2020 NFL Power Rankings: Cowboys defense has hopes high

New 2020 NFL Power Rankings midway through training camp

It felt as though it would never get here but we finally have 2020 NFL football. All 32 teams have begun their respective training camps and the long doldrums of the offseason are finally subsiding.

That means there’s finally plenty of news to talk about — although not all of it is great. For instance, the Dallas Cowboys lost starting defensive tackle Gerald McCoy to a quadriceps injury which cost them their biggest free-agent signing before he ever played a game. Even so, their defense looks revamped which could help them in our latest 2020 NFL Power Rankings.

Another team that had some injury news was the Baltimore Ravens who lost cornerback Iman Marshall to a knee injury. Like Dallas, they remain deep at the recently depleted position, so their ranking shouldn’t be too damaged.

And with that being said, we dive right in with our latest power rankings, starting with the team with no name.

Washington stays put at 32 at the bottom of the NFL Power Rankings

Ok, I have to admit it — the uniform is cool. I was like everyone else when the Washington football team actually decided to be called the Washington Football Team for the 2020 season but the generic look is nice. Of course, they could have still come up with a name but at least they will look good. And at least they got rid of the offensive name, finally.

As for their outlook this season, if they had 53 Chase Youngs on their roster, they would be unstoppable. This kid has looked fantastic in drills as the rookie has been tossing offensive linemen around like they’re the rookies.

Head coach Ron Rivera has a lot to work with on defense with Young and Montez Sweat. Unfortunately, their offense is suspect at best and they’re going to have a hard time keeping pace with the rest of the NFC East this season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars stay put at 31

There’s a part of me that really wants to put these guys higher simply because their quarterback is so likable. Gardner Minshew is a full-fledged character and would be a great star for the Jacksonville Jaguars — who desperately need star power in their organization. Last season, the charismatic Minshew was very successful for a sixth-round pick as he led them to a 6-6 mark as the starter.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

His numbers were solid too as he had 3,271 yards with 21 touchdowns against just six picks. The problem is, he’s now entering 2020 without as much help. While the offense isn’t dramatically different, the defense lost a few key players including defensive end Calais Campbell and cornerback A.J. Bouye.

They did add Joe Schobert in free agency and while he’s a solid linebacker who will rack up a ton of tackles, he’s not exactly going to move the needle — especially when you factor in the losses.

Still, give the front office credit. They added Florida cornerback C.J. Henderson and LSU EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson which will pay dividends, even if it takes a year or two for them to fully develop.

As for their offensive additions, the biggest move was adding Laviska Shenault in the draft. The Colorado wideout lined up all over the field collegiately and is already doing the same thing in camp for the Jags. The future is bright for them but 2020 won’t be the year it comes together.

The Miami Dolphins fall from 25 to 30

The collegiate stat line for Tua Tagovailoa was unreal. The Alabama quarterback completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 7,442 yards with 87 touchdowns and just 11 picks. The problem is, he struggled to stay on the field.

As a freshman he played in just eight games and then in 2019, he played in nine. While he did show up for all 15 games in between but was banged up at times in that season as well. In the end, that means he played more than nine games in just one of three seasons for the Crimson Tide and is coming off a serious hip injury.

For that reason, the Miami Dolphins are expected to be cautious with him. There’s no denying he has the talent to succeed as he’s smart, strong, and accurate with the ball. However, he’s also joining a team with arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL and a patch-work running game. Not to mention, the wide receiver corps took a major hit when Albert Wilson opted out of the season.

The best bet for head coach Brian Flores will be to start Ryan Fitzpatrick this season and continue to build around Tua before throwing him to the wolves. In all honestly, playing the rookie is always the best way to get him the reps he needs but in this situation, there’s a legitimate case to be made for protecting him since he’s still so fresh off his latest injury as well as the subpar roster around him.

The Cincinnati Bengals stay put at 29

This offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals found themselves a quarterback they can believe in as they took LSU’s Joe Burrow first overall. After arguably the greatest collegiate season of all-time, Burrow is set to take over for a team that’s been in need of a breath of fresh air for a while.

He joins some talented offensive teammates in receiver Tyler Boyd, running back Joe Mixon, and fellow rookie Tee Higgins — the Clemson wideout who looks very similar in stature to A.J. Green, who is arguably the second-best Bengals receiver ever behind Chad Johnson. And Green is going to be back this season. Maybe.

At least that was the hope. Green missed all of 2019 and his return this year had fans excited. However, there has since been a scare as he was seen injured during an early practice for the Bengals, apparently tweaking his hamstring.

