Welcome back to an annual tradition. We once again rank each NFL team’s “triplets,” otherwise known as their quarterback-running back-pass-catcher trio. It’s a term that harkens back to the days of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, who led the Dallas Cowboys to a trio of Super Bowl victories in a four-year span. And we still use the phrase today.
For the most part, the rankings defer to veteran skill-position players unless it is clear that a younger player would take the top spot, and it means erring on the side of caution when it comes to injuries. For example, Fernando Mendoza checked in at quarterback for the Raiders despite expectations that Kirk Cousins would start the year under center. Mike Evans represented the 49ers’ top pass catcher ahead of George Kittle, while Malik Nabers remained the top option for the Giants.
This is, incredibly, our 10th year ranking triplet groups. But in case you haven’t read prior versions last year (2025) or the year before that (2024) or the year before that (2023) or the year before that (2022) or the year before that (2021) or the year before that (2020) or the year before that (2019) or the year before that (2018) or the year before that (2017), here’s how the crew here at CBSSports.com recently set out to rank each team’s triplets:
John Breech, Tyler Sullivan, Jordan Dajani, Bryan DeArdo, Garrett Podell, R.J. White, Zach Pereles, Carter Bahns and myselt represent the decision makers. Without further ado…
32. Cleveland Browns (Avg: 31.8, High: 31, Low: 32)
QB: Shedeur Sanders, RB: Quinshon Judkins, WR: Harold Fannin Jr.
The Browns ranked 32nd in last year’s rankings, and they check in dead last once again. Sanders was arguably the worst quarterback in the league, and it feels like this ranking is driven mostly by the expected production the Browns will get at that position because people have a pretty high opinion of Judkins despite his paltry 3.6 yards-per-carry average, and Fannin had a really nice rookie year.
31. Miami Dolphins (Avg: 31.2, High: 31, Low: 32)
QB: Malik Willis, RB: De’Von Achane, WR/TE: ???
The group couldn’t even come up with a pass-catcher to use for the Dolphins. Should it be Jalen Tolbert? Tutu Atwell? Malik Washington? Greg Dulcich? Rookie Chris Bell, who will likely miss a chunk of the season recovering from a knee injury? And yet, the Dolphins didn’t even come in last here. That’s mostly because of the respect that everyone has for Achane, who is one of the best and most explosive backs in the NFL, though Willis has his fans as well. Miami fell off 16 spots from last season, the largest drop in the league, thanks to the departures of Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill.
30. Tennessee Titans (Avg: 29.6, High: 28, Low: 30)
QB: Cam Ward, RB: Tony Pollard, WR: Carnell Tate
Ward’s rookie season was a disaster, with horrid offensive line play and a struggling pass-catching corps undermining his performance. The Titans added a pair of wideouts in Tate and Wan’Dale Robinson, but Pollard is heading into his age-29 season, and there is little to point to in Ward’s stat line that indicates that he’s going to be a lot better.
29. New York Jets (Avg: 27.0, High: 22, Low: 30)
QB: Geno Smith, RB: Breece Hall, WR: Garrett Wilson IV
The Jets fell six spots here despite replacing Justin Fields with Geno Smith. It feels like they’re being punished for Smith’s awful season in Las Vegas, which unfolded under horrendous circumstances in arguably the NFL’s worst offensive environment. (Tennessee is the only team that has an argument for being worse.) Smith is also getting up there in age, though, so it’s possible that he’s just on the downslide of his career and will never get back what he had for a few years in Seattle. The Jets and the next three teams on the list were separated by a total of 0.2 points in the rankings.
28. Carolina Panthers (Avg: 26.9, High: 25, Low: 28)
QB: Bryce Young, RB: Chuba Hubbard, WR: Tetairoa McMillan
The Panthers moved up just one spot despite Young showing some improvement and McMillan putting together a very good debut season (70 catches for 1,014 yards and 7 touchdowns). This ranking doesn’t show much faith in Young to take the next step as a passer, and that’s probably what’s dragging Carolina down, in addition to Hubbard being largely uninspiring in the backfield. He was overtaken by the since-departed Rico Dowdle for much of last season and has the lead role in the backfield again by default unless Jonathon Brooks can take it from him.
