• Philadelphia Eagles come in at No. 1: The Eagles have the best quarterback in the NFC. They have dynamic weapons on offense. Nobody in the league is better in the trenches. There are sore spots in the middle of their defense, but they have as good a chance as anybody to get back to the Super Bowl.
• To tank, or not to tank? The Arizona Cardinals allowed the second-most points in the NFL last year. They likely lose every game Kyler Murray doesn’t start and most of the games he does.
• PFF Premium Stats has everything you need: Click here to get access to all the grades and data that make these rankings possible.
With the preseason in the books and Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season quickly approaching, we now have a fairly good idea of how most teams will look heading into the campaign.
There could still be some surprise trades or free-agent signings looming, but at this point, most teams know who their starters will be when the regular season rolls around. With that in mind, let’s take an updated look at where all 32 rosters rank on paper heading into the 2023 season.
Key:
Red text = rookie
*2022 NCAA grade
**2021 NFL grade
***2021 NCAA grade
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JUMP TO A TEAM:
ARZ | ATL | BLT | BUF | CAR | CIN | CHI | CLE | DEN | DAL | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAX | KC | LVR | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
1. Philadelphia Eagles
Biggest strength in 2023: Trench play
The Eagles led the league in pass-blocking and pass-rush grades last year, making life easier for everyone around them. Their offensive line allowed Hurts to become an MVP-caliber dual threat. Their defense finished with the third-most sacks in NFL history during the regular season. Their units up front are loaded with stars such as Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, Haason Reddick and Brandon Graham. While Javon Hargrave is a big loss on the defensive interior, Jalen Carter fell into the Eagles' lap in the draft. The offensive and defensive lines will keep this team competitive despite departures elsewhere.
Biggest weakness in 2023: Coverage between the numbers
There weren’t many consistent weaknesses for the Eagles in 2022, but their middle-of-the-field defenders were often exposed in big spots. The Super Bowl was a microcosm of this, as the Chiefs picked on Philly’s linebackers as well as Avonte Maddox in the slot. T.J. Edwards, the best player among the group, departed along with Kyzir White and safeties Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps.
X-Factor for 2023: S Reed Blankenship
Following up on the aforementioned holes over the middle, Blankenship enters 2023 with a great opportunity to start after a surprising rookie year that saw him finish with a 79.4 overall grade. He finished with an 89.4 run-defense grade, fourth best among qualified safeties, and made some plays in coverage — including an interception of Aaron Rodgers. The Eagles will still have an elite pass-rush unit and excellent outside cornerback play. They need Blankenship to be the glue in the middle.
Rookie to watch: DI Jalen Carter
Carter was arguably the best player in the draft, and the Eagles secured him with the ninth overall pick. He could not have landed in a better place. And the team could not have found a better succession plan for Fletcher Cox talent-wise. Aaron Donald was the last defensive tackle to win Rookie of the Year when he did so in 2014. Carter is a good bet to do so in a defense perfectly suited for him.
Over/Under 11.5 win total: Over
Super Bowl hangovers can be real, but the Eagles have the best quarterback in the NFC. They have dynamic weapons on offense. Nobody in the league is better in the trenches. There are sore spots in the middle of their defense, but they have as good a chance as anybody to get back to the Super Bowl.
Projected starting lineup for 2023
| OFFENSE | DEFENSE |
| QB Jalen Hurts (88.2) | DI Fletcher Cox (60.2) |
| RB D’Andre Swift (78.1) | DI Jalen Carter (92.3*) |
| RB Kenneth Gainwell (63.5) | Edge Haason Reddick (84.6) |
| WR A.J. Brown (87.7) | Edge Brandon Graham (89.8) |
| WR DeVonta Smith (80.4) | Edge Josh Sweat (83.8) |
| WR Olamide Zaccheaus (64.6) | LB Nakobe Dean (78.6) |
| TE Dallas Goedert (78.2) | LB Zach Cunningham (60.3) |
| LT Jordan Mailata (81.7) | CB James Bradberry (71.7) |
| LG Landon Dickerson (72.1) | CB Darius Slay (73.1) |
| C Jason Kelce (89.4) | CB Avonte Maddox (72.2) |
| RG Cam Jurgens (72.7) | S Reed Blankenship (79.4) |
| RT Lane Johnson (84.8) | S Terrell Edmunds (69.1) |
2. San Francisco 49ers
Biggest strength in 2023: Playmakers
It’s a shame that the 49ers’ quarterback room was ravaged by injuries because they may have been the most well-rounded team in 2022. Offensively, Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk kept succeeding no matter who was under center. 49ers pass catchers led the league in missed tackles forced and ranked fifth in the regular season in yards after catch despite seeing the seventh-fewest targets. Defensively, Fred Warner, Charvarius Ward and Talanoa Hufanga return for the NFL's highest-graded coverage unit in 2022, one that also led the league in interceptions.
Biggest weakness in 2023: Interior Depth
It's hard to find weaknesses on this team, but the 49ers' interior defensive line struggled all last season, and it came to a head when the Eagles ran all over them in the NFC title game. Arik Armstead had a down year and Javon Kinlaw hasn’t lived up to his first-round billing yet. The 49ers ended 2022 with the third-lowest-graded interior defender unit in the NFL. They’re hoping Javon Hargrave fixes those issues, but there still isn’t much behind him. Hargrave’s high overall grade is also primarily carried by his pass rushing.
