The 2020 NFL season is slated to get going Sept. 10 with the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans. Both teams are expected to be in championship contention.
Though, there’s a number of squads who are set up to struggle big time this coming season. The Chicago Bears come to mind after the struggles we saw from quarterback Mitchell Trubisky last season. Over in the AFC, the Los Angeles Chargers are without one of their major components over the past 15 years.
It’s in this that I take a look at five NFL teams set up for failure this coming NFL season.
Chicago Bears
The simple fact that general manager Ryan Pace decided to trade for Nick Foles tells us a major story in the Windy City. Even after selecting Mitchell Trubisky No. 2 overall back in 2017, the Bears are in no way sold on the struggling quarterback. Trubisky, 25, put up just over 3,000 yards with a mere 17 touchdowns in 15 starts last season.
While Chicago’s defense will keep this team in games, the offense led by head coach Matt Nagy is lagging behind others in the NFC North. Chicago doesn’t have a true No. 1 running back and lacks depth at wide receiver behind Allen Robinson. In all, it’s going to lead to a disastrous season for Nagy and Co.
Tennessee Titans
Overpaying for those who had breakout seasons. That’s not necessarily a recipe for success in the NFL. Tennessee had to do this after earning a shocking trip to the AFC Championship Game last season. But it does not speak well to the team’s future.
At 31 years old last season, quarterback Ryan Tannehill put up a career-best performance after six ho-hum seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He was rewarded with a four-year, $118 million contract. Any regression back to the mean would spell doom for Tennessee. Meanwhile, the Titans signed reigning rushing champ Derrick Henry to a four-year, $50 million extension. Can he duplicate last season’s performance? I am not too sure. All of that equates to struggles in Nashville this season.
Philadelphia Eagles
Even after signing Carson Wentz to a four-year, $128 million contract last June, the Eagles figured it made sense to exhaust a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on another quarterback. This tells us everything we need to know about how Philadelphia feels about Wentz after he missed the conclusion of each of the past three seasons to injury.
Equally as questionable for Philadelphia is its situation at wide receiver and a long the offensive line. The Eagles had to re-sign longtime left tackle Jason Peters after three-time Pro Bowl guard Brandon Brooks was lost for the season. Meanwhile, the issues at wide receiver could be an issue. Alshon Jeffery is recovering from a major injury. Outside of that, there’s not much more to write home about. This could force the Eagles into a situation here they are playing second fiddle to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East.
Los Angeles Chargers
Philip Rivers might not have been great last season. But he’s been the one constant for the Chargers since all the way back in 2006. In fact, Rivers has started the past 224 regular-season games for this team. Think about that for a second before you believe Tyrod Taylor can somehow duplicate this.
Taylor, 30, has not been a full-time starter since 2017. Is he capable of being the placeholder until rookie Justin Herbert is ready? Meanwhile, Los Angeles has major question marks a long the offensive line. With vastly improved teams in Las Vegas and Denver, Los Angeles has fallen back to the pack in the AFC West. This coming season will show that in a big way.
Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson will be a legitimate MVP candidate every season he suits up in the Pacific Northwest. That was no more true than last season when he helped lead Seattle to a playoff appearance despite a lack of team-wide talent.
This is going to be a problem in 2020 now that the San Francisco 49ers are the class of the NFC West and with the Arizona Cardinals having improved big time. Issues at offensive tackle, wide receiver and in the defensive front seven will relegate Seattle to second-tier status in the NFC this coming season. Expect a rare non-playoff season for Pete Carroll and Co. in 2020.