16. San Francisco 49ers
There’s probably not a more perfect spot for the 49ers right now. With some of the losses they’ve had this offseason, part of me wants to bury them in the late 20s of offseason NFL Power Rankings. And then the combo of Kyle Shanahan and Robert Saleh on this coaching staff again makes me want to put them in the top 12 overall. The Niners won’t be as bad as their biggest detractors think this season, but they might be scraping and clawing for a playoff spot instead of running through people like they have in recent years.
15. Los Angeles Chargers
I am lower on the Los Angeles Chargers than most. This is a team that had the #1 defense in the league last year and got better offensively in a lot of ways this offseason. They upgraded the overall depth at running back with Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton. They landed Mekhi Becton to slot next to Joe Alt on the offensive line. But the Chargers also lost quite a bit, especially on the defensive front. Joey Bosa and Poona Ford are both gone, and the team making investments to retain Khalil Mack and Bud Dupree could be a false sense of security.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers
We can finally speak of the Steelers with some certainty at the quarterback position, at least temporarily. Will Aaron Rodgers be more like 2015 Peyton Manning with the Steelers this year, or will he be more like Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? The Steelers are obviously believing he can elevate this entire roster, and they’ve taken some drastic measures offensively this offseason to improve. And I’m not sure they’re done yet.
13. Cincinnati Bengals
Defensively, are the Bengals better in 2025? They are obviously hopeful that a shift to Al Golden as the defensive coordinator is going to raise all boats here, but the personnel on that side of the ball remains an area of concern. The Bengals haven’t yet made Trey Hendrickson happy, and he might legitimately hold out of games if they don’t pay him. They have their first-round pick, Shemar Stewart, holding out. I still think this team is a 10-win team even if Joe Burrow and the offense have to score 40 a game, but the defense could be bad yet again.