The main portion of 2018 NFL Free Agency has come to an end, so it seems like a perfect time to take a look at who is at the top of the NFL.
1) Eagles: The defending Super Bowl Champions retain their spot atop the NFL, as they definitely have the most complete team, despite losing Patrick Robinson to New Orleans. As long as Carson Wentz doesn’t suffer any setbacks this offseason the Eagles are in a good spot.
2) Patriots: It has definitely not been the best offseason we’ve ever seen from the Pats. Losing Amendola, Lewis, and Malcolm Butler hurts, but let's try to be objective here. I love all 3 of those players. “Playoff Danny” is an awesome player and was a major part of 2 Super Bowl runs, but he’ll also turn 33 in the middle of this coming season and with an aging Edelman coming off an ACL tear the Patriots need to get younger at the position. Not a horrible loss. Dion Lewis is a tougher loss. A anyone who watches Third and Long knows I absolutely love the guy. In fact I defeated Ryan “Box Score” Bishop in the famous (or infamous depending on which side of the battle you were on) “Is Dion Lewis elite?” debate. Dion is absolutely electric, but I just don’t place a ton of value in running backs in general especially for the Patriots because they’re obviously a pass first team. Nate Soldier was another huge loss, but generally the Patriots have been able to figure out how to make horrible offensive lines work with the great coaching of Donte Scarnecchia, so it’s not my first priority. Finally, when it comes to Malcolm Butler I think what Bill Belichick did to him in the Super Bowl was wrong and I wish this whole ordeal had not happened and Butler could stay, but sadly it couldn’t be. The addition of Jason McCourty, Devin’s brother, should suffice. Despite the losses, with the additions of McCourty and Clayborn (and even without them), the Patriots are still the favorites to win the AFC and probably the odds on favorite to win it all.
3) Vikings: The best defense in the NFC is locked and loaded for another run to the NFL’s final four. They came up short last year with Case Keenum and without Dalvin Cook, but now with Kirk Cousins and Cook coming back Minnesota is certainly a top 3 team right now and I think they’ll find themselves playing late into January, maybe even February, this season.
4) Rams: St. Louis added Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib to an already good defense. With Goff having another year under his belt and the great Todd Gurley in the backfield I think the Rams are one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL.
5) Jaguars: The Jags lost Allen Robinson this offseason, which is very disappointing. A-Rob is one of the best wide receiver talents in the league and absolutely has the potential to be a top five receiver this season. The addition of Donte Moncrief is nice and should pick up some of the slack. He’s a very underrated receiver, especially as a red zone threat. This is particularly valuable because the key for the Jags is making sure defenses respect the pass in the red zone, as they do have a run first offense with Leonard Fournette. I watched a decent amount of Jags football last year and I noticed that Fournette had some difficulty finding holes inside the 5, as defenses were completely committed to stopping him. The addition of Moncrief is underrated and very important. The Jags have the best defense in the AFC and they should be in the AFC title game this season.
6) Saints: The addition of Patrick Robinson was a nice move to shore up a defense that has made massive improvements over the last couple years. With Drew Brees still there, the team that would have been in the NFC title game if it wasn’t for the heroics of Stefon Diggs, has a great shot in 2018.
7) Packers: I don’t understand the Jordy Nelson cutting, nor do I understand why the Packers traded for DeShone Kizer, but I do know and fully understand that the Packers will absolutely be a top 10 team with Aaron Rodgers back and healthy.
8) Steelers: Pittsburgh was a fraud team in 2017. I said that over and over and took a lot of heat for it. In the end I was proven right as the Jags expelled them from the playoffs in the divisional round. When I said the Steelers were a fraud team I didn’t mean they sucked or that they weren’t a top 10 team, they were and still are. What I meant was that the way people were treating them (as a legitimate Super Bowl contender) did not match what kind of team they were. This rings true again this season. Be very wary of the people who tell you the Steelers can beat the Patriots in the playoffs. It won’t happen.
9) Texans: With DeShaun Watson and JJ Watt back Houston is a top 10 team. They’ll give the Jags a run for their money in the AFC South, which has suddenly become one of the best divisions in the NFL after being awful for years.
10) Chargers: This was really a toss up. I thought about putting the Falcons, 49ers, Titans, Panthers, and others here, but I think out of all of those teams the Chargers have the best offense. Rivers has really nice weapons and a decent defense. I think this is the year Big Phil returns to the playoffs. I believe.
Honorable Mention: The San Francisco 49ers have had a slightly disappointing offseason so far. Although they added Richard Sherman and Jerick McKinnon (both very nice signings) I don’t understand why they didn’t make a play for the likes of Allen Robinson or some other receiver. They need to give Jimmy G more weapons. If they’re going to make such a huge investment in him why not give him the tools he needs for success? Regardless, I think the 49ers are borderline playoff team right now.
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