Let’s hear your take on what units you expect to get better, stay the same or get worse compared to last year.
QB’s - Improve - Tua should make a solid jump this year. I actually liked Jacoby Brissett when he was in New England. I expect Big improvement this year from this unit.
RB’s - Same - Obviously not a big infusion of talent into this room. I expect them to stay the same as last year….Maybe a slight improvement due to a possibly better OL.
WR‘s - Improve - Will Fuller, Waddle, Parker etc…. I expect a lot of improvement here. Finally some guys that can actually separate.
TE’s - Same - This is a tough unit to call. I like Gesicki and I hope he continues his upward trajectory…. But I’m not sure how the rest of that room will grow. Throw in the rookie Hunter Long and maybe they’re better?
OL - Improve - I like Eichenberg at RT. moving Hunt inside. Kindley back at guard. This unit will be improved. The problem is…..It’s gonna take a few games for these guys to gel in my opinion. I see the real improvement after week 8 or so.
DL - Same - I see the DL getting better on the pass rush (I’m warming up to the Phillips pick), But I don’t think they’ll be as good as last year against the run. So….I’ll call this staying the same.
LB’s - Drop Off - KVN wasn’t a world beater last year…But he was a leader. The defense wasn’t the same without him on the field. I hope Van Ginkle fills his shoes better than I think he will. As for McKinney, he’s a down hill thumper….But he’s not a 3 down backer. Also, Baker needs to take the next step this year.
DB’s - Improve - As tough as it will be (this was a good unit last year), I expect this to be a top 3 unit in the NFL this year. Holland should bring great safety play. I expect better play from Byron Jones and of course another good year from X. I expect there will be a no fly zone over Hard Rock Stadium this year.
ST’s - Same - Sanders is money. Hard to get better than last year. Parlardy is average. I expect our coverage units to be good again.
All totaled, I expect an 11 win year from this team.
I'll take a crack using your same groupings:
QB - Improved - Tua will most definitely be improved, even if slightly. There's nothing in the kid's history that tells me he won't, especially now that he's had time to properly rehab the hip, train up, and will have a legit off-season/pre-season to prepare for the upcoming season as the #1 dude. It's there for the taking.
RBs - Improved - Gaskin has shown he's gamer. He's not a threat to take every carry to the house, but he's elusive and doesn't quit on plays or take the easy out-of-bounds. I fully believe we'll get him some better blocking and less 8-man boxes and he should get his YPC to 5+ and be a major factor. The other guys can hammer the 1 yard slaughters for 1sts/TDs when needed. He should also enjoy more room to roam based off of the aerial weaponry we now have.
WRs - Improved - I mean...
OL - Improved - MUCH more flexibility and corn-fed quality. May take a few weeks to gel, like you said, but by the end of the season, these guys should be grading roads.
DL - Improved - You put Phillips together with Ogbah, and I see QB pain in the crystal ball. Counting on Wilkins and others to improve some as well...not massively, but enough. The REAL impact they'll have will be on opposing QBs' ratings...not just the sacks, but failed plays in general. Should really be icing on the secondary's cake.
LBs - Same - Leaning toward improved, but McKinney is an unknown still for us. Lost KVN and picked up a guy who by all accounts from some people I respect that know these things, should excel in this defense. I think AVG has shown he's ready to excel in additional responsibility and is a baller at LB.
DBs - Improved (I know that's crazy to think of) - Holland will be a MAJOR player in shutting down opposing offenses. Ya he's a rook, but look at the situation coming in...probably the best CB duo in the game, and QBs will be avoiding X at least, and he can feast.
STs - Same - As long as they're not stepping on their Richards, its all good.
All in all, I'm slightly more optimistic and see a minimum 12-5 season coming, with losses to Baltimore, Buffalo, NE, TB and a goofy upset somewhere.
You have to admire the team-building this front office/head coach has accomplished over the past few years...I mean, how long have we been wishing for this kind of crafting of the roster? To me, this is the first year I expected them to be highly competitive once they started the tear-down. I'm ready!