2015 NFL Power Rankings: Post-Free Agency Edition |

2015 NFL Power Rankings: Post-Free Agency Edition

NFL teams have begun to buy their playoff tickets for 2015. Some have, at least. Others, like the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles, have chosen to cut costs and try to build their teams up on the cheap. It’s anyone’s guess what philosophy will work best. We’ve seen success from teams that do nothing, spend all the money or simply build through the draft.

All we know for sure is that major change has hit a ton of NFL rosters and there’s a pretty good chance a couple of the 2014 playoff teams won’t be back in the league’s tourney to compete for the Super Bowl in 2015. Who they are remains to be determined, but a good way to start gauging that is to look at the rise and fall of team stock. The best way to dig into that is to push out our early 2015 NFL Power Rankings. Join us, won’t you?

1. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle was one run from winning it’s second straight title. They added Jimmy Graham and re-signed Marshawn Lynch. They’ll be right back in the mix next year.

2. New England Patriots

The Pats won it all and that has to count for something. They’re only #2 because they lost a ton of key defensive players.

3. Green Bay Packers

Green Bay was a Brandon Bostick botched onside kick recovery from the Super Bowl. Mike McCarthy has relinquished play-calling duties and their offense remains completely intact. If they can improve defensively, they’ll be a favorite to win it all by many.

4. Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning is back and the Broncos remain stacked. It’s really weird how everyone has swept them under the rug already.

5. Baltimore Ravens

Baltimore kept Justin Forsett and has a rising defense. They are built to win and could very well do it in 2015.

6. Indianapolis Colts

Indy finally got a running back in Frank Gore and Andre Johnson shores up their passing game. If their defense gets better, they’re serious Super Bowl threats.

7. Philadelphia Eagles

I’m all for what Chip Kelly is doing. Stephen A. Smith blindly insinuates Kelly is a racist, but he essentially traded LeSean McCoy and got Kiko Alonso, Byron Maxwell, DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews in return. He saved money in the process and even upgraded at quarterback by trading for Sam Bradford. This team is better than anyone gives it credit for.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers

The offense has returned to life and a healthy Le’Veon Bell makes the Steelers title contenders. They just need to completely rework their secondary.

9. Dallas Cowboys

Letting DeMarco Murray go isn’t that big of a deal as long as the Cowboys add some bodies to replace him. Their o-line can make anyone a stud and they need to focus on improving that defense. If they can, they’ll again be strong playoff contenders.

10. Arizona Cardinals

Arizona lost some key bodies on what was an elite defense in 2014, while they’re another Carson Palmer injury away from being a 4-12 team. There wasn’t enough improvement to put them much higher.

11. Cincinnati Bengals

Cincy keeps making the playoffs but there is no reason to trust in Andy Dalton at this point. They might make the playoffs again thanks to a great defense and solid offense, but they probably won’t make any real noise.

12. Carolina Panthers

Carolina has made the playoffs two years in a row and they’ve done it with weak receivers and no o-line. They need to add depth to both and replace Greg Hardy, and then we can talk about a third straight trip to the playoffs.

13. San Diego Chargers

San Diego is extremely well coached and it’s hard not to pull for Philip Rivers. They lost their top running back and their o-line is still shaky, however.

14. Buffalo Bills

Rex Ryan takes over an already elite defense and now the Bills can mash all day with LeSean McCoy in town. They still don’t have a quarterback, though.

15. Kansas City Chiefs

Landing Jeremy Maclin could really open up the offense and KC’s defense is pretty legit when healthy. Alex Smith continues to be the difference.

16. Detroit Lions

The Lions dismantled the thing that made them great (their defensive line), but trading for Haloti Ngata could make that a non-issue potentially. They still have an offense that can roll with anyone.

17. New Orleans Saints

The Saints traded Jimmy Graham and a pretty good guard. They seem to be trying to rebuild on the fly and Drew Brees has lost something off his fastball. They were 7-9 last year and could potentially be much worse in 2015.

18. St. Louis Rams

The Rams traded for Nick Foles and have a great defense, but there is something intangible that keeps holding them back. If Foles doesn’t pan out, they’re in serious trouble again.

19. Miami Dolphins

Miami landed Ndamukon Suh and has an offense that is very much on the rise. If Ryan Tannehill can take that next step they could vie for a playoff spot.

20. Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta needs to figure out their running back situation, while their defense remains a work in progress. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones just aren’t enough right now.

21. Minnesota Vikings

Teddy Bridgewater seems pretty legit and Minnesota’s defense is already good again. Whether or not Adrian Peterson stays could make or break this young team.

22. Houston Texans

J.J. Watt leads a strong defense, but the Texans inexplicably cut Andre Johnson and still don’t have a quarterback.

23. New York Giants

Odell Beckham Jr. was a revelation last year and the G-Men got more versatile by adding Shane Vereen. If their pass rush can return to life they could be real players this year.

24. San Francisco 49ers

It’s hard to hate on the Niners, but they couldn’t win in Jim Harbaugh’s final season, Patrick Willis and Justin Smith both retired, Navarro Bowman hasn’t played in over a year and Colin Kaepernick doesn’t work as a pocket passer. Should I go on?

25. Chicago Bears

The Bears traded Brandon Marshall and are sticking with Jay Cutler. John Fox was a solid hire and the defense should improve slightly, but Bears fans can probably expect much of the same.

26. New York Jets

New York hired a solid coach and got both Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie back. They also got Brandon Marshall. If they had someone to throw the ball they might be dangerous.

27. Washington Redskins

Robert Griffin III has been awful and Washington needs to hope all of their moves on defense pay off. If RG3 can’t improve, though, it won’t matter.

28. Jacksonville Jaguars

Gus Bradley has this team headed in the right direction, as their defense is already a solid unit. Julius Thomas was a nice addition but it all hangs on the development of Blake Bortles.

29. Oakland Raiders

Derek Carr can play and the Raiders shed a lot of dead weight across their roster. They’re still 1-2 years away from thinking about competing, though.

30. Cleveland Browns

Josh McCown isn’t the answer, so 2015 is all about finding out what the Browns have in Johnny Manziel. If he is even passable the Browns could make some noise with a solid running game and a feisty defense.

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Lovie Smith will take Jameis Winston #1 overall and the rebuild will officially begin in Tampa Bay. They have a lot of holes and can’t run the ball for some reason, so even with Winston they won’t be good in 2015.

32. Tennessee Titans

The Titans are a total mess. They addressed their pass rush but have a ton of holes and a running back that can’t succeed in their system. They won’t win many games this year.