Of the teams that started 0-2 since 2007, only 12 percent have made the playoffs. Basically, if a team can’t win one of its first two teams, it’s bad. This isn’t breaking news. There is a decision that has to be made. It’s one of those two roads diverged in the woods type decision where teams can only choose one option: tank or try and turn it around. Sometimes young teams should look to improve. They should learn how to win. Other teams should just tank and try and get the best draft pick possible. They should unload as many assets for picks as they can. Which category does your team belong in? There’s an easy answer for the first team.
Miami Dolphins
Tank
The Dolphins are already tanking even if they deny it. They traded a Laremy Tunsil for picks. They let free agents walk in the hopes of compensatory picks. They went young. They started Ryan Fitzpatrick. This is the definition of tanking. They are trying to build from the ground up. It’s actually very similar to what the Browns decided to do a few years ago under Sashi Brown. It’s Hinkie-like.
The Dolphins have too many holes to hope that they can turn this roster into a contender next year and that’s why they should continue to unload assets. Trade Xavien Howard. See if they can get anything for Kenyan Drake. Trade Gloria Estefan if they have to. Tank and tank hard.
New York Jets
Turn it around
The Jets tried tanking and they failed when they attempted to do so. They failed to the point that they had to trade picks to the Colts in 2018 to move up and draft Sam Darnold. That’s the opposite of tanking.
Tanking time is over. The Jets need to start building a winning culture at some point. They can’t keep telling their fans that they will turn the corner. There’s no reason to tank. They may lose every game with Sam Darnold out with mono, but when Darnold comes back they need to focus on winning.
As long as they keep their first-round pick they can continue to build talent around Darnold and Le’Veon Bell. Plus, Adam Gase doesn’t know how to tank. He does know how to go 8-8 though.
Denver Broncos
Tank
The Broncos should have tanked last year. They probably should have tanked the year before. Their problem is twofold. John Elway hates the idea of tanking — and he should with the Broncos talented defense being wasted year after year — and Elway loves convincing himself that a tall quarterback is the simple fix to Denver’s offensive issues. Actually, that means the tanking problem isn’t twofold. It means that the problem is John Elway.
The Broncos should seriously consider tanking though. They need to fix a few spots on their offensive line. They need to figure out what the future is at quarterback and if it’s not Drew Lock than they definitely need to look at one of the quarterbacks coming out next year. They should keep Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, but anyone else on that defense should be available. Otherwise, they are doomed for 6-9 wins seasons for the foreseeable future.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Turn it around
Here are the important questions: is Ben Roethlisberger done? Is Mason Rudolph really the future at quarterback? Until we know those answers, then figuring out the future of the franchise is tough.
If Ben is coming back, then they should turn it around. See what they have in Rudolph. Maybe build up his trade value and see if they can get some team to bite next year. If Rudolph is really the future, then they should turn it around anyway. Let’s start moving forward with the young quarterback and a young defense. This would be fully moving on from the Ben/Brown/Bell iteration of the Steelers.
If Ben isn’t coming back and Rudolph isn’t the future, tanking is an option. The problem is that the roster is young and tanking probably isn’t even possible.
Of course, the Steelers also made this decision when they traded a first-round pick to Miami for Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Cincinnati Bengals
Tank
The Bengals should have tanked when they hired Zac Taylor. They should have traded A.J. Green for as much as they could have gotten on the open market. They should have put Geno Atkins on the bloc and collected on picks.
Where were the Bengals going this year? What exactly were their expectation? Was it to win eight games or maybe nine? They are watching the Browns and Ravens start a youth movement. They are idly waiting for the Steelers to apparently fall by the wayside — they may have gotten lucky this year — and while the Bengals wait, they run out the same team every year that topped out by losing in the first round of the playoffs.
At some point, they will have to move on from Andy Dalton because right now he’s too good for them to lose a bunch of games and get a high pick for a QB, but he’s not good enough to do anything in the playoffs.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tank
The Jaguars may be doing that anyway with news that Jalen Ramsey could be had for the right price. If they are going to trade Ramsey, they might as well trade Yannick Ngakoue who briefly held out of training camp.
In fact, they might as well see what they have Gardner Minshew for the rest of the year. There’s no reason to rush back Nick Foles if they can’t make the playoffs. If they find something in Minshew, they can turn the offense over to him moving forward. Maybe the Jaguars go full air-raid. Maybe the move on from Doug Marrone to Mike Leach. A man can dream.
New York Giants
Tank
I can’t scream “TANK!,” loud enough. The Giants should have tanked years ago. Maybe keeping Eli Manning around actually was tanking and the Giants front office is that galaxy brain meme.
The Giants need to revamp their entire defense. They still need to work on their offensive line. They drafted Saquon Barkley because they were ready to win now, but they were, in fact, not ready to win now.
They may have their quarterback of the future, but they have nothing to surround him with outside of Saquon. It’s time to do that.
Washington Redskins
Tank
Washington has a good defense. They have some interesting young pieces on offense. The problem is they are stuck in that six to nine win window.
This type of tanking isn’t the trade everything that isn’t nailed down tanking. This type of tanking is playing the quarterback they drafted in the first round and let’s see if he’s an NFL caliber player. Let him take some snaps and see if he can grow with Terry McLaurin. Case Keenum isn’t going to make this team better in the future. There’s no real investment there. There are only close losses and useless wins.
Carolina Panthers
Turn it around
The NFC South is now wide open with Drew Brees’ injury. The Falcons are a complete enigma. No one knows what is going on with the Bucs. The Panthers didn’t look bad in Week 1, but they looked very bad in Week 2.
It doesn’t matter. The team is built to win now. No one knows how much longer Cam Newton has in his career with the sheer amount of hits he’s taken. It’s now or never. The Panthers need to see if they can pull a trade for another wide receiver and maybe a cornerback to help their defense out.
