This is the seventh year I’ve been covering the NFL, and usually by this point in the calendar on the eve of the season I have some hot takes bubbling up — gut feelings sparked by months of following the news cycle, offseason movement and training camp reports.

Having a platform like this means I can pull receipts when I’m right (a career resurgence for Sam Darnold, Bill Belichick getting fired). However, it’s also a double-edged sword, keeping a record of when I went out on a limb and crashed (the 2023 Panthers winning the division, among other flops).

But this year, for whatever reason, the takes don’t feel quite as hot. There are a few things I feel strongly about, and we’ll dig into those momentarily, but overall there’s a sense of lukewarm when it comes to evaluating the pre-2025 co

See Full Page