The Los Angeles Rams already looked like they might be the team to beat in the NFC, and then they pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire the reigning Defensive Player of the Year -- Myles Garrett.
The Myles Garrett trade amplifies what we've been saying all throughout the 2026 offseason: The Los Angeles Rams are not only the best team in the NFC, but the NFL as a whole.
But that trade also puts a proverbial target on the Rams' back. The reigning Super Bowl champion is a team that plays in their own division. The field of teams in the NFC is as deep as we've seen it in some time, and a lot of the teams on the rise got significantly better in 2026 as well.
The latest NFL Power Rankings are going to take a look at the loaded NFC and rank every team worst to best as OTAs roll along, and after the blockbuster trade that put Myles Garrett on the already-loaded Los Angeles Rams.
NFL Power Rankings: Rams cemented on top of full NFC rankings after Myles Garrett trade
16. Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are clearly rebuilding right now, and they play in one of the best divisions in football. It's not just that the Cardinals appear far behind their division counterparts, but the fact of the matter is they are behind in every major way you can possibly think of.
While the Cardinals have fun pieces like Trey McBride, Jeremiyah Love, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Michael Wilson, they also have a gaping hole at the quarterback position. Even Jacoby Brissett is holding out for more money.
On top of that, the Cardinals don't have the same level of building blocks -- not really even close -- as the other teams in their own division defensively. This is simply a team that is in need of multiple years of patience. Whenever the day comes that they discover their franchise quarterback, the projections will shift dramatically, because the cupboard isn't bare.
15. New York Giants
There is so much to like about the New York Giants, but there are also many reasons to be skeptical. It feels like the initial excitement for this team after hiring John Harbaugh has been slowly deflating like letting the air out of a balloon.
The same reasons to be excited about this team are seemingly the reasons to be a little cautious with optimism. Jaxson Dart showed some really nice stuff last year, but his playing style is reckless and he's got a new offensive coordinator. Malik Nabers looks like one of the best young receivers in the league but his health and availability at the start of the season are in question.
There are health and possibly character concerns with Cam Skattebo, who looked fantastic in his limited action before injury last season.
The pass rush features some serious weapons, but it would have looked a lot better if Dexter Lawrence was still around. Arvell Reese was a steal in the draft, but where is he going to play?
We'll see how this season goes for the Giants, but John Harbaugh has a significant mountain to climb. Taking this team to 9 or more wins will have him in the Coach of the Year conversation.
14. Atlanta Falcons
We'll see how the first year of the Kevin Stefanski era goes for the Atlanta Falcons, but this team is currently one of the toughest ones to figure out in the NFC. They finished strong last year, but that was with a different head coach and Kirk Cousins at the quarterback position.
Are we supposed to just expect that the Falcons are going to be able to pick up right where they left off? We know they believe they have the core of weapons offensively to rise to the top of the NFC South this coming season, and they made sure to retain Jeff Ulbrich as defensive coordinator after the pass rush had a resurgence last season.
It wouldn't surprise me if the Falcons did contend for the NFC South, but the determining factor will be how well Michael Penix Jr. can play coming back from injury.
13. New Orleans Saints
While the Falcons are a team full of questions leading to some pessimism for this coming season, the Saints are a team that might really have something to build on after last season.
Yes, the deck is reshuffled for everyone, but the Saints have a young quarterback who showed some really nice things late last season in Tyler Shough. They went out in free agency and really addressed some key needs, landing David Edwards at the left guard position and Travis Etienne as a nice three-down back for Kellen Moore to feature.
The Saints' defense already had some teeth but they brought back Kaden Elliss, stealing him from the Falcons and upgrading at the second level. They also made a fun trade to get Tyree Wilson from the Raiders, and we'll see if he can find his way in New Orleans.
12. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders are another really tough team to figure out in the NFC. Do we buy that they're just going to be able to quickly get back to the form we saw in 2024 when they made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game, or do we think they simply caught lightning in a bottle that year and regressed to the mean in 2025?
