24. Kansas City Chiefs
Can we please recognize that the Kansas City Chiefs just saw a ton of defensive talent walk out the door? Sure, they signed Kenneth Walker, but he's a good-not-great player, and the Chiefs now have multiple massive holes on defense. This is not a good team right now, folks.
And furthermore, it's not a guarantee that Patrick Mahomes is going to be fully healthy for Week 1, either. The Chiefs have an uphill battle.
23. New Orleans Saints
Travis Etienne and David Edwards are two rock-solid offensive additions. This team could spring up our power rankings if Tyler Shough takes a step forward in 2026.
22. Washington Commanders
Credit where it's due - the Washington Commanders knew they had to address needs in free agency, and they did. It remains to be seen if those moves work on out defense, but you cannot fault this front office for spending the cap space they had to improve the roster.
21. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals really can't figure this out, can they? The team once again failed to make enough defensive additions in free agency to shore up that side of the ball. It's getting to a point where you have to wonder if Joe Burrow has had enough.
20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers again have a new offensive coordinator and lost Mike Evans in free agency. The direction of this team isn't clear right now, and they honestly feel like one of the more irrelevant squads in the league.
19. Carolina Panthers
Frankly, the Carolina Panthers overpaid for Jaelan Phillips, but they did seem to get a solid deal for Devin Lloyd. If nothing else, the Panthers are making strides to shore up that side of the ball, but much of their success will still hinge on Bryce Young taking a leap in 2026. Carolina does have another path to win the division next season.
18. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have honestly had to jump through hoops with their cap situation, but the writing does appear to be on the wall for Kyler Murray to eventually land with the team, and I personally would love that fit and would actually look at the Vikings as being a frisky Wild Card team with Murray under center.
The offense is stocked up with solid weapons, and Brian Flores is still going to have that defense playing well.
17. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens backed out of the Crosby trade and instead pivoted to Trey Hendrickson, and it's pretty obvious to some that the Ravens got cold feet and didn't want to part with those two first-round picks. With some better injury luck and a new head coach, the Ravens could return to near the top of the AFC, but this roster still has some roster flaws overall.