20. Baker Mayfield/Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield and Bucky Irving are both fine. Irving had a breakout rookie season back in 2024 but struggled to stay on the field in 2025, so it's almost as if he has to re-establish himself again. Baker Mayfield is in a similar boat, as the quarterback, one year after throwing for 41 touchdown passes and 4,500 yards, fell back down to earth in 2025.
All in all, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot in place that could end up leading to an NFC South title, nothing really stands out as being quite good enough to accomplish anything more than that.
19. Tua Tagovailoa/Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Bijan Robinson is a fantastic player and might be a top-5 player in the sport, but Tua Tagovailoa is on the flip slide of that. If Atlanta gets the 2022-2024 version of Tagovailoa with the Dolphins, this team is going to be in a great spot in 2026 and beyond.
But the 2025 version of Tagovailoa got him cut from Miami, so we have to proceed carefully here. The Falcons do have the best roster in the NFC South, and if Tagovailoa can simply play average football for the team in 2026, they'll win the NFC South and be one of the more fun duos in the NFL.
18. Jayden Daniels/Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels only played in seven games for the Washington Commanders in 2025, so he takes a hit here. Jacory Croskey-Merritt did have a fun rookie season, but it's not clear if he can become a legitimate bellcow running back. All things considered, the Commanders do have a solid duo here, and if Daniels is able to get back on the field for all 17 games, which is something he did in 2026, all players will be elevated, and Croskey-Merritt could then become more of a household name.
17. Sam Darnold/Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks
Sam Darnold struggled with 20 turnovers last year, but yes, he was good enough to help the Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl. However, Kenneth Walker III departed in free agency, so now the Seahawks figure to deploy a new RB duo in Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet. With Price being a rookie, this ranking comes in lower than some might have expected it to be.
But the Super Bowl-winning GM, John Schneider, did let Walker leave in free agency, so maybe he is onto something here...
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