3. Dallas Cowboys
Call them overrated all you want, but a healthy Dallas Cowboys team has basically been good for a guaranteed 11 or 12 wins over the last handful of years. Maybe more appropriately said, a healthy Dak Prescott.
When Prescott is healthy, the Cowboys are contenders in the NFC East. It's as simple as that. Prescott might not be a top-5 quarterback in the NFL, but he's very good, and the Cowboys have pieces all over the roster to genuinely compete if they stay healthy. The addition of George Pickens to pair with CeeDee Lamb has me even more excited about this team bouncing back in 2025.
2. Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers may have finished in 3rd place in the NFC North last season, but they might have the clearest path to jumping all the way up to 1st place in their division out of any team on this list in 2025.
The Lions have lost a lot. The Vikings are breaking in a redshirt rookie at quarterback. The Packers young core of players on both sides of the ball might be ready to make that jump after we saw a glimpse a couple of seasons ago when this team had the 49ers on the ropes in the playoffs.
The major issues for this team right now are on defense, specifically against the pass. The Packers have to be better in the pass rush department and their cornerback room is unrecognizable from just a couple of seasons ago.
1. Denver Broncos
A year ago at this time, the Denver Broncos were the butt of just about every joke in the NFL media. Who's laughing now?
The Broncos got a historic rookie year out of Bo Nix, whose 34 total touchdowns as a rookie rank 3rd all-time for any rookie quarterback, even above Jayden Daniels of the Commanders. The Broncos ended their playoff drought, which had been ongoing since they won Super Bowl 50 in February of 2016.
This Denver roster not only overcame $90 million in dead cap last season, but they saw core players develop at key positions and they got way better in the 2025 offseason with the additions of players like Evan Engram, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, and JK Dobbins.