Evan’s Guide to All Things NFL: Preseason Edition

I’m sure most people were expecting to find the Eagles here, but the Vikings were one of the best teams in the NFL last year, and they got visibly better this offseason. The star pickup of the summer was quarterback Kirk Cousins, who figures to be an upgrade in several respects from Case Keenum, with all due respect to the Broncos’ new starting QB. Dalvin Cook is returning as the Vikings’ lea...

I rank the Rams over the Eagles despite last year’s playoff results because I see more room for growth and explosiveness in the Rams. While Carson Wentz is looking like the better of the first two picks in the 2016 draft (him and Jared Goff) I’m inclined to believe Jared Goff will be the better player this season because he has an elite offense around him while Wentz is struggling to get back in th...

  The Patriots are always in the top-three of my preseason rankings, and while I’m forecasting the Vikings and Rams to have better seasons this year, anyone could make a case for the Pats being the best team in the NFL. The eventual fall-off that people have been projecting for Tom Brady for years is nowhere in sight, and between Brady, a healthy Rob Gronkowski, and the greatest NFL coach of a...

This season, as many teams do after winning a Super Bowl, the Eagles probably won’t be able to exactly replicate the success they had last season. Their odds are further diminished by Carson Wentz’s continuing recovery from a torn ACL, and while Nick Foles is just about the best backup they could ask for, the Eagles may see their win total diminish. Alshon Jeffery is missing some time, the runni...

Minutes before writing this blurb, I got the news that the Saints had traded for Teddy Bridgewater, securing an excellent (probably the best) backup QB for the 2018 season. And with Drew Brees’ contract up after 2019, the Saints could see Bridgewater as the future of the team. But in the meantime, Drew Brees will have every intention of dominating the league, and he has as many weapons as he could...

Aaron Rodgers has just been signed to a four-year, $134 million extension, becoming by far the highest-paid player in the NFL. The Packers have high expectations for the league’s arguably best QB, and rightfully so. The Packers’ offense ran through the lowly Brett Hundley last year, and they still managed seven wins. Expect that with Aaron Rodgers back, Davante Adams as the unquestioned number one ...

Two years ago, if anyone said the AFC South would have a chance to be the most competitive division in 2018, no one would have believed them. But now the division is competitive, and the Jaguars are the presumptive best team in the AFC South thanks to their elite defense and powerful running offense. The loss of Marqise Lee for the entire season to a knee injury is cause for concern, but the Jaguars al...

The Chargers should’ve made the playoffs last season - they were the clear best team in the AFC West late in the season, but as the Chiefs stumbled across the season’s finish line, the Chargers didn’t make it. This year, though, they have every piece in place to dominate the division. Philip Rivers is not slowing down at age 36, so the passing game will continue to be a bright spot for the Bol...

Normally I’d have the Steelers higher because they’re simply a good team, but in these preseason rankings, what I’m looking for is room to grow and explode. That’s exactly what the Steelers won’t be doing this year - Ben Roethlisberger is past his prime, JuJu Smith-Schuster needs a little more time to grow as a receiver, and perhaps most importantly, Le’Veon Bell has no intention of return...

Insert obligatory disclaimer that I am in fact a Panthers fan, but I try my best to minimize bias. I think I’m justified in slotting them at the tenth spot heading into the season. The Panthers have had some injury concerns on their offensive line, which doesn’t bode well for the increased workload Christian McCaffrey will be seeing this season, but the Panthers know how to use him in creative...

Had Deshaun Watson not torn his ACL in the middle of last season, he could have stayed on the MVP map as a rookie. He and DeAndre Hopkins make a dynamic duo, and an NFL offense built around those two is sure to be explosive when both are healthy. The Texans’ 2017 season was ruined by injury, most notably to Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt, but several other key pieces, including but not limited to Wh...

Speaking of competing in the difficult AFC South, the Titans have a good shot to be one of this year’s breakout teams. Expectations aren’t as high in Nashville as they are in Houston, so if the Titans do have a good season, it’ll be to some people’s surprise. Notably, the Titans hired new head coach Mike Vrabel, a defensive-minded coach, and new offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, who helped the Ra...

The Falcons may never recapture the greatness they achieved in 2016, but they still have plenty of talent. Enough talent, in fact, to put them squarely in the second “tier” of teams heading into the season. I think the Vikings, Rams, Patriots and Eagles are the top tier of teams, but from the Packers to the Falcons, there’s a lot of possibility for movement within that tier. But on the Falcons s...

I think it’s reasonable to say there’s a visible fall-off in overall talent from the Falcons to the Chiefs. I believe the Patrick Mahomes hype - I’m all in on the guy. But the Chiefs have to prove their worth before I bump them into Tier 2. Kareem Hunt could easily have a sophomore slump, but he could just as easily improve upon his rookie season in which he led the league in rushing. And whil...

This just in - the Bears have traded for Khalil Mack. This is a game-changer. Imagine a defense that sends Mack, Leonard Floyd, Roquan Smith, and Danny Trevathan at your QB. The Bears’ defense will be absolutely unstoppable this year. On another note, everyone who loves Memphis football knows the Bears added wide receiver Anthony Miller with the 51st pick in this year’s draft. Subjectively speaking (m...

When most NFL fans look ahead to this Ravens season, they’ll inevitably be chattering about Lamar Jackson and whether or not he’ll play his rookie year or if Joe Flacco still has what it takes to be the starting QB. I’m interested as well and I’d love to see Jackson play this year, but this season isn’t about an electrifying college QB for the Ravens, it’s about consistency. Even if they...

