NFL Power Rankings: Latest Team-by-Team Outlook During 2016 Training Camp

Pads cracking in the summer heat means the arrival of NFL training camps.

As any veteran observer of the NFL understands, it also means the arrival of power rankings, a necessary tool for anyone hoping to keep up with the entire league at a glance.

With so much information available these days, it can seem like a daunting task to keep up with all the happenings in the NFL. Power rankings have evolved alongside the league, morphing from a for-fun exercise to a broad-strokes look at league hierarchy.

Below, let's take a first glance at power rankings based on each team's offseason, the news surrounding each and projections for how new-look rosters will perform. 

Rank	Team
1	New England Patriots
2	Arizona Cardinals
3	Carolina Panthers
4	Denver Broncos
5	Green Bay Packers
6	Cincinnati Bengals
7	Minnesota Vikings
8	Seattle Seahawks
9	Kansas City Chiefs
10	Oakland Raiders
11	New York Giants
12	Houston Texans
13	Pittsburgh Steelers
14	Washington
15	Philadelphia Eagles
16	Indianapolis Colts
17	Dallas Cowboys
18	Atlanta Falcons
19	Buffalo Bills
20	New York Jets
21	Chicago Bears
22	Los Angeles Rams
23	Baltimore Ravens
24	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
25	Jacksonville Jaguars
26	New Orleans Saints
27	Detroit Lions
28	Miami Dolphins
29	Tennessee Titans
30	Cleveland Browns
31	San Diego Chargers
32	San Francisco 49ers

The Obvious: Patriots Top the List

Expect someone else? 

The New England Patriots posted 12 wins last year, giving the franchise 12 or more for a sixth consecutive season. A two-point loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship hurt, but the team made quiet moves over the offseason to improve.

Critics will point out the loss of Tom Brady for the first four games due to the Deflategate suspension. Fine. A slate featuring contests against the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans and Buffalo Bills wasn't going to be easy either way.

But when Brady does get back on the field, watch out. Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola are still around, and coach Bill Belichick still has his wild stable of unpredictable backs. Perhaps the most noteworthy item comes at tight end, where Rob Gronkowski still exists but Martellus Bennett should get most of the attention.

Bennett joined the Patriots via trade and is one of the best tight ends in the league, boasting five or more scores in three of his past four seasons, which would have likely been all four had he not missed five games last year.

Look, the New England defense will take its usual bend-but-don't-break approach. This is the scariest set of weapons Brady has had since the Aaron Hernandez days, and it's flexible enough to run short patterns and help along Jimmy Garoppolo while Brady serves the suspension.

This is a case of the same old Patriots, with a twist.

The Surprise: Vikings Sticking in Top 10

Few gave the Minnesota Vikings a chance to take down the NFC North last year.

Head coach Mike Zimmer is one of the league's most respected defensive gurus, Teddy Bridgewater looked promising and Adrian Peterson was still good, if not older, but the division seemed to belong to Aaron Rodgers.

Until the Vikings stole it from him.

Minnesota went from 7-9 in 2014 to 11-5 last year, stealing wins in Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago, as well as playing Arizona and Denver close in a pair of 23-20 losses. 

Clearly, Zimmer has the right formula. It should scare the rest of the NFC, then, that Bridgewater just got a true No. 1 wideout with the selection of Laquon Treadwell at No. 23, not to mention a potential starting corner in Mackensie Alexander.

The optimism around the franchise is rather infectious, starting right at the top, as the team captured:

Look, it's easy to slap together a typical power rankings with mainstays such as Pittsburgh and Seattle hanging around in the top 10 and relegate a team like the Vikings to the teens.

It's a mistake. The Vikings have a new culture and ooze talent, talent led by Bridgewater that continues to grow. After a season playing step for step with some of the NFL's best and another offseason of smart additions, it's hard to imagine the Vikings leave the top 10 all season.

Team With Most Potential to Climb Early: Cowboys out of No. 17

For now, the Dallas Cowboys don't get the benefit of the doubt.

Last year, Tony Romo only appeared in four games and tossed five scores. Dez Bryant managed nine games and three scores. This year, the majority of the hopes in Dallas hinge on a rookie running back.

The Cowboys have to earn their way back up.

It might not be as hard as it sounds, but this is the franchise that posted three straight .500 seasons before a 12-win campaign in 2014. It was back to the cellar of the NFC East last year with four wins in large part thanks to the injury bug.

If Romo and Bryant can stay healthy, great—but they'll still need a massive contribution from rookie back Ezekiel Elliott. As MMQB's Peter King pointed out, defensive woes mean Elliott will carry a huge load:

"

Dallas had a crummy pass-rush to begin with, and 17.5 of the team’s 31 sacks from last year came from players either suspended to start this season or let go. I trust Rod Marinelli to make something out of very little, but the most important thing for Dallas to do during camp is get a suit of armor to fit Ezekiel Elliott—because he’d better be ready to carry it an Emmitt-like 375 times this year.

"

If Elliott is up to task after rushing for more than 1,800 yards in back-to-back seasons at Ohio State, he gives the Cowboys a more potent attack than the team has had in years.

On the flip side, if the defense cannot uphold its end of the bargain and one of the key offensive guys goes down, the second half of the season might focus more on who replaces Romo in the long term as opposed to whether the team can make a push in the division.

It's like a risky draft pick—Dallas has huge upside, but the potential for a devastating bust is higher than most teams in the league.

Stats are courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of July 24. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.