Head Coach: Todd Bowles
Offensive Coordinator: Zac Robinson
Defensive Coordinator: Todd Bowles
Special Teams Coordinator: Danny Smith

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 8-9)

The Buccaneers started the season 6-2, Baker Mayfield was a big part of the MVP discussion, and Tampa appeared to be serious contenders in the NFC.

Then they fell off a cliff. The Bucs lost 7 of their final 9 games, allowing the division title and a playoff spot to slip out of their hands.

Offensively, the passing game took a step back from the first half of the season to the second as Baker Mayfield (and the O-line and receiving corps) battled through injuries. Tampa went from averaging 224.9 passing yards per game to just 189. They also turned the ball over 11 times over their final 9 games after doing so just 5 times through their first 8.

Defensively, the Bucs went from allowing 20.3 points per game to 25.9. This didn’t look like your typical Todd Bowles defense, as there were several games in the back half of the year where they were just not competitive.

You can’t help but get the feeling that 2026 will be a huge season for determining what this franchise will look like for the next 5 years.

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Key Additions

RB Kenneth Gainwell
WR Ted Hurst (3rd Rd, 84th Overall)
WR David Sills
LT Justin Skule
OG Billy Schrauth (5th Rd, 160th Overall)

DL A’Shawn Robinson
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches
DL Demonte Capehart (5th Rd, 155th Overall)
EDGE Rueben Bain, Jr. (1st Rd, 15th Overall)
EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad
LB Alex Anzalone
LB Christian Rozeboom
LB Josiah Trotter (2nd Rd, 46th Overall)
CB Keionte Scott (4th Rd, 116th Overall)
S Ifeatu Melifonwu

Key Losses

RB Rachaad White
WR Mike Evans
WR Sterling Shepard
LG Michael Jordan
RT Charlie Heck

DL Logan Hall
DL Greg Gaines
EDGE Haason Reddick
LB Lavonte David
LB Deion Jones
CB Jamel Dean
CB Kindle Vildor
S Christian Izien

Biggest Questions Entering 2026

Will the fierce Buccaneers defense we saw for years return in 2026?
Todd Bowles is one of the best defensive minds in football and has a heck of a track record of putting together dangerous defenses. It led to a Super Bowl win 6 years ago.

Bowles leans on high-volume pressure and regularly fools opposing quarterbacks. Just take a look at the below breakdown with Sam Darnold admitting a Bowles blitz got the best of him on this pivotal play from the Bucs’ Week 5 win over the Seahawks last season:

Aside from a few moments here and there, Tampa’s defense was uncharacteristically bad last season. They’ve been trending in that direction for a couple of years now.

After ranking 7th in points allowed in 2023, they ranked 16th in 2024 and 20th last season.

The inability to generate pressure was the main culprit in 2025 as Tampa finished just 25th in pressure percentage. That’s not what you want when you’re an aggressive blitzing team like the Buccaneers are (4th in blitz % last season). If you’re going to sacrifice defenders in coverage, you better get home. Last year, they didn’t. And that played a significant role in the Bucs allowing the 9th-most completions of 20 yards or more.

Tampa sought to correct this during the offseason. They added edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad, who had a break-out season in 2025 with 11.0 sacks. That was 4 more than anyone on the Bucs had last year.

The Bucs also added Rueben Bain, Jr. with the 15th overall pick. Bain is a thick human being who wins with power, leverage, and relentless pursuit of the quarterback:

He plays like a boulder rolling down a hill, picking up momentum with each inch of ground that he covers, making him harder and harder to stop:

While the size of his arms were a topic of conversation during draft season, that doesn’t stop him from being really good with his hands:

He’s also a very good defender in the run game, which will fit right in with a defense that has been stout vs. the run in just about every season since Bowles went to Tampa:

The Bucs also re-vamped their linebacking corps after losing Lavonte David to retirement. They added Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom in free agency and drafted Josiah Trotter with the 46th overall pick. The Buccaneers spend a good amount of time in base personnel, so it’s critical that they have a deep group of linebackers, which they certainly do now.

Hopefully they can figure things out with defensive tackle Vita Vea’s contract situation. If they do, this feels like a year where the defense is going to be able to get back to being a more typical Todd Bowles defense.

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Will Baker Mayfield make the Buccaneers pay?
I mean this in the most literal sense. Mayfield and the Bucs weren’t able to come to an agreement on a contract extension before training camp, which was the deadline that Mayfield imposed for getting a deal done.

He delivered a warning that the Bucs just cost themselves some dollars because he’s going to have a big year:

“If you’ve waited this long to take care of your franchise quarterback, that’s too bad, because it’s only going to get worse from here. I’m going to have a really good year.”

That’s a threat the Buccaneers should hope will come true because a big year at the most important position, combined with their improved defense, could mean a huge year for the franchise.

Mayfield has revitalized his career in Tampa and has shown himself to be one of the better quarterbacks in the league at times. In 2024, he completed over 70% of his passes for 4,500 yards, 41 TD passes, and a 106.8 passer rating.

He has high-level traits, from his arm strength to his ability to play the position with nuance. Just check out how he recognized and handled the blitz on this game-winning drive vs. the Jets in Week 3 last season:

As mentioned above, Baker was in the MVP discussion during the first half of last season. Through his first 9 games, he had a 16-2 TD-INT ratio, a 99.2 passer rating, and the Bucs had a 6-3 record.

Over his final 8 games, however, he had just a 10-9 TD-INT ratio, a 78.9 passer rating, and the Bucs went 2-6 during that stretch.

It’s fair to say that injuries played a significant role. He dealt with injuries to his knee and both shoulders but played through them.

Hopefully that won’t be the case this year. If Mayfield can stay healthy and get back to his 2024 and first-half-of-2025 form, the Bucs might be emptying the piggy bank to give him his money.

For what it’s worth, that would be a better outcome than Mayfield having a bad season and Tampa looking elsewhere for a new QB in 2027.

Will the loss of Mike Evans be too significant for the Buccaneers to overcome?
Losing a receiver like Mike Evans is a big deal. Yes, he’s closer to the end of his career than the beginning, but the things he does for a quarterback are tough to replace.

Above all else, he’s a huge target (6’5”) who can still win 1-on-1’s consistently. He can win at the line of scrimmage:

He can win downfield on contested catches:

He thrives on 3rd down and in the red zone, which are those situations where the defense tends to be more aggressive and deceptive with their looks. They might be disguising coverage or bringing intricate blitzes. And it’s nice as a quarterback to be able to say, “Whatever, I’m just going to throw it up to my 6’5” receiver and play above the defense regardless of what they’re doing.”

Even at this point in his career, Evans still garners extra attention from opposing defenses. In the game he got hurt last season against the Lions, their entire defensive game plan was built around doubling Evans on third down and in obvious passing situations:

In general, that creates opportunities elsewhere for other receivers.

The okay news for Tampa is that they got a little bit used to life without Evans last year as he missed 9 games due to injury.

Their traditional #2 receiver, Chris Godwin, was battling back from an injury the year before and also missed 8 total games.

There were 4 games where both Evans and Godwin were out last year, and it didn’t really slow down the Bucs offense a ton. They still averaged 27 points in those games.

I’ll also throw in that promising young receiver Jalen McMillan, who caught 8 touchdown passes the year before as a rookie, missed the first 13 games of the season with a neck injury suffered in preseason.

The emergence of rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka certainly helped keep the passing game afloat with Godwin and Evans not at 100% and McMillan out of the lineup. While his production slowed as the season progressed, I expect him to make a big jump this season. Hopefully Godwin and McMillan will be healthy enough to contribute more as well.

The Bucs sought to replace Evans’ size in this year’s draft by selecting 6’4” receiver Ted Hurst in the 3rd round. Hurst can be a vertical threat for this team (ran a 4.42 40-yard dash) and can hopefully replace some of the production that Evans has provided over the years.

Also, don’t sleep on running back Kenneth Gainwell, who caught 73 passes out of the backfield last year and was basically the Steelers’ 2nd-best receiver.

2026 Outlook

I expect a return to the top of the division for the Buccaneers this season. The NFC South is still very wide open, but Tampa has the most talent of any of the four teams. If Mayfield can stay healthy and that defense can return to form (which it looks like they can on paper), we should see this team back in the playoffs.

Head Coach: Dave Canales
Offensive Coordinator: Brad Idzik
Defensive Coordinator: Ejiro Evero
Special Teams Coordinator: Tracy Smith

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 8-9)

The Panthers have shown steady progress since their 2-15 season in 2023. They went 5-12 in 2024 and won the NFC South with an 8-9 record last year. Dave Canales has done a great job of turning this franchise around and almost led the Panthers to an improbable Wild Card win over the Rams last season.

Carolina’s inconsistency last season made them a tough team to figure out, though. They lost games to teams like the Cardinals and got swept by the Saints. Yet they beat the Packers in Lambeau in Week 9 and the Rams at home in Week 13.

Here’s a look at how they clinched that win over Green Bay:

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The Panthers had an easier path to the playoffs given that they played in the NFC South and were able to make it in with a losing record. Still, it was a milestone achievement and a sign of how far the organization has come in two years. The question this season will be whether or not they can make a more substantial jump and separate themselves from the middle of the pack.

Key Additions

WR John Metchie
WR Chris Brazzell (3rd Rd, 83rd Overall)
C Luke Fortner
LT Rasheed Walker
RT Monroe Freeling (1st Rd, 19th Overall)
OT Stone Forsythe
C Sam Hecht (5th Rd, 144th Overall)

DL Lee Hunter (2nd Rd, 49th Overall)
EDGE Jaelan Phillips
LB Devin Lloyd
CB Will Lee (4th Rd, 129th Overall)
S Zakee Wheatley (5th Rd, 151st Overall)

Key Losses

RB Rico Dowdle
WR Hunter Renfrow
C Cade Mays
RG Austin Corbett
OT Yosh Nijman
OG Jake Curhan

DL A’Shawn Robinson
EDGE D.J. Wonnum
LB Christian Rozeboom
LB Krys Barnes

Biggest Questions Entering 2026

Will injuries derail the Panthers’ season before it even starts?
To have success in the NFL, teams need a lot of things to go right. That includes getting lucky in the health department.

The Panthers, so far, are getting hammered in this area.

Starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu ruptured his patellar tendon in the Panthers’ Wild Card playoff loss to the Rams last season. Terrible timing. It’s unclear when exactly he’ll return this season.

Starting right tackle Taylor Moton has a blood clot in his lung. His return to the field is TBD.

Defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton is battling back from neck surgery with the timeline of his return unknown as well. His counterpart on the D-line, Bobby Brown, isn’t in as serious of shape but is still dealing with a hamstring injury.

Promising second-year edge rusher Nick Scourton tore his ACL on the first day of training camp and is done for the year.

3rd-round wide receiver Chris Brazzell hurt his knee a few days later and is also now done for the season.

This is the part of the game that absolutely stinks. And it’s impossible to predict who will be the luckiest in this department. Right now, the Panthers aren’t off to a great start.

What is Bryce Young?
Young had a miserable rookie year and then bounced back in year 2 from an early-season benching to salvage his career.

