2018 NFL Power Rankings after Free Agency and the Draft

1) Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles are a complete team that has gotten better with the additions of Haloti Ngata and Michael Bennett on the defensive front.

2) New England Patriots – Though the end seems near, it is way too early to write off the Patriots.

3) Minnesota Vikings – The Vikings will be defined by the impact Kirk Cousins will have on this team. Whether it’s positive or negative remains to be seen.

4) New Orleans Saints – The Saints were one fluke play away from the NFC Championship game last year and defensively they have gotten better with the additions of Demario Davis, Alex Okafor, and Patrick Robinson.

5) Los Angeles Rams – The Rams were a surprise team last year but with the additions of Pro Bowlers Ndamukong Suh, Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, there will be no surprises this year.

6) Pittsburgh Steelers – The Steelers still have concerns on defense but the offense is as good as there is in the NFL.

7) Jacksonville Jaguars – The Jaguars improved in the off-season, but a Super Bowl run will be dependent on consistent quarterback play.

8) Houston Texans – This ranking may seem a little high to most, but they should begin the season healthy and they have added Tyrann Mathieu and Aaron Colvin to an already stout defense.

9) Atlanta Falcons – The Falcons suffered some off-season losses on the defensive line, but much like the Steelers the offense is so good they should at least make the playoffs.

10) Green Bay Packers – The Packers lost Jordy Nelson in the off-season, so how will that affect Rodgers? On defense how quickly will the rookie defensive backs pick things up?

11) Tennessee Titans – The Titans got a much-needed coaching change with the addition of Mike Vrabel and should be able to challenge in a suddenly tough AFC South division.

12) New York Giants – The Giants had a great off-season and could be a contender if Eli Manning has anything left.

13) Los Angeles Chargers – The Chargers had a quiet off-season with the exception of adding Pro Bowl lineman Mike Pouncey.

14) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – If Jameis Winston can be consistent the Bucs could be a playoff team.

15) Kansas City Chiefs – The Chiefs are ranked this high for one simple reason and that’s head coach Andy Reid.

16) Carolina Panthers – The Panthers losing guard Andrew Norwell doesn’t make them better and the offensive line would seem to be a big problem here.

17) Detroit Lions – The Lions have a big-time quarterback and picked up the best center in the draft in Frank Ragnow.

18) Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals had a shockingly active off-season. Now the question is can Marvin Lewis get them over the top?

19) Denver Broncos – The Broncos had a very good off-season and the pairing of draft pick Bradley Chubb with Von Miller could be devastating for opposing defenses.

20) San Francisco 49ers – The Niners with Jimmy G. will someday be a playoff team but that will probably still be a year or two away. The pick of Mike McGlinchey is a head scratcher, as it was a huge reach on the 49ers part.

21) Dallas Cowboys – If Dak Prescott can play like he did his rookie year the Cowboys could contend.

22) Chicago Bears – The Bears had a great off-season and could be a huge surprise this season. The biggest question has to be is quarterback Mitch Trubisky the real deal?

23) Seattle Seahawks – The Seahawks have a poor coaching staff and while adding some bad coaches they lost some very good players. It could be a very long season in the emerald city.

24) Washington Redskins – Alex Smith will replace Kirk Cousins and I don’t see that making them any better.

25) Oakland Raiders – A bad draft won’t make them any better than what they were last year.

26) Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens need to hope that Joe Flacco is healthy and even if he isn’t, the roster is just not explosive on the offensive end.

27) Arizona Cardinals – The Cardinals had a nice draft, but the quarterback position is a huge concern.

28) Buffalo Bills – The Bills got worse in the off-season, adding the worst center in the NFL in Russell Bodine and losing quarterback Tyrod Taylor. They will have to depend on a rookie quarterback, probably from game one of the season.

29) New York Jets – The Jets are a well-coached team but still a year or so away from being a legit contender.

30) Miami Dolphins – The Dolphins will not be very good until they get a quality starting NFL quarterback and Ryan Tannehill is NOT IT!

31) Indianapolis Colts – The Colts had a nice draft but questions about Andrew Luck’s health continue to cloud this team’s outlook.

32) Cleveland Browns – They have added better players but they have also added one of the worst quarterback coaches in the NFL in Ken Zampese and an offensive coordinator in Todd Haley who, let’s just say, is not one of the best in the league.