There might be a degree of truth going both ways. The reality is, this should be a really solid team if Jayden Daniels is healthy and available. The Commanders made substantial improvements to their defense, getting Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson off the edge while investing a 1st-round pick in Ohio State's Sonny Styles, one of the most ridiculous athletes in this class.
There are still some big question marks on this roster, but Dan Quinn has done more with less and we could see the Commanders back in business this season. Injuries will be the determining factor.
11. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers won the NFC South last year, but we're going to stop short of just buying as much of their stock as we possibly can here in the offseason.
There were some great flashes last year from Bryce Young and the offense. And the longer Dave Canales's system is in place, the more you have to feel like that's going to take those flashes and make them more of the norm. But until that happens, we just don't know what to expect week to week from this Panthers team.
It felt like every week last season, we'd buy into a good game from the Panthers, and they'd let us down the next week. This team added Devin Lloyd and Jaelan Phillips to the defensive front seven, giving them some big-time playmaking ability there. If the offense is even league average, this team should win 9 or more games.
10. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I want to believe the Buccaneers can get back to being the team we saw in the first half of last season. I want to believe it badly.
But the way this team played in the second half of last season has eliminated any form of certainty there might have been before. There was a time you felt like you could count on this Bucs' defense as being a constant, or Baker Mayfield, or the passing game in general. That simply wasn't the case. This team didn't just hit a wall in 2025 -- they fell off a cliff.
Losing Mike Evans and Lavonte David is probably bigger than anyone is really talking about. Those guys were leaders on the team and new voices are going to have to step up. The Bucs still look like division title contenders on paper, but they are treading thin ice going into this season.
9. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings, with all of their issues at the quarterback position last year, ended up still finding a way to win nine games. And now, the idea of Kyler Murray bouncing back in Minneapolis has optimism flowing for this fan base once again.
But it might be the perfect time to pump the brakes just a little bit. The Vikings obviously have a chance to be a really good team, but they play in one of the most competitive divisions in football. Maybe the best overall division in the league. And the fact that they hit the reset button on so much of their defensive front is a bit of a concern going into the year.
Kevin O'Connell has consistently gotten the most out of his players, so I'm betting on the Vikings being a team that wins 9 games or more, but there are some major question marks on this roster, and the coaching staff's ability to put the replacements in positions to succeed will be put to the test immediately.
8. Philadelphia Eagles
As long as the NFL world and Eagles fans waited for the AJ Brown trade to finally be completed, his departure almost feels like addition by subtraction. But let's just be honest for a moment: The Eagles are not a better team on paper without AJ Brown.
Good thing football isn't played on paper.
It wasn't the greatest omen that Jalen Hurts threw an interception right away at OTAs after the team traded Brown, especially because it happened in 7-on-7. But the Eagles have to believe they can be a better team without Brown in the mix anymore, largely because they have no other choice.
If Saquon Barkley is playing at the level he's capable of, things will fall into place nicely for this team. But their stock is definitely down after the Brown trade, there's no question about it.
7. Dallas Cowboys
I really like what the Dallas Cowboys have done over the last two offseasons. I -- just like almost everyone else -- hated the Micah Parsons trade for Dallas. It felt like an extremely untimely decision given the window they are in with Dak Prescott, and especially because they had made the trade to acquire George Pickens earlier that same offseason.
It felt like the Cowboys took one step forward and two steps back, simply wasting a year of Prescott's prime. And that's probably the case. But the improvements they've made since that Parsons trade are undeniable, and the defense -- now led by Christian Parker -- is ready to make a huge jump forward in 2026.
The Cowboys feel like a team poised for a bit of a rebirth in 2026, and if that defense can even be average, they should be able to win 10 games with that stellar offense rather easily.
6. Green Bay Packers
There were a lot more departures in Green Bay this offseason than anyone should be overly comfortable with, but the fact that the Packers emphasize long-term player development means there will be young guys ready to take the place of those key veterans.
