2025 NFL ‘Triplets’ rankings: Bengals reclaim top spot, Chiefs fall from league’s elite in QB-RB-WR/TE list

Well, folks, it’s that time of the year around here once again. We are here to take a look at the NFL’s best QB-RB-WR/TE trios, also known as their “triplets,” in reference to the famed Troy Aikman-Emmitt Smith-Michael Irvin group that led the Cowboys to a dynasty in the early 1990s.

For some teams, it was obvious who would fill each role. For others, less so. Where we had to make judgment calls on which player would start at quarterback or who would be the top target, we did. For the most part, that meant deferring to veteran skill-position players unless it was clear that the younger player would take a significant step forward. (So, for example, we still have Jayden Reed as the wide receiver for the Packers despite the fact that they drafted Matthew Golden, but we have Tetairoa McMillan for the Panthers sliding ahead of Adam Thielen.)

This is, incredibly, our ninth year doing this exercise, which is pretty crazy to me as the guy who has been compiling and analyzing these lists year after year. But in case you haven’t read the prior version of this post either last year or the year before that or the year before that or the year before that or the year before that or the year before that or the year before that or the year before that, here’s how the crew here at CBSSports.com recently set out to rank each team’s triplets:

We assembled a panel of voters that went 10 deep and included myself, Kyle Stackpole, John Breech, Tyler Sullivan, Jordan Dajani, Bryan DeArdo, Cody Benjamin, Garrett Podell, R.J. White and Zach Pereles. Each of those people ranked each of the 32 teams’ triplets from 1-32, with 1 being the best and 32 being the worst. Those rankings were then averaged, sorted and tiered by me to create the list you see below. As always, the rankings reflect the collective wisdom of this crowd, while the corresponding analysis is mine. 

Without further ado…

32. Cleveland Browns (Avg: 31.9, High: 31, Low: 32)

QB: Joe Flacco, RB: Quinshon Judkins, WR: Jerry Jeudy

All but one voter had the Browns dead last in his or her rankings, which makes a lot of sense when you consider what they’re working with. Flacco is several years removed from being an effective quarterback, despite what you might have heard about his late-season stretch in Cleveland in 2023. (He got picked off a ton.) Cleveland is also counting on a rookie running back and a wideout who, while very good last year, does not have the most extensive track record of production.

Tier 7: Not the Worst

31. New Orleans Saints (Avg: 30.2, High: 29, Low: 31)

QB: Tyler Shough, RB: Alvin Kamara, WR: Chris Olave

Questions abound for this Saints group. We don’t actually know if Shough will be the starter under center. We’re just assuming based on the Saints’ investment in him. We don’t know if Kamara will continue to stave off the age curve. (Or if he’s actually doing that or just getting by on volume. He hasn’t topped 4.2 yards per carry since 2020.) And we unfortunately don’t know if Olave can stay on the field. Add all those questions up, and you get this. ranking.

30. Indianapolis Colts (Avg: 29.3, High: 28, Low: 31)

QB: Daniel Jones, RB: Jonathan Taylor, WR: Michael Pittman Jr.

Indy gets dinged here for the question mark under center, where Jones seems likely to start based on Anthony Richardson’s repeated injury issues. We know what Jones is, and more importantly what he is not — which is a player who can transcend his surroundings and lift his teammates. That means a heavy burden is borne by Taylor (who rebounded last season but still hasn’t come close to repeating his magical 2021 season) and Pittman (who may or may not be surpassed in the pecking order by Josh Downs. Our voters were skeptical of the situation, and rightfully so.

29. Carolina Panthers (Avg: 28.3, High: 25, Low: 32)

QB: Bryce Young, RB: Chuba Hubbard, WR: Tetairoa McMillan

Young had a resurgence over the second half of last season after briefly being benched in favor of Andy Dalton. After returning to the lineup in Week 8, he ranked 18th in EPA per dropback through the rest of th season, per Tru Media. That’s a major improvement, obviously, but it’s still not great and clearly wasn’t enough to sway our panel, which was similarly unenthused by Hubbard (who has basically had one good season and two bad ones when actually given a significant number of carries) and McMillan, who, while talented, is still a rookie in a not-so-great situation.

