Post Free Agency NFL Power Rankings

Here is Jonathan’s post free agency way too early power rankings for the 2022 NFL Season.

32: Houston Texans

Fresh off trading away their star quarterback Deshaun Watson, Davis Mills now has the reigns at QB.  A team going on their 4^th head coach in 3 years, and no real playmakers on either side of the ball, this team should be looking at building for the future with all their accumulated draft picks.  The very distant future.

31: Jacksonville Jaguars

The Urban Meyer rollercoaster is now a distant memory in the sunshine state, but there are still many holes in this roster.  Trevor Lawrence had an awful rookie season, but still flashed that he was all that he was hyped up to be. This team needs to build around him if they want to find success, adding Christian Kirk was a good start even though he came with a heavy price tag.

30: New York Jets

There is still hope for Zach Wilson to prove he is a starting QB, but Robert Saleh quickly realized the Jets defense isn’t the defense he had back in San Francisco.  With the Jets having 4 of the first 38 draft picks in this year’s draft, this team needs to hit on all of them if they are going to stand a chance in 2022.

29: Atlanta Falcons

This team has just never been the same since they blew that 28-3 lead in Superbowl 51.  With Calvin Ridley now suspended for the entire season, Kyle Pitts is the only Atlanta pass catcher of relevance left.  Trading away Matt Ryan was the right call and its time to blow this team up and start fresh. 

28: Detroit Lions

Dan Campbell had to have known this team was going to struggle after eventual Superbowl champion Matthew Stafford was traded to the LA Rams.  Rookie wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown showed flashes and was quarterback Jared Goff’s favourite target down the stretch.  The Lions have the draft capital to build a good team starting with next season. 

27: New York Giants

Hiring Brian Daboll was a smart move by the organization.  The giants have no shortage of offensive weaponry, and this will be a make or break year for Daniel Jones to prove he can play in this league.

26: Carolina Panthers

Sam Darnold isn’t very good and Christian McCaffery can’t stay healthy.  The panthers are stuck with both for the time being.  Hiring Matt Rhule as head coach is looking dumber and dumber every season.

25: Seattle Seahawks

One of the biggest blockbuster trades of the offseason sent Russell Wilson to the broncos in exchange for a king’s ransom of draft picks and players.  This team is rebuilding, and Drew Lock is merely a placeholder until they find their QB of the future.

24: Pittsburgh Steelers

Future Hall of Fame QB Ben Roethlisberger officially retired last season and its time for former bears 2^nd overall draft pick Mitch Trubisky to take the reigns.  With the AFC loaded with quarterback talent, its hard envisioning the Steelers making a splash this season. 

23: Washington Commanders

Carson Wentz has been traded again and he winds up back in the division that originally drafted him.  If he can get Terry McLaurin the ball as often as possible and the Washington front 7 can get after opposing quarterbacks, this team could be average this year.

22: Chicago Bears

Justin Fields is going to take great strides in his second season, but the bears have many holes to fill on both sides of the ball.  Ryan Poles has not made many splashes in free agency, except offloading a few players with heavy price tags like Khalil Mack and Eddie Goldman.  This team may need a year or two to be back to relevance but the north will soon be there for the taking.

 21: New Orleans Saints

The Taysom Hill project is over and the Saints are looking to see if Jameis Winston can prove he still deserves to be a starter in this league.  This team struggled at times last season, but with the NFC as weak as it has ever been, this team can find a way to sneak into the playoffs.

20: New England Patriots

Mac Jones is an above average quarterback but unfortunately the AFC is loaded with talent this year.  This team can still make the post season, but future hall of fame coach Bill Belichick needs to prove he should still be managing this team and coaching on the sidelines, not playing golf in Florida.

19: Miami Dolphins

The dolphins have no shortage of talent on this roster, especially after acquiring Tyreek Hill in a trade with the Chiefs. All that speed and talent won’t do them any good if Tua Tagovailoa can’t take great strides in his third season.  It’s make or break for him this year.

18: Philadelphia Eagles

The eagles have some offensive weapons to work with and three first round picks in this years draft.  Jalen hurts has is a dynamic player but needs to prove he can get the ball into his playmakers hands if this team wants to be taken seriously.

