Eh, Texans keep pushing to classify Clowney as a OLB. They shouldn't though, considering that most OLB contracts are much steeper in price. From what has been floating around the web, Clowney is looking for top OLB contract money. That would push past the $100 mil mark at a starting point.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/sto...ters-all-32-nfl-teams-2018-pro-football-focus With the kickoff to the 2018 season just a couple of months away, it's time to dive into the Pro Football Focus database and rank every roster as it stands now, at the end of June, focusing on the expected starters and how they look in our metrics. PFF grades every player on every play of every game of the NFL season, allowing us a comprehensive look at what each player has to offer. Below, we rank the overall roster talent of every NFL team from 1-32 and offer up projected starting lineups on offense and defense. We're also including our grades for each player from the 2017 season, as well as analysis on which players might improve or decline this season. Elite: 90+ grade Good/High Quality: 80-89.9 Average: 70-79.9 Below Average: 60-69.9 Poor: 0-59.9 Rookies or not active in 2017: No color 1. Philadelphia Eagles 2. Atlanta Falcons 3. New Orleans Saints 4. New England Patriots 5. Minnesota Vikings 6. Los Angeles Chargers 7. Pittsburgh Steelers 8. Dallas Cowboys 9. Los Angeles Rams 10. Jacksonville Jaguars 11. Green Bay Packers 12. Seattle Seahawks 13. Kansas City Chiefs 14. Carolina Panthers 15. Detroit Lions 16. Buffalo Bills 17. Tennessee Titans 18. Cincinnati Bengals 19. San Francisco 49ers 20. Baltimore Ravens 21. Washington Redskins 22. Chicago Bears 23. Arizona Cardinals 24. Oakland Raiders 25. Denver Broncos 26. Miami Dolphins 27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28. New York Giants 29. New York Jets 30. Indianapolis Colts 31. Houston Texans 32. Cleveland Browns 31. Houston Texans Biggest strength: Full disclaimer -- a healthy J.J. Watt is the Texans' biggest strength. But considering his injuries the past two seasons, it's difficult to judge what Watt will be capable of in 2018. The Texans' next best is wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who finished 2017 with the fourth-highest grade of any wide receiver at 90.6. There might not be any better player at roping in sideline passes and using his tremendous body control to keep his feet inbounds. Biggest weakness: If the Texans want to take the next step with sensational first-round quarterback Deshaun Watson, protecting him must be addressed, as the Texans' offensive line is one of the worst in the NFL. Most unfortunate for Watson is the play of left tackle Chris Clark, who is coming off a season in which he graded as one of the worst in the NFL at 37.7. Over the past two seasons, Clark has allowed an incredible 12 sacks, 16 hits and 71 hurries for a pass-blocking efficiency of 92.6. By the numbers: Watson's 124.1 passer rating when kept clean led the NFL through the first eight weeks of the season before a knee injury forced him out for the year. This bodes well for the young signal-caller, as that stat is one of the most stable metrics for quarterback play. While that mark is sure to regress, it's a good sign for Texans fans that Watson was able to deliver when protected. Offense QB Deshaun Watson 75.1 HB Lamar Miller 77.8 TE Ryan Griffin 53.8 TE Jordan Akins N/A WR Braxton Miller 47 WR DeAndre Hopkins 90.6 WR Will Fuller V 73 LT Chris Clark 37.7 LG Zach Fulton 68.8 C Nick Martin 44.9 RG Senio Kelemete 48.3 RT Martinas Rankin N/A Defense DE Joel Heath 44.6 NT D.J. Reader 84.2 DE J.J. Watt 89.3 ILB Benardrick McKinney 79.7 OLB Jadeveon Clowney 88.3 OLB Whitney Mercilus 75.1 ILB Zach Cunningham 80.6 CB Johnathan Joseph 75.7 CB Kareem Jackson 52.2 CB Aaron Colvin 80 FS Andre Hal 78.5 SS Tyrann Mathieu 77
After seeing the Astros having the best front office in baseball and the Rockets having one of the 3-4 best..... it is hard to see the Texans have one of the worse... no creativity, never have the smartest or shrewdest brain trust.
I know multiple teams that wish they could have HOFer Watt, Clowney, Whitney, McKinney, Matthieu on defense AND Watson, Hopkins, and Fuller on offense. That's a top 5 receiver, top 5 defensive lineman, top 10 safety, top 10 QB. Not to mention young talents like McKinney, Fuller, Cunningham, Foreman, Reid, Reader, and Cole. #31 roster? Yeah right. How does the 2nd worst roster have 4 players in the top 100?
Wait a minute. Are they prophets? Chris Clark is currently a free agent. Braxton might not even make the team not to talk of start. Andre Hal is fighting lymphoma. Kareem is playing safety not CB. No way Rankin beats out Davenport unless injuries. They got this all kinds of wrong.
