The offseason provides a blank slate for last year's last-place teams all over the NFL, and the opportunity to at least believe in a total turnaround for the upcoming season.
The 2025 offseason has been a fun one for last-place teams in the AFC. The Titans had the #1 overall pick, the Raiders hired an absolute legend as their new head coach, and it's possible the AFC could have this year's version of what the Commanders did last year.
Our latest NFL power rankings will be a mini list of the last-place AFC teams from 2024 and how those teams look after the offseason here in 2025. Will any of the last-place teams from a season ago find a way to bounce back in 2025?
NFL Power Rankings: Last place AFC teams ranked worst to best in 2025
4. Cleveland Browns
It's probably not even a question at this point that the Cleveland Browns have the worst roster in the NFL and one of the most uninspiring teams overall. They had a strong draft class in 2025 to hopefully build around going forward, but there are obvious question marks at the quarterback position as well as on the offensive line.
We'll see how the youth for this team can step up in 2025 but playing in one of the toughest divisions in football and wilth potentially three or four different starting quarterback candidates this year, I am going to guess the Browns will get worse before they get better.
3. Tennessee Titans
The one thing that really separates the Titans from the Browns at this point is the clear vision and direction at the quarterback position. The Titans used the #1 overall pick this year on Cam Ward, a star at Miami who brings the franchise a level of talent they simply haven't had at the position in a long, long time.
The last time they had even the upside of someone like this was back in 2015-16 with Marcus Mariota coming out of Oregon.
The Titans didn't have a great offseason other than the potential of finding a franchise quarterback. Ward could be the tide to raise all boats in the harbor, but this Titans team otherwise looks like a candidate to be picked over at the 2025 NFL trade deadline.
2. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders are a bit of a tough team to read at this point in time because there are a couple of things you absolutely love.
The hiring of head coach Pete Carroll is so much fun and even though Carroll is 73 years old, you have to think he's going to be able to at least stabilize this franchise a little bit. Geno Smith is a major upgrade over what the Raiders had last year at quarterback, and Ashton Jeanty might be the NFL's offensive rookie of the year this coming season.
On the other side of the ball, the Raiders had a horrendous free agency period defensively and look way worse in that phase of the game. That will be an issue for this team in 2025.
1. New England Patriots
There are a lot of folks out there right now who believe that the New England Patriots could be this year's version of the Washington Commanders from a season ago, and for good reason.
The hiring of Mike Vrabel as this team's head coach is massive. Vrabel is a former NFL Coach of the Year who has taken some overachieving Titans teams deep into the playoffs in recent years. He gets the most out of his guys.
In New England, Vrabel has a stud quarterback in Drake Maye who might be the top breakout player candidate in the entire league this year. The Pats are a work in progress in many ways, but they appear to be one of those teams that could mess around and win 10 or so games.