20. Bob Quinn – Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are pretty much the underachieving New England Patriots of the NFC. Both Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia come from that system and have signed players who probably would succeed under Bill Belichick. There’s pressure on Quinn to improve after a sluggish 6-10 season last year, making this offseason detrimental to the team’s future.
Free agency started strong with the signing of defensive end Trey Flowers to a five-year, $90 million contract. Flowers is only 25 and is one of the league’s underrated pass rushers who will reunite with his former defensive coordinator.
Detroit found another weapon for Matthew Stafford in top tight end prospect TJ Hockenson. The Iowa standout was a nice selection, but the team had more immediate needs defense that they should have corrected. Also, the Lions and first-round tight ends don’t have a stable success rate; see Brandon Pettigrew and Eric Ebron. Other than Hockenson, Detroit’s draft class doesn’t have a starter joining their squad come Week 1.
The Lions didn’t regress, but they also didn’t improve this offseason. It could be a long year for Quinn and company as their seats could start to get a bit hotter.
19. Dave Caldwell – Jacksonville Jaguars
Ranking Dave Caldwell was easily the trickiest task when placing GM’s coming into this season. He’s done a fantastic job evaluating talent come draft time, but his free agent signings never seem to pan out. Once again, it’s the same story, making him fall near the top of the bottom half general managers.
Caldwell knew Blake Bortles‘ 2018 season was a fluke and elected to release him one year into his new extension. Hoping to find the quarterback of the future, he signed Super Bowl LIII MVP Nick Foles to an $88 million deal. That’s a ton of money for a guy who spent most of his career as a backup or bridge quarterback. Then again, how many bridge quarterbacks have had two great playoff runs?
Without a doubt, Caldwell killed April’s draft. Josh Allen was a steal with the seventh pick while Jawaan Taylor followed in the second-round. Both were considered by many as top 20 talent and should be cornerstone pieces for the franchise starting this season. Quincy Williams might not be a household name but certainly could see playing time early with Telvin Smith missing this season.
Again, Caldwell isn’t a bad GM, but he’s also not a fantastic one. He’s pretty much the Marvin Lewis of executives, doing just enough each season to stick around for next year. The Foles deal came from Tom Coughlin and higher-ups so blame shouldn’t be on him if it goes up in flames. Caldwell had another great offseason in April, but March might never be his month outside of signing Calais Campbell.
18. John Lynch – San Francisco 49ers
John Lynch is likely going to be considered on the hot seat after an abysmal 2018 campaign. That’s probably not fair, though, since everything that went wrong last year was out of his control. Jimmy Garoppolo was out with an injury by Week 3 while Lynch had to release star linebacker Rueben Foster due to another alleged assault claim.
There’s a silver lining, however, for the 49ers’ tragic year – the second overall pick. Lynch wasted no time addressing the pass rush by selecting Nick Bosa and then trading a second-round pick for Dee Ford. San Francisco also signed linebacker Kwon Alexander, who was a tackling machine his first three seasons in Tampa Bay before his injury.
On offense, Lynch reunited Kyle Shannahan with his former running back Tevin Coleman to add depth in San Francisco’s backfield. Deebo Samuel was a YAC machine at South Carolina and should pair nicely with 2018 second-rounder Dante Pettis. Running back turned receiver Jalen Hurd is a multi-purpose weapon who will have the chance to score whenever he touches the ball.
Although last season was a fluke for San Francisco, Lynch has a franchise quarterback and multiple weapons on offense. The team should be one of the league’s elite pass-rushing units and better on defense. Lynch isn’t a perfect GM, but he’s certainly moving up and could be one of the league’s better executives by next season.
17. John Elway – Denver Broncos
There are two sides to the story when talking about John Elway and his tenure in Denver. The good side is represented by his two Super Bowl victories under center and one as the general manager. The bad side is represented by his inability to find an actual NFL option to play quarterback. This should finally be the make-or-break year for one of the NFL’s most respected alums.
Elway’s offseason should have Denver trending in the right direction after quality signings and a pretty strong draft class. Ja’Wuan James is a serviceable right tackle and should at least be useful in helping the Broncos’ run game. Bryce Callahan was one of the league’s top slot corners last season and will fit right in with his former defensive coordinator. Kareem Jackson is a weapon who can play multiple roles in the secondary depending on the formation. Sure, Joe Flacco is likely only a short-term answer at quarterback, but he’s better than Elway’s last three quarterbacks combined.
In Nashville, Elway’s draft class could be the unit we look back on as one of the best in 2019. Noah Fant has stellar hands and a superb route-runner, making him the best pass-catching tight end of the class. Dalton Risner can play multiple positions on the offensive line and should be a starter Week 1 at guard or center. If he pans out at the long-term option at quarterback, Elway would have gotten a steal in Drew Lock.
There’s plenty of offseason “ifs” in Elway’s career as an executive, but this isn’t one of those years. The Broncos still aren’t at the same level as AFC West rivals Chiefs and Chargers, but they are moving in the right direction.