20. Miami Dolphins
Perhaps the fact that the Dolphins have been so badly injury-riddled the past two seasons is clouding judgment here a bit, but the reality is that this team has far too many injury concerns to ignore. The Dolphins need Tua Tagovailoa to stay healthy, first and foremost, but with a revamped and reloaded offensive line, can that be expected? The defense has taken its share of lumps as well the last couple of years, creating a logjam at the EDGE position where Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips quickly went from building blocks to major question marks who might not be around much longer. They also need a young, unproven secondary to step up.
19. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots did a lot of things right this offseason. I love the hire of Mike Vrabel as the new head coach. I love the additions of Milton Williams and Harold Landry to the defensive front. I love the moves to upgrade the offensive line with Will Campbell and Morgan Moses coming in. The Pats might be cooking with something here, but they are still likely a year out from having a good enough roster to be anything more than a thorn in the side of other teams in the AFC.
They have the feel of a 7 or 8-win team that is going to drive playoff contenders nuts late in the season by upsetting some good teams.
18. Chicago Bears
Yes, the Chicago Bears have one of the most improved rosters in the league this offseason based on the additions they made to the offensive line alone. The fact remains that even with time last season, Caleb Williams took more sacks than any other quarterback in the NFL. We need to see proof that his internal clock has improved and that he’s not just out there trying to improvise as quickly as possible. If he takes that next step, so do the Bears.
17. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have quietly had a very interesting offseason with the recent arrival of their 2025 NFL Draft class along with the talented George Pickens at receiver. Pairing up Pickens with CeeDee Lamb could end up being a cheat code for Dallas and quarterback Dak Prescott, who has lacked a true #2 threat since Amari Cooper was traded to Cleveland a few years ago. The Cowboys are going to need everything to go right (injury-wise), but they should be competitive in the NFC East this year.