27. Pittsburgh Steelers (Avg: 26.8, High: 20, Low: 29)
QB: Aaron Rodgers, RB: Jaylen Warren, WR: DK Metcalf
The Steelers fell two spots, suggesting skepticism about Aaron Rodgers’ solid-on-paper season, in which he threw for 24 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. Rodgers again played extremely conservative football and essentially refused to get hit, firing short, quick passes all year long. Jaylen Warren will split reps with Dowdle, but we kept Warren in the lead role here because he’s the more versatile player. Metcalf isn’t the best fit with Rodgers’ style of play, and he posted the second-fewest yards per game of his career last year. The Steelers were in a virtual tie with the next team on our list.
26. Arizona Cardinals (Avg: 26.8, High: 25, Low: 29)
QB: Jacoby Brissett, RB: Jeremiyah Love, TE: Trey McBride
The Cards have two really exciting players here in Love (the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley) and McBride (who had one of the best tight end seasons in history last year), but Brissett — who we kept here over Carson Beck because the latter is just a third-round pick and not guaranteed to start at any point this year — mostly compiled stats based on historic volume last season, and this ranking reflects an appropriate level of skepticism that said performance will carry over to 2026.
25. Las Vegas Raiders (Avg: 24.1, High: 23, Low: 27)
QB: Fernando Mendoza, RB: Ashton Jeanty, TE: Brock Bowers
There’s a tier break here with the Raiders ranking significantly ahead of the Cardinals in the averages. Still, Las Vegas was 18th last year with Geno Smith under center, but checks in much lower with the No. 1 overall pick coming in. Jeanty’s poor rookie season and Bowers’ injury-marred sophomore campaign no doubt contribute to that drop in the rankings, but there’s probably a Kirk Cousins tax applied here, because it doesn’t seem like Mendoza will be the starter for the full season.
24. Washington Commanders (Avg: 22.9, High: 20, Low: 30)
QB: Jayden Daniels, RB: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, WR: Terry McLaurin
The Commanders are the second-biggest dropper from year to year, falling 12 spots after Jayden Daniels suffered through injuries and ineffectiveness. The lack of a true threat at running back likely also contributes here, as does the fact that McLaurin wasn’t nearly as effective as he was in 2024 when he was actually on the field. Washington has a new offensive coordinator in David Blough, and we’ll see if he can put these guys in a better position to succeed than they were under Kliff Kingsbury.
23. New Orleans Saints (Avg: 22.6, High: 19, Low: 26)
QB: Tyler Shough, RB: Travis Etienne, WR: Chris Olave
A season-ending stretch where Shough looked pretty good playing against really poor competition helped pump up this ranking. The Saints finished the year playing the Panthers, Jets, Titans and Falcons defenses. Etienne is also getting by on name value here: he averaged just 3.9 yards per carry over the last three seasons and even averaged only 4.3 per carry in his better season a year ago. Olave is a really good player, but also an obvious health risk due to his history of concussions. The Saints have a good play-caller in Kellen Moore, though, and he can elevate the play above the talent level.
22. New York Giants (Avg: 21.6, High: 13, Low: 29)
QB: Jaxson Dart, RB: Cam Skattebo, WR: Malik Nabers
This is just too high for the Giants, who are benefiting from Dart’s fantasy-football prowess, Skattebo’s endearing style and Nabers’ sparkling rookie year. Skattebo averaged just 4.1 yards per carry during his rookie season and is coming off a gruesome ankle injury. Nabers didn’t get to play much with Dart during his second season before suffering a torn ACL, but the reports surrounding that rehab have been dreadful. There are major questions surrounding this group, especially with Matt Nagy and Greg Roman in charge of the offense in Dart’s second year.
