There's a saying, it isn't really football until they put on the pads. Training camp starts soon, but full-contact practices are still a-ways off.
These are the initial rankings, reflecting the three-deep Footballguys depth charts, which are updated as the transactions happen.
As usual, these grades are heavily influenced by the cohesion score. To explain briefly, these cohesion scores are calculated over a sliding window of 4 weeks. In other words, teams can reset their cohesion to a perfect 5 by holding the same lineup for a month. It's that simple.
So, please keep in mind, even the teams with high turnover (and low cohesion scores, like Atlanta Falcons) could soar up the rankings within the first few weeks of the season, depending on how the new pieces fit together. For further explanation, check the "Methodology" section in the 2018 Preseason Preview.
This year, the full team-by-team "All-32" article (with run/pass grades for each player and a graphic on each team) will be held until Week 3 of the preseason. For now, there are brief Twitter-level notes about each team, below. These notes reflect the changes made during the offseason.
This is a slow time of year news-wise, but it should be noted Cincinnati Bengals' first-round rookie Jonah Williams injured his shoulder (torn labrum) during mini-camp and will miss the upcoming season. Tough break during OTA for this year's 11th overall pick.
RANKINGS
|
Rank
|
Team
|
Score
|
Overall
|
Cohesion
|
Notes
|
|
1
|
NO
|
35.05
|
A+
|
4.0
|
Uncertainty at center spot (Unger retired) but stacked everywhere else.
|
|
2
|
PHI
|
34.40
|
A+
|
4.5
|
C Kelce is one of the best at the pivot, and the right side can dominate.
|
|
3
|
PIT
|
33.58
|
A
|
4.5
|
LT Villanueva made his first Pro Bowl, joining C Pouncey and RG Decastro.
|
|
4
|
DAL
|
33.30
|
A
|
5.0
|
Assuming C Frederick is fully recovered from illness, he and RG Martin can mash.
|
|
5
|
KC
|
32.65
|
A
|
4.0
|
RT Schwartz and LT Fisher are bookends, but a new C Reiter will have to step up.
|
|
6
|
GB
|
32.33
|
A
|
5.0
|
LT Bakhtiari has rare gifts, and the lineup retains perfect cohesion.
|
|
7
|
CHI
|
32.30
|
A
|
5.0
|
A high cohesion gem, led by LT Leno and C Whitehair. Scary if RG Long stays healthy.
|
|
8
|
IND
|
32.30
|
A
|
5.0
|
G Nelson made 1st team All-Pro as a rookie. That just doesn\'t happen.
|
|
9
|
WAS
|
31.75
|
A-
|
4.5
|
High trust level within the group - both LT Williams and RG Scherff change games.
|
|
10
|
BAL
|
31.53
|
A-
|
5.0
|
A tough group, led by RG Yanda. LT Stanley and RT Brown smoosh dudes.
|
|
11
|
LAC
|
31.05
|
A-
|
5.0
|
C Pouncey had a Pro Bowl year and LT Okung and RT Tevi are underrated.
|
|
12
|
SF
|
31.03
|
B+
|
5.0
|
Few teams have 2 tackles better than LT Staley and RT McGlinchey.
|
|
13
|
SEA
|
31.03
|
B+
|
4.0
|
LT Brown locks down in pass pro. Run game scary if LG Iupati and RG Fluker stay healthy.
|
|
14
|
CAR
|
30.78
|
B+
|
4.0
|
RG Turner is the alpha, but C Paradis from Denver will help. Watch RT Williams\' knee.
|
|
15
|
CLE
|
30.43
|
B
|
5.0
|
LG Bitonio made 2nd team All-Pro but the RG Zeitler trade hurts this grade.
|
|
16
|
DET
|
30.43
|
B
|
5.0
|
Perfect cohesion. LT Decker and RT Wagner are good and LG Ragnow has flashed.
|
|
17
|
ATL
|
30.30
|
B
|
2.5
|
Three new starters (LG, RG, RT) and two of those are rookies. Too many variables.
|
|
18
|
JAX
|
30.30
|
B
|
4.0
|
LG Norwell leads a talented run-first group. Rookie RT Brown drafted from nearby UF.
|
|
19
|
NE
|
30.13
|
B-
|
4.5
|
RG Mason mauls. After a redshirt rookie season, it\'s spotlight time for LT Wynn.
|
|
20
|
TEN
|
29.80
|
B-
|
3.0
|
LT Lewan is excellent. Two new starters, LG Saffold and RG Davis should fit in quickly.
|
|
21
|
OAK
|
29.75
|
B-
|
3.0
|
LT Brown and LG Incognito arrive, sending RT Miller to the other side.
|
|
22
|
NYJ
|
29.40
|
C+
|
4.0
|
LG Osemele an upgrade if healthy. Fans are concerned about C Harrison.
|
|
23
|
TB
|
29.30
|
C+
|
4.0
|
LG Marpet is good but the right side of RG Cappa and RT Dotson are shaky.
|
|
24
|
LAR
|
29.28
|
C+
|
3.0
|
Two new, and as yet to be determined starters at LG and RG. Noteboom among the faves.
|
|
25
|
NYG
|
29.15
|
C+
|
4.0
|
Zeitler trade helps, the only real hole is at RT where Wheeler is the nominal starter.
|
|
26
|
HOU
|
28.68
|
C
|
4.0
|
RT Howard will get every chance to win the starting job as a rookie.
|
|
27
|
CIN
|
28.43
|
C
|
3.0
|
LT Williams out for season (shoulder). Boling and Redmond may not be ready for the season.
|
|
28
|
MIN
|
28.15
|
C-
|
3.0
|
Two new starters in C Bradbury (rookie) and RG Kline. The grade can rise if they step up.
|
|
29
|
DEN
|
28.13
|
C-
|
3.0
|
If LG Leary looks fine after injury and new right side RG Risner and RT James gel...
|
|
30
|
AZ
|
28.03
|
C-
|
3.0
|
LG Sweezy and RT Gilbert are new but cohesion should be 5 soon if the vets stay healthy.
|
|
31
|
BUF
|
27.83
|
D+
|
3.0
|
C Morse and many others added in FA. Two other starting jobs (RG, RT) up for grabs.
|
|
32
|
MIA
|
27.53
|
D+
|
3.0
|
Rebuilding situation with two new starters LG Dieter (rookie) and RT Mills.
|
Generally speaking, the teams with A grades are among the league's best, the teams in the B grades are solid, and the teams in the Cs and Ds are concerning.
If you have a question about a player, team or matchup not specifically talked about in this article, please feel free to contact the author via Twitter.
