We are at that time of the year where power rankings are being sent out and fan bases are either happy about the placement of their team or extremely pissed off.
For Bears fans, you might want to eat something and take a nap.
NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus unveiled his first rankings heading into the season and he has the Buffalo Bills as the No. 1 ranked team and the Chicago Bears as his 32nd team entering the preseason. He is just not a fan of the receiving group, and it doesn’t help with the many injuries they’ve suffered during training camp.
Here’s what Hanzus said about the Buffalo Bills:
The idea coming out of the 2022 NFL Draft was that first-round pick Kaiir Elam would line up opposite Tre’Davious White on opening night against the Rams. That might ultimately still prove to be true, but for now, the rookie is learning on the job and the veteran is still rehabbing the torn ACL he suffered in November. The Athletic reported over the weekend that Elam has been picked on in camp, opening the door for another rookie, sixth-rounder Christian Benford, to earn reps against the team’s starters. Meanwhile, there remains no set timetable for White’s return. With uncertainty at both corner spots, and All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer on the shelf with a hyperextended elbow, the secondary stands out as a concern in an otherwise-serene landscape in Western New York.
And here’s what Hanzus said about the Chicago Bears:
We’d all like to see Justin Fields take a big leap in Year 2, but it’s hard to ignore the troubling state of the Bears’ wide receiver group. Darnell Mooney is locked in as the No. 1 option after a 1,000-yard season, but recent injuries to Byron Pringle (quad) and N’Keal Harry (ankle) have moved this positional group into DEFCON 1 emergency territory. It would not be a surprise to see general manager Ryan Poles add a veteran off the street. Fields was not put in position to succeed as a rookie, and the state of Chicago’s roster has us concerned that 2022 won’t be much better.
The Bears went 6-11 last season and missed the playoffs for the ninth time in 11 years.
Rounding out the bottom 5 are the Falcons at 31, Jaguars at 30, Texans at 29, and the Commanders at 28.
The top five teams after the Buffalo Bills are the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa bay Bucs, San Francisco 49ers, and the Cincinnati Bengals.