X-Factor for 2023: T Colton McKivitz
The 49ers ranked 10th in the league in run blocking last season. It was their lowest ranking since Kyle Shanahan has been head coach. Longtime right tackle Mike McGlinchey departed for Denver in free agency, leaving the inexperienced McKivitz an opportunity to take the job. He carries a career 56.4 overall grade on just 446 career snaps. He’s been in the system for three years, so there shouldn’t be any learning curve. The offensive line is still the engine of this team, but there are some major uncertainties outside of Trent Williams.
Rookie to watch: K Jake Moody
The 49ers are so loaded that they made somewhat of a luxury pick taking Michigan kicker Jake Moody in the third round. Moody carried the fourth-best field goal grade in the FBS last season, missing only two kicks under 50 yards. However, he did miss three of his seven kicks — two field goals and an extra point — this preseason. His progress will be worth watching early in the season, especially when the 49ers find themselves in tight games.
Over/Under 10.5 win total: Over
The 49ers are loaded. They went 6-0 against in division games last year and could do so again this year. A 6-5 record against the rest of their schedule shouldn’t be too hard as long as somebody is healthy at quarterback. Nick Bosa’s contract situation is worth monitoring, but the 49ers are one of the two best teams in the NFC. Twelve wins should be the expectation by now.
Projected starting lineup for 2023
| OFFENSE | DEFENSE |
| QB Brock Purdy (77.7) | DI Javon Hargrave (80.1) |
| RB Christian McCaffrey (84.4) | DI Arik Armstead (63.4) |
| RB Elijah Mitchell (81.7) | Edge Nick Bosa (90.6) |
| WR Deebo Samuel (74.1) | Edge Drake Jackson (64.1) |
| WR Brandon Aiyuk (78.7) | Edge Clelin Ferrell (63.8) |
| WR Jauan Jennings (68.1) | LB Fred Warner (85.7) |
| TE George Kittle (84.7) | LB Dre Greenlaw (79.6) |
| LT Trent Williams (91.7) | CB Charvarius Ward (81.0) |
| LG Aaron Banks (59.5) | CB Deommodore Lenoir (61.0) |
| C Jake Brendel (62.9) | CB Isaiah Oliver (77.9) |
| RG Spencer Burford (51.8) | S Talanoa Hufanga (72.1) |
| RT Colton McKivitz (69.4) | S Tashaun Gipson Sr. (69.7) |
3. Cincinnati Bengals
Biggest strength in 2023: Passing Game
There may not be a better receiver room in the NFL than that of the Cincinnati Bengals, featuring Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd catching passes from PFF’s highest-graded passer from 2022, Joe Burrow. Adding tight end Irv Smith Jr. into the mix should keep the Bengals among the top passing teams in football.
Biggest weakness in 2023: Safety
The Bengals lost both starting safeties Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell to free agency this past offseason. Replacing them are 2022 first-rounder Daxton Hill and former Rams safety Nick Scott, as well as 2023 third-rounder Jordan Battle. All three are currently unproven commodities, which could lead to some big plays for opposing offenses.
X-Factor for 2023: Offensive Line
Despite spending a lot of money on the offensive line in the 2022 offseason, the Bengals hardly improved as a unit. In the 2023 offseason, they added Super Bowl champion Orlando Brown Jr. to man the blind side. While Joe Burrow does thrive in the quick passing game, being able to give him more time to dissect opposing defenses could make an already dangerous passing attack unstoppable.
Rookie to watch: S Jordan Battle
As mentioned above, perhaps no positional unit took a bigger hit in the offseason than Cincinnati’s safety group. The duo of Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell had been among the very best over the past couple of seasons, but Bates is now with the Falcons and Bell joined the Panthers. In steps rookie third-rounder Jordan Battle, who was a fixture on Alabama’s defense over the past few years. Battle looks to pair with 2022 first-rounder Daxton Hill to potentially form a safety duo that Cincinnati can rely upon for at least the next three or four seasons.
Over/Under 11.5 win total: Over
This Bengals' roster is one of the more complete ones in the league and, barring anything unforeseen, should be among the favorites to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVIII.
Projected starting lineup for 2023
| OFFENSE | DEFENSE |
| QB Joe Burrow (92.0) | DI DJ Reader (85.2) |
| RB Joe Mixon (80.8) | DI B.J. Hill (68.7) |
| WR Ja’Marr Chase (83.9) | Edge Trey Hendrickson (82.9) |
| WR Tee Higgins (78.4) | Edge Sam Hubbard (69.9) |
| WR Tyler Boyd (70.2) | Edge Myles Murphy (79.0*) |
| TE Irv Smith Jr (56.4) | LB Germaine Pratt (78.4) |
| TE Drew Sample (52.3) | LB Logan Wilson (74.6) |
| LT Orlando Brown Jr (75.4) | CB Chidobe Awuzie (69.9) |
| LG Cordell Volson (53.7) | CB Mike Hilton (67.1) |
| C Ted Karras (65.1) | CB Cam Taylor-Britt (64.5) |
| RG Alex Cappa (67.6) | S Daxton Hill (56.0) |
| RT Jonah Williams (61.0) | S Jordan Battle (81.3*) |
4. Kansas City Chiefs
Biggest strength in 2023: Patrick Mahomes
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