NFC West preview: Bradford can sling with the best of them and will for Arizona — if he’s not hurt
There’s a joke around the NFL that Arizona Cardinals quarterback Sam Bradford should change his name to “When Healthy, Sam Bradford,” because that caveat seems to precede any mention of him.
When healthy, Sam Bradford is a darn good quarterback.
He showed that this summer, when he played in the second exhibition game against New Orleans, completing six of six passes to six receivers and orchestrated a 61-yard touchdown drive.
Bradford was similarly sharp for the Minnesota Vikings against the Saints in last season’s opener, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns on 27-of-32 passing in a 29-19 victory. That earned him a career-best 143.0 passer rating and NFC Player of the Week honors.
Problem is, Bradford is seldom healthy. He was drafted No. 1 overall by the St. Louis Rams in 2010 despite coming off shoulder surgery that cut short his junior season at Oklahoma. In his second year in the NFL, he missed five games with a high ankle sprain. Two years later, his season ended in Week 7 with a torn left anterior cruciate ligament. The next year, another season-ending injury to the same ACL in the preseason. Last year he wasn’t healthy after Week 1 because of accumulated damage to that oft-repaired knee, and speculation circulated that it might be a career-ending situation.
On and on ...
Bradford has made a staggering $134 million in his career despite playing all 16 games only twice, in 2010 and 2012. He’s 34-45-1 in games he has started and has yet to make the Pro Bowl or start a postseason game.
For the Cardinals, anything they can get out of Bradford is icing. They have No. 10 pick Josh Rosen waiting in the wings, and the former UCLA star is the most polished and prepared of this year’s rookie quarterbacks to step in and perform. That said, Arizona would love to have him hold a clipboard for a while and learn behind a seasoned pro who can pick apart defenses … when healthy.
NFC East preview: Redskins hope Smith’s postseason experience pays off »
NFC South preview: Fitzpatrick will start while Winston serves suspension »
NFC North preview: Cousins moves to a division that’s loaded with QB talent »
Bradford said this summer that his oft-repaired knee feels better than it has at any point since he suffered the injury last fall.
“I’ve gone through this a couple of times, unfortunately,” he said. “But I think there’s just a point in time where you stop thinking about it and you know that your knee is healthy and you’re capable of going out there and doing everything that it needs to be able to do.”
In Seattle, Russell Wilson is coming off a season in which he tied a career best with 34 touchdown passes but spent much of that time running for his life. The Seahawks had no ground game to help him, and Wilson wound up running for a club-best 586 yards. That’s 346 more than the team’s closest running back.
Wilson was the NFL’s first quarterback to lead his team in rushing since Randall Cunningham led Philadelphia 27 seasons earlier.
Rams quarterback Jared Goff is heading into his third season and is coming off a strong performance in the first year of coach Sean McVay’s offense. Receiver Sammy Watkins is gone, but the Rams now have Brandin Cooks to stretch the field.
In San Francisco, Jimmy Garoppolo already has achieved rock-star status. The 49ers quarterback, former backup to Tom Brady in New England, arrived via trade in the second half of last season and changed the outlook of the foundering franchise.
In their first 11 games, the 49ers averaged 17.0 points. With Garoppolo at the helm for the final five — all wins — they averaged 28.8 points. But in the finale against the Rams, for instance, Los Angeles already had clinched the division and was playing its reserves. So we’ll find out soon enough how real that turnaround was.
NFC WEST CAPSULES
1 | RAMS
2017 | 11-5, 1st in West
Last year in playoffs | 2017
THREE PLAYERS WHO MUST COME THROUGH
QB Jared Goff: No. 1 pick of 2016 draft bounced back from a rough rookie year and made it to the Pro Bowl. Now he must take the step and win some games in the fourth quarter.
RB Todd Gurley: Reigning offensive player of the year cannot be expected to repeat as the league leader in touchdowns, but the Rams also cannot afford for a back with a $60-million extension to take a step back.
DT Ndamukong Suh: With no way of knowing how long Aaron Donald’s holdout will last, the Rams need their high-priced free-agent acquisition to perform at an elite level.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
S John Johnson: Second-year safety is the youngster of a secondary that includes star cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, and franchise-tagged safety Lamarcus Joyner. Peters said Johnson is on his way to becoming an All-Pro.
WR Pharoh Cooper: He’s made a name as a Pro Bowl kick returner. The receiver corps is crowded with starters Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks and Cooper Kupp, but the Rams might find more ways to utilize his multipurpose skills.
TE Gerald Everett: The tight end was the Rams’ highest draft pick in 2017 but was overwhelmed at times with the responsibilities of the position. He suffered a shoulder injury during training camp; if healthy, he should give the offense an extra dimension.
FANTASY SLEEPER
WR Cooper Kupp: He had a productive rookie season and scored five TDs. If he can eliminate drops in key situations, he will increase that total and become a decent fantasy pick.
