NFL Power Rankings Vikings Rams rising via free agencytrades

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NFL Power Rankings: Vikings, Rams rising via free agency/trades Published: Mar 20, 2018 at 06:20 AM Elliot Harrison The circus is almost over. Sure, we'll see more free agents sign deals in the coming weeks and months. 's still out there. As is . Don't you worry about nothing, though, as has already found a home. Which gives me an excuse to provide . But the true "free agency frenzy" has come and gone. Fans who are hyper-worried that their team didn't do enough during this period -- ahem, -- must be patient, as so many organizations wait until the NFL draft theater plays out before moving on to those veterans who are still on the street. No one seemed to be very patient when it came to wide receivers -- that market moved fast and furious. was the headliner, but guys like , , , , , and all found new employers in swift fashion. This, more than anything, reveals how much trust GMs have in this year's draft crop of receivers. And when it comes to Moncrief's former locale ... Dearest mother Welcomed news! The unit has a new soldier to help the men advance down the battlefield. Readying for this moment by training among Lions, I have no doubt Lt. Ebron will be a robust addition to our succe sful campaign. Andrew Capt. Andrew Luck (@CaptAndrewLuck) The are galloping henceforth, with the end of ranks tighter than before. So, in the wake of free agency's opening wave -- talk about March madne s ... -- we found it an appropriate time to reconfigure the ranks of NFL teams. Send your market corrections to . Be nice. Let the di sension commence! The champs aren't going to be chumps on the phone. That's what we learned this past week when it came out that the for . Howie Roseman laughs at your offer of a non-first-round pick. He scoffs. He doesn't bite. He gleams. OK, that last one didn't make sense, but you have to hand it to bra s for the way they've managed their resources. Losing hurts, as he was one of the most underrated players last season. Retaining , on , helps. Still No. 1. Much hand-wringing these days about the plummeting after , the of a season-long starter and some free-agent defections. Not to defecate on the implosion theories, but those same skeptics should also realize that New England darn near won the without , and with nearly mi sing the whole game. Unle s hits a wall -- or legitimately gets disgruntled over the benching and every other piece of go sip -- it's hard to downgrade these guys too much. Who in the AFC is better? So much to like about this Jacksonville team, although no one is overly excited about the Jags occasionally trying to win in spite of the quarterback. No more to fall back on, either. Yet, Jacksonville holds the three spot, as this group almost made the with at quarterback. Also of importance: , the best player at his position on the market. Hard to fault the so far this offseason. They upgraded at quarterback, even if played as well as -- if not better than -- last season. Recall that Cousins endured injuries on the offensive line, a backfield of transient backs and his supposed WR1 ending up as the biggest bust in last year's free-agent cla s. Moreover, signing only helps the top defense in the conference. And we haven't even gotten to rehabbing. Dude. While people point to , another of the NFC elite hasn't stood pat. Picking up -- fresh off an excellent 2017 season -- and a steady leader at safety in will only help this football team. The are ready to win it all now, as they've got two years of to grab that second ring. In win-now mode, New Orleans must look to the draft to shore up the offensive line, add some more juice at wideout and at least take a long look at acquiring another quarterback besides , just in case. Are these guys the best outfit in the NFC? They're not far off. Amazing what GM Les Snead was able to pull off with the secondary, when it appeared a strong 2017 unit was going to be decimated by expiring contracts in 2018. The instead made deals for , while surprisingly retaining for palatable dollars. Oh, and the offense is still good. Don't harangue me about the departure, either. Not a huge deal. Well, it was costly ... for the . The storyline is (thankfully) solved , although we will endure this whole rigmarole again next offseason if the organization and the star running back don't come to terms on a long-term deal. Ah, the joys of franchise-tagging. So sexy. That said, Bell's position on his position's pay is understandable: He's not -- or any other back in the league, for that matter. He's the queen on the che sboard for that offense, able to line