Ranking the skill-position groups for all 32 NFL teams

James Conner fortunately collected his $13.5 million guarantee last year, before the running-back market cratered. Conner leads a Cardinals operation that lost DeAndre Hopkins and Chosen Anderson from its 2022 arsenal. A healthier O-line that now includes No. 6 overall pick Paris Johnson stands to help Conner, though Kyler Murray’s potentially lengthy absence hurts all parties. Colt McCoy will still have Zach Ertz, but the veteran tight end is set for his age-33 season. These aging starters do not appear to have a place on a rebuilding team, which will likely part with Marquise Brown during or after the 2023 season. 

In Year 3 of Houston’s long rebuild, Brandin Cooks became the rare NFLer to be traded for a fourth time. Sending Cooks to the Cowboys depletes an already-thin group. Houston does have promising fourth-round running back Dameon Pierce, whose fantasy GMs likely accounted for a notable percentage of the 2022 Texans’ out-of-market viewership. Pierce totaled 939 rushing yards in 13 games. The Texans also took a flier on Robert Woods, hoping the 31-year-old — now two seasons removed from an ACL tear — can rebound from a down Titans season. Ex-Cowboy Dalton Schultz also provides a rare pass-catching tight end presence for Houston. 

Once outfitted with A.J. Brown, Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith, Derrick Henry looks to be saddled with a career-worst supporting cast. The Titans waited until Round 7 to address their receiver position this year. Trading Brown proved a market misread and a mistake that helped lead to Jon Robinson’s GM ouster. New honcho Ran Carthon will count on holdovers Treylon Burks, Kyle Philips and Chig Okonkwo, who ranked second in Next Gen Stats’ YAC-per-reception metric. That said, the Titans do not return a 500-yard receiver. They could use DeAndre Hopkins to complement Henry, whose late prime persists. After leading the NFL in carries for a third time in four years, Henry is near the end.

Losing D.J. Moore will sting, but the Panthers do carry better tertiary talent this year. Adam Thielen, DJ Chark and second-rounder Jonathan Mingo comprise a decent trio, even if the Panthers bought into Thielen (33) a bit late. Mingo hails from the up-and-running Ole Miss wideout factory and poses a big-bodied target for Bryce Young. The Panthers may well shuffle out a few more parts ahead of Young’s second year, but they will look to Mingo as a long-termer. While Hayden Hurst surprisingly fetched more money than Dalton Schultz or Mike Gesicki, Carolina landed Miles Sanders on a reasonable $6.4 million-per-year pact.

One of the NFL’s longest-running backfield duos, Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon will team up for a fourth — and potentially final — year. Beyond the do-it-all starter and his powerful wingman, the Packers are banking on their draft acumen. Green Bay has found several second-round receiver gems (Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams among them). With Cobb and Allen Lazard gone, they will need Christian Watson to anchor Jordan Love’s first receiving corps and fellow second-rounder Jayden Reed to be a quicker study than the past batch of Round 2 receiver investments were. 

Once a staple at or near the top of this list, the Rams are in a strange gap year. They will go as far as Cooper Kupp takes them in his age-30 season. Otherwise, Los Angeles is deficient at every other skill spot. The Rams ranked 27th in rushing, and while O-line injuries contributed heavily to that, Cam Akers will need to show more after a turbulent (and largely unproductive) year post-Achilles surgery. Tyler Higbee will likely go undrafted in most fantasy leagues, while undersized Tutu Atwell has not proven remotely worth a second-round pick. After the Allen Robinson bust, the Rams need a good contract year from Van Jefferson.

It says plenty about the state of the league and readiness of young playmakers that the Saints are down here. But Alvin Kamara quietly trudged through a down year, and the perennial Pro Bowler is set for a six-game suspension. 2022 rushing TD leader Jamaal Williams does bring fine insurance, however. The Saints can celebrate their two-trade-up maneuver for Chris Olave, who made a run at Offensive Rookie of the Year. UDFA speedster Rashid Shaheed offers promise; so does converted wideout Juwan Johnson at tight end. But anything Michael Thomas can provide will be a bonus given the reception record holder’s 2020s developments.

Like Jim, Phyllis, Angela and Co. punching the clock post-Michael Scott, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin remain in place for a new regional manager. Tom Brady’s regression probably should not be tied to the receivers, though Godwin did not quite look himself following a December 2021 ACL tear, and Russell Gage underwhelmed on a $10M-per-year contract. The Bucs also received next to nothing at tight end. They are giving Rachaad White another chance, but the fourth-round running back was the lead cog in the league’s worst rushing attack. Can Baker Mayfield extend Evans’ record-smashing streak to 10 straight 1,000-yard years to start a career?

