NFL Preseason Power Rankings: Patriots, Rams, Saints lead way Published: Aug 20, 2019 at 03:37 AM Welcome to a new era of the Power Rankings. New guy, same drill. Every Tuesday morning during the regular season and through the playoffs, I'll spin through the NFL and rank every team, from glorious No. 1 to dreaded No. 32. Like a gritty reality TV competitor, I didn't come here to Ronnie Lott Jersey make friends. But I promise to be fair. We'll fire up the engine with a mid-preseason Power Rankings. I implore you not to get too amped up in either direction over where your team stands in the middle of August. There will be plenty of time to rage tweet me at . Let's ease into this relationship slowly. Finally, I'd like to shout out , who did great work in this space over the past eight years. Excited to take the baton and break into a clunky Dad Jog. Let's do this thing. Defending champions should never drop out of the No. 1 spot in a preseason power rankings exercise. 's reinstatement is for an offense cro sing its fingers for an impact from the likes of , and first-round pick . As for the guy who will be throwing the ball: ESPN's Mike Rei s that , who turned 42 earlier this month, has "been as sharp as ever" at camp. Don't be surprised at the end of the season when this is a top-10 offense -- again. coach Sean McVay left around 20 starters back home when the team traveled to Hawaii for its preseason game last week against the . When the NFL finally moves away from four preseason games (I believe this will happen), you can thank McVay for playing his part. The coach's preseason crusade did not preclude us from getting a closer look at rookie running back , who had six receptions and 54 yards of total offense . We are le s than three weeks away from Week 1, and one of the league's burning questions is how McVay will split backfield usage between Henderson, and . went off in the second half of the ' preseason game on Sunday, relieving an ill and with his arm and legs in a comeback win. Exciting? Yes. But remember that the preseason makes fools of many. It does make you think, though: In games that count, would Sean Payton carve out an even greater role for Hill in the ' offense than what we saw last season (133 snaps, seven pa s attempts, 37 rushes)? Would be OK with that? Payton wouldn't do anything to disrespect his future quarterback, but you know there must be alternate game plans rattling around in that genius offensive mind of his. and the ' offense looked mortal in their . The reigning NFL MVP finished 2-of-5 for 11 yards in two fruitle s po se sions. You may remember -- or fans may still be trying to forget -- Mahomes throwing six touchdown pa ses last September . Is there any reason to worry in K.C.? Of course not. With a full go, the Kansas City offense will enter 2019 as an unholy terror. The addition of speedy second-round pick , who had a TD catch in each of the first two preseason games, further complicates matters for opposing defensive coordinators. You can probably drop the 15 spots on this list if 's latest eats into his regular season. For now, we'll work under the a sumption that the superstar quarterback will be ready for Week 1. before Indy's preseason matchup against the , which seems like a good sign. The may not be contenders with , but they aren't lost, either. He was great in . In Jake Brisket, the have themselves an ideal hold-the-fort guy. (Editor's note: Luck announced Saturday evening that .) The depth behind gets more troubling by the week. Seven days after broke his wrist in the preseason opener, suffered a concu sion against the . managed to remain in one piece for the balance of , and general manager Howie Roseman coaxed 40-year-old out of retirement . A search of McCown's name will bring up hundreds of notebooks and feature stories singing the veteran's praises as a teammate and man, but McCown the football player did not put out positive tape in extended action for the in 2018. In , Philly had the ultimate luxury at quarterback. Even at full health, could you trust McCown, Sudfeld or Ke sler to be competent if called upon? coach Matt Nagy went Full McVay on us in Week 2 of the preseason, holding rookie running back out of action after his eye-opening performance against the . Montgomery is likely to stay out of harm's way until real football begins -- and he'll hardly be alone. The held out 26 players that are either starters or key reserves against the . However, the game did lead to a development at one key position. The on Sunday, leaving as the only kicker remaining in one of the league's most heavily scrutinized positional battles this summer. Who knows what mental tests Nagy has in store for Pineiro now that he's alone? Escape room? Sleep deprivation chamber? Hot-coals walk? OK, fans: It's officially understandable to be nervous about the holdout. Week 1 is on the horizon, and we are not hearing anything positive on the contract negotiations front. At least he's -- that's a start, right? For now, it's wise to focus on who is actually at The Star. That includes , who has looked very sharp in both his preseason tuneups. In fact, the fourth-year starter didn't throw an