NFL Power Rankings: Ranking every NFC team's best new addition in 2026

The NFL offseason is always loaded with intrigue, and this year, everyone is trying to catch up to the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

The 2026 offseason included no shortage of major moves made by NFC teams to do exactly that, especially from some of the teams that finished near the top of the conference last season.

Our latest NFL Power Rankings, as we continue to progress through offseason activities, will take a look at the best moves made by every team in the NFC. That could be a coaching change, a free agent pickup, a draft pick, or a blockbuster trade. And once we've determined the best move made by each team in the conference, we'll then rank each move based on its projected impact and just how substantial it could end up being, especially right away.

2026 NFL Power Rankings: The best addition for every NFC team in 2026

16. Atlanta Falcons: Avieon Terrell, CB (2nd round pick, NFL Draft)

The Atlanta Falcons brought in Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach this offseason, but my favorite move from this team was their top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Falcons took Clemson slot cornerback Avieon Terrell, the younger brother of their star corner AJ Terrell.

More than just a fun, sentimental reunion, the Falcons are getting a player whose profile coming out of Clemson is that of a 1st-round player. He projects to the slot in the NFL but can play both inside and out, and part of the reason he projects so well to the slot is his physicality and reactive speed.

The Falcons have been a work in progress defensively, but adding a player like Terrell to the secondary is going to help take that defense to another level.

15. Green Bay Packers: Zaire Franklin, LB (Trade with Colts)

The Green Bay Packers did a bit more subtracting this offseason given the cost to acquire a player like Micah Parsons last year, but that's just part of the game. The Packers said goodbye to Rashan Gary, Elgton Jenkins, Romeo Doubs, Quay Walker, Dontayvion Wicks, and others during the 2026 offseason, but they did make one trade to acquire a player that could have a massive impact on their defense.

New defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is taking over this offseason with Jeff Hafley off to Miami, and he'll have an experienced "quarterback" on that side of the ball with Zaire Franklin coming over in a deal with the Colts.

Franklin might not be a long-term addition, but he's a steady presence in the middle. He has only missed one game over the last five years and has had no fewer than 125 total tackles in each of the past four seasons.

14. Seattle Seahawks: Jadarian Price, RB (1st round pick, NFL Draft)

The way the Seattle Seahawks approached the 2026 offseason was a tad bit confusing. As we sit here in the month of May, the Seahawks still have nearly $33 million in available cap space. It wasn't like they couldn't afford to bring back some of their own guys like Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, safety Coby Bryant, cornerback Tariq Woolen, or pass rusher Boye Mafe.

The Seahawks apparently just decided they were going to recoup future compensatory picks and keep drafting/developing.

That was the case with 1st-round pick Jadarian Price, who is one of the rarest 1st-round running backs you'll ever see. He's the first running back taken in the 1st round of the NFL Draft without a single season of at least 125 touches at the college level.

Seattle is taking a major risk by making Price their presumptive RB1 with Zach Charbonnet recovering from an injury, but he has the talent, there's no question about it.

13. Detroit Lions: Blake Miller, OT (1st round pick, NFL Draft)

It might have made plenty of sense, but the Lions deciding to cut veteran left tackle Taylor Decker was still a pretty shocking move considering how important that offensive line has been to their success in recent years.

The Lions moved Penei Sewell over from the right side to take over the left tackle position, where he played in college, and now they've got Blake Miller penciled in at the right tackle spot. Miller was a no-brainer 1st-round pick for the Lions with a ton of experience at Clemson, and all of the athletic traits to be an immediate success at the next level.

Frankly, it's a little surprising Miller didn't go higher than the Lions were able to get him, but they aren't going to complain about that. Now, aside from the center position, the Lions have done a great job of resetting on the offensive line the past couple of years.

12. Chicago Bears: Coby Bryant, SAF (Free Agent, Seahawks)

Overall, I didn't really love the way the 2026 offseason unfolded for the Chicago Bears. They didn't add much at all in the pass rush department, which was a major area of concern from last year. They led the NFL in turnovers, living and dying by that category most of the season, and then they lost three key members of the secondary.

Offensively, Drew Dalman surprisingly retired, causing the Bears to have to attack the center position. They traded away DJ Moore and reached a little bit for Zavion Thomas to replace him.

I don't say all of that for fluff, but to point out that the addition of Coby Bryant in the secondary will be under a strong microscope all year. Bryant was the Bears' answer to losing All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to the Patriots, so the pressure is on for him to help keep that defense on a roll in the turnover department. He and rookie Dillon Thieneman have big shoes to fill.

