The 2026 NFL season is getting closer every day, and it's shaping up to be one of the most anticipated seasons in recent memory.
What we saw transpire in the 2026 season was a resurgence of a number of teams that had spent a number of years in the shadows, and with the expected bounce-back of some perennial powerhouses in 2026, fans could be in for one of the most exciting and drama-filled seasons in quite some time.
The AFC South was a lot more competitive in 2025 than many expected it to be. The Jacksonville Jaguars went from having one of the worst records in the league to winning the division and looking like they might be arguably the best team in the NFL late last season.
Even with the Jaguars showing such improvement in 2025, this is shaping up to be another season with unexpected twists and turns in what should be one of the most competitive divisions in football. As OTAs draw near, we're going to take a look at how every team in the AFC South stacks up against each other, and what we can expect in 2026.
NFL Power Rankings: Texans take back AFC South from Jaguars in offseason rankings
4. Tennessee Titans
What the Tennessee Titans have done this offseason has me wondering if they could be one of the biggest surprise teams, not just in the AFC South, but in the NFL as a whole.
Hiring Robert Saleh as their new head coach was a fantastic move on its own, but bringing in Brian Daboll to coach up the offense might have also been a best-case scenario. The Titans now have two of the best minds in the game in their respective categories, and plenty of talent on both sides of the ball to work with.
This has been a huge offseason for the Titans putting talent around young quarterback Cam Ward, and they did exactly that. They went out in free agency and reunited Brian Daboll with Wan'Dale Robinson, also adding to the receiver position with their top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, selecting Ohio State's Carnell Tate.
With the upgrades the TItans made on the defensive front (Jermaine Johnson, John Franklin-Myers, Keldric Faulk, and others), it's difficult to see this team being worse than seven wins. If Ward can take a big jump forward in his overall game, the Titans are a candidate to jump from worst to first.
3. Indianapolis Colts
If there was a competition for which AFC South team made either the most marginal improvements or got worse on paper than they were last year, the Colts and Jaguars would be neck and neck.
The Colts just don't look like a playoff team, and if they are a playoff team, they look like they'll be knocked out rather quickly.
Does anyone out there really love the idea of paying huge money to both Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce? The Colts not only brought those guys back at extremely high price tags, but they also lost a couple of key veterans on the offensive side of the ball with Braden Smith off to the Texans and Michael Pittman Jr. off to the Steelers.
Defensively, there's not much to write home about. The Colts were below average (or worse) in way too many metrics last year, and might be putting too much pressure on Sauce Gardner to really carry that unit.
This team has to stay healthy to reach its "ceiling", and I'm not even sure what that could be.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are probably going to be capped at being the 2nd-best team in the AFC South this coming season. That seems like a hot take considering they won 13 games and the division last season, but every year, the deck is reshuffled, and it's going to be hard for Jacksonville to repeat (or come close to) that success with what they lost in the 2026 offseason.
The departures of free agents Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd loom large for this team. Etienne accounted for 1,399 yards from scrimmage and 13 total touchdowns last season, while Lloyd racked up 81 tackles, 5 interceptions, 10 QB hits, 7 passes defensed, and only 1 TD allowed on 47 targets into his coverage.
Even though those players were not James Gladstone's 1st-round picks, it feels like the Jaguars' GM was shortsighted in not retaining two players who were integral to the team's success last season. And the reviews of his 2026 NFL Draft class are scathing.
My excitement and optimism for the Jaguars is only so far reaching this year, but it's still a strong roster overall.
1. Houston Texans
We've somewhat circled back to the opinion that was prevalent last offseason, which is that the Houston Texans appear to be the very clear cream of the crop in the AFC South.
Although they didn't win the division last year, the Texans were one of the hottest teams in the NFL at one point last season, and they boast the league's best defense overall.
The one major question mark with the Texans, oddly enough, has been quarterback CJ Stroud. Stroud has not progressed from his rookie season, at least not to the degree many thought or hoped that he would. The Texans have to be thinking that balance offensively (trading for David Montgomery) and investing more in the offensive line (signing Braden Smith, using a 1st-round pick on Keylan Rutledge, signing Wyatt Teller) will be what takes that unit to the next level.
It's hard to see a ton of weaknesses on this team, and they could run away with a tough division if they get off to a hot start.