Editor's note: This story was originally published on July 16, prior to Andrew Luck announcing his retirement from the NFL on August 24.
To project which NFL franchises are in the best shape for the next three seasons, we asked our panel of experts to rate each team's roster non-QB, quarterback, draft, front office and coaching using this scale:
100: A+ (Elite)
90: A (Great)
80: B (Very good)
70: C (Average)
60: D (Very bad)
50 and below: F (Disastrous)
After averaging the results from the panelists, each of the five categories was weighted to create the overall score -- roster (30 percent), quarterback (20 percent), draft (15 percent), front office (15 percent) and coaching (20 percent). The result is a comprehensive ranking based on how well each team is positioned for the future.
Read through the full file No. 1 through No. 32, or jump to your favorite team using the quick links below:
Jump to a team:
BUF | MIA | NE | NYJ | BAL | CIN | CLE | PIT
HOU | IND | JAX | TEN | DEN | KC | LAC | OAK
DAL | NYG | PHI | WSH | CHI | DET | GB | MIN
ATL | CAR | NO | TB | ARI | LAR | SF | SEA
1. Indianapolis Colts
Overall score: 87.8
Why they're here: A general manager with a plan, an experienced coaching staff with acumen, a star quarterback who put lingering health concerns to bed last season, a developing defensive nucleus, a stud offensive line, exciting young pass-catchers and a healthy salary-cap situation. You get the point. The Colts have the makings of a team set to do major damage over the next five-plus years. Indy plays in a competitive division and has holes to fill on the roster -- it worked hard to improve its edge rushing this offseason -- but few teams, if any, have a future as bright. -- Yates
Biggest worry: A year ago I said that some of GM Chris Ballard's draft picks needed to hit big, and they have. With 2018 offensive-line draftees Braden Smith and Quenton Nelson, he hit home runs, and in linebacker Darius Leonard he hit a grand slam. The building blocks are there. What concerns me going forward? The second and third levels of the defense, basically all of the linebackers outside of Leonard, and a secondary/overall coverage unit that allowed the most catches and highest catch percentage to opposing tight ends in 2018. The offense is going to be OK as long as Andrew Luck is healthy, but there is still much room to improve defensively. -- Riddick
What could change for the better: The Colts can't do anything to improve their No. 1 overall ranking, but they can address a number of areas. One will be to identify, develop and ultimately retain a likely successor to defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who should be a sought-after head-coaching candidate in the next two years. -- Seifert