The NFC West is one of the better divisions in the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks all have the potential to be playoff contenders in 2025. But in spite of that, each team will have players fail to reach expectations. Here are my busts for each NFC West team.
Rams: Davante Adams, WR
Adams played for two teams with struggling offenses last season and still managed to clear 1,000 yards. Now he joins the Rams, who have one of the best play-callers (Sean McVay) and quarterbacks (Matthew Stafford) in the NFL. So why do I think Adams will be a bust?
Stafford is currently struggling with a lower back issue, and could reaggravate it during the season. Adams is also 32 years old and will be behind Puka Nacua in the pecking order. There are just too many warning signs to feel good about him this season.
Seahawks: Cooper Kupp, WR
The player Adams was brought in to replace, Kupp has struggled to stay healthy for three consecutive seasons. And even if he stays healthy in 2025, there are plenty of other reasons to worry about Kupp.
Seattle has made it clear that the offense will be a run-heavy one next season. And the 32-year-old Kupp will have to compete with young stud Jaxon Smith-Njigba for targets. Don’t expect Kupp to have a return to form next season.
Cardinals: Josh Sweat, DE
The defensive end emerged as a force for the Super Bowl champion Eagles last season. Sweat recorded 8 sacks in the regular season and 2.5 in the Big Game. As a result, the Cardinals handed him a big contract to help their pass rush improve.
However, while Sweat is a good player, he did not play every snap in Philly, as the Eagles like to rotate their pass rushers to keep them fresh. Having to play every snap in the Arizona defense could reduce his effectiveness.
49ers: Christian McCaffrey, RB
Just two seasons ago, McCaffrey was regarded as the best running back in the NFL. However, in 2024, McCaffrey failed to play even half of the season due to injuries for the third time in the last five years.
McCaffrey is now 29 years old, the age at which many running backs experience a steep decline in performance. And even if that is not the case, it has become a tall task for McCaffrey just to stay on the field.
