More and more in recent seasons, it's become clear that the most important thing in the modern NFL is offensive infrastructure. Offense has been more important than defense for a while now, and the personnel involved in crafting that offense matters a great deal when it comes to determining its succe s.Who is your quarterback? Who is protecting him? Who does he throw to? Who does he have next to him in the backfield? Who's scheming those players open? All the pieces matter. The degree to which they matter varies greatly, of course, but each plays a role in making an offense hum at peak efficiency.All of this brings us to the following project: ranking the offensive infrastructure of all 32 NFL teams. To go about this, we used a weighted grading system where each team was given a 1-5 ranking (1 = terrible, 5 = elite) in the following areas: Quarterback, Offensive Line, Pa s-Catchers (WR/TE), Running Backs, and Play-Caller (head coach or offensive coordinator).Those scores were then weighted so that quarterback was the most important component of the offense, followed by offensive line, play-caller, pa s-catchers, and then finally running backs, so that the weights reflected as closely as po sible the reality of the way modern NFL offenses really work. We'll run through these rankings in this space over the next few days, beginning here with the in the NFL, and continuing below with the teams that need major improvements to reach their potential. 26. (3.00)Grades: QB: 3, OL: 3, Play-Caller: 4, WR/TE: 2, RB: 2, Total: 14The quarterback grade a sumes that beats out for the starting job in Chicago. And why wouldn't he? Trubisky has not consistently shown anything resembling long-term starter-level play during his three NFL seasons. He is generally inaccurate. He does not handle pre sure well. His throws rarely turn into touchdowns and are intercepted more often than the average pa ser. He
Scottie Pippen Jersey does not push the ball downfield. And last season, he showed an aversion to doing the one thing that was propping up the rest of his skill set (running the ball when things break down). Foles has his faults as well, but we at least have seen him succeed in a system that looks a whole lot like the one run by Matt Nagy. He hasn't shown the ability to last a full season without getting injured and he runs extremely hot and cold, but he is far more likely to make the Bears' offense run the way it is supposed to run than is Trubisky.Nagy showed an ability to scheme players into position to succeed during his first year in Chicago, as well as during his brief stint calling plays in Kansas City. The Andy Reid-style offense he runs depends on the quarterback being able to distribute on-time and on-target pa ses, and with a QB more suited for that type of offense he should get back to being one of the better designers in the league.One i sue facing him here is that he's still working with sub-par personnel. A few of the free agents Ryan Pace sprang for a few years ago are now either gone (like ) or replaced (like ), and it's still likely that the Bears have a below-average group of pa s-catchers. is incredible, but did not take the step forward many expected in his second season, is almost a complete unknown, Burton has done next to nothing, was washed up several years ago, and looks like a wasted draft pick. Throw in strange backslide last season and sudden inability to make defenders mi s at the NFL level after leading the nation in broken tackles in 2018, and, well, this is not an inspiring group. The Bears also still could use upgrades along the offensive line, where even their most reliable starters are plagued by bouts of inconsistency. If they can get that group working well all at the same time, like they did at times in 2018, then the offense can sing. If not, things could get ugly.25. (3.07)Grades:QB: 3, OL: 3, Play-
Luke Kornet Jersey Caller: 3, WR/TE: 4, RB: 4, Total: 15Remember all the kind things we said about Foles above? They're only really true because he's being compared to Trubisky. He looked like a clearly and vastly inferior option to last season, and the Jags cast him aside pretty easily after just one year in town. Minshew-Mania was a little bit overhyped, but getting league average-ish QB play from a late-round rookie is practically a Godsend in the modern NFL. Minshew isn't yet a top half of the league starting quarterback, but he should be given a chance to develop into one.Jay Gruden's offenses in Washington kind of fell apart after left town, but he was a good play-caller during his time in Cincinnati, and that earned him the Washington job in the first place. He's decent enough and should be able to help Minshew grow into his role. The Jags have about three-fifths of a good offensive line, but there is an i sue at tackle that needs to be solved. Still, the protection up the middle, led by center , is pretty strong and should help put Minshew in pretty good position to succeed. The pa s-catching group is an underrated one. D.J. Chark's breakout sophomore season came as a relative surprise given his lack of involvement as a rookie, but it's clear he and Minshew developed nice chemistry. Chark showed the ability to beat even the best corners in the league during his first season in a No. 1 role. The Jags also have decent complementary weapons in , , , and , and if they can find a way to keep healthier than the did, they'll have another strong red zone weapon.It was still a mistake to take with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, but he's a good running back who can break big plays and last year showed he can be a threat in the pa sing game as well. The draft capital they spent on him makes the Jags pretty likely to mistakenly center their offense around handing the ball to Fournette, but he had a nice year running it last season, taking a step forward from his poor 2018 campaign.24. (3.13)Grades:QB: 3, OL: 2, Play-Caller: 