The new league year means old faces in new places, where the money’s big and the joy drowns the doubt away.
I hope you read that to the tune of “Friends In Low Places.”
Every team has made some sort of move over the last week since the new league year began, some much more than others. With that said, we have a much better lay of the land after pens were to paper on new deals, and these are how all 32 teams stack up against one another.
SB Nation has acquired the official offseason blueprint from the Miami Dolphins, which had fewer steps than anticipated:
- Sign a quarterback with less than 10 starts to a $60 million deal
- Get rid of everyone else
It’s a bold strategy, Cotton, we’ll see how it works out for them.
Hiring a head coach candidate largely out of left field was a letdown for Cardinals fans. Knowing that their quarterback room for 2026 will b Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew has to be like finding out your starting quarterback is Kevin Kolb. Or John Skelton. Or Derek Anderson. Or Clayton Tune.
“Alright, what’s the plan at head coach?” the Browns fans asked.
“Man, what a year Myles Garrett had. He broke the sack record!” Andrew Berry replies.
“Yes, that’s great, but did you sign any receivers?” the Browns fans pressed.
“He had 23 sacks. 23!” Andrew Berry gleefully replied.
“Yes, but who is playing quarterback this yea-” and before the fans could finish asking, an extremist fan with the X handle ShedeurIsGod12 hits them with a swanton bomb like Jeff Hardy at WrestleMania X-Seven.
Geno Smith going back to the Jets is like sitting back in the electric chair after being cleared of all charges. Unfortunately for the Jets, Smith’s former team immediately won the Super Bowl after trading him and the team that acquired him was the worst in the NFL. Sad trombone noises.
Wan’Dale Robinson may not be a superstar receiver, but he’s Julio Jones compared to *checks notes* Tyler Lockett, James Proche, Van Jefferson, and Chimere Dike. The signings of Alontae Taylor, Cordale Flott, and John Franklin-Myers are all net positives, as well.
After accidentally getting Maxx Crosby back on the roster to go along with the additions of Tyler Linderbaum (albeit at an outrageous price), Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, and Kwity Paye, the Raiders have made a lot of nice additions to the roster. Now, they need to find someone out wide for Fernando Mendoza to throw the ball to.
The Falcons somehow got worse at quarterback, which is an impressive feat considering their previous two starters’ lower bodies are being held together by metal and hope. On top of signing Tua Tagovailoa, the Falcons have made 14 free agent signings, none of which are notable needle-movers.
Yes, the Panthers were a playoff team in 2025. They also went 8-9, still have no receiver that resembles a No. 1, lost Rico Dowdle, and gave Jaelan Phillips the largest contract of any player this free agent period. There’s just not enough talent on this roster.
24. Washington Commanders
The Commanders’ defense was prehistoric in 2025. To their credit, they’ve made several additions to get younger on that side of the ball. Landing more playmakers offensively would do them a lot of good.
Watching the Saints finally get rid of all of their old players on big contracts gives me the same feeling of when my grandparents finally got DirecTV in 2010. Plus, the additions of Travis Etienne, David Edwards, and Kaden Elliss are all quality signings.
TAMPA, FLORIDA – JANUARY 03: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers walks off the field after defeating the Carolina Panthers during a game at Raymond James Stadium on January 03, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) Getty Images
The Bucs took a direct cannonball shot to their port side in the second half of 2025, and they lost Mike Evans and Jamel Dean. The Baker Mayfield power of hating everything and everyone on the field can only carry them so far.
The Colts saw the engine fall out of their car in the second half of the 2025 season. But instead of buying a new vehicle , they stuffed the engine back up inside after paying $88 million for it. What could possibly go wrong?
With John Harbaugh now at the helm, no fourth-quarter lead will be safe the for the Giants. Their corps on both sides of the ball have a ton of promise, though. They just need Malik Nabers and Jaxson Dart to stay on the field.
Kyler Murray doesn’t have to be Joe Montana for the Vikings to be successful, he just has to not be J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and/or Max Brosmer, which should be a softball pitch to hit.
All the Cowboys need is a defense that isn’t the biggest liability in football to giving up deep touchdowns, and they should find themselves in the playoff picture. The additions of Cobie Durant and Jalen Thompson should help in that regard. Dad Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens are too good a trio to be held out of the playoffs two years in a row.
What do you get when you combine Jim Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel? A team that is more goofy sideshow than actual playoff threat. That’s great that you signed Charlie Kolar – you still have no significant threat at receiver for Justin Herbert to throw to.
The Bears were one of the best stories of 2025 – they also won eight one-score games, which never sustains over multiple seasons. Caleb Williams is as clutch a quarterback as there is in the NFL, but he needs to be more consistent and less turnover prone in big games.