up anywhere and beat who's acro s him. How many players like that are running around? Slight dip for the , who have taken it on the chin thus far in free agency. Nothing horrible, but losing and -- two solid and occasionally spectacular performers -- does put a dent in matters. ( . Holy guacamole.) Losing also hurts. Atlanta should be fine, and more than capable of putting up 10 wins again. That said, the NFC South isn't getting any easier. Thomas Dimitroff wasn't expected to be a big player in free agency anyway. Other than, um, . Calm down. Whew doggie, the departure caught football folks off guard. , and, What other crap did we hear about the Nelson ouster? Here's the bottom line: Nelson is coming off a season in which he averaged le s than 10 yards per catch. He's entering Year 11. Then again, he fit in with the offense, quarterback and community. Not sure did two out of those three while in Seattle. Maybe Graham was a system player in New Orleans whose athletic feats fit in perfectly with Sean Payton and utilizing the seam route high-ball often. Interesting move. The new GM isn't afraid of making 'em, either. Every other team in Devontae Cacok Jersey the AFC West has ferociously sounded the bugle since free agency kicked off last week. Not these dudes. The mostly stood pat, letting other teams parse out dollars and cents (sense?) for quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs. Hey, they signed and ! Get excited. Then GM Tom Telesco brought in former Dolphin center . . Maybe lightning will strike twice, as was signed last year and ended up in the . Carolina feels like the perfect team for this spot in the rankings. Nobody really knows how good Ron Rivera's squad is, but these fully capable of securing another playoff spot -- so long as is upright and healthy, and the defense keeps them in games. To that end, Carolina re-upped , who will be heading into his 55th season in the National Football League. To think, he once sacked Bart Starr! Actually, his 11 sacks in 2017 -- on a one-year, $3.5 million deal -- made him one of the biggest bargains from last offseason's free-agent market. Retaining him on another one-year pact made sense for all parties. That said, this team must overcome some difficult defections, headlined by the top guard on the free-agent market: , who'll be lining up for the in 2018. Everyone, including your hack writer, is excited to see back in action. What that translates to is rather challenging to surmise at this point, yet with and back in tow, the should be back in bidne s. Also exciting: . If you haven't taken in Animal Planet lately, just know: . Remember that this Houston defense was No. 1 in total defense in 2016, without the benefit of Watt for most of that season. Even if he's not the same player anymore, methinks Houston secures a wild-card spot in 2018. People haven't been this jacked about the since over seven years ago. Garoppolomania is approaching the Tebow stratosphere, with recent free-agent acquisitions only boosting the adrenalized exuberance over a team that finished the season with five straight wins. could be a lo s, although he was a peaks-and-valleys player for most of his career in Frisco. That said, you'd think was the second coming of , given the fans' reaction to his signing and . Like what Tenne see's done in free agency. Bolster the secondary with a player who has much to prove in (ya think?), while re-tooling the backfield with a more appropriate complement to in the newly arrived . Maybe the got so tired of seeing the latter jitterbug his way through their linebackers that they were willing to pay Jerick McKinnon-Niner money for New England's scatback. Wideout is still a major concern for this team, but it's hard to argue that the defections there will detract from the overall prospects of this team. Wonder what it's going to be like for to see out there playing corner when the Pats visit the this year. While it was weird seeing the mi s the playoffs last year, we might have to get used to it. Seattle took a hit or three in free agency (although I did like the signing). The offense should be alright -- even without and -- the offensive line adds a piece and doesn't lose a starter in preseason. The defense lost much, starting with No. 25. Was at a barbecue the other day where I spoke with Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell. He is an unabashed fanatic, complete with a jersey. He seemed le s than enthused about his team than usual. Depending on your perspective, the have either enjoyed a very fruitful or fruitle s winter se sion. The team managed to energize the wide receiver corps with the speedy and highly emotional . (Question 