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The Division Ledgers

NFC West Cheat Sheet

Evans joins Shanahan at 33, Arizona hands its offense to a rookie and a new regime, and Myles Garrett moves west.


XI

The West gathered trophies this offseason the way its beaches gather driftwood: Mike Evans to San Francisco, Myles Garrett to the Rams, the third overall pick to Arizona. Whether any of it translates to September is the entire question of the division.

The Movement · NFC West
TeamNew VoiceInOut
LARNate Scheelhaase, OCMyles Garrett (trade)Jared Verse (to CLE)
SFMike Evans
SEABrian Fleury, OCKenneth Walker III (to KC)
ARIMike LaFleur, HC · Nathaniel Hackett, OCJeremiyah Love (draft) · Tyler AllgeierKyler Murray (to MIN)
  • Los AngelesIn-HouseMcVay promoted from within at coordinator and traded for the best defensive player of his generation. For our purposes: Puka at 3.1 is the board's first receiver and worth it, psoas soreness noted; Kyren at 31.5 is a fade — declining reception totals with Blake Corum's role expanding annually.
  • San FranciscoThe Museum WingMike Evans, 33, on a three-year deal, currently limited to individual drills by a quad — learning a Shanahan offense from the training table. McCaffrey at 6.6 asks you to pay first-round price for a 400-touch age-30 season. San Francisco is where the division keeps its résumés; we prefer its futures.
  • SeattleRepeat RiskFresh off the Super Bowl LX title, Jaxon Smith-Njigba at 5.4 is priced as though the career year is the new baseline, with Sam Darnold and a new coordinator attached. Walker's exit handed the backfield not to Zach Charbonnet but to rookie Jadarian Price, who tops the August depth chart — the quietest coup of the rookie class.
  • ArizonaThe HandoverA new head coach, Nathaniel Hackett calling plays, Kyler gone, and the third overall pick — Jeremiyah Love — arriving with a high-ankle sprain into a room that still houses Conner and the newly signed Allgeier. Trey McBride at 28.8 is the safest thing in the desert. Marvin Harrison Jr. is the most argued: crowded room, projections that grade the offense near the bottom of the league, and a price that still remembers the pedigree.

The West bought names. The board pays for roles. Draft accordingly.