6. Jacksonville Jaguars
For a number of reasons, I just can't quit the Jaguars after what we saw from this team back in 2022 and early 2023. The Jags were one of the hottest upstart teams in the league and Trevor Lawrence was finally looking like the guy drafted #1 overall.
There's still a lot to like about this roster, especially now with Travis Hunter added to it. A healthy Trevor Lawrence could actually make this Jaguars team a factor in the AFC South and they have some legitimate weapons on offense and in the pass rush department.
5. Arizona Cardinals
Jonathan Gannon had a pretty "talentless" roster playing decent football in his first year on the job two seasons ago, and the Cardinals were arguably one of the bigger disappointments in the NFL last year as a result of that.
They have added even more talent to the roster, so the pressure is going to be on Kyler Murray to figure out a way to play more consistently along with Marvin Harrison Jr. taking a step forward and playing like the prospect everyone thought he was going to be. The defense should be much better with the additions of Josh Sweat and Walter Nolen to the pass rush.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are the living example of the drawing of the horse where one half is a perfect drawing with great shading, and the other half is just a stick figure.
The offense in Cincinnati is outstanding. They have an elite quarterback, elite skill players, and they've proven over and over again that they can score points in bunches. Defensively, this team is a problem.
And not a good one. The Bengals brought in Al Golden to replace Lou Anarumo as the defensive play-caller, but he might be dealing without Trey Hendrickson and first-round pick Shemar Stewart. The Cincinnati defense is changing schemes and plenty of personnel, and they're simply hoping that this year's alternative is better than the abject disaster of 2024.