About 15 years ago at this time, the Eagles were just weeks away from what couldn’t be another routine, boring training camp on the Lehigh campus.
By this time 15 years ago, the Eagles had emerged from a long-running NFL labor dispute by making a major push at their first Lombardi, adding some of the most recognizable names to an already talented roster to give head coach Andy Reid the ammunition he needed to finally bring Philadelphia its first Super Bowl title.
But all this had impressive consequences.
The dreaded “Dream Team” moniker, given in the first place by backup quarterback Vince Young, would immediately become the kiss of death, a label that followed them throughout the season as they worked their way to a 4-7 record. moved into December before finishing 8-8, outside the postseason, well below Super Bowl expectations.
The relevance of all this 15 years later…?
In case you haven’t noticed, the Rams have amassed some outstanding talent this offseason in what will likely be MVP Matthew Stafford’s last attempt at becoming a two-time Super Bowl champion.
Last year, the Rams finished 12-5 before losing in the NFC Championship but had every reason to believe they were the best in the NFL but were sabotaged by their own special teams, which contributed greatly to a late-season loss to the Seahawks that cost them the No. 1 seed and their 31-27 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champions in the conference title game.
This offseason, the Rams traded for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie and future Hall of Famer Myles Garrett, signed Super Bowl champion corner Jaylon Watson and even brought in a new long snapper to help solve their running woes. Their biggest loss was Pro Bowl winner Jared Wehrs, but only because he went to Cleveland in the Garrett deal, who set a new NFL single-season sack record last year.
The Rams are loaded, and – oh, talk about the NFL – it looks like superstar Aaron Donald, a 10-time Pro Bowl DT who’s sure to be heading to Canton, might want to get back to the fun after retiring after the 2023 season.
Even in a limited role for the 35-year-old, Donald’s return will arm the Rams with more firepower than they already have, and they already have a team that should be considered number one heading into the 2026 season.
But they’re also getting dangerously close to “Dream Team” territory, and as the Eagles can vouch, the weight of fielding a star-studded roster and meeting those expectations can cause the foundation to crumble.
For now, however, the Rams are the clear No. 1 in our preseason NFL power rankings, which we’ve broken down into top 10, five sleepers and five bottom.
Top 10
1: Los Angeles Rams: Unless they fix their lousy special teams, the Rams won’t have Lombardi this season. But it’s hard to believe that in the third stage they could be so bad again.
2. Denver Broncos: Let’s be honest: Denver would have won the AFC last year if QB Bo Nix had played in the conference championship. Broncos traded for WR Jaylen Waddle adding an explosive element that was missing from their offense. They are still the best passing game in the NFL with one of the best head coaches in the sport.
3. Seattle Seahawks: Of the last five Super Bowl champions, only the Chiefs returned to the Super Bowl (twice), and only two did not win a playoff game the following season (2022 Rams, 2025 Eagles). It’s a good sign for Seattle to at least return to the postseason. But some big offseason losses, including RB Kenneth Walker, EDGE Boy Mafe and CB Rick Woolen, make a repeat difficult.
4. New England Patriots: QB Drake May played like a superstar in his second season, and then New England added WRs AJ Brown and Romeo Dubs along with OG Alijah Vera-Tucker. The Patriots will face a tougher schedule in 2025 and will have to be the hunted rather than the hunters.
5. Baltimore Ravens: They were my number one in the preseason last year and didn’t live up to expectations. Didn’t even make it to the postseason! But I’m not betting against Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, Roquan Smith, Kyle Williams, Trey Hendrickson and a roster that is still good enough to win the AFC. I also think HC Jesse Minter was a good player to replace John Harbaugh.
6: San Francisco 49ers: They won 12 games last year despite losing LB Fred Warner, EDGE Nick Bosa, EDGE first-rounder Mykel Williams for most of the season to injuries, QB Brock Purdy who played just eight games, and WR Brandon Aiyuk, who never returned from a gruesome knee injury in 2024. This offseason they added future Hall of Famer Mike Evans, standout DT Osa Odighizuwa and slot WR Christian Kirk. The only thing stopping them from competing for the Super Bowl is good health and aging. Kyle Shanahan will be cooking with his offensive weapons even as TE George Kittle returns from a torn Achilles.
7. Philadelphia Eagles: They have as many top-tier talent as any team, but last year’s offensive line issues and continued regression in the passing game that no longer features AJ Brown, coupled with the hiring of another rookie in Sean Mannion, leaves too much guesswork. On the other hand, the defense must be elite.