28. Tennessee Titans (Avg: 28.0, High: 25, Low: 30)

QB: Cam Ward, RB: Tony Pollard, WR: Calvin Ridley

This situation feels very similar to me to the one Jayden Daniels walked into last year, when the Commanders checked in 25th in our rankings. Ward is somehow the least-talked-about No. 1 pick in recent memory, but he has an outrageously adventurous and electric style of play that could, if he gels with Brian Callahan, lead to a nice bump for this group in 2026. Ridley isn’t Terry McLaurin, but he’s still quite good (he’s posted over 1,000 yards in each of his seasons since returning from suspension) and Pollard looked healthier last season, another year removed from his devastating leg injury.

27. New York Giants (Avg: 26.8, High: 24, Low: 29)

QB: Russell Wilson, RB: Tyrone Tracy Jr., WR: Malik Nabers

It feels like this ranking is being carried by Nabers’ incredible season and people’s memories of what Wilson used to be. When he wasn’t running hot on deep balls last season, the Steelers offense looked dreadful. Which is exactly how the Broncos offense looked during Wilson’s two years in Denver and how the Seahawks offense looked during his final season in Seattle. Nabers is so outrageously good, though, that he probably should carry the Giants to a higher ranking than they would otherwise deserve. And Tracy didn’t look so bad himself during his own debut campaign.

Tier 6: Plenty of Room for Improvement

26. New England Patriots (Avg: 25.4, High: 21, Low: 30)

QB: Drake Maye, RB: TreVeyon Henderson, WR: Stefon Diggs

The Pats are a team I could see taking a significant leap in next year’s rankings. Maye looked quite good during his time under center last season despite playing behind a horrendous offensive line and with absolutely no weapons. Henderson was one of the most explosive players in the class, and if he starts ripping off long runs, his perception will go through the roof. Diggs might not be in New England for the long term, but as a stop-gap No. 1 WR, he can give Maye a dependable underneath target.

25. Pittsburgh Steelers (Avg: 24.5, High: 21, Low: 30)

QB: Aaron Rodgers, RB: Jaylen Warren, WR: DK Metcalf

This is a hard fall for Rodgers, whose Jets amazingly checked in ninth in last year’s rankings, about which I was very confused at the time. Now, he, Warren and Metcalf only have the Steelers one spot higher than they were with Russell Wilson, Najee Harris and George Pickens did a year ago. Perhaps you’re a big Kaleb Johnson guy and think he breaks out and therefore the Steelers should be higher, but given the way Rodgers has played since his last MVP season in 2021, being in the bottom third of the league feels right for one of his trios.

24. Seattle Seahawks (Avg: 23.9, High: 18, Low: 27)

QB: Sam Darnold, RB: Kenneth Walker III, WR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Checking in just ahead of Metcalf’s new team, is Metcalf’s old team. And that really kind of hammers home where Rodgers is at this point in his career, given that Metcalf’s old team is now quarterbacked by Darnold. Opinions on these guys were all over the map, which is unsurprising given the season Darnold just had. He looked like an MVP candidate for a portion of the season but completely fell apart behind a depleted offensive line at the end. JSN had a breakout Year 2 and looks like a stud, and when healthy, Walker is awesome. But the (deserved) Darnold question marks keep the ranking in check.

23. New York Jets (Avg: 23.5, High: 15, Low: 28)

QB: Justin Fields, RB: Breece Hall, WR: Garrett Wilson

The Jets had the second-highest variance in their rankings of any team in the league, which I think makes sense given the volatility of the players involved. Fields obviously has a very high ceiling and a very low floor, given his explosive rushing ability and inconsistent passing. Hall has at times looked like one of the very best backs in the league, but he struggled last year to the tune of 4.2 yards per carry, and his average has gone down with each passing season. The recently-rich Wilson, though, just keeps racking up 1,000-yard seasons despite … questionable-at-best QB play.

22. Chicago Bears (Avg: 21.8, High: 21, Low: 23)

QB: Caleb Williams, RB: D’Andre Swift, WR: D.J. Moore

We got from the team with some of the most variance in the league to one with some of the least variance. It’s pretty incredible to be this high up the list and only be ranked 21st, 22nd or 23rd on every single ballot. It’s notable that this represents a drop from where the Bears were a year ago, which is clearly due to the change in perception around Williams, who struggled pretty badly at times during his rookie season thanks in part due to the circumstances around him but also in part due to his own issues with holding onto the ball too long. This is a big year for him and the rest of the Bears under new coach Ben Johnson, who should put them in better position to succeed.

