Going into the 2017-18 season the eventual Super Bowl Champion Eagles were not a popular pick to make the playoffs. I’m not saying that one of these teams is going to win the Super Bowl, but don’t be shocked if a couple of these sleepers sneak into the playoffs.
Chicago Bears
The Bears are definitely a trendier sleeper team on people’s radar, but they’re also in a division with the Vikings and Packers, who both will certainly make the playoffs barring big injuries. Chicago, however, had arguably the best offseason of all 32 teams, doing everything possible to let second-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky succeed.
It started with bringing in Matt Nagy, the man behind Kansas City’s creative offense, as the new head coach. This led to the signings of Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Trey Burton who provide Trubisky with immediate upgrades. The Bears followed up a successful free agency with an all-around draft. Chicago selected Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith in the first round, giving the defense its eventual leader. Second-round pick OL James Daniels will fight to replace Josh Sitton who left for Miami. Other draft selections such as WR Anthony Miller out of Memphis and DE Kylie Fitts from Utah will help fill out a roster that could get into the playoffs a few years earlier than people are anticipating.
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle finished 9-7 last season, but with both the Rams and 49ers on the rise no one is giving the Seahawks a chance to get into the playoffs. I’m never going to count the Seahawks out with Russell Wilson at the helm. There’s more to be excited about than Wilson in the Emerald City this year. The selection of RB Rashaad Penny out of San Diego State with the 27th pick (which I thought was a great selection) was labeled by many analysts as a reach, as Seattle had a more pressing need at DB following the departure of Richard Sherman.
What those people didn’t take into account is that the Hawks have a proven track record of taking late-round defensive backs and turning them into quality NFL starters. It’s for that same reason that I don’t think Seattle will miss that much of a beat in 2018. I have faith that Pete Carroll will run a well-oiled machine. I expect typical Seahawk football, led by Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, as well as a much improved special teams unit with punter and Texas Bowl MVP Michael Dickson and Sebastian Janikowski. Seattle will compete for a wild card spot until the end of the season.
Denver Broncos
The most obvious reason to be excited about the growth of the Broncos is the massive upgrade at quarterback from Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch to Case Keenum. I don’t believe that Case is an exceptional starter, but he’s that big of an upgrade from what the Broncos had last year. Outside of the quarterback position there’s a lot to be excited about on offense.
Rookies Royce Freeman and Courtland Sutton will find ways to contribute early, and second-year tight end Jake Butt will hope to be a steady contributor after missing his rookie season due to an ACL tear in his final college game. All of these new faces aside, the Denver defense is what’s going to determine how far this team can go.
Like the offense, the defense has a combination of players who won Super Bowl 50 such as Von Miller and Chris Harris Jr., as well as new faces, like fifth overall pick Bradley Chubb who will help fill holes in the group that slipped to 22nd in points allowed after being fourth in 2016-17.
The biggest task that the Broncos have is finding how to manage their talent on both sides of the ball. Defensively they have a lot of versatility with linebacker/safety hybrid Su’a Cravens and Justin Simmons who can play both safety positions. If they can figure out how to put these guys in the right places, the Broncos will have a great shot of making the playoffs.
Indianapolis Colts
I 100% understand that the Colts roster is Swiss cheese. It’s worse than Swiss cheese. However, this is a team that shouldn’t be slept on. When healthy they have the best quarterback in the division in Andrew Luck. Luck carried a Colts team to an AFC title game just a few years ago where Trent Richardson was the leading rusher, so I have faith that he could at least get them into the playoffs.
Additionally, this time Luck has a much improved offensive line that is not only more talented than previous seasons but much deeper as well. The front office made it a point of emphasis to get guys to protect Luck, signing veterans Matt Slauson and Austin Howard and drafting guards in both the first and second rounds in Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith respectively. These four along with the viable starters from 2017 should create some combination that can keep Andrew Luck healthy.
There’s not much to be excited about on defense. What the Colts should hope for is to stay ahead in turnover margin which will be much easier if 2017 rookie Malik Hooker can return from a knee injury sooner rather than later. Hooker had three interceptions in seven games, and should he step up as the bright spot for this defense, the Colts could definitely slip in as the second wild card in an open AFC.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are a sleeper because they didn’t lose any big names and only got stronger across the board. Trading the No. 12 pick for Cordy Glenn, a solid left tackle, and the No. 21 pick which turned out to be Ohio State center Billy Price will prove to be one of the most underrated moves of the offseason. They added two new starters to a very weak O-Line. An improved front should not only help Andy Dalton but second-year runner Joe Mixon who will look to build on a solid rookie season.
Speaking of helping Andy Dalton, A.J. Green will once again be a force in his eighth season as he adds to his Hall of Fame resume. Starting to see the excitement? If not look to the defense.
The Bengals front seven is quietly one of the deepest in the league, led by veteran Carlos Dunlap and budding star Carl Lawson who has 8.5 sacks as a rookie while only starting one game. Geno Atkins should once again hold down the inside of the line, allowing all of the Bengals athletic linebackers like Vontaze Burfict, Preston Brown and third-found pick Malik Jefferson to fly around the field. Toss in one of the games most underrated corners in William Jackson III, and you can see why the Bengals could make a serious push for playoff contention in 2018.
For more follow on Twitter @MS_PerSources