11. New Orleans Saints: David Anderson, LG (Free Agency, Bills)

The New Orleans Saints would be much higher on this list if we were talking about an individual offseason in the NFC. I don't know that any team in the NFC -- outside of maybe the Rams -- made more impactful additions to the roster than what we've seen from the Saints.

The Saints landed Travis Etienne to load up at the running back position. They went and got Jordyn Tyson to upgrade a wide receiver position that desperately needed help. Kaden Elliss at the linebacker position was also one of my favorite additions any team made this offseason.

However, the David Anderson pickup at the left guard position was their most substantial financial investment for a reason. Anderson is coming over from the Bills where he's been an absolute mauler in one of the best running games in the NFL. The Saints just made a ton of really smart moves this offseason and quietly have positioned themselves well in the NFC South race.

10. San Francisco 49ers: Osa Odighizuwa, DL (Trade with Cowboys)

Other than just getting Nick Bosa back from an injury, the 49ers knew they had to do something to improve in the pass rush department after finishing dead last in the league in sacks last year. Even with Robert Saleh as the defensive coordinator, the 49ers weren't able to get to the quarterback enough, so they did something about it.

Although the Cowboys' defense had a horrible season in 2025, Osa Odighizuwa has been playing at a really high level for them individually.

According to Next Gen Stats, Odighizuwa has the 2nd-most QB pressures against double teams of any defensive lineman in the entire league. The 49ers knew they needed some players who could create pressure on their own to upgrade that unit, and the addition of Odighizuwa is going to make life a lot easier on Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins.

9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rueben Bain, EDGE (1st round pick, NFL Draft)

The way Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht described Rueben Bain could not be more perfect:

Maybe "The Problem" will become Rueben Bain's nickname eventually. The way Licht puts that is so spot on, and it is reflected in the way Bain plays the game. We all watched this past season as Bain completely dominated week in and week out at Miami, living up to the lofty expectations everyone had for him going into the season.

Yet guys get picked apart in the pre-draft process for one reason or another. For Bain, it was the short arm discussion. And there is validity to that, but as Licht said, he's been a problem for offensive linemen even if he hasn't been the prototype. The Buccaneers got a player people were still mocking as the 2nd overall pick in the NFL Draft as recently as a month or two ago.

This was not just a draft steal. The Bucs might have gotten the Defensive Rookie of the Year in the middle of the 1st round.

8. Washington Commanders: Odafe Oweh, EDGE (Free Agent, Chargers)

We talked about it all throughout the 2025 offseason, but the Washington Commanders desperately needed to add pass rushers. We saw them go after Von Miller and Dorance Armstrong to sort of keep the ship afloat, and Dan Quinn's scheme helps, but the Commanders needed actual difference makers off the edge.

Odafe Oweh was looking like a 1st-round draft failure last year with the Baltimore Ravens, then they traded him to the Los Angeles Chargers, and he exploded playing for Jesse Minter.

Now, he's cashed in with a big-money contract in Washington, and has a chance to establish himself as one of the best pass rushers in the NFC. There had been signs in the past with Baltimore that Oweh had it in him, but his consistency with the Chargers is what got him paid by Washington. He needs to find a way to build on that to give Dan Quinn that consistent presence off the edge.

7. Philadelphia Eagles: Jonathan Greenard, EDGE (Trade with Vikings)

There is no question that the Eagles wanted Jaelan Phillips back this offseason, which isn't a surprise or huge revelation considering they traded for him at last year's deadline. But when Phillips ditched them for the Panthers in NFL Free Agency, the Eagles had to pivot to upgrade their edge position.

They clearly didn't love the players available to them in the 2026 NFL Draft, so they sent a 3rd-round pick in this year's draft -- and next year's -- to get Jonathan Greenard. Greenard is coming off of a tough year where he only played in 12 games overall and had just three sacks, but he was one of the best pass rushers in the NFL the two years prior to that.

The Eagles are banking on Greenard getting back to the form we saw from him in 2023-24, and the upside is tremendous. As good of a pickup as he could be, the addition of Greenard comes with injury risk, which is why it's only in the middle of this list instead of in the top 3.

6. Carolina Panthers: Jaelan Phillips, EDGE (Free Agent, Eagles)

The Carolina Panthers actually made a handful of pickups that could have landed them really high on this list overall.

I loved the addition of Devin Lloyd, especially getting him at just $15 million per season, considering how impactful he was last season for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Panthers also fortified their offensive line with offensive tackle prospect Monroe Freeling, a prospect who had been projected as high as the 6th overall pick in this draft.