21. Denver Broncos (Avg: 21.7, High: 16, Low: 28)

QB: Bo Nix, RB: R.J. Harvey, WR: Courtland Sutton

Denver just edged ahead of the Bears in these rankings. Like, to the point that, if the person who ranked the Broncos 16th had instead ranked them 17th, they would’ve been exactly tied. Alas, they end up right here, and with a pretty significant disparity in how they were viewed by our panel. And that’s in direct contrast to the Bears. I think people have a hard time knowing what to do with Nix, who executed Sean Payton’s offense at a very high level as a rookie and is clearly a high-floor player, but who might not have the same type of ceiling as the other quarterbacks from his class. People have high hopes for Harvey, though, and Sutton is a very good X receiver type.

Tier 5: Just Below Average

20. Atlanta Falcons (Avg: 19.2, High: 17, Low: 23)

QB: Michael Penix Jr., RB: Bijan Robinson, WR: Drake London

The juxtaposition of the Falcons and Broncos on this list is fascinating. Penix made only three starts as rookie. He looked pretty good in them, but that’s still a much smaller track record than the one Nix has after their respective debut seasons. But Atlanta has Robinson and London, while Denver has Harvey and Sutton. And so you wind up with the Falcons a decent bit ahead of the Broncos in the rankings. I’ll definitely be tracking where they end up, relative to each other, next year.

19. Jacksonville Jaguars (Avg: 19.0, High: 17, Low: 21)

QB: Trevor Lawrence, RB: Travis Etienne, WR: Brian Thomas Jr.

Jacksonville checked in 16th last year, which means it’s down year over year despite BTJ putting together one of the best rookie wide receiver seasons in NFL history. That tells you a bit about where opinions are on Lawrence and Etienne right now. Lawrence only played 10 games last season and he was, kindly, not very good. He still has immense talent, but the ship might have sailed on him living up to the uber-prospect expectations he had coming into the league. And Etienne might be surpassed in the backfield rotation this year, with Jacksonville bringing in multiple other guys.

18. Las Vegas Raiders (Avg: 17.5, High: 15, Low: 23)

QB: Geno Smith, RB: Ashton Jeanty, TE: Brock Bowers

It’s a big leap for the Raiders from 28th to 18th thanks to their two major additions and their second-year superstar. Smith is an absolutely massive upgrade over Aidan O’Connell, as is Jeanty over Zamir White. It was easy to see a bump coming for this time just from those two changes alone. But then you add in Bowers (in place of Jakobi Meyers, who is still on the team but no longer looking like the top target) coming off an all-time tight end season, and you have the recipe for a major step forward in perception.

17. Arizona Cardinals (Avg: 17.3, High: 13, Low: 24)

QB: Kyler Murray, RB: James Conner, TE: Trey McBride

There was a wider range of opinions on the Cardinals than I expected there to be — especially for a team checking in 17th on our list after coming in 16th last year. I’d imagine that some of the disparity comes from the relatively disappointing season they got out of Marvin Harrison Jr., who was supposed to do right away what guys like Nabers and Thomas Jr. did. But he fell behind McBride in the pecking order and wasn’t that efficient, so it seems like people view Arizona as in a holding pattern unless and until he takes over and/or we find out more about what he can be.

16. Minnesota Vikings (Avg: 16.7, High: 11, Low: 21)

QB: J.J. McCarthy, RB: Aaron Jones, WR: Justin Jefferson

This ranking is certainly a testament to the power of a) Justin Jefferson being either the best or second-best receiver in football; and especially b) the infrastructure created by head coach Kevin O’Connell that has allowed almost any quarterback dropped into it to find success. I don’t see how the Vikings climb this high otherwise. Because we have yet to see McCarthy step on the field (and he wasn’t exactly a high-volume passer at Michigan) and Jones is about to head into his age-31 season. So it’s not like you have sure things at either of those positions. And still, here they are. 

Tier 4: Good But Not Great

15. Miami Dolphins (Avg: 14.1, High: 8, Low: 17)

QB: Tua Tagovailoa, RB: De’Von Achane, WR: Tyreek Hill

Miami is a tough team to rank for several reasons. First, there’s the injury risk to Tagovailoa, which is obviously significant — and which has tended to have a dramatic impact on the capabilities of the rest of the team to look anything like an actual NFL offense. Then there’s Achane, who set records as a rookie and came back to earth as a sophomore. And finally there’s Hill, who took a step backward last season and has myriad off-the-field concerns to deal with. Miami winding up in the middle of the pack despite all that to deal with feels like an accomplishment.

