The next big move for each team in NFC West

Don’t let the calendar fool you: There’s plenty of work to be done in the NFC West. With training camps more than two months away, here’s one move each team should make.

Arizona Cardinals

Make a decision on DeAndre Hopkins: It still seems a matter of when, not if, the Cardinals move on from the receiver because it makes sense for both sides. The Cardinals want to clear salary cap space, and Hopkins, who turns 31 in early June, would almost certainly rather be playing for a team with playoff aspirations. 

Hopkins has played in just 19 games over the past two seasons but can be effective when healthy. It  makes sense for the Cardinals to hold on to him through June 1. If they trade or release him before then, it will cost them $21 million in dead money with only $8 million in savings. 

Doing so after June 1 will cost Arizona $10 million in dead money and get it $19 million in cap savings.

Los Angeles Rams

Add depth at cornerback: With a healthy QB Matthew Stafford in the mix, the Rams should still have big-play potential on offense. Defense is going to be another story. That's where they still have problems at all three levels of the field. 

Los Angeles added depth along the D-line and at the edge spots in the draft with the selections of Byron Young and Kobie Turner, but they need more help in the secondary. The Rams, who dealt CB Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins in the offseason, did not address the secondary in the draft and have Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick listed as their starting corners. They might need be good enough. The most intriguing name still available on the free-agent market is veteran Marcus Peters, who spent parts of two seasons with the Rams during 2018 and 2019. 

San Francisco 49ers

Sign Nick Bosa to a contract extension: The roster is one of the deepest in the NFL on both sides of the ball. In the offseason, the Niners added to a stacked defensive line by signing free-agent DT Javon Hargrave, the former Eagle. The next move on the D-line is getting superstar edge rusher Nick Bosa signed to a long-term contract extension.

It is expected the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year will sign a record-breaking contract for an edge rusher, perhaps eclipsing the $30 million-per-year mark. Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt is the highest-paid edge rusher, making a little more than $28 million per year, per OverTheCap.com. (Defensive lineman Aaron Donald of the Rams is the league's highest-paid defensive player at $31.6 million annually, per OTC.)

Seattle Seahawks

Get more help at tight end: With Geno Smith returning as starting QB, the Seahawks have put together a potentially dominant offense. Kenneth Walker III looks like he is ready to be a star at running back, and by drafting Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle has an outstanding wide receiver corps that also includes D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

The Seahawks, however, could use more help at tight end. Noah Fant (50 catches for 486 yards in 2022) and Will Dissly (34 catches for 349 yards) did not provide much in the way of splash plays in 2022. Neither is a big-time playmaker. Getting another impact player could take an offense that is already good to the next level. There are still a couple of veterans on the FA market, including Maxx Williams, Geoff Swaim and MyCole Pruitt, who all remained unsigned. Pruitt caught seven touchdown passes over the previous two seasons.