NFL insider predicts which NFL teams could 'tank' in 2023

In general, tanking is an operation that’s often frowned upon in sports. Still, some franchises elect to go that route in order to compete again at some point down the line. With that in mind, Albert Breer at MMQB has concluded which NFL team is most likely to tank during the 2023 season.

In an appearance on ‘The Rich Eisen Show’, Breer said the Arizona Cardinals are most likely to tank this fall. However, he said it’s less of a want for the franchise and more of a need considering the regime that aged out last season as well as the current injured state of QB Kyler Murray.

“People have criticized Arizona. Like, I don’t know what people wanted Monti Ossenfort and Jonathan Gannon to do,” Breer said. “I mean that team was bad last year. It had gotten old. And they’ve got a quarterback coming off an ACL. Like, did you want to hang on to AJ Green, Rodney Hudson, and JJ Watt? That older core? Like, were you looking to build that way again?”

“The smart thing to do was to strip it down, you know what I mean?,” continued Breer. “So, like, I don’t even know if that’s tanking as much as it is what the team legitimately should do in this spot. I think they’re going to be interesting.”

Murray’s ACL tear makes Arizona as an obvious answer to struggle next season. The Pro Bowl quarterback will certainly miss more than a few games in his fifth season as he works his way back. Add in a new coaching staff and new contributors and, as Breer pointed out, it might actually be in the Cardinal’s best interest to take it easy out in the NFC West in 2023.

Still, Breer also named the Washington Commanders as another team on this radar. If they struggle out of the gate, he sees them as another team that could eventually host a fire sale.

“I man Washington? I think they’ve got a chance to be good. But if they aren’t? Like, do we see change from the new owner right away?,” Breer asked. “Remember, that new owner in Washington is the one who ran The Process in Philadelphia with the 76ers. Does he start to act on things in the middle of the year?”

“There are a lot of teams that are going to be interesting in that sort of way,” Breer said. “It’s not like those teams are devoid of good players so it could make for some pretty interesting days leading up to the trade deadline.”

No fanbase wants to see their team struggles, especially not on purpose. Even so, certain circumstances, including a strong incoming draft class in 2024, might be enough of a motivating factor for more than a few teams to tank across the NFL next season.