Year 3 saw a steady progression from his first two seasons. Young had career highs in completion percentage (63.6%), yards (3,011), TD passes (23), and passer rating (87.8). He’s gotten better each year.

Young also has a flair for the dramatic. His 12 career fourth-quarter game-winning drives are the most in the NFL since he entered the league. And he played really well in the Panthers’ playoff loss to the Rams, almost leading Carolina to a stunning upset.

In the vacuum of his career, Young has shown marked improvement from when he first entered the league.

In the context of the rest of the NFL, though, the Panthers still need more.

Their passing game finished 26th in the NFL last season. They ranked 21st in completions of 20 yards or more. They were the 25th best 3rd-down offense.

The steady improvement is nice, but at some point, Young and the passing game need to make a bigger jump. He has some high level traits from a mental and processing standpoint, so a big leap is possible at any moment.

Is this the year he can put it all together? Can the rapport he clearly had last season with rookie Tet McMillan blossom further and possibly take this passing game to greater heights in 2026?

That’ll be one big thing to watch with this team.

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What will the O-line look like?
As mentioned above, the Panthers will be without their tackles, Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton, for an unspecified period of time this season. It’s hard to understate how big those losses could be.

Moton has been a very good tackle throughout his career and Ekwonu seems to have found himself to a certain extent after some early-career struggles.

It seems like the Panthers will roll with free agent signing Rasheed Walker at left tackle and this year’s 19th overall pick Monroe Freeling at right tackle. That’s not a bad plan-b to start the season, but there’s still some unknown there, especially with starting a rookie at tackle.

And that’s not the only new face up front. The Panthers added Luke Fortner at center. Two new tackles and a center… That’s significant change.

The Panthers also added Stone Forsythe (who played in over 70% of snaps last season) and drafted Sam Hecht in the 5th round. They did a good job of accounting for the changes on their O-line by dedicating a lot of resources to the area this offseason and building out their depth. But it’s also an acknowledgement that there’s a lot of uncertainty.

As we all know, good offensive football starts with the men up front. The Panthers want to be a running football team (They were 10th in the league with a 45.6% run frequency rate last year). But whatever they will be on offense might be dictated by what they’re capable of doing up front.

Will the pass rush finally be better?
Talent has certainly been an issue, but defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero hasn’t been able to get the pass rush going since arriving in Carolina in 2023.

In his first year, they ranked 30th in pressure percentage and 32nd in sacks. In 2024, they were dead last in pressure percentage and 29th in sacks. Last year, they were 31st in pressure percentage and 28th in sacks.

Like the other side of the ball, the men up front dictate so much. It’s hard to have a good defense without a good pass rush.

Carolina added edge rusher Jaelan Phillips in that effort this offseason, but I still don’t think it’s enough. It certainly doesn’t help that they just lost second-year edge rusher Nick Scourton for the season, as mentioned above.

Maybe Evero will be a little more aggressive with his pressure schemes this year like he was in 2023 and ‘24 to find a way to manufacture a pass rush?

After all, that the secondary is really good. Even without a pass rush, they somehow managed to limit big plays through the air last season (7th fewest completions of 20 yards or more). They have two really good cornerbacks in Michael Jackson and Jaycee Horn (when healthy).

So perhaps Evero will feel comfortable taking a man out of coverage more often to join the pass rush seeing as the back end of the defense can hold its own?

Either way, they’ll need to figure out something. Even with a good secondary, having a bottom-of-the-league pass rush can only get you so far.

2026 Outlook

The benefit of playing in the NFC South is that it’s wide open. No one would be surprised by any of the four teams taking home the division title this year.

The Panthers certainly have their questions, with health being at the top of that list. To me, their success this year will be determined by that offensive line and whether or not Bryce Young can take a major leap.

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Head Coach: Todd Monken
Offensive Coordinator: Travis Switzer
Defensive Coordinator: Mike Rutenberg
Special Teams Coordinator: Byron Storer

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 5-12)

Last season, the Browns tried to re-capture a little 2023 magic by signing Joe Flacco and hoping he could lead them back to the playoffs.

Unfortunately, that dream ended early. The Browns benched Flacco after just 4 games and traded him to the Bengals in Week 6.

Making any noise last season was never realistic to begin with, though. The Browns entered training camp with 4 quarterbacks after trading for Kenny Pickett and then drafting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Any one of them could have won the starting job in training camp.

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When you have 4 quarterbacks, you really have none. The likelihood was always that multiple quarterbacks would get significant snaps throughout the season, which is almost always a recipe for a down year. And that’s exactly what happened. Flacco, Gabriel, and Sanders each got more than 25% of the snaps.

The Browns finished in last place in the AFC North at 5-12. Their stellar defensive play ultimately wasn’t enough to overcome their offensive woes.

The one bright spot for the Browns was Myles Garrett setting the NFL single-season sack record with 23.0 sacks. No one else on the team had more than 6.5. Still, Garrett’s pressure and presence was enough to make the entire pass rush a top-5 unit (3rd in the league in sacks, 5th in pressure %).

Here’s a quick look at the impact he can have on protection schemes:

That was from 2023, but it’s pretty representative of what he sees just about every week.

Unfortunately for Cleveland, they traded him away to the Rams in June. The Browns have entered into a full re-build. They fired 2-time coach of the year Kevin Stefanski. They’ve accumulated draft picks and appear to be gearing up for that 2027 QB draft class.

This year likely won’t be much fun in Cleveland. But the good news is that the Browns had a really good offseason and actually appear to have a quality core in place to begin rebuilding this team.

Key Additions

WR KC Concepcion (1st Rd, 24th Overall)
WR Denzel Boston (2nd Rd, 39th Overall)
WR Tylan Wallace
TE Joe Royer (5th Rd, 170th Overall)
TE Jack Stoll
LT Spencer Fano (1st Rd, 9th Overall)
LG Zion Johnson
C Elgton Jenkins
RT Tytus Howard
OT Austin Barber (3rd Rd, 86th Overall)
C Parker Brailsford (5th Rd, 146th Overall)

DL Kalia Davis
EDGE Jared Verse
LB Quincy Williams
LB Justin Jefferson (5th Rd, 149th Overall)
S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (2nd Rd, 58th Overall)
S Myles Bryant
S Daniel Thomas

Key Losses

RB Jerome Ford
TE David Njoku
LT Cam Robinson
LG Joel Bitonio
C Ethan Pocic
RG Wyatt Teller
RT Jack Conklin
OT Cornelius Lucas

DL Shelby Harris
EDGE Myles Garrett
EDGE Cameron Thomas
LB Devin Bush Jr.
LB Mohamoud Diabate
LB Jerome Baker
CB Sam Webb
S Rayshawn Jenkins

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Biggest Questions Entering 2026

Who will be the starting QB?
The Browns didn’t make many moves at quarterback this offseason, which means they plan to get their QB of the future in next year’s draft.

I don’t think whoever plays this year matters much in the long haul. That being said, despite how poorly Shedeur Sanders played during his rookie season, and despite the fact that the odds of him being the QB of the future are not great, shouldn’t the Browns try to find out by giving him a shot?

If they do hit on Sanders, they’d be about two years ahead on finding their franchise QB instead of waiting to take one in 2027, living through his growing pains during his rookie season, and then hoping he develops into a great quarterback in 2028 and beyond.

On top of that, we’ve seen plenty of QBs make a jump from year 1 to year 2. They figure out where their deficiencies are and begin to match their play to the speed of the NFL game.

I’d rather see the Browns give Sanders a shot to see what he can be than turn the keys over to an injury-riddled Deshaun Watson, who’s played just 19 games since 2020. There is no chance he’s the future in Cleveland after this season anyway, so what’s the point?

While there is still only a small chance that Sanders is the future, the Browns should seek to find that out for sure. At very least, they can determine if he’d be an effective back-up or possibly build up some trade value in him.

Does the Browns’ re-shaped offense actually have the chance to be good?
Cleveland had a lot of holes on the offensive side of the ball, but I love the way they approached re-building the offense.

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Head Coach: Zac Taylor
Offensive Coordinator: Dan Pitcher
Defensive Coordinator: Al Golden
Special Teams Coordinator: Darrin Simmons

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 6-11)

The Bengals’ 2025 season went very similar to how many of their recent seasons have gone. Joe Burrow got hurt. The defense wasn’t competitive. And Cincy found themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time.

Even if Burrow had been in the lineup for all 17 games last year, I’m not sure the Bengals defense would have had enough to get them to the playoffs.

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The year before, when Burrow was arguably the MVP of the league, they still missed the postseason because the defense gave up 25.5 points per game, which ranked 25th in the NFL. Somehow, they managed to be even worse last season, allowing 28.9 points per game and ranking 30th in the league.

On top of that, they were 31st in yards allowed and dead last in yards per play. This was the worst defense the Bengals have had since Burrow entered the league.

The D-line, especially with Trey Hendrickson playing in just 7 games, wasn’t enough to disrupt opposing offenses (22nd in sacks). They couldn’t stop the run (32nd in rushing yards allowed). They couldn’t get off the field (28th on 3rd down).

Somehow, they did manage to crack the top-10 in takeaways, which was just about the only thing they did well on defense. If not for that, it would have been far worse.

The Bengals have already missed the playoffs in 3 consecutive seasons. If they aren’t careful, they run the risk of turning Burrow’s career into the second coming of Dan Marino. That is, a quarterback who’s one of the best in the game, but who never sniffs the Super Bowl again after reaching it and coming up short in his second season.

Key Additions

WR Colbie Young (4th Rd, 140th Overall)
C Connor Lew (4th Rd, 128th Overall)

DL Dexter Lawrence
DL Jonathan Allen
EDGE Boye Mafe
EDGE Cashius Howell (2nd Rd, 41st Overall)
CB Tacario Davis (3rd Rd, 72nd Overall)
CB Ja’Sir Taylor Chargers
S Bryan Cook
S Kyle Dugger

Key Losses

TE Noah Fant

EDGE Joseph Ossai
EDGE Trey Hendrickson
EDGE Cam Sample
LB Logan Wilson
CB Cam Taylor-Britt
S Geno Stone
S Tycen Anderson

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Biggest Questions Entering 2026

Can Joe Burrow stay healthy?
This is by far the most important question for the Bengals every season. Whatever concerns there are with the defense, it’s not even worth monitoring if Burrow can’t play a full 17 (or close to it).

And unfortunately, that hasn’t been a common occurrence throughout his career.

His 2020 rookie season ended with 6 games remaining due to a serious knee injury. He missed most of training camp and preseason in 2022 due to a ruptured appendix, causing him and the Bengals to get off to a slow 0-2 start. He missed the final 7 games of the 2023 season due to a torn wrist ligament in his throwing hand. Then last year, he missed 9 games due to a Week 2 turf toe injury that required surgery.

The Bengals re-signed Joe Flacco this offseason. He’s about as good of a back-up and insurance policy that you can ask for. Still, if there are any more serious injuries or Burrow misses significant time, you can basically kiss Cincy’s season goodbye.

