, has been among the worst linebackers in the NFL during his playing career. Cardinals fans better hope Foote wins the jobs and returns to form. If not, it's going to be a long season at inside linebacker.
Deone Bucannon and Tony Jefferson, Safeties, Arizona Cardinals
All indications here are that Bucannon will earn the starting gig. You don't spend a first-round pick on a safety without the expectation that he will start from Day 1. Bucannon, a hard hitter from Washington State, fits what Arizona wants in a strong safety. He will mesh well with talented second-year defensive back Tyrann Mathieu.
It's still not a given that Bucannon will start out of the gate. Some within the Cardinals organization like what they see from another physical safety in Jefferson, who was a projected earlier-round pick prior to struggling during his final season at Oklahoma. This could be the case of a player with some NFL experience (Jefferson) earning the job with the rookie getting eased into the lineup.
Carlos Hyde, Kendall Hunter and Marcus Lattimore, Running Backs, San Francisco 49ers
This is a really interesting competition behind veteran running back Frank Gore, who is likely to see substantially less rushing attempts in 2014. San Francisco yielded a second-round pick for powerful former Ohio State rusher Carlos Hyde this past May, and he's been mighty impressive thus far in offseason activities. Hyde, as a power runner, fits the 49ers scheme to a T. Hunter, the incumbent backup, is averaging over five yards per touch in his three-year NFL career. And Marcus Lattimore, would have easily been a top-20 pick in the 2013 NFL draft had he not tore his ACL in his last collegiate game. The talent is definitely here. It just remains to be seen who is going to get a bulk of the carries behind Gore. My money is on Hyde at this point.
Michael Bowie and Justin Britt, Offensive Tackles, Seattle Seahawks
One of the very few weaknesses on the defending Super Bowl champions roster is along the offensive line. While there are concerns at guard, finding someone to step in at right tackle is going to be huge for Russell Wilson and Co. in 2014. If they Seahawks cannot get average production from this spot on the offensive line, it could have an impact on their ability to improve in the passing game. Britt was a perceived reach in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft, but there are a lot of scouts out there who like his potential. Bowie possesses less upside, but he might be more ready to play at this time.
Jeremy Lane and Tharold Simon, Cornerbacks, Seattle Seahawks
What a great "problem" to have. While Lane has the path to the nickel role in Seattle, Simon is a supremely talented on-ball cover corner from LSU. He was a redshirt as a rookie in 2013, but possesses the talent to be a starter-caliber player for a long time. The obvious advantage here goes to Lane, though it wouldn't be a surprise to see Simon make the decision difficult for Pete Carroll and Co.
Top Storylines Heading Into Training Camp
49ers Holdouts: How long are Alex Boone and Vernon Davis going to holdout? Neither seem ready to report to camp until San Francisco's brass signs them to a contract extension. The issue with this, as evidenced by Trent Baalke giving Joe Staley a two-year extension, is that San Francisco won't negotiate until the players report to camp. If the 49ers are without either of these players heading into the season, it's going to be a big blow to their Super Bowl chances. Both Boone and Davis are slated to be fined $30,000 for every day that they don't report to camp. It's fine to a take a stance now. It's a completely different thing to continue holding out when you are out 30K per day.
Tyrann Mathieu: At this point, there is a chance that Mathieu will start training camp on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list after suffering a torn ACL towards the end of his rookie season. Unlike a regular season PUP designation, Mathieu can be activated at any time during the preseason. This could, however, be a concern for the Cardinals moving forward. While all indications are that Mathieu is going to be 100 percent for Week 1, the Cardinals cannot afford for any setbacks in his rehabilitation process, especially with Daryl Washington, another key defender, suspended for the season.
Will Michael Sam Make the Rams 53-Man Roster? No matter your stance on whether Michael Sam should be a story at this point, and I don't think he should, this is something that is going to follow the Rams through the entire preseason and all the way up to final cuts. As the first openly gay draft pick in NFL history, the media will continue to pay attention to his battle for a roster spot. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is. Sam, as a late-round pick, still has an uphill battle to break camp with the Rams. With that said, he will be given every opportunity to show what he can do during the preseason.
Hangover in Seattle: The Super Bowl hangover is real. It's taken up a notch this season, especially considering the tough division that Seattle is going to have to go up against in 2014. While it did destroy the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl, it's important to note that Seattle was a few inches away from losing the NFC Championship game at home to the division-rival 49ers. In reality, Seattle simply cannot afford to take a step back. Based on the talent it possesses, there shouldn't be too much of a concern over that happening.
Power Ranking the Division
1. Seattle Seahawks: Defending Super Bowl champions without a ton of major losses in the offseason. Despite what promises to be a challenging 2014 season, we simply can't dethrone royalty before they've even played a game.
2. San Francisco 49ers: Whatever gap existed between Seattle and San Francisco narrowed this offseason. If at all possible, these two teams are closer in terms of overall talent than in 2013. If Seattle is 1A, the 49ers are 1B.
3. Arizona Cardinals: With the losses of Daryl Washington and Karlos Dansby, Arizona took a dramatic hit on the defensive side of the ball. It is possible that this 10-win team from a year ago is now closer to the cellar (if you want to call it that) than first place. Even then, the Cardinals are still a playoff contender.
4. St. Louis Rams: This is a make-or-break season for Sam Bradford. He now has the necessary talent around him to succeed. If it doesn't happen, the Rams will again be relegated to cellar-dweller status. If he does improve, they will be in playoff contention.