14. New Orleans Saints
Anyone who's been reading my offseason rankings here at NFL Spin Zone this offseason knows that this ranking does not exactly reflect how high I am on the Saints for this upcoming season.
I think the Saints have to go out and prove themselves, but the pieces are in place for this team to be a factor in the NFC South. They might be the "worst" team in the NFC South going into the season based on last year, but I think they can win the division and be a 9-win team.
That's kind of where almost every team in this chunk of the NFC rankings is at. They have such a high variance of possible outcomes this season based on the quarterback position, but the Saints might have a higher floor than most because of the fact that they had a really strong defense last year.
I loved the moves they made this offseason to go and get RB Travis Etienne, LG David Edwards, and LB Kaden Elliss. If Jordyn Tyson works out as their top pick in this year's draft, and can stay on the field as a rookie, Tyler Shough is going to be in line for a major breakout in year two.
13. New York Giants
Maybe I'm just a sucker for the hype, but I'm buying what Jaxson Dart was selling last season for the Giants.
Dart was sensational as a rookie, and that was in a pretty dysfunctional and non-ideal environment. Not only did he not have Malik Nabers for most of the season, but the Giants dealt with so many other injuries to key players, and the head coach was fired in the middle of the season
Again, to say that this team didn't have ideal circumstances around Dart in his rookie season would be an understatement. But now, they've got another shot at it. John Harbaugh is the new head coach of the Giants, coming over after coaching the Baltimore Ravens since 2008.
Harbaugh's experience as an NFL head coach will serve this young roster core of the Giants well, but it's all going to be a matter of how quickly he can put things together.
We know Harbaugh loves to run the ball, and he's got a stable of backs to do exactly that. It's easy to forget because of some of the comments he's made during the offseason, but Cam Skattebo was one of the NFL's most exciting rookies in 2025 before his injury.
The young players on this roster for the Giants are really exciting. And just like many teams near the bottom of the NFC right now, they seem to have a relatively high ceiling, even if there's somewhat of a low floor.
Add us as a preferred source on Google