26. New York Giants
I really am a fan of what the New York Giants have done this offseason, but my personal opinion of these teams can't get too in the way of what the reality is at the moment. In 2025, the Giants were dealing with yet another dysfunctional season, but throughout that dysfunction, then-rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart actually played quite well.
He had 24 total touchdowns and just five interceptions in 14 games, racking up nine rushing scores and a stellar 3:1 TD:INT ratio, which is absolutely something you can build on for 2026 and beyond. The one thing Dart needs to work on, though, is protecting himself more and not taking as many hits, which is easier said than done.
The Giants also hired John Harbaugh to replace Daboll, who was their head coach. Harbaugh might not be a good enough coach to help them win a Super Bowl, but he should bring stability, and that's one thing this franchise desperately needs.
As for the roster, it's firmly in the 'fine' tier - it's not overwhelming at any position in my opinion, but there are enough capable players to where they can win games if Dart takes a step forward and Harbaugh can get this team on the right track.
But overall, the Giants are probably still a solid year or two away.
25. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a similar team. In 2025, rookie quarterback Tyler Shough guided the team to a 5-4 record in his nine starts and a 4-1 record over the final five games of the season. Shough definitely had what I would call a pretty clever way about him at the position.
The one knock on Shough though is his age, and he's already set to turn 27 years old in his second season. Sure, he's a few years older than you'd like, but if he can play, then so what? The Saints do have some nice talent on offense and got some sneaky-good play from their defense last year as well.
It's all building in the right direction, as the Saints weren't too far off the NFC South pace last year. Like the Giants and other teams in this tier, the coming season is going to hinge on if Shough makes that year two leap or not.
If he does, the Saints could win the NFC South, but if not, another losing season will be reality.
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