Let’s not make this any more complicated than it needs to be—these are my 2025 NFL power rankings as of May 9, 2025.
2025 NFL offseason power rankings
#1: Philadelphia Eagles
Putting the reigning Super Bowl champions as the number-one team in the league is often lazy and unimaginative. However, it’s appropriate for the Eagles, who have one of the most complete rosters in the league and are still rife with young players who want to become part of a dynasty. They also have a sustainable model of excellent trench play and a slew of Defensive Player of the Year candidates.
#2: Baltimore Ravens
Rookies Malaki Starks and Mike Green will add to what is a great defense year in and year out. Meanwhile, there’s a real argument that Lamar Jackson is the best regular-season player in the NFL, and Derrick Henry does not look like he’s going to slow down any time soon. Add in a much improved offensive line, and Baltimore also doesn’t have too many weaknesses.
#3: Buffalo Bills
Reigning MVP Josh Allen could do with a few more playmakers outside the number, but he helped Buffalo win at least 11 games in five straight seasons and is at the top of his game. The arrivals of Joey Bosa and Larry Ogunjobi will beef up their front line, and rookie first-round pick Maxwell Hairston has devastating recovery speed and a nose for the football. They also have the benefit of playing in a weak division.
#4: Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels burst onto the professional scene with arguably the best rookie quarterback season history. His team rewarded him with added protection in the form of five-time Pro Bowlers Laremy Tunsil and first-round tackle Josh Conerly Jr., as well as Deebo Samuel and late-round picks Jaylin Lane and Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Their Achilles heel will inevitably be their missing pass rush, but Daniels will play them into any game after finishing with QBRs of 70.6 in the regular season and 86 in the playoffs.
#5: Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford is likely approaching his final years in the NFL, but this Rams team played the Eagles tighter than anyone in the playoffs and got significantly better on defense as the year went on. They retooled their roster with savvy additions and made a move for Davante Adams, who will give them a second bonafide threat alongside Puka Nacua outside the numbers. Keep an eye on this defense, which was very young and was playing at an elite level by the end of the season.
#6: Detroit Lions
Aidan Hutchinson’s return to action will inevitably provide a boost, and this team has an elite roster from top to bottom. However, the losses of both coordinators are a major concern, as is the mental fatigue that comes from blowing a 17-point halftime lead in the NFC Championship Game two years ago and throwing away home-field advantage as the first seed in the NFC playoffs last year. The jury is also out on Jared Goff in big games.
#7: Kansas City Chiefs
Tom Brady and the New England Patriots didn’t win the Super Bowl every year, and the down period is coming for the Chiefs. Travis Kelce is well past his prime, the receiver and running backs are still less than optimal, and Patrick Mahomes seems to be in his head about the deep ball. The defense, while solid, will not carry them to a championship. The first major surprise of my 2025 NFL power rankings.
#8: Denver Broncos
Bo Nix doesn’t need to develop beyond what he did last year for this to be an elite team because of their defense. After leading the league in defensive EPA per play a year ago, they added Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, and rookie corner Jahdae Barron to form an almost-unfair unit. Denver’s O-line can’t possibly play better than it did last year (first in pass- and run-block win rate), but at least Nix now has second-round running back RJ Harvey to help him out.
#9: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Good luck stopping the Bucs, who were fourth in average scoring (29.0) and added Ohio State all-time receiving leader Emeka Egbuka to their stash of weapons. The front office gambled by signing Haason Reddick and ignored its holes in the secondary, leaving Todd Bowles to work his magic with exotic defensive coverages. Tampa is another team in a weak division, which it has won four years in a row.
#10: Los Angeles Chargers
The Jim Harbaugh effect took hold last year as one of the league’s worst defenses suddenly became one of the best. They cleaned house during the offseason but will be able to pound the ball with Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton, while rookie Tre Harris will give them the deep-ball presence they needed to complement Justin Herbert.
#11: Houston Texans
“Slump” is too harsh a term, but C.J. Stroud and company are coming off of a sophomore lull as they look to ascend into the top tier of championship contenders. Their refurbished wide receiver room will juice up their offense, but there are still questions about their offensive line. Defensively, they should be nasty and take the ball away.
#12: Chicago Bears
There aren’t many offenses in the NFL that have more talent stockpiled than the Bears. New coach Ben Johnson will get the chance to confirm his status as an elite mind and game planner, but they’ll need the defense to play the way it did in the second half of 2023 instead of last season.
#13: Green Bay Packers
I’m not convinced that Matthew Golden will change lives in the tundra of Lambeau. That said, this offense plays efficient, high-floor football, and the defense showed more promise last year than in many years before. They get lucky number 13 on my 2025 NFL power rankings.
#14: Minnesota Vikings
J.J. McCarthy is about to step into the most favorable position of any new quarterback with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Kevin O’Connell, and a terrific offensive line in place to support him. Even if the defense regresses a bit, they have potentially the best defensive coordinator in the game.
