10. Indianapolis Colts
It's been brought up a million times this offseason, but the Colts were one of the best teams in the entire NFL last year prior to their bye week.
That's when you-know-what hit the fan.
Although the Colts had a colossal breakdown in the second half of the season after starting 8-2, can the retun of Daniel Jones bring this team right back into the thick of things in the ultra-competitive AFC South?
Part of me is really skeptical that would be the case, but part of me looks at the Colts' overall operation last season and thinks they can get right back to scoring close to 30 points a game. They are one of those teams where your gut feeling might change daily until we actually start seeing them play again, and find out whether or not Daniel Jones is back to "normal".
9. Cincinnati Bengals
I love what the Cincinnati Bengals did this offseason to upgrade the trenches defensively. Getting Dexter Lawrence before the 2026 NFL Draft was huge, but they also added Jonathan Allen and Boye Mafe to that revamped defensive front.
If they can get some progression from the guys they've been drafting on that side of the ball, this team can get right back into contention in the AFC.
And by the way, they haven't been real contenders in the AFC since the 2022 season, but every year, we think they're going to be. I've backed off on my projections for the Bengals this season, taking more of a wait-and-see approach. Why shouldn't they have to prove it?
Joe Burrow and the Bengals' offensive core has the reputation it does for a reason, but they've been skating by on reputation instead of results for too long. It's time for more actual results.
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