18. Miami Dolphins
I’m giving the Miami Dolphins a decent placement on this list because of how top-heavy their roster is, but they are always seemingly a couple of injuries away from disaster.
Last year, it was easy to see the contingency plan for the Dolphins wasn’t much of a plan at all. This year, I don’t hate the thought of Zach Wilson, fresh of of a rehab year in Denver, taking over for Tua Tagovailoa in the event that he’s actually needed.
If the Dolphins are clicking offensively, they’ll be tough to outscore on a weekly basis, and they can exploit teams with their pass rushers. But this team has major questions regarding not only their ability to stay healthy, but the quality of the offensive line and the secondary going into the season.
17. San Francisco 49ers
As many familiar faces as departed San Francisco this offseason – and they were some big ones – one familiar face coming back into the building (Robert Saleh) has me feeling pretty optimistic about this team’s chances in 2025.
Sometimes when you put the pressure on your star players to perform and be stars instead of just being faces in a crowd, those guys are going to respond for you and step up in a big way. I think we’ll see that from the core players on this 49ers roster this year with Christian McCaffrey coming back from injury along with Brandon Aiyuk.
The return of Robert Saleh will be a huge determining factor in this team’s overall success. The 49ers know what Saleh brings to the table, and he maximizes the talent he’s given defensively. He’s got tons of young players to work with this coming season, including the majority of the team’s top picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.