Heading into the 2021 season, the NFC West looks like potentially the most competitive division in football. Each team has legitimate playoff ambitions and the race for the division title will be wide open. There is some similarity too in their offseason needs. All four are in need of help at cornerback and at least three of them need more talent at edge rusher. The rest of the offseason though is likely to focus on quarterback changes. Russell Wilson trade talks continue to rumble on, whilst the 49ers look like they might move on from Jimmy Garoppolo. The next few months are sure to be interesting viewing.
Seattle Seahawks
Biggest need: EDGE
Other needs: CB, OT, IOL
Projected 2021 Cap Space: $17.9 million (15th least in the NFL)
Notable free agents: K.J. Wright, LB | Shaquill Griffin, CB | Benson Mayowa, EDGE
The debate around a potential Russell Wilson trade isn’t going away any time soon. That said, there are plenty of other areas that the Seahawks should be focused on this offseason. The most important of these is addressing their problems at edge rusher. It is a sign of how bad things were that Jamal Adams led the team in sacks whilst playing safety. They traded for Carlos Dunlap midway through the season, but they have already released him in order to save some cap. Benson Mayowa is also an impending free agent. That would leave the Seahawks’ best returning edge rusher as Alton Robinson, who had a paltry 18 pressures in 2020. Seattle don’t pick until No. 56 in the draft, which will be far too late to get any top tier talent at the position. As such, we might see them make a move in free agency.
The other spot to watch is at cornerback. The Seahawks’ defense was a problem last year and at one point they were on pace to be the worst in NFL history. The lacklustre pass rush didn’t help matters, but their secondary was seemingly unable to cover anyone and they need help on the boundary. Quinton Dunbar couldn’t stay healthy this season and will be a free agent this summer. They are also set to lose Shaquill Griffin, who led the team with eight forced incompletions in 2020. Once again, their lack of draft capital makes addressing a valuable position like corner a difficult task. There are a few interesting names in free agency that they may target, but the reduced cap means these are unlikely to be big deals.
There will also be plenty of attention on Seattle’s offensive line. It seems like this has been a persistent issue for the Seahawks and they have been utterly unable to solve the problem. Duane Brown was good this season, but at 35 he can’t be expected to play at this level for much longer. Aside from him, there isn’t much to give Seahawks fans hope. The interior line was particularly poor in 2020 and should be the main focus for investment. Per PFF, the Seahawks’ highest graded interior offensive lineman was the rookie Damien Lewis. With both Mike Iupati and Ethan Pocic hitting free agency, they are in dire need of more depth at the position.
Los Angeles Rams
Biggest need: CB
Other needs: EDGE, LB, WR
Projected 2021 Cap Space: -$33.1 million (least in the NFL)
Notable free agents: Troy Hill, CB | John Johnson, S | Darious Williams, CB | Leonard Floyd, EDGE
The Rams defense was incredibly in 2020, leading the NFL in EPA allowed per play. It seems crazy therefore that three of their biggest needs this offseason are on that side of the ball. The Rams have the worst cap situation in the NFL, and as a result they are being forced to let some of their defensive stars walk this offseason. Nowhere will that hit harder than at cornerback. As things stand, Jalen Ramsey will be the team’s only returning starter in 2021. Troy Hill and Darious Williams are both hitting free agency after excellent 2020 campaigns. The Rams are of course without a first round pick and as a result they will probably miss out on the top cornerback talent in this year’s draft. With no cap space to work with in free agency, this could be a transition year on defense.
They are facing a pretty similar problem at edge rusher, where Leonard Floyd is an impending free agent. Floyd was the only edge on the Rams’ roster to account for more than 20 pressures this season. Aaron Donald is obviously the team’s biggest threat from the interior, but they can’t just rely on one player to do all of the work. Adding a quality pass rusher off the edge would help to draw attention away from Donald and improve the team’s overall pressure rate. The Rams should also prioritise investment at linebacker, which was one of their biggest weaknesses in 2020. Troy Reeder had the highest PFF coverage grade at the position at just 59.5, ranked 47th amongst all NFL linebackers.
