AFC Power Rankings 2022: Where Patriots stand amid wild offseason

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The NFL offseason has been absolutely crazy.

We've seen so many top-tier players switch teams via trade or free agency, including some excellent quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson and Matt Ryan.

The AFC, in particular, has seen an influx of high-end talent over the last few weeks.

Where do the New England Patriots fit in the conference hierarchy after all of this player movement?

Here are our latest AFC power rankings.

16. Houston Texans

Now that Watson has been traded, the Texans can finally move on and build a new core. Davis Mills played pretty well in 2021 as a rookie quarterback. He completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 2,664 yards with 16 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 13 games. Can he take another step forward in Year 2?

Houston also has the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and would be wise to bolster its offensive line with that selection.

15. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars own the No. 1 pick in the draft and most experts project they will take Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. 

Trevor Lawrence, who was last year's No. 1 overall pick, didn't have a great rookie season. In fairness, the Jaguars didn't exactly surround him with a ton of talent, and it also didn't help that his former Clemson teammate and rookie running back Travis Etienne missed the entire season due to injury.

Jacksonville made a point in free agency to help Lawrence and spent big to acquire wide receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, as well as tight end Evan Engram. The addition of veteran guard Brandon Scherff bolsters the interior of the offensive line.

The Jaguars should be better in 2022. How much improvement is actually seen will likely be determined by Lawrence's development and the team's new draft class.

14. New York Jets

The Jets haven't added any major pieces in free agency or the trade market. They reportedly were in "serious talks" to land wide receiver Tyreek Hill from the Chiefs but he ultimately was traded to the Dolphins. The No. 1 goal for the Jets next season should be developing 2021 No. 2 pick and franchise quarterback Zach Wilson. New York has the No. 4 pick in the draft, and targeting a playmaking wide receiver (USC's Drake London, perhaps?) for Wilson would be a good use of that selection.

13. Pittsburgh Steelers

The AFC North should be a super competitive division this season, which means the Steelers could go 8-9 and still finish fourth. Mitch Trubisky isn't as bad as people think, and he has a chance to be a sneaky good quarterback for the Steelers to open the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. 

That said, the Steelers don't have enough talent on either side of the ball to compete for the division crown.

12. New England Patriots

The Patriots went on a major spending spree in free agency last year. This offseason? Pretty much the opposite.

The lack of notable additions has some fans worried throughout New England, but before we write off the Patriots as a playoff contender for next season, let's see how they handle the upcoming draft. The Patriots also could look at the trade market to improve at some key positions of weakness, including wide receiver, linebacker and cornerback.

Curran: If Patriots want to succeed in 2022, these players must step up

The most important aspect of the Patriots' 2022 campaign will be Mac Jones' development. He was the top rookie quarterback last season. If he makes a strong Year 2 jump, the Patriots could easily sneak into the playoffs again as a wild card team.

11. Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins were a weird team in 2021. They beat the Patriots on the road in Week 1, then lost seven consecutive games. Miami rebounded, though, with a seven-game win streak and finished the regular season at 9-8 -- just below the wild card spots. 

The Dolphins wasted little time improving their offense in free agency, signing running backs Chase Edmunds and Raheem Mostert, as well as offensive tackle Terron Armstead. The most impactful move came Wednesday when they acquired star wide receiver Tyreek Hill from the Chiefs. Hill and 2021 first-round pick Jaylen Waddle give Miami an excellent 1-2 punch at receiver.

The biggest question mark for the Dolphins is whether Tua Tagovailoa can be a legit franchise quarterback. We should find out the answer this season given the immense talent he will be surrounded by at the skill positions.

10. Cleveland Browns

Deshaun Watson is a huge upgrade over Baker Mayfield at quarterback, and Nick Chubb is one of the best running backs in football. But outside of wide receiver Amari Cooper, there aren't a lot of reliable targets for Watson in the passing attack. We also don't know if Watson will be suspended by the league. The Browns should be an improved team and a contender for a wild card berth next season. Although it's hard to see them finishing with a better record than the Ravens or Bengals, especially if Watson missed games.

9. Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders saw the other teams in the AFC West make major moves and decided to be bold themselves. They bolstered their pass rush by signing veteran pass rusher Chandler Jones to a $51 million deal. Las Vegas' most prominent move was acquiring Davante Adams -- arguably the league's top wide receiver -- in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers. Adams and Raiders quarterback Derek Carr were college teammates at Fresno State, so there should be instant chemistry between them. 

Josh McDaniels also was hired from the Patriots to be the Raiders' new head coach. He'll be under immense pressure to have more success in Las Vegas than he did with the Broncos during his first stint as an NFL head coach in 2008 and 2009.

8. Indianapolis Colts

The Colts barely missed the playoffs last season, but there is plenty of optimism in Indy based on their change at quarterback. They traded starting QB Carson Wentz to the Commanders and acquired Matt Ryan in a trade with the Falcons. Ryan is 36 years old but still a top 15 quarterback. And let's not forget about running back Jonathan Taylor, who enjoyed a breakout sophomore season by leading the league with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. The Colts will absolutely be in the mix for a wild card spot and may even challenge the Titans in the AFC South.

7. Tennessee Titans

The additions of wide receiver Robert Woods (trade with Rams) and tight end Austin Hooper (free agency) give quarterback Ryan Tannehill more weapons for the passing attack. Star running back Derrick Henry's health will, just like last season, be the determining factor in how far Tennessee advances in the playoffs. Luckily for the Titans, the AFC South is one of the worst divisions in football. Only the Colts pose a threat to the Titans winning three straight division titles.

6. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens haven't acquired any major players this month, but if star quarterback Lamar Jackson is back healthy, you have to like Baltimore's chances of enjoying a huge bounce-back season. This is a well-coached team that wears down opponents with its elite rushing attack (third-most rushing yards in 2021).

5. Denver Broncos

You could easily put the Broncos ahead of the Chargers. Russell Wilson is a future Hall of Famer and still an elite quarterback. He's a massive upgrade over Drew Lock and will help the Broncos take a huge step forward offensively and complement a strong defense that ranked No. 3 in points allowed and No. 7 in yards allowed last season.

4. Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers have been quite aggressive in the offseason. They re-signed wide receiver Mike Williams to a $60 million extension, signed free agent cornerback J.C. Jackson to a $82.5 million contract and traded for veteran pass rusher Khalil Mack. L.A. is doing its best to maximize the remaining years of star quarterback Justin Herbert's rookie contract.

3. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals' offensive line was awful at times last season and couldn't slow down the vaunted Rams pass rush in Cincy's Super Bowl LVI loss. Protecting franchise quarterback Joe Burrow was priority No. 1 entering the offseason and the Bengals upgraded their offensive line with the signings of former Bucs right guard Alex Cappa and former Patriots left guard Ted Karras. The Bengals also bolstered their tackle depth by signing former Cowboys star La'el Collins. 

Cincinnati has addressed its most glaring weakness, so as long as Burrow is healthy, this team should again be a top contender for the conference title in 2022.

2. Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs traded elite wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins on Wednesday. This fundamentally changes K.C.'s high-powered offense and weakens the group overall, but the Chiefs now have two first-round picks and two second-round picks in the upcoming draft to stockpile good, cheap talent. The presence of superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes will give the Chiefs a chance to win any game.

1. Buffalo Bills

The Bills kept wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie, then added tight end O.J. Howard to improve an offense that scored the third-most points last season. Buffalo also bolstered its pass rush with the additions of veteran free agents Shaq Lawson and Von Miller. The Bills have an elite quarterback in Josh Allen and a loaded roster with depth at pretty much every position. It's Super Bowl title or bust for Buffalo in 2022.

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