AFC West preview: Chiefs finally found a starting quarterback in the draft »
AFC East preview: Rookies Sam Darnold and Josh Allen could be ready to start »
AFC South preview: These quarterbacks are aiming for validation »
AFC North preview: Arrival of Baker Mayfield gives Browns fans hope »
2 | SAN FRANCISCO
2017 | 6-10, 4th in West
Last year in playoffs | 2013
THREE PLAYERS WHO MUST COME THROUGH
QB Jimmy Garoppolo: Is Jimmy G the player 49ers fans think he is? He’s 7-0 as a starter, with two of those wins coming when he was at New England. He’s already in the 49ers’ record books, with more yards passing through his first five starts (1,542) than any quarterback in team history.
DL DeForest Buckner: Buckner didn’t have big sack numbers last season but created a lot of chaos and pressure. In 2016, as a rookie, he was one of nine players with six or more sacks and two or more fumble recoveries.
RB Jerick McKinnon: The 49ers are paying him big bucks to be the No. 1 back, as he’s replacing Carlos Hyde as the starter. McKinnon stepped in ably for the injured Dalvin Cook in Minnesota last season.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
CB Ahkello Witherspoon: Richard Sherman is going to be in the spotlight, with everyone checking out how he has recovered from his torn Achilles tendon. But just as important is Witherspoon buttoning down the opposite corner.
FS Adrian Colbert: Colbert, who filled in for an injured Jimmie Ward last season, has excellent range and is a big hitter. He’s pivotal to the 49ers secondary.
TE Garrett Celek: The brother of former Philadelphia tight end Brent Celek, Garrett is making a name for himself. A good blocker who has made some great catches at camp and, though undrafted, has survived four head coaches.
FANTASY SLEEPER
WR Marquise Goodwin: Arguably the fastest player in the NFL, Goodwin has a career year last season, and Kyle Shanahan is going to find creative ways to use his fleet feet.
3 | SEATTLE
2017 | 9-7, 2nd in West
Last year in playoffs | 2016
THREE PLAYERS WHO MUST COME THROUGH
DE Frank Clark: Without Michael Bennett or Cliff Avril, the Seahawks are going to need Clark to generate a lot of their pass rush. This goes double if Dion Jordan can’t get healthy.
QB Russell Wilson: Wilson has helped the team to two Super Bowls and consistently is in the league MVP conversation. He can’t try to do too much, though, and needs a running game to bleed off some of the pressure.
FS Tedric Thompson: If Earl Thomas isn’t back there — and it’s looking like he won’t be — it falls to Thompson to shore up the back end of that defense. When Thomas was injured a couple of years ago, Steven Terrell didn’t do such a great job of that and the Seahawks suffered.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
DE Rasheem Green: The rookie from USC has looked good so far, and the defense-minded Seahawks need more rushers to turn up the heat on quarterbacks.
CB Tre Flowers: The former college safety is being converted to corner and at a lean 6-3, 203, he has the build of a young Richard Sherman. Flowers is a Pete Carroll project.
RB Chris Carson: A seventh-round pick last year, Carson showed impressive flashes before a season-ending injury. Now he hopes to team with rookie Rashaad Penny for a 1-2 punch like New Orleans has.
FANTASY SLEEPER
WR Tyler Lockett: The speedy Lockett is back healthy again and seems to have regained the step he lost while recuperating from injury last season.
4 | ARIZONA
2017 | 8-8, 3rd in West
Last year in playoffs | 2015
THREE PLAYERS WHO MUST COME THROUGH
RB David Johnson: It doesn’t matter who starts at quarterback if this dual-threat running back isn’t a big part of the offense. Johnson, who was lost for the season in the opening week last year, was the league’s best running back in 2016.
DE Chandler Jones: The reigning NFL sack leader is adjusting to the 4-3 scheme of new coach Steve Wilks. Jones will be tested in Week 1 when he goes up against Washington left tackle Trent Williams.
WR Larry Fitzgerald: In his 15th season, the most-veteran Cardinal also could be the most valuable. Led the NFC in catches last year, and has a thin receiving corps around him.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
C Mason Cole: The third-round pick was drafted to ultimately become the full-time starter down the road. Center AQ Shipley, the team’s only offensive lineman to start every game a year ago, was lost for the season in camp.
QB Josh Rosen: Tenth pick of draft isn’t the starter at the moment, but Sam Bradford hasn’t started every game since 2012. Rosen is the most polished passer in his draft class.
S Budda Baker: Baker excelled as a rookie, particularly on special teams, where he made the Pro Bowl. With the departure of Tyrann Mathieu, the Cardinals are banking on this second-year defender to step in as a starter.
FANTASY SLEEPER
TE Ricky Seals-Jones: Made the team last year as an undrafted rookie and, despite limited playing time, caught three touchdown passes. Expect him to have a bigger role this season. He’s the cousin of Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson.
Follow Sam Farmer on Twitter @LATimesfarmer
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