Of course, with him not going full speed on the football field since 2018, this shouldn’t be too shocking. Green likely tried to go too hard right out of the gates. Hopefully, he will be back to himself quickly and helping the Cincinnati offense get back on track.

Even if that is the case, this is now a very young team working behind a coach who has a lot to prove after the poor season they had in 2019.

The Las Vegas Raiders fall from 24 to 28

It’s getting harder and harder to take the Derek Carr defenders seriously. Ever since Jon Gruden took over the Las Vegas Raiders (for his second stint) there has been speculation that Gruden was going to go after his own guy.

Fans have vehemently denied these rumors claiming Gruden is happily committed to Carr. That came in question when he signed Marcus Mariota, the former No. 2 overall pick of the Tennessee Titans in the offseason. Again, the detractors said he was there simply for depth and not competition.

Now that camp has started, even the most ardent Carr supporters have to have at least raised an eyebrow at the way Gruden droned on and on about Mariota and what he brings to the table. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Gruden called him a “dazzling playmaker” and said he had him fired up.

Maybe it’s just coach speak but Gruden seems to do nothing to stop the rumors — but if we are being honest, neither has Carr. While he did improve in 2019, he has led them to five losing seasons in his six years. No, that;’s not fair to put it all on the quarterback but that’s how it goes in the NFL.

This season will be huge for Carr. He has more weapons around him following the draft and if he can’t start winning games, the Mariota experiment could begin in Vegas.

The New York Giants rise from 28 to 27

The New York Giants made some interesting hires this offseason. They brought in a new head coach in Joe Judge, who was the wide receiver coach with the New England Patriots the year prior. The questionable part was how Judge didn’t seem to be on any radars and the receivers in New England struggled in 2019.

Judge then hired Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator and Freddie Kitchens as the tight ends coach. Garrett had 10 years as the Dallas Cowboys head coach and his team was highly criticized throughout his tenure for having a predictable and inefficient offense.

As for Kitchens, his run as a head coach with the Cleveland Browns will go down as one of the more colossal failures in that team’s history. Kitchens had a stacked roster but won just six games and lost not his own job in the process, but took general manager John Dorsey down with him.

Needless to say, there are going to be big questions in the Big Apple this season as the Giants look to get back on track. They do have some talent with Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones, and Golden Tate on offense but overall, there’s a lot to be desired.

The same can be said of their defense. Players such as Dexter Lawrence and Jabrill Peppers have plenty of talent but they’re not exactly deep at any position and there’s not enough elite talent on either side of the ball to compete in the NFC East this season.

The Chicago Bears fall from 18 to 26 in new NFL Power Rankings

The Chicago Bears are a hard team to figure out. Their defense has a chance to be dominant especially after adding Robert Quinn in free agency. Putting him opposite Khalil Mack gives them two premier edge rushers and they’re strong as well on the line, at interior linebacker, and in the secondary.

On offense — not so much. They’re a mess on that side of the ball. They not only are missing many playmakers but they don’t know who will play quarterback as there’s a battle now between Mitch Trubisky and Nik Nick Foles. They’re hoping that their defense can not only carry their offense but hopefully he’ll improve it since they have to battle some elite players as they prepare for their games every week.

"“There’ve been some early signs this week that the Bears’ offense is not going to crumble against a defense expecting to be one of the best in the NFL in 2020. We’ll need to keep seeing completions and energy outweigh incompletions and frustration over the next few weeks – if we do, maybe the Bears’ offense is poised for the sort of uptick that’ll make them a playoff contender this fall.” — JJ Stankevits of NBC Sports Chicago"

Making matters worse, Chicago plays in a division with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings who are each playoff favorites. There’s also the Detroit Lions who were playing great with Matt Stafford last season before he was hurt. It’s going to be a tough year in the Windy City to say the least.

Los Angeles Chargers move up from 26 to 25

There are some big changes coming for the Los Angeles Chargers as they’ve moved on from Philip Rivers and will eventually be turning things over to Justin Herbert. Of course, the rookie still has to beat out Tyrod Taylor, who is slated to start, but eventually, Herbert will be the guy.

And while he’s expected to have a successful NFL career, this season might not be a great one for the Bolts. They’re going to not only be adapting to life after Rivers, but Melvin Gordon is gone as well. They were also nearly without Melvin Gordon who was upset with his contract but Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports says the two sides have worked things out and the pass rusher is back on the practice field.

"“A major development in the Melvin Ingram debacles urfaced on Friday, as the Los Angeles Chargers pass rusher returned to the practice field after sitting out the past few days due to his contract situation. According to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, Ingram signed an adjusted contract on Thursday that guaranteed this year’s salary. It was enough for him to feel comfortable returning to the practice field, but he is still pushing for a contract extension as he is entering the last year of his deal.” — Dajani, CBS Sports"

Even with him back, the Chargers don’t have the look of a team ready to contend in 2020. They have problems on the offensive line and Austin Ekeler might not be a true lead back.

