2017 NFL Defensive Rankings #32-28

Preface

It’s easy to spot a bad defense.  They give up big plays, they don’t generate turnovers, and they allow opponents to score with relative ease.  It’s also easy to see when a defense is good.  They tackle backs behind the line of scrimmage, they fall on forced fumbles, and pressure the decision makers into making bad decisions.  Then there are the rest.  Sometimes it’s difficult to rank one mediocre defense ahead of another.  Is a defense with a dominant line but poor secondary more or less valuable than the opposite?  I aim to find answers to these questions in my 2017 NFL Defensive Rankings.  You may look over these rankings and think to yourself, but what about all the pieces my team acquired to upgrade their defense?? Draft picks are great, but it’s impossible to see how they’ll pan out playing in the NFL.  I did factor them into the Browns ranking though, considering they acquired two top tier defenders in the first round.

Every ranking has a last place, and without further delay I present:

32. San Francisco 49ers – Like it or not, you cannot deny that the 49ers were not good.  The 2-14 season doesn’t even tell the whole story of this team’s dysfunction.  Now, to be fair, if I could rank teams on potential, the 49ers may not be in last place.  They have many young defensive players that have potential to make an impact in the coming seasons.  When diagnosing the problems with 49er’s defense, it starts with the secondary.  In week 16 they allowed Jared Goff to score 21 points and forced Kaepernick to make a 4^th quarter comeback.  Jared Goff.  With a new system and a rebuild mentality, I could see a young 49ers squad making waves and raising some eyebrows, but don’t expect games won due to this defense.

31. Indianapolis Colts – The Colts are squandering Andrew Luck’s prime.  Now that that is out of the way, let’s chat defense.  The Colts defense has been consistently neglected in their quest to try and create offense.  They did pick up Jonathan Hankins for their line, and they used their first 3 draft picks on defensive players.  With a newer defensive coordinator in Ted Monachino, it will be interesting to see if their young players can develop and if their few vets can perform.  But don’t get too comfortable with Ted as the permanent solution, watch for the Colts to potentially replace the coaching staff if the Colts can’t win more than about 8 games.

30. Cleveland Browns -  Now, now, let’s not get too hasty just yet.  While I have high hopes for Myles Garrett and Jabrill Peppers, I can’t quite bring myself to buy all the way in just yet.  There’s a sense of change growing in Cleveland, and whether it happens or not, sometimes the sense is all it takes to instill some confidence in a group of young defenders.  The Browns picked up Gregg Williams after his stay with the Rams, to bring a new sense of aggressiveness to their pass rush.  I’d expect to see the Browns use early draft picks to upgrade their secondary in the next year or two, especially if Deshone Kizer turns out to be a viable starter.

29. Chicago Bears – In 2016 the Bears looked to be an adequate defense before the injuries took their toll.  With an offense that’s sure to struggle on the other side of the ball, most games will be placed squarely on the Bears defense.  Teams that do this tend to wear out their defensive players, creating injuries and rotations on positions that need consistency.  In using their first-round pick on Trubisky, the Bears attempted to bolster their defense in free agency with Prince Amukamara, Marcus Cooper and, Quintin Demps.  Will these pieces be enough to will the Bears to victory?

28. New Orleans Saints – If you’re paying any attention to the training camp headlines, you’ll see that the Saints’ defense is having a strong year, and I’m sorry if you’re a Saints fan, but I have to tell you that nothing matters until they see the field in a regular season game.  In regular season games last year the Saints ranked dead last in passing defense.  32^nd.  Behind the Browns, behind everybody.  During the offseason, the Saints drafted Marshon Lattimore, who is an immediate upgrade in the cornerback position. They also picked up Marcus Williams, a quick safety that will help the secondary even further.  Even at the 28^th spot in my rankings, the offensive firepower will carry them to the playoffs, but I’d take a guess that their defense loses them a postseason game.