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NFL Power Index: The Eagles and Ravens Fly High

The hard work is done.

The NFL Draft and is over and so is most of the free agency heavy lifting. So which teams improved their standing? BetBasics.com provides you with a ranking of NFL teams going into the 2023 season.

TEAM

First pick

FA SIGNING

BEST/WORST MOVE

SKINNY

EAGLES

Nolan Smith, OLB, Georgia R1, 30

James Bradberry, CB

Signing QB Jalen Hurts, 5-yrs, $255 million 

A relentless defense got more relentless

CHIEFS

Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, N’Western, R1, 31

Jawann Taylor, OT

Signing QB Blaine Gabbert to backup Patrick Mahomes

As long as Mahomes is healthy, the Chiefs rule the AFC

BENGALS

Myles Murphy, Clemson, Edge, R1, 28

Orlando Brown, OT

Exercised 5th year option on QB Joe Burrow

Tough, resilient experience and well coached

BILLS

Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah, R1, 25

Taylor Rapp, S

Giving QB Josh Allen another elite target

Coin flip: Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson?

49ERS

Ji’Ayer Brown, S, Penn State, R3, 87

Javon Hargrave, DT

Losing K Robby Gould in F.A.

Good problem: Who’s the QB? Great defense

RAVENS

Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College, R1, 22

Odell Beckham Jr., WR

Signing QB Lamar Jackson, 5-yrs, $260 million

Flowers and OBJ have Jackson thinking 4,000 air yards

COWBOYS

Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan, R1, 26

C.J. Goodwin, ST

Trading for WR Brandin Cooks, CB Stephon Gilmore

A better run defense but it comes down to Dak

JAGUARS

Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma, R1, 27

Evan Engram, TE

Losing OT Jawaan Taylor in F.A.

Trevor Lawrence has come of age; so has Jax

LIONS

Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama, R1, 12

C.J. Gardner-Johnson S

Secondary first, CB Cameron Sutton, Gardner-Johnson

Positioned to win it all in 2024, with Hendon Hooker

JETS

Will McDonald IV, DE, Iowa St. R1, 15

Allen Lazard, WR

Trading for QB Aaron Rodgers

Can Rodgers lead Jets out of the SB darkness?

STEELERS

Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia, R1, 14

Patrick Peterson, CB

Not doing much to help QB Kenny Pickett

Steelers can be Top 10 if QB Kenny Picket improves

SEAHAWKS

Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois R1, 5

Bobby Wagner, LB

Giving Geno Smith a weapon in Jaxson Smith-Njigba

How much can overall talent mask Geno Smith’s flaws?

CHARGERS

Qunent1n Johnson, WR, TCU, R1, 22

J.C. Jackson, CB

Losing LB Drue Tranquill to division-rival Chiefs

If only Justin Herbert could play defense, too.

DOLPHINS

Cam Smith, CB, So. Carolina, R2, 51

Jalen Ramsey, CB

Losing TE Mike Gesicki in F.A.

Can Tua Tagovailoa stay healthy?

GIANTS

Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland, R1, 24

Darren Waller, TE

Extending QB Daniel Jones, 4-yrs, $160 million

Can they leapfrog Cowboys or Eagles? Doubtful

VIKINGS

Jordan Addison, WR, USC, R1, 23

Marcus Davenport, Edge

Is BYU QB Jaren Hall the future?

Last dance with Kirk Cousins doesn’t look good

TITANS

Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern, R1, 11

Andre Dillard, OT

Losing LB Bud Dupree in F.A.

How much does RB Derrick “the King” Henry have left?

PACKERS

Lukas Van Ness, Edge, Iowa, R1, 13

None, and that’s a problem

Drafting three weapons for QB Jordan Love

Does The Pack’s run of great QB play continue?

PATRIOTS

Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon, R1, 17

Riley Reiff, OT

Taking edge Keion White in the second round

Can OC Bill O’Brien make Mac Jones happy?

BRONCOS

Marvin Mims, Jr. WR, Oklahoma, R2, 63

Sean Payton, Coach

Signing DE Jared Allen to replace Bradley Chubb

Payton helps Russell Wilson recapture the magic

BEARS

Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee, R1, 10

Signing LB Tremaine Edmunds

Getting a haul by trading the No.1 overall pick

Justin Fields joins the QB elite

BROWNS

Cedric Tillman, WR, Tennessee, R3, 74

Dalvin Tomlinson, DT

Not a stellar receiving corps for Deshaun Watson

Deshaun Watson gets training camp and a full season

SAINTS

Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson, R1, 29

Derek Carr, QB

Letting Marcus Davenport leave hurts the pass rush

Carr and the Saints needed each other

FALCONS

Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas, R1, 8

Jessie Bates, S

Was drafting an RB with the 8th pick the right move?