On top of that, the Kansas City Chiefs are still dominating the AFC West and the Denver Broncos roster is much improved. This could be a season full of growing pains in L.A.

Detroit Lions move up from 27 to 24

Before getting hurt last season, quarterback Matthew Stafford was playing out of his mind. In eight games, he had completed 64.3 percent of his passes for 2,499 yards with 19 touchdowns against just five interceptions. As impressive as that was, the Detroit Lions were just 3-4-1 in that span which will give some doubters a reason to doubt Stafford.

Of course, they were just 3-12-1 on the season, and for those keeping score at home, that means Detroit was 0-8 without their starting quarterback. That means the issues this team is facing aren’t all on No. 9. However, there are some issues that do fall on his shoulders.

Fair or not, the Lions have had just four winning seasons with Stafford under center since he was drafted first overall in 2009. They’re also on the verge of losing a head coach again with Matt Patricia sitting on a hot season this season.

Should there end up being a coaching change, that could be bad for Stafford as another coach could end up wanting their own guy. The good news is, the Lions have improved their defense some this offseason and the selection of D’Andre Swift could take a lot of the pressure off Stafford.

2020 is a big season for him and the Lions head coach. They have the heat on them and it will be hard to get the job done in their tough division.

New York Jets move up from 30 to 23

Last season, the New York Jets actually had a winning record when quarterback Sam Darnold was in the lineup. He missed three games as he battled with mono, and the team was 0-3 with him on the sidelines. While he didn’t exactly light it up, he did do enough for them to be a competitive team.

Heading into the 2020 season, it seemed as though they could be a team to take the next step. They added a new offensive tackle in an effort to help Darnold ‚— taking Mekhi Becton out of Louisville in the first round. After adding Becton, the Jets then took wide receiver Denzel Mims and safety Ashtyn Davis, giving them a stellar draft class.

However, they still find themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills won 10 games and the New England Patriots were again the division winners in 2019. New England was in danger of falling down some after losing Tom Brady but the addition of Cam Newton makes them favorites again.

That has New York looking to be the third team in their division once again. The good news is, the arrow is pointing up — and despite losing Jamal Adams, they have a bright future. Adams was a great safety but they got an absolute haul from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for him. If they keep drafting like they did in 2020, that could help them finally turn it around.

Los Angeles Rams move up from 23 to 22

There was a time when Sean McVay was all the rage in the NFL. The youngest head coach in history back in 2017 when he was hired, McVay quickly had the Rams in contention. They even made it to the Super Bowl in his second season as a head coach but came up short as the New England Patriots won the title.

Still, his success had everyone looking for the next hot young coach — and players such as Zac Taylor seemed to get hired simply because they knew McVay. In a copycat league, everyone wanted to copy the Rams.

However, the team’s shine has diminished greatly. They sacrificed draft picks for veteran players on massive contracts in a win-now effort. That’s fine if you win but the Rams didn’t. Not only that, but they didn’t even make the playoffs last season.

With no playoff berth to speak of, they couldn’t even bank on having good draft picks to improve the team since they traded them all away. That means the team that struggled to win in 2019 will be eerily similar to the roster they put on the field this season — minus Brandin Cooks and Todd Gurley. Factor in the rise of the Cardinals and steadiness of the 49ers and Seahawks and this could be a tough season in L.A.

Pittsburgh Steelers move up from 22 to 21

Somehow, the Pittsburgh Steelers went 8-8 last season which is a huge testament to Mike Tomlin. He had to deal with a couple of years that were full of drama as they had the Le’Veon Bell holdout followed directly by Antonio Brown openly challenging Ben Roethlisberger —  and he even made some rough accusations against the star quarterback.

Once Bell and Brown we’re both gone, it was back to football. Unfortunately, the team found themselves with more to overcome as Big Ben was injured after two games and lost for the season.

They then found themselves immersed in a controversy when Mason Rudolph got into a fight with Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns. That ended with Rudolph being decked over the head with his own helmet. And while Garrett was the one slapped with the long suspension, it was still distraction and major talking point for the Steelers.

This year, Pittsburgh is hoping to hit the reset after a (finally) quiet offseason. They’re also expecting Roethlisberger to be back to 100 percent after elbow surgery. Should that be the case, they have enough talent to contend in the AFC North — provided Roethlisberger is healthy.