We can debate all day about how good Burrow is and where he ranks among NFL QBs. But what’s probably not debatable is that he plays at a higher level from the pocket than any quarterback in the NFL (maybe except for Matthew Stafford):

Here’s a look at over 30 plays from Burrow’s 2024 MVP-caliber season, where you can get a great feel for how special he is from the pocket:

If you’re a fan of great quarterbacking, let’s hope we get to see Burrow play a full 17-game season in 2026. That combination of Burrow, Chase, and Higgins is about as fun to watch and as dangerous as any passing game we’ve seen in the NFL in recent years.

Do the Bengals’ offseason moves improve the run defense enough?
The Bengals’ offense is nearly impossible to stop. So opponents generally attempt to merely limit or contain them, not shut them down completely. One way to do that is by keeping them off the field.

This is why it’s so important that the Bengals’ run defense isn’t as horrendous this year as it was in 2025 (32nd in yards allowed, 31st in yards per attempt, 26th in 10-yard runs).

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• How will the Patriots handle a more difficult schedule?

• Can the Bills find ways to win without Josh Allen needing to be Superman?

• It could be a long year in Miami…

• Should the Jets be…optimistic about 2026?

I hope you enjoy!

Head Coach: Jesse Minter
Offensive Coordinator: Declan Doyle
Defensive Coordinator: Anthony Weaver
Special Teams Coordinator: Anthony Levine, Sr.

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 8-9)

The Ravens entered the 2025 season with Super Bowl expectations, but things very quickly went south. They blew a 15-point lead in the 4th quarter of their season opener against the Bills and soon found themselves in a 1-5 hole just a third of the way through the season.

While they battled back to put themselves in position to win the AFC North, their season ended when kicker Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field goal against the Steelers on what would be the final play of the John Harbaugh era.

Injuries certainly played a role in the Ravens’ surprising 8-9 season. None were bigger than the one to defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who missed all but the first two games of the season.

That played a huge role in the defensive line not being able to generate any pressure all year. Baltimore finished 28th in pressure % and sacks. And the inability to get to the quarterback led to them giving up the most 20-yard completions in the NFL.

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Lamar Jackson also missed 4 games and battled through injuries all season. He wasn’t quite himself after his 2 straight MVP-caliber seasons that helped carry this team in 2023 and ‘24.

A year after throwing for 245.4 yards per game, Jackson averaged just 196. Despite missing just 4 games, his touchdowns passes were cut in half from 41 to 21.

Most jarring was the drop off in his contributions on the ground. Jackson rushed for a career-low 349 yards one year after picking up 915.

The spark was missing from this offense, and the end result was the Ravens missing the playoffs for just the second time since Jackson became the starter.

Baltimore ultimately decided to move on from John Harbaugh, ending his 18-year run with the team. They hired former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to take over the reins.

Key Additions

RB Adam Randall (5th Rd, 174th Overall)
WR Ja’kobi Lane (3rd Rd, 80th Overall)
WR Chris Moore
WR Elijah Sarratt (4th Rd, 115th Overall)
TE Durham Smythe
TE Matthew Hibner (4th Rd, 133rd Overall)
TE Josh Cuevas (5th Rd, 173rd Overall)
LG John Simpson
C Ethan Pocic
RG Olaivavega Ioane (1st Rd, 14th Overall)
C Danny Pinter

DL Calais Campbell
EDGE Trey Hendrickson
EDGE Zion Young (2nd Rd, 45th Overall)
CB Chandler Rivers (5th Rd, 162nd Overall)
S Jaylinn Hawkins

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Key Losses

FB Patrick Ricard
WR DeAndre Hopkins
WR Tylan Wallace
TE Isaiah Likely
TE Charlie Kolar
C Tyler Linderbaum
RG Daniel Faalele
OT Joe Noteboom

DL Brent Urban
EDGE Kyle Van Noy
EDGE Dre’Mont Jones
EDGE David Ojabo
S Alohi Gilman

Biggest Questions Entering 2026

How different will the Ravens defense look under Minter?
Jesse Minter was highly successful as the Chargers defensive coordinator over the last two years.

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Head Coach: Mike McCarthy
Offensive Coordinator: Brian Angelichio
Defensive Coordinator: Patrick Graham
Special Teams Coordinator: Danny Crossman

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 10-7)

The Steelers brought in Aaron Rodgers, D.K. Metcalf, and Jalen Ramsey last season in what appeared to be one final effort to go all in with Mike Tomlin as head coach.

It didn’t quite pay off.

The Steelers did win the AFC North but couldn’t end their streak of consecutive playoff losses. And after pushing that streak to 7 with a Wild Card loss to the Texans, Tomlin finally hung them up.

The issue with the Steelers last year is that they were exactly “meh” on both sides of the ball. Mediocre. Nothing special. A bit unpredictable and capable of winning some games you thought they couldn’t, but not so great that they could really compete with the best of the best.

And that’s really been the knock on the Tomlin era for the last decade or so.

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What was uncharacteristic about last season was how poorly the defense performed at times. There were stretches, particularly early in the season, where they couldn’t stop the run at all. They struggled all season to defend the pass, finishing 29th in the league in passing yards allowed.

There were far too many blown coverages throughout the season, even in Week 18 against the Ravens, and even in the most pivotal moments of that game:

Unsurprisingly, that led to the Steelers allowing a lot of big plays through the air (they ranked 21st in 20-yard completions allowed).

Their saving grace was their ability to get to the quarterback (6th in sacks) and generate turnovers (4th in the NFL). But at the end of the day, the defense fell far short of expectations given their talent and given the standard established by decades of great Steelers defenses.

The offense wasn’t much better. They showed moments of playing well in both phases, but this was a short passing game without enough playmakers and with a quarterback who wasn’t looking to push the ball downfield.

They tried leaning on their run game come hell or high water, running it against stacked boxes at the 3rd highest rate in the NFL according to NFL Next Gen Stats. But they didn’t have the players to do it, ultimately finishing in the bottom-10 in total rushing yards. It was one of the least efficient ground games in the NFL as well, ranking 30th in % of runs gaining 4 yards or more.

The end result was a team good enough to win a weak division, but not good enough to compete with the serious contenders.

Key Additions

QB Drew Allar (3rd Rd, 76th Overall)
RB Rico Dowdle
FB Riley Nowakowski (5th Rd, 169th Overall)
WR Michael Pittman Jr.
WR Germie Bernard (2nd Rd, 47th Overall)
WR Kaden Wetjen (4th Rd, 121st Overall)
TE Robert Tonyan
RT Max Iheanachor (1st Rd, 21st Overall)
G Gennings Dunker (3rd Rd, 96th Overall)
C Brock Hoffman

DL Sebastian Joseph-Day
CB Jamel Dean
CB Daylen Everette (3rd Rd, 85th Overall)
S Jaquan Brisker
S Darnell Savage

Key Losses

RB Kenneth Gainwell
WR Calvin Austin III
WR Adam Thielen
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
WR Scotty Miller
TE Jonnu Smith
LG Isaac Seumalo
OT Andrus Peat

CB Darius Slay
CB James Pierre
S Kyle Dugger
S Chuck Clark

Biggest Questions Entering 2026

What will the offense look like under Mike McCarthy?
Many Steelers fans seemed less than enthused that Mike Tomlin finally stepped down only to be replaced by a coach of a similar era instead of one of the young stud offensive or defensive coordinators.

But bringing in an offense-first coach after 19 years of Tomlin is actually a major and needed change for the Steelers. The culture is going to be different. Their level of risk-aversion is going to be different. You’re likely to see Pittsburgh be more offensive minded in their decision making. And they’ll spread things out more than they did last year.

In 2025, the Steelers used “11” personnel (3 wide receivers) just 38.7% of the time, good for the 2nd-lowest rate in the NFL according to Sumer Sports. That will change under McCarthy, who has always used a far healthier amount of 3-wide-receiver sets.

And the Steelers will actually have the players to line up in 3-wide more frequently this season. A year ago, they really had no one reliable beyond D.K. Metcalf. But after signing Michael Pittman, Jr. this offseason, they have a bona fide #2.

Any of Pittman’s last five seasons with the Colts would have made him the Steelers’ number one or number two receiver a year ago. He’s a huge upgrade over what they had in 2025.

He’s a big receiver too - 6’4” and can play above the defense. He’ll be a great option for Rodgers to target on the outside in 1-on-1 situations, which Rodgers loves to do.

The Steelers also selected Germie Bernard out of Alabama in the second round this year. Many believe he was one of the biggest steals in the draft at the receiver position. So just between Bernard and Pittman they have a much improved wide receiver room.

But the bottom line is that just about everywhere McCarthy has gone throughout his career, the quarterback and passing game have thrived.

You can start back in 2006 with the Packers at the end of Brett Favre’s career. McCarthy brought him back to some level of sensible football in his first year in 2006. Then in 2007, the Packers went 13-3, made it to the NFC Championship Game, and Favre had arguably the best year of his career since he won 3 MVPs from 1995-97.

Then Aaron Rodgers took over in 2008, and it’s fair to say that McCarthy is directly responsible for developing him into a 4-time league MVP, Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl MVP, and one of the best in the history of the NFL ever to do it.

Fast forward to McCarthy’s time in Dallas, where he helped turn Dak Prescott into a top quarterback in the league. Before McCarthy went to the Cowboys, Dak was not really an advanced player. He was very much a see-it-to-throw-it quarterback, meaning he didn’t throw with a lot of anticipation. He needed the windows to be clearly defined. He needed receivers to be open before throwing them the ball.

But as soon as McCarthy got there, Dak improved in his anticipation and processing, and his performance took off as a result. He had two years where he was legitimately in the MVP discussion.

Now that McCarthy’s in Pittsburgh, there’s no reason to believe that he won’t be able to get the most out of a 42-year-old Rodgers.

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Will the offensive line be better in pass protection?
On the surface, this seems like a weird question. The Steelers ranked 2nd in pressure percentage allowed and 9th in sacks last season.

A big reason for that, however, was that Rodgers got rid of the ball so quickly. He got the ball out in under 2.5 seconds on 54.9% of his dropbacks last season, which was the highest rate in the NFL among qualified passers according to PFF.

While the quick passes may have decreased pressure and sacks, they limited Pittsburgh’s ability to push the ball downfield. The Steelers finished dead last in intended air yards per attempt and air yards per completion. They also ranked 25th in completions of 20 yards or more.

On film, you could also see that the Steelers really struggled whenever Rodgers did try to hold onto the ball and take some chances downfield.

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Head Coach: Kevin O’Connell
Offensive Coordinator: Wes Phillips
Defensive Coordinator: Brian Flores
Special Teams Coordinator: Matt Daniels

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 9-8)

The Vikings made a calculated decision to move on from Sam Darnold after the 2024 season in favor of J.J. McCarthy. It backfired, to say the least.

Darnold went on to win the Super Bowl with the Seahawks. Minnesota’s offense, on the other hand, took a huge step back. The result was a 9-8 season one year after finishing 14-3, and a hole at the most important position.

The biggest issue with J.J. McCarthy’s young NFL career has been health. He missed his entire rookie season due to a torn meniscus suffered during a preseason game.

