The draft process and free agency have both wound down by now, and the mandatory minicamp concluded last week. Aside from a few players involved with out-of-league circumstances, there probably won’t be much big football news until preseason.
Therefore, this is the perfect opportunity to make power rankings considering where every team stands in late June. Something that should be made aware of when ranking the teams is that a few of them, such as the Browns, Jets, Giants, Saints, Titans, and Patriots, could all be ranked ten spots higher if not for unpredictable quarterback situations.
I could ramble on about every team in the league, but that would be quite a long read, so I’ll give you an in-depth analysis of the top 16, and then rank the rest.
1. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills were already good last year, and this offseason they made themselves even better. Not only did the Bills lock up their own players like Stefon Diggs and pick up Ed Oliver’s fifth-year option, but the Bills also bolstered their defenses by drafting cornerback Kaiir Elam as well as signing Shaq Lawson and future Hall of Famer Von Miller.
We also should not ignore the depth signings of Jamison Crowder and O.J. Howard. To me, the Bills are the obvious Super Bowl favorites in 2022, and an MVP run from Josh Allen should be expected.
2. Los Angeles Rams
The 2021 Champs have no doubt had an interesting offseason. They lost the likes of Von Miller, Andrew Whitworth, OBJ, and traded away Robert Woods, but also brought in a combined 9 Pro Bowls from Allen Robinson and Bobby Wagner.
Yes, the Rams have made little, if any, progress in improving their roster from last season, but still, last season they were the Super Bowl champs and probably had the most complete roster in the league. There is a real chance that Sean McVay can make a second consecutive Super Bowl run with this team.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
What a rollercoaster for the Bucs fans this winter. First, there was fake news of a Tom Brady retirement, then, the real news of a Brady retirement, and then, more real news of Brady coming out of retirement just 40 days later.
If Brady didn’t unretire until after the major phases of free agency, there is a good chance the Bucs wouldn’t have brought back a lot of the guys they did, such as Chris Godwin and Ryan Jensen. Even though Brady will be 45 years of age by the start of the new season, I think we have all learned by now not to underestimate him.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
The offensive line was one of the final missing pieces for the Bengals to become a consistent elite team, and the offensive line is exactly what the Bengals upgraded during the offseason. Alex Cappa, Ted Karras, and La’el Collins were all signed to help protect young QB Joe Burrow. When you also pair newly franchise-tagged safety Jessie Bates III with rookie safety Daxton Hill, an improvement has no doubt taken place.
Expect the Bengals to be a serious contender once again this season, perhaps even more than in 2021.
5. Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes is still making history by the moment in Kansas City, but one can’t ignore the serious hits the team took this past offseason. KC traded superstar receiver Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, and replaced him with rookie Skyy Moore, in addition to signing inconsistent, but high-ceiling receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
One of the bright spots for the team was that they brought in safety Justin Reid, but considering that was to mend the loss of another superstar player in Tyrann Mathieu, it’s not much of a win anymore. Nevertheless, the Chiefs are in a similar spot as the Rams, who may not have taken a step forward, but began the process as an elite team, meaning they still have excellent pieces on the roster.
6. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers had nothing short of a successful offseason. In some less spoken about, but still important moves, the Chargers signed Sebastian Joseph-Day, and re-signed Mike Williams, both to three-year deals. In two blockbuster moves to bolster the defense, the Chargers signed corner J.C. Jackson and traded for six-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack.
All of that is in addition to the draft choices of Zion Johnson and Isaiah Spiller, which will both provide immense relief to Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler. I was tempted to rank this team even higher, but the Chargers missed the playoffs completely after an intense game against the Raiders.
7. Dallas Cowboys
It seemed that 2021 found the world rooting for Dak Prescott, but against everything else remotely Cowboy-related. This offseason has had analysts criminally underrating the potential of this Cowboys team. Yes, the team traded away Amari Cooper, and yes the team may have overpaid for certain players, but at the end of the day, Dallas retained several key offensive players and also made some acquisitions that were for good prices.
Even though it’s hard to find significant improvement from the team this year, the Cowboys are still a young team of stars consisting of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott, and Micah Parsons. As long as Mike McCarthy can turn this team up a notch, don’t be surprised if the Cowboys turn into serious championship contenders.
8. Green Bay Packers
The Packers traded perhaps their biggest playmaker in Davante Adams to Las Vegas, which obviously did not help their already major wide receiver issue. They somewhat resolved the crisis by adding several receivers this offseason, including Sammy Watkins and second-round draft choice Christian Watson. However, that’s not all.