Can Desmond Ridder take the next step?

RAIDERS

Tyree Wilson, Edge, Texas Tech, R1, 7

Jimmy Garoppolo, QB

Does the Maxx Crosby-Tyrese Wilson terrify QBs? 

The last time Jimmy G played a full season was 2019

COLTS

Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida, R1, 4

Samson Ekubam, DE

Hiring HC Shane Steichen to work with Richardson

How quickly can Richardson become the starting QB?

BUCCANEERS

Kaljiah Cancey, DT, Pitt, R1, 19

Jamel Dean, CB

QB Tom Brady retires; Baker Mayfield is signed

Tampa Bay needs a QB plan for 2024

PANTHERS

Bryce Young, QB, Alabama, R1, 1

D.J. Chark, WR

Trading up to draft Young or so they Panthers hope

Carolina fans need a giant dose of patience

TEXANS

C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio St., R1, 2

Laremy Tunsil OT

Hiring HC DeMeco Ryans

See Carolina fans

Commanders

Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Miss. St., R1, 16

Darron Payne, DT

Dan Snyder sells the team

Sam Howell up; where have you gone Joe Theissmann? 

Rams

Steve Avila, OG, TCU, R2, 36

Sean McVay, coach

Not retaining K Matt Gay

The price being paid for mortgaging the future, 

Cardinals

Paris Johnson, Jr, OT, Ohio State

Kyzir White, LB 

Losing DE and tone-setter Jared Allen to the Broncos

Will QB Khyler Murray’s talent go to waste? Hope not.

 

Are the Eagles good enough to win the Super Bowl?

Let’s make sure we’re clear about this. If Patrick Mahomes is mostly healthy (he wasn’t even close to completely healthy and still led the Chiefs to another Super Bowl title), the Chiefs are the team to beat in the NFL.

But with resident genius Howie Roseman sitting in the GM chair and working his draft and free agency magic, the Philadelphia Eagles will go into the 2023 season as the best team in the league. Not only did Roseman do another magnificent job in the draft – the groundwork was laid last season – but he also worked free agency like Bruce Springsteen works a guitar.

The Eagles were a little fortunate. DT Jalen Carter, considered by some as the best defensive player in the draft, fell to ninth. Roseman, traded up one spot and snagged the Georgia product. The Eagles will team Carter with last year’s No.1 pick, DT Jordan Davis, also a Georgia product.

The No. 10 pick the Eagles had in this draft was acquired last season when Roseman traded one of the three first-round picks the team had in the 2022 draft to the Falcons for the 2023 pick. The Eagles used their first-round pick (No. 30 overall) on outside linebacker Nolan Smith, our favorite defensive player in the draft who would have gone much higher had he not tore a pectoral muscle as a senior.

The Eagles defenses, which led the league in sacks with 70 last season, should be even more fearsome this season. And Jalen Hurts established himself as a franchise quarterback (and was rewarded with a five-year, $255 million contract) which means the offense is in good hands.

Philadelphia lost in the Super Bowl, 38-35, to Mahomes’ Chiefs but there’s no reason the Eagles can’t return to the championship game. The Chiefs, however, figure to have a harder time trying to repeat.

Mahomes is the best quarterback in the game and quickly establishing himself as one of the best in history. But the AFC is loaded with talented teams and star quarterbacks, starting with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals and Chiefs have met in the last two AFC Championship games.

Cincy has one of those quarterbacks in Joe Burrow and he will be protected by free agent tackle Orlando Brown. Buffalo is the other AFC team with an elite QB in Josh Allen. The Bills gave him a potentially elite weapon by drafting Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid. The Bills traded up to snag Kincaid with the 25th pick, just before the Dallas Cowboys selected at 26 and were very much in the tight end market.

The 49ers are the other elite team in the NFC. They didn’t have a first-round pick but found a gem in the third round in Penn State safety Ji’Ayer Brown. The question in San Francisco is at quarterback where Brock Purdy and Trey Lance are recovering from injury.

So is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson but he’s feeling a lot better after signing a five-year, $260 million deal. Baltimore made Jackson feel even more wanted by signing free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. and drafting wide receiver Zay Flowers out of Boston College.

The hard work is done. Let the games begin.

 

author
Lenn Robbins
Sports Journalist
Hi, I'm Lenn Robbins, a long-time sportswriter who still holds the detention record at Bildersee Junior High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., where I was born and raised. I came out of the womb a Mets fan, was baptized a Knicks fans and through the power of TV, became a Cowboys fan, which explains why I'm in group therapy. The name of my fantasy football league team is Sexual Chocolate. Anyone who can explain the origin of said team name, please h
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