Cowboys at 8, Jets, Giants, Dolphins and Colts all before us... Yea, super credible. I can't wait to come back to this at the end of the year.
Spoiler 4. New England Patriots Biggest strength: It's Tom Brady. Do we need to say anything else? Brady led all QBs last season with a 95.5 grade -- his third straight season north of 93.0 -- and his 96.6 passer rating under pressure was higher than the passer rating that 22 different quarterbacks earned from a clean pocket. Biggest weakness: The linebacking corps -- specifically the middle, which is currently occupied by Elandon Roberts. Roberts ranked 69th among interior linebackers last season with a 41.6 grade, which was regression from the 61.1 he posted as a rookie in 2016. He ranked last in the position with just a 6.2 run-stop percentage while also surrendering a 144.3 passer rating in coverage. By the numbers: Rob Gronkowski converted 84.7 percent of his targets (again, that's targets, not receptions) into either a first down or a touchdown in 2017. The league average among tight ends was just 54.1 percent, and the second-highest rate was O.J. Howard at 76.9 percent. Offense QB Tom Brady95.5 HB James White 73.2 TE Rob Gronkowski 93.3 TE Dwayne Allen 56.3 WR Julian Edelman N/A WR Chris Hogan 50.9 WR Jordan Matthews 41.7 LT Isaiah Wynn N/A LG Joe Thuney 79 C David Andrews 81.8 RG Shaq Mason 81.1 RT Marcus Cannon 78.1 Defense DE Trey Flowers 87.8 DT Malcom Brown 83.3 DT Danny Shelton 81.5 DE Adrian Clayborn 85.5 OLB Dont'a Hightower 45.9 ILB Elandon Roberts 41.6 OLB Kyle Van Noy 47.6 CB Jason McCourty 83.9 CB Stephon Gilmore 89.4 CB Duke Dawson N/A FS Devin McCourty 82.6 SS Patrick Chung 79 6. Los Angeles Chargers Biggest strength: The Chargers got away with highway robbery in free agency following the 2015 season, as the team's brass signed then-four-year veteran Casey Hayward to a three-year, $15.3 million deal to play slot cornerback. After earning an 88.9 overall grade in his first year with the Bolts, Hayward turned it up a notch in 2017, earning the top-ranked overall grade among cornerbacks (96.4). He also finished the season ranked sixth in passer rating allowed among cornerbacks with 400-plus coverage snaps in 2017. Biggest weakness: Former seventh-round USC product Hayes Pullard played just 186 defensive snaps in his first two years in the league before taking on more than double the workload with the Chargers in 2017. Pullard, however, failed to meet starter-level expectations across his 474 defensive snaps, turning in a 37.2 grade to rank 79th among the 87 qualifying off-ball linebackers this past season. By the numbers: Chargers second-year edge defender Joey Bosa has now earned back-to-back season grades at 89.8 or above, a telltale sign of what's to come for the 22-year-old superstar. Among the 80 edge defenders with at least 400 pass-rush snaps over the past two seasons, Bosa ranks fifth in pass-rush productivity (12.80) and ninth in total pressures (134). Offense QB Philip Rivers 85.5 HB Melvin Gordon 83.8 TE Virgil Green 43.1 TE Sean Culkin 48.4 WR Travis Benjamin 73.2 WR Keenan Allen 89.1 WR Tyrell Williams 56 LT Russell Okung 77.4 LG Dan Feeney 48.5 C Mike Pouncey 46.5 RG Forrest Lamp N/A RT Joe Barksdale 50.7 Defense DE Melvin Ingram 91.9 DT Corey Liuget 83 DT Brandon Mebane 43.1 DE Joey Bosa 91.7 OLB Kyle Emanuel 75.8 ILB Hayes Pullard 37.2 OLB Denzel Perryman 63.4 CB Casey Hayward 96.4 CB Jason Verrett 44 CB Desmond King 86.5 FS Derwin James N/A SS Jahleel Addae 83.4 7. Pittsburgh Steelers Biggest strength: The Steelers have a bunch of talent on both sides of the ball, but Antonio Brown is the one who stands out the most. His 2.87 yards-per-route-run average was second to only Julio Jones in 2017, with Brown ranking in the top 10 in that category every season since 2013. Biggest weakness: Drafted with the expectation that he would become the next great Steelers outside linebacker, Bud Dupree has failed to live up to his draft billing so far. From 354 pass-rushing snaps in the 2017 regular season, he produced just 40 total pressures, and he has just 83 total pressures since he entered the league in 2015. By the numbers: With Le'Veon Bell playing under the franchise tag once again, his workload deserves a mention. Bell led the NFL in carries with 321 in the regular season and was second behind Carolina's Christian McCaffrey with 103 targets in the passing game. Can that workload