The NFL Elite of 2014 (AFC Edition)

This article is a chance to look in the crystal ball (football?) and make a guess as to the state of the league. There are several teams that currently flounder in relative mediocrity whose stock is on the uptick. They will take the place of  a few teams teams who are currently dominant but who we may see swiftly drop from their perch of power.

Houston Texans

Andre Johnson and Matt Schaub have firmly established themselves amongst the NFL’s elite already, and the emergence of Arian Foster gives them potency on the ground as well. They have good depth behind AJ, Owen Daniels signed for four more years and their offensive line is one of the best in the league, laying a strong foundation for a ferocious offense. Defensively, they’ve improved in multiple ways, hiring Wade Phillips as the defensive coordinator and drafting J.J. Watt to do work with from Mario Williams, one of the best defensive players in the league. Drafting Kareem Jackson last year and Brandon Harris this year will go a long way towards improving a hideous secondary that was the worst in the NFL last year. Peyton Manning’s magic can only last so long. How much more of the gridiron will he see? 20 games? 50? I see the Titans hoping that Locker pans out and the Jaguars doing the same with Blaine Gabbert. That leaves the door wide open for Houston to establish a position of dominance.

First Round Draft Strategy

-2012: SS

-2013: NT

-2014: OLB

Current Free Agent Targets

-Eric Weddle, S

-Quinten Mikell, S

-Shaun Smith, DL

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are all about the future right now. New quarterback Andy Dalton will likely be the starter from Day 1 and he has plenty of similarly youthful weaponry in the form of A.J. Green, Jordan Shipley and Jermaine Gresham. Defensively, Carlos Dunlap, Rey Mauluaga and CB Leon Hall lead the way. The Bengals have a lot of uncertainty right off the bat however, with a lot of pressure on Dalton to succeed right away. And assuming the Bengals don’t want to pick up Johnathan Joseph’s contract, they’ll be forced to head to the draft or lesser free agents in order to bolster their secondary. Another problem is their lack in the running back department. Cedric Benson is likely done after yet another arrest and the Cincy front office reportedly doesn’t see Bernard Scott as a feature back.

First Round Draft Strategy:

-2012: DB

-2013: RB

-2014: DT

Current Free Agent Targets

-Resign Johnathon Joseph, CB, to a long term deal with a relatively small cap hit each year

-Enter the DeAngelo Williams sweepstakes

-Michael Bush, RB

Denver Broncos

Your view of the Broncos’ future will almost certainly revolve around your personal opinion of one Timothy Tebow. I believe that he will be successful, perhaps even very much so. Looking at the past two drafts, the Broncos have done very well. They’ve added numerous potential starters, including Tebow, Demaryius Thomas (very questionable career due to multiple injuries), Zane Beadles and J.D. Walton on the offensive line, Eric Decker (who has seemingly done everything in his power to draw Ed McCaffrey comparisons), Perrish Cox (a little rapey but a very good player) and Syd’Quan Thompson at CB from 2010. This year, they added an elite talent in Von Miller, safeties Rahim Moore and Quinton Carter, tight ends Julius Thomas and Virgil Green, Orlando Franklin on the offensive line and comebacker Nate Irving at MLB.  However, they have a massive hole at DT and a potential problem at running back because of the doubts surrounding Knowshon Moreno’s ability to be a feature back.

Current Free Agent Targets

-DeAngelo Williams, RB

-Brandon Mebane, DT

-Barry Cofield, DT

First Round Draft Strategy

-2012: DT

-2013: RB

-2014 CB