Right now, that’s still a question. He hasn’t played in nearly a year and when he did play last, the team struggled to win. That goes back to a rough patch to end the 2018 season even. Until they can prove Big Ben is who he used to be, there are going to be questions.

Carolina Panthers stay put at No. 20

In the offseason, the Carolina Panthers decided to give Matt Rhule a chance to run an NFL team as they chose him to replace Ron Rivera as the new head coach. And they apparently believe he’s going to excel when it comes to that opportunity as he was given a very lucrative, long-term deal.

Rhule rose to prominence with the Temple an Baylor programs and what really makes him interesting is his complete resume. The former collegiate head coach has had experience as position coaches on both sides of the ball while also serving as a special teams coach at one time in Western Carolina.

He’s a guy capable of seeing the whole picture and that’s easy to see in how he’s been building the Panthers in his short tenure. So far, he’s made sure to lock up their best player — Christian McCaffrey — and picked up a new quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater who will be a decent game manager in their run-based offense.

On defense, they added Derrick Brown in the draft as they’re trying to shut down the run game on the other side. They do play in a tough division which will hurt them but overall, Carolina is heading in the right direction.

Denver Broncos move up from 21 to 19

Another team that’s hard to figure out is the Denver Broncos. They finished 4-1 in the final five games of 2019, which coincided with the arrival of Drew Lock to their starting line up. Even with that success, they’re still young and need to figure out how to get it done.

And the early part of their season will be key as mentioned by Jeff Legwold of ESPN, who says they could be as bad as a 5-win team or as good as a 10-win club.

"“Biggest variable: The first month. Sure, Drew Lock is in his first full season as the starting quarterback, and the Broncos have plenty of work to do to set things in the offensive line, but how this season looks overall might hinge on whether Denver does far more in Weeks 1-4 than it did last season. The Broncos started 0-4, scored 16 or fewer points three times in those four games and had zero sacks on defense in the first three games. Several of the Broncos players have already said how important it is for them to find a way to be far more effective in those early days. They feel as if the team showed its potential, even before the upgrades on offense in the draft, with its 4-1 finish over the last five games of 2019.” — Jeff Legwold, ESPN.com"

Denver’s offense has a lot of talent and their defense is led by a stud pass rusher in Von Miller. They could be a team to look out for in the battle for the final wild-card spot in the AFC.

Atlanta Falcons move up from 19 to 18

If this were a couple of seasons ago, the Atlanta Falcons would have won the offseason since they added running back Todd Gurley. A former star with the Los Angeles Rams, Gurley was impossible to stop both as a runner and a receiver which led to Los Angeles giving him a massive extension. He didn’t get to see the whole thing, however, as he was released following a very disappointing 2019 season and a 2018 postseason that saw him watching most of the games from the sideline.

Still, some Falcons fans are stoked about the hiring as they think Gurley could be the missing piece to this offense. And the offense has been missing something in recent seasons with Devonta Freeman falling off a cliff following an extension of his own.

Atlanta didn’t seem to learn from their own issues here as they’re going down a familiar road with Gurley. But since he was a star at nearby Georgia University, some fans are convincing themselves this could be the start of something special.

While it likely won’t be, the Falcons do still have a talented offense thanks to Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. They did lose Austin Hooper and Hayden Hurst isn’t going to offer what he did, but overall the offense will be fine. The defense, on the other hand, is still a major question mark. Unless they take a major step forward in 2020, the dirty birds could struggle.

Indianapolis Colts stay put at 17

All eyes are going to be on Philip Rivers, who is taking over as the new quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts but he isn’t the only new face on offense. The Colts are also bringing in an impressive rookie running back in Jonathan Taylor, who is built like a brick house.

For Taylor, he has to earn his snaps since Indianapolis already has veteran Marlon Mack but there’s room for both players. And Mack is more than happy to have the help in their backfield.

Mack said that he can not only extend his career buy sharing touches with Taylor, but his pocketbook as well. When talking about the rookie, he said “‘Less carries mean more years & more years mean more money,” which is brilliant.

He’s not only correct that he can make more money with Taylor being there to extend his career but he’s also not alone in sharing the love. The rookie opened up about how Mack is helping him improve as a player via the Indy Star.

"“Being able to connect with Marlon, asking him questions, picking his brain about the game,” Taylor said via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. “Being able to get as much knowledge and information from him, as far as what to expect, is something I have been doing a ton of.”"

The Colts have been building a strong roster and they seem to be getting close. Don’t be shocked if they’re in the mix for a Wild Card spot late in the season.

Cleveland Browns drop from 15 to 16 in new NFL Power Rankings.

