The NFL season concluded last Sunday when the New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, to capture their sixth Super Bowl victory, which is the most by any franchise within a two-decade span.
As Tom Brady and the Patriots celebrate their third Lombardi trophy in the last five years, the rest of the NFL will be formulating new game plans to dethrone the champs. In addition, teams will be in search of new talent to add to their roster in hopes of ending the New England dynasty.
Welcome to the second season in the NFL or what is formally called the off-season.
Many teams on the verge of championship contention may go into this off-season with a similar mindset that LA Rams did the previous year. Even though the Rams suffered a heart-wrenching defeat, they still improved tremendously from the prior season. The NFC Champions did so by improving their roster by taking risk on game-changing players in the off-season.
Here is a look at three players who have the potential to make your favorite team a super bowl contender.
Wide Receiver: Antonio Brown
This is a name Pittsburgh Steeler fans probably hate seeing because they know how much talent this superstar possess. Nonetheless, Antonio Brown could be the hottest product on the market due to his off the field antics last season. It was reported that Brown skipped and refused to practice on multiple occasions. In addition to not practicing with the team, Brown got into a dispute with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. All of these distraction have generated talks throughout the media that Brown might be on the trading block this off-season.
Brown is coming off a year were he led the NFL in touchdown receptions (15) to go along with catching 104 passes for a grand total of 1297 yards. Since 2013, Brown has had 6 consecutive season with over 100 receptions, 1200 yards, and 8 touchdowns. These Hall of fame stats have correlated to discussions regarding him as the best wide receiver of his era. We haven’t seen a wide receiver on the market with this kind of impact since Randy Moss.
Do you remember what happened when Moses left the Oakland Raiders? He was traded to the Patriots and had a record-breaking season that ended with him playing his debut super bowl. Could Brown help a franchise similarly to what Moss did for New England?
Running Back: Le’Veon Bell
Sorry Steelers fans, but there is another ultra-talented player that might be out the door this upcoming spring and that’s All-Pro running back Le’veon Bell. The potential of Bell playing for a new team in 2019 isn’t as shocking as Antonio Brown’s possible departure, especially given the fact that Bell sat out the entire 2018 season.
Unfortunately for Pittsburg, they missed the playoffs this year for the first time since 2013, which raises an important question: Did Bell’s absence play a critical factor in the failure of the team? Bell’s agent probably has an answer to that question. Regardless, Bell is still one of the best running backs in today’s game, especially since of his abilities to catch out of the back field, a trait many offensive coordinators are requiring their star running back to have. In 2017. Bell caught 85 targets for 655 and 2 touchdowns.
Additionally, he was 9 yards shy of cracking 1300 yards while also adding 9 more touchdowns through the ground attack. Levon’s availability has been a question due to off the field problems and injuries. There is no question the talent is there. If Bell finds the right home, he will transform a franchise.
Quarterback: Nick Foles
Nick Foles is a player that many people expected to be on the market last season. The Super Bowl 52 MVP had an outstanding postseason in two consecutive years filling in at relief for Carson Wentz who has failed to prove he can stay healthy. The team still believes in Carson’s development to become one of the greats in our game. Hence, the squad publicly announced that Wentz will be the franchise quarterback. It’s been well documented by now that Nick Foles took over an Eagles team that was filled with injuries and led them to their first Super Bowl victory. An established team like the Denver Broncos or Jacksonville Jaguars might be in talks with the Eagles to acquire the 30-year old Pro-Bowler.
Foles has the aura surrounding him that galvanized grown men into champions. Foles was 5-2 as the starter this season, which includes a road playoff win in the NFC Wild Card Round against the fierce Chicago Bears. Expect Foles to be dealt to a team ready to compete for championships.
