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Kansas City sits atop Touchdown Wire’s final 2019-20 Power Rankings, but coaching moves spur movement up and down our postseason list.
Kansas City sits atop Touchdown Wire’s final 2019-20 Power Rankings, but coaching moves spur movement up and down our postseason list.
When we compiled the last Touchdown Wire Power Rankings of the regular season, we based them strictly on how teams fared in the 2019 season. That’s a tried and true formula and a fair way to judge how a team performed in that season.
Now, we’re going to take a slightly different approach. That’s because there already have been a lot of changes this offseason — coaching changes, changes at the top of the quarterback hierarchy and plenty of speculation about potentially significant player movement when the league year starts in March.
That’s why we’re taking a different approach to our postseason rankings. Yes, what a team did during the season will play heavily, but changes in 2020 also matter.
For example, the Washington Redskins were No. 31 in our rankings at the end of the regular season. But they’re moving up with the arrival of coach Ron Rivera, who will bring a sense of order that was previously lacking.
Now, that the Super Bowl has been played, it’s time for the final Touchdown Wire Power Rankings for the 2019-20 season.
(2-14; Previous rank: 32)
The Bengals were consistently dismal all season, and that’s why they’re holding onto the No. 32 spot. Head coach Zac Taylor is lucky to be returning for a second season, but owner Mike Brown has been unusually patient through the years. Maybe that patience will pay off this time. The Bengals get a great reward for being so bad. They earned the first pick in the draft, and it’s almost universally believed they’ll use it on LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner. Burrow might make a big difference right away. But he needs help. The offensive line needs an overhaul, and it’s imperative that the team re-signs receiver A.J. Green, who can make Burrow look good in a hurry.
(5-11; Previous rank: 26)
We dropped the Panthers to No. 31 because they’ve had so many changes. And none of them are clearly for the better. Owner David Tepper continues to put his stamp on the team, and things are likely to get worse before they get better. Tepper fired coach Ron Rivera late last season. Rivera is highly respected around the league. Tepper replaced him with Matt Rhule, who has a reputation as a program builder on the college level but has never been an NFL head coach. Throw in Luke Kuechly’s surprise retirement and the parting of ways with tight end Greg Olsen, and the roster is worse today than at the end of the season. Plus, there’s no telling what the Panthers will do with injury-plagued quarterback Cam Newton.
(3-12-1; Previous rank: 30)
Head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn held onto their jobs despite a disastrous season. The only reason I can see for that is that owner Martha Ford gave Patricia a pass because he played much of the season without quarterback Matthew Stafford. The veteran Stafford isn’t a world beater, but he puts up stats and keeps the Lions competitive. Stafford’s return will help the Lions, but Patricia and Quinn have to go out and acquire more talent if they’re going to contend for a playoff spot. If they don’t, they’ll be gone.
(4-12. Previous rank: 28)
Head coach Pat Shurmur was fired, and that’s not a bad thing. But he was replaced by Joe Judge. That likely prompted many New York fans to say, “Joe Who?” because Judge wasn’t a household name. Judge was the special teams and wide receivers coach for the Patriots. His New England pedigree undoubtedly helped him land the job. But this is a tough gig. Shurmur and predecessor Ben McAdoo failed miserably. Judge doesn’t have a lot to work with besides quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley.
(6-10. Previous rank: 29)
The Jaguars move up one spot in our rankings — mainly because they kept coach Doug Marrone but got rid of executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin. That should take pressure off Marrone, because Coughlin was a control freak and loomed over every move the coach made. Now this truly is Marrone’s team. His first big decision will be whether to start veteran quarterback Nick Foles or second-year pro Gardner Minshew. Neither is a bad choice.
(3-13. Previous rank: 31)
Washington scooped up former Carolina coach Ron Rivera to replace the fired Jay Gruden and interim replacement Bill Callahan. That was the best coaching hire of the postseason. Now, the Redskins have an adult running the show. Rivera, a former linebacker for the Chicago Bears, is known as a players’ coach. That’s only partly true. He also is a no-nonsense coach, who is firmly in control of his team. His specialty is defense, but his first task in Washington will be to find out if the Redskins can win with second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
(5-11. Previous rank: 27)
Remember all the early talk last year about how the Dolphins were tanking and could go 0-16. That looked like a possibility for a bit. But coach Brian Flores held his team together, and the Dolphins started winning games, including the season finale at New England. They took themselves out of contention for the No. 1 overall draft pick. But they still could land their quarterback of the future with the fifth overall pick — perhaps Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon’s Justin Herbert. In the meantime, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick will be around to guide the offense until a replacement is deemed ready for action.