I think some people underestimate how big of a deal that injury was. Even if McCarthy wasn’t going to play much during his rookie season, he would have at least been on the practice field, honing his mechanics, improving his timing, applying what he saw in the film room, and starting to get used to life as an NFL quarterback.

Instead he was rehabbing. And last offseason, I’m sure he was spending a disproportionate amount of time getting back to 100% instead of becoming a better quarterback. That’s a huge deal for any player but even more so for a rookie.

It showed when McCarthy was on the field last season. He was inaccurate. Slow to process. Poor in his decision-making. And he looked overwhelmed at times.

Not to mention, he was in and out of the lineup due to injuries.

The point here isn’t to make excuses for McCarthy. Instead, it’s to put things in perspective. He is still developing, but that process has been hindered by the fact that he’s had multiple years of dealing with injuries to start his career. He is a work in progress. His career isn’t over.

But the Vikings can’t wait around any longer. Which is why they took a flier on Kyler Murray this offseason.

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On the other side of the ball, Brian Flores did his thing once again last season. He continued using a variety of those complex 6 and 7-up fronts and pressure schemes (1st in the NFL in blitz frequency). He also utilized a unique combination of cover-2 (most in the NFL) and cover-0 (6th in the NFL according to of MatchQuarters).

The Vikings finished with the 7th-best defense in points allowed and 3rd-best in total yards, keeping them in most games.

Key Additions

QB Kyler Murray
FB Max Bredeson (5th Rd, 159th Overall)
WR Jauan Jennings
OT Ryan Van Demark
OT Caleb Tiernan (3rd Rd, 97th Overall)

DL Caleb Banks (1st Rd, 18th Overall)
DL Domonique Orange (3rd Rd, 82nd Overall)
DL Isaiahh Loudermilk
DL Eric Johnson
LB Jake Golday (2nd Rd, 51st Overall)
CB James Pierre
CB Charles Demmings (5th Rd, 163rd Overall)
S Jakobe Thomas (3rd Rd, 98th Overall)

Key Losses

FB C.J. Ham
WR Jalen Nailor
LT Justin Skule
C Ryan Kelly
DL Jonathan Allen
DL Javon Hargrave
EDGE Jonathan Greenard
CB Fabian Moreau
S Harrison Smith (as of right now)

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Biggest Questions Entering 2026

Kyler Murray vs. J.J. McCarthy - Who will be the guy?
It would be shocking to see any other outcome than the Vikings starting Kyler Murray this season.

Minnesota was able to bring him in for just $1.3 million (the veteran minimum) since the Cardinals are on the hook for another $35+ million. So on the one hand, they can have a true QB competition if they want. Due to the lack of financial risk, if Murray doesn’t play a down this season or if he doesn’t work out, it’s no big deal.

And if J.J. McCarthy is able to win the job, it will likely be the result of him having shown substantial improvement, which would obviously be a huge plus for the franchise.

But let’s be honest, it seems like this is Murray’s job to lose.

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Head Coach: Dan Campbell
Offensive Coordinator: Drew Petzing
Defensive Coordinator: Kelvin Sheppard
Special Teams Coordinator: Dave Fipp

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 9-8)

After 2 years of being one of the best teams football, including the 2024 season when they went 15-2 and held the #1 seed in the NFC, the Lions took a step back in 2025. They had 6 fewer wins last season and technically finished in last place in the competitive NFC North due to a tie-breaker with the Vikings.

There wasn’t just one thing that led to the Lions’ disappointing season. But if I had to pinpoint it, I’d say the biggest factors were the changes to the offensive line, having two new coordinators, and injuries.

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The Lions have some really good skill players, but it’s their offensive line that set them apart in 2023 and ‘24. Last year however, everything changed on the interior.

Center Frank Ragnow retired. Right guard Kevin Zeitler moved on in free agency. Both were instrumental to the running game.

The Lions filled the holes with Graham Glasnow moving from left guard to center, Christian Mahogany moving from the bench to left guard, and then-rookie Tate Ratledge taking over at right guard. That’s 3 positions manned by 3 new players inside.

The results were somewhat predictable. Detroit went from 13th in pressure % allowed and 10th in sacks allowed to 25th and 18th respectively.

Jared Goff has become an excellent quarterback in Detroit, but he still needs lots of time and space in the pocket, especially in front of him. I wouldn’t say his play dropped off last year. He still had a tremendous season. But he did have a couple more games than the year before where he just didn’t look right. Pressure was a part of that.

The running game is where you saw a more profound effect. It’s not that it became ineffective or anything as a result of the new O-line. It just became less dynamic compared to the year before:

Less consistent, more negative runs, fewer explosive runs.

Having two new coordinators calling plays on both sides of the ball didn’t help matters either. And this wasn’t just new coordinators replacing any old play-callers.

They were replacing Ben Johnson on offense, who is one of the best minds in the game, and Aaron Glenn on defense. While Glenn may have struggled with the Jets last season as head coach (like just about every coach in Jets history), he played a pivotal role in the rise of the Lions via his defensive play-calling.

On top of all that, Detroit faced a ton of injuries on defense last year. It was arguably as bad as the year before if not worse.

In retrospect, it’s no surprise that they won 6 fewer games than the year before.

Key Additions

RB Isiah Pacheco
WR Greg Dortch
WR Cedrick Wilson, Jr.
TE Tyler Conklin
C Cade Mays
RT Blake Miller (1st Rd, 17th Overall)
OT Larry Borom
OG Ben Bartch
C Juice Scrugg

DL Jay Tufele
EDGE D.J. Wonnum
EDGE Derrick Moore (2nd Rd, 44th Overall)
EDGE Payton Turner
LB Jimmy Rolder (4th Rd, 118the Overall)
LB Damone Clark
CB Roger McCreary
CB Keith Abney (5th Rd, 157th Overall)
S Chuck Clark
S Christian Izien

Key Losses

RB David Montgomery
WR Kalif Raymond
TE Anthony Firkser
TE Shane Zylstra
LT Taylor Decker
C Graham Glasgow
LG Kayode Awosika
LT Dan Skipper
OL Trystan Colon

DL D.J. Reader
DL Roy Lopez
EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad
EDGE Marcus Davenport
LB Alex Anzalone
CB Amik Robertson
CB Terrion Arnold

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Biggest Questions Entering 2026

Will the O-line be better this season?
Similar to last season, the Lions will have 3 new players in 3 new positions on their offensive line. But that’s more of a welcome thing this year after a down 2025.

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Head Coach: Matt LaFleur
Offensive Coordinator: Adam Stenavich
Defensive Coordinator: Jonathan Gannon
Special Teams Coordinator: Cam Achord

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 9-7-1)

With about 14 minutes left in the 3rd quarter of their Week 15 game against the Broncos, the Packers were sitting pretty. Not only did they have a 2-possession lead over the eventual #1 seed in the AFC, but they were 9-3-1 and seemingly in control of the NFC North.

If you were watching live, you couldn’t help but feel that this team was going to make a run to the Super Bowl.

But just 13 minutes later, their season effectively ended. Micah Parsons tore his ACL, and that sent the Packers into a swoon that derailed what could have been a special year.

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Green Bay would go on to loose that game as well as their next 4. During that 5-game losing streak to end the season, they mustered just 4 total sacks.

Their defense went from being a dynamic force to something well below that:

They blew 2nd-half leads in 3 of those games during that streak, including their season-ending Wild Card loss to the Bears.

Both of their late-season losses to the Bears involved collapses in the final minutes.

That’ll happen when you no longer have your closer.

Green Bay’s run defense fell apart after that Broncos game as well. They were a top-10 unit prior to the Parsons injury, allowing 101.4 rushing yards per game. After they lost Parsons, they allowed 171.8 yards per game, including a Week 17 loss to the Ravens where they gave up a staggering 307 yards on the ground.

Injuries on the other side of the ball played a role as well. Quarterback Jordan Love missed the final 2-and-a-half games. The Packers were all out of sorts to end the season, so much so that many were calling for Matt LaFleur’s head after their playoff collapse vs. the Bears.

But to keep things in perspective, this is still a really good team entering 2026, with a really good head coach and quarterback, and a really good shot of making a run all the way to February.

Key Additions

QB Tyrod Taylor
WR Skyy Moore
C Jager Burton (5th Rd, 153 Overall)

DL Javon Hargrave
DL Chris McClellan (3rd Rd, 77th Overall)
EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton (4th Rd, 120th Overall)
LB Zaire Franklin
CB Benjamin St-Juste
CB Brandon Cisse (2nd Rd, 52nd Overall)

Key Losses

QB Malik Willis
RB Emanuel Wilson
WR Romeo Doubs
WR Dontayvion Wicks
TE John FitzPatrick
LT Rasheed Walker
C Elgton Jenkins

DL Colby Wooden
EDGE Rashan Gary
EDGE Kingsley Enagbare
LB Quay Walker
CB Nate Hobbs

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Biggest Questions Entering 2026

What can we expect from the defense?
This is the biggest question with this team on so many fronts. The Micah Parsons situation is at the top of the list. It sounds like he won’t be back until mid-season. And when he does return, given the nature of the injury, there’s no telling if he’ll be his normal explosive self.

As the end of last year showed, that could be a problem.

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Head Coach: Ben Johnson
Offensive Coordinator: Press Taylor
Defensive Coordinator: Dennis Allen
Special Teams Coordinator: Richard Hightower

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 11-6)

In Ben Johnson’s first season as Bears head coach, Chicago shocked the football world and ended up winning arguably the toughest division in the NFL.

Entering his second year in the league, it was important for Caleb Williams to have support around him in order to develop. He needed it from his receivers, from his running backs, and from his protection. Most importantly, he needed it from the offensive scheme and play caller.

He got it in just about every area.

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The Bears’ running game was one of the worst in the NFL during his rookie season (25th in yards, 27th in yards per attempt). Last year, it ranked 3rd in both.

As for weapons, the Bears already had some decent pass catchers, but they drafted tight end Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick, and he went on to lead the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.

Ben Johnson’s scheme also put Williams in position to succeed. He implemented an offense that spent more time under center than Williams had previously (5th in the NFL last season). He utilized a heavy dose of “12” personnel (2 tight ends), using it at the 6th highest frequency in the league according to SumerSports. He leaned on a versatile run game and took advantage with play-action off of it. The Bears finished the season with the 2nd-highest frequency of play-action passes according to Pro Football Focus.

A good run game and play-action are a quarterback’s best friends.

Johnson’s use of personnel and formation also got defenses to play a high frequency of single-high coverage (3rd in the NFL according to of MatchQuarters), which is generally a little more predictable and easier to throw against. Williams and the passing game took advantage, finishing 8th in EPA vs. single-high.

On the defensive side of the ball, the numbers weren’t great, but Chicago got by mostly via the turnover, leading the league in takeaways.

The end result was an NFC North division title and a playoff run that fell just short of an appearance in the NFC Championship Game.

