To me, this is a major prove-it year for this team.
If Hill is really bought-in then we need him to be as motivated in '24 as he's been the last two years. If Waddle is truly a great WR worthy of having moved up to go and get, he needs to stay healthy and be just as involved as Hill, if only to take some more of the load. I'd like to see their targets move closer together.
If we're really talented in the backfield then let's get more physical and run the ball more consistently and let's make a point of doing it more in the 2nd half. Ideally, we want to be leaning on these RBs as we go into Nov, Dec and Jan. Why we're going pass-happy when the OL is struggling shows a general lack of commitment to a more physical style within this offense and it's a major red flag that what we're building may not actually be what we all want.
If Tua's really a franchise QB then let's see him legitimately carry the team and step up throughout the season, not just put up some spectacular numbers early on against the NFL's lesser teams. The modern NFL has no place for physically-limited, game-manager-only, system QBs. A franchise QB needs to be special or else that team needs to be looking elsewhere for a difference-maker. There are a lot of QBs who'd like a chance to operate a McDaniel-led offense with this kind of talent. I want to know that it's not being wasted on Tua.
Defensively, this is a tough one. We're going to be drafting a boundary CB, a DT and a S all at some point. We may already have that new Safety in Patrick McMorris, but he's unlikely to contribute much as a rookie. Either way, this secondary is going to change over the next few years. It needs to be understood very clearly >> Poyer and Fuller are not long-term solutions. They are stop-gaps who will only be around for 1-2 years at most while we find their replacements.
Meanwhile, on the DL we lack a proven DT to go alongside Seiler and we'll be scrambling to replace the production of a healthy Chubb and Phillips. This is all while we install a new system under the guidance of a young DC earning his stripes.
In short, this defense is a long-term project. Maybe we reach the Playoffs again? Maybe we can even compete for the AFC East Division? But no matter, this defense is going to be something that we go about building over the next couple seasons. It's not going to be something that is occasionally there to bail the offense out which has been the case for the last 4 straight years under Flores, Boyer and Fangio.