The preseason is an interesting time for NFL fans. People finally get to watch their their favorite teams for the first time in several months, but its sometimes hard to tell what they can actually take away. Its not right to make sweeping conclusions, but its also not good to ignore everything that happens.With Week 3 of the preseason mostly ahead of us, lets take a stab at ranking all 32 teams in the league. Well focus specifically on three teams that seem most poised to take big leaps from the 2015 season.Notable Team RankingsOakland Raiders (No. 10)Since losing Super Bowl XXXVII to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13 seasons ago, the Raiders have gone 63-145, never once achieving a winning record. That should change this season.Derek Carr is the best quarterback the team has had since Rich Gannon in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and hes got the weapons around him to flourish. Running back Latavius Murray and wide receiver Amari Cooper are a budding young skill-position combination, and the offensive line is stacked with quality talent.On defense, the squad is good and balanced. Its hard not to mention Khalil Mack and "one-man wrecking crew" in the same sentence (see, I couldnt do it), as the 25-year-old defensive end emerged as one of the leagues game-changing defensive players last season. The teams climb up the league is becoming more apparent by its ability to sign key defensive free agents, as they did with cornerback Sean Smith and outside linebacker Bruce Irvin.The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs are more battle-tested. But dont be surprised if the Raiders give them a serious run for their money in the AFC West and maybe even end up winning the division.Dallas Cowboys (No. 15)That sound you hear is Cowboys nation collectively letting out a deep breath.Quarterback Tony Romo left Thursday's preseason contest against the Seattle Seahawks with a back injury, but the Fort Worth Star-Telegrams Clarence Hill said head coach Jason Garrett doesnt think its "a serious thing." ESPN noted just how important Romos presence is to the team:A healthy season from the franchise quarterback would obviously be the biggest difference from the squads disappointing 4-12 campaign in 2015, but there are other factors to consider.Rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott is the smart choice for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. The former Ohio State standout is a complete player who will be running behind an amazing offensive line and feeding off the skill of one of the games elite signal-callers. A return to health from wide receiver Dez Bryant should work wonders as well.Defensively, the team didnt do much to improve itself in the offseason, but theres still some potential if the unit can get and stay healthy and play up to its potential. Its unreasonable to predict that the Cowboys will be one of the leagues better point-preventing units in 2016, but they should be good enough to keep the team competitive.Tennessee Titans (No. 24)Being the 24th-best team in the league isn't usually anything to write home about, but it is when you were 3-13 the previous year while playing in the NFL's weakest division.Quarterback Marcus Mariota is the biggest reason Tennessee should be respectable this season. In limited preseason action, the sophomore sensation has been sharp (14-of-15 passing for 149 yards). However, natural second-year progression and a more respectable running game should easily lift him into the upper half of the NFL's starting quarterback pecking order at just 22 years old.And if you have a top-16 quarterback in today's NFL, you probably aren't going to be terrible.Keep in mind that the Titans were 3-8 in games Mariota started and finished last season and averaged 21 points per game. When the rookie played and didn't end the game injured, Tennessee was 0-5 and put up just 11.8 points per contest.An awful secondary and mediocre units pretty much everywhere besides quarterback won't lift the Titans to playoff contention, but they should finish with six wins or so.
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