Hoping D.J. Moore will do for Justin Fields what A.J. Brown did for Jalen Hurts, the Bears took a big step at wide receiver. Darnell Mooney has a 1,000-yard year under his belt but has always appeared more No. 2 wideout than aerial centerpiece. Cole Kmet offered a (very) quiet seven-TD season; Moore will boost his prospects as well. The Bears could soon take a loss on Chase Claypool, who has deteriorated from supersized Steeler weapon to potential trade bust that cost the Bears the No. 32 pick. D’Onta Foreman is a steal at $2 million, however, and Khalil Herbert posted 5.7 yards per tote. Upside exists here, but Fields will need to show better accuracy.

Receiver depth has eluded the Colts for many years, dating back to the franchise’s struggles complementing T.Y. Hilton. As Hilton declined, Michael Pittman Jr. at least emerged. Alec Pierce’s 593 rookie-year yards — and pretty much every non-QB or O-line aspect — went unnoticed amid the Colts’ Jeff Saturday-aided disaster, but the second-round pick displayed upside as a Pittman sidekick. The Colts did not make any notable O-line moves, hoping their anchors will propel Jonathan Taylor back to his 2021 form. With a raw Anthony Richardson on deck, the Colts will need plenty of Taylor. This team also oozes tight end depth, but will any qualify as an upper-echelon piece?

Although it does not look like this will be the season in which Washington gives Terry McLaurin a long-term QB answer, the Commanders still have a borderline top-10 receiver in his prime. They will count on first-rounder Jahan Dotson (seven rookie-year TDs) to support him. The Commanders are planning a sobering Sam Howell-Jacoby Brissett QB competition, but Ron Rivera is hoping to somehow lean more on the run game. Washington already tallied the NFL’s fourth-most carries last season, but Brian Robinson proved a solid mudder alongside the versatile and underused Antonio Gibson.

The Patriots are making it seem like they are close to signing DeAndre Hopkins, but the former All-Pro and Bill O’Brien charge is not in the fold yet. The Pats already paid up — by their standards — for one veteran receiver this offseason, signing JuJu Smith-Schuster to a three-year, $25.5 million deal. That qualifies as barely middle-class wideout dough, but Smith-Schuster moved the needle for a Super Bowl winner. The Pats landing Mike Gesicki for barely $4M could be a steal, given his pre-Mike McDaniel past. Rhamodre Stevenson, however, is the star of this show. Not looking to be in a committee, the ex-fourth-rounder may soon unlock another gear.

This group could shoot up the rankings in 2024, but with Jameson Williams banned six games for gambling, it will take a bit for the Lions to be whole here. Detroit made one of the better fourth-round picks in recent memory, hitting on Amon-Ra St. Brown, but having to wait 1 1/2 years to pair he and Williams in earnest: not ideal. The Lions probably overpaid for pedestrian back David Montgomery, who ended up costing more than 2022 rushing TD leader (and ‘Hard Knocks’ maniac) Jamaal Williams. The Lions have missed on many scatback types over the past several years. Will using the No. 12 overall pick on Jahmyr Gibbs buck the trend?

Injury concerns engulf the Ravens, who will field a skill crew around a suddenly malady-prone Lamar Jackson. It is hard to envision Odell Beckham Jr.’s upside being what it once was, with the former superstar nearly 31 and suffering two ACL tears since October 2020. The $15 million bet reeked of desperation. Rashod Bateman is still recovering from a broken foot suffered in October, while a complex ACL tear has largely derailed two J.K. Dobbins years. Zay Flowers is the fourth first-round wideout Baltimore has taken since 2015. Mark Andrews still gives this bunch a high floor. But dependability questions abound everywhere else.

Big Blue’s crew combusts if Saquon Barkley follows Le’Veon Bell’s 2018 path. In all seriousness, the Giants are one of the league’s most RB-dependent outfits. A host of No. 3-type wide receivers surround Barkley and Darren Waller, the pillars here. Waller is heading into his age-31 season and fresh off two malady-marred slates, the latter of which irking many in the Raiders’ building. Rolling out their latest collection of slot receivers, the Giants need one of them — 2022 second-rounder Wan’Dale Robinson — to bounce back quickly from his ACL tear. The team could also use a quick assimilation from Biletnikoff winner Jalin Hyatt.

Kenny Pickett formed an immediate rapport with George Pickens, the umpteenth Steelers Day 2 wide-receiver draft find, and will rely on steadily emerging tight end Pat Freiermuth. These two supply immense intrigue. Freiermuth upped his yards-per-catch figure by three yards in 2022, while recency bias-fueled Pickens-Beckham catch comparisons became commonplace. Ideally, the Steelers’ latest batch of O-line investments will turn Najee Harris from workhorse to impact back, but the jury is out here. And Allen Robinson, in a clear decline, now supplements Diontae Johnson. The savvy route runner went 0-for-17 in games with a TD last year.

