3. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans did see Cam Ward play quite well down the stretch in 2025, and this situation is a bit similar to the Giants as we just discussed above. The Titans brought in Robert Saleh as the next head coach, but perhaps more importantly, Saleh hired Brian Daboll as the offensive coordinator.
Daboll has a heck of a track record with young quarterbacks, and there is a lot to build on with Ward, a quarterback that does possess a little bit of everything. Not only that, but the Titans had a metric-ton of cap space this offseason and were simply able to buy talent.
While the AFC South could be a tough mountain to climb, the Titans do have the foundation in place to stack some wins and perhaps even make an appearance in the Wild Card race. If they can float around .500 for part of the 2026 season, do not be surprised.
2. New Orleans Saints
Yet another team that had a rookie quarterback in 2025, the New Orleans Saints are no. 2 in our power rankings, but the Saints were the most impressive of these teams, nearly ending the season on a five-game winning streak.
Like Dart and Ward, Tyler Shough played his tail off at times in 2025, and the Saints filled two major offensive holes in free agency with David Edwards and Travis Etienne. The defense also got a lot better and should be a top-10 unit in 2026.
1. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are first in our power rankings, and this is the second team on this list that lost a ton of games primarily due to the defense. With Christian Parker in as the defensive coordinator and a couple of notable new faces in Rashan Gary and Jalen Thompson, the Cowboys are already on the right track.
The front office has two first-round picks to work with in 2026 and could simply snag two top defenders to get that unit on the right track. Quarterback Dak Prescott also played out of his mind in 2025 and is consistently one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league.
The Cowboys definitely get beat up in the media, but let's not pretend like this team hasn't improved this offseason and is on the right track.