All four teams are urged to focus on draft position as playoff hopes evaporate before mid-October
Five weeks into the NFL season, we can officially write off four teams. By “write off,” we mean teams that are going nowhere. Their fans should be more concerned with draft position than anything their teams might accomplish this season.
We understand how demoralizing it is to concede a season before mid-October. It is, nonetheless, the reality for certain franchises.
Let’s start with two teams that aren’t tanking, per se, but weren’t exactly built to contend this season. The Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals are about as bad as expected, despite the latter managing an early-season win.
The positive is that both teams have stockpiled young talent while positioning themselves for a high draft pick. Miami’s rookie class is impressive, including Kadyn Proctor, Chris Johnson, Jacob Rodriguez, Caleb Douglas, and Chris Bell. Arizona has the best tight end in football in Trey McBride, while Jeremiah Love, albeit injured, has generational upside.
Unfortunately, the 2027 quarterback class doesn’t appear nearly as promising as anticipated. Arch Manning, to this point, hardly resembles the prospect analysts projected him to become.
Elsewhere, the Tennessee Titans might be worse than both the Dolphins and Cardinals. That’s particularly concerning because Tennessee spent the offseason actively trying to improve its roster and coaching staff.
Through Week 5, the Titans rank last in the NFL in both scoring and total offense, averaging just 11.6 points and 246.4 yards per game.
The winless Titans shouldn’t be expected to win many games this season.
march for arch!