Key Additions

WR Kalif Raymond
WR Zavion Thomas (3rd Rd, 89th Overall)
WR Scotty Miller
TE Sam Roush (3rd Rd, 69th Overall)
C Garrett Bradbury
C Logan Jones (2nd Rd, 57th Overall)

DL Neville Gallimore
DL James Lynch
DL Kentavius Street
LB Devin Bush Jr.
LB Keyshaun Elliott (5th Rd, 166th Overall)
CB Malik Muhammad (4th Rd, 124th Overall)
S Dillon Thieneman (1st Rd, 25th Overall)
S Coby Bryant
S Cam Lewis

Key Losses

WR D.J. Moore
WR Olamide Zaccheaus
TE Durham Smythe
C Drew Dalman

DL Andrew Billings
DL Chris Williams
EDGE Dominique Robinson
EDGE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
LB Tremaine Edmunds
CB Nahshon Wright
CB Nick McCloud
S Jaquan Brisker
S Kevin Byard
S C.J. Gardner-Johnson

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Biggest Questions Entering 2026

Was last season a mirage?
The Bears were no doubt an improved football team in 2025. But is the success that they had replicable this season?

Chicago had 11 wins during the regular season and stole a playoff game against the Packers with a thrilling last-minute comeback.

7 of their 12 total wins, in fact, were 4th-quarter come-from-behind victories in the final 2 minutes of the game (they almost had an 8th in the Divisional Round).

Don’t get me wrong, the ability to win at the end of games is a skill more than a fluke. And Caleb Williams was absolutely phenomenal in the final minutes of most games last season. But the Bears can’t count on playing the same way this year and getting the exact same outcome.

There is always a little bit of luck involved in making miraculous comebacks. One bounce here, one tipped pass at the line of scrimmage there, and the outcome can change. Put the ball a few inches off target on a pivotal 4th down, and you’re going home with the loss:

Similarly, the way the Bears played on the defensive side of the ball doesn’t seem entirely sustainable or replicable. Chicago led the NFL in takeaways last season, but their defense struggled if they couldn’t generate turnovers. They were bottom-10 in points allowed and bottom-5 in yards allowed.

Turnovers are a finicky thing. Again, like last-second comeback wins, they are more skill than fluke. But it’s hard to repeat that style of play with the same results from year to year. And I’m not sure they made enough improvements on defense to be effective without them.

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• What will the Eagles offense look like under Sean Mannion?

• Do the Cowboys have enough on defense?

• Are the Commanders in trouble with two inexperienced coordinators?

• Can John Harbaugh right the ship?

I hope you enjoy!

Head Coach: Jeff Hafley
Offensive Coordinator: Bobby Slowik
Defensive Coordinator: Sean Duggan
Special Teams Coordinator: Chris Tabor

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 7-10)

Mike McDaniel’s tenure in Miami may have fizzled out with a 7-10 season, but his time as Dolphins Head Coach was the best run this franchise has had since Dave Wannstedt led the team from 2000-04.

Ultimately, the defense never got to where it needed to be. And the offense, while dynamic at times, was too reliant on the scheme at the most important position.

In the first two years of the McDaniels-Tua Tagovailoa era, the passing game was seemingly unstoppable at times due to its impeccable timing:

The league caught up over the last two seasons though. Sure, injuries played a factor, but the biggest issue was Tua’s inability to win late in the down since he’s not a good scrambler and doesn’t have the strongest arm.

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The more defenses found ways to take away his first read and make him hold the ball, the more you saw plays like this:

And this:

And this:

It makes sense that the Dolphins decided to go in a completely different direction this offseason, releasing Tua and signing a more physically gifted quarterback in Malik Willis (more on that below).

Similarly, the Dolphins went in the opposite direction as a team, hiring a defensive head coach in Jeff Hafley after four years with an offensive guru in McDaniel.

Miami had a lot of personnel turnover this offseason in an effort to rebuild their roster. More than half of their salary cap will go towards players not on the team this year. They cut some good talent, drafted 12 players, and will be in what you can politely categorize as a “transition” year.

Key Additions

QB Malik Willis
WR Jalen Tolbert
WR Tutu Atwell
WR Caleb Douglas (3rd Rd, 75th Overall)
WR Chris Bell (3rd Rd, 94th Overall)
WR Kevin Coleman (5th Rd, 177th Overall)
TE Will Kacmarek (3rd Rd, 87th Overall)
TE Seydou Traore (5th Rd, 180th Overall)
LG Kadyn Proctor (1st Rd, 12th Overall)
OT Jamaree Salyer
OT Charlie Heck

EDGE Joshua Uche
EDGE David Ojabo
EDGE Trey Moore (4th Rd, 130th Overall)
LB Jacob Rodriguez (2nd Rd, 43rd Overall)
LB Kyle Louis (4th Rd, 138th Overall)
LB Ronnie Harrison
CB Chris Johnson (1st Rd, 27th Overall)
CB Darrell Baker
CB Alex Austin
S Lonnie Johnson Jr.
S Michael Taaffe (5th Rd, 158th Overall)

Key Losses

QB Tua Tagovailoa
FB Alec Ingold
WR Jaylen Waddle
WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
WR Cedrick Wilson Jr.
WR Tyreek Hill
TE Julian Hill
TE Darren Waller
RG Cole Strange
RT Larry Borom
G/T Daniel Brunskill

DL Benito Jones
EDGE Bradley Chubb
EDGE Jaelan Phillips
EDGE Matthew Judon
LB K.J. Britt
CB Jack Jones
CB Rasul Douglas

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Biggest Questions Entering 2026

Did the Dolphins make the right move at quarterback by signing Malik Willis?
I don’t think many people expected the Dolphins to sign arguably the top free agent quarterback during an offseason where they released Tua Tagovailoa and are on the hook for $54 million of guaranteed money.

But they did, taking a chance on a QB with just 6 career starts under his belt in 4 NFL seasons.

To be fair, Malik Willis is a very talented player. He can throw the hell out of the ball:

He can escape pressure and keep plays alive with his legs:

He’ll make the designed run game better:

Most importantly, he’s improved over his last two seasons in Green Bay. He’s been far more accurate, completing 80% of his passes during his Packers tenure. On throws traveling 20 yards or more from the line of scrimmage, he completed 13 of 15 attempts over the last two seasons. He’s also played with far better timing in his limited action.

The concerns with Willis are that he was in a perfect situation as a back up in Green Bay. He had tremendous talent around him. He had a great play-caller and designer in Matt LaFleur. When he played, it was in small sample sizes where LaFleur could take advantage of defenses not knowing exactly how to play him. Over a 17-game season, that won’t be the case.

Willis will need to play the position with more nuance to thrive in a full season, and it’s in this area where there are the most questions about his abilities.

For instance, vision is a trait where I’ve always had concerns with Willis, even coming out of college. He didn’t always see the field well. Sometimes, he didn’t see defenders ahead of the throw, and that would lead to turnovers or risky passes. Other times, he would miss opportunities because he didn’t always see open receivers on time.

That’s continued to an extent in the NFL. I haven’t really seen Willis work many passing concepts in the middle of the field.

In fact, of the 155 passes he’s thrown in his NFL career, he has attempted a staggeringly-low 9 passes between the numbers 10 yards or more from the line of scrimmage. That’s just 5.8% of all his throws.

The ability to attack between the numbers at the intermediate level is generally a decent barometer for how good a quarterback’s vision and processing are. That’s because you have to be able to see more of the field and account for more defenders near the throw. The quarterbacks who don’t see or process that well tend to stay to the outside.

And as I’ve written about with Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, the inability to work the middle generally limits a passing game.

I think there’s legitimate reason for Dolphins fans to be excited about Willis. He has no physical limitations like Tua did. But there is still so much unknown.

What will the offense look like?
The Dolphins moved on from Tyreek Hill and traded away Jaylen Waddle this offseason. So the biggest question is, who will Malik Willis be throwing to?

Right now, their top 3 receivers are Jalen Tolbert, Tutu Atwell, and Malik Washington. They also drafted 3 receivers this year between picks 75 and 177. Perhaps someone emerges. But as things stand now, it looks pretty bleak.

The best thing the Dolphins have going for them is that they still have a good running game featuring De’Von Achane to build around. Achane ran for 1,350 yards and a league-leading 5.7 yards per attempt last season. He also added 488 yards on 67 receptions. He’ll be the key weapon (the only weapon?) for the Dolphins to feature in 2026.

And I imagine they’ll want to run the ball pretty frequently seeing as they drafted a bruising, massive, 6’6” 350-pound left tackle in Kadyn Proctor with the 12th overall pick and plan to play him at guard.

I’m also curious to see how new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik approaches things. It’s his second year in Miami but his first as their offensive coordinator. While OC for the Texans in 2023, he did a good job developing C.J. Stroud during his rookie season.

He’ll have similar work cut out for him this year with what I guess you could call a 5th-year rookie in Willis.

Slowik comes from the Shanahan tree and likes to operate under center. The question, though, is does that make the most sense here? One of the best aspects of Willis’s game is his legs. The most dangerous element of this offense will be the read-option run game with Willis and Achane stressing the defense. If Miami operates too much under center, a big part of that goes away.

Willis has predominantly operated out of shotgun during his career. Although, he did start to play a bit more from under center with LaFleur (another Shanahan disciple) in Green Bay.

Regardless, if it were me, I’d operate out of gun and ride the Willis-Achane combo as far as they could take me.

Can Jeff Hafley turn the defense around immediately?
As I mentioned above, the Dolphins went in a different direction by hiring former Packers Defensive Coordinator Jeff Hafley as head coach after being an offense-first team for 4 years.

Hafley was very effective in his two season in Green Bay. In his first year, he made an immediate impact. The Packers finished 6th in points allowed and 5th in yards (that’s not something that happened very often in Green Bay over the previous two decades).

Last season, the Packers defense once again ranked 6th in points and 5th in yards entering their Week 15 game against the Broncos. Then Micah Parsons got hurt and the wheels fell off.

Either way, Packers fans were not happy to see Hafley go.

The difference between that situation and the situation Hafley will face in Miami, however, is the talent. He won’t be dealing with a full deck in that department this season and that will make things tough.

One similarity, though, is that the Packers didn’t have a great situation at cornerback, and neither do the Dolphins this year.

In Green Bay, Hafley couldn’t just leave his defense in man coverage and let his players win with talent. Instead, he had to find ways to get the most out of his secondary. He leaned on zone coverage nearly 80% of the time in both seasons, which put the Packers near the top of the league. He was clearly effective in doing so.

This is interesting because Hafley was considered more of a man-coverage defensive mind before joining the Packers. Which shows he clearly has the ability to adjust to his personnel.

He’ll likely need to take a similar approach in Miami to what he did in Green Bay.

In general, Hafley’s scheme seemed to enhance Green Bay’s performance everywhere. He used lots of stunts and sim pressures (more so in his first year before Parsons arrived) to manufacture a pass rush:

We’re likely to see a lot of that this season as he tries to get this Dolphins defense turned around quickly.

2026 Outlook

The Dolphins might be in store for a rough season. They got rid of key talent and replaced it with a lot of inexperience. They selected 12 players in this year’s draft and might need to lean on more than half of those picks to play significant snaps. That’s what happens when half of your salary cap goes towards paying players who aren’t on your team.

