With the 2020 NFL regular season now on the doorstep, we’re breaking down the top position groups in key areas. Now that starting rosters are pretty much set, here are the league’s top 10 offensive skill-position tandems entering Week 1.
10. Baltimore Ravens: QB Lamar Jackson, WR Marquise Brown, TE Mark Andrews, RB Mark Ingram, RB J.K. Dobbins
Jackson is the reigning MVP, Andrews is a Pro Bowler on a sky-high trajectory, and Ingram is a Pro Bowler coming off a 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown campaign. They could use more depth in the receiving corps, but Brown is a sophomore first-round pick with star potential.
9. Cincinnati Bengals: QB Joe Burrow, WR A.J. Green, WR Tyler Boyd, WR Tee Higgins, WR John Ross, RB Joe Mixon
Burrow just put together the best season in college football history before going first overall in the draft, Green is a seven-time Pro Bowler, Boyd went over 1,000 yards in 2019, and Ross and Higgins are extremely talented youngsters. That receiving depth is almost unmatched, and Mixon is coming off a 1,100-yard campaign on the ground. The only issue is there’s an element of the unknown with both Burrow and Green.
8. Arizona Cardinals: QB Kyler Murray, WR DeAndre Hopkins, WR Larry Fitzgerald, WR Christian Kirk, RB Kenyan Drake
Murray is the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, Hopkins was a first-team All-Pro, Fitzgerald is a future Hall of Famer with gas left in the tank at 37, and Drake scored eight touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry in his final eight games last season. Throw in Kirk’s potential as a third-year second-round pick coming off a 700-yard season, and the Cards make the top 10.
7. Seattle Seahawks: QB Russell Wilson, WR Tyler Lockett, WR DK Metcalf, TE Greg Olsen, RB Chris Carson, RB Rashaad Penny, RB Carlos Hyde
Wilson is on a Hall of Fame track, Lockett is one of the most efficient receivers in the league, the freakishly athletic Metcalf exploded late in his rookie season, and the Seahawks are loaded in the backfield. They’d rank higher if they had a little more pass-catching depth, as Olsen might not have a lot left in him.
6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: QB Tom Brady, WR Mike Evans, WR Chris Godwin, TE O.J. Howard, TE Rob Gronkowski, TE Cameron Brate, RB Leonard Fournette, RB Ronald Jones II, RB LeSean McCoy
Brady might be wearing down at 43, but he has the best 1-2 wide receiver punch in the league, three starting-caliber tight ends, and three starting-caliber backs. If a third receiver can step up in 2020, this could be the best skill-position supporting cast in the NFL.
NFL Top Position Groups
5. Cleveland Browns: QB Baker Mayfield, WR Odell Beckham Jr., WR Jarvis Landry, TE Austin Hooper, TE David Njoku, RB Nick Chubb, RB Kareem Hunt
Mayfield should bounce back with better protection and a better system in his third season, Beckham and Landry are on level with Evans and Godwin, Hooper is a two-time Pro Bowler, Chubb rushed for nearly 1,500 yards last year, Hunt has been a star, and Njoku has that potential.
4. Detroit Lions: QB Matthew Stafford, WR Kenny Golladay, WR Marvin Jones, WR Danny Amendola, TE T.J. Hockenson, RB D’Andre Swift, RB Kerryon Johnson
Stafford was having the best year of his career before a back injury ended said campaign midway through, but he’s healthy now. Golladay is turning into an absolute stud, Jones and Amendola are solid secondary receiver options, Hockenson has a bright future, and those two backs have extremely high potential. There’s a lot of room for growth here.
3. Kansas City Chiefs: QB Patrick Mahomes, WR Tyreek Hill, WR Sammy Watkins, TE Travis Kelce, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Mahomes is the best player in the sport, Hill is one of the top offensive weapons in the league, and Kelce is the best tight end in the conference. That said, Edwards-Helaire looks the part but is unproven, and there’s limited receiver depth behind Watkins.
2. Dallas Cowboys: QB Dak Prescott, WR Amari Cooper, WR Michael Gallup, WR CeeDee Lamb, RB Ezekiel Elliott
Prescott is a superstar, Cooper is a superstar, Elliott is a superstar, Gallup went over 1,000 yards last year, and Lamb has star potential.
1. New Orleans Saints: QB Drew Brees, WR Michael Thomas, WR Emmanuel Sanders, TE Jared Cook, RB Alvin Kamara, RB Latavius Murray
Brees is a Hall of Famer who somehow has yet to fade at 41, Thomas is the most productive receiver in the game, Kamara is a top-10 back, and Sanders, Cook, and Murray provide tremendous depth. It doesn’t get much more loaded than that.
