The 2026 NFL offseason has officially passed by OTAs for pretty much every team, and we're now onto mandatory minicamp for the rest of the league. Some teams have already finished (or decided to pass on) minicamp altgoether.
All that means is that the football season is closer every day. Training camps will get underway in the month of July, but we already have a lot to talk about for every team around the league when it comes to the latest stock reports.
With OTAs in the rearview, which teams in the NFC are the biggest winners and losers? It could be a general feeling about a team, the loss of a player, a contract situation, or some other form of drama causing a team's stock to go down. It could be that we're buying into the offseason hype or starting to see the full picture of rosters around the league come into focus.
With every factor considered, these brand-new NFL Power rankings are going to take a look at the entire NFC and label each team a winner or loser based on where things are at now that OTAs are in the books.
NFL Power Rankings: Eagles a big "loser" after OTAs; Rams the league's top "winner"
16. Arizona Cardinals: Loser
There are plenty of reasons the Arizona Cardinals could be down here at the bottom of the list, but we'll just pick a few of them. One of the first reasons is that the team's presumptive starting quarterback -- Jacoby Brissett -- had been in the midst of a contract dispute with the team before ultimately reporting for mandatory minicamp.
The Cardinals don't seem to want to pay Brissett like a starting quarterback, and Brissett has made it clear that he wants a raise from his $4.9 million salary.
The issue is that the long-term of the franchise is in focus. The Cardinals' leverage is that they have young quarterback Carson Beck on the roster, and the 2027 NFL Draft class looms.
There has also been plenty of drama with pass rusher Josh Sweat, who didn't show up for voluntary OTAs, then showed up for minicamp but wasn't practicing. It's already been a fascinating start for new head coach Mike LaFleur.
15. New York Giants: Loser
Earlier in the offseason, there was a point at which I was starting to really buy the New York Giants as a true sleeper team in the NFC for this coming season. But somehow, this team has managed to completely overshadow the hiring of John Harbaugh as their next head coach with all of the different ways they've made headlines this offseason.
You had the Jaxson Dart and Abdul Carter saga over Dart introducing President Trump at an event. Cam Skattebo has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. Malik Nabers' recovery from his injury last year seemingly isn't progressing at a pace where he'll be ready for Week 1.
It just feels like the vibe around this team has taken a turn for the worst over the last month-plus.
14. Atlanta Falcons: Loser
The Atlanta Falcons have some major question marks on the defensive side of the ball right now, as well as some major question marks at the quarterback position. And the former certainly won't be answered at OTAs, but for a team like this, neither will the latter.
Defensively, the losses of David Onyemata and Kaden Elliss loom large, and the Falcons don't really know what to expect with James Pearce Jr.'s situation overall. Jeff Ulbrich helped them take a big step forward last season as a unit, but this is a group that now has lost some key contributors and might be missing its breakout pass rusher.
The quarterback situation with Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa simply needs more clarity at training camp. Penix is still making his way back from another knee injury, and Tagovailoa is still in progress of even learning the offense.
But Drake London got himself a lot of money.
13. New Orleans Saints: Winner
I've got the New Orleans Saints down the list of NFC teams right now, but only because I want to see them prove it over the course of the season. I still have the arrow pointing way up for this team, and there are a number of reasons for that.
The first is the New Orleans defense. This was one of the more underrated groups in the NFL last season, ranking 9th in the NFL in yards allowed, 4th against the pass, and 6th in rushing yards per attempt allowed. Believe it or not, the Saints' defense was also 3rd in the NFL in 3rd down efficiency and 10th in red zone efficiency.
That unit can be a major calling card, especially with clarity now at the quarterback position. The Saints have given Tyler Shough help on the offensive line and in the weapons department. They are poised for a breakout year.
12. Washington Commanders: Winner
If we weren't simply going with black and white "winner or loser" designations for these teams, the Commanders might have landed in the middle somewhere. It's still difficult to know what to make of this team right now, but the one reason the scales tipped in favor of "winner" instead of "loser" was the fact that Commanders 1st-round pick Sonny Styles really impressed.
