5 Burning Questions for 2023 NFL Season
Analysis 6/28/23
The NFL offseason is winding down and the start of training camp is around the corner, so it feels like a good time to tackle some of the NFL's most significant questions for this season. There are a million options that qualify for this list, but these are the five questions that interest me the most.
5 Burning Questions
1. Should Ravens, Jackson Pass More?
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson finally got the big-money contract he earned with the stellar start to his career.
That, combined with the addition of former Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and a new offense under recent Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken, has the Ravens’ faithful anticipating a big year. The question is, should they be?
“Less running and more throwing,” Jackson said when asked about Monken’s offense and his role in it during the spring. Are we sure that it is in the best interest of Jackson and the Ravens to put more points on the board?
Jackson’s passing numbers have gotten worse, not better, during the past four years, so putting more of the offense on his arm rather than his legs feels like a gamble. That’s especially the case when you consider Beckham Jr’s three best seasons were when Barack Obama was President.
It might work, but there’s at least as much potential it doesn’t and Ravens fans clamor for the good old days of Greg Roman’s exotic rushing and play-action attack.
2. How Much Did Eagles Downgrade?
The Philadelphia Eagles roster isn’t going to be as good as last season, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering the 2022 team was the best in the league and franchise history.
There’s nowhere to go from that point but down. That’s the case with the Eagles, who lost seven starters from the Super Bowl team, including five on defense.
It’s impossible to look at the safety and linebacker positions and argue the Eagles will be better than they were in 2022. Even though there is excitement about selecting former Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter with the ninth pick in the draft, the chance he outperforms Javon Hargrave’s 2022 numbers is minimal.
The question is, how much worse? At most spots, the Eagles have a young player waiting in the wings, whether that is Cam Jurgens at right guard or Nakobe Dean at linebacker. The drop-off, or lack thereof, will determine whether Philly can return to the Super Bowl.
3. Is Bill Belichick on the Hot Seat?
Probably not, but should he be? On the one hand, Bill Belichick has a record six Lombardi Trophies and is a first-ballot Hall of Fame coach. On the other, he has won one playoff game in 10 seasons without Tom Brady — one.
More importantly, he has zero playoff wins in the last three years (since Brady left), and on some level, he is a victim of his own success because the fans and ownership are accustomed to winning.
It's hard to imagine New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft moving on from Belichick before he breaks Don Shula’s all-time win record. Still, will Kraft have the patience to give Belichick three more years if that’s what he needs to get 19 more wins and take the top spot?
How will Kraft feel if the Patriots finish dead last in the AFC East this season, as many people believe will be the case?
4. How Will Watson Perform?
The Cleveland Browns made by far the biggest investment in NFL history last offseason, trading a boatload of picks and giving Deshaun Watson a fully guaranteed five-year contract because of his 2020 performance.
By almost all accounts, he was a top-five quarterback in the league, which is a little strange when you look back on it because Houston only won four games that season. After Watson sat out 2021 and was suspended for the first 11 games of 2022, it’s up to Browns coach Kevin Stefanski to begin to get a return on owner Jimmy Haslam’s investment.
Unlike last year, there are no built-in excuses, and the reality is if Stefanski can’t get Watson to play like a top-10 quarterback this season, Haslam will find someone who can.
5. Who’s Happier? Jets or Packers Fans?
The answer to this is largely a product of preseason expectations, right? The two teams involved in the Aaron Rodgers trade have different outlooks for this season.
For New York Jets fans, anything less than a playoff berth would be a disaster. But is just making the playoffs and ending the longest drought in the NFL good enough? Or do they need to win a playoff game? Or make it to the AFC Championship Game?
Jets fans have high hopes for this season, as they should, but the AFC is brutally competitive. There remains a chance the Gang Green faithful will be disappointed by the end, even though they finally have a franchise quarterback.
As for the Green Bay Packers, they are operating under the radar right now, and not much is expected from new starter Jordan Love, at least nationally. If the Packers find a way to have a winning season, and Love looks like he can be the guy moving forward, you’d have to be pretty happy as a Green Bay supporter, right?
Maybe even happier than the Jets fans at that point.
Ross Tucker is a former NFL offensive lineman who played seven seasons for the Cowboys, Bills, Patriots and Washington after graduating from Princeton University in 2001. He works as a color commentator for both CBS Sports and Westwood One in addition to hosting a number of podcasts, including the popular Ross Tucker Football Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @RossTuckerNFL.