With how much parity is present in today's NFL, it feels like there's a slim chance that we'd ever see two seasons in a row with the same playoff teams. Front offices are just too good in building rosters for that to occur.
Last year, there were some solid teams that missed the playoffs, and some of these teams did not need much roster tweaking to be flirting with a playoff spot for 2026. Sure, the season is still months away, but that will not stop us from making more predictions for the coming season.
Let's get into predicting which non-playoff teams from 2025 are set to return in 2026.
5 non-playoff teams from 2025 set to return in the 2026 season
Detroit Lions
After a solid 7-4 start, the Detroit Lions were in a spot to make the playoffs. This team was just one year removed from a 15-2 season in 2024, but piling injuries and poor defense got in the way. Despite finishing with a winning record, the Lions weren't able to get into the postseason.
This front office is one of the very best in the NFL at identifying talent, and roster talent just has not been an issue for the Lions in recent years. Detrois should be able to regress to the mean with the amount of injuries they've gone through over the past two seasons.
Hitting that double-digit win total is on the table, and given how good the offense is, it feels likely if the defense can simply be average.
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are in a similar boat, as their defense was bottom-tier in 2025. However, major changes have hit this side of the ball, featuring new faces in Christian Parker, Rashan Gary, Jalen Thompson, and two first-round picks in Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence. The Cowboys have enough firepower on offense to scrape together a few more wins, as long as the defense is just slightly improved.
With Dak Prescott being the best quarterback in the NFC East, the Cowboys will have enough going for them to reach the playoffs in 2026.
New Orleans Saints
I'm going to continue riding with the New Orleans Saints as one of my breakout teams in 2026. New Orleans won four of five games to end the 2025 season and saw rookie quarterback Tyler Shough really show some nice progress down the stretch.
In the offseason, the front office shored up the offensive line with David Edwards, an above-average guard, and gave Shough a new weapon in Travis Etienne. If that was not enough, New Orleans took wide receiver Jordyn Tyson in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and the defense, led by Brandon Staley, was a sneaky-good unit in 2025.
If you combine all of this with the NFC South being the weakest division in football, it's not hard to see why the Saints could be the winner in 2026. Heck, eight wins was enough for the division title in 2025, and the Saints finished with six, so they were in range.
Baltimore Ravens
If not for some mounting injuries at the beginning of the season, the Baltimore Ravens absolutely would have made the playoffs. With Jesse Minter, a defensive mastermind, installed as the new head coach, the Ravens should instantly be better on that side of the ball.
And while we are kind of banking on roster health here, we can't also pretend like the Ravens haven't been one of the best teams in the league for years now. Baltimore is primed to return to the postseason in 2026.
Cincinnati Bengals
A defensive overhaul was just what the Cincinnati Bengals needed. With Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, and Bryan Cook all added to the defense, the Bengals have finally seemed to figure this thing out.
As long as Joe Burrow can remain on the field, the Bengals will have an elite offense, and like the Lions and Cowboys, all this team needs is a competent, average defense to win a ton of games. After missing the playoffs three years in a row, the Bengals see that streak come to an end in 2026.