We’re officially at the midpoint of the 18-week NFL regular season, and the contenders have begun to distinguish themselves while reality has begun to set in for squads headed for disappointing finishes.
A number of teams entered the offseason in a position to make defining moves, moves they believed would propel them to success both in the short and long term. And while some organizations succeeded in that goal (Philadelphia’s trade for AJ Brown, Miami’s Tyreek Hill deal and Buffalo’s Von Miller signing stand out), others are paying dearly for miscalculations from which they may not recover soon.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest blunders and most regrettable decisions of the 2022 offseason and regular season.
Who’s to blame? Is it Aaron Rodgers, who held Green Bay hostage for much of the offseason before signing a massive contract extension, yet didn’t fight for the Packers to keep the best receiver with whom he has ever played? Or is it management, for not figuring out a way to keep Davante Adams on his own?
There’s plenty of blame to go around, and the Packers and their quarterback — losers of five straight and ranked 27th in the league in scoring — are paying the price. Making matters worse is that things also haven’t played out favorably for Adams in Las Vegas. He has publicly voiced frustration over his usage, and it’s impossible not to wonder if he’s regretting his decision almost as much as the Packers must be.
But, what’s done is done, and at the very least, GM Brian Gutekunst should have used the first- and second-round picks the Raiders gave him for Adams to help move up in the draft to select a top-shelf wideout (like Chris Olave). That would have given Rodgers a true difference-maker. Instead, the Packers are stuck with struggling project rookie receivers.
Green Bay tried in vain to make amends for its transgressions by pursuing a veteran wide receiver at the trade deadline. Now, at 3-6 and five losses behind NFC North leader Minnesota, the Packers are largely irrelevant as their season slips away.
Titans trading AJ Brown
The Titans are a well-coached team, and their brand of smash-mouth football suits them well. However, as we’ve seen repeatedly this season, they essentially removed themselves from legitimate contention because of their decision to trade Pro Bowl wide receiver AJ Brown to Philadelphia instead of signing him to a long-term contract extension.
Tennessee’s offense had its limitations in the past with Ryan Tannehill under center, but Brown boasted game-changing, and much-needed, explosiveness. The Titans made the playoffs three straight seasons and in four of the last five years. But in one season, the Titans’ league ranking has dropped from 15th to 24th in points, and 17th to 32nd in yards.
Tannehill has been sidelined with an ankle injury the last two weeks, forcing Tennessee to turn to rookie Malik Willis. The young quarterback has struggled in the passing game and certainly would have benefited from Brown’s presence in Sunday’s 20-17 overtime loss to Kansas City. Despite concerns over salary cap implications associated with signing Brown to a megadeal, the Titans should have figured out a way, because his replacement (Treylon Burks) has not made an impact. Burks has 10 catches for 129 yards and no touchdowns in four appearances. And rather than having a chance to keep pace with prolific offenses like those of the Chiefs and Bills, Tennessee figures to come up short in a postseason shootout.
Washington’s offense has fared slightly better under Taylor Heinicke (right) than Carson Wentz. (Brad Mills/USA Today)
Commanders trading for Carson Wentz
Ron Rivera kept believing his team was close despite two straight losing seasons. He and his staff believed they only needed a quality quarterback to take a leap forward. They settled on Carson Wentz, who wore out his welcome in Indianapolis after just one season.
Commanders coaches believed that they could help the quarterback recapture his MVP candidate form of 2017 despite abundant struggles with consistency both in Philadelphia and Indy. The acquisition came at a steep price: three early draft picks (a second, a third and another conditional pick that could wind up being another second-rounder) and a $28 million salary cap hit.
Yet Wentz’s time in Washington has not gone well. Inconsistencies continued to plague him before a broken finger and surgery landed him on injured reserve. Taylor Heinicke, although limited, provided an immediate spark that included victories in his first two starts. He has also helped spike the team’s overall competitive fire.
Heinicke on Sunday took a step back while exhibiting some of the struggles with accuracy and ball security we saw last year, when he was Washington’s starter. But the offense has done slightly better under his direction, going from averaging 17 points and 320 yards a game in Wentz’s six starts to 19 points and 329 points in Heinicke’s three starts in 2022. So, Washington essentially wasted three prized draft picks and took on an unnecessary hefty salary cap hit. The 4-5 Commanders would have been better off rolling with a platoon of Heinicke and fifth-round pick Sam Howell and using the money and draft picks they spent on Wentz to address other needs.
The Raiders, despite so much offensive firepower, are 2-6 under Josh McDaniels. (Matt Pendleton/USA Today)
Raiders hiring Josh McDaniels
Despite a strong finish to a tumultuous 2021 and an improbable playoff appearance, the Raiders declined to name interim coach Rich Bisaccia as the permanent replacement for Jon Gruden. Bisaccia went 7-5 at the helm and was well-respected by players, but Mark Davis instead rolled the dice and hired longtime Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who lasted just two seasons (2009-2010) as head coach of the Broncos.