The Redskins’ trade for Alex Smith that shipped Kendall Fuller out to Kansas City seemed iffy at the time and still hasn’t sold every fan, but as we get closer to the start of the season, it’s becoming clear that the Redskins will be just fine in the absence of Kirk Cousins. Apparently there is buzz within the Redskins organization that some executives and coaches feel the team upgraded at QB by...

No one can dispute that Jimmy Garoppolo instantly turned the future of the 49ers around, winning each of his five starts at the end of last season. “Jimmy G” is an elite passer and he learned from the absolute best during his time under Tom Brady in New England. Kyle Shanahan is an offensive genius, so pairing him with Jimmy G is bound to lead to elite offensive performance. The Niners’ abil...

I have a lot of respect for how the Broncos navigated their offseason. As a Panthers fan, I still hold a minor grudge against them for Super Bowl 50, but the team has been heavily revamped since then and I definitely like where the Broncos are headed. They brought in Case Keenum on a two-year deal, securing their QB future for the time being. He’s obviously a great player who can bring a great as...

It’s not hard to imagine the Giants making a huge improvement on their awful 3-13 record last year, but I’m inclined to believe they won’t jump back to ten-win-status. Obviously, Saquon Barkley will elevate this offense to a new level in the run game. The return of Odell Beckham Jr. after an ankle injury will make the passing game more dynamic, and Evan Engram should take another big step forward...

The Lions have a somewhat difficult schedule, which initially inclined me to place them lower, but I don’t think they’re deserving of a bottom-twenties placement. Matthew Stafford is consistent if not elite, and he finally has a respectable set of offensive skill players to work with. Kerryon Johnson could turn out to be the workhorse back the Lions have been looking for for years, and Marvin Jones...

I have no doubt that the Browns will make a massive jump in terms of talent and win total this year, but I’m also not going so far as to project a playoff run for them. The Steelers own the AFC North at least for this season. I don’t have to explain why the additions of Jarvis Landry, Tyrod Taylor and Damarious Randall will immediately boost the Browns’ chances of success. Having those season...

Look, don’t get me wrong - Dak Prescott is still a great QB with great potential, and Ezekiel Elliott is one of the league’s best running backs. But the Cowboys have almost no weapons anywhere else. This year’s Dallas squad is a far cry from the 2016 team that was the NFC’s top seed. Prescott will need to bounce back this season, but that could be challenging considering his severe lack of ...

It’s taking some self-control not to put the Seahawks lower, but Russell Wilson is just too good to slip all the way to the bottom. But that’s just the problem - Russell Wilson is just about the only good player for Seattle. Doug Baldwin is a solid receiver who the Seahawks are lucky to have, but a receiving corps comprised of Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, and various lesser players isn’t going to...

This Cardinals season will be defined by up to two main factors - whether David Johnson can replicate the success he had in 2016, and/or whether Josh Rosen finds success as a rookie when Sam Bradford inevitably gets hurt. New head coach Steve Wilks may have what it takes to lead the Cardinals to success, but he may not - it’s a toss-up. Cardinals fans should be excited for the future, but they must a...

The Colts’ performance this year is entirely dependent on Andrew Luck. If he comes back as his old self, he has a chance to elevate the Colts to playoff contention. The addition of #6 overall pick Quenton Nelson should add some protection for Luck on the offensive line and prevent further injury to the franchise QB. The Colts’ backfield could be construed as either a bright spot or a chance for m...

The Jets have officially entered the Sam Darnold era. They traded Teddy Bridgewater away, thus confirming that Darnold will see some starts in 2018, presumably starting in Week 1. Darnold is a great prospect and has a bright future ahead of him, but the problem about this season is that the Jets aren’t ready to be especially good yet. They have some good players, most notably Robby Anderson, and ple...

The Bengals have reached a point at which there is no path to playoff contention in sight. Andy Dalton is well past his prime, and the young players on the roster need time and better mentors to develop. Joe Mixon could break out in the next year or two, but as long as Andy Dalton is the leader of the offense, A.J. Green won’t be able to achieve his full potential and John Ross won’t be able t...

The Raiders would probably like to make one last playoff run for the Oakland fans before heading to Las Vegas in 2019, but that doesn’t seem feasible as the AFC West belongs to the Chargers and Chiefs this year. Jon Gruden isn’t off to a good start, considering Oakland coughed up Khalil Mack to the Bears in exchange for a set of picks, and he doesn’t seem to be particularly popular among Raid...

The Dolphins will be one of the AFC teams gunning for the #2 spot in their division, but they’ll be doing it with very little talent. Ryan Tannehill is one of least productive QBs in the NFL and he has almost no offensive weapons to help his case as the Dolphins’ QB of the future. The backfield is crowded, with Kenyan Drake, who’s only good under certain circumstances, Frank Gore, who may not be as p...

In a loaded NFC South, the Buccaneers are the sore spot. Jameis Winston is suspended, and frankly, not living up to expectations for his career, so the offense is limited until he breaks out. Second-round draft pick Ronald Jones is not performing well in camp and the preseason, and O.J. Howard has more progress to make until he’s a legitimate threat. For the time being, Mike Evans is the best part of ...

The Bills made it to the playoffs for the first time in 17 years last season, but after blowing up the roster, they fell straight to dead last in my power rankings. It was a mistake to draft Josh Allen seventh overall when Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson were still available, and I just don’t see any way that Allen is the Bills’ QB of the future. Their severe lack of skill players on offense won’...