With the preseason beginning at the beginning of August, there’s a lot to be excited about this upcoming season with many roster changes across the league. We’ll be breaking down where each team stands heading into the year.
#32: New England Patriots
The last time the Patriots didn’t have Brady or Belichick in the organization was before new quarterback Drake Maye was even born. The Belichick era has come to an end after a rough last few seasons without Brady & the first season without Belichick should be even worse. The Patriots drafted Maye who is not NFL ready, did not bring in a #1 receiver for Maye, & don’t have the knowledge that Belichick brought to the organization. The Patriots went from the dynasty everyone feared to the now bottom dwellers of the league.
#31: Carolina Panthers
The Panthers may have drafted Xavier Legette & Jonathan Brooks and brought in Diontae Johnson to bring some firepower to the offense, but they still have Bryce Young at quarterback. Bryce Young is going to go down as one of the biggest busts in history. He’s not a good quarterback and is bringing the whole offense down with him. The Panthers are just not a good team with Young under center.
#30: Washington Commanders
In a surprising move, the Commanders moved on from Sam Howell and drafted Jayden Daniels. The problem wasn’t Howell but their league worst offensive line and bringing in a mobile quarterback just spells trouble. The Commanders also brought in an aging back in Austin Ekeler who is already injury prone and is likely to happen again.The Commanders should be one of the worst teams in the league, even worse than their fellow NFC East rival in the Giants.
#29: New York Giants
Not much better than their NFC East rival in the Commanders is the Giants. They kept Daniel Jones on for another year and finally gave him a true #1 receiver in Malik Nabers which should help. However, they lost Saquon Barkley and the rest of the team just isn’t great outside of a couple bright spots like Kayvon Thibodeaux.
#28: Denver Broncos
The Sean Payton era in Denver got off to a bit of a rough start and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get better. There’s some tough years ahead before it’ll get better as the Broncos moved on from Russell Wilson and Jerry Jeudy with rookie quarterback Bo Nix being the new face of the offense. Nix was one of our favorite quarterbacks of the draft, but the Broncos barely made it to 8-9 last year and with less talented players all around the field, it’s going to be very tough to repeat that.
#27: Tennessee Titans
The Titans offense is going to look a bit different this year with Will Levis getting the starting job, Tony Pollard replacing Derrick Henry, & two veteran receivers in Tyler Boyd & Calvin Ridley to join DeAndre Hopkins. The veteran presence the receiving trio and Pollard bring to the table will help Will Levis grow into the starting quarterback that he’s meant to be. When he did start last year, he showed signs of being the real deal, but we’re excited for what the future holds for them and the growth of Will Levis.
#26: Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals landed the best overall talent in the draft in Marvin Harrison Jr. He’s going to be a generational player much like his father and we’re excited for what’s in store for him. The Cardinals was a great landing spot for him to instantly jump into a #1 role with a quarterback like Kyler Murray who’s been frustrated for not having someone in that role since DeAndre Hopkins. We hope to see the two get a rhythm going at some point this season.
#25: Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers finally have a head coach that knows what it’s like to win in a high stakes scenario in Jim Harbaugh. This was a great move for the organization and Harbaugh is going to undergo a significant rebuild with Justin Herbert as the focal point of the rebuild. The Chargers lost their top 2 receivers, tight end, and starting running back which makes that task even more daunting. Herbert is a top quarterback in the league, but he’ll have quite the challenge ahead of him without the support around him. It’s going to be tough for them to be competitive in an AFC that has multiple Super Bowl candidates.
#24: Minnesota Vikings
The Kirk Cousins era in Minnesota has come to an end and the Vikings are counting their blessings that they were able to retain Justin Jefferson. The Vikings have arguably the top receiving duo in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. This allows JJ McCarthy to step right into the role and become a game manager. If McCarthy doesn’t start, the Vikings added Sam Darnold who could play a chunk of the season. Either way, the Vikings just need someone to get one of those two guys the ball and they have a shot of being competitive in every game they play in.
#23: Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders missed out on drafting a quarterback this year & brought in Gardner Minshew who should replace Aidan O’Connell as the starter. The Raiders made the right move as this class was not our favorite, but where they went wrong was drafting Brock Bowers. We are huge fans of Bowers, but they didn’t give Mayer the fair chance he deserved and should have drafted someone on defense, a lineman or another receiver to give Davante Adams some relief. This was a wrong move on a franchise that has gotten a bad rep for years for their poor drafting decisions.
