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Championship contenders are not built overnight. But who says last-minute moves can’t be instrumental to a successful season? This year is no exception, as some of the best teams atop the NFL standings have stayed busy since the schedule kicked off.
Below, we’ve identified the top in-season moves by each of our 10 favorite playoff contenders — basically our picks for teams most likely to make a run at a Lombardi Trophy (The Super Bowl will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+). Each and every one of them has done some critical shuffling in the lead-up to a playoff push, sometimes via trade, other times via changes to the depth chart:
San Francisco already boasted an elite defensive front, but adding the ex-Commanders pass rusher has lessened the burden for Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead in the trenches. Only the Ravens allow fewer points per game, and Young’s seamless transition to the rotation — he has two sacks and four quarterback hits in four games — is part of that.
When Dallas lost All-Pro ballhawk Trevon Diggs to a serious injury two weeks into the season, team brass could’ve panicked. Instead, they leaned on Bland as a full-timer opposite Stephon Gilmore, and while he hasn’t been totally invincible on the perimeter, his own knack for the ball — 14 pass deflections, eight picks, five scores — has helped fuel their top-10 defense.
Eagles: Shuffled special teams
It’s too early to make a read on their abrupt and polarizing defensive-staff turnover, inserting Matt Patricia as the play-caller over new coordinator Sean Desai before Week 15. But their move to add Braden Mann has vastly improved the punting unit, and their commitment to Britain Covey has quietly given them one of the NFL’s most efficient punt returners.
Bills: Stood by Sean McDermott
Not that his job security was ever truly in question, but the missiles have come from all over this year: the crunch-time…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/most-important-in-season-moves-for-10-super-bowl-contenders-including-cowboys-49ers-ravens/
Author : Cody Benjamin
Publish date : 2023-12-21 13:26:05
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