ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Which offseason storyline intrigues you most?
JASON WOOD
Broadly speaking the coaching carousel because we have three potential legends: Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, and Jim Harbaugh, who are all willing to coach again. We'll see how that plays out, but if you're looking for a more specific storyline, it has to be the Chicago Bears. They have a near-unprecedented situation of having the first overall pick, another top-10 pick, a young quarterback in Justin Fields who has been good but not great, and a ton of cap space. GM Ryan Poles will make or break his legacy (no hyperbole) by how he navigates the next few months, and that starts with determining the value of Fields in the market and what he and his staff think of the top rookie quarterbacks, most likely Drake Maye and Caleb Williams. The Bears could vault into NFC contention instantly if Poles makes the right moves, or could endure another disastrous few years if he mishandles all these assets.
Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
DAVID DOREY
I want to see what the situation becomes in Dallas which may have some resolution by the time this is read, but beyond the coaching situation, the Cowboys need to decide what they want to do with their backfield. Tony Pollard is a free agent that the Cowboys already did not extend last year. He's been far less as impressive now that he's been the No. 1 running back that opponents scheme against. Taking a hot rookie or acquiring a top-tier veteran would make a difference for the offense that is going to be in transition anyway... at least probably... if not, the Dallas fans are going to be rioting.
Dorey co-founded The Huddle.com in 1997. He's ranked every player and projected every game for the last 23 years and is the author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. David has appeared on numerous radio, television, newspaper and magazines over the last two decades.
MIKE NAZAREK
I have Derrick Henry in a dynasty league, so I am very interested to see where he lands since he's a free agent. I also had Austin Ekeler in a few leagues in 2023 and am curious to see where he signs in 2024 as well. Both players are older but still have some talent, so the question is whether they will sign as a starter or a complementary player. Very interesting situations indeed!
Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc, celebrating 25 years online! His company offers a preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, a multi-use fantasy drafting program including auction values, weekly in-season newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site, www.ffmastermind.com. He has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and is a four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a former columnist for SI.com. He's also won nearly $30K in recent seasons of the FFPC High Stakes Main Event. Nazarek can be reached via email at miken@ffmastermind.com.
IAN ALLAN
Play callers are important. Ben Johnson and Bobby Slowik, I think, have been huge contributors in the success the offenses in Detroit and Houston have had. (Johnson has two big seasons under his belt, so he’s the more proven of the two.) I will be intrigued to see where these guys land, not only for the extra juice they might bring to a new team, for the potential they’ll also be missed by their existing franchises. Shane Steichen was one of these guys, and they’ve definitely missed him in Philadelphia.
Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index magazine. He is a member of the FSGA’s Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame. He is an avid runner, swimmer and cyclist.
ANDY RICHARDSON
There are a lot of intriguing storylines coming up, and most involve the game's most important position. First, I think the Bears will trade Justin Fields and draft Caleb Williams -- they have to. So seeing which team believes in Fields enough to bring him in will be interesting. Second, Kirk Cousins is a free agent; will he back in Minnesota, or will another team try to steal him away. So many teams who don't have a great quarterback or a high draft pick: Raiders, Broncos, Falcons. I suppose these dramas play out every year, but this one seems particularly interesting, given the quality of both the top rookies and the veterans who may or will be available.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.