NFL preseason play will be here before we know it, and then the regular season will follow. Patience, football fans. We’re oh-so-close to getting through the dog days of sports season.
With the NFL draft over, most of the top free agents signed and plenty of blockbuster deals finalized, we firmly know how all 32 rosters will look come Week 1. So without further ado, let’s dive into our rankings for all 32 NFL teams based on their offseason performances from worst to first.
32. Arizona Cardinals
Woof. Where to start? They released DeAndre Hopkins and thus lost him for nothing. Their top pass rushers, JJ Watt and Zach Allen, are gone. AJ Green retired.
Standout corner Byron Murphy left for the Minnesota Vikings, and Kyler Murray will miss a large portion of the season recovering from surgery on his torn ACL. Has any individual NFL team endured a worse offseason in recent memory than the 2023 Cardinals? It’s hard to think of one…
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady retired and left the cap-strapped Bucs to settle on Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask as their QB tandem. Uh, not ideal?
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From back-to-back NFC South champions to likely dead-last in their division this year. Not ideal, Bob.
30. Los Angeles Rams
Aaron Donald and Matthew Stafford didn’t retire, and Sean McVay didn’t step away for a broadcasting job as rumored. That much is good news.
The bad news? The Rams lost Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner and Leonard Floyd — three stalwarts from their defense — and receiver Allen Robinson. With practically no cap space or first-round picks, they weren’t able to make any giant splashes.
29. Green Bay Packers
With all due respect to Jordan Love, it’s impossible to argue that the Packers are in a better position to win now with him over four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers.
They also lost top receiver Allen Lazard and veteran contributors Randall Cobb, Robert Tonyan and underrated safety Adrian Amos. As usual, the Pack didn’t do much in free agency and had a very questionable draft.
28. Tennessee Titans
Getting Will Levis at No. 33 overall was a huge win. But otherwise, can we ask what exactly the Titans’ game plan was?
They really wanna try to win again with Ryan Tannehill? They’re willing to risk losing Derrick Henry for nothing in 2024 free agency? They’re fine without a proven WR1 on their roster?
Anyone know the real plan here?
27. Las Vegas Raiders
Sorry, but swapping out a more reliable and healthier Derek Carr for the oft-injured and inconsistent Jimmy Garoppolo won’t ever make sense to us.
Trading away Darren Waller does little to help this offense…and who on earth is going to make stops in the secondary? Did the Raiders not see how atrocious their defense was last year?!
26. Buffalo Bills
The Bills lost star linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in free agency and couldn’t find a suitable replacement with limited draft capital. Dalton Kincaid should be a nice weapon for Josh Allen down the line, but how much will he realistically contribute as a rookie for a team in win-now mode?
Brandon Beane didn’t address the need for a WR2, for extra o-line help or for additional depth in the secondary.
25. Atlanta Falcons
Terry Fontenot bolstered the defense by bringing in Jeff Okudah, Jessie Bates, Bud Dupree Calais Campbell and David Onyemata. That much we like.
But…why did they use the No. 8 selection on running back Bijan Robinson when they already have a 1K rusher in Tyler Allgeier? And with the division wide-open, Atlanta really wants to roll with the Desmond Ridder-Taylor Heinicke QB duo?
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24. Detroit Lions
Brad Holmes crushed it in free agency by signing Emmanuel Moseley, Cam Sutton and CJ Gardner-Johnson to fix up a woeful secondary. Bringing back old friend Marvin Jones Jr. will offset some of the pain felt of Jameson Williams’ suspension for gambling, too.
But man, was that draft ever disappointing. Using your first pick on Jahmyr Gibbs when you just signed 1K rusher David Montgomery? Reaching for Jack Campbell when you could have traded down for him later?
On the bright side, Detroit got big-time steals in Brian Branch and a potential Jared Goff successor in Hendon Hooker.
23. Minnesota Vikings
The defending NFC North champs released star running back Dalvin Cook and fan favorite Adam Thielen.
Their defense was garbage last year, but they moved on from four of their top contributors in linebacker Eric Kendricks, edge-rusher Za’Darius Smith, defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson and cornerback Patrick Peterson.
That said, Brian Flores was a beautiful hire at DC. The arrivals of Marcus Davenport and Byron Murphy can offset some of the losses, and rookie Jordan Addison should be an upgrade over Thielen at WR2.
22. Jacksonville Jaguars
The reigning AFC South champs had a relatively quiet offseason. They placed the franchise tag on tight end Evan Engram and bid farewell to receiver Marvin Jones and defensive lineman Arden Key.
