Interesting people, fascinating circumstances
Most preseason coverage of the 2023 NFL season revolves about the league’s top contenders, best quarterbacks, smartest underdogs, or coaches on the hot seat.
This week, I’m examining something a little different — the most interesting people of the 2023 season. They may not be the best players and coaches, but they are under the most fascinating of circumstances and are worth monitoring as the season progresses.
(The list won’t include Aaron Rodgers, who undoubtedly is one of the most interesting stories in the NFL, but has been and will be covered ad nauseum in this space).
In no particular order:
■ Browns QB Deshaun Watson: The Browns signed him to an unprecedented contract last year — five years, $230 million, all guaranteed — because in Houston he played like a superstar. The Watson of 2018-20 would probably be the best quarterback in Browns history.
But 2020 is the last time Watson played a full season. He missed all of 2021 because of sexual harassment lawsuits, and only played in six games last year following an 11-game suspension. Watson was dismal, completing only 58.2 percent of his passes, and throwing five picks for a 79.1 rating.
That was without the benefit of much of an offseason or practice time. Now Watson, who turns 28 in September, enters Year 2 of the contract with a full offseason and training camp to absorb the offense. If he doesn’t play like a superstar, it will likely cost the jobs of coach Kevin Stefanski and many others in Cleveland.
■ Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley: Ridley, 28, has only played in five games the last two years — he stepped away from the Falcons in 2021 to focus on mental health and was suspended by the NFL for the 2022 season for gambling on football.
Now Ridley is back, signed by the Jaguars last year after being released by the Falcons. The Jags already have a solid offense with quarterback Trevor Lawrence, receivers Zay Jones and Christian Kirk, and tight end Evan Engram. Now they add Ridley, who in his last full season (2020) went for 90 catches, 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020. If he can come close to that, the Jaguars could have a deep and dynamic offense.
■ Bills S Damar Hamlin: His recovery from cardiac arrest in January has been nothing short of remarkable. Hamlin is back with the Bills this season, and participated in a full-contact practice.
Now reality sets in, and the real possibility that Hamlin won’t make the team. Hamlin, now in his third year, started 13 games a year ago, but Micah Hyde is back from injury, plus the Bills have veterans Jordan Poyer, Taylor Rapp and Dean Marlowe. Hamlin admitted that “I’m not afraid to say that it crosses my mind of being a little scared here and there.”
Hamlin has four more weeks to prove he can play in the NFL without hesitation. If not, it could result in the Bills releasing Hamlin or, more likely, placing him on injured reserve for the season.
■ Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken: Now that the Ravens have figured out Lamar Jackson’s contract, they have to figure out how to get the most out of his talents and start winning in the postseason.
They hired Monken, 57, to implement his pass-heavy Air Raid offense. Monken had moderate success in the NFL with Jameis Winston and Baker Mayfield, and had a lot more success in college with Oklahoma State and Georgia.
It’s an interesting match with Jackson, who has never been a high-volume passer. In Jackson’s four full seasons as starting quarterback, the Ravens have finished 32nd, 32nd, ninth, and 28th in pass attempts. One of the biggest changes for Jackson is Monken won’t let him wear the giant wristband with all of the plays.
“Wristbands are easy. You just read it,” Monken said. “Hard is learning the offense, being able to process and make the calls.”
■ Falcons QB Desmond Ridder: The Falcons aren’t getting a lot of preseason buzz, but they have assembled an impressive collection of first-round picks on offense — receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts (when he’s healthy), rookie running back Bijan Robinson, and do-everything player
Cordarrelle Patterson. Add in one of the smartest play-callers in the NFL in coach Arthur Smith, and the Falcons have a chance to be dangerous.
But they are also putting a lot of faith in an inexperienced quarterback to tie it all together. Ridder, last year’s third-round pick, played in just four games and averaged only 177 passing yards per game. The Falcons could have signed Jimmy Garoppolo or traded for Derek Carr, but instead only signed Taylor Heinicke to be Ridder’s backup.
“We feel pretty strongly that he’s going to be our quarterback of the future,” owner Arthur Blank said last week.
It’s a risky bet, but if the Falcons are right, this won’t be a fun team to face.
■ Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio: The Jets and Bills are getting all of the hype in the AFC East, but the most significant addition may be Fangio. The Dolphins had one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses last season when Tua Tagovailoa was healthy, but their defense ranked just 24th in points allowed and 30th in takeaways.
Fangio has brought immediate improvement to his defenses throughout his career as a coordinator and head coach, with the 1999 Colts (finished 17 th in points allowed a year after ranking 29th), 2011 49ers (2nd, up from 16th), 2015 Bears (20th, up from 31st), and 2019 Broncos (10th, up from 13th). He also made respectable defenses out of the expansion 1995 Panthers and 2002 Texans. If Fangio can continue the trend in Miami, the Dolphins could be serious contenders.
■ Texans WR John Metchie and Saints TE Foster Moreau: A secondround pick last year from Alabama, Metchie is participating in his first training camp after missing his rookie season with acute promyelocytic leukemia. He could be a nice addition for rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. “I feel better now than I ever did in college, and I feel better than I was before I got diagnosed,” Metchie said last week.
And Moreau, entering his fifth year, said he is in remission from the Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that Saints doctors discovered during a physical for the free agent in March. Moreau caught 12 touchdowns in four seasons with the Raiders and already has a good rapport with Carr.
■ Free agent QB Tom Brady: He says he’s finally retired, but Brady’s presence will loom large over the 2023 season. Will he follow through on buying a sliver of the Raiders and joining the front office? A recent NFL rule change that prevents employees from owning equity in the team has complicated the deal. Will he fade into retirement and work on his TV skills? He just bought a part of a British soccer club and says he’s committed to Fox in 2024, but few people believe him. Most importantly — if and when Garoppolo gets hurt, or the Raiders start 2-4, will Brady be able to resist the pressure to come back and save the day? Brady looks committed to retirement now, but let’s see how he feels once the season begins and he’s not a part of it.