incompletion in nine attempts against the Niners and . One of Prescott's completions in Hawaii was hauled in by , who played all 12 snaps of Dallas' opening drive. Witten had 63 catches for 560 yards on 87 targets in his 2017 "farewell" season. It will be interesting to see if he comes close to approaching that production in 2019. The got serious about improving their defense in the offseason, and we continue to see promising signs in the early going of the preseason. As we mentioned earlier, Pittsburgh acro s nine snaps -- a small sample size, but encouraging nonethele s. First-round pick flashed big-time in the preseason opener , while and were pa s-rush terrors against Kansas City. and might be gone, but you'd be foolish to count out the ' chances in the AFC. A soft reboot might be exactly what this organization needed. The summer has been for , the second-round rookie wide receiver expected to step into the void left by the retired . That plan hit a speed bump with Sunday's announcement that Metcalf needs surgery suffered last week. coach Pete Carroll doesn't believe Metcalf will be out long, but it's more bad news for a Seattle rookie cla s that is having trouble staying on Joe Montana Jersey the field. Defensive end , the team's first-round pick, is working his way back from an ankle sprain. On Sunday night, second-round safety was carted off the field with back spasms. The is a crushing setback for the , who lose a young team leader and one of the biggest difference makers in the NFL from the safety position for at least three months. That the injury occurred in practice last week serves as a reminder that holding key players out of preseason games doesn't guarantee much. James played in 99 percent of the ' snaps as a rookie, earning first-team All-Pro honors in the proce s. NFL coaches love the "next man up" mantra, but this is not your typical situation. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley has some capable players -- and , to name two -- who will help try to fill the void. It's plain bad luck for a franchise that's had more than its share. "Slide a little bit." That was the advice gave when after Thursday's preseason matchup between the and . (FWIW: was there, too -- he later referred to himself as ) Rodgers may have been referring to the game's most exciting play, that saw the second-year pa ser fake out one defender and hurdle over another on his way into the end zone. (The play was nullified by a penalty, but who cares?) Rodgers, of course, makes a good point. Jackson absolutely be sliding in a meaningle s preseason game, but that's just not the kid's style. is under a lot of pre sure after an up-and-down first season with the , and a sharp preseason isn't going to quiet the doubters. Still, Cousins looked nice and loose in an efficient cameo on Sunday . It will be interesting to see how Minnesota's attack operates with offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski (his interim label now removed) and -- looking this up, one moment -- Gary Kubiak in the mix. Cousins' counting stats were actually pretty great in his first season in Minnesota, but that's kind of become Cousins' MO, hasn't it? Entering his eighth season, it's time to tie that production to more wins and a deep playoff run. The aren't really going to trade , are they? That was the big story around this team last week after longtime Houston Chronicle scribe John McClain tweeted that he'd be surprised if the talented edge rusher . Perhaps -- and this is not likely -- but perhaps Houston could find a team willing to part with a premium draft pick for Clowney, but how many teams would do that without any a surances that Clowney won't simply walk to the highest bidder in free agency seven months from now? Maybe the relationship between Clowney and head coach/de facto GM Bill O'Brien is worse than we know ... but it just makes more sense for the to hold onto Clowney and put their best team on the field in a couple weeks. One of the NFL's biggest subplots entering the 2019 season is how and the ' offense will change -- the hope in Green Bay is for the better -- with rookie head coach Matt LaFleur now at the controls. This might be a good time to on the new relationship between the 35-year-old Rodgers and 39-year-old LaFleur. We learned in Silver's piece that Rodgers -- who was held out of preseason action and a weekend practice as a precaution due to back stiffne s -- will not have as much freedom at the line of scrimmage as he did during the Mike McCarthy era. Rodgers seemed open to the change in June ... we wonder if he'll feel the same Reuben Foster Jersey way if Green Bay goes 1-3 in September. Add Freddie Kitchens to the list of coaches who treat preseason games as far le s than a nece sity. The first-year head man rested a host of players in over the , including quarterback , running back , defensive end , wide receiver Jr. and tight end . OBJ (hip) and Njoku (knee) are both nursing what seem to be minor injuries (Njoku returned to practice on Monday). Kitchens said Garrett got "banged up" in Thursday's joint practice with the . One player who suit up this weekend was running back , who knocked a