NFL Power Rankings 2019: Examining Super Bowl Favorites Following Preseason

On Saturday, NFL teams were forced to whittle down their rosters to 53 players. Though more signings, cuts and trades will occur before the start of Week 1, the foundation for each team has been set.

For some teams, that foundation looks quite a bit different than it did a day or two ago—and not only because they have gotten smaller. The Seattle Seahawks, for example, pulled off a trade to acquire pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney form the Houston Texans. Houston then turned around and acquired offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and wideout Kenny Stills from the Miami Dolphins.

Running back LeSean McCoy, meanwhile, saw his four-year run with the Buffalo Bills end but quickly found a new home with the Kansas City Chiefs.

How does the league as a whole stack up after cutdown day? Let's take a look.

NFL Post-Cut Power Rankings

1. New England Patriots

2. Kansas City Chiefs

3. Los Angeles Rams

4. New Orleans Saints

5. Philadelphia Eagles

6. Pittsburgh Steelers

7. Chicago Bears

8. Los Angeles Chargers

9. Seattle Seahawks

10. Baltimore Ravens

11. Dallas Cowboys

12. Houston Texans

13. Atlanta Falcons

14. Cleveland Browns

15. Green Bay Packers

16. Minnesota Vikings

17. Carolina Panthers

18. Jacksonville Jaguars

19. Detroit Lions

20. Tennessee Titans

21. Buffalo Bills

22. San Francisco 49erw

23. Indianapolis Colts

24. New York Jets

25. Oakland Raiders

26. Cincinnati Bengals

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

28. Denver Broncos

29. New York Giants

30. Washington Redskins

31. Arizona Cardinals

32. Miami Dolphins

2. Kansas City Chiefs

Yes, the Chiefs signed McCoy. They also traded running back Carlos Hyde to Houston. These moves in and of themselves do not make Kansas City a title contender. They are, however, a sign of the embarrassment of riches the Chiefs have on offense.

McCoy is 31 and isn't a player most teams would be willing to take a chance on. The Chiefs can afford to, though, because he's purely icing on the proverbial backfield cake. With McCoy, Damien Williams, Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson on the roster, Kansas City should be able to keep a fresh back on the field at all times.

This is a scary thought considering the Chiefs also have Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins and, of course, quarterback Patrick Mahomes. This offense has the potential to be even more dangerous than it was a year ago.

Should the Chiefs get anything close to a functional defense this season, they should remain in the hunt until the end.

12. Houston Texans

The trade for Tunsil, in particular, is huge for the Texans. Though he did cost the Texans a pair of first-round picks and a couple of players, Tunsil should help to fill a major void in Houston.

We're talking about the offensive line, which allowed quarterback Deshaun Watson to be sacked 62 times last season. That's unacceptable, and while the Texans did draft offensive linemen Tytus Howard and Max Scharping, a move for a player like Tunsil was necessary.

The Texans also addressed their backfield depth with the trade for Hyde. He will reunite with former Cleveland Browns running back Duke Johnson Jr., who was acquired via trade in August.

Strengthening the running game and adding to the offensive line are two ways Houston can help protect Watson this season. They are also two ways the Texans can help their playoff chances.

32. Miami Dolphins

If it wasn't clear before that the Miami Dolphins are in the process of rebuilding, it is clear now. Dealing Tunsil, a franchise-caliber lineman, is precisely the kind of move a rebuilding team would make. Getting those two first-round picks and a second-rounder is important, though, because they should give Miami the ammunition to go up and get a quarterback in next year's draft.

This is likely the endgame for the Dolphins. Though Miami did acquire 2018 first-round pick Josh Rosen, they are not immediately giving him the opportunity to show what he can do. Journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick will get the start at quarterback in Week 1.

"Ryan has done a really good job from a leadership standpoint, from an execution standpoint, and we feel like it's the best move for the team," head coach Brian Flores said, per ESPN's Cameron Wolfe.

Rosen may be glad that he's not starting now that his left tackle has been dealt. Either way, the Dolphins appear to be setting themselves up to replace him in the 2020 draft.

Super Bowl Favorites

Chiefs: 6-1

Patriots: 13-2

Saints: 8-1

Bears: 9-1

Eagles: 13-1

Chargers: 14-1

Browns: 14-1

Per Caesars.