There are plenty of simple and advanced metrics for judging how good a team is, but today we’re looking at the other end of the spectrum. Everyone knows who the best teams are in the NFL, but it’s a little more difficult to truly judge the bleak, the putrid — the teams lacking wins right now, and hope in the future.
NFL Bleakness Index: Finding football’s saddest, most hopeless team
Sorry if you’re a fan of one of these teams.
Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
It takes a special degree of complete ineptitude on an organizational level to become locked in the doldrums of systemic mediocrity, and to this end we need a rating scale to evaluate how bad the worst teams are in some key areas.
- Future at quarterback (0-15): A higher number denotes an organization with a solid plan at quarterback, or a player with a future to lead the team beyond 2024.
- Roster quality (0-25): How many star players does a team have, or how many other players with promising futures does a team have at non-QB positions.
- Coach quality (0-15): The quality of the team’s head coach to mold the roster moving forward.
- Front office ability (0-20): Does the team have a solid front office in place who can be trusted to make changes and sculpt the roster?
- Ownership (0-15): Is there ownership in place to make sound decisions?
- Future assets (0-10): Does the team have future draft picks or cap space that could help build a roster?
Naturally a higher score is better. The closer to a 100 rating, the more of a future the organization has, and the less bleak they are. To be clear: This is rated against their peer group of losers, not the entire NFL. For example, getting a 10+ on quarterback doesn’t mean the team has a Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes in the wings, but rather that they have someone capable of moving forward with compared to the other bleak organizations.
New England Patriots
It’s clear that New England is a team looking to grow. This is year one since the monumental shift away from Bill Belichick, and we knew this was always going to be ugly until they find their footing.
The saving grace for the Pats is that Drake Maye has shown major flashes of being a potential superstar at quarterback since taking over the starting job. Also Jerrod Mayo seems in lock-step with the idea that the team needs to get tougher. When you combine that with solid ownership and front office support it paints a picture that might take a couple more years to complete, but it’s already looking quite good.
QB: 13
Roster: 10
Coach: 12
Front office: 15
Ownership: 15
Future assets: 6
71/100
Tennessee Titans
Will Levis is too inconsistent to be a long-term answer at QB, but there have been flashes the at least show he could carry the load until they find a franchise player.
The biggest issue with the Titans is that they don’t currently have the talent to run the kind of offense that Brian Callahan wants, but that can be solved over time. The jury is still out on Callahan as a head coach, but it could be a lot worse.
Ultimately the next two years are key to determining the future of this organization, but the saving grace is that they have cap space and the ability to find answers.
QB: 4
Roster: 15
Coach: 9
Front office: 14
Ownership: 9
Future assets: 6
56/100
Cleveland Browns
This team begins and ends with Deshaun Watson, and those responsible for making that a reality. The team is saddled with their failed QB for another two years in terms of the salary cap, but there’s a chance they could find an option later.
There’s enough high-level talent to really like this team, and hopefully they’re not stupid enough to fire Kevin Stefanski. All this organization needs is a better player under center, and round out some of their rough edges.
To be honest, I still feel good about Cleveland’s future.
QB: 2
Roster: 21
Coach: 13
Front office: 6
Ownership: 1
Future assets: 2
45/100
Carolina Panthers
This team is a mess. Actually, that’s an insult to messes. The only bright spot for the Panthers is their roster quality, particularly on the offensive line and at running back. Outside of those positions it’s a bit of a mess.
Floundering decisions at quarterback, meddlesome ownership who keeps rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, and a lack of clear vision from head coach Dave Canales makes Carolina a disaster.
If Bryce Young can’t become something in the NFL then not only will the Panthers have made one of the worst trades in NFL history, but stuck at the bottom for a long, long time. It doesn’t get much worse than this.
QB: 4
Roster: 16
Coach: 6
Front office: 12
Ownership: 0
Future assets: 0
38/100
Dishonorable mention: Jacksonville Jaguars
The only two win team worth adding to this list is the Jaguars, who have managed to absolutely squander any potential they had entering the season. Beating the Patriots in London is cold comfort with Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke running the show, both of whom should no longer have jobs.
This isn’t helped by the passivity of Shad Khan, who is allowing this to all happen under his watch. In order to pull out of this death spiral the team needs to make wholesale organizational changes before they total squander Trevor Lawrence’s potential.
QB: 13
Roster: 17
Coach: 4
Front office: 0
Ownership: 5
Future assets: 8
47/100
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