12. New York Giants
The New York Giants don’t have the most inspiring quarterback situation in the league, but Russell Wilson should be able to keep the floor relatively high for this team…right? The addition of Wilson, plus Jameis Winston, plus Jaxson Dart should have the Giants in a much better spot than the likes of Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito. The real reason I’m higher on the Giants than most is their defensive front, which could be one of the best in football this season. They’ve got so much talent there and teams might struggle to score on this Giants defense, especially if everyone’s healthy.
11. Arizona Cardinals
Even if the Cardinals haven’t been relevant in the playoff picture the last two seasons, Jonathan Gannon has had this team making marked improvements. They played hard with a horrendous roster in 2023, and as the player personnel improved, so did the team’s ability to finish games last season. Even though it wasn’t good enough to get to the postseason, you can see the signs that this Arizona team is ready to push for a playoff spot again. They are going to be a fun team to watch and potentially a fast riser up these kinds of lists in 2025.
10. Chicago Bears
I’m starting to buy a little bit of the Chicago Bears hype. After what we saw in Week 2 of the preseason from Caleb Williams, I’m getting suckered in a little bit more. I have always felt like the Bears may have made the most significant head coach hire of the 2025 offseason by bringing in Ben Johnson, but whether or not Williams takes that next step as a player isn’t all on Johnson’s shoulders. If Williams is making quick decisions with the ball and on time with the bread and butter of the offense, his big-play ability will push the Bears into the NFC North division title discussion.
9. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys won 12 games for three years in a row with a healthy Dak Prescott. I’m sure the possibility of Micah Parsons not playing some games this year, or sitting out entirely is a dark cloud over the entire organization, but if this team is fully healthy, they’re going to be a lot better than what we saw last year. Prescott is pretty underrated as a quarterback, and the idea of this Dallas offense getting a legit WR2 in George Pickens is scary considering the damage CeeDee Lamb has done while drawing all the attention.