Quarterbacks again top priority in NFL’s offseason

By Brent Musburger Special to the Review-Journal

7 years ago

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles in action against the New England Patriots at Super Bowl 52 on Sunday, February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis. Philadelphia won the game 41-33.(AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) throws against the Tennessee Titans during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff game in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

AFC quarterback Alex Smith (11), of the Kansas City Chiefs, looks to pass, during the first half of the NFL Pro Bowl football game against the NFC, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2018, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M Ebenhack)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles in action against the New England Patriots at Super Bowl 52 on Sunday, February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis. Philadelphia won the game 41-33.(AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

FILE – In this Dec. 31, 2017, file photo, Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, in East Rutherford, N.J. The NFL’s offseason features plenty of intrigue beyond where Kirk Cousins and dozens of other quarterbacks will land. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun, File)

File-This jan. 28, 2018, file photo shows AFC quarterback Alex Smith (11), of the Kansas City Chiefs, looking to pass, during the first half of the NFL Pro Bowl football game against the NFC, in Orlando, Fla. The Alex Smith era has begun in Washington as the Redskins completed their trade for the veteran quarterback. Smith joined the Redskins from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a third-round pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller. The deal and Smith’s subsequent four-year contract extension were agreed to in February but couldn’t become official until 4 p.m. EDT Wednesday, March 14, 2018, the start of the new league year. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius, File)

The NFL always has been a copycat league. When a team storms to a Super Bowl victory as the Philadelphia Eagles did, every team studies the blueprint and follows accordingly.

The explosion of wheeling and dealing and free-agent signings was a direct lesson learned from Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. Of the team’s 22 Super Bowl starters, 12 came from trades or free agency, as did 20 other players on the 53-man roster. Half these changes were made since Roseman came out of exile in 2016.

Perhaps Roseman’s No. 1 move and one that is extremely difficult to copy is the acquisition of backup quarterback Nick Foles. It was one year ago when they agreed to a two-year, $11 million free-agent contract that brought Foles back to Philadelphia.

For the most part, teams in the NFL are searching for a quality starting quarterback, let alone a solid backup who can step in and lead you to a Super Bowl, as Foles did last season. Look at all the changes:

NFC North: The Vikings signed Kirk Cousins, and the Packers got DeShone Kizer as a backup for Aaron Rodgers.

NFC East: Alex Smith goes to Washington. Philadelphia still has Carson Wentz coming back from injury.

NFC South: No changes.

NFC West: The Cardinals acquired Sam Bradford from the Vikings, and the 49ers are about to have their first full season with Jimmy Garoppolo.

AFC North: Cleveland traded for Tyrod Taylor.

AFC East: The Jets acquired Teddy Bridgewater, and Buffalo got AJ McCarron.

AFC South: No changes, but who knows what is really going on with the Colts and Andrew Luck?

AFC West: Denver turned to Case Keenum, and the Chiefs are all in on Patrick Mahomes.

Looking at the rest of the rosters, no divisions remade themselves more than the two in the West.

Start with the NFC and Seattle’s Legion of Doom. After trading Michael Bennett and releasing Richard Sherman, the Seahawks are now the Legion of Doomed.

By getting Aqib Talib from Denver and Marcus Peters from Kansas City, the Rams have remade their secondary.

The 49ers signed Sherman, who will look for revenge against his former employer twice. And the Cardinals gained cap room by shedding Tyrann Mathieu from a strong defensive backfield.

Wasn’t it just a year ago when we thought Seattle was a lock to win the West? Don’t expect to see a double-digit win total in Las Vegas this year for the Seahawks.

“You’re going to certainly see the Seahawks go down this year,” said Chris Andrews, who runs the sports book at the South Point. “The Niners will go way up. I didn’t think much of the Cardinals last year; they might be down a little bit but not too dramatically. We expected the Rams to have a very good offseason. They had a lot of cap room, and they’re still on a favorable rookie quarterback contract. The Rams will be favored. It might be nine. It might be 10. They’ll be right around the 9½ mark.”

The remake of the AFC West begins with the division champion. Kansas City turned Smith loose, elevated Mahomes and got a deep threat with receiver Sammy Watkins. The Broncos responded with the signing of Keenum and got rid of Talib. The Raiders picked up Jordy Nelson and dumped Michael Crabtree.

“I really like Denver’s lineup, and I think they’ll be a contender, but which Keenum are you going to get?” Andrews said. “With the Raiders, again, are we going to see the Raiders from two years ago or the Raiders from last year? I think they’re going to be a little better. The Chiefs have given Mahomes a really strong hand, but quarterbacks who are untested can go either way. I happen to think the kid’s pretty good, so I’m probably a little higher on Kansas City than others will be.”

So after dozens of signings and trades, we now look forward to the draft. Will the Browns take Saquon Barkley first? Will the high-profile class of young quarterbacks go early?

The best news here in the desert is that we will get to have fun betting on it again. We can’t wait.

Brent Musburger’s betting column appears Saturday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. His show on the Vegas Stats & Information Network can be heard on SiriusXM 204 and livestreamed at reviewjournal.com/vegas-stats-information-network.