Even if it felt like there was maybe one week too many in between NFL Free Agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, the intrigue of the NFL is still king of the sports world. It has been a fascinating offseason with tons of player movement, as always, and a lot of teams doing their best to compete with the Kansas City Chiefs and Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles in each conference.
Now that the dust has settled from the 2025 NFL Draft (and some eyes are already on the 2026 NFL Draft), which teams are the most improved and which teams are clearly looking like they're going to take a step back this coming season?
The reality is, we have no clue how the season is going to turn out. Some of our intuition is right (saying the Raiders and Titans would be bad last season), but some things just turn out to be complete nonsense (like saying the Commanders would be bad and the Cowboys would be great).
The element of surprise is what makes the NFL so much fun, but we can still evaluate these teams on paper. Which teams are the most improved and which ones are the least inspiring after the 2025 NFL Draft and free agency?
NFL Power Rankings: Steelers plummeting, Bears & Patriots skyrocketing
32. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints might be in bad shape for the 2025 season. It’s impossible to pin an entire season projection on just the quarterback position, but that position obviously matters in the NFL more than any other. The Saints don’t have a terrible roster outside of the QB position, but they do have a lot of other question marks.
This is a team that is transitioning to a new head coach, they have questions on the offensive line, and we might be fixing to watch Spencer Rattler and/or Tyler Shough starting games for them this coming season. The Saints’ situation this year reminds me a little bit of the Raiders last year, but with a bit more upside at QB. I think they are going to ultimately be in the mix for the #1 overall pick and we’ll see them as sellers at the 2025 NFL trade deadline.
31. Cleveland Browns
To be honest, the floor might be too high for the Browns defensively to put them this low in the power rankings, but just like with the New Orleans Saints, so much is based on that quarterback position.
The Browns went out this offseason and brought in Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders to compete for a job. If this team isn’t on Hard Knocks, I don’t want it. The Browns have such a weird situation right now offensively with transition at quarterback, the offensive line an unfinished product, and a handful of really good (and underrated) weapons.
If the defense reaches its floor this year and doesn’t have a bunch of injuries, the Browns could win eight games. Either that, or they’re going to be in the mix for the top QB in the 2026 NFL Draft.