There’s always a clamor immediately after free agency and the NFL Draft to see what next year’s odds are with the offshore sportsbooks, but everything changes in the run-up to the regular season. Every year sees a team crowned the “off-season champions” before the wheels inevitably fall off, and there are multiple reasons for that.
Injuries, suspensions and simply not living up to expectations can all play a part, so here are a few players and situations to look out for ahead of the new season.
Deshaun Watson – Browns
The Browns already knew Deshaun Watson was going to miss the start of the NFL season. The initially proposed suspension from his litany of sexual misconduct cases was a laughable six games. This, rightly, caused an uproar, and the Browns looked likely to lose their quarterback for the season. Instead, Watson is out for 11 games and out of pocket $5 million dollars. Don’t be shocked to see the Browns look to trade for Jimmy Garopolo as a stop-gap.
Jameson Williams – Lions
Jameson Williams was tearing it up for Alabama last year when he tore his ACL in the College Football Playoff. The Lions were invested enough in the potential of Williams – namely his breathtaking speed and route running – to take him with the No. 12 overall pick of the draft. His timetable for a return will likely be tied to if Detroit is in playoff contention later in the year.
Zach Wilson – Jets
The Jets have lost Wilson for four to six weeks with a bone bruise/torn meniscus in his knee. While this is (obviously) bad, it is not the disaster that Jets brass feared when Wilson was taken off of the field in the preseason. Wilson’s bad luck means at least one start is likely for veteran Joe Flacco. That game in Week 1 will, ironically, be against the Baltimore Ravens, the franchise that Flacco led to victory in Super Bowl XLVII.
Cowboys’ Wide Receivers
The heavily overpaid Michael Gallup is still recovering from an ACL tear last season and seems a long shot for Week 1. James Washington went down with Jones fracture in his foot that looks likely to sideline him until October. Given that Amari Cooper isn’t even with the team anymore (he is in Cleveland without a quarterback) it looks likely that Jalen Tolbert, a player taken in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, will likely start alongside CeeDee Lamb.