The 2023 NFL season is finally upon us, which means it’s time for a few final arbitrary NFL power rankings we can all laugh at by the end of the season. In all seriousness, it’s time for one last state of the union for every NFL team before we get into the groove of training camp and the preseason.
NFL free agency is in the books. The Draft is in the books. Minicamps are in the books. The documentaries for next season have already begun work on production. Which teams are going to show up in a big way in 2023?
We’re going to base these pre-training camp rankings a lot on what happened over the course of the offseason, with some projections and some of what happened last year sprinkled into the equation as well. Of course, not every team is going to be able to be in the top 20 or top 15. Not every team that had a great offseason is immediately going to be in the Top 10. As always, these NFL power rankings are subject to major change over the course of the year.
In last year’s preseason NFL power rankings, some teams really proved us right like the Bears (ranked 30th) and 49ers (ranked 10th) while others proved us dead wrong like the Broncos (ranked 8th) and Buccaneers (ranked 3rd).
2023 NFL Power Rankings: Training Camp Edition
32. Arizona Cardinals
It’s been a pretty brutal offseason for the Arizona Cardinals, at least as it pertains to the 2023 season. The Cardinals are going to be without Kyler Murray potentially for the entire season. The alternative is Colt McCoy.
On the plus side, Tankathon currently projects the Cardinals to hold the top two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. That would give them the chance to trade Kyler Murray for a king’s ransom of picks as well as draft Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, and trade the second pick for another king’s ransom. If everything works out, the Cardinals could be in good shape for the future, but the interim is going to be painful.
And apparently, the Cardinals insist on looking ugly doing it.
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady has officially retired. I guess we’ll all believe it when we see that Brady is not on an NFL field when the season actually rolls around, won’t we?
Brady curiously didn’t jump into his deal with FOX just yet. The broadcasting will wait, although it looks like Brady is getting ready to dabble in NFL ownership as a part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders. But enough about Brady, what about the Bucs?
At least Tampa Bay will have its creamsicle uniforms in 2023…
I struggle with this team because I think they’ll have too good of a defense to be this bad, but what are they going to get out of Baker Mayfield?
30. Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons made one of my favorite picks of the entire 2023 NFL Draft when they selected Bijan Robinson out of Texas. This is a team whose foundation is running the football, and they are now firmly committed to getting the ball to Bijan.
Although the Falcons have a variety of other weapons in the offense, the fate of this team in 2023 really rests on the right shoulder of one Desmond Ridder. Ridder took over the starting job late last season and has shown promise, but as a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Falcons certainly won’t be married to him for the future.
The addition of Ryan Nielsen and some of his old Saints buddies to this Falcons defense might be one of the most substantial upgrades this team made.
29. Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers could be plummeting into relative obscurity this season, which will be the first of the Jordan Love era for the team. Aaron Rodgers is off to New York, and the Packers’ coaching staff and front office are finally going to get to see what they’ve got in the former first-round pick out of Utah State.
It’s been a long time since we really discussed the “potential” that Jordan Love has. He’s been soaking in whatever he can from Aaron Rodgers over the last three years and now, entering his fourth NFL season, he’s finally going to. get to play some actual football.
How good can this Packers team be unless Love really breaks through?
28. Washington Commanders
I would rank the Washington Commanders much higher than this, but I’m not currently sold on Sam Howell as a legitimate QB1 option. I know the Commanders also added Jacoby Brissett, but I just don’t think that’s going to be enough for this team to really make a major splash this coming season.
We’ll see.
There was once a time when Howell was so well thought of that people thought he could be the no. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. What I do like about the Commanders? I think they’re going to be tough defensively and they have some really good skill players. This could be a team that is playing for QB positioning in 2024 but the defense might be too good to get them there absent a trade.
27. Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts have a pretty underrated roster which was obviously decimated by injuries last year. Oddly enough, when we saw the Colts at their best last year, they beat the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and they had a 33-point lead over the Vikings at halftime on the road.
There was a lot of bad for the Colts in 2022, but there was plenty of good mixed in there. Now, you get Jonathan Taylor back for the 2023 season, the defense is reloaded, and Anthony Richardson is in the building as the team’s QB1 of the future.
I think the Colts’ defense will be better than people expect, and this is a team that can run it down your throat with a healthy Jonathan Taylor, not to mention, the dynamic Richardson can bring to the table.
26. Houston Texans
The Houston Texans made one of the best head coaching hires of the 2023 circuit when they brought in DeMeco Ryans from the San Francisco 49ers. There were reports early on in the process that Ryans was actually going to turn down the Texans, but he ended up not only taking interviews but actually getting the gig in the end.