Making the unexpected move to add Bijan Robinson to a backfield that already included 1,000-yard rusher Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson, the Falcons have now used top-10 picks on skill players in each of the past three years. Perhaps the draft’s best RB prospect since Saquon Barkley, Robinson joins Kyle Pitts and Drake London in a top-heavy weaponry array. Overhauling their receiving corps under Arthur Smith, the Falcons are thinner opposite London, whom Atlanta’s Marcus Mariota-led pass attack limited last season. That said, this will be a must-see offense due to Robinson’s arrival in a run-heavy scheme.

Jerry Jeudy is going into his fourth season; Courtland Sutton enters his sixth. The Broncos somehow still do not completely know their long-hyped receivers’ true capabilities thanks to rampant QB and coaching struggles. With Sean Payton running things, Denver will finally know. The Broncos will have possession target Tim Patrick back from an ACL-negated season, and third-round tight end Greg Dulcich showed sporadic promise as a rookie in a dysfunctional offense. Bulldozing back Javonte Williams coming back from his ACL tear stands to be the biggest personnel upgrade here, and 1-B back Samaje Perine (401 carries in six years) should have plenty left in the tank.

A year after disbanding the all-time great Travis Kelce-Tyreek Hill duo, the Chiefs scaled spending back further by letting their top 2022 wideout — JuJu Smith-Schuster — join the Patriots. With Mecole Hardman also gone, the defending champions will rely on unproven youngsters. Kansas City is making a big bet on shifty trade acquisition Kadarius Toney staying healthy, which the ex-first-rounder has never been able to do as a pro. The team did find a potential gem in seventh-round back Isiah Pacheco. Still, this operation will again depend on Kelce. The all-world tight end/surprisingly adept “SNL” host’s age (34 in October) may soon be a concern, however.

Though annually docked by the troublingly PPR-tilted fantasy universe, Nick Chubb has been one of this era’s best backs. The elite runner has carried Cleveland’s offense for years and is coming off a 17-game, 1,525-yard season. The still-underappreciated RB may have more work in store post-Kareem Hunt, but the Browns boast better receiving depth this season. Donovan Peoples-Jones will be playing for a contract; trade pickup Elijah Moore will aim to prove Zach Wilson held him back. Despite entering his ninth season, Amari Cooper is still 29. This is a good, not great, group that will obviously need more than Deshaun Watson showed last year.

Aaron Rodgers is 2-for-4 on his wish list thus far, with Marcedes Lewis seemingly a phone call away. Yes, Randall Cobb is a strange WR5 — WR4 if Corey Davis is belatedly cut -— in Year 13 and well past his prime. But fellow Packer come-with guy Allen Lazard posted his best season in 2022. Lazard — and, for now, Davis — provide quality support around Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson. The Packers famously refused to give Rodgers a first-round wideout; he now has a top-10 pick. Jets tight ends C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin should improve post-Zach Wilson, and if Breece Hall can show his pre-ACL-tear form, this ranking is a bit low.

Kirk Cousins continues to make good career choices. In addition to clearing the $200 million earnings mark, the 12th-year QB signed an extension the year the Vikings made Justin Jefferson 2020’s fifth receiver taken. The LSU alum’s historic pace nearly brought a 2,000-yard season. The Vikings have the NFL’s best wide receiver and should have more upside by replacing 33-year-old Adam Thielen with first-rounder Jordan Addison. T.J. Hockenson represents a borderline top-five receiving tight end as well. If Alexander Mattison can continue his longstanding B-plus Dalvin Cook shtick, the Vikings should stay on their usual offensive track.

Had Dallas not ditched Dalton Schultz, this would be a near-flawless cast. Producer of 1,000-yard seasons in three time zones, Brandin Cooks became a four-time trade piece. Perhaps on the back nine, the speed merchant should still improve a Cowboys receiving collective that missed Amari Cooper in 2022. Nearly two years removed from his ACL tear, Michael Gallup needs to show pre-injury form after two down seasons. Of course, CeeDee Lamb and Tony Pollard power this machine. It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys unleash the longtime Ezekiel Elliott backup. Or will the long-rumored Elliott return via pay cut restrain Pollard? 

Assuming they patch things up with Stefon Diggs, the Bills should roll out a better pass-catching corps this season. Kyle Pitts, Mike Ditka and Jeremy Shockey aside, rookie tight ends are notoriously slow developers. The Bills will need Dalton Kincaid to become an exception; they plan to turn to the first-rounder as a middle-of-the-field chess piece. The team lacked slot steadiness in 2022, and Gabe Davis needs to display more consistency. Buffalo does boast an interesting backfield, grabbing ex-Patriots starter Damien Harris for next to nothing to pair with James Cook. The latter’s role will be one of the bigger skill-position wild cards this year.