be sustained in 2018? Offense QB Ben Roethlisberger 88.5 HB Le'Veon Bell 85.3 TE Jesse James 46.9 TE Vance McDonald 76.9 WR James Washington N/A WR JuJu Smith-Schuster 78.4 WR Antonio Brown 93.7 LT Alejandro Villanueva 74.2 LG Ramon Foster 48.1 C Maurkice Pouncey 54.6 RG David DeCastro 91.7 RT Marcus Gilbert 81.5 Defense DE Stephon Tuitt86.1 NT Javon Hargrave 78.8 DE Cameron Heyward 88.9 OLB T.J. Watt 78.4 ILB Vince Williams 71.2 ILB Jon Bostic 74.9 OLB Bud Dupree 49 CB Joe Haden 79.2 CB Artie Burns 80.8 CB Mike Hilton 83.6 FS Terrell Edmunds N/A SS Morgan Burnett 77.2 8. Dallas Cowboys Biggest strength: Center Travis Frederick continued last season right where he left off in 2016 and is well on his way to establishing himself as one of the greats at the position. Frederick allowed just 12 pressures from his 555 pass-blocking snaps and has now gone three straight seasons without allowing a sack. Biggest weakness: While the team's biggest strength is on the offensive line, its weakness lies on the opposite side of the trenches. Entering his third year, defensive tackle Maliek Collins has yet to register a grade above 46.8 and has struggled against the run, scraping together just 15 stops from his 471 run-defense snaps over the past two years. By the numbers: In 2017, no player embodied the term "breakout" more than Dallas edge defender DeMarcus Lawrence, who ended the year with an elite grade of 94.1 -- the third-best mark among edge defenders. Lawrence put together a spectacular campaign, producing 79 total pressures, which was second to only Von Miller (83), and throughout the season, he managed to produce pressure on a whopping 18.6 percent of his pass-rushing snaps, which ranked first among all edge rushers. Offense QB Dak Prescott 80.5 HB Ezekiel Elliott 83.4 FB Jamize Olawale 64.4 TE Dalton Schultz N/A WR Allen Hurns 80.7 WR Terrance Williams 58.5 WR Cole Beasley 68 LT Tyron Smith 79.7 LG Connor Williams N/A C Travis Frederick 90.8 RG Zack Martin 92.2 RT La'el Collins 50.7 Defense DE Tyrone Crawford 83.6 DT Maliek Collins 46.8 DT David Irving 83.4 DE DeMarcus Lawrence 94.1 OLB Jaylon Smith 71.7 ILB Leighton Vander Esch N/A OLB Sean Lee 88.9 CB Chidobe Awuzie 81.7 CB Byron Jones 76.8 CB Jourdan Lewis 79.6 SS Jeff Heath 80.8 FS Xavier Woods 78.8 10. Jacksonville Jaguars Biggest strength: The Jaguars fielded arguably the best defense in the NFL in 2017, and the most important player for them was CB Jalen Ramsey. Grading at 91.8, Ramsey has so far lived up to his high draft status, as he broke up 10 passes while intercepting another five. The entire defensive unit as a whole is a strength, but the play of the cornerbacks makes the unit play at a consistently elite level. Biggest weakness: The Jaguars are losing their slot CB in Aaron Colvin (80.0 2017 grade) to division rival Houston and replacing him with D.J. Hayden, a player who has failed to record an interception the past two seasons and struggled in a part-time role with Detroit at 50.7 overall. That drop in talent for a vitally important position could see the Jaguars' vaunted secondary take a step back in 2018. By the numbers: On 84 regular-season targets, CB A.J. Bouye allowed a catch rate of 45.2 percent and zero touchdowns while snatching six interceptions and breaking up eight more passes. On 19 postseason targets, Bouye allowed a catch rate of 63.2 percent and two touchdowns while getting his hands on just one pass for a breakup. Thank Antonio Brown for the drop in production, as he brought in those two touchdowns over Bouye. Offense QB Blake Bortles 78.3 HB Leonard Fournette 76.2 TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins 47.8 TE Niles Paul 42.6 WR Keelan Cole 78.4 WR Marqise Lee 77.1 WR Donte Moncrief 49.1 LT Cam Robinson 37.6 LG Andrew Norwell 88.8 C Brandon Linder 84.7 RG A.J. Cann 52.5 RT Jermey Parnell 79 Defense DE Calais Campbell 93.5 DT Malik Jackson 86.4 DT Marcell Dareus 79.7 DE Yannick Ngakoue 83.6 OLB Telvin Smith Sr. 90.5 ILB Myles Jack 83.4 OLB Blair Brown 70.8 CB A.J. Bouye 88 CB Jalen Ramsey 91.8 CB D.J. Hayden 50.7 FS Tashaun Gipson Sr. 81.4 SS Barry Church 83.2
BSPN is such a joke. Their NFL Live show hypes up the Texans, saying theyre gonna be the team with the most potential and likely the funnest team to watch. Then they come out with that puff piece saying we have the second to last best roster. Someone needs to shoot down that mothership.
