All 32 NFL teams are gearing up for what should an exciting 2022 season. One of the great things about the NFL is that it is never the same from year to year, and unexpected surprises from players, teams and organizations always take place.
We are just inside one month until the regular season begins, and here are three predictions for what will happen before the opening game.
Green Bay Will Have A New Legitimate Number 1 Wide Receiver
There has been a lot of concern surrounding the Green Bay Packers with regards to how they will replace All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams. Adams and quarterback Aaron Rodgers developed a special connection over the last few years, and were able to create easy scoring opportunities based on their familiarity with one another. Even though defenses knew Adams would be a focal point of their attack, there was little they could do to stop it.
Even though it is hard to compare anyone on the Packers’ roster to Adams, it seems like a good bet that a new star will emerge. The same concerns Green Bay have now about filling Adams’ void are similar to the ones expressed when Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb left the team several years earlier. Adams was a spare receiver early in his career, who blossomed with the increased playing time. Allen Lazard is an excellent bet to take a giant leap forward this season.
Tony Pollard Will Create A Running Back Controversy In Dallas
The Cowboys are hopeful that starting running back Ezekiel Elliott can return to the form he had a few years ago. The franchise locked him into a relatively lucrative deal, and need him to play well with Amari Cooper no longer in the mix, and with Michael Gallup seemingly likely to miss a few games early on in the season.
Dallas is fortunate to have a superb insurance policy in Tony Pollard, who has flashed more explosiveness than Elliott has in the last 12 months or so. Granted, Elliott was playing through injury last year, but another strong preseason from Pollard will call fans to question which player should get the bulk of the backfield work this season.
Jimmy Garoppolo Will Not Be A San Francisco 49er
Most of the impactful quarterback dominoes have fallen throughout the course of the offseason, except for one. Jimmy Garoppolo was expected to be moved earlier in the summer, but that did not happen due to shoulder surgery.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that the 49ers will be moving forward with second year player Trey Lance in 2022, and all but thanked Garoppolo for his prior contributions to the team. The hope was that San Francisco could find a trade partner, and they still might if another franchise suffers an injury at the quarterback position in August. However, if that doesn’t happen, the front office might have to make the difficult decision to waive Garoppolo to officially kick off the Lance era.
