As we ramp up to the start of the 2024 NFL season, we are spending a whole lot of time previewing a whole lot of things, trying to give you an idea of what to expect over the next few months. As part of that effort, we are taking a look at the positional strength of each division, ranking each of the four teams by which of them has the best quarterback, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive line, interior defenders, edge rushers, linebackers, cornerbacks, safeties and coaches.
In this space, we're going to take a look at the NFC West, which should be one of the best divisions in the league this year.
Quarterback
After Stafford occupying the top spot, it was pretty difficult to parse the rest of this division. Purdy has the best track record, but it's very short and obviously owed at least in part to his supporting cast and coaching staff. Murray is probably the most talented but he's coming back from a major injury and has had trouble staying healthy through entire seasons. And Smith has essentially one good season and one where he was slightly above-average, even if we know the talent is there.
Running back
- 49ers: Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason
- Seahawks: Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet
- Rams: Kyren Williams, Blake Corum
- Cardinals: James Conner, Trey Benson
CMC is the best running back in the league, so it was easy to put him first. Then it became about what you value most: Walker's explosiveness? Williams' versatility? Conner's hard-charging style? And how much do you weigh the second running back on each team's roster? We ultimately went in order of what we view as the talent level of the starter, while factoring in whether the backup nudged things across the line.
Wide receiver
- 49ers: Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Ricky Pearsall
- Rams: Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Whittington
- Seahawks: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jake Bobo
- Cardinals: Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch, Zach Pascal
This was perhaps the toughest position in the entire division to rank. You can make a pretty damn good case for any of San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle to be the top group here. We deferred to the Niners because Aiyuk is probably the best individual receiver in the division at the moment and Samuel is the most rare talent perhaps in all of football. And then we went with L.A. over Seattle because Nacua and Kupp are so good that their collective impact nudges out Seattle's top three. Harrison could potentially vault Arizona up the rankings all by himself, but we haven't seen it yet and the complementary pieces are more solid than great.
Tight end
- 49ers: George Kittle, Eric Saubert
- Cardinals: Trey McBride, Tip Reiman
- Seahawks: Noah Fant, Davis Allen
- Rams: Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee
Kittle is the most complete tight end in the NFL. Even if the other teams have team average or better options at the position, that's not enough to overtake him. McBride emerged last season as a premier pass-catcher, while Fant and Parkinson are both upside types now that they are now longer splitting snaps on the same team.
Offensive line
- Rams: Alaric Jackson, Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila, Kevin Dotson, Rob Havenstein
- 49ers: Trent Williams, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford, Colton McKivitz
- Cardinals: Paris Johnson Jr., Evan Brown, Hjalte Froholdt, Will Hernandez, Jonah Williams
- Seahawks: Charles Cross, Laken Tomlinson, Connor Williams, Anthony Bradford or Christian Haynes, George Fant
The Rams' offensive line is the best in the division ... but it's dealing with significant injuries a the moment. And the 49ers are dealing with Trent Williams' holdout. If he doesn't report, you can probably move them down below the Cardinals, and possibly even the Seahawks. Arizona has made some quiet upgrades over the past couple of offseasons, while Seattle has major question marks at almost every spot, whether due to injury, ineffectiveness or lack of experience.
Interior defensive line
- 49ers: Javon Hargrave, Maliek Collins, Kevin Givens, Jordan Elliott
- Seahawks: Leonard Williams, Johnathan Hankins, Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy II
- Rams: Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, Bobby Brown III, Neville Gallimore
- Cardinals: Bilal Nichols, Roy Lopez, Justin Jones, L.J. Collier
Now that Aaron Donald is now longer playing professional football, Hargrave is probably the best interior defender in the division. And while the depth doesn't look imposing behind him, we know defensive line coach Kris Kocurek will work his magic because he always does. The Seahawks' depth of quality proven veterans helped them achieve the second spot, while the Rams' highly impressive second-year star Kobie Turner and the potential of Braden Fiske easily nudged them ahead of the Cardinals here.
Edge rusher
- 49ers: Nick Bosa, Leonard Floyd, Yetur Gross-Matos, Drake Jackson
- Rams: Byron Young, Jared Verse, Michael Hoecht, Brennan Jackson
- Seahawks: Uchenna Nwosu (INJ), Dre'Mont Jones, Boye Mafe, Trevis Gipson
- Cardinals: Zaven Collins, Darius Robinson (INJ), Xavier Thomas, Dennis Gardeck
Nick Bosa was more than enough on his own to earn San Francisco lead billing here. Young had a really strong rookie season, Verse has a ton of talent and Hoecht has already proven himself a good rotational edge rusher. Nwosu is injured, Jones is playing a different role than what he's recently had and the depth beyond the, isn't great. But it's enough to still enough -- for now -- to land in front of the Cardinals until we see Robinson on the field and Collins prove he can be an impact edge guy.
Linebacker
- 49ers: Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw (INJ), De'Vondre Campbell, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
- Seahawks: Jerome Baker, Tyrel Dodson, Tyrice Knight, Drake Thomas
- Rams: Omar Speights, Christian Rozeboom, Troy Reeder, Jake Hummel
- Cardinals: Kyzir White, Mack Wilson, Owen Pappoe
Warner and Greenlaw are the league's best linebacker duo when Greenlaw is healthy. Picking up Campbell to fill in while he rehabs was a nice move. The rest of the division is tough to rank. Other than Baker and White, there are a whole lot of inexperienced guys at this position. We sort of threw up our hands and went by feel.
Cornerback
- 49ers: Charvarius Ward, Deommodore Lenoir, Ambry Thomas, Renardo Green
- Seahawks: Devon Witherspoon, Tariq Woolen, Tre Brown, Nehemiah Pritchett
- Rams: Darious Williams, Tre'Davious White, Quentin Lake, Cobie Durant
- Cardinals: Sean Murphy-Bunting: Garrett Williams, Max Melton, Elijah Jones
I could see the Seahawks making a leap above the Niners if Witherspoon takes the step many expect he will under Mike Macdonald and if Woolen recaptures his rookie year form. The Rams have some question marks with White's injury history and the youth behind him and Williams, but there is much more to count on there than with Arizona's group.
Safety
- 49ers: Talanoa Hufanga, Ji'Ayir Brown, George Odum
- Cardinals: Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson
- Seahawks: Rayshawn Jenkins, Julian Love, Coby Bryant
- Rams: Kamren Curl, John Johnson III, Kamren Kinchens
Again, beyond the Niners, it was pretty tough to rank the other three teams. Baker is really, really good and Thompson is solid. Jenkins and Love are both quality, versatile players. Curl and Johnson are solid starters as well. And the Rams are really talking up Kinchens' ability to make an early impact. (Which any Miami Hurricanes fan like this writer could have told you would be the case.)
Specialists
- Seahawks: Jason Myers, Michael Dickson
- 49ers: Jake Moody, Mitch Wishnowsky
- Cardinals: Matt Prater, Blake Gillikin
- Rams: Joshua Karty, Ethan Evans
Dickson might be the best punter in the league, and Myers has a good, strong leg. Moody was inconsistent but Wishnowsky is quite good, and there are just more question marks for the other teams among their kicking units.
Coaches
- Rams: Sean McVay
- 49ers: Kyle Shanahan
- Seahawks: Mike Macdonald
- Cardinals: Jonathan Gannon
This was, honestly, pretty clear to me. McVay is one of the biggest value-adds of any coach in the NFL, and Shanahan is right behind him. Macdonald and Gannon are both inexperienced defensive-minded coaches, and I simply have more confidence in Macdonald's ability on that side of the ball.