7 NFL Teams on The Rise

NFL Teams on The Rise

With every offseason comes turnover, and hopefully at least a hint of optimism for every fan base. Players leave and new blood comes in. Coaches find new homes and bring their schemes with them. Soon after the excitement on the field ends with the conclusion of the season, the excitement shifts to the front offices. With so many variables impacting the short and long-term outlooks of all 32 squads (salary cap space, draft capital, roster age, etc.), here is a look at 7 teams on the rise…

7. Philadelphia Eagles

• 2022 cap space rank – 17
• 2022 draft capital – 11 total picks, 5 in first three rounds

The Eagles can be a frustrating team to watch. This is a team that seemingly always underperforms against its talent levels, with the lone exception in recent memory being a Nick Foles Cinderella season. However, this is also the only team in the NFL with 3 first-round picks, and only Jacksonville has more total picks with 12. 

Jalen Hurts may or may not be the future in Philadelphia, but the takeaway is that their draft capital gives them a broad range of options. The Eagles are in as strong a position as anyone to make a splash play for a big-name QB. Even if they don’t, they can simply keep their picks and add elite young talent to a squad that already made the playoffs. Either way, combining these moves with a skill position group of Devonta Smith, Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Dallas Goedert can put Philly into at least a co-pilot’s seat with Dallas atop the East. 

6. New York Jets

• 2022 cap space rank – 10
• 2022 draft capital – 6 total picks, 3 in first three rounds

I know, it’s the Jets. However, putting aside the nausea-inducing experience of watching this team play for a moment, let’s take an objective view of their forward-looking potential. The Jets are one of only four teams in the top 10 in 2022 cap space who also have 9 or more draft picks to work with. Among that group, they are the ONLY team with multiple first-round picks. This is a team that has the best opportunity for rapid change through all three routes of free agency, draft, and trades. They also already have key young pieces to build around on offense with RB Michael Carter and WR Elijah Moore. Of course, all of this points to the unrealized potential which Jets management still needs to capitalize on.

The defense is a big problem, but given Robert Saleh’s pedigree, I would give him the benefit of the doubt that it is more likely due to his personnel than his scheme. In other words, the team’s available resources can address that problem.

The obvious counterpoint to a positive Jets outlook is their quarterback. Zach Wilson did not look ready in his first year, and the doubts surrounding his potential are warranted. Had he shown more during his rookie campaign, I probably would have put the Jets at #1 on this list.  

5. Detroit Lions

• 2022 cap space rank – 14
• 2022 draft capital – 10 total picks, 5 in first three rounds

The Lions are on this list because of how much room they have to grow. Of all the basement-dwelling teams in 2021, my sense was that Detroit was the one that just couldn’t catch a break (you know, like Justin Tucker not hitting a record-setting field goal off the crossbar as time expired).

Detroit is quietly building a team in the way that many would agree is wise but few teams actually execute – from the trenches out. Penei Sewell gets most of the attention as a star tackle in the making, but this unit has other young talents like Jonah Jackson who saw a big improvement at guard in his second year in the league. 

Jared Goff may be merely a bridge quarterback, but the talent core of D’Andre Swift, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and T.J. Hockenson all have plenty of time to play through the end of that bridge while they find their next signal-caller.

4. San Francisco 49ers

• 2022 cap space rank – 20
• 2022 draft capital – 8 total picks, 2 in first three rounds

The Niners are on this list in spite of relatively low draft capital and cap space for two simple reasons. One is that a Jimmy Garoppolo trade will free up cap space AND regain draft capital. The other reason is that the front office did a good job of inking extensions with key guys last year, including George Kittle, Fred Warner, and Trent Williams. Moving from Jimmy G to Trey Lance will help them lock up Deebo Samuel and Nick Bosa as well, giving them long-term elite talent on both sides of the ball.

It is also worth noting that the NFC is now without Tom Brady and could soon see a couple of other franchise QBs switch teams. The power shift of young superstar quarterbacks is largely concentrated in the AFC. If Trey Lance is who Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch believe he is, the road to being an NFC contender for the next 5 years is there for the taking.

3. Miami Dolphins

• 2022 cap space rank – 1
• 2022 draft capital – 8 total picks, 3 in first three rounds

The Dolphins have quickly gone from one of the least interesting teams in the league to a team I can’t stop paying attention to. With the hot new trend being to hire coaches from the so-called Sean McVay tree, expectations are sky high with Mike McDaniel now running the show.

McDaniel’s claim to fame in 2021 with San Francisco was to simply get the ball in the hands of his best guys early and often, allowing his playmakers to make plays. It worked. Deebo Samuel had nearly 1800 scrimmage yards and 14 touchdowns in the regular season. I am beyond excited to see what McDaniel does with Jaylen Waddle. While Waddle is not the bulldozer that Deebo is, he has only scratched the surface in his route tree. I expect Waddle’s blazing speed to be featured as part of the Dolphins’ identity going forward.

Miami is right in the middle of the pack in terms of draft capital, but they have more cap space than anyone. I see them making moves to protect Tua and sign a more reliable running back so they can move Myles Gaskin back into a pass-catching role. While I don’t envy the task of facing Buffalo and New England twice a year, I like Miami to reach the postseason in 2022.

2. Los Angeles Chargers

• 2022 cap space rank – 2
• 2022 draft capital – 11 total picks, 3 in first three rounds

Like the Eagles, the Chargers are a team that can have frustrating results relative to their talent. Though head coach Brandon Staley has gained a lot of respect throughout the league, it felt like the team “Chargered” the second half of the season to wind up on the outside looking in. 

I’m still very optimistic about what this team can do and how they are set up to do it. They have a combination of money and draft picks rivaled only by the Jets and Jaguars, yet are much further along in contending than either of those teams. If Mike Williams departs, I see them making a big splash at wide receiver. If Williams is retained, they have more flexibility to make moves in other areas.

The defense seems to have more big names than actual statistical production, but I think that can improve. In a pass-happy league, and arguably the most pass-happy division, Los Angeles turned some heads by being a run funnel defense in 2021. They aim to prevent the big plays by essentially daring you to run the ball, which I think will help them secure an AFC West crown over Kansas City in the near future. 

1. Cincinnati Bengals

• 2022 cap space rank – 4
• 2022 draft capital – 8 total picks, 3 in first three rounds

It might be a little tongue-in-cheek to call the Super Bowl runner-up a team on the rise, but they are. Until they actually reached the Super Bowl, they were probably considered behind both Kansas City and Buffalo in the AFC pecking order (and perhaps they still are). However, this team has a real opportunity to OWN the AFC for the next few years and be the team with the target on their backs.

We all know about Burrow, Chase, Mixon, and Higgins forming perhaps the best nucleus of young skill position talent in football, but to also have the resources available to shore up other positions gives the Bengals the high ground.

Imagine what this team will be capable of if they buy Joe Burrow a clean pocket and land a shadow corner on defense.