There’s a lot of stuff that’s the same about the Cleveland Browns 2020 offseason when compared to many of their other offseasons. They have a new general manager. They have a new head coach. They’re going through a whole lot of changes. That’s pretty much been a constant ever since they came back in the NFL in 1999.

Cleveland has struggled to find a head coach to believe in and none of them stick around long at all. Hue Jackson has been one of their longest-tenured coaches and he lasted exactly two and a half seasons. As for their last coach, Freddie Kitchens, he made it through just one season.

Of course, there is one thing that’s different this year — they have a quarterback that they believe in. Baker Mayfield enters his second season in a row as the on question starter, which is something none of us are used to seeing out of Cleveland. We all know about the infamous quarterback jersey the head 28 or so names on the back of it, in reference to all the many different starting quarterbacks they have since returning to Cleveland.

Mayfield seems to put it into that, or has he? There are definitely concerns about Mayfield heading into the season as he struggled in 2019. New head coach Kevin Stefanski was hand-picked to take Baker to the next level after his frustrating 2019 campaign. Mayfield won’t be alone though, they also have a powerful running game headed by Nick Chubb and Kareem hunt.

The real question is whether or not their defense can hold up. There’s a lot of questions on their side of the bar especially at linebacker, which became even more of an issue in Mack Wilson went down with a hyperextended knee. If the defense can’t get it together, this could be a long season in Cleveland, even if the offense is up to par.

Houston Texans move up from 16 to 15

There were some interesting stories going on for the Houston Texans this offseason. First fans were shocked when star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was traded away to the Arizona Cardinals for a second-round pick and running back David Johnson (who has had some rough seasons lately for Arizona). It wasn’t a great return on investment for the talented wide receiver, but then things got even weirder.

It was later said that Hopkins was compared to former New England Patriots tight and Aaron Hernandez by head coach Bill O’Brien. Understandably, the wide receiver took exception to this comparison. Feelings were hurt and the sides couldn’t get things patched back up, so now Hopkins will be lacing of his cleats in Arizona for Kliff Kingsberry and that offense.

Houston did add a couple of talented wide receivers though, as they landed Randall Cobb in free agency after a solid season with the Dallas Cowboys. They also traded a second-round pick for Brandin Cooks from the Los Angeles Rams.

Still, they lost more talent than they added. Having said that, this team somehow continually contends for the AFC South — even when we don’t expect them to. So, with that being said, we should probably expect them to once again contend for the AFC South. Because they always do.

Arizona Cardinals stay put at 14

Last season, the Arizona Cardinals shocked everybody when they hired Kliff Kingsbury as their head coach after he had struggled with Texas Tech the year prior. Kingsbury then shocked us all again when he used the No. 1 overall pick on Kyler Murray out of the University of Oklahoma despite the fact of the team and just spent a top 10 pick on Josh Rosen the year before.

Murray then impressed everybody and went on to win the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, but some of his teammates say he’ll be even better this season. Safety Budda Baker said Murray looks bigger, better, and more in control this year than last.

"“This year, I just feel like he’s bigger, he’s stronger, he’s faster,” he said on the Jim Rome Show via Jess Root of Cards Wire. “His arm is great. He throws the ball farther, more zip on it. I’m very excited for what Kyler Murray can do, for sure.”"

Murray will also have a new No. 1 target as the Cards landed DeAndre Hopkins in a trade with the Houston Texans. Hopkins has been a stud for years and he finally has a head coach who has no problem un-corking a high-octane passing attack. This could be a huge season for Hopkins and Murray, which should keep Arizona’s needle pointing up.

Tennessee Titans stay put at 13

The Tennessee Titans are the defending AFC South champions, and they made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game last year where they were defeated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. In that game, Tennessee had the lead for a while and they were making it a tough game thanks to their strong running attack led by Derrick Henry, who was the No. 1 rusher in the NFL last year.

Henry was given a new contract this offseason (after a brief stint as a tagged player), as was Ryan Tannehill the quarterback who took over for Marcus Mariota near midseason. Mariota is now with the Las Vegas Raiders as the former No. 2 overall pick never really found the consistency he needed to find as a starting quarterback. Tennessee’s entire offense improved with Tannehill, even though his numbers weren’t exactly eye-popping.

Their offense wasn’t really what led them anyway. Tennessee has constantly fielded a stout defense lead by head coach Mike Vrabel who has a background on the defensive side of the ball as both a player and a coach.

Once again the Titans are expected to be able to go toe-to-toe with anyone on that side of the ball, and if Tannehill and Henry can continue the great run from a year ago, they could be a team to watch in the AFC.