Ryans and the Texans were one of the biggest winners of the 2023 NFL Draft when they used the second overall pick on Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud before trading up to the third overall pick to select the top non-quarterback in the class, Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson Jr.
It was a great offseason for the Texans, who have steadily been rebuilding over the last three years. This is a team that I think could make some noise if Stroud’s development is a bit accelerated.
25. Chicago Bears
Justin Fields showed some progress last year for the Chicago Bears, who had a whale of an offseason. As expected.
The Bears went into the 2023 offseason armed with the no. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft as well as over $100 million in total salary cap space. They spent big in free agency but also traded the top pick in the draft to the Carolina Panthers for a package that included wide receiver DJ Moore.
The acquisition of Moore gives Justin Fields a legitimate go-to weapon in the passing game, which should benefit all of the other options the Bears previously had. Most of them better suited as secondary options.
The real test for whether this team can improve upon having the league’s worst record last year will be how improved the defense can be. The Bears spent big on the linebacker position, bringing in Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards to solidify that unit.
24. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders have had an eventful offseason in 2023, and you could say it’s currently ongoing. The Raiders let the franchise tag negotiation deadline pass without a deal in place for Josh Jacobs. Jacobs has not yet signed his franchise tender, so while he’s liable to miss out on some guaranteed cash, he’s holding out for more.
How many first-team All-Pro players don’t get legitimate contract offers from their teams? It’s tough to be a running back these days.
The Raiders jettisoned Derek Carr in favor of Jimmy Garoppolo, and the latest on Garoppolo and his healing foot was not overly positive. I don’t know where the Raiders land this year, but Jimmy Garoppolo at least has the best safety net in the league in Davante Adams.
If Garoppolo struggles with injuries, and Jacobs’ contract situation lingers, this team could really stink.
23. Pittsburgh Steelers
Part of me wants to place the Pittsburgh Steelers much higher than this, but I have serious questions about whether or not Kenny Pickett is going to be able to help this team win over the long haul. We know the crazy stat that Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but is that streak about to end in 2023?
The Steelers will have a good defense yet again. The offensive line is improved. If Pickett shows any real signs of improvement, this is probably a top-10 team in the league. They are talented and loaded at the offensive skill positions.
With the improvements made to the offensive line, I’m inclined to give the Steelers a pretty big boost, but I’m going to remain stuck in “wait and see” mode on this team for the foreseeable future.
22. Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams went from being one of the most injured teams in the NFL in 2022 to now being one of the youngest rosters in the league. Even though the Rams didn’t have a first-round pick in 2023 (Matthew Stafford trade), they wound up adding a whopping 36 rookies to the 90-man roster. More than one-third of this Rams team is made up of rookies.
Until recently, they didn’t make any substantial additions in free agency. In fact, they have really only added a couple of notable veterans this offseason in tight end Hunter Long (Jalen Ramsey trade) and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon. Other than that, the Rams’ primary acquisitions are going to be guys coming back from injury like Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald.
And those are still pretty darn good players. I struggle with where to place this team, a team that won the Super Bowl two seasons ago but a team that looks significantly different as well.
21. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers really had a great offseason, just about by every possible account. They figured out their head coach situation after firing Matt Rhule, replacing him with Frank Reich. Reich’s arrival in Carolina is a homecoming of sorts as he was once the first quarterback to ever take a snap for the franchise.
The Panthers then got aggressive, as they have for most of Scott Fitterer’s time as GM, and traded up to the no. 1 overall pick for Bryce Young. I love what the Panthers have done to surround Young with the best QB brain trust possible. Not only that, but Reich went out and hired Thomas Brown and Duce Staley, two great offensive minds and running game experts who are going to help support a young QB with a great ground game. Signing Miles Sanders helps, too.
Overall, I think the Panthers are one of those teams trending up but we need to see what Young can do on an NFL field first.
20. New England Patriots
The Patriots are going to have one of the league’s best defenses again in 2023, I’m sure. Now, what about the offense? The complete debacle that was the 2022 season for the Patriots’ offense doesn’t look as bad on paper as it actually was. Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, really?
The Patriots knew it was bad, and they went out and hired Bill O’Brien to run the offense moving forward. Although O’Brien is not the most beloved coach by NFL fans, I think it’s an obvious upgrade for New England and more specifically for Mac Jones. The young quarterback is in a critical year for his NFL career and possibly at a point where the Patriots could move on after this season if he isn’t up to standard.