#22: New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a team that just feels average and have one of the oldest rosters in the league. They’re just not going to get better and the lone bright spots on their team like Chris Olave and Bryan Bresee need to be moved for the sake of their career paths.
#21: Seattle Seahawks
After a career best season in 2022, Geno Smith earned himself a nice payday. In 2023, he however regressed from his 4k yard season and his play was more inconsistent. The Seahawks traded for Sam Howell in the offseason to put some pressure on Smith to keep his job which should light a fire under him. It’s also motivation for Howell to put in the work after losing a starting job to try to perform better. Either option at quarterback should perform better than they did last season with both having more motivation to succeed. The Seahawks will still regress as a team due to age, but we expect better quarterback play this year.
#20: Chicago Bears
The Bears found their quarterback of the future in #1 overall pick Caleb Williams and have already made an effort to give him talent around him with Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, Gerald Everett, & D’Andre Swift. The Bears offense is the most improved this offseason and that’s even with retaining Pro Bowl receiver DJ Moore. The Bears finally have hope that there is a future for the team.
#19: Los Angeles Rams
With Aaron Donald’s retirement, the Rams didn’t just lose a player, they lost a core component of their team. Donald is a future hall of famer and was the centerpiece of the defense. They tried to draft his replacement, but we don’t know if anyone in the league can live up to his dominance on defense. The Rams defense took a big hit with that loss and the inconsistency of the offense last season needs to improve if the Rams want a chance at sneaking into a Wild Card spot.
#18: Jacksonville Jaguars
After starting the season off with an 8-3 record, the Jaguars finished the season losing 5 of their last 6 games and missing the playoffs. During that span, the offense just collapsed and could not get things going. They lost their best receiver from last year in Calvin Ridley, but gained Gabe Davis who could be a deep threat for a struggling Lawrence. If Lawrence can lock down his game, then the Jaguars could return to the playoffs and make a run.
#17: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers should be thankful they’re in the NFC South because if they were in any of the 3 other divisions in the NFC, they would not be able to make the playoffs. The Buccaneers are the frontrunners of the NFC South and they have both their defense and the play of Baker Mayfield to thank for that. The Bucs dealt with a lot of injuries last year and Baker prevailed through it which is largely why he earned himself a nice payday this offseason to stick with the team.
#16: Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers gave up on Kenny Pickett and for good reason. They swapped him out with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields who can potentially play in the first effective dual quarterback system we’ve ever seen. Both quarterbacks see improved situations from what they were dealing with on their former teams. The Steelers still have a solid defense led by former defensive player of the year TJ Watt who can carry the weight of the offense. The Steelers are still an average team and could end up seeing their first losing season in over a decade.
#15: Atlanta Falcons
Arguably the most improved team this offseason was the Atlanta Falcons. They brought in veteran Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins, traded for Rondale Moore, and signed Darnell Mooney. The Falcons are the NFC South favorites now and we’re expecting big improvements from the team that has finished 7-10 for 3 seasons in a row.
#14: New York Jets
Playoff hopes for the Jets were lost in the first few minutes of the first quarter of the first game of the season last year when Aaron Rodgers went down. If Rodgers can stay healthy even for half the season, the Jets are a significantly better team. Quarterback play was their downfall last year and it’ll come down to if Rodgers has what it takes to take them to the next level.
#13: Indianapolis Colts
Despite injuries that held Anthony Richardson & Jonathan Taylor out for a chunk of the season, the Colts still prevailed and managed to finish with a 9-8 record which was just short of making the playoffs. This earned both Gardner Minshew & Zack Moss a starting job elsewhere in the league. The Colts now have a healthy Richardson & a healthy Taylor who are ready to get into action. They also have Jelani Woods healthy & drafted Texas wideout Adonai Mitchell to give Richardson some extra weapons. The Colts offense should be one of the biggest bounce back stories of the year.
#12: Cleveland Browns
As long as Watson is in Cleveland, the Browns will not be a contender. The Browns have an elite defense, solid offensive line, and some nice weapons, but their quarterback situation is holding them back. Watson needs out of the league, not just for his poor play, but outside of that, the Browns need to move on and cut their losses.
