4. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders added a ton of talent this offseason, and even with Fernando Mendoza in the picture, the Raiders appear to want to take their time with him, as Kirk Cousins is likely to start. There are still some major questions on offense that could lead to another very iffy year for the team.
5. Carolina Panthers
I guess I'm just lower on the Carolina Panthers for 2026. Bryce Young played the best football of his career in 2025 and was still below-average, and I am just not sure where on this roster the Panthers are going to find a legitimate advantage week-to-week.
6. New York Giants
I am a fan of what the New York Giants did this offseason in hiring John Harbaugh, but this team has known pretty much nothing else but losing for years, and given how many other competent teams are out there, the Giants are going to simultaneously show promise but still need another season to get going.
7. Tennessee Titans
The Tennesee Titans bringing in Brian Daboll as the offensive coordinator is going to be a great thing for Cam Ward's develop. Ward is going to make a notable leap in year two, but the roster is still bad, so the front office does need another year of talent acquisition before we can truly look at this team as being a threat.
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
With Mike Tomlin no longer in the picture, you have to wonder if that non-losing season streak is going to disappear in 2026. Mike McCarthy is a fine head coach, but he's inheriting a Pittsburgh Steelers team that doesn't do anything particularly well, and a quarterback on the wrong side of 40 years old who was flat-out mediocre in 2025.
9. Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts finished the season 8-9 after a wicked-hot 7-1 start. The Colts might end up falling more in the middle of those two halves in 2026. It's hard to see, especially with a middle quarterback coming off a major injury, how the Colts are going to regain some of that magic from 2025.
10. Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons roster, really outside of the quarterback situation, is playoff-caliber, and that's the problem. Kevin Stefanski being the head coach is a solid move, but I am just not sure if you can expect much of anything from Michael Penix Jr., who has a lengthy injury history, and Tua Tagovailoa, who is in the same boat and who has looked lost at times on the field.
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