With June being nearly halfway done, the rest of the 2026 NFL Offseason could zoom by a lot quicker than you think. We aren't too far away from the beginning of the regular season. Much of what we have left in the offseason is simply various camps and practices, which then gets us to preseason action.
If the 2025 season told us anything, it's that the NFL is an unpredictable beast, and this could set the stage for something similar in 2026 and beyond. We've continued to churn out unique power rankings throughout the season, and we have a very fun one here.
Let's power-rank every AFC team by their best player ahead of the 2026 campaign. For these rankings, we'll try to balance what we saw from each player in 2025, and also their total body of work in the NFL.
Power-ranking AFC teams based on their best player for the 2026 season
16. New York Jets - Breece Hall, RB
Breece Hall is a really nice player, but his production has definitely been hindered at times due to playing for the New York Jets. However, the Jets have brought in a ton of talent this offseason, and could also be setting the stage for a rookie quarterback in 2027.
Through four years, Hall has 3,398 rushing yards and 1,642 receiving yards, proving to be a solid dual-threat back, but he's more good than great and has only broken the 1,000-yard rushing mark once in his career. However, Hall has been able to easily eclipse 1,000 scrimmage yards the last three seasons of his career, totaling 5,040 through his four years, to go along with a more modest 27 touchdowns.
Hall would be the RB1 on many teams, but he's more of a high-floor, low-ish ceiling player than being a true game-changer. For now, he'll be 'last' in our power rankings, but that should not take away from the overall talent he is.
15. Cleveland Browns - Jared Verse, EDGE
All of a sudden, Jared Verse is on the Cleveland Browns. The two-time Pro Bowler came over in the major Myles Garrett trade. Through two seasons in the NFL, Verse has totaled 12 sacks, 124 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, and 45 quarterback hits.
The oddly low sack totals are a thing, but it's clear that Verse is one of the better pass-rushers in the NFL. He's not an over-the-top talent, but the Browns are going to see him be a consistent 20+ quarterback hit force for years to come.
14. Los Angeles Chargers - Justin Herbert, QB
Justin Herbert is a good quarterback, but I struggle to see how he's great. He's been the same B+ quarterback his entire career, and has not played well in the playoffs. While Herbert isn't a top-end player at the position, he's been efficient his entire career.
Efficiency at the quarterback position is something that many teams do not have, but Herbert is very much outside that elite tier. Outside of some shiny regular season numbers, there isn't much else with the player.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers - Cameron Heyward, DT
Despite being in his age-36 season in 2025, Cam Heyward totaled 78 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hits. He's clearly slowing down, but his season was good enough for second-team All-Pro honors. More of a 'good' player at this point of his career than a great one, Heyward's best days are very much behind him.
12. Las Vegas Raiders - Maxx Crosby, DE
The five-time Pro Bowler had 10 sacks and 73 total tackles in 15 games for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025. He had never missed a game up until 2024, and now, he's missed time in each of the last two seasons, making some wonder if the insanely high snap counts in previous years are catching up with him.
11. Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence, QB
Trevor Lawrence was on fire in the back half of the 2026 season, ending the year as an MVP candidate. Lawrence could be on the cusp of great, but he's got to sustain that level of play for an entire season. Outside of 2025, the rest of his career has been rather forgettable.
10. Tennessee Titans - Jeffery Simmons, DT
Jeffery Simmons was insane in 2025, setting career-highs in sacks, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits, finishing with 11, 17, and 21, respectively. A do-it-all defensive tackle with legitimate pass-rush presence, Simmons saw the Tennessee Titans front office remake the defensive line in the offseason, which could yield even stronger results in 2026.
9. Baltimore Ravens - Kyle Hamilton, SAF
Kyle Hamilton finished with nine defended passes, 105 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits in 2025 for the Baltimore Ravens, landing at No. 9 in our power rankings. Hamilton is a true weapon on the backend of the defense and is one of those legitimately game-changing do-it-all players that any team would covet.
8. Miami Dolphins - De'Von Achane, RB
De'Von Achane is such a stellar player. He landed a long-term contract extension from the Miami Dolphins this offseason and is a true dual-threat weapon at the position.
He led the NFL with 5.7 yards per carry in 2025 and has a career average of 5.6 yards per carry, which is ridiculous. He had a career-high 1,350 rushing yards in 2025.
7. Houston Texans - Will Anderson, DE
In 17 games for the Houston Texans in 2025, Will Anderson totaled 12 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, and 23 quarterback hits, landing Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors, while also finishing second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Anderson played the best football of his career in 2025 and has now totaled 30 sacks and 64 quarterback hits through three seasons.
6. Cincinnati Bengals - Ja'Marr Chase, WR
It's early, but Ja'Marr Chase is absolutely on a Hall of Fame pace right now. In five seasons, he's totaled five Pro Bowls, 520 receptions, 6,837 yards, and 54 touchdowns. He led the NFL with 185 targets in 2025, and also won the 'Triple Crown' at the position in 2024, leading in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.
It's hard to find a flaw in Chase's game, and he's only set to play in his age-26 season in 2026. Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals land at No. 6 in our power rankings.
5. Kansas City Chiefs - Creed Humphrey, C
Creed Humphrey has not missed a single start in the NFL and now has four Pro Bowls in five seasons, including two All-Pros. The best center in the NFL right now, Humphrey has already been a part of two Super Bowl teams and is only set to play in his age-27 season in 2026.
4. Denver Broncos - Garett Bolles, LT
In 2025 for the Denver Broncos, Garett Bolles had Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors, enjoying the best season of his career. The best pass-blocking tackle in the NFL, Bolles has been a part of two straight elite offensive lines in Denver, and since playing in just five games back in 2022, Bolles has not missed a game since.
3. Buffalo Bills - Josh Allen, QB
Josh Allen was the 2024 MVP and continued his high level of play in 2025, also cementing himself, yet again, as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in NFL history. Allen and the Bills again fell short of the goal, but he's been a high-end offensive weapon for most of his career and is, at times, impossible to stop.
The Buffalo Bills have turned into one of the more stable franchises in the NFL since Allen hit his stride and broke out for the first time back in 2020.
2. Indianapolis Colts - Jonathan Taylor, RB
Jonathan Taylor earned Pro Bowl honors in 2025, leading the NFL in attempts and rushing touchdowns. He had 1,585 yards on a stellar 4.9 yards per carry. He's never averaged fewer than 74.1 yards per game and now has 7,598 rushing yards through six seasons. Taylor is only set to play in his age-27 season in 2026. He does have a lot of tread on his tires, but hitting 10,000 career rushing yards is very much in view.
Taylor is one of the best pure runners of this generation and is No. 2 in our power rankings.
1. New England Patriots - Drake Maye, QB
Drake Maye took the league by storm in 2025, exploding for 31 touchdowns. He completed 72 percent of his passes, which led the NFL, and he also led the league in passer rating and QBR. Maye was a Pro Bowler and made the second-team All-Pro team, also finishing second in MVP voting and fifth in Offensive Player of the Year voting as well.
Maye did take a lot of sacks, but that honestly makes his production in 2025 even more impressive. The New England Patriots weren't able to seal the deal in the Super Bowl, but it's hard to not look at what Maye did as being flat-out incredible.
Sure, a slight regression could be coming in 2026 due to how easy their schedule was in 2025, but Maye was a top-3 player in the league last year and takes the top spot in our power rankings.