Buffalo Bills drop from 10 to 12

Another team that was carried by their defense in 2019 was the Buffalo Bills. Second-year quarterback Josh Allen was wildly inconsistent, and the offense as a whole really struggled to put together a complete game from week to week. They had flashes but never seemed to be able to get over the hump. One reason was their lack of a No. 1 wide receiver, but that should be fixed now that they traded their first-round pick in 2020 to Minnesota for Stefon Diggs.

It was really a smart move by general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott. With that first-round pick up theirs, Buffalo was going to just pick a wide receiver anyway. That receiver would have been coming to the league with talent (especially in this stacked class), but without any experience in the NFL. Instead of waiting for that guy to develop, they landed Diggs, who has already had plenty of success of the pro level.

That gives Allen a player who can hold up his end of the deal, meaning they will get a much better read on their young quarterback‚ and they need that in this crucial third season of his.

Buffalo’s defense is good enough to keep them in the game against anyone so as long as Diggs can help the offense improve, the Bills will be challenging New England for the AFC East this season.

Minnesota Vikings move up from 12 to 11

It’s easy to look at the Minnesota Vikings and expect them to take a step back this season. They lost some key players with Everson Griffen and Linval Joseph both being released. They also let Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander leave in free agency while releasing Xavier Rhodes — which means their entire cornerback depth chart is going to look different (outside of Mike Hughes).

On offense, they also lost a major piece of the puzzle in Stefon Diggs. The electric wide receiver grew frustrated with the team and ended up being traded to the Buffalo Bills. With the pick they added for Diggs, Minnesota added Justin Jefferson, who should be a solid contributor once he gets adjusted to the speed of the NFL game. With their own first-rounder, they took Jeff Gladney which helps them replace the trio if cornerbacks who left.

Minnesota also saw offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski leave to coach the Cleveland Browns, but that loss isn’t expected to hurt too much since they can move Gary Kubiak to his spot — and Kubiak, who has a Super Bowl ring as a head coach, will have no problem keeping things going on that side of the ball.

In addition to the moves they made to fill the holes, the Vikings have a stellar head coach in Mike Zimmer. As long as he’s been the coach of this team, they’ve fielded a good defense and there’s no reason to bet against him now.

Philadelphia Eagles stay put at 10

We can talk all we want about the Philadelphia Eagles drafting Jalen Hurts in the second round despite having Carson Wentz, but that won’t have any real impact on their success this season — unless Wentz is hurt that is. Instead, what will matter is if they get decent play out of their wide receivers, because in 2019 they didn’t — and that’s what hurt them.

This year, they drafted three wide receivers with Jalen Reagor coming to them in Round 1, John Hightower in the fifth, and Quez Watkins in the sixth. And the good news for Philly is that all three have played well and have been camp studs according to Geoffrey Knox of Inside the Iggles.

"“You can give Jalen Reagor a nod here as well if you like. Philly took three wide receivers in the most recent NFL Draft. It was hard to be certain about what to expect, but now that we’ve seen them, Reagor, Quez Watkins, and John Hightower may help vice president and general manager Howie Roseman shed the stigma that he doesn’t know how to evaluate wide receiver talent.” — Knox, Inside the Iggles"

Philly is a defending divisional champion and they didn’t lose much at all. The only reason they might not repeat is due to the additions made by the Dallas Cowboys, but don’t expect them to take a step back this season by any means.

New England Patriots drop from 5 to 9 in mid-camp NFL Power Rankings

It’s going to be weird seeing the New England Patriots take the field without Tom Brady. It will be the first time in 20 years the two sides aren’t working together — and while we all knew it would come eventually, it was never expected to happen while Brady was still playing in the NFL.

In their approach to replacing the GOAT, the Patriots surprised most of us. They didn’t freak out and make a big trade. They didn’t go hard in free agency. They also didn’t draft any quarterbacks at all.

What they did was simply wait. They said they were comfortable with Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer and it was starting to look like those two would fight for the job. Then, they decided to add someone as they gave Cam Newton a very modest one-year contract.

Newton has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons but it’s hard to argue this team isn’t in great hands for their post-Brady era. And the best part is, they’re not going to have to lean heavily on Newton since they have one of the best defenses in the NFL.

For a while, it seemed as though the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets were going to be in the mix for the AFC East. Now, that only happens if Newton struggles to stay on the field — because he makes them clear-cut favorites once again.

Green Bay Packers stay put at 8

After going 13-3 last season, the Green Bay Packers didn’t really change their starting team much at all. Their biggest addition was Devin Funchess, but the veteran wide receiver opted out due to COVID-19 concerns.

In the draft, they added some depth but their first two picks — quarterback Jordan Love and running back A.J. Dillion — aren’t expected to start as rookies with Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Jones still on the roster.

