These are annual predictions from two reliable sources
Every year during the summer, Pro Football Talk (PFT) and ESPN release their projected rankings for the upcoming NFL season.
The ESPN poll, called the “Football Power Index,” is a computer model, whereas the PFT rankings are performed by actual football experts. You know – people. Yesterday, we covered InMotion Football’s version for the Cleveland Browns, the Franchise Valuation Triangle, which is a little computer and a little human.
The NFL season is almost upon us as training camps begin at the end of this month. For the Browns, the rookies report on July 18, while the veterans show up on July 22.
PFT is regarded as one of the top websites that cover the NFL. They compile player stats for each game and then attach grades, which are highly regarded. These ratings may not necessarily come up in contract negotiations, but you can bet the people who make the money decisions have gazed at these rankings.
Their prediction rankings are called “2025 NFL Power Rankings.”
PFT’s top five include:
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Buffalo Bills
- Baltimore Ravens
- Detroit Lions
So, basically, no surprises at the top.
Where it gets kinda murky is with the final five on their list:
28. Jacksonville Jaguars
29. Miami Dolphins
31. New Orleans Saints
32. Cleveland Browns
Holy haberdashery, Batman! Is this a misprint? Was this list composed during the office summer hot dog keg party? Pass the Stadium Mustard and tell us this is just a rough draft.
To round out the remainder of the AFC North Division, the Cincinnati Bengals are listed at #14 while the Pittsburgh Steelers have a #16 ranking.
Most of the Cleveland fans have the same motto of “hope for the best and prepare for the worst.” Since the new Browns came into existence in 1999, the franchise has not resembled its successful past for one second. The history of this club has eight pro football championships in two leagues and, at one time, went to 10 consecutive title game appearances, a record that no other team has come close to matching.
Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images
Understandably, the Browns lost 14 games in 2024 after an 11-win season the year before. We get it. We don’t like it, but somehow, we are used to this.
There have been media stories lately about the Browns tanking so that they can draft University of Texas signalcaller Arch Manning in next year’s draft. Both of his uncles, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, were ultra-successful in the NFL with two Super Bowl rings apiece, and each was named the recipient of the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. Archie Manning could have been one of the best quarterbacks ever if he had ever had a decent team to surround him. Peyton is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the odds are that eventually his little brother will get in.
So, the pedigree is there for Arch and is slated to become the first overall pick in next year’s draft.
But are the Cleveland Browns really going to be the basement team of 2025?
There is commentary beside every club on this list, with this next to Cleveland’s:
32. Browns: “It’s almost like they try to come up with new ways to be dysfunctional.”
That answer will lie within their offense. If head coach Kevin Stefanski can right this ship with the offensive side of the ball, then a decent season is possible. Yes, they won’t win 11 games, and most likely won’t make the playoffs, but could they come away with nine wins?
The second list from ESPN isn’t as dramatic, but it also isn’t pleasant. Their list released its projections for the 2025 season. It displays projected win-loss records, playoff chances, and Super Bowl odds.
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
Their “Football Power Index” (FPI) basically gauges each club’s strength, which is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.
This list’s top five include:
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Baltimore Ravens
- Buffalo Bills
- Detroit Lions
The juggling is more so at the bottom of their list:
28. Carolina Panthers
29. New York Jets
30. Cleveland Browns
31. Tennessee Titans
32. New Orleans Saints
The Bengals are listed at #7 while the Steelers come in at #18.
Here is the dialogue attached for the five cellar dwellers:
“The New Orleans Saints, who lost quarterback Derek Carr to retirement, are projected to be the NFL’s worst team heading into the 2025 season. Meanwhile, the Titans, who drafted Cam Ward at No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, are projected to be the league’s second-worst team. Ward could start right away in Tennessee – rookie quarterbacks typically don’t fare well – but the Titans are building for the future. The Browns, Jets, and Panthers are projected to round out the top five when it comes to the league’s worst teams.”
Keep in mind, this list was formulated with an actual person inputting data into the computer and then asking for the machine to come up with its own rankings.
Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images
Maybe the computer saw that the Browns have five quarterbacks on the roster and perhaps none of them will make a huge difference. Perhaps one of the two rookies will rise to the top at some point, but most likely, that would be next year.
The league itself isn’t giving Cleveland any love because the schedule-makers did not arrange any prime-time games for the Browns this year.
Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images
Hopefully, both the training camp and preseason games will display what this offense can do this year. We all know the defense will be one of the best, especially since DE Myles Garrett was retained, and the defense was given attention in the top two spots in the NFL draft this April, bringing in DT Mason Graham from Michigan, and tackling sensation LB Carson Schwesinger of UCLA.
Special teams will hold its own if K Dustin Hopkins can get back to his 2023 self. There is a new long snapper, which is a concern, but P Corey Bojorquez should see his first Pro Bowl nod this year and will most likely have another sensational season.
That leaves the offense to buck up and produce. Can it? Will it?