How Kevin O’Connell managed to the fifth best passing offense in a season where he lost his starting quarterback after eight games, and only got ten games out of Justin Jefferson is mind blowing. In the middle of the season we were all awed by how he was able to win with Dobbs coming in off the street without any time to learn the offense.

Of course it all caught up to them at the end of the season with a disappointing finish, but it doesn’t diminish what the coaching staff and players accomplished last year. They say there are no moral victories in football, but last year was as close as it gets. And it’s the kind of season that can bring a team closer together – proving they can survive any turmoil that comes their way.

This year Cousins is gone, replaced with Sam Darnold and rookie JJ McCarthy. They brought in Aaron Jones to try and boost the anemic running game from last year. And they essentially swapped Danielle Hunter and Jonathan Greenard from the Houston Texans. I’m not sold that any of these moves really moves the needle much on the overall talent level of this team.

I like the signing of Sam Darnold. I think he has a chance to provide similar production to Kirk Cousins. And he’s going to be a good mentor while the coaching staff develops JJ McCarthy. I don’t think there’s any reason to rush McCarthy to the field. Let him sit and develop, in another year or two this roster will be ready for him to take over.

The coaching staff is going to have this team ready to play each and every week. But the talent level on the team is still holding them back. They are going to be spoilers, winning games they shouldn’t, but it won’t be enough to get them back to the playoffs.

2024 Prediction: 8-9 3rd NFC North