4, WR/TE: 4, RB: 4, Total: 17It's very easy to see this ranking being far higher a year from now, after takes the next step in his development. He had a solid enough rookie year, but did not push the ball downfield enough to be considered an above-average option under center just yet. He's on the right track, though, and clearly has a ton of talent. Similarly, Kliff Kingsbury got off to what looked like a pretty bad start to his rookie season as a head coach, but by the end of the year he really found a rhythm. His spread-field offense led to wide running lanes for the likes of and , and the Cards ranked as one of the most efficient running teams in the league because of it. Throw in Murray's ability to make plays with his legs and his accuracy on intermediate throws, and the Cardinals were one of the most improved offenses in the NFL last year.They should be even better in 2020, with now in town to anchor the pa s-catching group. Arizona rarely tested defenses outside the numbers last year, and Kingsbury eventually had to move out of the slot just to have somebody capable of threatening the defense on the perimeter. With Hopkins in town, Kirk can move back inside and work the middle of the field with . If can tap into some of the big-play potential he showed in the second half of the season, this group looks even better.The offensive line was an absolute disaster last season, though, and needs dramatic improvements for any of the previously-mentioned facets of the offense to really shine. Arizona should be taking a long look at offensive linemen in the draft. T-22. (3.20)Grades:QB: 2, OL: 4, Play-Caller: 5, WR/TE: 2, RB: 3, Total: 16With Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels, and still in place, the Patriots should be able to reclaim
Wendell Carter Jersey their spot among the league's top oops sorry Brady is gone, let's re-do this.For the first time in 20 years, there is uncertainty in New England at the game's most important position. Who is going to be under center for the Patriots in 2020? ? Brian Hoyer? Someone who is not yet on the roster, whether it be a draft pick like Jordan Love or a free agent like ? It seems safe to say that right now, we have absolutely no idea who it'll be. Stidham seems like the in-house favorite, even if only because they have been talking him up for a while, but he did not exactly light things up in college and he obviously did not do much of anything last year. It's hard to have much confidence in him reaching average, let alone piloting a top offense.Stidham (or Hoyer, or whoever) should at least benefit from a solid offensive line in front of him, a suming can get back on the field and can remain healthy for longer than five minutes. The New England line struggled last year, but much of that was due to a rash of injuries. At full healthy, it's an above-average unit. That said, the line did backslide the last time legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia retired, and he won't be there to coach them up in 2020 now that he's called it quits for a second time. Josh McDaniels is widely considered one of the league's brightest offensive minds and we gave him the benefit of the doubt in our rankings, but we're about to see him working with a far different set of tools than he's used to for the first time in a while. It'd be nice if the Patriots had the kind of weaponry that could prop up a quarterback, but if that were the case, Brady probably wouldn't have left. This is a team that badly needs to add talent at receiver and tight end, and could probably use an infusion at running back as well, given horrible 2019 season, dependence on Brady's timing and decision-making, age, and the fact that couldn't get on the field as a rookie.T-22. (3.20)Grades:QB: 3, OL: 2, Play-Caller: 4, WR/TE: 4, RB: 5, Total: 18This time last year, the Browns might have ranked inside the top 10 on a list like this. Then 2019 happened. John Dorsey neglected the offensive line, which resulted in being under constant pre sure every week. Mayfield's confidence tanked and he started getting skittish, and Freddie Kitchens couldn't find a way to scheme him into succe s with quick-strike throws that took advantage of his best skills and allowed players like and to make plays. Kitchens for some reason abandoned the kinds of things that worked in 2018 and got him the head coaching gig, like play-action pa sing and working out of 12 personnel. He also refused to hand off play-calling duties to Todd Monken, who at least had a wealth of experience coordinating an offense hampered by poor line play. As a result, the Browns were arguably the league's most disappointing team last season.Now, though, Kitchens and Dorsey are gone. Their replacements are Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski, who have already set in motion a plan to get back to what made Mayfield succe sful two years ago. They brought in to upgrade one spot on the offensive line. They will presumably find themselves a left tackle early in the draft, perhaps as soon as pick No. 10. They brought in to work alongside in dual-tight end sets, which again should bring Mayfield back into his comfort zone. They can now operate out of 12 personnel as their base package, rotating and in and out and occasionally using them on the field together as they did down the stretch of last season. The question mark at left tackle is enough to ding the Browns on the offensive line grade, though, and we probably need to see Mayfield actually make good decisions and deliver the ball quickly before we bump him up to above-average again. It is entirely po sible that when we do this list next year, the Browns are back where we thought they'd be a year ago, as opposed to where they are right now.21. (3.27)Grades:QB: 3, OL: 3, Play-Caller: 3, WR/TE: 4, RB: 5, Total: 18 acquitted himself nicely enough in relief of last season, but his 5-0 record as a starter oversells