Spoiler 13. Kansas City Chiefs Biggest strength: One of the few NFL tight ends to even be in the same conversation as New England's Rob Gronkowski, four-year veteran Travis Kelce has solidified himself as one of the league's best at the position. In addition to earning 87.0-plus grades in each of the past two seasons, Kelce has averaged 2.13 yards per route run across the two-year span, ranking second only to, you guessed it, Gronk. Biggest weakness: After playing a reserve role for most of his four-year career, Daniel Sorensen took on a significant workload as the team's starting strong safety in 2017, playing in 90.2 percent of the team's defensive snaps (including the wild-card-game loss to Tennessee). Unfortunately for Kansas City, Sorensen earned a 40.7 grade across his 1,054 defensive snaps, ranking 82nd among the 87 safeties with at least 300 defensive snaps. He also missed a whopping 17 tackles. By the numbers: Phenom Kareem Hunt had a year for the record books, as he forced the most missed tackles (61) by a rookie running back in a season in the PFF era. He also earned the third-highest grade (88.9) among all NFL running backs and ranked No. 4 in our elusive rating (73.1) among backs with at least 81 rushing attempts. Offense QB Patrick Mahomes 79.9 HB Kareem Hunt 88.9 TE Travis Kelce 87.8 TE Demetrius Harris 43 WR Tyreek Hill 83.7 WR Sammy Watkins 76.2 WR Chris Conley 67.6 LT Eric Fisher 70.4 LG Bryan Witzmann 40.6 C Mitch Morse 44.9 RG Laurent Duvernay-Tardif 78.2 RT Mitchell Schwartz 80 Defense DE Chris Jones 88.2 NT Derrick Nnadi N/A DE Allen Bailey 72.1 ILB Reggie Ragland 78.9 ILB Anthony Hitchens 80.8 OLB Dee Ford 48.7 OLB Justin Houston 87.6 CB David Amerson 39.7 CB Kendall Fuller 90 CB Steven Nelson 76.8 FS Eric Berry 76.3 SS Daniel Sorensen 40.7 16. Buffalo Bills Biggest strength: Tre'Davious White is one of the league's best young cornerbacks, and he took home our Rookie of the Year award in 2017. White ranked second among all cornerbacks with a 92.0 grade and led the position with 1,093 defensive snaps, finishing 14 of 17 games (including the playoffs) with a grade of at least 70.0. Biggest weakness: The Bills have a handful of issues on their roster, but their biggest is with the cornerbacks after White. Phillip Gaines ranked 119th last season with a 35.9 grade, which was actually a slight improvement over the 34.8 he posted in 2016. Vontae Davis, who was released by the Colts midseason, was just ahead of him with a 45.2 grade, his second consecutive season in the 40s. By the numbers: Buffalo's defense ranked last in the NFL in 2017, generating pressure on just 29 percent of opponents' passing plays. The Bills are hoping that Trent Murphy -- who still hasn't been fully cleared after tearing his ACL last August -- can bring some life to the pass rush after signing him away from Washington this offseason. Murphy ranked 10th among 3-4 outside linebackers in 2016 with an 11.8 pass-rushing productivity rating, and he ranked 11th with 55 total pressures; Jerry Hughes -- Buffalo's most productive pass-rusher of late -- has averaged 47.5 pressures over the past two seasons. Offense QB AJ McCarron 50.1 HB LeSean McCoy 84.4 TE Charles Clay 60.4 TE Nick O'Leary 47.4 WR Zay Jones 43.6 WR Jeremy Kerley 73.7 WR Kelvin Benjamin 79.1 LT Dion Dawkins 74.5 LG Vladimir Ducasse 75.5 C Russell Bodine 46.8 RG John Miller 39.1 RT Jordan Mills 65.7 Defense DE Trent Murphy N/A DT Kyle Williams 79.7 DT Star Lotulelei 49.5 DE Jerry Hughes 85 OLB Lorenzo Alexander 67.4 ILB Tremaine Edmunds N/A OLB Matt Milano 72.9 CB Tre'Davious White 92 CB Vontae Davis 45.2 CB Phillip Gaines 35.9 FS Micah Hyde 86.2 SS Jordan Poyer 87.6 17. Tennessee Titans Biggest strength: The Titans have a defense full of potential, led by lineman Jurrell Casey, one of the NFL's most underrated players. Casey is a disruptive force from the interior who consistently generates pressure, and his 89.7 grade last season just missed out on an elite rating. Excellent in rushing the passer and defending the run, Casey causes fits for offensive lines. Biggest weakness: The Titans signed