ESPN Names The Best Team In The NFL After Free Agency
TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: General view prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium on February 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
We're about two weeks into the new NFL league year and the start of free agency has been as surprising as always. So which team looks like the best in the league given the recent changes to the NFL landscape?
In a new NFL Power Ranking for the 2021 season, ESPN ranked the Kansas City Chiefs as the top team in the NFL right now. Writer Adam Teicher wrote the summary and highlighted how the Chiefs upgraded their offensive line and cleared some cap space by releasing veteran tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher.
"The Chiefs' long-time starting offensive tackles were good players, but with both coming off surgeries, there were too many unknowns for the team to count on them in 2021 or beyond," Teicher wrote. "The Chiefs cleared $18 million of cap space in moving on, giving them some help in acquiring the resources (such as Joe Thuney) to fix their crumbling offensive line. These moves would have looked even better had the Chiefs landed a left tackle like Trent Williams in free agency."
The Chiefs made a big splash early, signing top offensive lineman Joe Thuney to a mega deal. They then got former Pro Bowl guard Kyle Long out of retirement. Combine that with an already loaded roster and it's not hard to see why ESPN is so high on them.
The Chiefs went an NFL-best 14-2 in 2020, reaching the Super Bowl for a second year in a row.
They lost the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due in part to struggles on the offensive line against Tampa's vaunted defense.
Given the moves the Chiefs have made this offseason, it's clear that they recognize where the problems were.
Are the Chiefs the best team in the NFL after free agency?
