With training camps underway for all 32 teams around the NFL, now is supposed to be a time of optimism. Everyone is undefeated, every team has added new coaches and plenty of new players to the roster, and the whole season is ahead of us.
Unfortunately, it's also our job to pour cold water on that optimism from time to time.
Nothing in the NFL is guaranteed, and there's still plenty of time (along with 17 games) for each of these teams to prove these feelings to be dead wrong, but there are already a handful of teams around the league who feel doomed to failure entering the 2026 season.
Whether injuries are already starting to pile up, there's contract drama, or too many good teams in a certain division, we've picked three teams that already stand out as trending down as training camp is just getting started.
3 NFL teams looking doomed to fail as training camp gets underway
3. Arizona Cardinals
This one isn't really that much of a surprise, but the reports coming out of Arizona Cardinals training camp haven't exactly been overwhelmingly positive.
There's already a lot of talk that Marvin Harrison Jr. is struggling to stand out. Rookie head coach Mike LaFleur has vowed to call some "crap plays" to see if his players can overcome it. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is throwing Jeremiyah Love under the proverbial bus in his first couple of practices.
Although nobody has really been high on the Arizona Cardinals this offseason, there is a lot more at stake here than it may seem. The Cardinals have a lot of young players on the roster. Even for a team in transition, having a dysfunctional coaching staff and environment can be detrimental to player development.
It felt, at least in the moment, like the Cardinals hired LaFleur as almost a last resort. It's starting to feel more and more like that was the case. This Arizona Cardinals team might be exactly who we thought they were all offseason.
2. San Francisco 49ers
There are a handful of reasons why it feels like this season is doomed to failure for the San Francisco 49ers, but let's get the obvious out of the way: Injury issues are already starting to pile up.
Veteran free agent Christian Kirk is already dealing with an ankle issue. Ricky Pearsall might not be available for the season with a knee injury. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is recovering from a scary car accident earlier this offseason.
On top of injury issues already starting to pile up for this team, there's the fact that they play in a brutal division. The Los Angeles Rams were already going to be Super Bowl contenders, and then they brought in both Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie to upgrade their defense. Aaron Donald might be right on their heels.
The Seattle Seahawks are reloaded after winning the Super Bowl last season.
On top of all of that, most NFL Draft analysts and pundits were highly critical of the 49ers' draft class this year, and their drafting overall in recent years.
Nothing feels like it's swinging in San Francisco's favor as training camp gets underway. There's a dark cloud hanging over this team.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After Baker Mayfield's latest comments, it really feels like there's a dark cloud hanging over this Buccaneers team for the 2026 season.
It was already trending the wrong direction.
The Buccaneers got the chance to reshuffle the deck after a brutal second half last season, but things don't really seem to have gotten better this offseason.
They've said goodbye to Mike Evans (49ers) and Lavonte David (retirement). They somewhat surprisingly brought back head coach Todd Bowles. Veteran defensive lineman Vita Vea is publicly requesting a trade away from the organization.
Now, Mayfield is clearly upset with the way the team went about his own contract negotiations. As much as he might say that the focus is on football now, you can't help but wonder how much this could end up affecting the way this season plays out for the Bucs.
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