away safety Johnathan Cyprien from division rival Jacksonville in 2016 as he was coming off a career year, but his lone season of great play looks more like an aberration than a trend in the right direction. Cyprien, who had a 48.1 grade last season, has a lot to prove to make the team past 2018, as his contract becomes team-friendly next offseason. By the numbers: Quarterback Marcus Mariota experienced an odd 2017 season, throwing more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (11) from a clean pocket and generating a passer rating of 81.7. Perhaps a change in offensive systems will help to improve those numbers, considering the Titans had the fewest receivers in route per pass play in 2017. Offense QB Marcus Mariota 83.9 HB Dion Lewis 87.2 TE Delanie Walker 84.1 TE Jonnu Smith 41.1 WR Rishard Matthews 78.1 WR Taywan Taylor 50.8 WR Corey Davis 65.3 LT Taylor Lewan 80.1 LG Quinton Spain 73.6 C Ben Jones 74 RG Josh Kline 75.8 RT Jack Conklin 81.8 Defense DE DaQuan Jones 80.8 NT Austin Johnson 74.9 DE Jurrell Casey 89.7 OLB Brian Orakpo 81.8 ILB Rashaan Evans N/A ILB Wesley Woodyard 78.6 OLB Derrick Morgan 74.8 CB Adoree' Jackson 82.3 CB Malcolm Butler 79.2 CB Logan Ryan 74.3 FS Kevin Byard 89 SS Johnathan Cyprien 48.1 18. Cincinnati Bengals Biggest strength: Geno Atkins remains one of the league's top interior defensive linemen, and he would probably get a lot more attention if not for the dominance of Aaron Donald in Los Angeles. Atkins racked up 70 total pressures in 2017, his third straight season with the pass-rushing version of a triple-double: producing double-digit sacks, hits and hurries. Biggest weakness: The Bengals have a lot of strengths on defense, but linebacker Nick Vigil struggled in 2017. He missed 14 tackles over the first 12 weeks before an injury ended his season. Over those 12 weeks, just 25 of his 56 solo tackles resulted in a defensive stop. By the numbers: Cornerback William Jackson III could be the NFL's next breakout star. Jackson allowed just 15 of the 43 passes thrown into his coverage to be caught in 2017, coming away with an interception and 10 pass breakups. Over two games against the Steelers, seven passes were thrown to Antonio Brown with Jackson in coverage. The result? Zero receptions and four pass breakups. Offense QB Andy Dalton 79.4 HB Giovani Bernard 73.4 TE Tyler Eifert 75.7 TE Tyler Kroft 48.4 WR Tyler Boyd 62.4 WR Brandon LaFell 45.7 WR A.J. Green 83.5 LT Cordy Glenn 68.1 LG Clint Boling 75.5 C Billy Price N/A RG Trey Hopkins 48.3 RT Jake Fisher 46.2 Defense DE Michael Johnson 75.9 DT Geno Atkins 91.5 DT Chris Baker 68.4 DE Carlos Dunlap 84.3 OLB Nick Vigil 35.1 ILB Preston Brown 71.6 OLB Vontaze Burfict 84.7 CB Dre Kirkpatrick 56.4 CB William Jackson 89.2 CB Darqueze Dennard 82.8 SS Shawn Williams 79.1 FS George Iloka 77.7 20. Baltimore Ravens Biggest strength: Guard Marshal Yanda, who broke his ankle in Week 2 last season, is the best player on the Ravens' roster. His strength in pass protection, allowing just six total pressures in 2016, makes him one of the most dominant offensive linemen we've seen since we began grading. Biggest weakness: James Hurst has struggled throughout his career, seeing time at tackle and guard. From 1,490 pass-blocking snaps since 2014, he has allowed 10 sacks, 21 hits and 77 hurries. In an ideal world, with Alex Lewis returning and the arrival of rookie Orlando Brown, Hurst will be a backup/sixth offensive lineman in heavy sets for the Ravens in 2018. By the numbers: Things look good on the injury return front for Jimmy Smith, which could give the Ravens a solid cornerback pairing. Before he was injured late in the year, Smith allowed a passer rating of just 49.2 on throws into his coverage, with rookie Marlon Humphrey not far behind at 53.5. Offense QB Joe Flacco 76.7 HB Alex Collins 87.6 TE Hayden Hurst N/A TE Mark Andrews N/A WR John Brown 50.2 WR Michael Crabtree 71.4 WR Willie Snead IV 56 LT Ronnie Stanley 76.2 LG Alex Lewis N/A C Matt Skura 37.3 RG Marshal Yanda 84.4 RT James Hurst 42.4 Defense DE Carl Davis 74.8 NT Michael Pierce 84.2 DE Brandon Williams 85.3 OLB Terrell Suggs 87 ILB C.J. Mosley 75.7 ILB Albert McClellan N/A OLB Matthew Judon 67.3 CB Jimmy Smith 86.2 CB Brandon Carr 74.1 CB Marlon Humphrey 82.7 FS Eric Weddle 82.4 SS Tony Jefferson 82.4
