The 2026 NFL offseason is progressing right along, and with the NFL schedule on the very near horizon, we've officially reached the time of year where it feels like football is officially about to start creeping its way back into everyone's lives.
With the offseason moving along, now feels like a great time to take a look back at every move teams have made throughout free agency, the NFL Draft, and obviously in the coaching realm as well.
Considering how things went last season, coaching changes that have been made, trades, free agent pickups, and draft picks, our latest NFL Power Rankings are going to take a closer look at every defense in the NFC and how they stack up against each other on paper. Will anybody be able to dethrone the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks for the #1 overall spot?
NFL Power Rankings: Seattle Seahawks fending off rivals for top defense in the NFC
16. Arizona Cardinals
Even with Jonathan Gannon's defensive expertise, the Arizona Cardinals had one of the worst defenses in the NFL in almost every metric last season. And the question at this point is -- how have they gotten better in 2026?
The answer to that is, honestly, they haven't done much. The Cardinals brought in Roy Lopez and Andrew Wingard. They drafted one of my top Day 3 sleepers in Kaleb Proctor, but those are minor moves at best.
This is a unit that ranked 29th in pressures, 29th in points allowed, 27th in yards allowed, and the roster is not upgraded. Defensive coordinator Nick Rallis has his work cut out for him.
15. Chicago Bears
It feels a little harsh to have the Chicago Bears this low on the NFC defensive rankings, but last year's team caught lightning in a bottle, and it may not have been anything more than that.
Despite the fact that they were opportunistic and led the league in takeaways (which is a big deal), the Bears ranked 23rd in points allowed, 29th in total yards allowed, 25th in QB hits, 28th in tackles for loss, and 24th in total QB pressures.
With that in mind, you would think that this team invested a ton to get better on the defensive front, right? Wrong. The Bears shockingly did nothing to upgrade their defense off the edge. They made minimal improvements on the interior defensive line. They also lost a host of players that accounted for the lion's share of their interceptions last season (Kevin Byard, Nahshon Wright, Tremaine Edmunds, CJ Gardner-Johnson, Jaquan Brisker).
14. Washington Commanders
How could the Washington Commanders possibly rank even as high on a list like this after such a disappointing 2025 season? They were one of the worst teams against both the run and pass, allowed the 6th-most points in the league, and they were 31st in the NFL in takeaways.
The Commanders spent money and draft capital on defense in a big way, going after Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson to upgrade their pass rush. They somehow landed Sonny Styles with the 7th overall pick, and stole a couple of underrated players from the Chiefs in linebacker Leo Chenal and defensive end Charles Omenihu.
Like we mentioned before, a large portion of these rankings are based on the moves teams have made and how they look on paper, not just based on how things went last season. And based on last year, the Commanders will be pretty much unrecognizable on the defensive side of the ball.
The one area of concern remains the secondary, but the Commanders made big moves to turn things around in the trenches.
13. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were one of the teams I struggled with the most on this list. Yes, the Atlanta defense was one of the most improved last year, but what is the status of star rookie James Pearce Jr. going to be this season?
The Falcons made a point to keep defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich around, so continuity on that side of the ball should help. Ulbrich's defense finished with some sneaky-good numbers last season, ranking 4th in the NFL in total tackles for loss and with the 4th-highest sack percentage in the NFL.
The addition of top pick (2nd-rounder) Avieon Terrell upgrades the secondary, and the Falcons made a really intriguing trade to acquire Maason Smith as an upside play on the defensive front. There's still plenty of work to be done, but the arrow is pointing up from what we saw last season.
12. Dallas Cowboys
The Micah Parsons trade along with major injuries defensively put the Dallas Cowboys in a brutal position on the defensive side of the ball last year, and it was ugly to watch.
The Cowboys had to reload completely, starting with a change at defensive coordinator. They brought in Vic Fangio protégé Christian Parker to run the defense as a first-time coordiantor, and they gave him a lot of ingredients to turn things around quickly.
