The offseason is a wondrous time in all professional sports, where optimism springs eternal and each team can paint a mental picture to project that if certain things go right, it could make a run into the playoffs. That may ring more true for the NFL than any other North American professional sports league. Since 1990 (32 straight seasons), at least four teams have qualified for the playoffs in every season that were not in the postseason the year before.
Teams to make playoffs after missing in prior season (last 5 years)
|
2021 |
7* |
|
2020 |
7 |
|
2019 |
5 |
|
2018 |
7 |
|
2017 |
8 |
* 49ers, Bengals, Cardinals, Cowboys, Eagles, Patriots, Raiders
The New Orleans Saints, 9-8 in 2021 despite using four different starting quarterbacks thanks to injury issues, were one of those hopeful teams as they traded their 2022 and 2023 first round draft picks to the Philadelphia Eagles for two 2022 first round draft picks. They ended up selecting highly-touted wide receiver Chris Olave (11th overall after another trade with Washington) and offensive tackle Trevor Penning (19th overall).
However, injuries have once again laid waste to the Saints’ plans: Week 1 starting quarterback Jameis Winston hasn’t played since Week 3 with a back injury, his backup Andy Dalton is also on the injury report with a back injury, wide receiver Michael Thomas hasn’t played since Week 3 with a foot injury, wide receiver Jarvis Landry hasn’t played since Week 4 with an ankle injury, and cornerback Marshon Lattimore hasn’t played since Week 5 with an abdomen injury just to name a few notables from their laundry list of ailments. All of those issues add up to a 2-4 record to begin the season, leaving the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL (the Eagles) with a projected fifth overall pick in 2023 according to Tankathon.
The Denver Broncos, 7-10 in 2021, missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season following their Super Bowl 50 triumph. When they took a look at the 11 players to start at quarterback (tied for the most in the NFL since 2016 with Washington) for their proud franchise since Hall of Famer Peyton Manning retired, they felt they needed to take a big swing to fix the issue.
CBS Sports HQ Research
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