Spoiler 24. Oakland Raiders Biggest strength: Khalil Mack has been Oakland's best player since joining the team as the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft. Equally dominant against both the run and pass, Mack is the most complete edge defender in the NFL. Slotted as the No. 7 overall player entering the 2018 season on our annual top-50 list, Mack has earned elite (90.0 or above) season grades in each of the past three seasons and just missed the mark at 89.9 as a rookie. In 2017, Mack tied for second in total pressures (79) and ranked No. 1 in defensive stops (52). Biggest weakness: Derek Carrier, signed this offseason to play opposite nine-year veteran Jared Cook, has done little in his five-year career to warrant a starting nod in this league. The former Beloit College product has played just 910 offensive snaps over the past five seasons, and in the lone season he played over 200 offensive snaps (2015), he recorded a paltry 57.8 grade. By the numbers: Since a breakout 2016 season and signing a five-year, $125 million extension, Derek Carr has regressed. That's literally due to added pressure. When pressured in 2017, the Raiders QB completed just 52 of 122 passes for two touchdowns, 694 yards and nine interceptions and a 40.8 passer rating -- a 29.2-point drop-off from his 70.0 passer rating under pressure in the previous season. Offense QB Derek Carr 77.7 HB Marshawn Lynch 84.4 TE Jared Cook 52.8 TE Derek Carrier 61.1 WR Jordy Nelson 74.9 WR Amari Cooper 51.9 WR Martavis Bryant 72.5 LT Donald Penn 78.8 LG Kelechi Osemele 78.1 C Rodney Hudson 81.6 RG Gabe Jackson 69.1 RT Kolton Miller N/A Defense DE Mario Edwards Jr. 72.8 NT Justin Ellis 80.6 DE Eddie Vanderdoes 56.5 ILB Tahir Whitehead 79.6 OLB Khalil Mack 92.1 OLB Bruce Irvin 77 ILB Derrick Johnson 77.3 CB Rashaan Melvin 85.7 CB Gareon Conley 79.6 CB Shareece Wright 69.9 FS Marcus Gilchrist 77.2 SS Karl Joseph 80.8 25. Denver Broncos Biggest strength: Von Miller has been the epitome of consistency across his NFL career, earning elite season grades in each of his seven years in the league. Only 22 edge defenders have earned 90.0-plus grades in a single season in the PFF era, and Miller has done it seven times. He led all edge defenders in total pressures in 2017 and ranks No. 1 among edge defenders with at least 400 defensive snaps from 2016 to 2017 in combined pass-rush productivity (14.51). Biggest weakness: Cast into a starting role at right guard for the team's final five games of the 2017 season, rookie fifth-round pick Connor McGovern struggled down the stretch. He allowed 16 total pressures in just 231 pass-block snaps, leading to a 94.7 pass-blocking efficiency rating -- 68th among the 75 guards with at least 200 pass-block snaps in 2017. By the numbers: New Broncos quarterback Case Keenum put together a career year with the Vikings in 2017. Keenum tied for fourth in adjusted completion percentage (76.5) and ranked seventh in passer rating under pressure (78.5) among qualifying signal-callers en route to a career-high 85.3 grade. Offense QB Case Keenum 85.3 HB Devontae Booker 72.9 TE Jeff Heuerman 73.6 TE Jake Butt N/A WR Demaryius Thomas 75.3 WR Courtland Sutton N/A WR Emmanuel Sanders 70.7 LT Garett Bolles 68.8 LG Ron Leary 81.2 C Matt Paradis 75.2 RG Connor McGovern 40.2 RT Jared Veldheer 54.3 Defense DE Derek Wolfe 78 NT Domata Peko Sr. 80 DE Adam Gotsis 77.1 ILB Todd Davis 77.1 OLB Von Miller 95 OLB Bradley Chubb N/A ILB Brandon Marshall 54.6 CB Chris Harris Jr. 83.5 CB Tramaine Brock 45.3 CB Bradley Roby 84 FS Darian Stewart 70.3 SS Su'a Cravens N/A 26. Miami Dolphins Biggest strength: The ageless Cameron Wake ranked second among 4-3 defensive ends last season with a 13.5 pass-rushing productivity rating. Wake once again had more than 60 total pressure in 2017, something he has done every season of this decade except for an injury-shortened 2015. Biggest