By now, HBO’s NFL training camp show “Hard Knocks” has become a staple of sports programming every late summer. In 2022, we were delighted to watch Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions prepare for their season with more than a few noteworthy moments that would otherwise have been under wraps without a TV camera present.
With the 2022 regular season over, there will be just four eligible teams for the next in-depth look at how an NFL squad takes its final steps before a new campaign. To qualify for the next edition of “Hard Knocks,” an NFL team must not have made the postseason for two straight seasons. They must have a coach who is in his second year on the job, at least. And they haven’t participated in the program in a decade.
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The only teams who meet those qualifications in 2023 are as follows:
- Chicago Bears
- New Orleans Saints
- Washington Commanders
- New York Jets
Let’s rank the eligible NFL squads for the next edition of Hard Knocks based on entertainment factors and which franchise would be most intriguing to learn about in the summer.
4. New Orleans Saints
With all due respect to Dennis Allen’s bunch, the Saints are flat-out boring on paper. They have a few nice pieces like offensive rookie of the year contender Chris Olave, but there just isn’t much here otherwise. If the NFL ends up forcing New Orleans to be the subject of “Hard Knocks,” it would very much feel like a “default” option.
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3. Washington Commanders
The Commanders might be a fun pick based on ghoul owner Dan Snyder potentially completing some sales of the franchise during the show’s run. There’s also Ron Rivera, Jonathan Allen, and the backdrop of the most dysfunctional professional organization in the sport. In essence, Washington would be a sly pick for anyone who loves messy drama from a team that likely won’t accomplish anything on the field.
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2. New York Jets
There’s a distinct possibility the Jets will soon be in the throes of a quarterback “competition” between Zach Wilson and (Insert Veteran). You also can’t discount the idea of a major market New York team really playing to the camera, as they once did during the Rex Ryan era. Count me on in Gang Green letting us under the hood should the first option fall through.
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1. Chicago Bears
By the time the Bears will have potentially been locked in for “Hard Knocks,” they will have just finished an offseason where they will have had to mandatorily spend over $100 million in cap space while harnessing the power of the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Factor in one of football’s most exciting players in Justin Fields and a charter franchise notorious for trying to keep secrets about their inner happenings, and the Bears are a no-brainer.
Let’s absolutely get four-plus hours of quality television for what might be the most interesting non-playoff NFL team over the next half-year or so.
