1. Los Angeles Rams
It's a rarity in the NFL when a team is considered as the unanimous king of the league after coming up short of the Super Bowl last year, but the Rams are just that.
Of course, Los Angeles lost to their division-rival Seahawks twice, including the NFC Conference Championship game, but LA addressed all their weaknesses in the offseason. A team that struggled to rush the passer with just four rushers added one of the best of all-time: Myles Garrett. A team that struggled to man-up in clutch situations added one of the best corners in the league: Trent McDuffie.
The Rams' greatest strength, their passing offense, kept everyone that made that attack so lethal. Matthew Stafford had the best season of his career last year - and played very well at the end of it too, and the Rams have an All-Star unit on both sides of the ball heading into 2026.
The only questionable move they made during the offseason was the selection of Ty Simpson at No. 13 overall. They passed up on Olaivavega Ioane, Rueben Bain Jr., Caleb Banks, and plenty more talented first-round players that would've made an impact on this season. Picking Simpson did absolutely nothing to raise their ceiling in 2026 - thankfully, it's already the highest in the league.
2. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks obviously had a magical season last year that resulted in the franchise's second Super Bowl win, and the team has the talent and coaching to go back-to-back.
Not much is needed to be said about Seattle - their offense will remain explosive, the o-line returns all starters, and the defense will be chaotic and creative with Mike Macdonald as the playcaller.
Seattle did lose a few key players in free agency - Kenneth Walker III, Boye Mafe, and Coby Bryant, but they spent their first-round pick on talented running back Jadarian Price who should be able to accomplish nearly everything Walker III did last year. They'll need Ty Okada to step up in place of Bryant, but Macdonald could turn any roster into a good defense.
3. Denver Broncos
Many folks are comparing the Broncos to last year's Chiefs disappointment because of their skewed 11-2 record in one possession games (Kansas City went 12-0 in such games in 2024 and a 1-9 record in 2025), but these two teams are vastly different. Seemingly no one has addressed the fact that Kansas City was aging and got worse in the 2024 offseason, meanwhile the Broncos core is young and got better over this offseason.
The dominant defense that led the league in sacks by a wide margin last year returns nearly everyone, including defensive coordinator Vance Joseph (they did lose the effective John Franklin-Myers to Tennessee), and the unit is hoping for positive regression in the takeaway category.
Potential improvement on offense is what makes this team very exciting. Sean Payton took a deep look at himself in the mirror and decided to handover his play-calling duties to 31-year-old Davis Webb. Payton acknowledged that he was better at calling plays when he was younger, and it was clear his philosophy was outdated last year. Webb, despite not calling a single play last year, got head coaching interviews over the offseason, which shows what the league thinks of his mind.
The roster also got a significant upgrade at a premium position: Jaylen Waddle is the new go-to target for Denver. A team that lacked speed, sure hands, and supreme after-the-catch ability addressed their need with one of the league's best. Waddle has the chance to unlock Bo Nix and this offense to make it scary: Courtland Sutton will see vastly fewer double-teams, and the box should become more open which will help out the running game that was below-average last year.
4. Houston Texans
This spot could feel a little high for a team who's quarterback threw four interceptions in the Divisional round last year, but if he simply didn't do that, Houston would've been in the Super Bowl.
The Texans have the best defense in the league and started to significantly separate themselves from the rest of the NFL towards the end of last season, and that unit will return everyone notable. Two dominant edge rushers, two fast linebackers, and a lockdown secondary that is very willing to attack downhill and fill holes in the running game make them almost impossible to score on.
Of course, all the questions surrounding the team are all on offense. Will the shakeup at o-line finally make them at least average? Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith were brought in as offseason acquisitions and Houston used their first-rounder on guard/center Keylan Rutledge. Will C.J. Stroud play closer to what he was in his rookie year, or will he continue his careless play? The wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends are all solid-to-exceptional, and I'm willing to bank on Stroud putting together a good year.
5. New England Patriots
Similarly to the Broncos, there's a feeling that New England may regress next year after it played an exceptionally easy schedule in 2025 and managed to win three playoff games despite Drake Maye putting together the worst playoff showing by a QB in NFL history in terms of EPA.
And similarly to the Broncos, New England got better in the offseason. Mike Vrabel's scandalous acts aside, no part of the roster warrants concern in 2026.
A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs are serious targets and upgrades from a year ago (the fact that Kayshon Boutte is a WR4 on this team is absurd), the o-line added stout guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, and growth from TreVeyon Henderson can be expected - but perhaps not even needed - with the way Rhamondre Stevenson played at the end of last year.
In the regular season, Maye did play like an MVP candidate. Sure, he might've been playing against some of the NFL's most porous defenses on a week-to-week basis, but his arm, accuracy, mobility, and playmaking skills outside of the pocket makes him a candidate to get even better next season.
Not mentioned yet is the defense that single-handedly carried Maye and the Pats to the Super Bowl. They have playmakers in the secondary and an interior d-line duo of Milton Williams and Christian Barmore that can push the pocket, along with sound off-ball linebackers that play the run exceptionally well.
Edge-rush presence is maybe the only question mark heading into the year - Dre'Mont Jones is clearly their best pass rusher, but he isn't very special, and Harold Landry III expectedly fell off at the end of last year and is currently on the PUP list. Also, getting 17 games out of cornerback Carlton Davis III again is highly unlikely, so another corner outside of Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones will have to step up at some point in the year.
6. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills enter the 2026 season with all the strengths, and weaknesses, that have made them ever-so-close to reaching the Super Bowl in the Josh Allen era - this time with a new head coach.