The trade to acquire Quinnen Williams in the middle of the 2025 season was the blockbuster move, but the Cowboys have also now added players like 1st-round safety Caleb Downs, 1st-round pass rusher Malachi Lawrence, defensive end Rashan Gary, and safety Jalen Thompson (on top of others) to really upgrade that unit.
This defense was dead last in points allowed last year, but I think they're going to make a huge jump in 2026.
11. Detroit Lions
The loss of Ben Johnson offensively might have been slightly more pronounced last season, but make no mistake about it -- the loss of Aaron Glenn was detrimental for the Lions in 2025.
The Lions ranked 22nd in points allowed, 18th in yards allowed, and situationally, they were a mixed bag. They ranked 9th in the NFL in 3rd-down defense but 21st in red zone defense. This Detroit defense has dealt with some injury issues in recent years, but with Kelvin Sheppard entering his second season as defensive coordinator, there is hope that with some upgraded roster depth, the Lions can take the next step as a unit on that side of the ball.
One of the top areas this team has to be better is against the run. The Lions ranked 26th in the NFL last year in total tackles for loss, which is a big reason why they brought in Michigan defensive end Derrick Moore with a 2nd-round pick (10.5 TFL, 10 sacks last season).
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers finished 22nd in the NFL last year in quarterback hits, they were middle-of-the-pack in tackles for loss, and they were below average in total pressures. The fact that they were able to land Miami star pass rusher Rueben Bain with their top pick in this year's draft was nothing short of a stroke of divine intervention from the football gods.
The addition of Bane alone was impressive, but as the team said goodbye to veteran and franchise legend Lavonte David, they were also able to steal CJ Allen from Georgia in the 2nd round. And Keionte Scott might have been the best overall value pick on Day 3 of this year's draft.
I'm expecting a big bounce-back year for the Buccaneers' defense in 2026.
9. New Orleans Saints
Believe it or not, the New Orleans Saints actually had one of the league's most underrated defenses during the 2025 season. They finished tied with the Los Angeles Chargers for the 7th-most tackles for loss in the league last year, they were 9th in total yards allowed, and finished 3rd in the league last season in 3rd-down defense.
Again, those are some sneaky-great numbers, even if they were a mixed bag for most of the year as a team.
The Saints' defense added a number of really fun pieces this offseason, including bringing back veteran linebacker Kaden Elliss, who is one of the best off-ball pressure players in the league. They traded for former 1st-round pick Tyree Wilson, a really worthwhile risk/reward option on the defensive front. They also took a shot on cornerback Martin Emerson Jr., who was locking it down prior to injury.
This defense could contribute to the Saints being a surprise team in 2026.
8. Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are going to have to do more with "less" in the 2026 season on the defensive side of the ball.
The recovery of Micah Parsons and his timeline for return hang over this unit like a dark storm cloud, but it's going to be fun to see how much Jonathan Gannon can transform that unit with much better personnel than he had with the Arizona Cardinals. We saw what he was capable of when he was the defensive coordinator of the Eagles.
But the Packers lost a lot defensively this year. And maybe there will be some addition by subtraction, but losing key starters and rotational players like Rashan Gary, Quay Walker, Colby Wooden, and Kingsley Enagbare will be interesting to watch.
Green Bay finished last season slightly above average or middle of the pack in most major categories.
7. Carolina Panthers
If there's one area the Carolina Panthers have to figure out in the 2026 season, it's their pass rush. That group was bordering on being an abomination last year with just 58 quarterback hits, tied for dead last in the NFL.
The Panthers were also near the bottom of the league in tackles for loss (30th) and 31st in the league in 3rd down defense. Those numbers reflect a desperate need for juice off the edge, and Carolina was able to win the bidding war for Jaelan Phillips, a former 1st-round pick of the Dolphins who was traded mid-season to the Eagles last year.
The additions of Phillips, linebacker Devin Lloyd, and 2nd-round pick Lee Hunter should give this Panthersa huge boost in 2026 after showing signs of improvement, especially in the secondary, last season.
6. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are going to have to hope defensive coordinator Brian Flores can work his magic this year, because they have said goodbye to a lot of key players in 2026.
