SneakerReporter NFL Power Rankings: Preseason Edition

SneakerReporter NFL Power Rankings: Preseason Edition

Featured

by | Sep 5, 2019 | Featured, NFL

Each week, SneakerReporter will put out their power rankings of all 32 NFL teams featuring a one-sentence recap of their previous week.

With the 2019 season kicking off tonight (Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers, 8:20 PM EST on NBC) what better time to unveil where each team sits heading into a new year. 

The fun begins below and check back each Thursday to track how far up or down your favorite team moves from week-to-week. 

 

1. New England Patriots 

Regardless of the loss of Rob Gronkowski, the defending champs remain as the best team in football until a game has officially been played. 

 

2. Kansas City Chiefs

The offense only got faster, Patrick Mahomes only got better, and Andy Reid’s offense remains unsolvable; these guys might be even better this year.  

 

3. New Orleans Saints

They should have been in the Super Bowl—and are who we have to thank for the new pass interference review/challenge system—and they return all the heavy hitters from a season ago, they will be near the top of these rankings for the foreseeable future. 

 

4. Los Angeles Rams

Sean McVay has revolutionized this franchise in two short years and their best is yet to come, might get a chance to see them at full throttle this season (oh and they have Aaron FREAKING Donald). 

 

5. Philadelphia Eagles

Nick Foles is gone but Carson Wentz is healthy (and paid) the offense line looks as good as ever, and the defense is primed to have a stellar season in a down NFC East. 

 

6. Chicago Bears

The Monsters of the Midway came back in a big way a year ago thanks to the addition of the Khalil Mack, they hope for a repeat of last season’s success.

 

7. Cleveland Browns

No longer the running joke of the NFL, the Browns might have the most talent from top to bottom of any franchise in the league; count me as a believer in Cleveland 2.0. 

 

8. Baltimore Ravens

If Lamar Jackson can complete a respectable percentage of his throws the Ravens could have an offense that rivals the dominance we saw from Kansas City last year. 

 

9. Dallas Cowboys

Trios have been good to this franchise and their current iteration of Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper is the best they have had since Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irving.

 

10. Houston Texans

GM/Coach Bill O’Brien has been busy in the lead up to the start of the season but getting Deshaun Watson a high-caliber LT to protect his blindside should pay real and immediate dividends. 

 

11. Green Bay Packers

The Sean McVay coaching tree is taking over the league, now picture a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers running the offense that Jared Goff took to the Super Bowl, the cheeseheads should be very happy with the switch made at head coach. 

 

12. Los Angeles Chargers

Melvin Gordon is still holding out and Derwin James is out for at least three months but this team still has Phillip Rivers, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Hunter Henry, Joey Bosa, and Melvin Ingram.

 

13. Minnesota Vikings

The addition of Kirk Cousins didn’t lead to Minnesota taking the leap many expected but in year two (with a healthy Dalvin Cook) things are aligning for this team to do something special. 

 

14. Pittsburgh Steelers

No Le’Veon Bell, no Antonio Brown and the Steelers remain in the top half of the league; James Conner and Juju Smith-Schuster are more than capable of filling the former All-Pros voids.

 

15. New York Jets

A candidate to go from worst to first, the Jets spent draft capital and actual capital to sure up this roster and Sam Darnold looks like a potential face of the franchise at QB. 

 

16. Atlanta Falcons

Hopefully, they don’t get bitten as badly with the injury bug, we’re just two years removed from this team looking like the best offense in NFL history. 

 

17. Seattle Seahawks

Adding Jadeveon Clowney was huge, Bobby Wagner is patrolling the middle and Russell Wilson just knows how to win they likely won’t be this low again all season. 

 

18. Jacksonville Jaguars

Nick Foles is an enormous upgrade over Blake Bortles however, this team lost the benefit of the doubt last year and will need to prove they’re back to elite status before they move up in these rankings. 

 

19. Carolina Panthers

If Cam Newton’s preseason foot scare proves to be a whole lot of nothing than Carolina could be on pace for a big year. 

 

20. Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck is gone but this Colts roster is the most well-rounded they’ve had since drafting Luck. 

 

21. Oakland Raiders

This team was BAD last year, adding Antonio Brown helps but there are still holes and question marks about them that only playing games will answer.  

 

22. San Francisco 49ers

IS THIS THE YEAR WE FINALLY GET 16 GAMES OF JIMMY GAROPPOLO?!?!?!?

