LogFAQs > #965371356

Some tidbits about each of the fully-open teams

The Denver Broncos have had a losing record in just three of the 16 seasons thus far and are one of three teams to make it to three Super Bowls. They are coming off of a 7-9 season, including a 2-9 start behind a terrible offense and defense. However, their 5-0 run to end the season is more in line with their usual performance where its D was one of the best in the league. The offense will probably need some work where the WR group is nothing special, and the OL has been slipping and might see a retirement or two. Finances might be tight here.

The Portland Express have sneakily been one of the league's best teams over the past five seasons, making the playoffs in each season and with four double-digit win seasons in that span. This was their first Super Bowl (as well as Conference Championship) appearance, and they could be bound for deep playoff runs for the forseeable future. They finished with the league's #1 defense by a comfortable margin, and their offens was also great. While they are overall one of the oldest teams in the league, that's mostly because of their bench. Their starters are relatively young and have been in a good financial situation. This would be an excellent landing spot for someone who wants less of a challenge to begin and/or wants a Super Bowl contender that won't need much tinkering.

No team has as many regular season or postseason wins than the Miami Dolphins. They may not have had the most dominant run in league history (that belongs to the Cowboys from S7-S15), but their consistency is unmatched. They will have plenty of talent, though many of their key offensive starters are in the twilight of their careers, but affording them all will be a challenge. It will probably be a difficult financial situation to navigate with plenty of high-end players with expired contracts, as well as a more involving offseason in general, but the end result should ultimately be that of a Super Bowl contender.

The Cincinnati Bengals finished with the league's #1 offense behind a balanced attack. The OL will probably need to see some new faces, but QB Andy Dalton and recent #1 overall pick HB Derrick Harvey were a great fit. The defense continues to see turnover but the gains have been marginal. A combo of coaching strategy and roster construction tweaks on that side of the ball could make them a playoff contender this upcoming season.

The Columbus Pioneers became the second team to make the playoffs with a losing record, and like their predecessor, they won a playoff game! Don't let the team's defensive ranking fool you, they were an elite unit when almost fully healthy. They went through most of the season with 3+ starters on that side out for a given game. They have one of the best QBs and starting receiving combos in the league, but part of that OL needs work, and they will need a new starting HB after incumbent Markus Manson likely retires. This was a team that in S13 and S14 made it to the Super Bowl (winning in S14), so good fortune and a few good offseason moves could put them back into Super Contender status.

The Seattle Seahawks are just plain weird. They look great on paper and generally have a bunch of players whose stat sheet stands out, but collectively, they fall short. Usually one of the better offenses in the league, their offense was abysmal last season. Their interior OL played horribly, QB Kirk Cousins had one of his worst and least effective seasons, and the HB group were injured and underperformed. The defense was at one point in the Top 10 but faltered down the stretch. Still, there's a lot more to like on that side of the ball than the offense. You should be okay financially, but given the talent level of the team, it might be a bit challenging to know what to do with this team.

The St. Louis Rams have the second most playoff appearances in the league, but they consistently fell short of victory before everything aligned last season, resulting in their first Super Bowl appearance and win. The defense was 3rd in the league and has consistently been a Top 10 unit. That should stay that way. QB Ryan Tannehill had one of his weaker seasons, but he's generally a Top 3 QB in the league. The OL played much better but could see three starters retire. They finished in the Bottom 10 in rushing, so that along with the OL will probably be where the bulk of your efforts go toward. Regardless, this should still be one of the best teams in the league.

As mentioned in the Dolphins writeup, the Dallas Cowboys for roughly half of the project's existence were the league's most dominant team. Due to retirements and cap constraints over a number of seasons, their roster wasn't quite what it was heading into S16. Thanks to injuries to key players, they had their first losing and non-playoff season since S6 last year. They will probably need work along the OL, HB, secondary, and DL, but the financial situation was actually one of the league's best this season and likely will be this season. The division's winner went 8-8, so the Cowboys could get inch closer to their old self with a good offseason.

The Minnesota Vikings saw a large number of starters and key players retire before S16, and the team that won the Super Bowl in S13 and S15 finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs. QB Josh Portis fell off a cliff passing, so a return to an average or even slightly below average there could alone put them back into the playoffs. Not much work really needs to be done with this team, and they consistently have one of the best financial situations in the league, so this is a good landing spot for someone.