21. Indianapolis Colts (Avg: 20.6, High: 14, Low: 25)
QB: Daniel Jones, RB: Jonathan Taylor, WR: Alec Pierce
The Colts climbed 10 spots from a year ago. They’re in a virtual tie with the Jaguars. This is way too high for them. Jones put together a very good stretch to begin the season, but it was wildly out of character when compared to the rest of his career, and he’s now coming off a torn Achilles, which sapped the effectiveness of significantly better quarterbacks in the past. Taylor is an elite running back, but Pierce is a pure deep threat being thrust into the role of No. 1 option and coming off a major injury of his own; he might not even be ready for training camp.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars (Avg: 20.6, High: 15, Low: 26)
QB: Trevor Lawrence, RB: Bhaysul Tuten, WR: Brian Thomas Jr.
The Jaguars ranking feels low, especially after their high offensive infrastructure rankings last week. There is still some skepticism surrounding Lawrence despite his improvements, but the ranking likely reflects that Tuten is entirely unproven and that Thomas delivered a dreadful second year of his career. If Thomas showed anything at any point in Year 2, the Jags would almost surely be significantly higher than this — even with Tuten not necessarily being an inspiring running back option.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Avg: 18.1, High: 13, Low: 21)
QB: Baker Mayfield, RB: Bucky Irving, WR: Emeka Egbuka
There’s a big tier break here, with the Bucs checking in an average of 2.5 spots higher than the Jaguars. Still, Tampa is one of the biggest fallers from year to year on this list, dropping from ninth overall all the way down to here at 19th. Mayfield didn’t have his best season under former OC Josh Grizzard after Liam Coen left for Jacksonville, while Irving was injured and ineffective and Egbuka slowed down considerably after the incredibly hot start to his NFL career.
18. Minnesota Vikings (Avg: 17.2, High: 13, Low: 22)
QB: Kyler Murray, RB: Aaron Jones, WR: Justin Jefferson
Amazingly, the Vikings rank lower than last year despite Murray stepping into the spot vacated by J.J. McCarthy. It’s easy to forget, but hopes were high for McCarthy coming into last year. He was just a disaster once he actually got on the field. Murray should be a lot better, but with Jones another year older, the Vikes drop a couple spots despite the fact that Jefferson is smack dab in the middle of his prime and should be far more effective now that he’s got a better quarterback under center.
17. Houston Texans (Avg: 17.1, High: 13, Low: 20)
QB: C.J. Stroud, RB: David Montgomery, WR: Nico Collins
The Texans just edged ahead of the Vikings, ending up here only because one voter had them 20th while another had the Vikings 22nd. Stroud hasn’t been the same since his spectacular rookie year, and Montgomery is coming off a season where he was shunted to the side in favor of a younger, more explosive back in Detroit. But Collins is such a stud that the Texans are still able to check in toward the middle of the rankings. Houston did fall six spots from one year to the next, though, with Montgomery replacing Joe Mixon in the running back spot and Stroud putting together another so-so year with a disaster performance in the playoffs.
16. Atlanta Falcons (Avg: 16.6, High: 12, Low: 21)
QB: Tua Tagovailoa, RB: Bijan Robinson, WR: Drake London
Atlanta moves up four spots despite replacing Michael Penix Jr. with Tagovailoa. Robinson’s explosive season, in which he ran for 1,478 yards and caught 79 passes for another 820 yards, while being named a First Team All-Pro, is likely carrying the day here. London is a stud, too, and he’s probably getting credit for his talent after an injury-riddled season a year ago. That makes sense, but there is plenty of skepticism for Tagovailoa under center and out of the cocoon of Mike McDaniel’s offense.
15. Denver Broncos (Avg: 15.4, High: 11, Low: 21)
QB: Bo Nix, RB: J.K. Dobbins, WR: Jaylen Waddle
You could easily make an argument that Courtland Sutton should still be in the pass-catcher spot ahead of Waddle, but a) the Broncos sacrificed a ton of capital for Waddle so he will likely be extremely central to their plans; and b) I’m not sure it would matter much for their ranking in this exercise. Dobbins is a solid back but obviously a significant injury risk, and Nix is coming off a broken bone in his ankle as well. Davis Mills calling the plays in Denver is very interesting, assuming Sean Payton actually relinquishes control to the offensive coordinator as planned.