Jonathan Allen, Harrison Smith, Jonathan Greenard, and Javon Hargrave are all gone in 2026 (among others), and the Vikings' remodeled defense is going to feature a number of young players getting votes of confidence from the front office and coaching staff.
The secondary will once again be worth watching as a possible weak area for the Vikings, but it's the turnover on the defensive line that really gives me pause about buying this team repeating some of their stellar numbers from a season ago. The Vikings were 7th in points allowed, 3rd in yards allowed, and 2nd in the league in TFLs last season. We'll see if gutting the defensive line brings those numbers down, or if Flores's scheme can mask the youth up front.
5. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers were one of the worst pass-rushing teams in the NFL last season, but that was somewhat understandable with the injury suffered early on by Nick Bosa. They still finished 13th in the NFL in total points allowed despite having an embarrassingly bad pass rush (3rd-fewest pressures, 2nd-fewest tackles for loss), proving the talent on the rest of the defense is there.
The 49ers will get Nick Bosa back this year, and even though Raheem Morris is taking over for Robert Saleh, you have to figure this scheme is going to suit the players. The 49ers not only are getting Bosa back, but they also get Fred Warner back, and they brought Dre Greenlaw back in free agency as well.
If they can get the type of impact they are expecting out of trade acquisition Osa Odighizuwa, this defense could be cooking with gas right away this season.
4. New York Giants
This feels extremely high for the New York Giants, but I'm buying the hype. On a list like this, the Giants would have to be considered the biggest "projection" on the list, but you've got to take some risks to be right.
The Giants have one of the most ridiculous assemblies of pass rushers you will see, starting with Brian Burns, who is one of the secret superstars of the NFL. Not only that, but they have (up to this point) kept Kayvon Thibodeaux around, along with Abdul Carter and 1st-round pick Arvell Reese.
To supplement the loss of Dexter Lawrence, the Giants brought in Shelby Harris and DJ Reader to reload on the interior. They landed a steal in the 2nd round of the draft with Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood, and Tremaine Edmunds should be another great pickup for the middle of the defense. Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson has the pieces in place.
3. Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams had pretty average numbers for a contending team in terms of points allowed (10th) and yards allowed (17th) last season, but this team was outstanding in the pass rush department. And they forced a lot of turnovers.
The Rams ranked 4th in the NFL in total pressures, tied for 7th in total sacks, and they were fantastic situationally. They finished the year 7th in total 3rd down defense and 3rd ind red zone efficiency.
And entering the 2026 offseason, the primary weakness for the Rams was at the cornerback position. It's safe to say they addressed that need in a big way with the addition of Trent McDuffie in a blockbuster trade with the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, that top-tier pass rush has a cornerback who can make teams pay on the back end.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
Vic Fangio is still doing it.
The Eagles were 5th in the NFL in total points allowed, 10th in takeaways, they had a top-10 red zone defense, and they allowed the fewest passing touchdowns of any team in the league (14).
The one area they knew they had to get better this offseason was in the pass rush and playmaking department on the defensive front, which is why they struck a trade during the 2026 NFL Draft to acquire Jonathan Greenard from the Vikings. The Eagles also signed Riq Woolen to upgrade the secondary, and even though they are going with somewhat of an in-house player development strategy this season, they've got the pieces in place to once again be one of the most dominant defenses in the league.
1. Seattle Seahawks
There is virtually no metric that is worth mentioning that the Seattle Seahawks weren't in the top third of the league by the end of the season defensively. And we all witnessed in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots just how dominant they could be in virtually every possible way.
The Seahawks finished with the fewest points allowed last season of any NFL team, extremely impressive when you consider the teams they have to face in their own division. Mike Macdonald's scheme is obviously elite, and even with some roster turnover on that side of the ball (lost Boye Mafe, Riq Woolen, Coby Bryant), this unit should be expected to still be one of the most dominant in the NFL in 2026.
Second-round pick Bud Clark was an absolute ballhawk at the college level, and the Seahawks were also able to steal Julian Neal in the 3rd round to get younger in the secondary.