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.
15. New York Jets
Geno Smith was traded to the New York Jets this offseason, and the front office did add a ton on the defensive side of the ball, but the roster clearly isn't there yet, and Smith was horrendous in 2025. Not only that, but Jets head coach Aaron Glenn clearly looked to be in way over his head last season.
14. Las Vegas Raiders
Fernando Mendoza is here to save the day... eventually! The Las Vegas Raiders are likely planning on starting Kirk Cousins, and while the team did add a ton of talent this offseason, the Raiders have enacted a lot of change, and there's never a guarantee that change can work out.
13. Tennessee Titans
Cam Ward is going to breakout in 2026, especially now that Brian Daboll is on his side, but the Tennessee Titans are unproven at the moment. The front office did overhaul the defensive line a bit, and with the amount of cap space this team had, they were expected to add talent. There's a lot we don't know about this team right now, though.
12. New York Giants
Jaxson Dart absolutely has the goods, but he'll need to learn how to protect himself better in a major year two. The New York Giants hiring John Harbaugh was a stellar move, and the arrow does seem to be pointing up, but with how many other competent teams there are in the NFC, the Giants have an uphill battle and a roster that is fine at the moment.
11. Atlanta Falcons
Adding Tua Tagovailoa to the quarterback room was actually a smart move, as the Atlanta Falcons do sport one of the most well-rounded groups on offense. The offensive line is very good, and the weapons are among the best in the league. This isn't going to be a bad team in 2026 if Tagovailoa wins the starting job and can at least be average.
10. Washington Commanders
Adding a ton of talent in free agency this offseason, the Washington Commanders won just five games in 2025 and clearly were missing a ton of roster talent. Not only that, but Jayden Daniels struggled to stay on the field. Washington is probably angling toward finishing somewhere in the middle of their 2024 and 2025 seasons.
9. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints won four of five games to end the 2025 season and are on the right track, as Tyler Shough did play quite well during that stretch for the Saints.
8. Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota adding Kyler Murray in free agency is going to give this team a chance to flirt with 10 wins, as they quietly back-doored their way into a winning season last year. The NFC North is a loaded division, but a path exists for the Vikings.
7. Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts were 7-1 at one point in 2025, so we can't totally disregard that. Overpaying for Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce doesn't help things, but the Colts should be able to hover around .500 and feel like a competent team, if nothing else.
6. Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs went heavy on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, but did end up overpaying for Kenneth Walker III in free agency. With a supporing cast on offense that still isn't quite good enough, the Chiefs aren't going to thrust back onto the scene in 2026 like many think.
5. Dallas Cowboys
Dallas sported one of the best offenses in the NFL last year and did add a ton of new faces on defenses, including Christian Parker, the new defenive coordinator. The arrow is absolutely pointing up if the Cowboys defense can simply be average.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay took ownership of the NFC South for years, but did regress a bit in 2025. It wasn't due to a lack of talent, as they dealt with injuries and bad offensive coaching at times. A regression to the mean could be on the table in 2026, as Tampa knows how to win and have enough talent to regain control of the division.
3. Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore bringing in Jesse Minter was a slam-dunk move this offseason, as the defense has definitely been a sore spot as of late. Injuries were a concern, but there's reason to believe that much of what we saw go wrong in 2025 could return to normal in 2026, as it was 'normal' for years before that.
2. Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati really did some nice work overhauling the defensive side of the ball this past offseason. With Joe Burrow and the offense always in a good spot, it's not going to take much from the overhauled unit in 2026. It's wild that the Bengals have missed the playoffs three years in a row now, but I'm getting 2021 vibes from this group.
1. Detroit Lions
Winners of seven of their first 11 back in 2025, the Detroit Lions sputtered down the stretch and ended up winning nine games, but it wasn't enough for the playoffs. With one of the best rosters in the NFL and a head coach-quarterback combination that many teams would love to have, the Lions ascension to the top of the NFC North was not an accident, and 2025 was absolutely an outlier.