NFL power rankings, post free agency: Chiefs, Ravens loom

With free agency over, which teams made the biggest leaps forward and who fell the hardest? It’s time for a new edition of NFL power rankings.

Our last rankings stem from Week 17 of the 2019 regular season.

This year will be all about Gardner Minshew for the Jaguars. The team’s once-formidable defense was not so intimidating in 2019, allowing opposing offenses to rack up 397 points. That means Minshew and the offense will have to pick up the scoring if the Jags want to be respectable.

If Minshew can take the next step and build on his 21-touchdown season from a year ago, the Jaguars could find themselves out of the bottom spot.

Undoubtedly, the Panthers are Tanking For Trevor. What better way to usher in a new era of football in Charlotte than to bring in Trevor Lawrence to work with Joe Brady and Matt Rhule? Teddy Bridgewater‘s contract is only for three years, the team jettisoned its veteran talent and the groundwork has been laid for a rebuild that starts at the bottom in 2020.

Joe Burrow coming to the Bengals is a game-changer. Cincinnati finally has a franchise quarterback (we think) in a division long dominated by them.

If the Bengals are going to climb out of the AFC North’s basement, it’ll be because Burrow and second-year head coach Zac Taylor become a dynamic duo. The weapons are better than some realize with Tyler Boyd, A.J. Green and Joe Mixon able to make plays on a regular basis.

This will be an important year for the development of second-year quarterback Daniel Jones. Last year’s No. 4 overall pick played decent ball at times last year, and at times looked like a rookie. The Giants may look to draft an offensive tackle with their first-round choice next month to help protect Jones while opening up running room for Saquon Barkley. If Barkley can’t run, it’s over for Big Blue.