6. Washington Commanders
I will be the first to admit that I had zero expectation of the Washington Commanders doing what we all saw them do this past season. To reach the NFC Championship game and accelerate their rebuild under GM Adam Peters and new head coach Dan Quinn was an incredible accomplishment.
Jayden Daniels has some new weapons at his disposal, but while they won’t get all the headlines, the additions the Commanders made on the offensive line are actually the more intriguing moves this team made. And more important over the long haul. After trading for Laremy Tunsil, the Commanders then really fortified their offensive line in the 2025 NFL Draft with first-round pick Josh Conerly.
You have to tip your cap to Adam Peters for reloading this roster as quickly as he has. This is a quality roster from top to bottom, and the Commanders are going to be fantastic again this season. But this time, with a bit more of a target on their back.
5. Detroit Lions
While the Detroit Lions are mostly a well-oiled machine, they are taking on some pretty massive changes this offseason that cannot be ignored. The loss of both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn could loom large for this Lions team as they pursue a championship.
Those two guys were instrumental in getting this team to contender status, which is obviously why they have better jobs around the league now. With that said, they were also two key components of this team winning the chess match almost every week the last 2-3 years.
Dan Campbell has his work cut out for him. As good as this roster is, the Lions need to stay healthy, and that’s proven to be nearly impossible for them. We can only hope we’re not wondering “what if” about this team because guys weren’t able to be on the field.