This means, if the Packers are going to improve this season, it will need to be due to their holdover players. Fortunately, some of them are looking as though they took a step forward, which is what Freddie Boston of Lombardi Ave says about defensive back Josh Jackson.

"“If Jackson’s play can match his potential this season, it’ll be great news for the Packers defense. The team had high hopes when they drafted him in the second round. If he steps up this season, a top-four depth chart of Kevin King, Jaire Alexander, Chandon Sullivan, and Jackson would give the Packers the depth they need at the position. And Pettine is expecting a good season from Jackson.” — Boston, Lombardi Ave"

Green Bay is relying more on a strong defense and a conservative offense under head coach Matt LaFleur. The improved play in their secondary from players such as Jackson will surely help in this regard.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers stay put at 7

It was already mentioned that the New England Patriots will be going into the 2020 campaign for the first time in 20 years without Tom Brady as their quarterback. As for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they’re entering the season with the most popular player in the center they’ve ever had. And with one of the worst nicknames ever as the whole ‘Tompa Bay’ thing is atrocious.

Brady has much more to work with in Tampa than he did last season with New England. He has an emerging star in Chris Godwin who is lined up across from Mike Evans — one of the best 50-50 ball wideouts in the game. In an effort to make Brady feel more at home, they even traded for Rob Gronkowski who is coming out of retirement.

Gronk joins a crowded tight end room that includes Cameron Brate and former first-round pick O.J. Howard. There are a lot of mouths to feed but that’s never been a problem for Brady — or head coach Bruce Arians who will have no problem airing the ball out early and often in Tampa.

The real issue for this team will be their defense. They’re not great on that side of the ball but they don’t need to be. The offense should keep them competitive, all they need from the defense is the ability to make some key stops — if they can do that, this could be one of the better teams in the NFC.

Seattle Seahawks move up from 9 to 6

The Seattle Seahawks surprisingly made a move for Jamal Adams this offseason. There’s no question that he makes the defense better, but you can question how much they gave up in exchange for him. Seattle surrendered their own starting safety Bradley McDougald as well as a first and third-round pick this coming season and a first-round pick in 2022. That’s a massive haul for a singular player — but Seattle clearly thinks he is the missing piece.

Adams has been an elite player for a few years in the NFL, but the New York Jets haven’t been very good at all, so he hasn’t had a chance to shine in the biggest moments. As for the Seahawks, they continue to be one of the better teams in the NFC but they’ve been missing a little firepower in their secondary since losing players such as Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas. Adams helps them get that back.

Even with an improved defense, the Seahawks will go as far as Russell Wilson takes them. Wilson has developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the entire NFL and is among the leaders in touchdown passes year after year. Seattle also hit a home run in the draft last year when they landed D.K. Metcalf who lines up opposite Tyler Lockett, giving them a solid one-two punch in the aerial attack.

Pete Carroll again has a solid team and the addition of Adams, while costly, could help push them over the top as they try and retake the NFC West crown from the San Francisco 49ers. They just have to hope the loss of draft picks doesn’t;t cost them too much down the road.

Dallas Cowboys move up from 6 to 5 in NFL Power Rankings

The Dallas Cowboys were dealt a tough blow when defensive tackle Gerald McCoy went down with a quadriceps injury. McCoy had yet to play a snap for the team, but was already becoming a vocal defensive leader and Dallas had hoped he was going to improve the play of the D-line. Losing McCoy was tough, but the defense still looks much better as a whole than last season — even though some think that stance is blasphemous after losing Byron Jones.

Even with Jones out, Dallas added a whole lot more talent than what they had a season ago. Along with McCoy, they also signed his former teammate at Carolina Dunterry pole. During the days of rod Marinelli running the defense, Dallas never had a top-notch nose tackle, and Poe’s gives them back. Dallas also added Ha Ha Clinton Dix to the secondary, given them one of the best safeties in years.

Even with Jones out, Dallas added a whole lot more talent than what they had a season ago. Along with McCoy, they also signed his former teammate at Carolina Dontari Poe. During the days of Rod Marinelli running the defense, Dallas never had an elite nose tackle, and Poe gives them back.

Dallas also added Ha Ha Clinton Dix to the secondary, given them one of the best safeties they have had in years. In trying to replace Jones, they landed Trevon Diggs in the draft as well as Daryl Worley and free agency. Recently their defense got another bump in talent when they landed Everson Griffen, the former Minnesota Vikings defensive end.

