They Got Next?

Here’s how we see the teams with less than three weeks from the start of free agency:

Note: We’ve included post-season games with team records.

The final power rankings of the 2022 season:

GETTY IMAGES: With some defensive upgrades, the Detroit Lions could be Super in 2023

1. Kansas City Chiefs (17-3): Head coach Andy Reid answered all of the questions about how the offense would function without star WR Tyreek Hill with his 2^nd Super Bowl Championship.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (16-4): It was a great run for this team in 2022, but they have 20 total free agents (offense, defense, special teams), so it won’t be easy to dominate the NFC again in 2023.

3. Cincinnati Bengals (14-5): Like most of the teams in our top-10, the Bengals have solid roster, potentially one of the NFL’s best. But what keeps them from being a great team is their below-average offensive line. The front office has to correct this ongoing problem.

4. San Francisco 49ers (15-5): They have one of the NFL’s best rosters, but their top-two QBs are coming off of major injuries, which is why fans will have to be patient in the early going.

5. Buffalo Bills (14-4): Some coaching defections over the last few years have taken a toll on their offense, but with Josh Allen behind center, they will still be a very competitive team.

6. Dallas Cowboys (13-6): Some would say this team continues to underachieve as their roster is pretty solid. So, why can’t they seem to make a run in the playoffs?

7. Minnesota Vikings (13-5): Getting Brian Flores as their defensive coordinator will be huge, but they have major questions in the secondary as we get closer to the start of free agency.

8. New York Giants (10-8-1): They certainly overachieved last season due to great coaching, but they’ll have more money to spend in free agency this year in order to start eliminating some holes on their roster.

9. Detroit Lions (9-8): To say I’m bullish on this team would be an understatement. They’re a few key defensive players away from being a Super Bowl contender. Yeah, I said it.

10. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-9): They were a huge surprise in head coach Doug Pederson’s first season and they have good, young roster. They’re clearly the team to beat in the AFC South.

11. Baltimore Ravens (10-8): They’ve made it clear that they aren’t trading star QB Lamar Jackson, but he has missed 10 games over the last 2 seasons, which is big reason why they haven’t progressed as far as expected.

12. Los Angeles Chargers (10-8): This team has surprisingly been very disappointing on defense during head coach Brandon Staley’s tenure. Is it a talent issue or coaching?

13. Denver Broncos (5-12): Yes, I’m expecting new head coach Sean Payton to make a major difference when it comes to redeveloping veteran QB Russell Wilson.

14. Green Bay Packers (8-9): They’ll get the quarterback question answered soon and once they do, we’ll get a better idea of how this team will look.

15. New York Jets (7-10): They will be making a major addition at quarterback, and once they do we’ll likely have them ranked much higher than this spot. Other than QB, the Jets don’t have many weaknesses, which is why they very well could challenge for the AFC East title this season.

16. Seattle Seahawks (9-9): Can journeyman QB Geno Smith repeat his surprising success from last season? Even if he does, they’ll need help on defense if they want to be a legitimate playoff team.

17. Cleveland Browns (7-10): Getting a full off-season for QB Deshaun Watson with his teammates will help, but the Browns still have questions on both sides of the ball (WR, DT, LB, S).

18. Miami Dolphins (9-9): They got off to an 8-3 start last season only to collapse in the second half and barely make the playoffs as a Wild Card. The addition of veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is huge, but starting QB Tua Tagovailoa is still a major question mark. And they continue to have issues on their offensive line.

19. Carolina Panthers (7-10): This is yet another team that’s a good quarterback away from being a legitimate playoff contender, as there aren’t many holes on their roster.

20.Washington Commanders (8-8-1): We know the defense will be competitive, but can they really win with Sam Howell at QB? We’re going to find out starting in September.

21. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8): They still need to build around 2^nd-year QB Kenny Pickett and will need more blue-chip players on defense in order to return to the playoffs.

22. New England Patriots (8-9): The addition of offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien will help turn their situation around, but some questions on both sides of the ball remain.

23. Los Angeles Rams (5-12): This team has gotten older rather quickly and they have holes on both sides of the ball that might not be able to get fixed this off-season.

24. New Orleans Saints (7-10): The roster is better than their record would indicate, but they’re yet another team with a major question behind center.

25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-10): This is a team’s clearly in transition as we get closer to March. They need a starting QB badly and have some key free agents on defense.

26. Indianapolis Colts (4-12-1): This is a team that lacks enough star power on both sides of the ball. And oh, and they’re one of many teams that needs to figure out the QB position.

27. Atlanta Falcons (7-10): Give head coach Arthur Smith credit for winning 14 games over his first two seasons, as this team is one of the least talented in the NFL.

28. Tennessee Titans (7-10): This is clearly a team in transition and from what I understand, head coach Mike Vrabel wants the offense to be more dynamic and to transition out of being so run-heavy. It would help if they actually had better talent to work with, as they have one of the least talented teams on the offensive side in the NFL.

29. Las Vegas Raiders (6-11): No QB, lack of high-end talent on both sides of the ball are reasons why we’re down on this team. This is a huge off-season for the Raiders.

30. Arizona Cardinals (4-13): This team badly needs a talent infusion if it wants to get back to respectability.

31. Houston Texans (3-13-1): They’ve got the right head coach, but the overall roster is arguably the worst in the NFL.

32. Chicago Bears (3-14): Based on comments from the head coach and GM to close their season, it sounds like QB Justin Fields will be back as the starter this season. And that’s the right decision. They have to build around him then make a decision on his future.

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