26. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals have a ton of issues, but they have fixable issues. The first issue I believe this team has is at head coach - Zac Taylor is a fine head coach, but given the Bengals’ issues over the past couple of seasons, I really think the team needs to turn their attention toward bringing in a more defensive-minded coach.
With the trio of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, the Bengals’ offense is likely always going to be in a good spot, so putting an emphasis on defense is the way this front office should go in 2026.
Someone who could make a lot of sense is Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who was once a defensive assistant for the Bengals about 10 years ago. Cincy has now missed the playoffs for a third-straight year, which is simply inexcusable for how good of a quarterback Joe Burrow is.
25. New York Giants
In another lost season, the New York Giants ended up hurting their NFL Draft position for April by beating the Dallas Cowboys. This is always an interesting discussion - teams that are close to that top pick in the NFL Draft probably want that high pick internally, but you can’t really openly tank a game, can you?
The Giants are not clinching that first overall pick, as it belongs to the Las Vegas Raiders. While the G-Men stunk it up this year, rookie QB Jaxson Dart did show some flashes throughout the season.
He’s got to learn how to not take those big hits, but it is so obvious (to me, at least) that Dart is someone who can develop into a franchise quarterback. The Giants should spent the 2026 offseason surrounding Dart with more talent and bringing in a coaching staff that knows how to develop a quarterback, period.
The Giants might have some light at the end of the tunnel, folks.