19. Denver Broncos
I don’t know that any NFL team in the entire league made as substantial of an upgrade as the Denver Broncos did by going from Nathaniel Hackett to Sean Payton. The acquisition of Sean Payton in a trade from the Saints really can’t be overstated. Payton is a living legend among the NFL coaching community and simply gets the most out of his offensive units.
Russell Wilson signed a mega contract with the Denver Broncos last offseason before playing a down with the team, and now the pressure is squarely on him to make it right after looking like a total fraud last season. Although Wilson struggled with injuries, he wasn’t the same guy everyone knew for 10 years in Seattle.
The Broncos are healthy, and when healthy, this is actually a really good roster. The addition of Sean Payton gives them some legitimate playoff hopes in 2023.
18. New York Giants
The New York Giants were a classic case of overachieving in 2022. Now, this team deserves a lot of respect. They played good defense, they upgraded in the coaching department, and Daniel Jones played arguably the best football of his pro career. And the Giants got results, which you can’t argue with. They won enough games to not only make it to the playoffs but then go on the road and upset the Minnesota Vikings.
Again, the Giants deserve respect, but I’m not buying what Daniel Jones is selling just yet. Not even with Brian Daboll at the helm. I especially am cold on this team if Saquon Barkley holds out for any extended period of time. I’m just not buying the Giants at this point in time. This may seem like an egregiously low spot to rank them after winning a playoff game last year, but I’m willing to be proven wrong here.
17. Tennessee Titans
I feel like I consistently disrespect the Tennessee Titans, but I’m not trying to. They are another team that just doesn’t pass the eye test for me, and I think for a lot of other people as well. As we watched the Titans’ 2022 offseason unfold, what were we supposed to think they were doing? Are they going all-in or are they rebuilding?
The tell-tale signs of rebuilding were there in some aspects, but then not in others. In reality, it looks like the Titans — who have oddly been in a very competitive window the last couple of years — have reloaded as opposed to rebuilt. They did go get Will Levis in the NFL Draft as a possible QB of the future but for now, Ryan Tannehill remains. Derrick Henry remains. The Titans have a good defense and I think they always will under Mike Vrabel. The question is — how far can this offense take the Titans? Can the addition of DeAndre Hopkins help? Do the Titans have enough besides?
I am pretty lukewarm on this team but the more you talk about them, the more you can’t help but trend them up a little bit.
16. New Orleans Saints
Speaking of lukewarm teams, may I present to you the 2023 New Orleans Saints. The Saints have undoubtedly improved the QB position by adding Derek Carr in free agency. Not having to trade for Carr allowed the Saints to invest their NFL Draft assets elsewhere as well as plan the entire rest of the offseason around knowing exactly who the quarterback is, not having to mess around with waiting for the NFL Draft.
I think like many of the teams in the 21-14 range of these NFL power rankings, the Saints are really another “wait and see” kind of team. They showed last year they were good enough to compete in a lot of games with Andy Dalton but then fell painfully short at the end of the season.
I still think this team is good enough to compete for the NFC South in 2023. They have a lot of really nice pieces and proven veterans at key positions. I’m not confident enough to go out on a limb about the Saints but I’m confident they’ll be a playoff contender.
15. Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks were one of the NFL’s biggest surprises in 2022. Obviously, this is a team that took on a major change at the QB position last year when they traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, replacing him with Geno Smith. Smith ended up going from competing with Drew Lock for the starting gig to winning the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in a season that was nothing short of miraculous.
The Seahawks have a lot going for them. This team has really loaded up in the NFL Draft the last two years, and they already had some good pieces to begin with. The biggest question with this team is — can Geno Smith do it again, and do it better? This team floundered in the second half of the season to the point that the San Francisco 49ers just really had no problem with them in the playoffs. They beat the hapless Jets and Rams in the second half of the year after starting 6-2, but that was it.
I’m lukewarm on the Seahawks, but with a repeat performance from Geno Smith, they might once again be tough in the NFC West.
14. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are no longer in the spotlight for the wrong reasons as Lamar Jackson finally got himself a long-term contract. That contract situation was a dark cloud lingering over this Ravens team for the longest time, but now that it’s in the rearview, I think this team becomes a legitimate threat in the AFC once again.
I’m not going to sit here and assume stuff, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Lamar Jackson was both injured and slightly holding out at the end of last season. His injury against Denver was supposed to just keep him out a couple of weeks, and he ended up sitting a couple of months. But his value to the team has been effectively proven.
