Fansided

NFL power rankings: Saints, Chargers lead way into 2019

By Russell S. Baxter

NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 20: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) and New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) talk during a TV timeout during the NFC Championship Football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints on January 20, 2019 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - JANUARY 20: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) and New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) talk during a TV timeout during the NFC Championship Football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints on January 20, 2019 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
8 of 32
Next
TAMPA, FL – DECEMBER 30: Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gets sacked by Vic Beasley Jr. #44 and Bruce Irvin #52 of the Atlanta Falcons during the game at Raymond James Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. The Falcons won 34-32. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – DECEMBER 30: Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gets sacked by Vic Beasley Jr. #44 and Bruce Irvin #52 of the Atlanta Falcons during the game at Raymond James Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. The Falcons won 34-32. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

team. 48. . . . Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 25

2019 Key Additions: Bruce Arians becomes the team’s fifth different head coach since 2009. He enlisted the aid of Todd Bowles, his one-time defensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals who will now hold the same title with the Buccaneers. The latter got quite the new toy in the first round of the draft as the club added former LSU inside linebacker Devin White and used six of their eight selections (including the first 5) on the defensive side of the ball. They all join versatile Deone Bucannon, pass-rushing outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett and safety Kentrell Brice as newcomers to the team. Will new offensive coordinator Bryon Leftwich bring balance to an attack that finished 29th in the NFL in rushing in ’18?

Offseason Review: There’s been no playoffs for this organization since 2007. But Arians inherited a Cardinals’ team that was struggling and turned them into a postseason contender in a relatively short time. The head coach and Leftwich must find a way to teach talented but erratic quarterback Jameis Winston to take care of the football. Meanwhile, Bowles must rejuvenate a defense that has declined steadily the past three years. The Buccaneers are not a team without talent but they have certainly struggled to put it all together when it counts. Arians may be the perfect man for the job.

Next: No. 24

Home/NFL Power Rankings