 

23. Buffalo Bills

They surprisingly let go of LeSean McCoy but their passing defense is stingy enough to keep them in every game how they perform in close contests will set the course of this season.

24. Tennessee Titans

Once perceived as New England South, Tennessee has been a disappointment and it doesn’t look like they’ll turn things around this year unless Marcus Mariota has a breakout campaign.

 

25. Denver Broncos

Vic Fangio is finally a head coach and gets to orchestrate a defense with Von Miller and Bradley Chubb that will be fun but the season as a whole will feature more downs than ups. 

 

26. Arizona Cardinals

Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury are trying to bring the Air Raid offense to the NFL, if anyone could pull it off it would be this tandem. 

 

27. Cincinnati Bengals

Marvin Lewis was finally let go, A.J. Green and Andy Dalton are likely to follow him out of the door next. 

 

28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The marriage of Bruce Arians and Jameis Winston will either go very wrong or very right, either way, it will be highly entertaining. 

 

29. Detroit Lions

The Bill Belichick coaching tree has not produced another Belichick yet and there’s a chance Matt Patricia’s tenure in Detroit doesn’t make it to the end of this season.

 

30. New York Giants

No matter what their record is or what they do on the field they will remain in the bottom three of these rankings until they relent and sit Eli Manning for Daniel Jones. 

 

31. Miami Dolphins

They’re tanking. 

 

32. Washington Redskins

They’re not tanking but they’re still worse than Miami, hopefully, Dwayne Haskins and Derrius Guice can bring hope for a brighter future. 

 

Sep 5, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #1 Aaron Donald

SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #1 Aaron Donald

Featured

by | Sep 4, 2019 | Featured, NFL

1.  Aaron Donald

Team: Los Angeles Rams

Position: DT

Experience: 5 Years

After the month long countdown, it is finally the pinnacle of the SneakerReporter Top 30 list. At this point you could probably figure out who was #1 after the reveal of Bears Khalil Mack at #2. Aaron Donald embodies everything you need in a leader and star football player. It starts with his unmatched work ethic and his continued improvement throughout his five years in the league. Just one of his off season workouts will prove to you how gifted he is athletically. 

Donald played his college ball at the University of Pittsburgh, electing to stay for all four years. Very wise on his behalf, as his senior year performance would skyrocket his draft stock into the top half of the first round, after initialing not being seen as that type of talent. During his 2013 senior season, Donald received five different awards such as the Vince Lombardi Award and ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He was also recognized as a consensus All American. 

Heading into the draft, the only blemish on Donald’s stock was his lacking size. Prototypical Defensive Tackles stand taller and heavier than Donald, as Scouts claimed: “Marginal height and frame is nearly maxed out…Overpowered in the run game and ground up by double teams”(NFL.com). The scouts didn’t know that Aaron Donald was creating a new prototype. He is the needle in the haystack, and because of his success, he could have altered the Defensive Tackle position for the next generation. 

Donald’s NFL introduction was something you wouldn’t wish upon your worst enemy, as Jeff Fisher had the Franchise going backwards. Even with horrific management, Donald found a way to make his presence known. He played in all 16 games his rookie season, starting in 12 of them. He recorded 9.0 sacks, 2 FF, and found his way to the Pro-Bowl. That’s a fantastic start for anyone’s career, but Donald wasn’t satisfied. 

He came back to his sophomore season with even more flare, increasing his numbers in every single defensive category. He reached double digit sacks with 11.0 and had a ridiculous 37 QB hits, compared to his 13 as a rookie. He earned his first All-Pro recognition in his second year, and hasn’t missed one since. Donald continued to bloom into a superstar over the next two seasons, but 2018 solidified his greatness in NFL history. Last season, he led the league with 20.5 sacks. This number made him the new all time leader in sacks for his position over a season. Aaron Donald is reshaping the mold for prototypical interior linemen, and his play over the last 5 seasons has earned him the top spot on the NFL  SneakerReporter Top 30.

Sep 4, 2019 No Comments
BREAKING NEWS: Dallas Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott Agree to Six-Year Extension

BREAKING NEWS: Dallas Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott Agree to Six-Year Extension

Featured

by | Sep 4, 2019 | Featured, NFL

The biggest holdout of the NFL offseason has ended. The Dallas Cowboys and running back Ezekiel Elliott have reached an agreement on s six-year extension according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.

The writing was on the wall as reports started trickling out over Labor Day Weekend that both sides were negotiating and were close to coming to terms.