The offensive-minded Joe Brady will take over for the defensive-minded Sean McDermott who had led the Bills since 2017 and got them to seven straight playoff appearances before his firing after the Divisional round loss to the Broncos.
The replacement at head coach is a dangerous one: it could lead to extremely explosive offensive showings and dominance on that side of the ball, but it could also lead to the downfall of a defense that heavily overplayed its talent level McDermott. The defense has rarely had a superstar talent, let alone multiple, during his reign, but they consistently ranked within the top-five in points and yards allowed...until the playoffs came...where the lack of a dominant pass-rusher or shutdown corner was always felt at the end of games.
At least Buffalo finally addressed their wide receiver need (Khalil Shakir being Allen's WR1 for two years in his prime is a disgrace) with the addition of D.J. Moore, while the running game has a chance to be the league's best, so the potential for the offense has no ceiling.
Once again the question remains: Who makes the big play defensively in a close fourth-quarter game in the playoffs? Deone Walker, Cole Bishop, and Maxwell Hairston all have the chance to become that by the end of the season, and new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard seems to have the makings of a potentially elite defensive play caller.
7. Baltimore Ravens
It certainly felt like the correct time to move away from long-time head coach John Harbaugh, and the Ravens replaced him with a fantastic defensive mind who seems to be on the level of a Mike Macdonald when he was hired as HC in Seattle: Jesse Minter.
Baltimore, typically a vicious unit on defense, finished as the ninth-worst defense last year in terms of yards allowed per game, and if Minter flips them into a top-ten unit in 2026, watch out. Also, end of game issues have plagued the Ravens over the last couple of years, with fumbles, dropped passes, and interceptions all of a sudden rearing their ugly head as the clock would wind down, but blowing leads has always been a staple of Harbaugh's coaching career. Perhaps with a new coach, that stuff will be cleaned up.
The team still has tons of talent spread out across the team with a big o-line, superstar running back and quarterback, and a defense that features Kyle Hamilton, Roquan Smith, Calaias Campbell, Trey Hendrickson, Malaki Starks, and Marlon Humphrey, and this version of the team could look closer to the 2023 and 2024 teams that went a combined 25-9.
Lamar Jackson seemed to have taken a slight step back last year, especially on the ground, but he'll return to his MVP form if Baltimore is better this year.
8. Chicago Bears
Last year, the Bears cemented themselves as a premier offense in the league with Ben Johnson at the helm. They ranked third in rushing yards per game and sixth overall. When the game was close, Caleb Williams would turn on superman mode and complete some of the most impressive and head-turning throws you'll ever see, making them had to stop at the end of games.
Williams continued growth in 2026 can turn the Bears from a fun and surprising team in 2025 into a serious contender next year. While Chicago did lose the aforementioned Moore to Buffalo, Luther Burden III could step in and be better when Week 1 comes around. The offensive line is Lions-esque: big, mean, and terrific in the run game, and Williams should get more consistent on a down-to-down basis.
The big question mark about this team is the defense. Chicago led the NFL with 33 takeaways last year, and that will most likely fall back closer to the mean in 2026. Outside of generating those takeaways, they struggled against both the run and the pass. A lack of pass rush and a shutdown corner when Jaylon Johnson is injured doesn't create much havoc.
Dillon Thieneman and Austin Booker could turn into something special for their defense, but the injury loss of Coby Bryant hurts.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
Liam Coen burst on to the scene with a terrific first season as head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it looks like he's creating something special in the south.
Jacksonville's offense can be lethal: Trevor Lawrence played at an MVP level towards the back-end of last year, the running game was creative, and the receivers are dangerous if they catch the ball. They led the league in drops last year, but Brian Thomas Jr., Parker Washington, Jakobi Meyers, Travis Hunter, and Brenton Strange is an elite core of weapons. Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Bhayshul Tuten will have to step up after they lost Trevor Etienne Jr. to New Orleans.
Thomas Jr. took a step back after his wonderful rookie year, but Washington stepped up in a massive way and could be the leading target next year. Time will tell how effective Hunter will be on offense, but there's no denying he has the skills of a premier target.
Losing Devin Lloyd on defense is a massive loss and Ventrell Miller steps into his starting role, but the defense still has the pass-rushing duo of Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker, along with Antonio Johnson, Hunter, and Jourdan Lewis in the secondary. It isn't a very deep squad though, and there's some cause for concern if injuries start lining up.
The biggest thing Jacksonville has going for themselves is their continuity on the coaching staff. Coen, obviously, remains as the offensive play caller, and Anthony Campanile remains as the team's defensive coordinator. One of the best coached teams last year will be very well coached once again this year.
10. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers made a huge splash in the coaching department when they hired Mike McDaniel as OC. After employing Joe Lombardi and Greg Roman over the years, McDaniel may finally add some extra juice to an offense that has a premier quarterback.
Justin Herbert played at an elite level last year despite missing his two star tackles, Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, for most of the season. With those two now healthy, a second-year Omarion Hampton running behind them, and a creative play caller, this offense could turn into of the best units in the league.
For as wonderful of a hire McDaniel was, losing defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to the Ravens could mean even more to the team. Minter had this team overplaying its talent level and allowed very few yards with his complex pass defense, and now that unit will be coached by Chris O'Leary - someone who has yet to call a play in the NFL.
O'Leary's unknown defensive philosophy could work against the Chargers, but it could also make them unpredictable, at least early in the season. He did spend 2024 on the Chargers' staff with Minter and Jim Harbaugh, however, so it should look somewhat similar.
With Harbaugh at head coach, Herbert at quarterback, a dynamic offensive play caller, and a healthy o-line (so far), there's a lot to be excited about as a Chargers fan.
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