During the season’s second half, Trevor Lawrence began to awaken. Now two years removed from his Urban Meyer-hijacked rookie year, the hotshot QB has his best set of troops as a pro. Calvin Ridley apparently produced a 1,300-yard season partially on a broken foot. While the former Falcons first-rounder needs to prove he still has it after essentially two years away, the Jags received strong early returns from their derided Christian Kirk and Zay Jones signings. Evan Engram finally looked like a reliable option, and blossoming back Travis Etienne should glide onto the Pro Bowl level. This is among the league’s most balanced units.

Tyreek Hill is moving toward first-ballot Hall of Fame status. The high-priced trade acquisition (with notable help from Mike McDaniel) unlocked Tua Tagovailoa, elevating the Dolphins offense from 25th to sixth from 2021-22. Miami somehow accomplished this despite an extensive Skylar Thompson cameo. Jaylen Waddle profiles as one of this period’s most dangerous WR2s as well. Miami has one of the league’s least-proven tight end situations, though McDaniel did not use Mike Gesicki much last year, but returns system-ready backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson. Rookie speedster Devon Achane should be a fantasy stash; Dalvin Cook coming home would nix that.

Nitpicking Philly’s backfield is acceptable, but Kenneth Gainwell, D’Andre Swift and whatever the team gets from oft-injured Rashaad Penny should look fine behind Jalen Hurts and what could again be the NFL’s premier O-line. By trading for A.J. Brown, the Eagles atoned for years of receiver misses. The big-bodied YAC fiend set the franchise single-season receiving yards mark and helped DeVonta Smith to a near-1,200-yard slate. The slim sidekick gives the defending NFC champs a top-five receiving tandem, which aids Dallas Goedert’s between-the-hashes production. A top-heavy group, but an elite one. 

The NFL’s best-dressed team should look better this year. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams can be classified as injury risks, but Allen is one of this era’s highest-floor players when available. First-rounder Quentin Johnston joining the pristine route runner and his sidekick, who somehow has only missed seven games over the past four years, could be frightening. Johnston will only need to be a third option, and with Kellen Moore calling the shots, Justin Herbert should be freer to strike deep more often. Oh, and two-time TD kingpin Austin Ekeler has a case for best zero-time Pro Bowler — a strange NFL subplot, as they are giving those away now — in NFL history.

This will probably be the Tee Higgins-Ja’Marr Chase-Tyler Boyd troika’s final year together, with Boyd and Higgins in contract campaigns. But no receiving troupe can match it. The Bengals’ second-round sorcery gives Chase elite complements, aiding Joe Burrow’s rise to stardom. Defenses have not had to worry too much about Bengal tight ends, and Irv Smith Jr. is a risky investment given his extensive injury history. Cincy could use another piece here, but its receivers mask this issue for the most part. Samaje Perine’s exit could also have the team searching for a running back late, should Joe Mixon refuse a pay cut.

The Raiders not pursuing Aaron Rodgers looked a bit odd, especially after JImmy Garoppolo’s surgery leaked. Garoppolo brings immense injury worries, but when the starter is available, he will have 49ers-level ammo at his disposal. Like Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams proved he could remain elite without a future Hall of Fame quarterback. Jakobi Meyers, one of many ex-Patriots now in Vegas, joins Hunter Renfrow in support. Second-rounder Michael Mayer checked in as the draft’s most complete tight end. The Raiders may be renting Josh Jacobs, but few skill players were better in 2022. His 393 touches last season could be an ominous figure.

Seattle does not carry a receiver on Chase’s level, but Geno Smith has a deeper arsenal. This will be Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf’s fifth year together, and the Seahawks — flush with high draft picks thanks to the Russell Wilson trade — strengthened a strength via Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The ex-Ohio State slot only outproduced future OROY Garrett Wilson by 548 yards in his last healthy season. This cadre will certainly not make Noah Fant containment a high priority for defensive coordinators. Kenneth Walker likely mounts a stronger challenge to Garrett Wilson had he stayed healthy, and the Hawks gave him a second-round backup (Zach Charbonnet). Russ never had it this good.

The only team that can deploy a three-All-Pro skill armada, the 49ers present Brock Purdy (or Sam Darnold, or Trey Lance) with unmatched weaponry. Christian McCaffrey working in ex-babysitter Kyle Shanahan’s offense did well to highlight the value of a do-it-all running back, while Deebo Samuel should be closer to his 2021 form. The 49ers still managed a 12-game run with Samuel in a self-proclaimed “awful” season. George Kittle (career-high 11 TDs in 2022) remains the NFL’s most complete tight end. Playing for a big contract after his first 1,000-yard year, Brandon Aiyuk offers upside for this proven fleet. Health permitting, the group should be better in 2023.