DEFENSIVE UNITS

---

Legend

---

Elite Units

	>Baltimore Ravens – Has been one of the league’s strongest units for the past decade
	>Carolina Panthers – With DE Peppers and CB Gamble, they have plenty of playmakers
	>Chicago Bears – Could be one of the most talented group of defenders in the league
	>San Diego Chargers – DE Merriman could be the league’s best if he can avoid distractions

Productive Units

>Buffalo Bills – They lost CB Clements, but still have enough talent to excel again this year

>Dallas Cowboys – LB Ware is productive, and their front-four should be improved

>Indianapolis Colts – They lose some starters, but any Dungy-led defense is productive

>Jacksonville Jaguars – They have best pair of DT’s in the league, along with solid DB play

>Miami Dolphins – They’re getting older, but still productive compared to a number of teams

>New England Patriots – There are holes at DB, and CB Samuel’s holdout doesn’t help

>New York Jets – S Rhodes is a beast and the whole unit is starting to improve

>Pittsburgh Steelers – S Polamalu is one of the best, and the LB unit is underrated

Top

Average Units

>Arizona Cardinals – S Wilson is one of the best, and they have some playmakers

>Denver Broncos – Losing ILB Wilson will hurt, but they still have fairly good talent

>Green Bay Packers – OLB Hawk is starting to shape into a star, and CB Woodson revived

>Kansas City Chiefs – Not as strong as the team’s usual group; lacks playmakers at DL

>Minnesota Vikings – Has good DL play, and LB corps is improving every year

>New Orleans Saints – Has talent and athleticism, but doesn’t seem to post FFL numbers

>Oakland Raiders – Has strong defensive backfield that makes plays, and DE Burgess is solid

>Philadelphia Eagles – On the decline for the past few years, but S Dawkins is Pro-Bowler

>St. Louis Rams – They lack some spark at LB, but their front-four should provide pass-rush

>Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Not as strong as their unit was a few years ago, but still talented

>Washington Redskins – Not nearly as productive as the money should indicate


Backup Units

>Atlanta Falcons – Still missing the big-time playmaker at S and CB to make noise in the FFL

>Cincinnati Bengals – As good as their offense is, that’s how weak their defense appears

>Cleveland Browns – Still lacking playmakers up front, and their LB corps needs upgrade

>Detroit Lions – Lacking playmakers, but losing CB Bly hurt the situation even more

>Houston Texans – They still need multiple playmakers on defense before moving up

>New York Giants – Struggling for the past two seasons, and didn’t improve in off-season

>San Francisco 49ers – Can appear decent at times, but gives up too many big plays

>Seattle Seahawks – Once-strong unit is starting to fall apart every year for the past five years

>Tennessee Titans – Adding S Griffin will help, but not enough to make them a strong unit

Top