NFL power rankings, NFC edition: Saints, Seahawks among the best

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - DECEMBER 16: Wide receiver Michael Thomas #13 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates after a touchdown in the second quarter of the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Mercedes Benz Superdome on December 16, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

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Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

No team is a sexier pick to go from bottom-dwellers to top dogs than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And yes, the team has made substantial changes, none bigger than adding future Hall of Famers quarterback Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski to the mix. And yes, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans represent the best pair of receivers Brady in some time.

But, the rest of this team still has serious questions and Brady showed significant signs of slowing down last year, not to mention Gronkowski will have not played football in over 18 months when the season kicks off.

On offense, the Bucs made little investment in their porous run game (adding only third-round pick Ke’Shawn Vaughn while losing Peyton Barber. The best addition to the offensive line will be a rookie right tackle, and rookies almost always take time to transition in to the NFL at that position.

The defense will feature mostly the same group, with the addition of second round safety Antoine Winfield, Jr. There’s upside and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is terrific, but can the secondary hold up? Huge question mark as teams will throw more against Tampa Bay this season.

Maybe the Bucs are much improved in 2020 – but it is difficult to see them competing for the NFC title.

9. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys have assembled another strong offensive line around Dak Prescott and All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott. They’ve re-signed Amari Cooper to a massive, 5-year $100 million contract. And, they’ve invested heavily in more weaponary, using their first-round pick on wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. The offense assembled in Dallas should be among the top three in football.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys have made even more investments. In free agency the team added defensive tackles Dontari Poe and Gerald McCoy and safety HaHa Clinton-Dix. In the draft the team added cornerback Trevon Diggs, a steal in the second round.

The bottom line is that this is a make or break year for Dallas and Prescott. So why so low on the rankings? The Cowboys have a new head coach in Mike McCarthy and there’s no offseason program. There are also real concerns after losing center Travis Frederick to retirement, and star corner Byron Jones in free agency.

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