Getting those upgrades was impressive, but stealing Jaelan Phillips away from the Eagles was their best move. And it's a major needle-mover. Just like the Jonathan Greenard move for the Eagles, the Panthers' acquisition of Jaelan Phillips comes with inherent injury risk. It's also important to note he's never had more than 8.5 sacks in a season, which came back in his rookie year.

But this is a player whose ceiling has always been exceptionally high, and injuries have been the only thing to derail him.

5. Dallas Cowboys: Caleb Downs, SAF (1st round pick, NFL Draft)

The Dallas Cowboys have made a lot of really important additions in the wake of the Micah Parsons trade last year. As unpopular and, frankly, bad as that trade was, the Cowboys have picked up the piees admirably.

You can't consider Quinnen Williams for this particular spot because he was acquired during the 2025 season, but he's going to be a major impact on the Dallas defense in 2026. The same can be said of safety Caleb Downs, one of the best prospects in this year's draft class and a player with a high ceiling and a high floor.

The Cowboys probably didn't run many pre-draft scenarios where Downs was still on the board in their range, but when he got close, they moved up one pick to secure him. This is a player who is as smart as he is athletic and physical. He's going to be a good pro for a really long time, and is a serious boost to one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

4. Arizona Cardinals: Jeremiyah Love, RB (1st round pick, NFL Draft)

The Arizona Cardinals' move to draft Jeremiyah Love has been a contested and controversial one, but this is a guy who was considered arguably the consensus top player in the entire draft class.

Love is a true weapon and three-down back. He's going to have to produce at an elite level right away to justify the price tag to take him 3rd overall, but that's likely a challenge he'll be excited to take on in his rookie season.

The Cardinals already have an "easy button" for their offense with tight end Trey McBride, and now they've got another one with Jeremiyah Love. He's got an outstanding combination of size, speed, vision, quickness, soft hands, and the type of home run playmaking ability you covet at this position. He's one of just four running backs to weigh 212 pounds or more and run a 4.36 or faster in the 40-yard dash.

Most importantly, he's trustworthy. In his time at Notre Dame, he had just one fumble and he didn't lose it to the other team. To take on that kind of volume and not turn the ball over a single time is impressive.

3. Minnesota Vikings: Kyler Murray, QB (Free Agent, Cardinals)

The Arizona Cardinals discarded Kyler Murray, and he landed in the ideal, most obvious, no-brainer spot he could have possibly gone.

The Vikings getting Kyler Murray almost feels like it's a mulligan for letting Sam Darnold out the door, at least in some ways. Murray is not the same exact player, but is undoubtedly more accomplished upon his arrival to Minnesota than Darnold was when he got to the Vikings a couple of years ago.

Murray is a former #1 overall pick and Heisman winner who has obviously struggled with consistency and some injuries in the NFL, but the Vikings are the place to get the most out of him. He has a great coach in Kevin O'Connell, and arguably the best receiver in the game to throw the ball to in Justin Jefferson.

The fact that they got him for the veteran minimum of $1.3 million because of offset language in his contract is an added bonus to make this one of the best moves any team in the NFL made this offseason, even if there's the possibility that it doesn't work out.

2. New York Giants: John Harbaugh, head coach

The New York Giants won the sweepstakes for John Harbaugh this offseason, and what's interesting is that it didn't feel like much of a long, drawn out process. That is to say, Harbaugh appeared to target the Giants as much as the Giants targeted Harbaugh.

It's clear that the Giants have a lot of really good pieces on their roster. They were a bit of a dangerous team last year before injuries really started to take their toll. Even with the trade of Dexter Lawrence taking away a little bit of the excitement, the Giants were able to add both Arvell Reese and Francis Mauigoa in the 2026 NFL Draft to upgrade both sides of the ball.

Getting Harbaugh will be the straw that stirs the drink. You have to have the right head coach in place to get the most out of the players on the roster, and Harbaugh's veteran presence and championship pedigree is exactly what this Giants team has been missing.

1. Los Angeles Rams: Trent McDuffie, CB (Trade with Chiefs)

The Los Angeles Rams, just like the Broncos in the AFC, finished one step short of reaching the Super Bowl this past season and addressed their biggest need with a blockbuster trade.

For a roster that already didn't have many holes, the Rams' major trade to acquire Trent McDuffie really feels like the type of all-in move that could put them over the top.

Although the decision to draft Ty Simpson has been controversial and dominating the headlines, the McDuffie move cannot be overlooked. The Rams' secondary was a better sum of its parts last year than many -- present company included -- expected it to be, but when you add a player like this to the mix?

McDuffie might not be the #1 cornerback in the NFL, but he's one of the top 10 players at his position in the league, and that is monumental for a team like the Rams to add to the mix.