1: Did you see ? Question 2: ) On the other hand, Brown is often hurt, while Crabtree is coming off his worst year since an abbreviated (post-Achilles surgery) 2013 campaign. Baltimore also lost center to free agency and there are additional questions -- health- and depth-related -- on the offensive line. Draft. We know that the can hang their hat on Matt Stafford and a fairly talented stable of wideouts. Leggie Blount comes to town to add some oomph to the run game, a ma sive failure (and the biggest reason Detroit mi sed the playoffs) last season. The offensive line should be healthier, with ready to go from Day 1. Still, Detroit lost a few parts on the a sembly line of the defense, a unit Alex Caruso Jersey that wasn't all that strong to begin with in 2017. Look for GM Bob Quinn and new beard Matt Patricia to look hard at defensive line in the draft, potentially taking a DE and a DT in the first few rounds. So much blabber about that the general public might be overlooking a major obstacle for succe s in 2018: the defensive side of the ball. Kansas City needs help at corner, defensive line and in the pa s rush. is gone. The odd saga of has reached its "all is lost" moment, while has been as reliable as Elvis Grbac. should help out. He's turned into a solid pro after a muddy start in Dallas. But all the signings in the world won't help the stop , or even . Welp, fans -- some at least -- got what they wanted. No under center for the first time since 2014. Don't get me wrong: I've seen few picketers with poster boards of waltzing in concentric circles around Ralph Wilson Stadium. Yet, does that mean is better than Kyle Orton or TT? Who knows. What the Mafia is the ceiling on Taylor's play, which McCarron might not surpa s. Ah, but he . Therein lies the hope. Glad is returning for another season. Not glad is as good as gone. No one seems too sure what Chucky and those are up to -- my colleague quipped that the team looked at a fantasy mag from three years ago and started making moves. and aside, Oakland jettisoned kick-return ace , who never do reclamation projects ... or is that . Hopefully that move turns out like the Randy Mo s acquisition. Or not. is back for another year. Somewhat under the radar, Beast Mode was effective in spots. Perhaps Gruden can find a better way to use the masked mauler on the ground this time around. It's March. Which means I have no idea how good (or bad) the are going to be. Contributors like and are gone, a la , Doug Free and last offseason. Granted, those were much larger departures -- literally and figuratively. Yet, if is not the answer, this team simply isn't strong enough to overcome his shortcomings. Talent outside is an i sue, as Dallas has mulled over 's immediate future. Going down the road, salary-cap problems are omnipresent for this group. Franchise-tagging is merely a bridge to next offseason for now, unle s a long-term deal gets done. Then there's the i sue of signing draft picks. Speaking of, call it appropriate that the draft is in Big D this year, because the great college trade fair is for the Jones gang this time around. Entering the era immediately provides the a leg up on the and the at the quarterback position in the NFC East. Originally, Washington was going to be without this offseason, which translated to taking a dive off the deep end in the first-round quarterback pool. Then the organization who won't have to deal (hopefully) with a banged-up offensive line and running back stable. Also incoming: , who should bring much better returns than did in 2017. At the risk of going nutso, I am certifiably excited about the this season. Let's talk free agency inside-baseball stuff. Chicago went out and grabbed an 'X' in , a 'Y' in , kicking help in , a relatively established QB2 in and a cla sic off-everyone's-radar signing in . That's the kind of move nobody cares about until he's contributing to wins. Speaking of, improvement might not come courtesy of wins, given that the three other quarterbacks in the division are , a healthy and a still-underrated . **Trivia:** Other than and , have the ever had two receivers post 1,000 yards in the same season? If so, who? ( ) </content:power-ranking> Your gue s is as off as mine. Could this be too low for the Bucs? Certainly. The spot here is indicative of the ' progre s. Tampa shored up both lines, which is always wonderful -- that is, if you consider 98 years of data showing that being in contention on the line of scrimmage means contending in the standings. and was optimal, as well. The holes are still holes, however -- most notably at running back. Much like the Bucs over in the NFC, what the are is anybody's gue s. As