The 2019 NFL season kicks off in less than a week. As a result, there are many questions brewing for the campaign. From holdouts to rookie expectations, a lot has yet to be answered. With that in mind, here are 4 of the biggest questions heading into the 2019 season.
After the Cardinals hired Kliff Kingsbury for the head coaching position, rumors quickly spurred that he would draft Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. Those rumors turned out to be true as he did exactly that.
Arizona Cardinals Quarterback Kyler Murray. (Photo Credit: AP Photo/Jim Mone)
Now, the 5-foot-10 quarterback has a lot of expectations to fulfill. As seen in his 2018 Heisman winning season at Oklahoma, Murray has a tremendous amount of talent. Whether or not that talent transitions well to the NFL is still in question.
During the NFL preseason, Murray tossed 23 completions on 36 attempts for 193 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. With such a limited sample size in an extremely vanilla preseason offense, it is hard to tell what Murray will be capable of come the regular season.
Andrew Luck’s retirement announcement during the preseason was a bombshell to both the Colts’ organization as well as the NFL in general. With such shocking news coming just two weeks before the 2019 season, the Colts now have a difficult situation to tend to.
Former Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Andrew Luck (Photo by: colts.com)
This is not the first season the Colts will be without their beloved franchise QB as Luck has been sidelined with injuries numerous times throughout his career. Still, will the team be able to manage without him?
Jacoby Brissett returns as the starting quarterback for the team. In 2017, Brissett filled in as the QB1 while Luck was out for the season with a shoulder injury. In that time frame, Brissett threw 276 completions for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. The team finished with a record of 4-12.
In 2018, Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott led the NFL in rushing yards for the second time in three seasons. Elliott has proven year after year to be the cornerstone of the Cowboys’ offense, but is now holding out because of it.
Dallas Cowboys Running Back Ezekiel Elliott. (Photo Credit: CBS Sports)
With two years still remaining on his rookie contract, Elliott wants a new deal before setting foot on the gridiron. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has made it clear that a deal will get done but when it happens is still in question.
Jones recently stated in an interview, “We want Zeke when we get to the playoffs. We want Zeke when we’re in the dog days of this season.” The owner implied that there is no deadline for getting a deal done with the All-Pro running back as he continued by saying, “We’ve got a marathon here.”
With the Cowboys beginning the season with a relatively easy schedule facing the Giants, Redskins and Dolphins respectively, there is no timetable for the return of the 2018 leading rusher.
In the 2019 NFL offseason, Odell Beckham Jr. was traded to the Browns. Antonio Brown was traded to the Raiders. Le’Veon Bell signed with the Jets. Earl Thomas signed with the Ravens. To say the least, a lot of players moved on from their former teams.
New York Jets Running Back Le’Veon Bell. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Now, anticipation has been set to see these stars perform on their new teams. The previous dynamics each of these players were in made them into the All-Pro’s they are today. Will the new systems they dwell in now improve their skills or drag them down?
While each team has seen adding these players as an improvement, only their performances in 2019 can prove it. NFL fans across the globe are ready to see what these stars can do for their new teams.
Featured Image Credit: azcardinals.com
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