Approaching the month of July, and training camps on the very near horizon, this is the time of the NFL offseason for optimism to be overflowing. Unfortunately, some fan bases may already be putting the cart before the horse.
Anything can happen in the NFL season. None of us knows exactly how things will play out and which teams will end up being good -- or great -- this coming season. But there are certain teams around the league already looking like they're going to pull the rug out from underneath their respective fan bases.
Some teams have made a lot of changes this offseason to try and be as competitive as possible, but you can already tell from a long way off that it's not going to work out. There could be concerns over injuries, age, paying too much for talent, or simply too much change in general.
Whatever the reasons, here are three teams who might be setting up their fan bases for major disappointment in 2026.
3 NFL teams setting up for major disappointment in 2026
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers moved on from head coach Mike Tomlin in the 2026 offseason, replacing him with Pittsburgh native and former Cowboys/Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy is one of the most accomplished head coaches in the league, and he's reuniting in Pittsburgh with Aaron Rodgers.
Unfortunately, there is a dark cloud lingering over the Steelers organization after moving on from Tomlin. Although the Steelers have seemingly reached a proverbial ceiling of mediocrity under Tomlin, the fact that he never had a losing season in all his time as an NFL head coach really is remarkable.
Not that the football gods are going to punish the Steelers for moving on, but this team felt like it was already hanging by a thread. The Steelers might have gotten the best out of Aaron Rodgers that can still be extracted a year ago, and while it was good enough to win the AFC North in a down year, it wasn't good enough in the postseason.
The Steelers just have an older roster core, offensive line issues, an old quarterback, and the additions they made this offseason don't feel like truly impact moves. It wouldn't be shocking to see them completely miss the playoffs during Aaron Rodgers's swan song.
2. Kansas City Chiefs
Since 2018, the Kansas City Chiefs have been the dynasty team of the NFL. They've been one of the most dominant teams in pro sports, but after the 2024 season ended, it felt like all the wind went out of their sails as well.
The Chiefs won so many one-score games in 2024, and they had really shown signs of regression offensively. As the roster core got older, the Chiefs' depth also got worse. There are still some of the most recognizable characters from those Super Bowl teams, including Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones.
The problem is that all of those guys are getting older, Mahomes is coming off of a major injury, and the Chiefs did a lot of roster reloading this offseason. They also have some major offensive line issues.
The decision to sign Kenneth Walker early in NFL free agency really put the Chiefs in the "back" category for a lot of folks, but they have plenty of climbing to do, and need a lot of things to go right to get back to the top of the AFC West.
3. Dallas Cowboys
Left up to just the offense, the Dallas Cowboys might be able to contend for a Super Bowl. Factoring in the new-look defense, and this Cowboys team is setting up fans for an offseason full of optimism and a season full of disappointment.
Going from arguably the worst defense in the league to even a middle-of-the-pack defense would be massive for this team, but is that going to be possible?
The Cowboys have a new defensive coordinator in Christian Parker. They've got a revamped defensive front after the Parsons trade last year, reloading from the inside out and putting together a rather competent-looking group.
As Parker takes over play-calling on that side of the ball, he's going to have plenty of veterans and a talented incoming rookie class to work with. But even with all of the new faces, the Cowboys still have holes in their starting lineup (inside linebacker being one), and the rebuilding project is not yet finished.
Rome wasn't built in a day, as it were. The Cowboys might still be another offseason away from truly having a contender-level defense.
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