With a new NFL season right around the corner, all 32 teams are looking to start the year on the right foot. And while no individual player or front office member can completely shape an NFL team, duos are becoming increasingly important. From the college stars being reunited in the pros to the tense QB-GM dynamic in New York, The Ringer is highlighting the most important, interesting, and, in some cases, baffling NFL duos for the 2021 season.
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August 27, 2021
Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray Are Running Out of Time to Produce Fireworks
The vaunted Air Raid offense turned into the Horizontal Raid last season, and now the supposedly electric duo in Arizona faces a make-or-break season
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August 26, 2021
Mike McCarthy Is Making Up for Lost Time With Dak Prescott
The second-year Cowboys coach hasn’t had much time to mesh with his star quarterback. Their relationship will go a long way in determining Dallas’s success in 2021.
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August 26, 2021
The Browns Place a Low-Risk, High-Reward Bet on Jadeveon Clowney
Cleveland hopes Clowney can bookend Myles Garrett to give the Browns an elite pass rush. The two former no. 1 picks entered the league with enormous potential but have been on different trajectories in the NFL.
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August 26, 2021
Justin Herbert and Joe Lombardi Could Lift the Chargers to New Heights
The Offensive Rookie of the Year is getting a new offense designed by a veteran coordinator who previously worked hand-in-hand with Drew Brees. Will L.A. emerge as a legitimate contender in 2021?
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August 23, 2021
The Combo of Julio Jones and A.J. Brown Is Promising for Fantasy Football—and Scary for Opposing Corners
Assuming Jones is healthy, Tennessee now effectively has two no. 1 wideouts. How will they function in the Titans’ run-heavy offense?
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August 20, 2021
Are the Saints Headed Toward Quarterback-by-Committee?
After months of practices and a preseason game, Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill remain neck-and-neck for New Orleans’s starting quarterback role. What will Sean Payton decide?
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August 19, 2021
Ben Roethlisberger Is Not Finished Yet
There are limitations to the Steelers offense with their 39-year-old starter, but Pittsburgh hasn’t fully prepared for life without him yet
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August 18, 2021
Will Reuniting College Teammates Become the NFL’s Next Trend?
Four teams used the 2021 NFL draft to pair their quarterbacks with another dynamic offensive playmaker from the same school. Will that familiarity breed success?
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August 17, 2021
The Dave Gettleman–Daniel Jones Partnership Enters a Make-or-Break Year
Patience is a rare luxury in the NFL, and after three losing seasons under Gettleman and 26 uninspiring starts from Jones, the Giants’ may be wearing thin. This embattled GM and QB need to make 2021 count.
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August 16, 2021
Jon Gruden Still Hasn’t Found a Successful Raiders Recipe
Three years of the Gruden experiment has yielded uneven returns: steady offensive improvement but confounding personnel decisions. Is it time for him to focus on what he’s best at and leave the roster-building to others?