Breakdowns
5/31/22
6 min read
Tiering the Best Offensive Weapon Groups in the NFL 2022
With OTAs and mandatory minicamp on the horizon, here we tier out each teams’ weapons in the NFL into 7 different tiers from: Tier 1 to Tier 7. After tiering the starting quarterbacks in the NFL this past week, this is a look at their supporting weapons.
Please Note: The order within the tiers are not rankings themselves.
Tier 1
These are the teams that have premium talent at all 3 position groups looked at within our “weapons” discussion. They have at least 2 receivers on their team that can be WR1, with great depth at the RB and TE position. Some players on this tier are familiar faces in new places (Hill and Adams), as well as the play-making group that helped bring the Bengals to the Super Bowl.
Cincinnati Bengals:
Joe Mixon, Samaje Perine, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Hayden Hurst, Drew Sample
Las Vegas Raiders:
Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Demarcus Robinson, Darren Waller, Foster Moreau
Miami Dolphins:
Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Cedrick Wilson, Mike Gesicki, Durham Smythe
Tier 2
These teams possess high-end talent at the RB1 position and WR1 position but have question marks as you get further down the line. Many lack high-end TE talent, which is crucial. Others have worries about their top tier talent staying healthy for the remainder of the season or being the players they once were. While Tier 2 consists of players that help elevate the QB play on offense, they are missing the depth of talent across all of the main offense weapon groups.
Minnesota Vikings:
Dalvin Cook, Alexander Mattison, Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, KJ Osborn, Irv Smith, Johnny Mundt
Denver Broncos:
Javonte Williams, Melvin Gordon III, Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, Albert Okwuegbunam, Greg Dulcich
New Orleans Saints:
Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, Chris Olave, Taysom Hill, Adam Trautman
Philadelphia Eagles:
Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Jalen Reagor, Dallas Goedert
Buffalo Bills:
Devin Singletary, James Cook, Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, Jamison Crowder, Dawson Knox, OJ Howard
Carolina Panthers:
Christian McCaffrey, Chuba Hubbard, DJ Moore, Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall Jr, Tommy Tremble, Ian Thomas
San Francisco 49ers:
Elijah Mitchell, Jeff Wilson Jr, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, George Kittle, Ross Dwelley
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Leonard Fournette, Giovani Bernard, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage Jr, Cameron Brate, Cade Otton
Los Angeles Rams:
Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson, Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, Van Jefferson, Tyler Higbee, Kendall Blanton
Tier 3
Tier 3 consists of the offensive weapons that are solid, and above average, but lack the depth necessary to be real game changers across all position groups. With the majority of these teams, if their #1 player at any of the position groups were to get injured, they would surely regress as an offense. This group contains young and rising talent that could surely see them and their group in Tier 2 moving forward, but there are too many question-marks to rank them any higher.
Detroit Lions:
D'Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams, Amon-Ra St Brown, DJ Chark, Jameson Williams, TJ Hockenson, Garrett Griffin
Dallas Cowboys:
Ezekiel Elliot, Tony Pollard, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, James Washington, Dalton Schultz, Jake Ferguson
Los Angeles Chargers:
Austin Ekeler, Isaiah Spiller, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Josh Palmer, Gerald Everett, Donald Parham
Seattle Seahawks:
Kenneth Walker, Rashaad Penny, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Dee Eskridge, Noah Fant, Will Dissly
Kansas City Chiefs:
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ronald Jones, JuJu Smith Schuster, Mecole Hardman, MVS, Skyy Moore, Travis Kelce
Tier 4
Tier 4 are the teams that have an average group of playmakers. These teams need to add both talent and depth at their skill positions.
Arizona Cardinals:
James Conner, Darrel Williams, DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown, AJ Green, Zach Ertz, Trey McBride
Washington Commanders:
Antonio Gibson, JD McKissic, Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, Logan Thomas, Cole Turner
Cleveland Browns:
Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, David Bell, David Njoku, Harrison Bryant
Green Bay Packers:
Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon, Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Christian Watson, Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis
Tier 5
Tier 5 consists of the teams lacking true star talent at multiple position groups. Mostly, these players are effective at their given job, but are lackluster in multiple categories of star power, depth, consistency, health, and distributed talent. These teams have a multitude of young talent that could rise in the ranks, but it has not been seen yet.
New York Jets:
Breece Hall, Michael Carter, Elijah Moore, Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis, CJ Uzomah, Tyler Conklin
Jacksonville Jaguars:
James Robinson, Travis Etienne, Marvin Jones, Christian Kirk, Laviska Shenault Jr, Evan Engram, Dan Arnold
Pittsburgh Steelers:
Najee Harris, Benny Snell Jr, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth, Zach Gentry
Tier 6
All of these teams in Tier 6 have top tier run games, with the ability for their RBs to create explosives on the ground and in the air. They lack talent on the outside and have serious concerns beyond their WR1. These are the bottom half of the WR1’s in the NFL, and while their run games are strong their pass catching options beyond WR1 are shaky and hard to trust consistently.
Indianapolis Colts:
Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines, Michael Pittman Jr, Parris Campbell, Alec Pierce, Mo Alie-Cox, Jelani Woods
Tennessee Titans:
Derrick Henry, Hassan Haskins, Robert Woods, Treylon Burks, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Austin Hooper, Geoff Swaim
Tier 7
As we approach the last tier of position groups, we see a common trend: the lack of a true and proven WR1. While a lot of young talent are present in this company, the No. 1 option in the passing game is lacking. These will be the teams that could struggle due to their lack of diverse talent on their offense. They can be one-dimensional at times and can lack consistency.
Baltimore Ravens:
JK Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, James Proche, Mark Andrews, Nick Boyle
Houston Texans:
Marlon Mack, Rex Burkhead, Brandin Cooks, Nico Collins, John Metchie, Brevin Jordan, Pharaoh Brown
Atlanta Falcons:
Cordarrelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier, Drake London, Olamide Zaccheaus, Auden Tate, Kyle Pitts , Anthony Firkser
New England Patriots:
Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, DeVante Parker, Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith
Chicago Bears:
David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert, Darnell Mooney, Byron Pringle, Equanimeous St Brown, Cole Kmet, James O'Shaughnessy
New York Giants:
Saquon Barkley, Matt Breida, Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, Kadarius Toney, Ricky Seals-Jones, Jordan Akins