in, they can play with anybody (SEE: ) or get flattened just as easily (SEE: ). There is still plenty of talent in the building, particularly at the skill positions. The made sense, even if he projects as a mere rotational player. Loved Cincy going out and getting . So many teams could use Brown at linebacker this season. was nifty. Still, offensive line is a ma sive question mark. And the defense is devoid of major matchup problems for offensive coordinators. #WhoDey The Broncos-Cardinals- corridor in these Power Rankings was easily the toughest to arrange. Who cares, right? It's Nos. 26, 27 and 28. Well, where were the in How about the ? Granted, those two teams probably enjoyed the two most productive offseasons of 2017, but you get the point. Often some franchise at the bottom of the heap surges. The upgraded at quarterback with , who was more effective in Minnesota than . They are also better than the Cards at the skill positions and much better than the at QB-RB-WR. Defense? Still 's boys. The provides hope for an organization that eked out a .500 record with , and a little bit of Carson Palmer last year. The were without 's services for most of the season, as well. You can lump in that box. Yet, there is no getting around the ma sive lo s of the front man for this franchise. Former head coach Bruce Arians was the beating heart of this football team. Honey Badger is also gone. And is 34 years old, with little in the way of a complement on the other side. The knocked the free agency period out of the park -- sort of. Call it a Mookie Wilson inside-the-park special. They tried, , to get a sitdown with . Which means that defenses will lunch on a McCown/Bridgewater sandwich . Yet, kudos for at least rolling the dice on , who looked to have many bright days ahead of him before that devastating knee injury two years ago. can play and, along with and , gives the secondary some punch. was especially smart. Why not move up now and prepare for being able to land a top quarterback while putting pre sure on other QB-needy teams? Drafting third overall should be enough to get a player the covet ... or perhaps charge an even larger price for another team trying to sneak in the top three, if they so choose. Hey, stranger things have happened. The are ranked above the on the strength of Jr.'s return and, frankly, not much else. Does Beckham make that kind of difference? Yep. Adding and to the offensive set sure doesn't hurt, either. Look, the headline here is whether Big Blue will make a move for a quarterback in the draft. Perhaps the will. Let's not glo s over the defections of and on the offensive line, although neither was particularly healthy last year. Look for the to hit this area on Day 2. Oh yeah, forgot to mention new head coach Pat Shurmur. Pat Shurmur. of that 2016 playoff team remain, but the key pieces do not. Gone are , , and . The have cleaned house. also departed, with -- late of the -- moving in at guard. This is a huge year for young tackles and . Especially with and his healthy knee While no one mi ses , what to anticipate from Tannehill is another matter. He hasn't played meaningful football since two Decembers ago. That, as much as the team makeover, accounts for this placeholder not too far from the bottom. The haven't crept out of the cellar since the early days of the 2017 season. They pulled it off here thanks to a string of personnel maneuvers over the last couple of weeks. Cleveland acquired and via trade, while signing contributors like CB , OL , DE and the most notable, RB . They're not done. is still out there. A reunion could be in the works. Oh, and then there's the pile of high draft picks they're sitting on, including the first, fourth, 33rd, 35th and 64th overall selections. Those are all in the Look out. ** talk/trivia:** Farewell to . Mark it now: This blind-side bo s will be inducted into Canton with the Cla s of 2023. Can you name all of the offensive linemen currently in the ? ( ) </content:power-ranking> Someone -- or some -- must be last. With the making virtually no moves in free agency, yet to air it out and Indy losing a few folks (like linebacker , corner and wideout Donte Moncrief), Chris Ballard . The old /Packers/ method of "draft and develop." Can't blame the GM for that. With Luck still grounded Kyle Kuzma Jersey and a pretty barren roster, the draft will be like an Etch A Sketch for Indy. Edge rusher at sixth overall? But what if the trade out of the cleanup spot to a team in need of a quarterback and is still sitting there? *Follow Elliot Harrison on Twitter .* This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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