8. Buffalo Bills: Again, a lot will be asked of QB Josh Allen, but he has shown he can carry a team on his back. The additions of WR DJ Moore and EDGE Bradley Chubb are vintage GM Brandon Beane additions – good enough to get your attention, but not good enough to believe Buffalo has finally assembled the ultimate Super Bowl team.
9. Detroit Lions: Why is Detroit preferable to Chicago and Green Bay? It’s simple: the Lions simply have more talent. With RB Jameer Gibbs, WR Amon Ra-St. Brown, OT Penei Sewell, QB Jared Goff, LB Jack Campbell, EDGE Aidan Hutchinson and DT Aleem McNeil, the Lions have more blue chips than Chicago and Green Bay. The Lions will also play a third-place schedule. For now, this is enough to give them a slight advantage.
10. Houston Texans: Could have easily been a top 5 team if I trusted QB C.J. Stroud and their offense more, but Houston quietly added some good players this offseason, including OG. Wyatt Teller, O.T. Braden Smith and RB David Montgomery along with Reed Blankenship. HC DeMeco Ryans’ defense is so elite that even an adequate offense should make the Texans a legitimate contender.
Don’t sleep on these teams (next five)
1. Los Angeles Chargers: If new quarterback Mike McDaniel’s offense gets going, the Chargers could easily be a top-10 team and Super Bowl contender. However, the loss of DC Jesse Minter (now Ravens HC) will be felt.
2. Green Bay Packers: They really need WR Matthew Golden to show up, and for TE Tucker Kraft to come back strong from last year’s ACL injury, and obviously for EDGE Micah Parsons to do the same. They will be part of the NFC North and could be one of those teams that gets hot in December and gets tough come January.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Once QB Trevor Lawrence got comfortable in Liam Cohen’s HC scheme, he left, and so did the Jags offense. The defense has some really strong players and bringing back CB Travis Hunter will only help. The Jags could actually be good, but have been surprisingly quiet this offseason.
4. Chicago Bears: The problem I have with ranking the defending NFC North champions higher is that they have an NFL-leading six comebacks in the fourth quarter of 2025. This won’t happen every season. The Bears are also vulnerable on defense. But Ben Johnson has shown his ability as a freshman at HC, and he’s fulfilling his mission. Chicago’s offense will be fun to watch.
5. Kansas City Chiefs: I originally had the Colts, but there’s no way the Chiefs haven’t been a top 15 team in the NFL two years in a row. QB Patrick Mahomes will be motivated in his return from a torn ACL. The Chiefs don’t have a Super Bowl roster, but they still have Mahomes, Andy Reid, Travis Kelce, Steve Spagnuolo and Chris Jones. This is too much experience and know-how to be outside the top 15.
Bottom of the Barrel (Top Five, Worst to Least Worst)
1. Arizona Cardinals: They don’t have a franchise cornerstone QB and didn’t get one in the draft. There’s a good chance Carson Beck will be the starter by the end of October. Tough times for freshman Mike LaFleur. Less than five wins mindset.
2. Cleveland Browns: No QB run. No Myles Garrett. Just a collection of building blocks that won’t truly form a foundation until Cleveland finds a long-term answer at QB. (Where have we heard this before?) They’ll be lucky to win five games.
3. Miami Dolphins: Essentially hitting the reset button on the new front office and coaching regime, hoping that new QB Malik Willis can overcome a below-average offensive line and moderate passing weapons to make magic happen. It will be a long season for Dolfans.
4. New York Jets: They actually have a pretty decent roster with some young talent, but Aaron Glenn’s first year as HC couldn’t have been more disastrous. He then fired almost his entire staff and I’m not impressed with his replacements. Glenn has a lot to prove in Year 2 because this lineup has potential if he can come out his own way.
5. Tennessee Titans: Yeah, they added some weapons around Cam Ward. But I wasn’t thrilled with Robert Saleh’s first performance as HC with the Jets, and the Titans overpaying for new QB Brian Daboll’s guys from the Giants – WR Wan’Dale Robinson, TE Daniel Bellinger, CB Cor’Dale Flott – isn’t exactly inspiring. The Titans remain comfortably behind the Texans, Jags and Colts in the AFC South. Six or seven wins should be considered a serious improvement.
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