The biggest thing that the Dolphins can hope for, though, is clarity at the QB position moving forward. Hopefully they find out this year if Malik Willis is the player to build around. If not, the answer will lie in the 2027 QB draft class.

Head Coach: Aaron Glenn
Offensive Coordinator: Frank Reich
Defensive Coordinator: Brian Duker
Special Teams Coordinator: Chris Banjo

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 3-14)

What can you say about the 2025 Jets? They were a disaster. One of the worst teams in football. The laughingstock of the NFL once again.

Just look at these numbers:

Excuse me one second:

New York couldn’t stop anyone. They couldn’t get interceptions or force turnovers. They couldn’t get to the quarterback.

Offensively, their QB situation was a mess. They were dead last in passing yards per game, net passing yards per attempt, and completions of 20 yards or more. They were 2nd to last in QB rating (Hey, remember when Jets fans and media used to complain about having Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback?!).

As has become Jets tradition, the next year’s draft became the main focus of discussion in October. By midseason, there were talks of making head coach Aaron Glenn one-and-done.

GM Darren Mougey started trading away players like Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, who were once thought to be the young core of a franchise turnaround.

The Jets were outscored 188-54 across their final 5 games, which looked as close to a tank as anything we’ve seen in recent memory.

It was about as ugly of a season as you can get.

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Key Additions

QB Geno Smith
QB Cade Klubnik (4th Rd, 110th Overall)
WR Omar Cooper, Jr. (1st Rd, 30th Overall)
WR Tim Patrick
TE Kenyon Sadiq (1st Rd, 16th Overall)
LG Dylan Parham

DL David Onyemata
DL T’Vondre Sweat
DL Darrell Jackson Jr. (4th Rd, 103rd Overall)
EDGE David Bailey (1st Rd, 2nd Overall)
EDGE Joseph Ossai
EDGE Kingsley Enagbare
LB Demario Davis
CB Nahshon Wright
CB D’Angelo Ponds (2nd Rd, 50th Overall)
S Minkah Fitzpatrick
S Dane Belton

Key Losses

QB Justin Fields
QB Tyrod Taylor
WR John Metchie
WR Tyler Johnson
LG John Simpson

DL Quinnen Williams
DL Jay Tufele
DL Khalen Saunders
EDGE Jermaine Johnson II
EDGE Micheal Clemons
LB Quincy Williams
CB Sauce Gardner
S Tony Adams
S Isaiah Oliver

Biggest Questions Entering 2026

How different will the Jets defense look this year?
The Jets defense was bad last season. I mean really bad. I mean I had as many interceptions sitting on my couch as the entire defense did. A big fat 0. They basically turned every opposing QB into an MVP-caliber player.

This year should be much different, however.

First, Aaron Glenn has said that he will be taking over defensive play-calling duties. That’s what he did in Detroit as the defensive coordinator, and that played a huge role in him landing a head coaching job in the first place. His butt is on the line this year and he isn’t taking any chances. Nor should he be.

And this season, he might actually have the dogs to execute the defense the way he wants to.

It starts with the pass rush.

The Jets took edge rusher David Bailey with the 2nd overall pick in this year’s draft. Bailey is a pass rusher, plain and simple. He is a natural at getting after quarterbacks, and he does so with a combination of quickness and explosive speed off the edge, as well as an assortment of effective moves:

The combo of Bailey and Will McDonald (18.5 sacks over the last two seasons) attacking off the edge with speed has the potential to help steer this defensive ship in the right direction immediately.

Not to mention, they have good pieces at all three levels now. The Jets signed 14-year veteran linebacker Demario Davis. He’s still as good and as smart as any linebacker in the league.

The Jets also traded for 8-year veteran safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Those two are going to lead this defense, and it’s hard to imagine with their experience that we’ll see as many coverage lapses and mental mistakes as we did a year ago. Not to mention, Fitzpatrick is a versatile safety who can help Glenn execute his defense in a variety of ways specific to each opponent.

The Jets also added cornerbacks Nahshon Wright (via free agency) and D’Angelo Ponds (via the draft). On paper, this secondary is much improved.

I feel that first interception coming on real soon!

Can the offense become respectable?
Your response to this might be, who cares? All that matters is 2027 and beyond. This is just a transition year all the way around and the Jets will have a new quarterback next year anyway.

While most of that might be true, the Jets would benefit by having a competent offense in 2026. The reason is not just to prevent another year of embarrassment. The reason is that you need the players around the quarterback position to be getting 17 games’ worth of quality reps.

Rookies Omar Cooper, Jr. and Kenyon Sadiq need to learn how to play their positions the right way at the NFL level. They need the routes that they run well to be rewarded with targets. They need their poorly-run routes to be met with throws out of their reach or non-targets altogether. They need good habits reinforced and bad habits removed.

Quite frankly, the same is true for players like Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, who still need more development and refinement.

The Jets collectively need 17 more games under their belt to prime the offense for whoever does become the quarterback of the future in 2027 and beyond.

That’s why they traded for a veteran like Geno Smith. That’s why they hired Frank Reich to be the offensive coordinator. They needed professionals on the team who can bring stability and make the offense a functioning operation.

And there’s no reason why, with the talent they’ve added, that offensive line, and players like Hall and Wilson returning, they can’t be respectable.

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Will the Jets be in position to get their QB of the future in next year’s draft?
The Jets are a much-improved team on both sides of the ball. But I don’t think anyone is under the illusion that they’re going to be a contender this year. And even if they are, the re-birth of this franchise starts when they get their quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft.

The question is, will they be in position to get their guy?

It’s almost impossible to predict this type of thing. The NFL is the greatest reality TV show out there, and the unexpected happens weekly.

That said, the Jets front office has done everything they can to put themselves in position to get a quarterback of the future next year. They’ve been gearing up for that 2027 QB draft class since last season, with GM Darren Mougey wheeling and dealing to ultimately get the Jets 3 first-round picks (theirs, the Colts’, and the Cowboys’).

The problem is (strangely) that the Jets had a really good offseason. They added a ton of talent. I don’t think it’s out of the question at all for them to win 6-8 games. And if they do that, they won’t be picking high enough to be able to take one of the top quarterbacks with their own pick.

Perhaps the Colts and Cowboys will have disastrous seasons that get the Jets a higher pick. Will any of those be at the very top of the draft, though? The odds aren’t great.

And at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how many picks they have. If teams like the Cardinals or Browns, who also need QBs of the future, own the top-2 picks, they likely won’t be trading out no matter what they’re offered.

It would be a shame for the Jets to end up with the 3rd or 4th best QB in the 2027 class after all the great trades and positioning they’ve done. Short of tanking or the Colts and/or Cowboys landing at the very top of the draft, their best bet is to have a team that isn’t in need of a quarterback picking near the top. They’d be more than willing to trade out and accumulate picks if they have their QB of the future. Maybe we’ll see something like that with the Raiders, for instance.

In that case, the Jets are better positioned than anyone to trade up.

All that being said, maybe the upcoming class is good enough that getting the 3rd or 4th best QB in it wouldn’t be a bad thing? Again, there are a lot of unknowns as things stand right now.

Unfortunately for the Jets, this isn’t Madden. It’s impossible to orchestrate an entire regular season with the specific goal in mind of getting the #1 overall pick. Players and coaches this year don’t give a damn about next year’s draft positioning. They want to win every week. So you won’t see them tanking just to get their quarterback of the future.

Will Aaron Glenn make it through 2026?
This question is the #1 reason why a tank isn’t happening. Aaron Glenn isn’t surviving another embarrassing season. It does him no good to drive this thing into the ground so the head coach hired after him gets to have his quarterback of the future.

Starting with his decision to call the plays, Glenn is going to do everything that he can to prove that he is the best man for the job moving forward. The best players are going to play. Development will take a back seat.

As I mentioned above, 6-8 wins is realistic for the Jets given their infusion of talent on both sides of the ball. But while that would be an improvement, it’s still a gray area where the Jets would probably feel justified either keeping Glenn or firing him.

I have a hunch that the final decision will ultimately be a feel thing. A smell test. Does he look like he has this team headed in the right direction? If he doesn’t, he won’t be around for 2027.

2026 Outlook

The expectations are low for the Jets, but as I mentioned above, they have too much new talent on the team to be as bad as they were a year ago.

The hope for Aaron Glenn is that his year 2 with the Jets goes like it did when he was the Lions Defensive Coordinator under Dan Campbell. In their first year, Detroit went 3-13-1 and looked like a mess.

Then in year 2, they added some of the players who were better fits for what they wanted to do, including #2 overall pick and edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (similar to what the Jets just did with their #2 overall pick). They started 1-6 but then won 8 of their final 10 games, narrowly missing the playoffs.

Then they became one of the best teams in the NFL.

The hope for the Jets is that they’re on a similar path.

Head Coach: Joe Brady
Offensive Coordinator: Pete Carmichael, Jr.
Defensive Coordinator: Jim Leonhard
Special Teams Coordinator: Jeff Rodgers

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 12-5)

The Bills’ 5-year reign of dominance over the rest of the AFC East came to an end in 2025, as did the tenure of head coach Sean McDermott.

As you can see from the numbers below, the Bills were one of the best overall teams in the NFL. But something seemed just a bit off all season:

As the Patriots were bursting onto the scene and taking care of business, the Bills failed to keep up. In a year where they had little margin for error, they made far too many. They had puzzling losses to teams like the Falcons and Dolphins that all but knocked them out of contention for the division title.

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Along the way, their run defense let them down time and time again. They finished 28th in rushing yards allowed per game, 30th in yards per attempt, and 29th in runs of 10 or more yards allowed.

Their inability to stop the run either led to those puzzling losses (they gave up 210 and 197 rushing yards to the Falcons and Dolphins respectively) or allowed inferior teams to keep games close.

The offense had a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde element to it. They were 15th in giveaways one year after having the fewest in the league. Josh Allen was a little more careless with the ball, and that played some part in Buffalo’s inability to keep pace with the Patriots.

But possibly the most difficult pill to swallow about the 2025 season was that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were finally not in the way. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens also failed to make the playoffs. The Bills entered the postseason as the most experienced team in the AFC.

They ultimately couldn’t take advantage. Their 33-30 overtime loss to the Broncos was a game with missed opportunities on both sides of the ball. The offense committed 5 turnovers. The defense let Denver off the hook.

Sean McDermott was not allowed to stick around as a result.

