The New Orleans Saints got their guy in free agent quarterback Derek Carr, so how does this pickup change their perception around the league? To find out, we’ve rolled out our first NFL power rankings ahead of next week’s free agency signing period, reflecting the Saints’ investment in Carr as well as the many other moves going on around the league.
Head coach hires. Star player retirements. Franchise tag shenanigans. 2023 NFL draft rumors and expectations. All of that and more factored into our list of all 32 teams, ordered from worst to first. Where do you have the Saints ranking among their peers? Here’s our take:
32
Chicago Bears
The Bears are really bad, guys. Their offense lacks juice and their defense is a shadow of a memory of its former self. This roster needs a ton of work, and they’re already working to get more picks in this year’s draft to engineer a turnaround.
31
Arizona Cardinals
Arizona will go as far as Kyler Murray can will them, so it’s a shame he’s going to miss time recovering from last year’s late-season knee injury. They’ll be picking high in the 2024 draft while cleaning up the mess longtime general manager Steve Keim made of their roster.
30
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have invested a lot of resources into their defense only for it to be a weakness of their team, and it’s tough to see how they could improve under center after unceremoniously cutting Derek Carr to save some money and appease an already-failed head coach in Josh McDaniels.
29
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers are taking their medicine this year, choosing to cut a lot of expensive veterans and eat Tom Brady’s big dead money salary cap hit after his (final?) retirement. They’re in for a yearslong rebuild. It’s going to be fascinating to compare their results in a few years against the Saints, who are continuing to try and win now in similar circumstances.
28
Tennessee Titans
The Titans are in a weird space without a quarterback — Ryan Tannehill is who he is, which isn’t a compliment, and they still aren’t ready to embrace Malik Willis — and an aging roster that’s seen too many highly-drafted players go on and win elsewhere, like A.J. Brown and Adoree’ Jackson. Mike Vrabel is a good coach but his cupboard looks awful bare.
27
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are kicking off a rebuild, but they’ll always be competitive with Sean McVay coaching up Matthew Stafford while Aaron Donald ruins opponents’ days on the other side of the ball. Their prolonged Super Bowl hangover has to end eventually.
26
Pittsburgh Steelers
First-round quarterback Kenny Pickett is coming off of an ugly rookie year, and he’s still stuck with one of the least-effective play callers in the league; Matt Canada’s job security is kind of stunning. But the Steelers defense is dominant at all three levels and they’ll win plenty of games on their own. If you turn your head and squint, Pittsburgh’s team looks like the Bizarro Saints had they made a few different choices.
25
Houston Texans
The Texans are a talent-poor roster, but they made maybe the best hire of the offseason in head coach DeMeco Ryans, who has assembled a bright staff around him. They also have the resources to turn things around in a hurry with tens of millions of dollars in salary cap space and multiple early-round picks in the 2023 draft.
24
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are positioned well in the weak AFC South with some playmakers on both sides of the ball; it’s honestly a better foundation than it appears at first glance with talent in the trenches and a dynamic running back in Jonathan Taylor. But general manager Chris Ballard needs to act more aggressively in the offseason and sign some much-needed upgrades. This team is more than a rookie quarterback away from curing what ails them.
23
Washington Commanders
So long, Carson Wentz. No team needs an upgrade at quarterback and is in worse shape at acquiring one than the Commanders; offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has his work cut out for him under center, but at least he has ample receiving talent to work with in Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel. They’re also stout up front on the defensive line.
22
Green Bay Packers
At least Lambeau Field remains a gorgeous venue with an elite fan experience (when it isn’t snowbound). The Packers are in trouble with or without Aaron Rodgers, whose diva act has run its course. They’re in a difficult salary cap situation, Jordan Love doesn’t inspire confidence as a starting quarterback, and the defense has hemorrhaged talent in recent years. Matt LaFleur needs to step up and prove he’s the reason this team has won so many games.