little bit of rust off with two carries against Indy. It will be interesting to see what kind of role he inherits when is up. Chubb has a golden opportunity to take the starting job and, well, run with it. Gregg Williams was not going to give an easy time of it . The defensive coordinator sent all sorts of heat at the former MVP, who was sacked three times and under constant pre sure during his four po se sions. The positive spin for the is that they did not have what they believe will be their full starting five on the field to protect Ryan, which -- while we're here -- makes you wonder why franchise cornerstones like Ryan are on the field in the first place for these exhibitions. Ryan wasn't spooked by the pre sure, by the way. He completed nine straight pa ses at one point against New York's subpar secondary, and he would have had a touchdown if not for a pair of end-zone drops. Welcome back, . The veteran wide receiver this weekend, marking an important step in his comeback after tearing multiple knee ligaments in a game last August. Lee's next battle is to work his way up a depth chart that includes , and . The wide receiver position in general is a big question mark for the , who gave in the spring but may not have surrounded him with enough weapons to spark the kind of change Jacksonville bra s expects with the former MVP behind center. It wouldn't be shocking if the Jags looked to add to this group if and when a veteran name shakes free come final roster cuts. Do we have a sneaky quarterback competition going on in Nashville? Ben Volin of the Boston Globe that the ' starting QB gig "looks surprisingly wide open." The had been under the impre sion that would be the starter for Week 1 and beyond, with the newly acquired on the ready if Mariota struggled or went down with another injury. Volin believes Mariota will have a "short leash" at best, which -- let's be honest here -- makes sense. Mariota has had plenty of time (four seasons so far) to prove himself as The Man in Nashville. It's hard to fault the if they are indeed having a crisis of confidence in the former No. 2 overall pick. Ron Rivera is wisely keeping out of harm's way as the 30-year-old quarterback returns from his second shoulder surgery in two years. The downside of this has been the grim backup quarterback competition we're seeing through two preseason games. started and struggled to get pa ses beyond the line of scrimmage. replaced Allen and on his second pa s attempt. If you're looking for a long shot in this scintillating backup battle, don't count out , who actually moved the ball against the ' reserves. Yep, the need Cam to stay healthy this year. Newton will Thursday. looked like a man ready for induction Deebo Samuel Jersey on Monday night . The second-year linebacker was an absolute terror over 15 snaps, finishing with three tackles, and two quarterback hits. One of those QB hits , making Chubb responsible for two Niners turnovers in the first half. Chubb was stronger and faster than both San Francisco blind-side protectors who attempted to stop him, one of them being six-time Pro Bowler . It's scary what the three-headed monster of Chubb, and defensive wizard Vic Fangio is capable of. coach Adam Gase told reporters to play inside linebacker as long as he did on Thursday against the . Williamson was playing with all reserves when an end-zone collision resulted in It's a brutal setback for a New York defense that needs all the help it can get. Williamson is a solid veteran who was shifting positions after the handed a huge contract in free agency. Gase told reporters on Sunday that Williamson's misfortune that running back will see live action before Week 1. Bell hasn't played in a game since January 2018, but it's hard to blame Gase for the decision. You get the feeling the could be playing in a lot of 34-31 games this fall. The start in humble territory in our power rankings, but keep an eye on the upstarts out of Western New York. Coach Sean McDermott has a roster that could surprise, and the could be downright frisky if develops in Year 2. The 2018 first-round pick was sharp on Friday leading the to 10 points in two po se sions. owners: Keep an eye out on wide receiver , who has developed a quick rapport with Allen. He has six catches for 72 yards on six targets through two preseason tilts. Former English rugby player continued his long-shot bid to crack the roster, taking a swing pa s from and rumbling nearly 50 yards to the goal line. made his return to game action on Monday night and ... well ... let's just say there's room for improvement. The quarterback, whose 2018 season was cut short by a torn ACL last September, had what ESPN analyst Rex Ryan termed a "deer in the headlights" look acro s three series. Garoppolo finished 1-for-6 with an interception and zero yards pa sing. Zero. His numbers would have been worse if not for a dropped would-be pick six. This performance comes after Jimmy G threw interceptions in practice last week. Time to panic? Nah, rust is expected for the former understudy. But it's pretty wild how much expectations have shifted for Garoppolo since this time last year. returned with a vengeance