Key Additions

WR D.J. Moore
WR Skyler Bell (4th Rd, 125th Overall)
TE Shane Zylstra
OG Austin Corbett
C Lloyd Cushenberry III
OT Jude Bowry (4th Rd, 102nd Overall)

DL Zane Durant (5th Rd, 181st Overall)
EDGE Bradley Chubb
EDGE Mike Danna
EDGE T.J. Parker (2nd Rd, 35th Overall)
LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr (4th Rd, 126th Overall)
LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
CB Dee Alford
CB Davison Igbinosun (2nd Rd, 62nd Overall)
S C.J. Gardner-Johnson Texans
S Geno Stone
S Jalon Kilgore (5th Rd, 167th Overall)

Key Losses

FB Reggie Gilliam
WR Gabe Davis
WR Brandin Cooks
LG David Edwards
OT Ryan Van Demark

DL DaQuan Jones
DL Larry Ogunjobi
DL Jordan Phillips
EDGE Joey Bosa
EDGE A.J. Epenesa
LB Matt Milano
LB Shaq Thompson
CB Tre’Davious White
CB Taron Johnson
S Jordan Poyer
S Cam Lewis
S Taylor Rapp

Biggest Questions Entering 2026

Will the team around Josh Allen finally rise to his level?
Most still focus on Allen’s super-human physical abilities when discussing him, but his game really has become more and more advanced with each season.

I wrote about a couple of great examples showing this from Buffalo’s playoff win over the Jaguars last season:

Allen can’t do it all alone, though. And unfortunately, he hasn’t had the help around him that he’s needed to win a Super Bowl.

His receiving corps has been underwhelming. The league agrees with this because the Bills have seen the highest frequency of man coverage over the last 3 seasons according to of MatchQuarters.

You don’t traditionally see that against a quarterback who can burn you with his legs because defensive coordinators don’t want their defenders turning their backs to him. Opposing teams have had such little respect for the ability of Bills receivers to win their 1-on-1 matchups, however, that they’ve bucked this tradition and chosen to smother those receivers in man.

That’s forced Allen to be extra precise with his passes to get big completions or turned games into sandlot showdowns between one man and the rest of the defense.

Allen has been so good that he’s been able to have success playing this way. Every year, however, it seems to catch up to Buffalo by season’s end.

James Cook and the run game were definitely the most complementary element of Buffalo’s offense last season. They finished the year with the number-1 rushing attack in the NFL (159.6 yards per game) and the 2nd-most runs of 10 yards or more.

Allen is obviously a huge part of making that Bills run game the best in the league, though. He led all quarterbacks with 579 rushing yards, 46 first downs, and 14 touchdowns last season.

The Bills traded for wide receiver D.J. Moore this offseason. That’s definitely a good start in giving Allen a receiver that defenses actually have to be concerned about.

Hopefully tight end Dalton Kincaid can stay on the field this year and continue to be more of a threat as well. He actually had a decent season last year (with career highs in yards per reception and touchdowns) despite only playing in 27% of the offensive snaps during the regular season.

The bottom line, though, is that someone besides Allen has to step up and make a play in the most critical moments.

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Will the situational lapses go away?
Scheme was never really the issue on the defensive side of the ball with Sean McDermott. The Bills always used a good assortment of disguise and trickery, and there were several years where the defense ranked at or near the top of the league.

The issue under McDermott was always the poor defensive performances in the playoffs and the situational lapses.

Last year they allowed 33 points to the Broncos in the Divisional round, ending their season.

The year before, it was the AFC Championship game against the Chiefs. They allowed 32 points to an offense that really struggled all year.

The year before that, they allowed 27 points to a Chiefs offense that again wasn’t rolling on all cylinders.

The year before that, they allowed 27 points at home in the snow to the Bengals.

The year before that, they allowed 42 to the Chiefs.

The year before that, they allowed 38 to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

All with a defensive head coach.

Their inability to manage end-of-game critical situations was even more damning.

We can go all the way back to 2019 and Josh Allen’s first career playoff game. The Bills were in Houston playing the Texans. Not only did they blow a 16-0 lead in the second half, but when they were in overtime, the Texans faced a 3rd-and-18 in their own territory. Buffalo should have been able to easily get a stop, force a punt, and then hopefully drive down the field to kick the game-winning field goal.

But Deshaun Watson dumped the ball off to his running back, and he was able to easily scamper for the first down:

That’s inexcusable on 3rd-and-18. The Texans would eventually go on to kick the game-winning field goal, ending the Bills’ season.

Fast forward to 2021 vs. the Chiefs in the Divisional round. “13 seconds.” This is the one that every Bills fan remembers in what was an absolutely unbelievable back-and-forth game between Allen and Mahomes.

Allen finally put the Bills ahead, 36-33 with 13 seconds remaining:

They should have won the game right then and there. But then the Bills made a bunch of critical mistakes in their decision-making, beginning with the decision to kick the ball into the end zone for a touchback and not take any time off the clock.

And then they allowed the Chiefs to cover 44 yards on two plays, only taking 10 seconds off the clock in the process.

The defense they played was ultra-passive. They allowed receivers to get free releases off the line. They allowed Mahomes to plant his back foot and get the ball out immediately:

They seemingly didn’t take the clock into account. They didn’t have a strategy deployed to force the Chiefs to waste any time. And we all know what happened. K.C. kicked a relatively easy game-tying field goal. They won the coin toss in overtime and scored a touchdown.

Game over. Season over.

Then you had last season against the Broncos. This one won’t go down as quite as obvious of a blunder, but the Bills led 27-23 with about two and a half minutes to go. The Broncos had the ball and faced a 3rd-and-11.

The Bills started in single high. They were trying to disguise and ended up playing a non-traditional Tampa-2 coverage.

Cole Bishop, who was the deep safety to start the play, ended up dropping down to become the hook defender. He should have been in the throwing lane where Bo Nix ended up delivering the ball. But he inexplicably decided to jump a receiver at the line of scrimmage who was breaking to the flat:

Now that’s one of those situations where you do not react to receivers in the “no-cover zone.” This is an area of the field near the line of scrimmage (depending on the down and distance) where defenders are not supposed to match up to routes until receivers have gotten far enough downfield. You stay in position, hold your ground, and mind the first down line.

Bishop didn’t do that here. He broke for the flat when there was no need for him to do so. Nix threw the ball right behind him for a big completion, and the Broncos would go on to score a touchdown and take the lead.

But that’s just another example of poor situational football. You can blame the player all you want, but we’ve seen too many instances where the individual players on the Bills continue to have these blunders. All that can indicate is that situational football is not something that was emphasized and/or drilled enough by the coaching staff.

And ultimately, that’s why McDermott had to go. It kept happening year after year.

So while the defense will be running a new scheme this year, and new head coach Joe Brady might alter his approach on offense now that he’s calling the shots, both of those are less significant questions to me than “can the Bills handle critical situations better?”

And we won’t know if Brady and Leonhard are the guys to help them do that until February of next year.

What will Jim Leonhard’s defense look like?
That said, I am still very interested (and excited) to see how the scheme that Leonhard implements helps this defense.

Overall, the Bills are going to look much different on this side of the ball than in years past.

First, they had a fair amount of personnel turnover this offseason. Of the 14 defenders who played more than 40% of snaps last regular season, 8 are no longer on the roster as of right now.

Schematically, Leonhard will likely have a far more aggressive approach than McDermott did. We’re going to see an attack 3-4 centered around disruption and penetration, complete with a variety of blitzes and sim pressures.

I tend to think the defenses that can make the biggest impact in year 1 are the aggressive ones that put offenses on their heels mentally. To me, that provides hope for the Bills that this isn’t a multi-year reboot on that side of the ball. They can become dominant immediately.

And an aggressive approach on defense might be a way for the Bills to win games without Allen needing to be Superman every week.

2026 Outlook

The Bills should still be one of the favorites in the AFC. Perhaps they should be THE favorite entering the season.

Josh Allen has been the best player in the NFL over the last few years. And no team has been more dependent on their quarterback than Buffalo has.

It’s long past time for everyone around him to pick up the slack. Maybe a new head coach and defensive approach can finally help the Bills find a way to do that.

Head Coach: Mike Vrabel
Offensive Coordinator: Josh McDaniels
Defensive Coordinator: Zak Kuhr
Special Teams Coordinator: Jeremy Springer

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 14-3)

Last year, Mike Vrabel led the Patriots to one of the best single-season turnarounds in NFL history, going from a 4-13 team picking in the top-5 of the draft to a 14-3 team and AFC Champions.

As you can see from the numbers above, the Patriots had very few weaknesses on either side of the ball.

Their offense thrived due to the emergence of 2nd-year quarterback Drake Maye. He completed 72% of his passes, but we’re not talking about a quarterback who dinked and dunked his way to that 72%. He attacked downfield regularly, leading the NFL in intended air yards per attempt.

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That was a huge part of their passing game as the Patriots finish the year with the 2nd-most completions of 20 yards or more.

New England also had an effective, downhill running game that relied predominantly on gap-scheme runs and moving the line of scrimmage. It also helped to have a quarterback who could make plays with his legs. Every time Maye scrambled, it seemed like he picked up a big chunk of yards.

The end result was a run game that finished 6th in the NFL.

On the other side of the ball, Vrabel blended physicality, toughness, and a variety of schemes to help turn the Patriots into the #4 scoring defense in the NFL.

The end result was a surprise run to Super Bowl LX that fell just short.

Key Additions

FB Reggie Gilliam
WR A.J. Brown
WR Romeo Doubs
TE Eli Raridon (3rd Rd, 95th Overall)
TE Julian Hill
LG Alijah Vera-Tucker
OT Caleb Lomu (1st Rd, 28)

EDGE Dre’Mont Jones
EDGE Gabe Jacas (2nd Rd, 55th Overall)
LB K.J. Britt
CB Kindle Vildor
CB Karon Prunty (5th Rd, 171st Overall)
S Kevin Byard

Key Losses

WR Stefon Diggs
TE Austin Hooper
C Garrett Bradbury
OT Vederian Lowe

DL Khyiris Tonga
EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson
EDGE Anfernee Jennings
LB Jack Gibbens
LB Jahlani Tavai
CB Alex Austin
S Jaylinn Hawkins

Biggest Questions Entering 2026

Which Patriots offense is the real Patriots offense?
As mentioned above, the Patriots offense was dynamic during the regular season. Once they got to the playoffs, however, things changed dramatically.

Some might attribute that to a variety of factors, including injuries and weather. It’s hard not to point out, however, that the level of competition played the most critical role in the offense’s substantial drop off.

Right now, you’re probably saying “thanks Captain Obvious, competition is always better in the playoffs.” And you’re not wrong there.

The point, though, is that maybe the level of competition that they faced, good or bad, played the biggest role in their performance.

For instance, they did not face one Top-10 scoring defense until they got to the playoffs. Then, they faced 4 top-10 defenses in a row. And their dip in play was extreme.

They went from scoring 29 points per game during the regular season to just 15 in the playoffs. They went from averaging 250 passing yards per game to just 174. They were seemingly only able to run the ball when Maye scrambled, as their running backs averaging just 3.3 yards per carry during the postseason. Their protection was middle of the back in the regular season but a huge liability in the playoffs, allowing a whopping 21 sacks in 4 games.

The change in Maye’s performance was significant as well. He went from completing 72% of his passes for 8.9 yards per attempt and a 113.5 passer rating during the regular season…

To completing just 58% of his passes for 6.9 yards per attempt and an 82.2 rating during the playoffs...

Maye turned the ball over just 11 times in 17 regular season games. He gave it away 8 times in 4 playoff games:

Every good offense beats up on bad competition. So that shouldn’t be held against the Patriots. But the elite offenses also perform well against the best defenses.