weakness: The Dolphins have their fair share of question marks, but their most glaring weakness comes at right guard, a spot currently occupied by Jesse Davis, an undrafted free agent out of Idaho in 2015 who made his professional debut last year, starting the final 10 games at various spots on Miami's offensive line. Davis ranked 63rd among guards last year with a 40.2 grade. Behind him on the depth chart is Ted Larsen, who has finished five of his seven seasons with a grade south of 50.0, including last season's 39.4. By the numbers: Ryan Tannehill ranked seventh among quarterbacks in 2016 with a 77.4 adjusted completion percentage, and he has finished every season of his career with a grade above 80.0. Jay Cutler ranked 22nd among QBs last season with an adjusted completion percentage of 72.0 and posted just a 62.5 grade. Offense QB Ryan Tannehill N/A HB Kenyan Drake 80.8 TE Mike Gesicki N/A TE Durham Smythe N/A WR Danny Amendola 80.1 WR DeVante Parker 73.2 WR Kenny Stills 49 LT Laremy Tunsil 59.5 LG Josh Sitton 86 C Daniel Kilgore 51 RG Jesse Davis 40.2 RT Ja'Wuan James 80 Defense DE Charles Harris 76.7 DT Davon Godchaux 72.9 DT Jordan Phillips 75.5 DE Cameron Wake 83.2 OLB Jerome Baker N/A ILB Raekwon McMillan N/A OLB Kiko Alonso 38.9 CB Cordrea Tankersley 53.6 CB Xavien Howard 56 CB Bobby McCain 80.1 FS Reshad Jones 81.6 SS Minkah Fitzpatrick N/A 29. New York Jets Biggest strength: From the moment he stepped foot on an NFL field, Leonard Williams has been one of the better interior defenders in the league, finishing all three of his professional seasons with an overall grade of at least 84.8. Williams ranked eighth among 3-4 defensive ends with a 7.6 pass-rushing productivity rating, and he was fifth among those at the position with 46 total pressures, a total he has reached in each of his three seasons. Biggest weakness: Sometimes teams really hit with their first-round pick, and other years they really miss. In 2015 the Jets nailed it when they selected Williams sixth overall, but the same can't be said about the 20th overall pick they used on Darron Lee in 2016. Lee ranked 86th among linebackers last season with just a 34.9 grade after he posted a 36.2 grade as a rookie. Lee was targeted 69 times in coverage last season and surrendered 50 catches for 570 total yards and three touchdowns to go with no interceptions. By the numbers: When Josh McCown threw the ball in 2.5 seconds or less, he had a 103.4 passer rating last season, compared to a 78.0 passer rating when he held on to the ball for 2.6 seconds or more. That 25.4 decrease in passer rating was the seventh-largest among quarterbacks in 2017. Offense QB Josh McCown 77.1 HB Bilal Powell 76.6 TE Clive Walford 48.3 TE Jordan Leggett N/A WR Terrelle Pryor 43.1 WR Jermaine Kearse 75.7 WR Robby Anderson 77.5 LT Kelvin Beachum 72.7 LG James Carpenter 41.1 C Spencer Long 56 RG Brian Winters 36.9 RT Brandon Shell 65.3 Defense DE Leonard Williams 84.8 NT Steve McLendon 83.3 DE Henry Anderson 81.1 OLB Jordan Jenkins 71.8 ILB Avery Williamson 85.5 ILB Darron Lee 34.9 OLB Josh Martin 75.7 CB Trumaine Johnson 74.2 CB Morris Claiborne 48.5 CB Buster Skrine 65.7 FS Marcus Maye 48.9 SS Jamal Adams 81.2
Spoiler 30. Indianapolis Colts Biggest strength: Most Colts fans have been disappointed with the overall play of the team, especially the defense, but Indianapolis has several promising players, with Jabaal Sheard coming off an elite 91.3-graded season despite registering just five sacks. Sheard was able to generate 66 pressures with a pass-rush productivity of 11.6. Considering the value of pressuring the QB and that pressures are more predictive of future success than sacks alone, Sheard should continue to be a force off the edge for Indianapolis. Biggest weakness: While the Colts' offensive line as a whole struggled in 2017, GM Chris Ballard made moves to improve the unit and should see an uptick. Where the Colts have a glaring weakness is at the inside linebacker position, with Antonio Morrison coming off a season in which he graded at 35.8, struggling in coverage and run defense. Quarterbacks