If you don't have a good defense in today's NFL, you're simply not going to make it very far. Just ask the Cincinnati Bengals, who had one of the best and most dynamic offenses in the NFL last year and couldn't even make it to the playoffs thanks to their defense.
In today's NFL Power Rankings, we're going to be taking a look at the five worst defenses in the NFL heading into the 2025 season on paper. Can these teams beat low expectations? Absolutely, anything is possible in the NFL. But there are some defenses that lack talent overall, depth, and certainly star power. Some teams are dealing with rebuilding and others might be dealing with contract issues.
Whatever the case, let's take a look at the five worst defenses in the NFL -- on paper -- heading into the 2025 season.
NFL Power Rankings: 5 worst defenses in the league in 2025
5. Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans lack a number of important things for any defense that would even be considered "good" in today's NFL. They don't have any sort of presence off the edge, for starters. The Titans sent their team leader in sacks and QB hits packing this offseason by letting Harold Landry walk out the door. Not that Landry was an elite presence off the edge, but they at least had something.
The Titans also lack a top-tier playmaker in the secondary, although you could make an argument for L'Jarius Sneed even coming off of injury. It remains to be seen whether Sneed is going to return to the form we saw from him with the Chiefs, and he could very well just be a bust for the Titans.
This is a team that ranked 30th in points allowed last season and they could end up at the very bottom of the league in 2025.