24. Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons have so much going for them offensively, and so many questions defensively. This will be the first year for Michael Penix Jr. as the unquestioned starter going into training camp, and based on some of what we saw from him last year, you can’t help but be excited about that.
The Falcons spent so many years investing heavily in their offense, however, which has cost them dearly on the defensive side of the ball. This team was an embarrassment in the pass rush department last year, and they knew it better than anyone. GM Terry Fontenot took Jalon Walker with his top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and then took a major swing by trading a 2026 1st-rounder to get James Pearce to go along with him.
If those guys can step up quickly, the Falcons will be one of the top up-and-coming NFL teams in 2025.
23. Seattle Seahawks
Mike Macdonald is entering his second year as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, and general manager Jon Schneider has put him in a really weird position.
The Seahawks team Macdonald inherited didn’t feel like a team on the cusp of blowing things up, but that’s kind of what they did in the 2025 offseason. They traded Geno Smith to the Raiders for a third-round pick and replaced him with free agent Sam Darnold. It’s impossible not to be impressed with Darnold’s resurgence in Minnesota last year, but is it sustainable with a new staff and worse weapons?
Seattle’s decision to trade DK Metcalf instead of paying him was odd, but replacing him with Cooper Kupp considering how similar his game is to that of Jaxon Smith-Njigba? It just felt like a totally random offseason for Seattle, a weird way of resetting, and it could lead to this team taking a step back unless the defense is dominant.