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The order for the 2020 NFL Draft is secured among the top 20 teams following Week 17. Both conferences have five teams within the top 10 picks. The Cincinnati Bengals earned the number one pick with a final record of 2-14. Even with the win over the Patriots, the Miami Dolphins still hold the fifth pick overall. Both teams have extensive needs, with the difference being that Miami has a colossal amount of draft capital and cap space to make moves this offseason.
Outside of the top five, the Los Angeles Chargers sit at number 6, the Jacksonville Jaguars moved down to number 9 with their win over the Indianapolis Colts, and the Cleveland Browns jump in at number 10. Both the Chargers and Browns were major disappointments in 2019 coming in with Super Bowl aspirations. Cleveland fired head coach Freddie Kitchens immediately following the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the closer.
Likely one of the best choices to fix the Browns would be Ron Rivera. Cleveland won’t get the first crack at signing Rivera, however, as he is set to meet with the Washington Redskins. The Browns’ biggest need is someone who can get the locker room under control, establishing some discipline. Will the next head coach be able to control Baker Mayfield and the rest of the high personality talent?
Another bit of news that surfaced Sunday afternoon was that Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is not ready to retire. Set to hit free agency this offseason, Rivers spoke after the game about not being prepared to hang up the cleats. His emotional press conference showed that he wanted to keep playing even if that meant for another team.
The Chargers have some tough choices to make over the offseason with a large number of players hitting free agency and the number of rookie contracts coming up. Sitting at pick number six, the franchise is in a position to grab their next quarterback. Will they choose to ride it out with Rivers for another season while a rookie sits and waits or will they move on from the franchise face entirely?