8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Previous ranking: 20
Key additions: QB Tom Brady
Yes, he moves the needle that much. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers make the biggest jump in these rankings, with the acquisition of the G.O.A.T.
Brady now gets to play with an array of weapons the likes of which he has not seen in a while. Mike Evans gives him a downfield target while Chris Godwin gives him his go-to slot receiver. O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate are great options at the tight end spot.
Furthermore, the Buccaneers defense gets a big boost. Unless Brady somehow matches the 30 interceptions thrown by Jameis Winston a season ago, no more short fields to defend, and perhaps longer stretches on the sideline watching and resting.
Finally, now Brady has something left to prove: that Bill Belichick was wrong for parting ways. Yeah, Tampa Bay fans should be excited.
7. Buffalo Bills
Previous ranking: 9
Key additions: WR Stefon Diggs, OLB A.J. Klein, ILB Tyler Matakevich, DE Quinton Jefferson, DT Vernon Butler, CB Josh Norman
Think back to Josh Allen, quarterback prospect out of the University of Wyoming. Close your eyes for a second and try and picture who he was back then. You’re probably seeing images of his big arm, making downfield throws, and flashing the elite velocity and arm strength ideal for a vertical-based passer.
That part of Allen’s game was missing a season ago. He was woeful throwing downfield, ranking 23rd out of 24 qualified passers in adjusted completion percentage on throws 20 yards or more downfield. But that can change with the trade for Diggs. While not a prototypical X receiver, Diggs is a game-changer in the vertical passing game. He led the league in touchdowns on vertical targets a season ago (six).
But the butterfly effect is real on what this means for the Bills offense. Having Diggs might mean more defenses play Cover-2 against them, making the box lighter and making the running game a bit easier. It also creates space for players like John Brown and Cole Beasley underneath.
Defensively, Jefferson and Butler are very solid acquisitions that will ease the loss of Shaq Lawson and Jordan Phillips, and reuniting Norman with Sean McDermott puts the veteran corner in a familiar defensive scheme.
6. Tennessee Titans
Previous ranking: 7
Key additions: DE Vic Beasley
The Titans are largely looking to just run it back from a season ago. They signed quarterback Ryan Tannehill to a four-year, $118 million extension, which freed up the franchise tag to be used on Derrick Henry, their workhorse running back. They also signed another contract extension with Dennis Kelly, who likely slides into the right tackle spot vacated by Jack Conklin.
They made the decision to release Cameron Wake defensively, but adding Vic Beasley was a nice move to replace what they lost off the edge. Beasley might be a few seasons away from his career-high 16.5 sacks in 2016, but he still had 36 total pressures a season ago and nine sacks, his highest output since that 2016 campaign. Pairing him with Harold Landry is likely an upgrade to their pass rush unit.
5. Green Bay Packers
Previous ranking: 5
Key additions: RT Rick Wagner, LB Christian Kirksey, TE Marcedes Lewis
A season ago, the Packers relied heavily on their dime defensive package. As pointed out by Doug Farrar in our free agency grade article, that requires a linebacker who can make plays against the pass but still stick his nose in down at the line of scrimmage against the run. They now have that player in Christian Kirksey, who played under defensive coordinator Mike Pettine in Cleveland. They lost right tackle Bryan Bulaga in free agency but can slide Rick Wagner into his spot immediately.
They still need another running mate for Davante Adams in the wide receiver room, but with the depth in this WR class they should be able to do that even picking at the end of the first round. Names to watch for are Denzel Mims from Baylor, Justin Jefferson from LSU, Brandon Aiyuk from Arizona State, Jalen Reagor from TCU and Tee Higgins from Clemson.
4. San Francisco 49ers
Previous ranking: 3
Key additions: ILB Joe Walker, 13th overall selection
Without any huge needs and lacking draft capital, the 49ers’ biggest move this free agency period has been to address the lack of picks. With a glut of talent along the defensive line, they sent DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the 13th overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft. That, coupled with the loss of Emmanuel Sanders in free agency, makes it very likely that the 49ers secure one of the top wide receivers in this draft class. It would be surprising if one of the Alabama wideouts, either Henry Ruggs or Jerry Jeudy, gets past them at that spot. After their selection at No. 31 overall, they are not on the clock again until the fifth round, so look for them to move that second first-rounder in exchange for a pick or two on Day 2.
3. New Orleans Saints
Previous ranking: 4
Key additions: WR Emmanuel Sanders, S Malcolm Jenkins
The Saints badly needed to get Michael Thomas a running mate, and they did just that, adding Emmanuel Sanders to bolster their wide receiver group. Both Thomas and Sanders are versatile targets, with both being used last season in the slot and on the boundary. With Sanders in the fold, New Orleans can use their first-round selection to help the defense, perhaps with Zach Baun from Wisconsin, or they could trade down as they currently last a second-round pick.
Speaking of the defense, adding Jenkins into the secondary gives them a proven veteran safety with the ability to play both as a single high free safety or down in the box if needed. He can also serve as a strong mentor for Marcus Williams at the opposite safety spot and be a leader in the locker room.
But the main reason for their modest jump is the Sanders acquisition. This is going to be a very hard passing game to slow down.
2. Baltimore Ravens
Previous ranking: 2
Key additions: DE Calais Campbell, DT Michael Brockers, DT Jihad Ward
It is always fascinating to see a team take stock of how their season ended and make moves to counteract what did them in. In this case, you can see the Ravens adding reinforcements along their defensive front for one reason: stopping Derrick Henry and the running game. Henry tagged them for just under 200 yards rushing in the Tennessee Titans’ upset victory over the Ravens in the divisional round, and adding Campbell and Brockers on the inside makes this already solid defense even better up front. Now obviously Campbell can also get after the passer, so pairing him with Matthew Judon, who they used the franchise tag on, will enable Baltimore to continue pressuring passers while perhaps relying less on the blitz than they did a season ago.
They also took advantage of a deep tight end room, sending Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons and getting a second-round pick in return.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Previous ranking: 1
Key additions: QB Jordan Ta’amu
They have Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. Thirty-one other franchises do not. Enough said.