have had success when targeting Morrison in coverage the past two seasons, as his 119.0 passer rating allowed highlights his struggles. By the numbers: Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton experienced his worst season since his rookie year, with 1.74 yards per route, and he forced just two missed tackles. Hilton was sure-handed when targeted, though, dropping just four passes, the second-lowest drop rate of his career. Offense QB Andrew Luck N/A HB Marlon Mack 73.4 TE Eric Ebron 75.6 TE Jack Doyle 77.5 WR Ryan Grant 72.9 WR Chester Rogers 47.6 WR T.Y. Hilton 76.9 LT Anthony Castonzo 82 LG Quenton Nelson N/A C Ryan Kelly 39.9 RG Matt Slauson 45 RT Austin Howard 71.6 Defense DE Tarell Basham 62.7 DT Al Woods 84.1 DT Denico Autry 78.6 DE Jabaal Sheard 91.3 OLB Antonio Morrison 35.8 ILB Anthony Walker 62.7 OLB Darius Leonard N/A CB Pierre Desir 48.7 CB Quincy Wilson 78.6 CB Nate Hairston 46.9 FS Malik Hooker 77.3 SS Clayton Geathers 73 32. Cleveland Browns Biggest strength: Coming off an 0-16 season, some optimism is needed for the Browns, and it comes in the form of last season's No. 1 overall draft pick, Myles Garrett. Bothered by injuries early in the year, he found success once he got going, racking up 7 sacks, 11 hits and 19 hurries over 11 games in 2017. Biggest weakness: If Shon Coleman is to be the man to replace Joe Thomas at left tackle, expect a big drop-off. Not only was Thomas one of the best offensive linemen of all time, but Coleman struggled at right tackle in 2017, allowing 6 sacks, 9 hits and 49 hurries over the course of the season. By the numbers: On a limited sample size, Josh Gordon led the Browns with 2.01 yards per route run last season, also good enough for 15th among wide receivers in the NFL. A full season of Gordon would give the Browns one of the top weapons in the NFL. Offense QB Tyrod Taylor 83 HB Duke Johnson Jr. 82.5 TE David Njoku 69 TE Darren Fells 72.5 WR Josh Gordon 82.1 WR Corey Coleman 45.9 WR Jarvis Landry 82 LT Shon Coleman 53 LG Joel Bitonio 85.2 C JC Tretter 70.5 RG Kevin Zeitler 81.1 RT Chris Hubbard 69.6 Defense DE Myles Garrett 88.4 DT Trevon Coley 68.9 DT Larry Ogunjobi 82 DE Emmanuel Ogbah 72.6 OLB Christian Kirksey 59.6 ILB Mychal Kendricks 86 OLB Jamie Collins Sr. 35.9 CB Denzel Ward N/A CB E.J. Gaines 86.6 CB T.J. Carrie 84.3 SS Jabrill Peppers 45.8 FS Damarious Randall 70.9
I'm glad ESPN is going on the record. Let's see what happens. My concern is the o-line could completely ruin the season for the Texans. If DW goes down, I will (again) completely stop watching the NFL.
QB Deshaun Watson 75.1 QB Blake Bortles 78.3 HB Lamar Miller 77.8 HB Leonard Fournette 76.2 TE Ryan Griffin 53.8 TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins 47.8 TE Jordan Akins N/A TE Niles Paul 42.6 WR Braxton Miller 47 WR Keelan Cole 78.4 WR DeAndre Hopkins 90.6 WR Marqise Lee 77.1 WR Will Fuller V 73 WR Donte Moncrief 49.1 LT Chris Clark 37.7 LT Cam Robinson 37.6 LG Zach Fulton 68.8 LG Andrew Norwell 88.8 C Nick Martin 44.9 C Brandon Linder 84.7 RG Senio Kelemete 48.3 RG A.J. Cann 52.5 RT Martinas Rankin N/A RT Jermey Parnell 79 LOL Blake was better than Deshaun? Lamar was better than Fournette? Texans have the better tight end and receivers Cam Robinson was worse than Chris Clark???? On the defense, DE Calais Campbell 93.5 DE Joel Heath 44.6 DT Malik Jackson 86.4 NT D.J. Reader 84.2 DT Marcell Dareus 79.7 DE J.J. Watt 89.3 DE Yannick Ngakoue 83.6 ILB Benardrick McKinney 79.7 OLB Telvin Smith Sr. 90.5 OLB Whitney Mercilus 75.1 ILB Myles Jack 83.4 ILB Zach Cunningham 80.6 OLB Blair Brown 70.8 OLB Jadeveon Clowney 88.3 CB A.J. Bouye 88 CB Johnathan Joseph 75.7 CB Jalen Ramsey 91.8 CB Kareem Jackson 52.2 CB D.J. Hayden 50.7 CB Aaron Colvin 80 FS Tashaun Gipson Sr. 81.4 FS Andre Hal 78.5 SS Barry Church 83.2 SS Tyrann Mathieu 77 Take out Heath and Kareem and the Texans score is much closer. Plus some of the scoring is questionable. Whitney at 75?
The question came up on the Texans board who is the backup QB I said if the backup is playing this season is over so it really doesn't matter.