The Packers helped out their defense by drafting the 304-pound giant in Devonte Wyatt alongside LB Quay Walker. With a healthy David Bakhtiari and Jaire Alexander to begin the season, now is the time, if any, for Aaron Rodgers to make a final Super Bowl run.
9. Denver Broncos
I’ve already written an extreme analysis of the Russell Wilson trade here, so you know what I’m thinking. The Broncos are clear winners of the trade and are suddenly poised for a deep playoff run. Despite being in a very tough division, the Broncos’ entire offense has taken a massive leap forward with the acquisition of the nine-time Pro Bowler.
Furthermore, the Broncos locked up their receiving core for years to come back in November. With an additional flurry of defensive signings, the Broncos should be denied any predictions that put them under 10 wins in 2022.
10. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles struck fear into the eyes of NFC fans this season. Not only did they trade for big-time receiver A.J. Brown to anchor their offense, but they also drafted an absolute monster, Jordan Davis, who stands at 6’6” and 340 pounds. Additions of James Bradberry and Nakobe Dean should not be overlooked either.
Jalen Hurts is another quarterback who has not been viewed as highly as he should be, and now with a full arsenal of weapons, he could really ball out. The Eagles definitely had the scariest offseason, and could very well take advantage of an unstable division.
11. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens made a blockbuster trade with the Cardinals, sending them Hollywood Brown on draft night amidst a series of trades in order for Baltimore to acquire more draft capital. In the draft, the Ravens selected two of my favorite players in the entire class, Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum. With the departure of Brown, it’s now Rashod Bateman’s time to shine in Baltimore. The only thing that is keeping the Ravens from ranking higher is their outrageous amount of injuries last season.
12. Tennessee Titans
I am very aware that the Titans had the AFC playoff bye and that they added Robert Woods to an offense already consisting of Derrick Henry. On the other hand, I am also aware that Woods and Henry have both been struggling with injuries, the AFC has significantly bulked up this season, and the Titans traded away A.J. Brown, which does not help the case of a regressing Ryan Tannehill.
The ceiling of the Titans is high, but I don’t expect them to reach that ceiling purely because of those reasons along with a little bit of questionable defense.
13. San Francisco 49ers
Jimmy Garoppolo, the quarterback who has brought success to the 49ers the last few seasons, is still on the roster, despite an expected trade. Theoretically, it is possible that Jimmy G starts the season, however unlikely. That being said, with Trey Lance as the new leader of the team, adjustments will need to be made.
Even with the firepower of a complex run game and Deebo Samuel, if the Niners are to make a playoff push it will be on the back of their defense, spearheaded by Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. Deebo’s contract scenario might be an issue, but should not be of major concern at this point in the offseason.
14. Arizona Cardinals
Following Arizona’s loss to the Rams this past postseason, Cardinals fans were likely hopeful for their future, and for good reason. Things have really changed since then. Not only is All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins suspended for the first six games of the season, but Kyler Murray might not begin the season with the team either.
The acquisition of Hollywood Brown may ease the pain, but the losses of Chandler Jones and Christian Kirk don’t help much. If Kyler Murray does not hold out, the team stays afloat for the first six weeks, and then ball out with both Hollywood and Hopkins on the field, the Cardinals would be in a really good spot, however, that’s a lot of “if”s.
15. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are a very interesting team to watch, as they haven’t quite entered a rebuild, but have drastically retooled their team in the last few seasons. From Andrew Luck to Jacoby Brissett to Carson Wentz, Indy will now be trying out Matt Ryan, who escaped the dumpster fire that is the Atlanta Falcons.
Jonathan Taylor has a strong offensive line ahead of him now, and Michael Pittman Jr. is primed to take a huge step forward. The Colts have quietly been upgrading their defense as well. Overall, the Colts are a well-rounded team who are a dark horse playoff candidate.
16. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders made headlines by trading for the elite talent of Davante Adams, who will once again be catching passes from Derek Carr. On the defensive side of the ball, the addition of Chandler Jones to play opposite Maxx Crosby creates a dangerous threat to opposing offenses.
Despite struggles with non-football-related issues, the players themselves have stood strong to this point. The Raiders will need to overcome a tough division to make a serious run, but they shouldn’t be ruled out of doing just that.
The Rest:
17. New England Patriots
18. New Orleans Saints
19. Miami Dolphins
20. Cleveland Browns
21. Minnesota Vikings
22. Washington Commanders
23. Pittsburgh Steelers
24. New York Jets
25. New York Giants
26. Chicago Bears
27. Detroit Lions
28. Carolina Panthers
29. Atlanta Falcons
30. Jacksonville Jaguars
31. Seattle Seahawks
32. Houston Texans
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