14. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders are another team entering the 2026 season in rebuilding mode. The Raiders have a lot of intriguing pieces on their roster, especially on the offensive side of the ball, but barring an unforeseen emergence from a lot of guys on defense, this is going to be another year of trudging through difficult times and hoping for glimpses of the future.
The Raiders believe they have the right combination at head coach (Klint Kubiak) and quarterback (Fernando Mendoza) to sustain success into the future, but this is a team that finished with the worst record in football last year for a reason. There is still a lot of work to be done.
Getting some progression from young players on the defensive side of the ball would be an underrated "W" for this Raiders team in 2026. A major question to monitor in the first two months of the season: Is this the final stretch of games for Maxx Crosby as a Raider?
13. Tennessee Titans
I'll be one of the first ones to admit -- I probably needed to slow my roll on the Titans this offseason. But I still think this is one of the potential surprise teams in the AFC for 2026.
So much hinges on Cam Ward's development, and even though it was only the preseason, the initial glimpse we got at Ward this year didn't exactly show a skyrocketing young QB. He has a lot of work to do, but the Titans have some good things going for them.
They upgraded in the trenches defensively, and landed one of the best defensive-minded coaches in the NFL in Robert Saleh. Brian Daboll has had success with young offenses in the past, and the natural progression for this team feels like they're heading in the right direction. The question is really whether or not that progression is going to be staggering to the NFL world this year, or if it's another baby step forward.
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