It takes a lot to be one of the last teams standing in the NFL. You have to have the best combination of star power, depth, talent, and good luck in the health department.
Those are the reasons why teams have been working tirelessly over the last seven months to try and assemble the best 90-man rosters possible, so they can eventually put together the best 53-man rosters (and 16-player practice squads) possible.
The AFC was unexpectedly topsy-turvy in a number of ways last season. The juggernauts of 2024 took a back seat to some of the league's best breakout teams, and the field is absolutely loaded heading into the 2026 season as a result.
But which teams in the AFC have the best overall rosters? We looked at each roster from a positional standpoint, overall talent level, depth, incoming talent, and projection for the upcoming season, and ranked the four best overall rosters in the conference.
NFL Power Rankings: Top 4 rosters in the AFC for the 2026 season
4. New England Patriots
Biggest roster strengths: QB, WR, DBs
Biggest roster weaknesses: OL, EDGE
The New England Patriots were one of the worst teams in the NFL during the 2023 season. Keep in mind that this team earned the right to pick Drake Maye 3rd overall during the 2024 NFL Draft. They hired Mike Vrabel (and Josh McDaniels), and suddenly, the operation just took off.
The Patriots won the AFC this past season, although their offensive performance in the playoffs left a lot to be desired. Drake Maye struggled behind a porous offensive line, which the Patriots invested in (again) this offseason.
New England added both AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs to their receiver room this offseason after saying goodbye to Stefon Diggs, and that feels like a major upgrade, as good as Diggs was for them last season.
This Patriots team has an elite secondary and some top-tier players on the defensive line, but their biggest weaknesses are on the offensive line and off the edge -- still -- after having the worst sack differential in the NFL last season (sacks allowed offensively, sacks defensively).
3. Buffalo Bills
Biggest roster strengths: QB, OL, RB, DBs
Biggest roster weaknesses: Defensive front 4
The Buffalo Bills have one of the best rosters in the entire NFL. We all know that Josh Allen is the tide raising all other boats in the harbor for this team, but the Bills' brass was confident enough in the roster to fire veteran head coach Sean McDermott and roll with a couple of rookies in Joe Brady (HC) and Jim Leonhard (DC).
You can make a bold move like that in a Super Bowl window when you are barely even league-average at any individual position groups. The biggest gripe with the Bills last season was their defensive front, which ranked 28th against the run overall and 30th in yards per carry allowed.
That unit got some reinforcements this offseason with Bradley Chubb coming in, but he's another injury risk. They also spent a 2nd-round pick on TJ Parker, an edge player whose impact will need to be more of what we saw from him in 2024 than 2025.
Buffalo's overall roster is outstanding and the addition of DJ Moore gives them the much-needed playmaker at receiver they've been missing since moving on from Stefon Diggs.
2. Houston Texans
Biggest roster strengths: EDGE, DBs, LB
Biggest roster weaknesses: OL, IDL
If the Houston Texans had a more proven offensive line, they probably would have easily been #1 on this list.
You can debate CJ Stroud all you want, but the Texans believe they have their franchise QB in place. While he obviously needs to prove he can return to the form we saw in 2023 when he was a rookie, Stroud has obviously helped the Texans become one of the most consistently feared teams in the AFC.
But everyone knows that has more to do with their defense at this point. Every level of the defense is outstanding for Houston. Even though IDL popped up on their roster weaknesses, they invested there with 2nd-round pick Kayden McDonald coming in from Ohio State.
Houston's overall roster is just so strong. They added David Montgomery this offseason to bolster the running back position. Their receivers are really solid, and Jayden Higgins is coming up as a solid #2 alongside Nico Collins.
This Texans team is going to be a consistent title contender, especially if Stroud takes the next step.
1. Denver Broncos
Biggest roster strengths: OL, DL, DBs
Biggest roster weaknesses: LB, TE
NFL teams don't just keep their bands together for the sake of continuity. The Denver Broncos have been rebuilding since Sean Payton came aboard in 2023, but the emergence of franchise QB Bo Nix has really expedited that rebuild.
The work of GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton cannot be overstated. They dug out of (at the time) the highest dead cap hit in NFL history when they said goodbye to Russell Wilson early in 2024. They have assembled a roster whose biggest weaknesses are at linebacker and tight end, where they have proven starters.
The Broncos returned a ridiculous 94 percent of their snaps from a year ago, a team that hosted the AFC Championship Game. And they added Jaylen Waddle to the mix.
Not even including the possibility of unknown players already in the program emerging, this Broncos team is poised for a deep run into the playoffs with the one element largely out of their control: Health.