If the Commanders' defense is going to take a step forward this year (they have to, or they will be irrelevant), Styles will be a huge part of that. As a top-10 pick at a non-premium position, the pressure is on Styles to be a top player at his position almost immediately.
The one reason the Commanders nearly drifted into the "loser" category for me was the wide receiver position. Even with Brandon Aiyuk posting videos in Commanders gear and teasing the possibility of what's to come, this receiver room is a major area of concern until it's not.
11. Minnesota Vikings: Loser
Every team has to go about a legitimate quarterback competition how they see fit, but the Minnesota Vikings' competition at quarterback seems to be over before it has really even gotten going. At least from the outside looking in, it doesn't seem like JJ McCarthy has much of a shot to really start for the Vikings this season, but Minnesota is approaching the offseason program like he does.
And while all is well that ends well, Kyler Murray doesn't seem to be thrilled about splitting reps right now if he's going to start this season. He's trying to learn a new offense, and with reps already limited, splitting those 1st-team reps really hinders things.
There's been too much drama with the Vikings' quarterback situation already this offseason. And maybe that's just competitive spirit from both sides, but this is a team that expects to bounce back to contention, so they need that clarity more than others.
10. Carolina Panthers: Winner
It really feels like the Carolina Panthers are trending up, even after finishing with a losing record last season. The Panthers are the reigning NFC South champs, but they're one of a number of teams that doesn't want to simply run it back this coming season.
The Panthers have a lot of reasons to be excited after OTAs, and maybe the most underrated headline of OTAs was Ikem Ekwonu working on the side field as he recovers from injury. After signing Rasheed Walker in free agency and drafting Blake Miller, the Panthers have seemingly -- and quite effectively -- fortified the offensive line.
Jonathan Brooks was on the field for OTAs, another welcome sight for this team. Jalen Coker was given a well-earned contract extension. The arrow is pointing up for Carolina in a big way.
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Loser
The Buccaneers are ranked above their division counterpart because the outside expectations for them are going to be a lot higher. The Bucs are more of a veteran-laden team than the Panthers, but that can also work against them in some ways.
Sometimes, young and hungry is more dangerous.
The Bucs earned a "loser" designation in these rankings because of the contract situation with quarterback Baker Mayfield. It just casts a dark cloud over this team, and Mayfield's honesty about the situation really makes it feel like he's not thrilled about where things are at.
Still, the expectations for this Buccaneers squad will be very high. Even after losing Mike Evans and Lavonte David, they will be expected to take back the division in 2026.
8. Philadelphia Eagles: Loser
We're slowly but surely reaching the point where the Philadelphia Eagles might be the most underrated team in the NFL during the offseason.
You just can't shake the fact that Philadelphia has gotten a bit worse, even if the AJ Brown trade feels like addition by subtraction because of how brutally long that process played out. With Brown out of the picture, the Eagles can focus on the guys who want to be in Philadelphia, but this is a team with huge question marks.
Jalen Hurts is in need of a bounce-back year after an objectively bad 2025 season. The Eagles have tried including Jalen Carter in some trade discussions this offseason, but to no avail. There is a possibility things could get messy for this team in a hurry. We might have seen the beginning of a slight decline last year. This season will prove whether or not the Eagles can bounce back or if the house of cards is about to completely fall.
7. Dallas Cowboys: Winner
The single biggest development for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason is the defense getting back on track, and it sounds like new defensive coordinator Christian Parker has them on their way.
The Cowboys made so many new additions to that side of the ball, but on top of the player personnel, it's the coaching that's really going to elevate some of these young players quickly. If the Cowboys can have even a league-average defense this coming season, and maybe a dangerous pass rush, they could contend for the NFC East title.
Rookies Malachi Lawrence and Caleb Downs sound like they are as-advertisde as 1st-round picks from this year's draft, and the Cowboys have some new veteran voices on that side of the ball in Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary, and others.
6. Green Bay Packers: Loser
The Green Bay Packers should still be one of the best teams in the NFC this coming season, but the headlines throughout OTAs haven't been great.