Griffen is coming off a Pro Bowl year and even though he’s past the age of 30, he gives them a player who can perform well in their defense for at least one year and help as they look for the long term answer at right defense end across from DeMarcus Lawrence. Overall, the Cowboys defense is much better than last year and their offense should be just as good, if not better thanks to the addition of CeeDee lamb. This could be a team to look out for in the NFC.

San Francisco 49ers drop from 3 to 4

Last year, the San Francisco 49ers were led by an elite defense which took them all the way to the Super Bowl. San Francisco won 13 games during the regular season and found their way to the championship game, and even had the lead (20-10) going to the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, that’s when their defense finally gave out. The Kansas City Chiefs hung 21 points on them in the final 15 minutes and walked away with a 31 to 20 victory in Super Bowl LIV.

Even though Kansas City scored 21 in that final quarter, it was the offense that couldn’t keep the ball away from them. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has developed into a good player, but there just wasn’t enough talent around him — especially at why receiver.

San Francisco hoped to address that in the draft this year as they took Brandon Aiyuk out of Arizona State University in the first round. Unfortunately, they also were dealt a loss as Deebo Samuel was injured in the offseason and his availability for Week 1 is in question.

Even with the questions at wideout, the Niners are one of the premier teams in the NFC. Their defense is fantastic and while they traded away DeForest Buckner, they did well in replacing him with South Carolina’s Javon Kinlaw. They should again be one of the top contenders in 2020.

New Orleans Saints move up from 4 to 3

The New Orleans Saints have had one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the NFL for the last couple seasons. They lost Teddy Bridgewater this year as he went to the Carolina Panthers to be there starting quarterback, but then they landed Jameis Winston the former No. 1 overall pick out of Florida State. Winston never reach his potential with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he still is one of the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL, even with his flaws.

Then there’s Taysom Hill ‚ who was given a massive extension in the offseason that led to a lot of criticism. Hill, who is technically their third-string quarterback now, is making somewhere in the range of $16 million. However, he does much more than play quarterback — and actually, he rarely does that as he makes his money as a tight end/H-back/wildcat quarterback/special teams ace hybrid.

Outside of the quarterback position, the Saints are pretty deep everywhere else. Their offensive line has been fantastic and now adding Cesar Ruiz in the draft only makes them better. They also finally got a solid No. 2 wide receiver to play opposite Michael Thomas when they signed a Emmanuel Sanders in free agency. Their star quarterback, Drew Brees, is on the last leg of his career, but the Saints put enough talent around him that he should be able to make at least one more run at a title.

Baltimore Ravens stay put at 2

The rich got richer. The Baltimore Ravens were the number one rushing attack in the NFL last year as quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Mark Ingram led them to 3,296 yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground. Then, they added J.K. Dobbins to the mix after his dominant career with the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Dobbins is a perfect fit for this offense and they could be the one team capable of keeping this deep stable of running backs — as well as the mobile Jackson — happy. Speaking of Jackson, he silenced his doubters in style with a 2019 to remember.

In addition to his 3127 yards passing and 36 touchdowns, Jackson added 1206 yards on the ground and another seven touchdowns. He easily won the NFL MVP award after that performance and had the team I 12 game winning streak. Overall as a starter, Jackson is 19 and three in the NFL. You can say what you want about the team not being able to win in the postseason yet, but he just turned 23 years old and is already dominating the league.

All this is being said without even looking at their defense, which is one of the best in the NFL. And they got even better this year and they drafted Patrick Queen out of LSU in the first round.

Kansas City Chiefs stay put at 1

Still standing strong at No. 1 in our 2020 NFL Power Rankings are the Kansas City Chiefs. They enter this year defending their Super Bowl win from a season ago, and they just gave star quarterback Patrick Mahomes a massive contract worth more than $500 million over 10 years. And while that money sounds absolutely asinine, not one person who watches football thinks he’s been overpaid.

This season, the Chiefs even got their former NFL MVP a new running mate on offense as they drafted LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round. Originally expected to compete with Damien Williams, the rookie will now replace him as Williams opted-out of the 2020 season.

Helaire fits in well with the Chiefs due to his ability to make plays as a receiver out of the backfield. Sure, they’re going to give him his fair share of carries but when you pay someone a half-billion dollars, the offense is going to run through them — which means Mahomes will still be airing it out at an incredible rate.

As long as the Chiefs defense continues to perform as admirably as they did in 2019, they will again be the team to beat. Thanks to their elite offense, this doesn’t mean the defenders need to go pitch shutouts, but as long as they can be competitive, this is a 12 or 13-win team once again.

It felt as though it would never get here but we finally have 2020 NFL football. All 32 teams have begun their respective training camps and the long doldrums of the offseason are finally subsiding.