The Ravens added Odell Beckham Jr. in a risk/reward move this offseason that I really liked, but does this team have enough in the pass rush to compete for the AFC North? Or are they just a Wild Card team?
13. Detroit Lions
I said I wasn’t going out on a limb for a few other teams, but the Detroit Lions are one of those squads I’m going out on a limb for.
If you’ve been reading this site for over a year, you know that I was all-in on the Lions well before this point in 2022. I am buying what Dan Campbell is selling, and I have been for quite some time. The Lions didn’t make the playoffs in 2022, but they came very close. Ending the Packers’ season and beating Aaron Rodgers in his final game in Green Bay had to feel really good for this team and certainly serves as some major momentum going into this coming season.
How will the Lions respond with some actual pressure heaped upon them? Last year, they were playing with house money a little bit. This year, there are a lot of people talking about this team. As long as those major investments they made defensively come through, I think they can contend for the NFC North.
12. New York Jets
Obviously, the talk of the town this year is Aaron Rodgers. It’s so funny that Rodgers ended up on the Jets after what we saw many years ago with Brett Favre and his saga. Although Favre didn’t exactly want to be on the Jets at the time and Rodgers essentially hand-picked the Jets, but that’s neither here nor there.
Aaron Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP, is now the quarterback of the New York Jets. This is a team that hasn’t had a Pro Bowl quarterback since — wait a second…Brett Favre in 2008?
That’s right, the Jets haven’t had a Pro Bowl QB since Favre was at the helm in 2008. It feels like Rodgers has just a couple of years left in his NFL career but what does he have to give the Jets? We saw a slight decline last year from him but were there distractions?
The Jets have a great infrastructure outside of just Rodgers, too. Their defense was one of the best in the league last year. This Jets team really felt like an “insert QB here” roster and they would be contenders. But of course, we need to see it all happen on the field first.
11. Los Angeles Chargers
I struggle to put the Los Angeles Chargers in this slot. I don’t know if I think they are a really good team or if I just can’t help myself putting them here because Justin Herbert is their quarterback. As only they can, the Chargers blew a huge lead in the playoffs last year. They didn’t fire Brandon Staley after the game but they did replace offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi with Kellen Moore.
That decision looms large over this franchise because there were rumors that if offered the job (and if the Chargers were willing to deal, of course) that Sean Payton might have taken it. The Chargers stuck with Brandon Staley who has made some wildly unpopular decisions in his time as head coach.
With Herbert under center, the Chargers should be good. But will they actually be good?
10. Cleveland Browns
The more you look at the Cleveland Browns roster, the more you see a top-10 team. At least, they have the potential to be exactly that. I don’t think people realize how good the defense in Cleveland is as currently constructed, at least on paper. They’ve obviously got Myles Garrett leading the charge but the Browns also have one of the best secondaries in the NFL which just added safety Juan Thornhill. Cornerbacks Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson, and Greg Newsome give the Browns an elite trio at a crucial position.
The question mark for this team is obviously Deshaun Watson. Obviously, by ranking them this high, we’re banking on Watson figuring things out. He’s gotten upgrades at receiver, most notably from Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman. He got one of his old buddies from Houston in tight end Jordan Akins. He has a running game to lean on. The Browns might actually be really good this year.
9. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings were the Cinderella story of the 2022 NFL season until the clock, unfortunately, struck midnight in the playoffs against the Giants. It just so happened to be at the Vikings’ home stadium, too.
The Vikings lost a home playoff game after winning 13 regular season games, including a perfect 11-0 record in the regular season in one-score games. That streak ended in the playoffs even as the Vikings’ offense did its part. The defense let the team down when it mattered most and that’s where GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spent a good amount of money in free agency.
The Vikings brought in Marcus Davenport from the Saints to rush the QB and Byron Murphy from the Cardinals to create more turnovers on the back end. Kirk Cousins was a big winner of the Netflix Quarterback series and certainly, the NFL world has a new level of respect for him after seeing what he endured last year. The Vikings should be good once again in 2023.
8. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the league’s most exciting and dangerous teams down the stretch last season. After taking a tough loss in London against the Denver Broncos, the Jaguars caught fire and not only did they have a good second half of the season, but Doug Pederson actually got this team into the playoffs with an AFC South division title in his first year on the job.
He deserved more love as the NFL’s coach of the year considering the Jaguars had the top pick two years in a row before that.
Now, the Jags are going to be almost unanimously considered a top-10 team going into the season. Why? Pederson is a big reason, but the emergence of Trevor Lawrence has more to do with it. Lawrence looked like a star in the making and could soon join the ranks of Burrow, Allen, Hurts, and others.