But they’re loaded with young stars and thus didn’t have to blow away all the cap space on unnecessary luxuries, so we won’t fault them too much here.
21. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts’ first big move was hiring ex-Philadelphia Eagles OC Shane Steichen as their new head coach.
Chris Ballard signed everyone’s favorite backup QB in Gardner Minshew and took a chance on the ultimate boom-or-bust prospect in Anthony Richardson at No. 4 overall. Otherwise, it’s been a relatively quiet offseason in Indy.
20. Los Angeles Chargers
The Bolts’ first big move was hiring Kellen Moore to serve as their new offensive coordinator. Up until the draft, it was a relatively quiet offseason in La La Land otherwise. No notable free agent signings outside of Eric Kendricks and zero big trades.
But we sure loved the Quentin Johnston selection in round one. There’s your succession plan to Keenan Allen if the latter leaves in 2024.
19. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs lost Eric Bienemy, who took the OC job in Washington. Only time will tell if that’s truly worrisome or not, but we trust Andy Reid to get it done.
KC lost a lot this offseason: Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., speedy wideouts JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman, safety Juan Thornhill and pass rusher Frank Clark.
But nobody adapts better than Brett Veach. The defending champs are used to this, so we’re not concerned — even if the salary cap prevented them from doing a whole lot outside of the draft.
18. New York Giants
Good on Joe Schoen for extending Daniel Jones and Dexter Lawrence, but it would’ve been nice if they had the Saquon Barkley situation addressed.
Schoen did well in upgrading the weaponry around Jones by trading for Darren Waller and by drafting speedy wideout Jalin Hyatt. Now we wait and see if Jones was a flash-in-the-pan in 2022, or if he’s the real deal.
17. Denver Broncos
Hiring a future Hall of Famer head coach in Sean Payton will always be a win, even if it cost the Broncos a first-round pick. I mean, if Payton can’t fix Russell Wilson, then nobody can. We think?
George Paton addressed a pathetic o-line by signing two new starters in Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey. He lost standout pass rusher Dre’Mont Jones but found two quality replacements in Frank Clark and Zach Allen.
All in all, a pretty good piece of work here by Payton.
16. San Francisco 49ers
They did lose beloved DC DeMeco Ryans — who left to coach Houston — as well as safety Jimmie Ward and offensive lineman Mike McGlinchey. But the 49ers also stole star defensive tackle Javon Hargrave from the rival Eagles in free agency, and that’s a win.
Letting Jimmy Garoppolo walk was always a no-brainer. They may have lost more than they gained on paper, but the 49ers are too deep and star-studded to disappoint at all in 2023.
15. New Orleans Saints
We are torn here. On one hand, the Saints could’ve probably just accepted it was time to rebuild following their first losing season in six years. On the other and, why not sign a multi-time Pro Bowl QB and take advantage of football’s worst division?
Derek Carr signed a four-year deal worth $150 million. He should be an upgrade over the 2022 duo of Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton, at the very least. But the Saints were “meh” on draft weekend and didn’t do anything else spectacular.
They only land in the top half because Carr should be their best QB since 2018 Drew Brees, the latter’s last fully healthy season.
14. Chicago Bears
The Bears wasted no time fixing up the league’s worst scoring D of 2022, signing Pro Bowl linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and two vastly underrated dudes in TJ Edwards and DeMarcus Walker to fix the front seven.
The Bears got a nice haul from Carolina in exchange for the No. 1 selection, including a true WR1 in DJ Moore while finding a hopeful new franchise offensive tackle in Darnell Wright at No. 10 overall.
Now let’s see if the new-look Bears can come together.
13. New England Patriots
The Patriots won the offseason once they hired old friend Bill O’Brien to serve as the OC, which meant getting Matt Patricia and Joe Judge out of that rule. Good riddance.
Bill Belichick won the draft when he got Oregon corner Christian Gonzalez with his first-round pick. And it’s hard not to like his additions of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki, who should be nice playmakers for Mac Jones in the passing game.
12. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals upgraded their o-line by signing away Orlando Brown Jr. from the rival Chiefs, which was a giant win for starters. Snagging Clemson’s Myles Murphy at No. 28 overall was a wonderful move, too.
The Bengals didn’t have to do much roster tinkering given how dangerous they are on both sides of the ball. Getting a true franchise offensive tackle was the main goal, and they got one in Brown at a bargain price: $64 million over just two years.
