16. Philadelphia Eagles
Last season, the Eagles somehow won nine games and the NFC East despite an injury-ravaged receiver group that gave Carson Wentz very little to work with when the playoffs came around. The hope is that the return of DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery, along with tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert and first-round receiver Jalen Reagor from TCU, will give Wentz a compensatory wealth of targets. If that’s the case, aligning that with an above-average defense fortified with the presence of ex-Lions cornerback Darius Slay makes this a formidable team. Certainly, you’d expect injury luck to err on the positive side for the Eagles this time around.
15. Arizona Cardinals
If 2018 was the year of Patrick Mahomes, and 2019 was the year of Lamar Jackson, it could be posited that 2020 will be the year of Kyler Murray. In his rookie season, Murray proved a perfect foil for first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive schemes, especially when Kingsbury started thinking outside his own box. Adding DeAndre Hopkins, as the Cardinals did as the latest team to fleece Bill O’Brien and the Texans, will certainly help, as will the selection of Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones in the third round of the draft — Murray caused a lot of his own league-leading 48 sacks, but an iffy offensive line didn’t help. On defense, first-round linebacker Isaiah Simmons comes in as the most versatile player in his draft class, able to play everywhere from the line of scrimmage to the slot to linebacker to safety. Arizona might not be quite ready to take the NFC West just yet, but this team will be must-see TV all season.
14. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are heading into their first Philip Rivers-less season since 2004, though given Rivers’ YOLO tendencies in 2019 (he led the league with six interceptions in the last two minutes of his team’s games; Jameis Winston finished second with three), this may be addition by subtraction. New starter Tyrod Taylor is a good enough placeholder in Anthony Lynn’s offense; the two worked well together in Buffalo, and there’s enough skill position talent to make it go. But the real story of this Chargers team is a secondary that may be the NFL’s second-best behind New England’s, with safeties Derwin James and Nasir Adderley, and cornerbacks Chris Harris Jr., Casey Hayward, and the underrated Michael Davis. If Taylor can simply manage the game as Rivers couldn’t last season, the Chargers could be in prime position to come back from 2019’s disappointing 5-11 record.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers
Last season, with Ben Roethlisberger missing all but 95 snaps with an elbow injury, the Steelers managed an 8-8 record despite the NFL’s worst quarterback situation. How? With a ferocious defense that led the NFL in pressure rate, generating quarterback pressure on 30.5% of its snaps. In addition, only the Patriots picked off more passes than Pittsburgh’s 20, and the early-season trade with the Dolphins for defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick gave the Steelers what they’ve desperately needed since Troy Polamalu’s retirement — a top-ticket free safety who could shut things down in the deep third. One would assume that Roethlisberger, even at age 38 and having threatened retirement multiple times over the last few years, would be able to amass a few more wins with a defense like that, as opposed to whatever it is that Mason Rudolph and Devlin “Duck” Hodges did.
12. Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck’s retirement took the NFL and the Colts by surprise before the 2019 season, leaving head coach Frank Reich with backup Jacoby Brissett and his decently efficient, but risk-averse, approach. Indy thought the step up from that was the addition of Philip Rivers, who spent most of 2019 throwing the ball to his opponents at the worst possible times. Reich has worked with Rivers before — he was the Chargers’ quarterback coach in 2013 and the offensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015 — so as much as any coach, he should be able to keep Rivers from his own worst tendencies. With the additions of first-round receiver Michael Pittman and second-round running back Jonathan Taylor, there’s certainly enough talent for Rivers to thrive — general manager Chris Ballard has assembled the kind of roster on both side of the ball that will save Rivers from having to do too much by himself, as Luck was often forced to do.
11. Seattle Seahawks
2019 was supposed to be a rebuilding season for the Seahawks, but Pete Carroll’s squad still managed to go 11-5, making the playoffs for the seventh time in the last eight years. As usual, the internal battle was between Russell Wilson, who carried the offense on his shoulders when he was allowed to, and Pete Carroll, who wants a balanced offense above all, no matter who his quarterback is. Wilson has expressed concerns regarding the limitations of that offense, and he’s got a point. Still, the key for Seattle to advance beyond the divisional round, which they haven’t done since their last Super Bowl season of 2014, is to rejuvenate a defense that featured one of the league’s weakest pass rushes and a secondary in transition. The likelihood of re-signing Jadeveon Clowney is not optimal, so it may be through coverage that Carroll’s defense gets more sacks. Acquiring former Washington cornerback Quinton Dunbar, perhaps the most underrated player at his position in the NFL, for a fifth-round pick in March should help… if Dunbar’s legal issues don’t get in the way.
10. Minnesota Vikings
Last season, the Vikings went 10-6 and made the playoffs despite an outside cornerback duo in Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes that allowed 10 touchdowns and picked off just one pass. Both are off the roster now, to be replaced by Mike Hughes and first-round pick Jeff Gladney out of TCU. Minnesota went receiver with their other first-round pick, which they acquired by trading Stefon Diggs to the Bills, taking LSU’s Justin Jefferson, an optimal slot target with outside potential. Other than that, this is a loaded roster that will go as far as quarterback Kirk Cousins can take it. That’s a mixed blessing, though the team was confident enough in Cousins’ production to give him a two-year, $66 million contract extension in March.