We're still months away from the official start of the 2026 NFL Season, but it's pretty clear which teams could be among the worst in the league, and the same is true for those teams that could be among the best.
Unfortunately for certain franchises, they simply can't get out of their own way and are continuing to circle the drain, and it doesn't appear like the 2026 season will change that, either. For a ton of reasons, there are already some teams across the league that simply have no shot at finishing with a winning record this year.
There will obviously be more than six, but we've picked the six most obvious teams for 2026 that won't finish with a winning record.
These 6 teams will absolutely finish with a losing record in the 2026 NFL Season
Miami Dolphins
The first two teams on this list could honestly compete for the worst in the league in 2026, but that would then ensure them the first overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, which could be quite the pick. The Miami Dolphins definitely blew things up this past offseason and are totally rebuilding from the ground up.
With a bottom-5 roster and a massive unknown at quarterback in Malik Willis, the Dolphins really won't have much of a path to more than five wins. Not only is the roster bad and the quarterback an unknown, but a year one coaching staff led by Jeff Hafley also caps what this team could possibly do.
Arizona Cardinals
I would argue that the Arizona Cardinals are a bit worse than the Dolphins, but both teams are in a similar spot. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, not only do they have a bottom-3 roster and quarterback room, but they also happen to be in the NFC West, the best division in football.
I'm not sure it's a stretch to think that the Cardinals could flirt with being the first 0-17 team in the history of the NFL. Where can this team gain an advantage over any opponent this year?
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans have made a ton of moves this offseason, and it truly does feel like this team is on the right track. Bringing in Robert Saleh as head coach, the Titans instantly brought in a strong defensive mind, and already, there is reason to believe in that side of the ball.
Offensively, Brian Daboll is in as the offensive coordinator. Daboll has a pretty strong track record with young quarterbacks, so the odds that Cam Ward makes a leap in year two feel rather high. Despite the Titans clearly being on the right track, the roster itself is still OK at best, as the front office is newer and will need another solid offseason to shore up the remaining roster holes.
Where the Titans may slot into in 2026 could be where the New Orleans Saints were in 2025, for example - a below-average team (not bad) that ended up being rather frisky throughout the season. Tennessee will play spoiler here and there, but this team isn't yet ready to compete.
New York Jets
Another team in a similar situation, the New York Jets have made a ton of roster changes in the Darren Mougey era, including bringing in Geno Smith at quarterback. Both sides of the ball suddenly have solid talent, but as we have seen, Smith at the helm is a recipe for disaster, and it's not clear if Aaron Glenn is a worthwhile head coach.
With three first-round picks in next year's NFL Draft, the Jets are clearly building for that year when a legitimate quarterback prospect could be available, and 2026 could help them reach that goal. Like the Titans, the Jets have enough roster talent to compete in some games and can be frisky, but it's clear that the Jets are building toward something and just aren't there yet.
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers won the NFC South last year with an 8-9 record, and I am not sure that is going to be a thing in 2026. One of the main areas of improvement was Bryce Young, as the then third-year quarterback had the best season of his career, and it looked like this:
8-8 record
304/478
63.6 percent completion
3,011 yards
23 touchdowns
11 interceptions
87.8 passer rating
188.2 yards per game
Sure, the Panthers were a fun team, but this was Young's career-year - thoroughly mediocre. Sure, you can cite the sizeable leap that he made from 2024 into 2025, but it's clear that the quarterback is an extremely limited player. Given that he's already played three years in the NFL, the odds that he improves once more in year four feel low.
Typically, a quarterback really begins to round out as their 'final form' if you will, in year two or year three, so Young might be capped at this point. The roster, while solid, isn't anything special, and given how feisty the Saints looked last year, and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers having taken ownership of this division in recent years, I just struggle to see how the Panthers make any progress. Expect a losing season, and perhaps some major changes following the year.
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns appear to have a good enough defense to win some games in 2026, but the big issue here, as most of us can see, is the quarterback position. The Deshaun Watson trade has blown up in this team's face, but if nothing else, General Manager Andrew Berry has largely done a solid job outside of that blunder.
Unless Watson somehow channels his Houston days, which feels very unlikely, the Browns are going to again be a single-digit win team. Furthermore, a new head coach in Todd Monken is in town, so there's another level of unknown there, as many head coaching hires just do not work out.
The Browns could end up being a fun team in 2027 if the defense is still solid and a new quarterback is brought in, but for 2026, this team really doesn't have a path to a winning record, especially if you figure that all of Cincinnati, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh will be competent.