Defense is the biggest offseason need, but the Rams would be sensible to consider utilising this year’s deep wide receiver class. Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods are an excellent duo, but the team are losing Josh Reynolds in free agency. This leaves Van Jefferson as the team’s WR3 for 2021. Jefferson looks to be a solid player, but it is clear that the team lacks a legitimate speed threat to stretch defenses downfield. There are a number of names that could add value in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft, and it will be interesting to see if the Rams target a player like Jaelon Darden or Tutu Atwell.
Arizona Cardinals
Biggest need: CB
Other needs: IOL, TE, RB
Projected 2021 Cap Space: $21.4 million (15th most in the NFL)
Notable free agents: Patrick Peterson, CB | Dre Kirkpatrick, CB | Kelvin Beachum, OT | Kenyan Drake, RB
The Cardinals have made the biggest splash of free agency so far with the signing of J.J. Watt, but there is still some work to do. If they are to have any chance of success in 2021, they need to address cornerback. Both Patrick Peterson and Dre Kirkpatrick are hitting free agency this offseason and neither look likely to re-sign. Arizona have already cut Robert Alford, with him returning on a much cheaper one-year deal. Byron Murphy should be a solid option in the slot, but this still leaves one, if not both, boundary corner spots open. Arizona might target a player like Jaycee Horn in the first round of the draft, whose man coverage skillset would be a good fit on the Cardinals defense. They also have the money to add a couple of cheaper free agency options too.
Next on the list for the Cardinals will be continuing to invest along the offensive line. Things admittedly look pretty good at tackle. D.J. Humphries is coming off a career year, and Josh Jones looks set to replace Kelvin Beachum at right tackle. Things aren’t so positive along the interior though. Justin Pugh’s 64.8 PFF grade was the highest at the position in 2020. This ranked just 60th across all NFL interior linemen. Having Kyler Murray under center allows a little bit more flexibility when it comes to offensive line talent, but the Cardinals still need to do a better job of protecting him.
The other two spots to watch are tight end and running back. The Cardinals don’t use their tight end a tonne in the passing game, but impending free agent Dan Arnold still accounted for 42 targets and ranked second in yardage behind DeAndre Hopkins. Kenyan Drake is also set to depart, leaving Chase Edmonds as RB1 entering 2021. Edmonds has been a decent change-of-pace back, but Kliff Kingsbury will likely want another name in the backfield. A cheap free agency option or late-round pick should have this covered.
San Francisco 49ers
Biggest need: CB
Other needs: QB, EDGE, OT
Projected 2021 Cap Space: $24.6 million (14th most in the NFL)
Notable free agents: Trent Williams, OT | Richard Sherman, CB | Jason Verrett, CB | Solomon Thomas, EDGE
After reaching the Super Bowl in 2019, the 49ers had a tough time this season. Injuries to key players limited their opportunities for success and they will be hopeful of bouncing back in 2021. The first thing they will need to do is address their weakness at cornerback. They are set to lose Richard Sherman, Jason Verrett, and Akhello Witherspoon in free agency. Emmanuel Moseley is also a restricted free agent. Those four players accounted for 1,968 defensive snaps in 2020. If the 49ers don’t make a move at quarterback in the first round of this year’s draft, you can expect cornerback to be their main focus.
Last offseason it would have seemed crazy to suggest quarterback as a major need for the 49ers. A lot can change in a year though and Jimmy Garoppolo’s days with the team are numbered. His inability to stay healthy and lacklustre on-field performances make a change in the near future inevitable. The big question is whether or not it will come this offseason. There are rumours about Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch making a big play in the draft, and they could also be in the market for Deshaun Watson depending on the asking price. This is certainly going to be one of the offseason stories worth watching.
Aside from these two main areas of need, the 49ers could do with adding some talent at edge rusher. Solomon Thomas and Kerry Hyder are both free agents who will need to be replaced. They will still have Arik Armstead and Nick Bosa as their starters entering 2021, but with Bosa’s injury issues it makes sense to have more options available. Offensive tackle could also be another need for them with Trent Williams hitting free agency. The 49ers appear keen to bring him back, and after his performances in 2020 that would be the sensible move. If they can’t, there isn’t an obvious option waiting in the wings and so this could be another area to target in the draft.