The Steelers have had an awesome, and very active offseason, adding the likes of Michael Pittman Jr, Rico Dowdle, Jamel Dean, and Jaquan Brisker. Unfortunately, it all means nothing if they don’t have the right quarterback. We all assume it will be Aaron Rodgers again, but he’s somewhere sipping on a coconut looking for new angles of the Zapruder film. If it’s Rodgers, the Steelers will be competitive. If he retires and they are left with Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and/or a rookie, it’ll go south pretty quick.
Despite C.J. Stroud opening the last two weeks of the Texans’ season seeing ho many times he can give the other team the ball, Houston is in a fine spot. They need him to protect the ball, but their defense is one of the best in the league and they’ll be in the playoff hunt in 2026.
The Jaguars lost both Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd. James Gladstone isn’t too worried about that, though, because it will result in them getting the 99th and 135th pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
I have long been a Trevor Lawrence truther, and the receiving corps looks terrific. I would have liked to have seen them be more aggressive to replenish the loss of two superstars, though. I’ll move them into the top 10 if Tony Khan puts Trevor Lawrence on an episode of AEW Dynamite.
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 18: Will Campbell #66 of the New England Patriots looks on following an NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium on January 18, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) Getty Images
I can hear everyone in the greater northeast yelling at me. We’re all well aware that the Patriots were just in the Super Bowl. Do I think they will do it again in 2026? No. Plus, they would benefit from another big offensive addition.
Alright, let’s hit the double whammy of irritating both Super Bowl teams’ fan bases. The Seahawks lost Kenneth Walker, Coby Bryant, Tariq Woolen, Boye Mafe, and Klint Kubiak. The team isn’t the same as it was in February, so they don’t just get penciled in as the No. 1 team.
Somehow, the Bengals are the only team that didn’t fire their head coach, despite missing the playoffs for a third consecutive year. That also may be the reason many of you will wonder why they are ranked so high. It comes down to a healthy Joe Burrow and that offense. Had he not gotten injured, Cincinnati likely would have been a playoff team, despite their poor defense. If No. 9 stays healthy through 2026, they’ll be back in the postseason.
Much like the Bengals, the Lions are loaded offensively. They missed out on the postseason in 2025, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better offense when they are in sync. New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing should be a big upgrade from John Morton and help get Detroit back to being consistently dangerous.
Micah Parsons getting injured sucked a lot of air out of the Packers’ sails late in the season, and losing the way they did to the Chicago Bears in the playoffs is as heartbreaking as loss as you’ll see. However, with a healthy Parsons and a top 10 quarterback in Jordan Love, Green Bay is still one of the NFL’s top threats.
The staff the Ravens have built is A+. Jesse Minter at head coach to run the defense with Anthony Weaver, as well as Declan Doyle at offensive coordinator are all terrific hires. If there are any issues with Baltimore, it’s their age defensively and their lack of depth offensively.
We all get force-fed the Eagles and the NFC East every year. It’s hard to find a week where at least one NFC East team isn’t in prime time. However, this is the most fascinating Eagles team in a long time. After a long season of outside noise and drama, Philadelphia could rebound and win a bunch of games or go 6-11 which leads to Howie Roseman firing Nick Sirianni and moving on from Jalen Hurts. They stay near the top of the power rankings, but they will be under a magnifying glass in 2026.
Very funny to watch Broncos fans have a collective eye twitch for a week because they made no external signings, only for Denver to trade for Jaylen Waddle. Well done to all involved.
With the addition of Waddle, the Broncos’ offense gets much more dangerous. As long as Bo Nix doesn’t spend the season overthrowing him.
The 2026 Chiefs are going to be a mutant hybrid of the 2018 Chiefs and the 2024 Chiefs. Their offense is going to be far better with Eric Bieniemy returning, as well as the addition of Kenneth Walker. Defensively, the secondary will take a step backwards, but they still have the best defensive coordinator in the sport on the sideline. They’ll hover as a middle of the league defense with a top 10 offense. Run from it all you want, but the Chiefs will win the AFC West.
I originally had a typo in this section, but like the Bills, I decided to blame it on Sean McDermott and move on with my day.
The staff that Joe Brady has built, headlined by defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, is stellar. Sure, they gave up too much for D.J. Moore, but that is what happens when you are desperate for a Super Bowl berth.
TAMPA, FL – NOVEMBER 10: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Mike Evans (13) helps warm up a quarterback along the sidelines during the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 10, 2024 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
While their season ended in an exhibition squash, no one would have guessed the 49ers would have made it to the divisional round with Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Brock Purdy all missing significant time during the season, the former three of which suffered season-ending injuries at different points, and Aiyuk didn’t suit up at all. Adding Mike Evans into the fold to give them a true No. 1 puts them comfortably in the top five, so long as they stay healthy.
That mad lad Les Snead put the green goblin mask back on and began trading picks like they were burning a hole in his pants. Even after acquiring Trent McDuffie, it was reported that Snead tried prying away A.J. Brown from the Eagles, despite already having Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. What a GM, and what a roster that has gotten better two months after making a run to the NFC Championship Game.