Josh Jacobs has some off-field issues looming large right now. Micah Parsons basically declared he was going on the PUP list to start the season as he plays it cautiously in his return from a knee injury late last year. It's not that the Packers don't have a strong roster on paper or a good team on the field, but there are some question marks right now.
Green Bay also gave a huge contract to Christian Watson, seemingly out of nowhere, and that quickly became one of the most contested contracts of the offseason from the general NFL population.
There have been some early kicker issues at OTAs, something Packers fans will lose sleep over if it lingers into the preseason.
5. Seattle Seahawks: Winner
There has really been nothing major coming out of Seahawks OTAs, and I almost considered them for the "loser" category considering the move the Rams made to acquire Myles Garrett.
We've talked plenty this offseason about the Seahawks losing Klint Kubiak, and how much that could end up mattering when the season rolls around. They also lost a lot of key players from last year's Super Bowl run, but the word out of Seahawks OTAs is that it doesn't appear there's any dropoff in the operation.
I suppose the jury is out on that for the time being. The primary reason the Seahawks got into the "winner" category here is the fact that sometimes, no news is good news. And their Super Bowl ring design was also unveiled, and it's glorious.
4. Detroit Lions: Winner
Dan Campbell is a straight shooter, and he's not putting a ton of stock into OTAs. Either that, or he's really trying to motivate his players to bring it when training camp rolls around in July.
He referred to OTAs as a "pajama party" and said that the Lions will really find out "who's who" when it comes to training camp in July. You can't argue with that, and since it's Dan Campbell, you won't argue with that.
Although OTAs do matter, especially for a team with a new offensive coordinator, Campbell is right. The Lions need a renewed focus this offseason after being the league's biggest disappointment in 2025. This is a team that won a whopping 15 games in the 2024 regular season. They were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders in the NFC last season, but Campbell knows that nothing in this league is promised.
You can feel that renewed focus and fire for 2026.
3. San Francisco 49ers: Winner
The 49ers were another team I considered throwing in the "loser" category for this, and simply for the reason that they cancelled minicamp and already broke for the offseason at the conclusion of OTAs.
Don't the 49ers have new players to break into the offense? Don't the 49ers have a new defensive coordinator with Raheem Morris coming in?
Regardless of that, the 49ers saw what they apparently needed to see at OTAs, and the biggest reason why they made it into the "winner" category is because both Mike Evans and De'Zhaun Stribling managed to stand out during their OTAs. Grant Cohn said of Evans that he looks like he'll be a "monster" in the low red zone. Stribling, one of the most contested picks of the 2026 NFL Draft, managed to get behind the defense on multiple occasions for big plays.
If those two guys are as advertised, the 49ers could be in business.
2. Chicago Bears: Winner
I would normally just chalk it up to the Twitter/X algorithm doing its thing, but it really does feel like the Bears had more hype during OTAs than any other team around the league.
Of course, Caleb Williams being named as the new Madden cover athlete helps with that, but head coach Ben Johnson was also talking up wide receivers Rome Odunze and especially Luther Burden as the Bears progressed through OTAs.
After their breakthrough year in 2025, it feels like the NFL world is rallying around the Bears as this year's team with the most offseason hype. Everyone saw how much Caleb Williams progressed in his first year under Ben Johnson, and it seems like that is unanimously expected to continue in 2026.
1. Los Angeles Rams: Winner
The Rams are the most obvious winner from OTAs out of any team in the NFL. The trade to acquire Myles Garrett is something most people have only ever been able to do when they turn off the rules on Madden and just trade for whoever they want.
Les Snead is living out this Millennial's video game Franchise Mode dream in real life.
What the Rams have done is historic. For the first time in NFL history, the reigning NFL MVP and Defensive Player of the Year will now be on the same team going into the next season. It's not surprising that has never happened before, but it's also not surprising that Snead was the GM to find a way to make that 1st in NFL history actually happen.
The Rams feel like the team to beat in the NFL right now, and it'll be fascinating to see who can actually do it.