Obviously, we're all disappointed in the lack of external free agents.
But... I wonder if we are presuposing that these players perform exactly as they performed last season.
My guess is the coaching staff is banking that their familiarity with each other, and with the system, with another year of development they perform better. Payton's culture puts a lot of emphasis on "teaching." And they are better than most at it.
Some players regress. Or get injured. And the schedule presents its own challenges.
But in the case rookies-- Harvey, Bryant and Barron, Que and Jones, and first contract players, Franklin, Mims, Moss, etc. -- it's reasonable to expect them to elevate their level of play over the 2025 season.
Some players improve dramatically.
Look at the leap McMillian made over the past two seasons. Now contrast that with a scenario where they brought in a 10-15 million dollar vet CB for the slot in 2023, and JaQuon languished on the PS.