14. Seattle Seahawks (Avg: 15.3, High: 11, Low: 22)
QB: Sam Darnold, RB: Jadarian Price, WR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Seattle finished just a smidge ahead of Denver. Darnold earned a ton of respect in his Super Bowl-winning season, while JSN emerged as one of the best receivers in the NFL, totally dominating in a very low-volume passing offense. Expectations for Price are hard to set, and Seattle would have checked in even higher here if Kenneth Walker III stayed in town.
13. Chicago Bears (Avg: 14.6, High: 12, Low: 18)
QB: Caleb Williams, RB: D’Andre Swift, TE: Colston Loveland
The Bears are big risers, climbing nine spots. Williams was considerably better in Year 2 than he was in Year 1, slashing his sack rate while keeping interceptions to a minimum and seeing a spike in his touchdown rate. Swift showed improvement in his first season under Ben Johnson, while Loveland is a popular breakout candidate after he showed a ton of promise down the stretch of his rookie season. Hopes are clearly very high for this group.
12. Green Bay Packers (Avg: 13.3, High: 9, Low: 19)
QB: Jordan Love, RB: Josh Jacobs, WR: Christian Watson
The Packers are the first team to receive any votes in the top 10, logging a single ninth-place vote. Love is a pretty polarizing player, with very good overall numbers and really high highs but also some really low lows. Jacobs took a step backward last season (4.0 yards per carry) after a strong first year in Green Bay and was arrested on domestic battery charges this offseason. Watson brings extremely high highs and an electric upside, but then there’s the injury concern. The Packers represent an extremely volatile team in these rankings.
11. Los Angeles Chargers (Avg: 11.1, High: 8, Low: 15)
QB: Justin Herbert, RB: Omarion Hampton, WR Ladd McConkey
Eight of the nine voters placed the Chargers ranked between eighth and 12th. Herbert is coming off a year where his interception rate more than quintupled while he was asked to single-handedly carry the offense amidst injuries to his offensive line and the entire backfield. People still believe in the elite talent. Hampton suffered an injury but as a recent first-round pick, he seems to garner respect. And McConkey took a step backward after a terrific debut season. Still, the Chargers moved up two spots from last year’s rankings.
10. Philadelphia Eagles (Avg: 9.0, High: 7, Low: 11)
QB: Jalen Hurts, RB: Saquon Barkley, WR: DeVonta Smith
Philly fell from second to ninth. That’s due to a combination of drop-off from both Hurts and Barkley, and the downgrade from the departed A.J. Brown (more on him below) to Smith, who now steps into the role as Hurts’ No. 1 option. It felt last year like the Super Bowl shine was carrying the Eagles‘ rankings, and now that the shine has worn off, they are probably in a more appropriate place on this list.
9. New England Patriots (Avg: 8.8, High: 7, Low: 10)
QB: Drake Maye, RB: Rhamondre Stevenson, WR: A.J. Brown
The single-biggest riser among voters, the Pats rocketed up from 26th. Maye showcased a sparkling season in which he finished second in MVP voting and then led the Pats to a Super Bowl appearance. Stevenson was terrific down the stretch of the year. But even that likely wouldn’t have put the Pats in this spot had they not also swung a trade for Brown, who is one of the best receivers in football and, really, as The Dude says, really ties the room together.
8. San Francisco 49ers (Avg: 8.3, High: 5, Low: 12)
QB: Brock Purdy, RB: Christian McCaffrey, WR: Mike Evans
The Niners are once again a difficult team to rank. Not only do you have to disentangle their players from the Kyle Shanahan system, you also have to figure out how to feel about injury issues at multiple spots (Purdy missed extended time last year and Evans swaps in for Kittle here after the latter’s Achilles injury) as well as the gap between McCaffrey’s rushing efficiency and his prowess as a receiver out of the backfield. The Niners were the first team to receive any top-five votes, and they’re one of just two teams that stayed in the exact same place on the list as last year. (The other is the Browns.)
