NFL: Primary storylines before year
1. The Antonio Brown fiasco: The talk of most of the 2019 offseason pretty much has been Antonio Brown. Between his beef with Big Ben that was revealed at the start of the offseason, to his official request for a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers, his back-and-forth with his former teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster, him blocking the trade with the Buffalo Bills, to the official trade to the Oakland Raiders, his frostbitten feet, and now his threats to retire if he cannot wear his old helmet that’s been banned by the NFL. Some say that this is all a ploy from Brown to get a pay raise on his contract, or maybe he is just that sensitive at this point in his career to seriously consider retiring. But at this point, all eyes will be on the Raiders and whether or not this Brown circus will continue into the start of the season.
2. The Browns are (finally) relevant: After the run Cleveland had towards the end of last season and the flashes of potential rookie QB Baker Mayfield showed throughout the year, the Browns went all in during the offseason to ensure they’d become Super Bowl contenders in 2019. Signing Kareem Hunt to a one-year deal and of course the blockbuster trade for Odell Beckham show that John Dorsey and company are 100% all in this upcoming season. With the Steelers in disarray with Le’Veon Bell and Brown gone, the Cincinnati Bengals stuck in mediocrity like they have been over the past five years, and the Baltimore Ravens going through a transition phase with young Lamar Jackson at QB, now is the best time for Cleveland to take over the division, if they’re ever going to at this point.
3. The Patriots might slow down (...probably not, though): Last year, once again the New England Patriots hoisted the Super Bowl trophy, the sixth championship for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick since 2000, which is absolutely astonishing to think about. Think about it. We are watching the best quarterback and head coach right in front of our eyes during this ultra competitive modern era. However, Brady is now 42-years-old entering this season, the oldest starting QB in league history. And as we saw towards the end of last season, Brady made some uncharacteristic mistakes, and the Patriots dropped a few shocking games that you normally wouldn’t expect. Sure, they bounced back and dominated the playoffs, but at some point Brady and Belichick have to slow down, right? Right?
4. Who will win the tank for Tua Tagovailoa sweepstakes: With draft pundits already saying Tua Tagovailoa might be one of the best prospects they’ve seen in a long time, that makes getting the top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft a massive priority. As we’ve seen over the past few years, teams such as the Titans and Browns build from having the worst record in the league to fringe contenders based on trading down. We’ve also seen some trade up for big prospects such as the Rams and Eagles, and make the Super Bowl. So having a franchise quarterback is massively important in this day and age. While the Dolphins did trade for Josh Rosen in the offseason, expect to see them in the Tua sweepstakes with a largely mediocre roster. Expect others like the Bengals and possibly the Buccaneers to enter the race as well.
Photo Credit: Clutch Points.
