6. Cleveland Browns (5-12 in 2025)
The Cleveland Browns are No. 6 in our rankings. If nothing else, the Browns do appear to have some respectable young talent on both sides of the ball, and it's really not a stretch to say that this team is viewed as competent with an average QB. There is enough non-QB talent on the roster for the Browns to be frisky this year, but with a bottom-3 QB room where neither Deshaun Watson nor Shedeur Sanders are even playable, to be honest, the Browns have a next-to-zero percent chance of winning the AFC North in 2026.
And I'm not even sure it's a slam-dunk that Cincinnati or Baltimore are juggernauts, like we've seen them be.
5. New York Jets (3-14 in 2025)
Like the Browns, the New York Jets do sport some young talent. Right now, the Jets are the more talented team and do have the better QB in Geno Smith. It's a tough ask, but if Smith can somehow play how he did back in 2022 with the Seattle Seahawks, the Jets would be a lot better than we'd think.
With that said, Smith has been regressing for years now, and it's clear that he's only a temporary solution, as the Jets have three first-round picks in the NFL Draft next year, so General Manager Darren Mougey is likely prepared to push most of his chips into next April.
4. New York Giants (4-13 in 2025)
Much of this would hinge on Jaxson Dart making a huge year two leap, which isn't out of the question, but the NFC East has three established QBs already in Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, and Jayden Daniels, who may all be top-10 players at the position, depending on who you ask.
With that said, Daniels only played in seven games last year, and Hurts is a limited passer, so it's not crazy to think that Dart could develop into as-good of a passer as those two this season, which would give the Giants a small, but existing chance.
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