Front Office Power Rankings; pre-Free Agency
With free agency due to officially open on Thursday 9th March, I though I’d try a new kind of power ranking; front offices.
I’ll take into account who general managers have released, the roster they currently have, what draft resources and cap space is at their disposal, how their previous signings have worked out and whether they have addressed their teams needs. This will be the first of four front office rankings; pre-Free Agency, pre-Draft, post-Draft, and a final table just before Week One.
- Atlanta Falcons
Yes, Atlanta blew a 25 point lead in the Super Bowl. But don’t blame general manager Thomas Dimitroff. He has built head coach Dan Quinn a stacked young roster on both sides of the ball. Four rookies started on defense in the Super Bowl, and the Falcons have no glaring weaknesses as we head into free agency.
2. Tennessee Titans
Young general manager Jon Robinson has the Titans shaping up as a playoff contender and a team on the rise in the dismal AFC South. Robinson has two first rounders to play with after some great trades last off-season, and Tennessee are one good draft away from the playoffs.
3. New England Patriots
Bill Belichick juggles both personnel and coaching decisions in New England, and consistently turns trash from other teams into treasure with bargain basement pick-ups. He knows when to jettison young players for resources before having to pay them big (Chandler Jones and Jamie Collins), yet still finds ways to replace their production.
4. Denver Broncos
Despite missing the playoffs a year after winning the Super Bowl, Denver’s window is wide open and their dominant defense remains. John Elway wisely decided not to overpay for Brock Osweiler and could be the front-runner to land Tony Romo.
5. Oakland Raiders
Spending big in free agency doesn’t always buy success. But thanks to Reggie McKenzie’s last few drafts delivering young franchise cornerstones, Oakland bucked the trend and made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. A deep draft should allow the Raiders to restock at corner and running back and contend again.
6. New York Giants
Jerry Reese was mocked last season for seemingly overpaying players like Olivier Vernon, Jason Pierre-Paul and Janoris Jenkins. But after huge improvement on defense and a weak class of free agents this off-season, Reese’s splurge looks inspired.
7. Los Angeles Chargers
Don’t blame Tom Telesco for the Chargers’ issues over the past two seasons. Telesco has steadily found young talent with some good drafts; Melvin Gordon, Jason Verrett, Joey Bosa, and Jatavis Brown among them. Telesco also has last year’s best signing; inking Casey Hayward to a three year, $15.3 million deal.
8. Seattle Seahawks
After back to back Super Bowl trips, Seattle lost key contributors. John Schneider has kept Seattle in contention by scraping through in recent years, but a deep draft should allow the Seahawks to restock at cornerback and address the offensive line in free agency.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jason Licht’s last few drafts have yielded bounties like Mike Evans, Jameis Winston, and offensive linemen Ali Marpet and Donovan Smith. With this young nucleus in place, drafting or signing a star running back and tight end could put Tampa over the top.
10. Kansas City Chiefs
John Dorsey consistently finds the right players for Andy Reid’s system, and the Chiefs no longer need to rely on Jamaal Charles. Solid on both sides of the ball, Kansas City are one or two studs away from taking the next step.
11. Philadelphia Eagles
After taking roster control back from Chip Kelly, Howie Roseman gutted Kelly’s players. He then traded up to land a franchise passer in Carson Wentz, before recouping a first round pick by dealing Sam Bradford to Minnesota. Now Philadelphia can build around Wentz in a deep draft at running back and receiver.
12. Arizona Cardinals
After succeeding with veteran pick-ups, Steve Keim has an eye on the future. He unearthed stars like Tyrann Mathieu, got a steal in 3rd rounder David Johnson, and executed a shrewd trade for Chandler Jones. Now he must find Carson Palmer’s successor.
13. Chicago Bears
Despite struggling at the bottom of the league, Ryan Pace is rebuilding the right way; through the draft. Leonard Floyd, Cody Whitehair, Jordan Howard and Eddie Goldman are all Pace’s picks. Up next, finding a franchise quarterback.
14. Baltimore Ravens
Once a draft guru, Ozzie Newsome has struggled in recent drafts, with Baltimore relying instead on veteran pick-ups. But Newsome could find his next transcendent star at any time.
15. Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones found Dallas’ future last off-season in Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott. But the outspoken owner/general manager must now address the defense and navigate the complex Tony Romo situation. Jones has made bad deals before (Greg Hardy) and cannot afford any more.