#15: New England Patriots
Prepare for the Patriots to be this year’s Commanders. Drake Maye showed enough as a rookie to garner belief, especially now that he will be joined by fourth-overall pick and left tackle Will Campbell, rookie back TreVeyon Henderson (who is outstanding in pass protection), Stefon Diggs, and Kyle Williams. They also made a number of impactful defensive acquisitions and brought in a top-10 coach in Mike Vrabel.
#16: Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins are enough to carry this Bengals team to seven wins on their own. The question is how many additional games the defense and coaching staff will add. Lou Anarumo felt like a scapegoat in last year’s disasterclass, and we’ll see how the new regime handles a defense that invested in developmental edge rusher Shemar Stewart with the 17th pick in the NFL Draft.
#17: Seattle Seahawks
It’s hard to find a team that made better moves in the draft and free agency. It’s hard to fully buy in since it’s unclear what kind of player Sam Darnold really is, but they have a tremendous receiving corps, new first-round lineman Grey Zabel, and a nasty secondary stuffed with physical freaks like Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, and Nick Emmanwori.
#18: San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have one of the easiest schedules in who knows how long… but they lost Deebo Samuel, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, Charvarius Ward, and others, and have injury questions surrounding Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk. They’re also counting on Mykel Williams to make a strong impact as a rookie.
#19: Las Vegas Raiders
Pete Carroll is a legendary coach who will immediately raise this team’s level of play with Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty in place of Aidan O’Connell and Zamir White. They were also 16th in defensive EPA per play last year, which is actually much better than they appeared and could be the floor if Carroll makes his usual impact.
#20: Pittsburgh Steelers
Kaleb Johnson will be a welcome addition to a running back room that struggled to produce big plays. The defense, as always, should be one of the seven best in the league, but trading George Pickens created another receiver issue for one of the league’s worst starting quarterbacks, Mason Rudolph/
#21: New York Giants
The Giants could finish last in their division and still be one of the most improved teams in the league. Any of Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, or Jaxson Dart should do better than the quarterbacks that were there a year ago, and adding Abdul Carter to that defensive front will give the G-Men one of the most menacing fronts in the sport.
#22: Arizona Cardinals
I still don’t believe Kyler Murray is the man for the Cardinals, but he did a nice job last year and has solid weapons. Walter Nolen can be a complete game-changer on the defensive line, but the secondary will prove to be trouble.
#23: Dallas Cowboys
George Pickens could improve the Dallas offense, but then again, Pittsburgh-traded wide receivers typically don’t do well elsewhere. The Cowboys are counting on Jaydon Blue to become a bellcow back, Tyler Booker to be Zack Martin, and Dante Fowler Jr. to be DeMarcus Lawrence. That’s on top of having the most underwhelming coaching hire of the offseason.
#24: Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young improved down the stretch last year and will get the benefit of working with first-round receiver Tetairoa McMillan. A couple of good-not-great defensive draft picks should help improve the atrocious defense, but it’s really time for Young to vindicate himself as the first pick in the 2023 draft.
#25: Atlanta Falcons
Clear the deck for Michael Penix Jr., a strong-armed lefty who wasn’t great at the end of last year, but who led Washington to a national championship appearance in his final collegiate season. Atlanta can play at every level of offense thanks to their outstanding skill guys, and they invested in first-round talents James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker to help fix the defense. There are lots of moving parts and a reliance on young guys, but this should be a fun team to watch if nothing else.
#26: Jacksonville Jaguars
Sign me up for Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter. Liam Coen gets to work with a speedy cast of offensive weapons after he changed lives in Tampa Bay, but the biggest question is if a defense that ranked 31st in EPA per play will be competitive enough to help the offense win shootouts.
#27: Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are basically an older retread of what they were a couple of years ago, which was an above-average regular-season team with no real winning ceiling. Kenneth Grant and Ifeatu Melifonwu were solid pick-ups, but this team needs help on the offensive line, backfield, and most areas of the defense (and at quarterback).
#28: New York Jets
You can start to see the makings of a nice offense with Armand Membou and Olu Fashanu at the tackle spots, Breece Hall in the backfield, and Garrett Wilson outside the numbers (but not enough to elevate them on my 2025 NFL power rankings). I don’t believe Justin Fields is the man to get them there, and I also don’t believe the defense can continue to play at an elite level after years of disappointment.
#29: Tennessee Titans
You’ve got to take steps forward before you can take leaps. Tennessee has done its part adding solid veteran upgrades over the past couple of seasons, and even if they don’t have a chance of making the playoffs, they won’t be push-overs, assuming Cam Ward does his part.
#30: Cleveland Browns
On the bright side, Myles Garrett and Mason Graham are a NASTY duo on the defensive line. Carson Schwesinger will also do a great job flying all over the field, while Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson can support the running game. On the downside… everything else.
#31: Indianapolis Colts
Call me crazy, but I’m not betting on Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones, or Riley Leonard to lead a franchise to success. This team is several undermanned, which is a shame since I believe Shane Steichen is a great coach.
#32: New Orleans Saints
Spending like a Super Bowl contender while rolling out one of the worst rosters in football. There are holes everywhere and a general lack of direction. Their silly front office doomed them and doomed them to last place in my 2025 NFL power rankings.