And there are a lot of them: Elgton Jenkins, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Rashan Gary, Quay Walker, just to name a few. There's also now the question mark around Josh Jacobs and his off-field situation.
Add in the murky timeline for Micah Parsons, and you have a formula for the Packers to fall down this list at a rapid pace. But this team is well-coached under Matt LaFleur, and we've seen them weather a lot of injury storms in recent years. The Packers are always a better sum of their parts than they're even given credit, and they will be ready to compete for a division title again this season.
5. Detroit Lions
If there is one team in the NFC that I'm nearly certain is going to bounce back in 2026, it's got to be the Detroit Lions. You simply don't see teams with an offensive core this talented get held back multiple years in a row.
The Lions' regression in 2025 was completely unexpected, but not entirely out of the question because of the losses of both Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn in the same offseason. NFL teams wanted a piece of Detroit's success, and they took two guys who just so happened to be more integral to their success than maybe even Dan Campbell realized.
Campbell's decision to replace Ben Johnson with John Morton was clearly ill-advised, and the Lions have now moved on to Drew Petzing. The offense should return to its dominating ways, and it will be nearly impossible for this team to win less than 10 games this season.
4. Seattle Seahawks
The reigning Super Bowl champions are dropping down the list of NFC teams seemingly at a rapid rate, and games are not even being played. Not that they're on the same level, but we saw how detrimental it was for the Lions to lose Ben Johnson last year, and you almost wonder if losing Klint Kubiak can have a similar effect on this Seahawks team.
Seattle also lost Kenneth Walker, Riq Woolen, Boye Mafe, and Coby Bryant. It's a transitional year in some ways for the roster, which had a boatload of cap space heading into the offseason.
The Seahawks are objectively worse on paper now than they were when they won the Super Bowl, and that's rough because they're the only team in the entire NFC West that you can really say that about. It isn't a foregone conclusion that they'll be worse this year, but everyone is back to the drawing board, and they'll have to do more with less.
3. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers were one of the NFL's best teams last season despite one injury after another. Few teams are more frequently snake-bitten in the injury department than the 49ers, and Kyle Shanahan still finds a way to keep his teams in the thick of things.
The 49ers will get Nick Bosa back for this season, which will be critical. They added to the worst pass rush in the NFL by trading for Osa Odighizuwa with the Dallas Cowboys. They went out in the NFL Draft and took some extremely unpopular risks with top pick De'Zhaun Stribling, Kaelon Black, and Romello Height.
The most underrated move this team made, however, was getting Mike Evans in free agency. Even if Evans is not what he once was, he could be a fantastic veteran presence and excellent mentor for the 49ers' young receiver core.
2. Chicago Bears
I'm going out on a limb for the Chicago Bears here. The hype train for the Bears has not only left the station, but it's borderline going off the rails, out of control at this point.
Caleb Williams is on the cover of this year's Madden game. Ben Johnson is hyping up Luther Burden at OTAs, and the faithful Bears fan base is believing that Johnson finally has a Super Bowl within reach for this team. I think they're right.
The biggest question with the Bears is the defense. They led the NFL in takeaways last season, and that's an extremely difficult thing to live and die by year over year. The pass rush still needs help, and maybe we'll see some late moves made by the Bears to upgrade it. But they have the pieces in place offensively to be one of the most consistently dangerous teams in the league.
1. Los Angeles Rams
If we could, we'd basically make a different article for the Rams completely. It feels like they're in another league compared to the rest of the NFC, maybe even the rest of the NFL as a whole. The Rams are head and shoulders above their peers. They have no rival when it comes to the way their roster is constructed on paper.
They were already poised to be the top team in the NFC, and then they struck a blockbuster trade with the Cleveland Browns for Myles Garrett. Could Aaron Donald now come out of retirement to join him?
This Rams team is loaded. They are the first team in league history to have the reigning MVP and DPoY on the same roster entering the following season. Although they won't be unbeatable, this is as close to roster perfection as you can achieve.