As the 2026 NFL Offseason rolls on, we've taken yet another unique angle with our power rankings. The league was filled with parity in 2025, as a ton of competent teams missed the playoff entirely, and many of those teams did get better this offseason.
The other layer here is that some of these non-playoff teams did play rookie quarterbacks who really began to put things together as their first seasons in the NFL came to a close, so even those teams should be on 'playoff watch' for 2026, as the rosters did get better this offseason.
There were 18 teams that didn't make the playoffs last year. Let's power-rank those teams here.
2026 NFL Power Rankings: Ranking every team that missed the playoffs
18. Arizona Cardinals
With no quarterback situation in sight and a bottom-5 roster, the Arizona Cardinals really don't have much of anything going for them in 2026. To make matters worse, the Cards also happen to be in the NFC West, a team that had three double-digit win, playoff teams last year.
17. Cleveland Browns
If nothing else, the defense is formidable, but the Cleveland Browns lack of a clear quarterback situation is again going to end the season before it even begins. Sure, Deshaun Watson could win the job and perhaps look somewhat competent, but he's been playing at a replacement level his entire tenure with the Browns.
16. Miami Dolphins
Signing Malik Willis in free agency was a bit odd given the Miami Dolphins current rebuild mode. I guess the front office could hope that Willis enjoys a shocking career resurgence, but the odds that he turns into a franchise quarterback are virtually zero. Miami is clearly among the worst teams in the NFL, as they parted with a ton of former key players and just do not have good enough roster talent much of anywhere.
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