21
New England Patriots
The questions surrounding Mac Jones’ fitness to start don’t seem to be going away, but at least he has a comforting presence in new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien. But the Patriots defense needs to look more like its old self if they’re going to meet fans’ high expectations in 2023.
20
Atlanta Falcons
It’s kind of a miracle that the Falcons have won as many games lately as they have, given how poorly that roster is constructed and the salary cap hurdles set ahead of them; many fans of the dirty birds remain unconvinced that general manager Terry Fontenot isn’t a New Orleans double agent. But they finally have the resources to get a franchise quarterback after burning their bridge with Matt Ryan, and head coach Arthur Smith has kept them in a lot of games they had no business winning.
19
Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson might be a bust, which would be a colossal (but on-brand) misstep by the Browns. We’ll see if he’s knocked off the rust after being out of football for so long between a lengthy suspension for sexual misconduct allegations and a yearslong feud with his old Texans team. If he can return to the high level Cleveland expected, they should push the Ravens and Bengals for the division crown, but that’s looking like a major question mark after Watson’s poor performance last season.
18
New York Jets
There’s a surprising amount of things to like about the Jets. They have the skills positions talent, they have a great defense run by head coach Robert Saleh, and they have the money and draft picks to throw around in pursuit of a franchise quarterback. If they can get one of their top targets, they’ll be dangerous. But how often do things go this well for the Jets? Where’s that other shoe about to drop?
17
Carolina Panthers
This might be a problem. Frank Reich is a good head coach, but he’s surrounded himself with overqualified assistants who might be even better candidates for his own job — guys like Jim Caldwell, Ejiro Evero, Thomas Brown, and Dom Capers. It remains to be seen who is playing quarterback in Carolina, though, and if they answer that question incorrectly all of these promising hires will have been for naught.
16
New York Giants
The Giants lucked into a playoff appearance last year by putting some training wheels on Daniel Jones, a former draft bust who promptly turned that rare streak of nice play into contract demands numbering at $45 million per year. We’ll see how that works out for them. This is an overall solid team with a good head coach-general manager pairing who overachieved last season. Can they repeat it?
15
New Orleans Saints
Sink or swim, Dennis Allen is setting sail with his own supporting cast. He’s brought in coaches he rocks with and gotten his top choice at quarterback in signing Derek Carr. There’s no excuse if he loses double-digit games again in 2023. The Saints are on top of an admittedly weak division, and nobody is confusing them for Super Bowl contenders — and that’s fine. After missing the postseason in back-to-back years, they’ve just got to worry about qualifying for the playoffs before they start dreaming of Super Bowl aspirations.
14
Denver Broncos
Can Sean Payton fix Russell Wilson? Probably so. And if he can at least get the Broncos offense to a league-average scoring output after their miserable 2022 season, they’ll quickly become a power in the AFC West. Denver’s defense was already impressive before Vance Joseph returned to coach it on Payton’s staff.
13
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings just achieved the fakest winning record the NFL has ever seen, and they got exposed in the playoffs because of it. They need to prove Kirk Cousins can get them where they want to go at quarterback and that their defense is strong enough to compete after they got too many breaks for their own good in 2022.
12
Los Angeles Chargers
Head coach Brandon Staley purged his staff of Sean Payton loyalists this offseason and made them all scapegoats after his defense choked in a big spotlight early in the playoffs, but the problem is still him. He got away from the aggressive decision-making that helped put him on the map a year ago and mismanaged his personnel. He needs to prove he’s not as out of his depth as it looks like, or else that Justin Herbert trade request is going to hit like a ton of bricks in a year or two.
11
Miami Dolphins
Can Tua Tagovailoa continue to lead this team after suffering a series of concussions in 2022? That’s the expectation, but his long-term health has to be a consideration here. Miami wouldn’t be remiss from exploring all options if they can get similar play out of a quarterback without Tagovailoa’s injury history, but that’s tricky with a lucrative contract extension on the horizon for him.
