4. Chicago Bears
As much as I'm buying the Chicago Bears as a whole, I think what I'm really convinced about with this team is head coach Ben Johnson. It just feels like he gives the Bears such an advantage week after week. That's not to say the Bears don't have talent, but Johnson is the straw that stirs the drink there.
And having the talent he does offensively doesn't hurt, either.
The biggest question mark for the Bears will be how they overcome all of the major losses in their secondary. We know who they've brought in to replace some key players, but losing all of Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, and CJ Gardner-Johnson was not a small thing this offseason.
The Bears were one of the best teams in the NFL last year at creating turnovers, but do they have enough juice off the edge to be a better team in the pass rush department? It feels like they didn't properly address that this offseason.
3. Green Bay Packers
The Packers need a healthy Micah Parsons back in the mix, but when they had a healthy Micah Parsons, there were few teams playing as well as them last season.
Green Bay has had one of the better and more well-rounded rosters in the league for a handful of seasons, and that remains the case entering the 2026 season. Just like every other team, the Packers had to reload in a number of ways this past offseason, but they did an impressive job of that, especially on defense.
The Packers added Javon Hargrave to the defensive line, they made an underrated trade for linebacker Zaire Franklin, and they used their top draft pick on cornerback prospect Brandon Cisse, who could end up starting from Day 1.
They'll be relying on a young kicker after drafting Trey Smack, and they won't have Elgton Jenkins on the roster for the first time since 2019, but the Packers look ready to make a run in the NFC if Parsons can get back to form quickly.
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