14. Green Bay Packers (Avg: 14.0, High: 5, Low: 19)

QB: Jordan Love, RB: Josh Jacobs, WR: Jayden Reed

Green Bay was actually the team with the most variance and widest disparity in rankings, which feels fitting. This team is kind of a Rorschach test. You can ascribe any belief to what happened with Jordan Love and Co. last season and have it seem right. Love struggled with injuries. Jacobs went nuts. The receivers … were all just kind of there and vaguely productive some weeks and very much not in others. It’s really hard to know what to do with this group, given how 2024 went. Still, there’s a lot of belief in Love’s talent and Jacobs’ production, so they crack the top half of the league.

13. Los Angeles Chargers (Avg: 13.1, High: 9, Low: 19)

QB: Justin Herbert, RB: Omarion Hampton, WR: Ladd McConkey

The Chargers fell out of the top half of the league (23rd) in last season’s rankings amid questions about their running-back room (we had Gus Edwards as the back given the uncertainty regarding JK Dobbins‘ health) and who would emerge as Herbert’s No. 1 target. (We used Josh Palmer. Whoops.) Still, I questioned that ranking at the time and ended up looking pretty smart. (There’s a first time for everything.) A year later, they’re back in the mix with two explosive weapons alongside their star quarterback.

12. Washington Commanders (Avg: 12.6, High: 12, Low: 16)

QB: Jayden Daniels, RB: Brian Robinson Jr., WR: Terry McLaurin

The biggest risers from year to year, Washington leaps from 25th a year ago to just a smidge outside the top 10. That’s obviously on the strength of Daniels’ all-time great rookie season, and of us finally getting to see what it looks like when McLaurin plays with a real live NFL quarterback. Robinson probably holds this group back, though, as a straight-line runner with no real passing game production. If Washington had added an explosive rookie back, I think the Commies might have jumped into the next group.

Tier 3: Fringe Top-10

11. Houston Texans (Avg: 10.6, High: 9, Low: 14)

QB: C.J. Stroud, RB: Joe Mixon, WR: Nico Collins

Despite something like a season from hell where almost nothing went right offensively, there is still a lot of respect for the Texans among our panel, which universally considered them a borderline top-10 trio. Stroud still has a ton of fans and Collins has clearly emerged as one of the very best wide receivers in football — a true X who makes plays in contested catch situations and with the ball in his hands. Mixon is a plodder who gets by on volume, but didn’t drag Houston down too much here.

10. Dallas Cowboys (Avg: 10.3, High: 5, Low: 14)

QB: Dak Prescott, RB: Javonte Williams, WR: CeeDee Lamb

It’s a testament to Prescott and Lamb that the Cowboys end up this high despite Williams being almost entirely unable to create yardage since tearing his ACL during his rookie season. People have somehow already forgotten that Prescott made second-team All-Pro and finished second in NFL MVP voting in 2023. He’s kind of an afterthought to a lot of people at this point. Which, to be clear, is crazy. And if Lamb isn’t the best receiver in the league, it’s only because Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase also happen to be playing football at the same time as he is. It’s kind of like how people viewed Chris Jones when Aaron Donald was active.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Avg: 10.1, High: 8, Low: 14)

QB: Baker Mayfield, RB: Bucky Irving, WR: Mike Evans

The Bucs made the second-largest year-to-year leap in the rankings behind only the Commies, jumping from 21st to ninth. This is personally a bit rich for me, with the trio above getting double credit for what Liam Coen and the offensive line did to put them in position to succeed last year. It’s easy to forget that Mayfield led the NFL in picks, for example, and posted a 2.8% interception rate that was nearly identical to the one that got him benched in Carolina. The touchdowns more than made up for it, obviously, but we’ll have to see whether that holds under new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard.

8. San Francisco 49ers (Avg: 8.9, High: 6, Low: 13)

QB: Brock Purdy, RB: Christian McCaffrey, WR: George Kittle

The Niners are another team that’s very difficult to rank. The NFL world has talked as nauseam about how hard it is to disentangle what Purdy does from the system in which he thrives. McCaffrey is the best running back in the league when healthy, but is coming off a season in which he missed almost the entire year, for the third time in his eight professional campaigns. Kittle is as reliable and explosive at it gets at the tight end position these days. The talent alone here is enough to carry the Niners into the top 10, and there’s obviously room for them to move up if CMC stays healthy.