16. Detroit Lions
Unfazed by Calvin Johnson’s retirement, Bob Quinn acted quickly and brought in Marvin Jones and Anquan Boldin to fill the void. Now he must turn his attention to the defense.
17. Minnesota Vikings
Injuries derailed Minnesota’s 2016 campaign, but Rick Spielman coped admirably. Maligned at the time, the trade for Sam Bradford looks masterful with Teddy Bridgewater still out. Spielman has also built one of the league’s best defenses for Mike Zimmer.
18. Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers needs some help from Ted Thompson, who still stubbornly clings to his ‘draft-and-develop’ philosophy despite grooming inconsistent players like Randall Cobb and Eddie Lacy. Thompson must bite the bullet and find free-agent reinforcements.
19. Cincinnati Bengals
A gradual talent drain means Mike Brown must restock this off-season. Another ‘draft-and-develop’ stalwart, Brown will need more than the draft to get Cincinnati back to the post-season.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers
Working in tandem with head coach Mike Tomlin, Kevin Colbert keeps Pittsburgh competitive by surrounding Ben Roethlisberger with weapons. However, the defense needs to be a priority once Le’Veon Bell’s extension is sorted.
21. Carolina Panthers
David Gettleman’s reluctance to pay Josh Norman last year cost Carolina, shredding their championship-calibre secondary. Gettleman must now rebuild both the secondary and the offensive line, instead of wasting first round picks on a stacked front seven.
22. Miami Dolphins
Mike Tannebaum is a fan of high-risk, high-reward contracts. He overpaid Ryan Tannehill and veterans like Ndamukong Suh and Mario Williams, but has also found starters like Byron Maxwell. Miami will be big spenders once again, but will this class be a boom or bust?
23. Cleveland Browns
Under Sashi Brown, Cleveland has adopted a statistics-driven approach; hoarding draft picks to increase their chances of finding good players. A sound theory, with two first rounders and over $100 million in cap space at their disposal. But will it pay off?
24. Indianapolis Colts
New general manager Chris Ballard, who comes from Kansas City’s personnel department, immediately began gutting the roster of predecessor Ryan Grigson’s players. How Ballard approaches this off-season to build around Andrew Luck will be interesting.
25. San Francisco 49ers
A surprise hire, John Lynch is a former player and TV analyst with no prior front office experience. Working with rookie head coach Kyle Shanahan, Lynch has said he won’t rush a rebuild. Cutting under-performers from the roster is one thing, but replacing them adequately is another.
26. Houston Texans
Yes, Rick Smith has built a stacked defense that is arguably the league’s best. But he also signed off on a four year, $72 million deal for unproven quarterback Brock Osweiler. And we all know how that worked out.
27. New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees’ window is closing, and the defense has been one of the league’s worst in recent years. But Mickey Loomis seems unwilling to address the unit, instead wasting cap space (five year, $36 million for Coby Fleener) and draft picks (1st rounder on Michael Thomas) on an already stacked offense. If Loomis fails to fix the defense this off-season, he should be fired.
28. Buffalo Bills
Yes, Doug Whaley has brought in talent like Sammy Watkins and LeSean McCoy. But Buffalo are still lost at quarterback, with Whaley unwilling to commit to Tyrod Taylor and bust E.J. Manuel leaving this year.
29. Los Angeles Rams
Les Snead sold the farm for Jared Goff, with success hinging on Sean McVay. Snead has built a top tier defense, but will soon have to pay Aaron Donald after paying top cornerback money to Trumaine Johnson (a mid-level starter) via the franchise tag.
30. Washington Redskins
Scott McLoughlan was a no-show at the Combine. The Redskins have tagged their way into a corner with Kirk Cousins and have no real control in negotiations, and receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon could walk. Dysfunction as usual in Washington.
31. Jacksonville Jaguars
Dave Caldwell has spent big money in the past few seasons, with little to show for it. Caldwell seems to sign risky players to multi-year contracts before dumping them the following season. (Julius Thomas, Jared Odrick) And the Jaguars still don’t know if Blake Bortles is a bust or not.
32. New York Jets
The Jets have gutted their roster despite finishing 10–6 two years ago. Mike Maccagnan spent big on veterans (Darelle Revis, Brandon Marshall) before jettisoning them this off-season despite heading into a weak free agent market. Maccagnan also seems to have wasted two valuable draft picks on Christian Hackenburg (2nd round, 2016) and Bryce Petty (4th round, 2015).
