5 teams that will be better, 5 that will be worse in Madden NFL 16

There's been a ton of shake up in the NFL this offseason. I actually can't remember another offseason that has had the number of trades and star players retiring or joining new teams that this offseason has had. It's been mad. Granted, a large amount of the madness can be credited to the 49ers and Chip Kelly of the Eagles, but even without those teams, we've seen enough moves to have a large impact on the landscape of the NFL.

While there are still quality free agents available and we haven't had the NFL Draft, teams that were either good or bad in Madden NFL 15 will definitely be moving up/down the power rankings. Mediocre teams got better, playoff teams got star players, and teams that have been dominant the last few season saw multiple stars depart, because the better you are, the harder it is to keep your talent (that salary cap). So as of 3/31/15, here are five teams that will be better in Madden NFL 16, and five teams that will be worse.

Better

Dolphins

Photo Courtesy: Palm Beach Post

The Dolphins probably made the biggest splash this free agency by signing the best free agent. While they saw the departures of TE Charles Clay, wide receivers Brian Hartline and Mike Wallace, and defensive tackles Jared Odrick and Randy Starks, the Dolphins made a huge addition by signing Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Combined with Cameron Wake (the duo shall now be known as Suhnami and Earthwake) and Olivier Vernon, the Dolphins will have an insane defensive line. They have also traded for Kenny Stills and signed a much-needed CB in Brice McCain, while providing the talented-but-injured Jordan Cameron for QB Ryan Tannehill. They got better mostly because of Suh, but for the first time in a long time, it looks like the Dolphins have a plan.

Seahawks

Back-to-back Super Bowl appearances and coming within one non-run playcall of back-to-back Super Bowl wins, the Seahawks weren't content standing pat. The Seahawks big move didn't come via free agency, though the pickups of corners Will Blackmon and Cary Williams are good replacements for Byron Maxwell. Instead, the Seahawks pulled off one of the most unexpected trades this offseason when they got star TE Jimmy Graham from the Saints for Max Unger and a 1st round pick. While the Seahawks have serviceable wide receivers, they mostly rely on their running game. Especially in Madden, the combination of the powerful Marshawn Lynch and the speedy QB Russell Wilson can be devastating for opposing players to defend. Add one of the best tight ends in the game to the mix, and Russell Wilson just became even more dangerous.

Texans

Houston took an already good defense and just made them even scarier. In Madden, the Texans will undoubtedly have one of the top defenses to play as. The outside rush of J.J. Watt and Jadaveon Clowney will be even better with the addition of Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork demanding double teams in the middle. Meanwhile in the secondary, they added a playmaker with the addition of Broncos free safety Rahim Moore. That defense is going to be nasty, but it remains to be seen how the offense will operate without a great QB. While Ryan Mallett has potential, he's still unproven. Brian Hoyer is an interesting addition though.

Colts

I want to hate the Colts for kicking my Denver Broncos out of the playoffs last year, but damn did a good team just get even better. They'll be improved in Madden next year just based on the fact that they didn't resign Trent Richardson. But they made a lot of quality moves, headlined by bringing in former Miami Hurricanes Frank Gore and Andre Johnson – two players that might go to the Hall of Fame. Johnson wasn't going to see as much action in Houston, and now finds himself with a young, elite QB in Andrew Luck, while Gore is the best runningback the Colts have had since Edgerrin James. As if that wasn't enough, the defense has added Trent Cole, Nate Irving and Kendall Langford. The Colts are going to be good…

Jags

Considering their play the last few seasons, it's not that hard to improve the Jaguars. And that's exactly what they've done after another quality offseason – improve. While the success of the Jags will depend on the development of QB Blake Bortles, the Jaguars immediately improved when they signed Broncos tight end Julius Thomas. He's one of the best receiving tight ends in the game and a monster in Madden (tight ends are OP). He's better than most nickel corners and linebackers can't cover him. The defense also added Jared Odrick and Sergio Brown, two players I like. So at the end of the day, the Jags are better, but how much better remains to be seen.

Worse

Patriots

When you win a Super Bowl, your players can demand more in free agency. But that wasn't necessarily the case with the Pats. They had to make some tough choices with the salary cap, and key pieces of their defense have moved on because of that. Cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner are both gone, long-time Patriot Vince Wilfork is now in Houston, and runningbacks Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley have also departed. It's hard to be concerned, as the Patriots always seem to find suitable replacements every year for star players, and the offense is still intact. But losing three huge parts to your defense makes you worse than the year before. That said, I fully expect to struggle against them, as always.

Broncos

As a Broncos fan, this is the offseason I was dreading. The Broncos had five really awesome players hit free agency all at once – Julius Thomas, Demaryius Thomas, Rahim Moore, Terrance Knighton and Orlando Franklin – and there just wasn't enough money to go around. Successful teams see good players leave because those players can demand more money, and that's what happened. The Broncos only returned Demaryius Thomas on a franchise tag, while seeing the other players walk. That's going to result in a ratings drop for the Broncos. While I like the replacements the Broncos have signed (Vance Walker, Darian Stewart, Owen Daniels and resigning Virgil Green), they aren't the same as the players lost. That said, the Broncos will still win the AFC West and make the playoffs.

Lions

The loss of Reggie Bush won't hurt. The Lions offense has better players ready to take his spot, and they have so many good wide receivers that it makes me sick. But the Lions defense took a major hit when they lost Ndamukong Suh (arguably the best DT in the NFL) to the Dolphins and DT Nick Fairley to the Rams. They've brought in Haloti Ngata, but he's not Suh. There's only one Suh, and he's now in Miami. That loss will definitely hurt the Lions ratings, and it won't be quite as fun to play with them on defense.

Saints

The loss of Kenny Stills and Robert Meachem might hurt a tiny bit (Stills is crazy talented), but what hurts a ton is the trade of Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks. The additions of Max Unger, C.J. Spiller and Brandon Browner are nice, but they won't help the obvious loss of one of the best receiving tight ends in the NFL. The beauty of the Drew Brees-led Saints offense is the ability to spread the ball around. You never know who's going to have a huge game from week-to-week. And while they still have Colston and Cooks, there's noticeably less playmakers on the Saints now.

49ers

I feel bad for 49ers fans. This has been one of the worst offseasons I've ever seen a team and fanbase experience since the Raiders every year. Wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Stevie Johnson are gone, but they underperformed anyway. Long-time 49ers runningback Frank Gore is gone, but the Niners have a good replacement ready in Carlos Hyde. Lineman Justin Smith also retired. So what hurts the most? The unexpected retirement of linebacker Patrick Willis. Willis was dominant in real life and in Madden. The loss would have lessened if upcoming star linebacker Chris Borland didn't also retire… but he did. Darnell Dockett will help the defensive line, but the 49ers are going to look a lot different this year, and not for the better.