2023 NFC West burning questions Who is 4

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The NFC West may be filled with teams who have the widest range of 2023 season outcomes in the entire . It's been a parity-filled division since 2015, with each of its four teams -- the (twice), the (twice), the (three times), and the (once) -- taking home the crown in that span.Last season's race was easily won by the 13-4 49ers, who ended 2022 four games ahead of the NFC's seventh-seeded, 9-8 Seahawks. The 5-12 Rams took hold of a not-so-enjoyable record, po se sing the worst record for a defending champion in league history. A season-ending injury to Cardinals quarterback led them to drop all the way down from being a playoff team in 2021 to having the third-worst record in the entire league in  David Njoku Jersey 2022.Even though San Francisco waltzed to a division title last year while rotating through three starting quarterbacks -- , , and -- their reign could be in jeopardy with Seattle having because of their four picks in the first and second rounds thanks to the trade of to the . The Rams could also return to the hunt with improved health, making the NFC West one of the league's most intriguing divisions.With that in mind, here is a look at each of the teams' burning question for  Jimmy Graham Jersey 2023 that will determine the outcome of their respective seasons. Franchises are listed in the order of their finish in last season's NFC West race.  Quarterback Brock Purdy's torn UCL in his throwing elbow casts the largest cloud over any contending teams' quarterback room in the entire NFL. He's expected to start throwing a football again next week for the first time since the injury in their 31-7 lo s in the 2022 NFC Championship Game last January, . While the team is maintaining hope he can be ready to roll for Week 1 in September, there's a chance he could suffer a setback and not be ready for the start of the 2023 season.If so, who would start in his place? The third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft , who San Francisco dumped three first-round pick in order to select, has taken every first-team snap at quarterback throughout their first two organized team activities  Chris Lykes Jersey (OTAs) se sions. Shanahan made his quarterback situation more murky by saying the first-team reps will and that the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, , will get chances with the ones as the offseason continues. They signed him to a one-year pact back in March.The 49ers are a tailor-made contender with arguably the most-loaded offensive ecosystem in the NFL thanks to having at running back, and at wide receiver, at tight end, at left tackle, and Shanahan calling plays. San Francisco also employs the NFL's top scoring defense from last season (averaged 16.3 points per game allowed), which is powered by 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year , who led the NFL with 18 Ebuka Izundu Jersey .5 sacks.  The health of their quarterbacks will be one of the NFL's biggest storylines all year as it could heavily impact who the next Super Bowl champion will be.             SEA  QB  #7  CMP%69.8YDs4282TD30INT11YD/Att7.49 Geno Smith has one of the most unique football career arcs in NFL history. He put up gaudy numbers in Dana Holgorsen's Air Raid offense at West Virginia in his last three college seasons: 97 pa sing touchdowns, 20 interceptions and 11,353 pa sing yards. That kind of production gave Smith the buzz of potentially being the first overall pick in 2013. Instead, Smith suffered a , leaving Day 1 undrafted and returning on Day 2 to be selected 39th overall, the seventh pick of the second round by the , a team that pa sed him over with their ninth and 13th overall picks.He struggled in 30 career starts with the rebuilding Gang Green, throwing 28 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. After one-year pit stops with the as backup (2017) and the as ' backup (2018), he settled down with the Seahawks to be backup in 2020. Through his first eight years (2013-21), Smith completed 59% of his pa ses for 6,917 pa sing yards, 34 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. That's the career  Kameron McGusty Jersey of an NFL backup who has managed to stick around, nothing more.  Then, Wilson's wish to be traded to the was granted, opening the door for Smith to get a one-season audition in 2022 as an NFL starter after beating out in training camp. His performance in 2022 was so miraculous -- leading the NFL in completion percentage (68.8%), throwing a Seahawks-record 4,282 pa sing yards and ranking top five in the league in pa sing touchdowns (30) and pa ser rating (100.9) -- that he won 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year -- not for overcoming any injury, but rather eight  Dominic Proctor Jersey years of unspectacular play on the field.Geno Smith (2022 season)NFL RANKComp Pct69.8%*1stPa s Yards4,282*8thPa s TD304thPa ser Rating100.95thSmith then re-signed with Seattle for life-changing money: three years and $75 million. However, there's only $1.2 million in guaranteed salary on his deal in 2023 and none baked into the final two seasons. Yes, his 2024 salary will become guaranteed if he's on the team on the fifth day of the waiver wire period, but Seattle structured the deal to make it fairly easy to move off of if he regre ses. Head coach Pete Carroll  with the idea of selecting a pa ser fifth overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, but with , , and all coming off the board in the draft's first four picks, Smith's job became safe for 2023.He has all the tools to succeed once again this season after the Seahawks made Ohio State wideout the first wide receiver taken in the most recent draft, providing a potent trio of , and JSN out wide. In the run game, 2022 rookie rushing leader returns along with: UCLA's , a second-round pick like Walker, and Georgia's , their last pick in Round 7. Once again, Smith will undergo a make-or-break season as an NFL starting Anthony Mack Jersey  quarterback. is now 35 years old and coming off an injury-plagued 2022 in which he dealt with neck and head injuries, causing him to mi s eight games. , the 2021 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl LVI MVP, turns 30 on June 15 and also struggled with injuries, mi sing the 2022 season's final eight games after undergoing ankle surgery. All-world defensive tackle mi sed the final six games of last season while dealing with an ankle injury.The question that begs to Dewan Hernandez Jersey  be answered with the Rams in 2023 is simple: can they stay healthy? If so, they have the stars to fight for a spot in the postseason thanks to the watered-down NFC. However, should things go sideways again in terms of their big three's health, general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay could have a tough decision on their hands. The Rams, the NFL poster child for discarding the value of early-round draft picks, will finally have their first-round draft selection again in 2024.The last time the franchise used a first-round pick was all the way back in 2016 when they traded up 14 spots from 15th to first overall in order to select quarterback . The 2024 NFL Draft will almost certainly have 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and USC quarte