Tier 2: Just A Bit Outside

7. Los Angeles Rams (Avg: 6.5, High: 4, Low: 11)

QB: Matthew Stafford, RB: Kyren Williams, WR: Puka Nacua

It’s pretty incredible that Matthew Stafford is 37 years old and still has his team this high up on the list. The guy can steal deal whenever he has competent wide receiver play, and obviously Nacua gives him so much more than that. I do find it interesting that the Rams didn’t really seem to get dinged at all for Kyren Williams’ inefficiency as a runner last season. I think that’s at least in part due to the fact that he’s such a good fantasy football producer because he’s always on the field. (He’s played 82% and 87% of the Rams’ snaps during his two seasons as the starter.)

6. Buffalo Bills (Avg: 5.7, High: 4, Low: 8)

QB: Josh Allen, RB: James Cook, WR: Khalil Shakir

This is our first team where every single vote it received was in the top 10. That means we’re getting into the true cream of the crop. And obviously, Allen’s inclusion here is the single-biggest reason why the Bills rank so highly. Cook had a breakout season last year but also ran extremely hot on touchdown rate in an unsustainable way, and Shakir is kind of a gadget guy who had a 5.5-yard average depth of target last season. Allen being the absolute alien that he is, is why the Bills are able to be in the mix this high on the list.

5. Kansas City Chiefs (Avg: 5.4, High: 3, Low: 10)

QB: Patrick Mahomes, RB: Isiah Pacheco, WR: Rashee Rice

This is the lowest the Chiefs have ranked since Mahomes’ first season as the starter. They’ve were ninth prior to his debut, and have since checked in second, first, first, second, fourth, second and first before falling to fifth this season. If you ask me, it’s too low. People are ascribing a drop-off to the team that, in my opinion, was caused by offensive line play and injuries (to both Pacheco and the entire wide receiver corps). I think we see Kansas City get back to a more free-wheeling, wide-open offense this season and jump back near the top of the rankings a year from now. 

4. Detroit Lions (Avg: 5.3, High: 2, Low: 7)

QB: Jared Goff, RB: Jahmyr Gibbs, WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown

We’ve seen over the last few years that the Lions are just an efficient machine that seemingly prints explosive plays on an assembly line. So long as Goff continues to stay well protected behind what has been one of the league’s best units up front (but that is undergoing significant changes this year), that should continue to be the case. Gibbs might be the most explosive runner in the NFL, and ARSB is a first down waiting to happen whenever Goff finds him over the middle of the field.

Tier 1: The Elite

3. Baltimore Ravens (Avg: 2.4, High: 1, Low: 5)

QB: Lamar Jackson, RB: Derrick Henry, WR: Zay Flowers

The next two teams on the list were exactly tied. I put the Ravens in third because their lowest ranking was fifth and the Eagles‘ lowest ranking was fourth. You’ve got to break the tie somehow, and that’s how I chose to do it. However you slice things, this is an elite trio. Jackson played the quarterback position last season at just about as high a level as anyone has ever played it. Henry rediscovered his peak form. And Flowers had a breakout year. There should be more of the same this coming season.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (Avg: 2.4, High: 1, Low: 4)

QB: Jalen Hurts, RB: Saquon Barkley, WR: A.J. Brown

Philly moved up one spot from third a year ago to second this season, and has now finished in the top three for three consecutive seasons. Saquon putting together one of the best running back seasons in NFL history, coupled with Hurts bouncing back from a comparatively poor passing season in 2023, will get you the little bump you need to move up in the ranks. (Even if the Eagles were technically tied with the Ravens, as previously mentioned.) And of course, we still know what Brown can do for you.

1. Cincinnati Bengals (Avg: 1.6, High: 1, Low: 3)

QB: Joe Burrow, RB: Chase Brown, WR: Ja’Marr Chase

The Bengals are back on top after falling out of the elite tier last season. They were the only team to not be ranked any lower than third, and they received six of the 10 first-place votes. (The Eagles had three and the Ravens had one.) Burrow and Chase put on a show the likes of which we’ve rarely seen last season, and we can expect them to do so once again this coming year. Brown’s emergence as a worthy ground-game complement and supplementary passing-game weapon only takes this trio to a higher level. Given the foundation of Burrow and Chase, though, it’s hard to see Cincinnati sliding out of the top tier again any time soon. They’re that good.

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Author: Jared Dubin
July 16, 2025 | 12:35 pm