10
Detroit Lions
The easiest team to root for in the NFL finally found some success in 2022, and they’re running it back with many of the same players and coaches who got them over the hump last season. Now it’s time to find an upgrade at quarterback over Jared Goff (go ahead and pencil in Anthony Richardson with the top-five pick Detroit owns from the Rams) and stabilize a defense that gave up too many big plays last year.
9
Seattle Seahawks
Take a bow, Geno Smith. He finally earned the multiyear contract extension he’s been working so hard for all these years and got the Seahawks to express their trust in him for all the world to see. One of the best stories in the NFL needs to put up an impressive sequel. Seattle’s defense isn’t what it once was, but it’s still a well-coached group full of playmakers who can surprise you.
8
Dallas Cowboys
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Dak Prescott is a great quarterback and the Cowboys defense offers challenges at every level, but this team still has its warts. Mike McCarthy hasn’t been able to make any noise in the postseason and he shares some play-calling tendencies that can be a liability in the modern game. Dallas still looks at contract extensions as rewards for past production, not investments in future expectations, and it holds them back. The Cowboys need to change how they do business to really threaten anyone.
7
Jacksonville Jaguars
Doug Pederson proved to everyone how coaching matters in the NFL, inheriting a team Urban Meyer couldn’t prepare for Sundays and stunning the world with a comeback win in the playoffs. Now he needs to prove it was luck by sustaining Trevor Lawrence’s high level of play. Adding Calvin Ridley to an already-explosive offense is going to do a lot to help their cause.
6
Baltimore Ravens
Please pay Lamar Jackson, Baltimore. The Ravens have done him a disservice with a gimmicky offense that didn’t trust him as heavily as Jackson’s college system did, and now they’re balking when he’s seeking what he’s earned for playing at a high level anyway. No one wants to sit through months of franchise tag discourse and rumormongering as the Ravens draw this out. Pay your best players and save all of us the trouble of having to argue about it.
5
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals lost a Super Bowl because injuries shredded their offensive line and Eli Apple couldn’t cover anyone, and they got eliminated in the playoffs because injuries eroded their offensive line and Eli Apple got exposed in a big spot. They shouldn’t stop investing in their line, but they’ve got to address real needs in the secondary.
4
Philadelphia Eagles
Could the Eagles take a step back this year? Maybe. They’ve lost a lot of good coaches to the annual hiring cycle and they’re already preparing for an exodus of free agents. On the other hand, Jalen Hurts is still playing on his rookie contract and Philadelphia has the draft capital to reload in a hurry. They’ll be in the Super Bowl conversation again in 2023.
3
San Francisco 49ers
Replacing an elite defensive coordinator like DeMeco Ryans is no small task, but the biggest factor holding the 49ers back is their quarterbacks situation. Trey Lance is coming off a season-ending injury. Brock Purdy got away with way, way too many ugly passes before a season-ending injury. Jimmy Garoppolo is hustling to get out of town after his own season-ending injury. Kyle Shanahan will keep this team on top of the NFC, but if Lance is as big a bust as fans fear they’ll continue to be an also-ran rather than a title winner.
2
Buffalo Bills
The Bills seem to have it all — an opportunistic defense, an electrifying quarterback, and a passionate fanbase — so why can’t they seal the deal in the playoffs? Maybe they’re putting too much on Josh Allen’s shoulders. A stronger rushing attack could do a lot to balance things out for Buffalo and help them control the pace of play in the postseason. Better investments at wide receiver could help, too; washouts like Jake Kumerow and Cole Beasley have run far too many routes for them as of late.
1
Kansas City Chiefs
Nothing seems to matter when the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. Their defense gets run over, their offense can’t run the ball, and head coach Andy Reid forgets to use his timeouts, and Mahomes still finds ways to win. He’s every inch a generational talent and his presence alone keeps Kansas City on top — but them being the reigning Super Bowl champions does make that easier to accept.
