You probably expect to see Brady, Gronk, and Ronald Jones or something. Not quite.
For me, the three players who will determine how far we go this year are:
1 OLB Anthony Nelson
2 FS Antoine Winfield
3 CB Carlton Davis
Why these three?
Let's start with OLB Anthony Nelson.
Many of the casual fans forget this kid was drafted in the mid rounds of the 2019 draft. Coming out of Iowa (similar to Wirfs) Nelson was coached well and ready to get some snaps before a minor injury set things back. Now that Carl Nassib has moved on to Vegas, we need someone to step up and provide Shaq/JPP some help in terms of snaps taken, in order keep them as fresh as possible. While there are other guys on the roster who could fill the void, Nelson is the favorite for now, given that he looked pretty solid in relief of Nassib last season while Carl was out. His play translates well to Nassib's and as long as he can play at that level and isn't a liability in any way, we should be good. We don't need 10 sacks from the guy, just need him to play the run well, consistently, and take advantage of one on one situations to help put pressure on the QB.
So what about Antoine Winfield? Well, who else is going to play FS? This was a critical posititon of need going into the off-season. Justin Evans is a mystery, and wasn't necessarily Earl Thomas in his first couple of seasons. Sure there's an argument to be made about Dacota Dixon because BA gave him praise back in February. Apparently he looked to be a diamond in the rough this time last year before he went on IR. All of that said, he was an UDFA who has yet to play any NFL football. Antoine Winfield on the other hand, was a 1st round prospect on many draft boards. His bloodline suggests big time potential, but it's his play at Minnesota that should have fans hyped to see what he can do. A natural ballhawk, a tough, gritty competitor, Antoine Winfield seems to be just what the secondary needs. If he can play at a high level early on, he should have a major impact on us winning those potential shootouts with New Orleans, Kansas City, etc.
Carlton Davis, believe it or not, is already entering his 3rd season, and is now the veteran of the CB group. His play has impressed me a lot, especially in how he looks to always be improving and fine tuning his craft. Unlike a lot of CBs, I get the sense that with Davis - no moment, no opponent, is ever too big. I've seen him guard 'cantguardmike' Michael Thomas as well as anyone in the league at times. If he can put it all together in year 3 and shut down opposing #1 receivers, it will allow the youngins (Winfield, Dean, Murphy-Bunting) to continue taking their own steps forward in developing. If Carlton were to regress, it would shake up the secondary and keep the engine from operating efficiently. Thankfully, I know CD3 is up to task, and ready to breakout as a true shut down corner.
If these three guys ball out in 2020, we will be in the Super Bowl.
