24. New England Patriots
With Mike Vrabel coming in as the Patriots head coach this offseason, folks are expecting this to be one of the top breakout teams in the NFL. The Patriots have a potential star in the making with Drake Maye at quarterback, but there are a lot of issues on this roster that have yet to be addressed. It’s going to be a longer rebuilding process, but Maye can be the tide to raise all boats for this franchise. The Patriots will be must-see TV weekly after a couple of really rough years.
23. Jacksonville Jaguars
Don’t sleep on the Jacksonville Jaguars this coming season. The Jaguars have a new GM (James Gladstone), a new head coach (Liam Coen), and one of the most fascinating prospects in recent memory (Travis Hunter). If the Jags get a healthy Trevor Lawrence, why can’t this team compete in the AFC South? That was one of the worst divisions in football last year, and Lawrence has proven he can be a major difference-maker when healthy. Nobody shold be counting out the Jaguars, who could sneak up on the Texans in the AFC South this season.
22. Atlanta Falcons
The jury is out on so many pieces of this Falcons team. Is Michael Penix Jr. going to be the guy they hoped when they selected him 8th overall last year? Is the defense going to be able to make the necessary jump forward to actually compete with the Buccaneers? The Falcons don’t have a lot of certainty going into this year but everyone is excited to see what Penix can do as the full-time starter with the weapons at his disposal. Bijan Robinson is expected to contend for NFL Offensive Player of the Year and his consistency will be key for this team making a run at the Bucs.
21. Seattle Seahawks
I’ve gone on record all offseason as saying I do not like what the Seahawks decided to do this offseason. I get moving on from an aging quarterback, but the Seahawks paying a bunch of money to Sam Darnold after his lone year with the Vikings seems like it could end up burning them. And I certainly don’t like that move paired up with the decision to trade DK Metcalf to the Steelers. It would have been different to add Darnold along with Metcalf. Mike Macdonald needs his defense to come through in a big way this season.