how well he actually played. Bridgewater is an extremely conservative pa ser whose average throw traveled only 6.2 yards in the air last season -- last among qualified quarterbacks. He was lucky to have Sean Payton scheming things up for him, which afforded wide throwing windows to pop the ball to over and over. Bridgewater did that well, and he does a good job of taking care of the ball due to his conservative nature, which raises the floor of a team's offense. It just doesn't raise the ceiling all that much.In Carolina, he will be afforded the help of a play-caller who just coordinated perhaps the most explosive offense in college football history. Joe Brady came from LSU to join Matt Rhule with the Panthers, and he actually has an underrated crew of pa s-catchers to work with here. D.J. Moore had a true second-year breakout despite working with under center for the majority of the season, and that breakout was presaged by his posting rookie numbers that placed him among rare company. never really managed to get untracked last year, but with a better (and more accurate) pa ser under center he should get back to making plays. And the Cats added the explosive on a steal of a contract, worth $20 million over two years. was let go and is now in Seattle, but has flashed playmaking upside filling in for Olsen during injury spells over the past two seasons. And it's entirely po sible none of those guys is even Bridgewater's top target, because he has the best pa s-catching back in the league in . There is no route McCaffrey cannot run out of the backfield or split out wide or in the slot, and he is a dynamic threat who can score from absolutely anywhere. That's an incredibly valuable piece for a quarterback to have, especially when he checks down as often as Bridgewater.The Panthers still need to make some upgrades along the offensive line, and they're not off to a great start after swapping out for and letting walk. Perhaps Rhule wants something else from his linemen, but the team took a downgrade in the trade and still has needs elsewhere on the line.T-19. (3.40)Grades:QB: 3, OL: 4, Play-Caller: 4, WR/TE: 2, RB: 4, Total: 17Can anybody explain why the Raiders think they
Derrick Rose Jersey need so many tight ends? They already had one of the league's better one-two punches with and , but they for some reason signed (who could barely move even at his peak and looked dreadful in his return to Dallas last season) . What's up with that? Mike Mayock and company tried to upgrade weaponry last offseason by bringing in and , and we all know how the second part of that equation worked out. Williams was miscast in the No. 1 role for most of the season, and he only really got help in the form of later in the year. The Raiders badly need to add one of the top receivers in this year's draft cla s. Despite their lack of punch on the outside and Derek Carr's general aversion to testing defenses down the field, though, the Raiders still managed an average-ish offense in 2019. That's because
Tomas Satoransky Jersey for all his faults, Jon Gruden is actually a pretty good play-caller, and he knows how to get guys open. He's just working from behind when it comes to players who don't need to be schemed into space, and with a quarterback who is unwilling to throw the ball all that far beyond the line of scrimmage.The Raiders' offensive line played extremely well last season, in what had to be one of the biggest surprises of the year. It helped that they stayed fairly healthy up front, but they also coaxed better-than-expected seasons out of guys like and , the latter of whom people expected to drop off precipitously after leaving New England. Brown only played about 60 percent of the team's snaps in 2019, but he was good when he was out there. I'm somewhat skeptical the line can repeat last year's performance given i sues like age ( ), prior track record (Miller), and coaching (Tom Cable), but they get an above-average grade for now.The same is true of , who could be a much more valuable player for the Raiders if they'd throw him the ball instead of giving all the pa sing-down work to the likes of . Jacobs flashed some decent receiving skills at Alabama and looked good when he got the rock thrown his way last year. He can do more than he was given the opportunity to do last season.T-19. (3.40)Grades:QB: 5, OL: 2, Play-Caller: 3, WR/TE: 3, RB: 2, Total: 16The way the Texans have handled career should be considered criminal negligence.18. (3.47)Grades:QB: 3, OL: 4, Play-Caller: 3, WR/TE: 4, RB: 4, Total: 18For the first time in forever, won't be the quarterback of the Chargers. The team insists it is moving forward with , though there are near-daily rumors about their interest in Tua Tagovailoa and/or Justin Herbert. Taylor is an underrated pa ser who has the ability to make things happen outside of structure by using his legs, and he is one of the least turnover-prone quarterbacks in the league. All of that makes him different than Rivers, who became more and more willing to throw picks in an effort to make splash plays in recent seasons.It's difficult to say with much confidence what Shane Steichen brings to the table as a play-caller, but he has a strong group of pa s-catchers to work with, including dynamic running back . Taylor will also have and on the outside and over the middle, giving him threats at all three levels as well as the ability to test defenses horizontally and force them to cover every blade of gra s. If he can be a bit more aggre sive than he was during his time as the starter in Buffalo (which he should, given the quality of weapons afforded to him), he should be just fine as a starter.The Chargers already made one upgrade by swapping Okung for Turner in the trade with the Panthers, but bringing in on an affordable deal was a nice move as well. Things are at least moving in the right direction here.
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