(5-11. Previous rank: 25)
Next season will be one of change for the Chargers. They’ll be moving into a new stadium they’ll share with the Rams. More importantly, they should have a new look on the field. Veteran quarterback Philip Rivers is almost certainly done after 16 seasons with the franchise. That has fueled wild speculation that New England quarterback Tom Brady could be coming to the Chargers. There’s some logic to this one. Brady has said he’s open to playing for another team. He owns a home in Los Angeles. The Chargers need wins. They also need help at the box office. There might not be a bigger drawing card than Brady. Maybe this is a pipe dream, but it’s not an impossibility.
With Gary Kubiak in charge, the Vikings will likely have the same offensive identity in 2020.
Gary Kubiak will be the offensive coordinator for the Vikings in 2020.
This comes after Kevin Stefanski was named the head coach of the Browns. While Stefanski will be missed, the offense will generally be the same in 2020 with Kubiak, who was an offensive advisor in 2019, at the helm.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins thinks that will be a good thing.
“I think first of all, it helps that there’s going to be continuity,” Cousins said via Vikings.com. “This is going to be my fifth voice in my helmet calling the plays in five years, so I was hoping for continuity, and we’re going to be able to have that.
It has to be hard for a quarterback to go through different offensive schemes year after year, so that part is true.
What will help Cousins and this offense even more, though, will be more improvement on the offensive line and more depth at the wide receiver position.
Petzing will join former Vikings coach Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland.
That didn’t take long.
A day after it was reported that Vikings wide recievers coach Drew Petzing would not return to the Vikings, Mary Kay Cabot reported that Petzing would be joining the Browns as their tight ends coach.
Petzing coached with new Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski for six years in Minnesota. The 2019 season was the only in which he served as the wide receivers coach.
The Browns also have Mike Priefer as their special teams coordinator. Priefer was the Vikings special teams coordinator from 2011-2018.
Per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Paton is heading to Cleveland on Wednesday to interview for the second time for the GM spot.
After conflicting reports on whether or not Vikings assistant GM George Paton would be considered for the Browns GM spot, here we are.
Per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Paton is heading to Cleveland on Wednesday to interview for the second time for the GM spot.
Vikings assistant GM George Paton is flying to Cleveland today for his second interview for the Browns GM job, per league sources. Sounds like we could know something very soon, as in the next 48 hours.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) January 22, 2020
Paton is familiar with new Browns coach Kevin Stefanski. The two spent more than a decade together in Minnesota with the Vikings.
It feels like Minnesota East is coming together in Cleveland.
After spending a year with the Redskins as the interim head coach, Bill Callahan is likely to be hired in Cleveland under Kevin Stefanski.
Ex-Skins coach lands in Cleveland…once upon a time the Browns were interested in Trent Williams. Both org's have changed… https://t.co/EIItks0WcW
— John Keim (@john_keim) January 20, 2020
The Washington Redskins former interim head coach and offensive line coach Bill Callahan is expected to be finding a new home soon, with the Cleveland Browns likely to name him their offensive line coach.
If hired in Cleveland, Callahan will be working under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.
The Browns are thought to have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL, though they haven’t been able to put all of the pieces together as of late. The offensive line is a major issue for the team, as second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield was under duress all season long, and he rarely had time to get the ball out of his hands. If Callahan can get the line improved to even be in the top half of the league, the Browns could become contenders with the amount of talent they have on both sides of the ball.
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Paton was close with Browns new head coach Kevin Stefanski.
After previous reports that the Browns were going to interview Vikings assistant GM George Paton, the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling has reported that Paton actually does not have an interview set up with the Browns.
Source said, at the moment, Vikings assistant GM George Paton does not have an interview set up with the Browns for their GM job. They might talk later on in the process, but as of now, Paton isn't in the mix.
— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) January 16, 2020
Paton was close with Browns new head coach Kevin Stefanski during their time in Minnesota.
Paton has been linked to teams over the years, and will almost certainly get a GM job one day. It doesn’t seem like it will be with the Browns, though.
10 NFL teams with new looks for 2020
Touchdown Wire looks at the 10 NFL teams that will have the most change in 2020.
The National Football League is all about change from year to year and 2020 is going to be no different.
Whether it’s a new head coach, different assistants, the additions of rookie or players switching teams, there are always teams that look totally different than the year before. That can be better or worse. But not many teams ever sit completely still.
The 2020 season is going to be full of teams with looks that are vastly different than 2019. Let’s take a look at the at the 10 teams that will have the biggest changes in looks in 2020.
Mike Tomlin did perhaps his finest coaching job in 2019. He somehow kept his team in the playoff race until the end. He did that without injured quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Tomlin shuffled young quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges. With Roethlisberger back, the Steelers should get back to the playoffs in 2020. Just getting Roethlisberger back will change the Steelers’ look back to what it used to be.
The Browns formally introduced Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach Tuesday and the new leader in Cleveland had nothing but great things to say about the sometimes polarizing quarterback he’ll soon be working with.
The Browns formally introduced Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach Tuesday and the new leader in Cleveland had nothing but great things to say about the sometimes polarizing quarterback he’ll soon be working with.