Davis hoped a second chance would produce better results. But, once again, McDaniels has been a major disappointment. Regarded as one of the best offensive minds in the game, he has been anything but for Las Vegas. He has an established quarterback in Derek Carr, an All-Pro receiver in Davante Adams, a workhorse back in Josh Jacobs and one of the best tight ends in Darren Waller. Yet the offense is wildly inconsistent, as is McDaniels’ play-calling. Waller has missed time with an injury, but the Raiders still have enough on offense to produce better results.
Three times this year, the Raiders have lost after blowing 17-point leads. Talent deficiencies abound on defense, but one of McDaniels’ biggest overall problems is getting players to buy in. His critics cite poor leadership skills as one of his biggest flaws. Davis envisioned McDaniels catapulting his team into the ranks of the contenders. But instead, at 2-6, the Raiders appear headed for a top-five draft pick, and McDaniels again seems inept outside of Bill Belichick’s shadow.
The Broncos traded for and extended Russell Wilson
Denver thought it had a Super Bowl-caliber roster and just needed a difference-making quarterback. There were rumors the Broncos, who hired Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to be their head coach (another questionable move), would pursue Rodgers.
Instead, they sold the farm for Russell Wilson, sending two first-round picks, two second-rounders, a fifth, Drew Lock, Shelby Davis AND Noah Fant to Seattle. THEN they gave Wilson a five-year, $242.5 million extension with $161 million guaranteed even though his current deal wasn’t expiring.
The Wilson era has gotten off to a dismal start. The 33-year-old looks like a shell of himself, and Denver ranks 28th in points scored while off to a 3-5 start. The Broncos say they remain committed to Wilson, but given the dramatic drop-off in play — coupled with Seattle’s improvement without him — it’s hard to believe there’s not some buyer’s remorse in the Mile High City.
Cardinals extending Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim
Nothing about this move seemed justified. Sure, Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals reached the playoffs in Year 3, but they backed into the postseason after losing four of their last five games, and then got blown out by the Rams in the wild-card round. So, why extend a head coach whose teams have fizzled for three straight years? What exactly did general manager Steve Keim do to warrant an extension at the same time?
Things have gone poorly for the Cardinals ever since. Keim gave Kyler Murray a $230 million extension despite his inconsistent play and the fact that he had another year left on his rookie deal. Murray has yet to validate that decision with his play this season. Kingsbury was regarded as a bright offensive mind while in the college ranks, but remained unproven in the wins column. Now, his NFL offenses have yet to reach prolific or even consistent levels and that winning track record remains elusive. The Cardinals, at 3-6, have regressed in 2022 while getting swept by Seattle and losing four of their last five.
Arizona appears to need an organizational overhaul. But with Kingsbury and Keim extended through 2027, ownership would have to eat a lot of money to conduct that reset. It might be handcuffed.
Panthers sticking with Matt Rhule
Despite poor decisions on quarterback acquisitions and 23 losses in his first two seasons, Matt Rhule earned the vote of confidence entering Year 3. However, few — if any — around the league believed Panthers owner David Tepper was truly sold on Rhule.
The suspicions were justified when Rhule was fired after a 1-4 start. Then the Panthers traded Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco, signaling the start of a rebuild that could have begun this past offseason had Tepper hit the reset button then.
Interim coach Steve Wilks now finds himself in a virtually impossible situation. And with the team spiraling further, he just fired two of Rhule’s former assistants, after two others got the ax in October when Rhule was dismissed.
Colts owner Jim Irsay’s roster and coaching decisions in 2022 have backfired so far. (Kirby Lee/USA Today)
Colts trading for Matt Ryan … and more
The Colts might take the cake for blunders and regrettable decisions, after a couple of bad moves in the offseason snowballed and then climaxed this week with Frank Reich’s firing.
Team owner Jim Irsay wasn’t satisfied with the 2021 play of Wentz, who wasn’t bad with 27 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 9-8 record, but also wasn’t overly impressive. Reich believed growth would follow in 2022. But Irsay spent much of combine week in February telling anyone who would listen that he had plans to trade Wentz. Irsay got his way, and shortly after, the Colts acquired Matt Ryan from the Falcons, whose salary cap hits in 2022 and 2023 exceeded a combined $50 million.
The Colts hoped the 37-year-old had something left in the tank. But Ryan struggled and got benched after seven games and a 3-3-1 start. Things only further deteriorated after the Colts fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady last week, and then Reich on Monday.
Irsay has made quite the mess of things. He named Jeff Saturday interim coach despite the former Pro Bowl center never having coached in college or the pros. The Colts have no one on staff who has ever called an offensive play. All hope for an in-season turnaround can be abandoned. Instead, Indianapolis is likely headed for one of the top picks in the draft.
It’s amazing to think that the Colts very well could have been in the thick of things in the watered-down AFC South had Irsay only let Reich hold onto Wentz.
(Top photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
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