7. Buffalo Bills (Avg: 6.6, High: 3, Low: 9)
QB: Josh Allen, RB: James Cook, WR: D.J. Moore
The Bills are our first team, where every vote they received was in the top 10. Interestingly, they actually dropped a spot on the list despite Cook delivering the best year of his career and the team adding Moore to Allen’s receiver corps. That’s more about other teams surpassing them than the Bills doing anything wrong, I’d think, but it’s notable that Allen is coming off his fewest passing touchdowns since 2019 and had another double-digit interception season after cutting his total to just six the year before. He was still remarkable as a runner, obviously, but that very slight regression from the 2024 MVP might also be playing a role in this ranking.
6. Kansas City Chiefs (Avg: 5.7, High: 2, Low: 8)
QB: Patrick Mahomes, RB: Kenneth Walker III, WR: Rashee Rice
Kansas City did not receive a single first-place vote for the first team in quite some time. The Chiefs have Mahomes coming off a major knee injury and his worst NFL season, but he still garnered a second-place vote here. Walker’s addition gives them a much more explosive back than they have had in the past and increases their upside, while Rice is a terrific player when he is actually on the field, but he’s also rehabbing from an injury and once again spent some time in jail this offseason thanks to a probation violation. There’s a lot of volatility here for various reasons.
5. Dallas Cowboys (Avg: 5.6, High: 3, Low: 8)
QB: Dak Prescott, RB: Javonte Williams, WR: CeeDee Lamb
Dallas moves ahead of Kansas City despite its highest ranking being third and KC’s being second. Prescott led the NFL in completions and had another 30-touchdown year, while his interception rate once again declined. Williams put together a better-than-expected debut year in Dallas, and Lamb remains one of the best receivers in the NFL. If we’d been allowed to include multiple receivers in these trios, the Cowboys might’ve ranked even more highly due to the presence of George Pickens.
4. Baltimore Ravens (Avg: 4.2, High: 2, Low: 10)
QB: Lamar Jackson, RB: Derrick Henry, WR: Zay Flowers
The next two teams on this list finished exactly tied, so I put the Ravens in fourth and the next team in third because Baltimore’s lowest ranking was 10th and the next team only finished as low as seventh. This feels like the Ravens are being punished for Lamar Jackson’s injury that robbed him of a portion of last season and of his explosiveness when he was actually on the field. There’s not much room for them to climb on the list, but I think they should probably be at least a spot higher — and would be if Jackson hadn’t gotten hurt.
3. Detroit Lions (Avg: 4.2, High: 2, Low: 7)
QB: Jared Goff, RB: Jahmyr Gibbs, WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown
It’s been a remarkable rise for the Lions, who started from damn near the bottom and are now here, ranked inside the top three. Goff is an incredibly consistent quarterback who has improved in areas where he was once deficient. Gibbs is arguably the most explosive player in the NFL regardless of position. And St. Brown is, like Goff, a model of consistency who is always in the right place at the right time and seems to rack up catches with relative ease.
2. Los Angeles Rams (Avg: 2.1, High: 1, Low: 3)
QB: Matthew Stafford, RB: Kyren Williams, WR: Puka Nacua
Los Angeles climbs the rankings on the back of Stafford’s MVP season, which, incredibly, started with people unsure if he’d even be able to play due to a back injury he sustained during the preseason. Remember that storyline? Incredible. Williams saw his playing time cut into by Blake Corum toward the end of last season but he remains a quality back, while Nacua is a target vacuum who produces at a level no other receiver can match when he’s on the field. The issue is keeping him on the field, both due to injuries and, now, concerns about off-field volatility.
1. Cincinnati Bengals (Avg: 1.6, High: 1, Low: 4)
QB: Joe Burrow, RB: Chase Brown, WR: Ja’Marr Chase
The Bengals are on top once again. They reclaimed the top spot in the rankings last year and received seven of the nine first-place votes this season. Burrow’s injury absence wasn’t enough to knock them off their perch, thanks in large part to his excellence but also the combination of him and Chase, and Brown’s emergence as a quality back in every situation except the one where Jake Browning is under center is also a contributor to the Bengals’ position at the top of the rankings.