7. Dallas Cowboys
People want to think or believe the Dallas Cowboys are overrated. I don’t think so. The Cowboys are legit, but only one team can be left standing at the end of the season. Obviously, this team has to do better in the playoffs. Obviously, Dak Prescott needs to throw fewer interceptions.
But the Dallas Cowboys are good, and I think they’re going to continue to remain one of the NFL’s better teams under Mike McCarthy and Dan Quinn.
The Cowboys’ defense is the primary reason why this team might make a deep run in the playoffs. With Micah Parsons coming off the edge, the Cowboys can turn any game around and they can certainly close out any game. Their pass rush is outstanding, and the secondary got a big upgrade with the arrival of veteran Stephon Gilmore, the former Defensive MVP of the league.
6. Miami Dolphins
So much of the 2023 season for the Miami Dolphins is going to be dependent on what this team can get out of Tua Tagovailoa. Is he going to be healthy enough for them to make a deep run in the playoffs? Are they even going to be able to compete with the Bills for a division title?
I think so, and it’s for one primary reason: Vic Fangio.
The Dolphins landing Fangio as their new defensive coordinator was a massive addition this offseason, perhaps bigger than any player move they made. That’s saying something because the Dolphins obviously added Jalen Ramsey this offseason.
Fangio’s impact will be noticed immediately. He can call a defense against any type of offense and frustrate teams. The NFL is trending toward the two-high safety look Fangio began implementing years ago. He makes the Dolphins a true contender, especially with a healthy Tagovailoa.
5. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers cycled through every QB on their roster last year and might have stumbled onto a long-term situation.
Surprisingly, that player is not Trey Lance — the player the 49ers traded a ton of picks to move up and get in the 2021 NFL Draft — but the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy. Purdy came off the sideline as the 49ers dealt with injuries to Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, and he not only kept the offense moving, he actually showed that he can be a difference maker in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
At the end of the season, Purdy suffered an elbow injury that might have required Tommy John surgery if he were a baseball player, but as it stands, he’s currently in line to return for camp and open as the QB1. This 49ers roster is unbelievably good on both sides of the ball. Their X-factors this season will be the play of Purdy and how the defense responds to losing coordinator DeMeco Ryans (replaced by Steve Wilks).
4. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are obviously one of the best teams in the NFL and they have an MVP candidate at QB in Josh Allen. The unfortunate story of this franchise is falling short, but if anyone can push them over the top, it’s going to be Allen.
The Bills got some really bad injury luck last year with Von Miller going down with a torn ACL and missing the second half of the season as a result. Obviously, there was the huge scare late in the year with Damar Hamlin, who is miraculously going to make a return to the field this year, it seems.
Buffalo’s roster continuity and coaching staff continuity are both very impressive. I think this team is what it is and will be great again this coming season.
3. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are going to be one of the toughest teams to beat in the NFL as long as Joe Burrow is the quarterback. This guy has the same clutch gene that lives in Tom Brady.
He’s never out of it, and you don’t want him to have the ball last.
The Bengals are taking on some big changes this year with the loss of key guys like Jessie Bates in the secondary, but for the most part, this roster looks really outstanding. The big addition in free agency was taking left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. from their rival Kansas City Chiefs.
The Bengals also might have gotten a little bit more dynamic at the tight end position with the addition of former Vikings second-round pick Irv Smith Jr.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
Even though they suffered some big losses in free agency (like DL Javon Hargrave), the Philadelphia Eagles look reloaded and poised to make another run at a relatively “easy” NFC this season. There doesn’t appear to be another team in the entire conference that can really keep up with them if the Eagles are at their best.
Jalen Hurts was unreal in the Super Bowl, even in defeat. The Eagles simply couldn’t get one more chance with the ball after the penalty late in the game that allowed the Chiefs to bleed out the clock.
This team is undoubtedly a Super Bowl contender and will be must-see TV on a weekly basis.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
How much more can be said about the Kansas City Chiefs? This team is just flat-out amazing. Head coach Andy Reid has his guys firing on all cylinders and the Chiefs were able to win the Super Bowl and have the top-ranked offense in the entire NFL last season even after trading Tyreek Hill and getting off to a slow start in the first month of the season.
There’s no doubting this team anymore. Teams are going to have a target on the Chiefs’ back, but the Chiefs seem to have an answer for just about everything, don’t they?
I fully expect this team to be right there in the thick of things at the end of the season.