#11: Cincinnati Bengals
This ranking is under the assumption that Tee Higgins will be staying with the Bengals for the full season. Tee Higgins wants to get paid by the Bengals or go somewhere else where he can get the payday he deserves. The Bengals offense let Joe Mixon & Tyler Boyd walk this offseason, so they’ll need to do what they can to keep Higgins happy. The Bengals can survive without him as long as Joe Burrow can stay healthy for a full season to give the Bengals a fighting chance.
#10: Green Bay Packers
In his first year as a starter, Jordan Love did a commendable job for Green Bay. He threw for over 4,000 yards with most of the receiving corps injured throughout the season. This upcoming season, we expect big things from him and improvements from receivers like Doubs & Wicks to help him potentially earn his first Pro Bowl nomination. Love also gets an upgrade in the backfield with Josh Jacobs taking over for Aaron Jones and giving him another receiving option & reason to succeed.
#9: Houston Texans
The only team that might have improved more this offseason than the Texans was the Falcons. The Texans were able to add Joe Mixon & Stefon Diggs into their already firepower offense. The Texans biggest weakness was their running game and have a veteran who’s able to be the #1 guy in town. CJ Stroud has the weapons around him. The next question is can he lead this team to a playoff run and we think he has what it takes to do so.
#8: Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen has a lot of eyes on him to perform this year as it’ll be his first season without Stefon Diggs since 2019 & the team also lost deep threat Gabriel Davis. It’s going to be a prove it year for the quarterback who looks to keep his team atop the AFC East and not collapse in the playoffs again. We have confidence in him, but will he have the confidence in himself is the real question at hand.
#7: Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins made some splashes in free agency with the addition of OBJ on offense & a whole new look defense including stealing Jordan Poyer from division rival Buffalo. The Dolphins defense looks to be improved on paper, but we’ll see if they can live up to that feat. That will be the biggest test for them this season & we’re hopeful they can step up to win the division with the hit that Buffalo took with losing Diggs & Davis on offense.
#6: Philadelphia Eagles
After making the Super Bowl the year prior, the Eagles got embarrassed in the wild card round last year and we fear that their time to get back to the big game is going to be more difficult. NFC rivals around them have gotten better and All-Pro center Jason Kelce retired. He’s been a staple on their front line for the last decade and now they have to enter an era without him. We think the Eagles still have a shot, but they can’t make mistakes like the ones that led to their collapse last year.
#5: Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions made a statement last year by making it all the way to the NFC Championship before narrowly falling short to the 49ers. Despite some of the defensive woes, Jared Goff was on a mission to prove that the Lions are legit and they proved a lot of doubters wrong last year. The Lions are here to stay and they’ll only continue to get better and prove people wrong.
#4: Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens finally got Lamar Jackson some help in the running game with powerhouse running back Derrick Henry. This will be a change for both of them as they’re used to being the primary runner and now both can complement one another. This will be a big relief for Lamar and should help catapult their offense to the next level.
#3: Dallas Cowboys
If the Cowboys can get past their notorious choke jobs in the playoffs, they truly are a very dangerous team that has what it takes to win the Super Bowl. The only thing stopping the Cowboys is themselves. Dak Prescott led the league in touchdowns last year and had the best passer rating of his career. If he can continue playing at that level and get past his playoff woes, the Cowboys are a legitimate threat despite the running back room being towards the bottom of the league.
#2: San Francisco 49ers
The team that stands the best chance to beat the Chiefs is the team that fell flat to them in the Super Bowl last year, the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers retained most of their team including Brandon Aiyuk & Deebo Samuel. Both of them can be gone at some point in the future, but for now the 49ers have their core, but they didn’t bring anyone big enough into the mix to make a dent against the Chiefs and think they might fall flat again to Mahomes, but they’ll give them a run for their money as the best team in the league.
#1: Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have a serious chance at a three peat. The Chiefs got better this offseason by adding Hollywood Brown & drafting Xavier Worthy to their offense to give Patrick Mahomes some actual weapons, especially with the uncertainty of playing time for Rashee Rice this season.. The Chiefs could become the first team to win a Super Bowl in 3 consecutive years and the current favorites to win it.
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