17: Minnesota Vikings

Another disappointingly average season for the Vikings means extending Kirk Cousins yet again.  Cousins has shown he can be an above average QB especially throwing the ball to Justin Jefferson and handing the ball off to Dalvin Cook.  The Vikings are stuck and limbo and need to do something to take a step in the right direction or blow the team up and rebuild. 

16: Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders traded for Davante Adams in another one of the blockbuster moves of the offseason, adding another weapon for Derek Carr to throw to.  After making the postseason last year, the raiders will find it challenging to make it back there given how loaded the AFC West is.

15: Indianapolis Colts

Carson Wentz has been shipped out of town and Matty Ice has arrived in Indianapolis.  Does he have anything left in the tank or will Darius Leonard and the Colts be looking for their 6^th QB in 6 seasons after next year?

14: Arizona Cardinals

Kyler Murray is clearly disgruntled and wants a hefty contract extension before the start of next season.  The Cardinals were one of the most impressive teams in football in the first half of last year but need to find a way to win games when it matters.

13: Tennessee Titans

Ryan Tannehill took a huge step back last season, as the ghost of Julio Jones just couldn’t get over his lingering injury issues.  This team is fortunate to play in the worst division in the AFC and must get AJ Brown and Derrick Henry the ball as much as they can if they want to be successful.

12: Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens underachieved last year and will look to bounce back in a big way this season.  Lamar Jackson is still without a contract extension but if he is starting under centre, this team will compete with the rest of the AFC.

11: Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson has finally been traded making the browns a serious contender this season and will take them to a level Baker Mayfield never could.  With Myles Garret on defense and Nick Chubb and Amari Cooper on offense, this team might be able to put it all together and do some damage come playoff time.

10: Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys had a dramatic and disappointing end yet again to their season last year.  Luckily, Dak Prescott is still a one of the top quarterbacks in the league, and they play in arguably the worst division in the NFL. Mike McCarthy is going to be on the hot seat if this team can’t find a way to make a deep run in the playoffs next season.

9: LA Chargers

The Chargers are among the AFC West teams that made big off season moves.  They signed Mike Williams to an extension and traded for Khalil Mack creating a dangerous two headed monster on defense with Joey Bosa.  Justin Herbert has shown he can be the best quarterback in the league and needs to do that more consistently if they want to make it to the postseason next year.

8: Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos have their quarterback.  Russell Wilson is out of Seattle and has a fresh start in the toughest division in football.  He will look to dethrone the chiefs from atop the AFC West for the first time since Peyton Manning was under centre for the Broncos in 2015.  Expect great things from this team with #3 in town.

7: San Francisco 49ers

This team is still in quarterback limbo since being unsuccessful to finding a trade partner for Jimmy Garoppolo.  The 49ers still don’t seem fully committed to Trey Lance being the starter under centre in 2022 so having Garoppolo on the team will still give the team a chance to win.  If they can get the quarterback position right, the 49ers will be one of the best teams in football. 

6: Cincinnati Bengals

The Cinderella story ended abruptly last season after the Bengals fell to the Rams in the Superbowl.  Joe Burrow is the quarterback of the future and if he can throw the ball to the likes of Tee Higgins and Ja’marr Chase, they will be right back there in the years to come.

5: Green Bay Packers

Whether Packers fans want to admit it or not, losing Davante Adams is still a loss for this team.  But as long as the back-to-back MVP Aaron Rodgers can play at an elite level, this team will remain on top of the NFC North and will look to avenge last years embarrassing playoff loss to the 49ers. 

4: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tom Brady has unretired and is returning to the Buccaneers next season.  The nfl world was able to rejoice for a total of 41 days before he decided to come back.  With Brady under centre, and the buccaneers defense playing at an elite level, this team is a top threat in the NFC.

3: LA Rams

Matt Stafford was finally able to escape the wild inconsistencies in Detroit and help the Rams become Superbowl Champions last season.  This team appears to have no holes or flaws and if Aaron Donald is on the defensive side of the ball, this team can easily run it back next season.

 2: Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs may have just lost Tyreek Hill to the dolphins, but this team will compete no matter who the former MVP throws the ball to.  The Chiefs defense is the definition of inconsistency and needs to be better if this team wants to be back in the Superbowl for a third time in four seasons.

1: Buffalo Bills

Josh Allen is the best quarterback in the league and was 13 seconds away from locking up a trip to the AFC Championship a season ago.  The Bills have dethroned the Patriots as the Kings of the AFC East and are going to be back with a vengeance next season.