the weekend. General manager Mike Mayock that -- who went AWOL on the team again over his helmet crusade -- has to make a decision now as to whether or not he wants to be part of the team. You know the hoped to avoid the situation reaching this territory. They've e sentially given Brown, a complete and utter wild card at this point of his career, what amounts to an ultimatum. Brown's agent responded on behalf of his client, and yikes, this is a big, old me s. The were roasted for sending Brown to Oakland in exchange for a pair of mid-round picks (and a huge cap hit), but now it looks like a stroke of genius. The good news? on Monday. The bad news? That doesn't guarantee he'll stay there. Though they didn't get a win out of it (doesn't matter), the have to be feeling much better about themselves after their to the . The looked completely out of sync in their against the Patriots; the offensive line allowed nine sacks! You can understand why coach Matt Patricia continues to keep out of game action. The line was a much more competitive unit against the , giving up just two sacks and actually allowing backup quarterbacks and time to make some plays. Stafford will likely make his first and only preseason cameo this week How the ' line looks early on in that one will likely dictate how long the franchise quarterback stays on the field. ' made everyone wonder if there was any chance a legit quarterback competition would come into focus in Northern New Jersey. probably put that to rest with one po se sion (Yes, the bar was that low.) The veteran completed all four of his pa s attempts with a touchdown in his only drive before giving way to Jones. The first-round pick wasn't nearly as impre sive as he was a week ago, fumbling in two of his first three po se sions. Jones pulled it together and flashed later in the game on a gorgeous to late in the first half. You get the feeling that Manning is going to have play well -- and win -- to still have his starting job by Halloween. Rookie hung tough in the pocket and dropped a dime into the hands of for but ESPN's Adam Schefter veteran is the favorite to start Week 1 It makes sense. As I wrote in my breakdown of the , Jay Gruden does not have the luxury of going through the peaks and valleys of a rookie quarterback's first journey through the NFL. Gruden has to win games -- and Keenum probably gives the a better shot at doing that right now. That said, consider it a shock if we don't see plenty of Haskins in 2019. Gruden must walk a fine line. (Or is it a plank?) The big storyline around the Bucs this offseason centered on the relationship of new head coach Bruce Arians and quarterback , but this defense could be in line for a big improvement. New defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is getting high marks from Bucs players, and free-agent acquisitions like and flashed in training camp and the preseason. Bowles' reputation took a hit during a largely unsucce sful run as head coach of the , but he was one of the league's most effective defensive coordinators before that. It will be interesting to see if he can get his mojo back in Tampa. The are without both (ankle) and (hamstring), but that hasn't stopped fourth-round rookie quarterback from putting a chokehold on the backup job behind . Finley has completed 75 percent of his attempts with three touchdowns and one interception thus far. is in no danger of losing his grip on the starting gig, but the departure of coach Marvin Lewis after 16 seasons creates the feeling of a fresh start in Cincinnati. If Zac Taylor isn't in love with what he sees from Dalton this season, could another big organizational change be on the way in 2020? The Instant Superstar Expre s (working title) hit a speed bump The No. 1 overall pick struggled mightily against the . Murray went 3-for-8 for 12 yards in four futile po se sions, took a bad sack that resulted in a safety and was flagged for two false starts That last i sue might be the trickiest to addre s for the rookie, who will be forced to make a quick adjustment. That said, this is not panic time in the desert. The and new head coach Kliff Kingsbury aren't showing close to their real offense in the preseason, and Murray will get better with more Frank Gore Jersey pro reps. I say this with all the respect in the world for The Beard: Is there a reason for to be on this particular team? It made sense when Fitzpatrick signed back in March; at that point, the Miami depth chart consisted of and , two men with five NFL pa s attempts between them. But the arrival of changed things. With Miami deep in a rebuild, it makes sense to see as much as po sible from Rosen, who was deemed worthy of the 10th overall pick in the 2018 , before having to make a decision at quarterback come next April. Speaking of which, when Fitzpatrick goes full Fitzmagic for a month in September or October, won't the excitement and ensuing victories be offset by the resulting weakened draft position in the first round? Real talk: Fitz makes more sense as trade bait than as the ' starting quarterback. 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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