11. Cleveland Browns
Nice job here by GM Andrew Berry. He traded for Elijah Moore and drafted Cedric Tillman, giving the Browns two potential WR2 options there to help Amari Cooper.
Berry got some pass-rushing help for Myles Garrett by signing Dalvin Tomlinson and by trading for Za’Darius Smith. Getting ex-Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill in free agency was another savvy piece of work.
No excuses. The Browns have to be a playoff contender again in 2023.
10. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens crack the top 10 because Lamar Jackson went from requesting a trade to signing a five-year, $230 million extension. It’s always a good thing when your superstar franchise QB agrees to a long-term deal.
Baltimore also upgraded the receiver room by signing Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor and by drafting Zay Flowers. Swapping out Greg Roman for Todd Monken at OC was probably necessary, so now let’s see if the Ravens’ go from a rush-only offense to a monster two-way balanced machine.
9. Washington Commanders
Congrats, commanders. You’re this high because the worst sports owner in the world — no exaggeration — is finally gone. Dan Snyder did something right with his life and sold the team. Goodbye!
Aside from that, they upped Daron Payne for four years and found a new potential shutdown corner in Emmanuel Forbes with the No. 16 pick. We wish they did more at QB, but only time will tell if Sam Howell or Jacoby Brissett can hold down the fort there.
But yeah, Snyder is gone. Rejoice Commander fans!
8. Miami Dolphins
Defense was Miami’s weak link in a rare playoff year last season. The hiring of Vic Fangio for the DC role was a home run to start with, and then they traded for the game’s best cornerback in Jalen Ramsey via the Rams.
Hard to complain if you’re a Miami fan. With a great mix of young and veteran studs, they are more than capable of going on a deep run here in 2023.
7. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers’ big move was trading up so they could take Alabama QB Bryce Young first overall. Pairing him with offensive guru Frank Reich can only lead to good things…we think.
Losing DJ Moore hurts, but Myles Sanders, Adam Thielen, DJ Chark and Hayden Hurst were nice short-term additions by the front office.
6. Houston Texans
Loved the DeMeco Ryan’ hiring as head coach. Then the Texans found two LIKELY new franchise cornerstones in QB CJ Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., the No. 2 and no. 3 selections of the 2023 draft, respectively.
Nick Caserio also got some useful veterans on short-term deals in Robert Woods, Dalton Schultz, Devin Singletary, Noah Brown while also snagging Shaq Mason from the Bucs.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers got a new franchise offensive tackle in Broderick Jones in round one and a future star at corner in Joey Porter Jr. in round two. Congrats to Steel City on winning the draft again.
Omar Khan also took a chance on former star wideout Allen Robinson and by signing future Hall of Famer Patrick Peterson. Another excellent offseason in Pittsburgh. Now it’s time for results.
4. Philadelphia Eagles
The defending NFC champs lost both their coordinators plus Miles Sanders, TJ Edwards, Javon Hargrave, CJ Gardner-Johnson and Kyzir White, but we’re not worried. They still have football’s deepest roster, plus Howie Roseman crushed it at the draft by snagging Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith and Kelee Ringo.
James Bradberry and Darius Slay returned on team-friendly deals. QB Jalen Hurts signed a five-year deal worth $255 million. A healthy Rashaad Penny can rush for over 1K yards in that offense. Easily.
3. Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones addressed the need for a quality WR2 by landing Brandin Cooks from the Texans. He added the need for another shutdown corner by acquiring Stephon Gilmore from the Colts.
And he got both of them for late-round picks. Take a bow, Mr. Jones. Don’t worry about losing Ezekiel Elliott, Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown. You had to go with better options anyway.
2. Seattle Seahawks
Let’s see. They brought back old friend and future Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner and signed Dre’Mont Jones to fix the front seven. They extended Geno Smith on a reasonable deal and used their first-round picks on two future stars in cornerback Devon Witherspoon and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
A nine-win team just got better by adding more veteran support and youth. These ‘Hawks are truly ready to roll in 2023.
1. New York Jets
The Jets were in QB purgatory for half a century…but not anymore. When you land a four-time league MVP and future Hall of Famer at a reasonable price, you’ll always be No. 1 on a list like this.
But oh, Aaron Rodgers wasn’t the Jets’ only big move. How about Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb and Mecole Hardman as additional weapons? Or signing stalwart safety Adrian Amos to improve an already scary-good defense?
Congrats to the Jets on finally being relevant again. Enjoy it. You fans deserve it.
Which NFL team do you think had the best offseason?