Elliott flew back to Dallas from his personal training camp in Cabo on Tuesday and all signs pointed to a deal being completed soon.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reportsNFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the extension includes $90 million of new money of which $50 million is guaranteed.

Elliott will report to practice on Wednesday.

The Cowboys have one of the most talented rosters in the league and with their bell cow back returning to the team they’ll start Week 1 with all their major players on the field.

Sep 4, 2019 No Comments
BREAKING NEWS: Los Angeles Rams and Jared Goff Agree to Four-Year Contract Extension

BREAKING NEWS: Los Angeles Rams and Jared Goff Agree to Four-Year Contract Extension

Featured

by | Sep 4, 2019 | Featured, NFL

It seems like a lot of money has been given out lately in the NFL. The latest recipient is Los Angeles Rams quarterback, Jared Goff.

The former number one overall pick had an abysmal rookie season with the franchise but ever since they replaced Jeff Fisher with Sean McVay, Goff’s career has exploded in the best of ways.

That duo has gone 24-8 since 2017. Goff has compiled 9,581 passing yards, 65 touchdowns and a 94.7 passer (ninth among active quarterbacks) rating in three seasons.

He’s fresh off of leading this team to the Super Bowl—where he was noticeably the weak link of their offense—a year ago. In just two seasons the turnaround in his game has been astronomical.

At just 24 years old the QB is just scratching the surface of his potential. He must continue the upswing he’s been on of late in order to be considered one of the best players at his position, though he’s being paid like that. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that it will pay him upwards of $32 million a year. In a few years this deal could look like a bargain for Los Angeles.

UPDATE: ESPN’s Adam Schefter has the numbers on the extension for Goff, which includes an NFL-record $110 million guaranteed.

Sep 4, 2019 No Comments
SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #2 Khalil Mack

SneakerReporter NFL Top 30: #2 Khalil Mack

Featured

by | Sep 3, 2019 | Featured, NFL

2. Khalil Mack

Position: OLB

Team: Chicago Bears

Experience: 5 Years

This time last year, Khalil Mack’s training camp holdout with the Oakland Raiders came to a shocking end when he was sent to the Chicago Bears in a blockbuster deal days before the season begun. It wasn’t a question then and it isn’t one now that Mack is easily one of the best pass rushers in the entire NFL. Taken second overall in the 2014 NFL Draft—one pick after Jadeveon Clowney who coincidentally just underwent a similar situation this season. The move was a head scratcher at the time and a year later it looks even more confounding that the Raiders opted to trade Mack rather than pay him the money he deserved.

All Mack did in Chicago was help transform the Bears defensive unit into the best in the NFL a season ago. Playing outside linebacker in Vic Fangio’s 3-4 scheme unlocked every ounce of potential and talent that Mack had. He forced a career-high six fumbles (recovered two), recorded an interception that he scored a touchdown off of, and finished the season with 12.5 sacks. His addition bolstered the entire group and the franchise returned to their “Monsters of the Midway” nickname.

This season, the goals for Mack are more team-oriented than individual. He’s been selected to four consecutive Pro Bowls and was a First-Team All-Pro member in three of the last four years. Yet, we haven’t seen his teams be able to use his talents to have sustained success in the playoffs. Mack has played in just two playoff games so far and he’s lost both (2016 against the Houston Texans and 2018 against the Philadelphia Eagles). He has yet to get a single sack in the postseason. Chicago hopes to once again make the postseason as they bring most of last year’s big names back for another run at a Super Bowl.

One person who isn’t returning is defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. This offseason the Denver Broncos lured him away and gave him his first-ever head coaching job in his entire football coaching career—even dating back to coaching stints in high school and college football. While he is highly respected and has coached several of the top defenses in recent memory, the Bears still retain the talent and players that made them a force to be reckoned with. Mack is the leader of that unit and if he can make sure that everyone is still on the same page there shouldn’t be much of a dip in production from the defense.

In an age of offensive explosion, Mack has climbed up to the top of the NFL. While he doesn’t play on that side, his importance comes from his ability to shut down most of those high-powered offenses thanks to his skills as a pass rusher and impact whenever he’s on the field. Having a player that singularly talented is something all 32 teams search for every year in free agency and the draft.  The Bears were lucky to land Mack and they are doing everything in their power to make sure an All-Pro isn’t going to waste on their watch.

Sep 3, 2019 No Comments