So it’s fair to ask as we head into 2026, which offense is the real Patriots offense? The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle, as it often does.

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Is A.J. Brown primed for a huge season?
A.J. Brown is a great fit with the Patriots for a variety of reasons. Aside from the fact that he developed under Mike Vrabel in Tennessee and apparently loves playing for him, he is exactly the type of receiver the Patriots need.

Brown had a bit of a down year last season, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s because he lost a step or anything. I think it had more to do with the circumstances of the Eagles passing game.

Despite some of the uncharacteristic drops and moments we saw last season, he is still every bit of a bona fide #1 receiver, and that’s the type of player that the Patriots really didn’t have last season.

They didn’t have a guy like Brown who you could line up outside the numbers, and anytime Maye saw him in a 1-on-1, he could get him the ball.

He doesn’t necessarily create a ton of separation, but you know when he’s in a 1-on-1 matchup, he’s going to get a good release off the line, run a good route, and track the ball, and make contested catches:

He really has been one of the best receivers in 1-on-1 situations. And you know Maye is going to attack downfield with him for some big plays all season. He’ll lead the league in intended air yards per attempt again, or come close to it.

On top of all that, Josh McDaniels knows how to deploy his receivers and get the most out of them. Even though Brown is more of your prototypical outside the numbers receiver, he can align anywhere and effectively run in-breaking routes in the middle of the field.

Not to mention, you pair him with the Patriots’ other new pass-catching addition, Romeo Doubs, and the Patriots are going to have even more ways to attack defenses than they did a year ago.

I am very interested to see how McDaniels utilizes his new weapons.

What will the offensive line look like?
Pressure played a huge role in the drop off of the Patriots offense in the playoffs. Rookie left tackle Will Campbell was a huge topic of discussion, from his arm length to the knee injury that he played through, to the thought of moving him from tackle to guard.

The only thing that appears certain to me is that Campbell’s play dropped off in the playoffs because his knee was compromised. Maybe he’ll move inside long term, but Vrabel has sounded pretty adamant this offseason that he isn’t moving.

That said, the Patriots used their first-round draft pick on a tackle, Caleb Lomu. While the idea is that he might be a swing tackle who can be a long-term solution at right tackle, could we see him become the left tackle at some point this season, though?

The Patriots are moving left guard Jared Wilson inside to center and relying on Alijah Vera-Tucker to replace him. The problem is, AVT simply can’t be counted on.

He missed 10 games in 2022, 12 games in 2023, and all of the 2025 season. He’s unfortunately had too many serious injuries, which made the Patriots decision to give him a 3-year deal this offseason a risky one.

If he can’t go at left guard at any point or for long stretches during the season, will the Patriots consider moving Campbell inside and putting Lomu at left tackle? Will Lomu go to left guard instead?

Your guess is as good as mine. One thing is clear after their offensive performance in the playoffs, though: the Patriots have to get the O-line right to get back to where they want to this season.

How will the Patriots generate a pass rush?
The Pats didn’t have many weaknesses on defense last season. But their pass rush could probably be considered a bit of a hole. They finished the year 24th in pressure percentage and 22nd in sacks.

On top of that, they lost edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson this offseason. Chaisson finished 2nd on the team in sacks during the regular season and tied for the lead with 3.0 during the playoffs.

The Patriots’ main pass-rushing additions this offseason were Dre’Mont Jones and rookie Gabe Jacas, who they drafted with the 55th overall pick.

While those two might be able to fill some or all of the pass-rushing holes, I still don’t know if they are an improved unit from a year ago. I wonder if Vrabel is going to just choose to lean more on aggressive pressure schemes to generate a pass rush, similar to what he did in the playoffs.

During the regular season, the Patriots did mix in some blitz pressure (~26%). In the playoffs, however, they went insane with it. They nearly doubled their blitz frequency to 48% of all dropbacks. And they had great success doing so, getting pressure on 53% of those blitzes:

Opposing quarterbacks completed just 39% of passes for 4.18 yards per attempt, and a 49.1 passer rating. Ridiculous.

Will Vrabel decide to take a similar approach this year by saving his ammunition for the playoffs? Or will he go all in from day 1?

How will the Patriots fare against an actual NFL schedule (just kidding)?
This question is bound to piss off Patriots fans, but it’s worth asking. A lot went right for New England last year, which is what any team needs to get the Super Bowl in general. Their schedule was certainly one big part of that.

The Patriots played just 3 games against teams that finished with a winning record, going 1-2 in those games. And look, you can’t blame the Patriots for their schedule. They took care of business against bad teams in ways that other teams, like the Bills, just didn’t. So the schedule doesn’t mean that the Patriots were aCtuALly a bad team. It just means their win total might have been a bit inflated, which is helpful to know when projecting 2026.

They are not going to see that same schedule this year. New England will play the Seahawks, Lions, Packers, Bears, Bills (twice), Steelers, Jaguars, Broncos, Chargers, and Chiefs. There aren’t many easy games on the schedule, at least as things stand right now.

2026 Outlook

Based on the moves they made this offseason, the Patriots are a better team on paper than they were a year ago when they reached the Super Bowl. Theoretically, the players that are returning will be improved and more comfortable based on this being their second year in Vrabel and McDaniels’ systems.

But there’s no question that the Patriots will have a tougher road this season. The AFC looks to be a juggernaut. Their schedule is more difficult. And their days of sneaking up on anyone are over.

Head Coach: Dan Quinn
Offensive Coordinator: David Blough
Defensive Coordinator: Daronte Jones
Special Teams Coordinator: Larry Izzo

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 5-12)

Dan Quinn’s first season in Washington was a pleasant surprise. The Commanders went 12-5, won two playoff games, and made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game. Then they got blown out by the Eagles, 55-23.

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Unfortunately for Washington, last year they seemed to pick up where they left off against the Eagles. Their defense couldn’t stop anyone all season:

They didn’t do anything well on that side of the ball last year. Their pass defense was atrocious, and it didn’t matter what coverage they called. Washington finished the season 31st in EPA against when playing MOFC coverage (middle of the field closed) and 30th when playing MOFO (middle of the field open), according to of MatchQuarters.

Washington also couldn’t stop the run (30th in yards), generate takeaways (31st), get off the field (23rd on 3rd down), or hold offenses to 3 points instead of 7 in the red zone (31st in red zone defense).

The offense wasn’t without its issues either. Although many of those were brought on by injury. Quarterback Jayden Daniels wasn’t able to build on his phenomenal rookie season and missed 10 games. Running back Austin Ekeler missed 15 games. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin played in just 41% of the team’s offensive snaps.

The good fortune experienced by the offense one year earlier was nowhere to be seen in 2025.

Key Additions

RB Rachaad White
RB Kaytron Allen (6th Rd, 187th Overall)
WR Antonio Williams (3rd Rd, 71st Overall)
WR Van Jefferson
WR Dyami Brown
TE Chigoziem Okonkwo

DL Tim Settle
DL D.J. Davidson
EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson
EDGE Odafe Oweh
EDGE Charles Omenihu
EDGE Joshua Josephs (5th Rd, 147th Overall)
LB Sonny Styles (1st Rd, 7th Overall)
LB Leo Chenal
CB Amik Robertson
CB Ahkello Witherspoon
CB Rasul Douglas
S Nick Cross

Key Losses

RB Chris Rodriguez
WR Deebo Samuel
WR Chris Moore
TE Zach Ertz
C Tyler Biadasz

DL Eddie Goldman
DL Jalyn Holmes
EDGE Jacob Martin
EDGE Von Miller
EDGE Preston Smith
LB Bobby Wagner
CB Marshon Lattimore
CB Jonathan Jones
CB Noah Igbinoghene

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Biggest Questions Entering 2026

Can Jayden Daniels stay healthy?
This is the first and most important question with this team. His slight build and ability to stay on the field at the NFL level were some of the only concerns with Daniels coming out of college. The issue didn’t really pop up in 2024, but last year, he missed 10 games due to injury.

Even when Daniels did play, he couldn’t seem to capture the rhythm that made him such an unbelievable story during his rookie year. His numbers dropped off pretty much everywhere. His completion percentage went from 69% to 60.6%. Yards per attempt dropped from 7.4 to 6.7. His passer rating dropped from 100.1 to 88.1.

Until further notice, I’m happy to attribute this to Daniels battling through injuries and being in and out of the lineup. You don’t go from playing the quarterback position at such an advanced level physically and mentally to a mediocre QB in just one offseason.

And that’s exactly what Daniels showed as a rookie. He has advanced traits, from his poise in the face of pressure, to his quick processing and anticipation skills, to his ability to shatter defenses with his legs:

As Daniels goes, this team will go. There is nothing more important to the Commanders’ success. He has to remain on the field in 2026.

Will the David Blough hiring work out?
Washington added a few new faces on offense, but the biggest change is at the offensive coordinator position. The Commanders and Kliff Kingsbury parted ways just one year after he played an instrumental role in Daniels’ tremendous rookie season.

Washington promoted from within, giving David Blough the job. Blough played quarterback in the NFL from 2019-23 before joining the Commanders’ coaching staff under Kingsbury as the Assistant QBs Coach. That’s quite the risky move to go from Kingsbury to such an inexperienced coach for such an important position.

It’s hard to predict exactly what Blough’s scheme will look like. We can make assumptions based on his experience and some of the comments he’s made this offseason. Basically, he’s going to use his time playing for Kevin O’Connell and Ben Johnson and coaching under Kingsbury for 2 years to create a super-duper hybrid of all the best systems in the NFL and tailor it specifically to his players.

Or more accurately, we won’t know sh*t until we see it in action. And if Daniels can’t stay healthy, whatever plans he currently has will go out the window.

Regardless of what Blough does, keeping Daniels on the field will be a top priority. And that might be done by leaning more on his running backs to carry the rushing attack.

It sounds like he wants to operate more from under center than out of shotgun, which might help keep Daniels healthy since he won’t have as many read-option opportunities out of shotgun where he can keep the ball and put his body in harm’s way. But that also means his legs, which are a huge weapon, might not be as big of a factor.

Will the Commanders run Brian Flores’ Scheme?
After a disastrous 2025, the Commanders defense needed a complete overhaul. If you look at the key additions above, you can see that their defense is basically going to look brand-spanking new.

Schematically, that just might be the case as well.

When Dan Quinn arrived in 2024, he brought over his defense as well as Joe Whitt, Jr. to run it. But by hiring Daronte Jones as the defensive coordinator this offseason, Quinn might be ready to turn his defense over to a new scheme altogether. And an exciting one at that.

While Jones has limited experience as a defensive coordinator, he coached under Vikings DC Brian Flores during the last 3 seasons. In case you weren’t aware, Flores is known for his aggressiveness and exotic blitz schemes. You can learn more about them here:

Jones has mentioned that his defense won’t be an exact carbon copy of what Flores runs in Minnesota, but he did indicate that there will be a lot of overlap.

Linebackers are particularly important cogs in this defense. They need to be interchangeable with the ability to read the O-line at the snap and quickly make the decision to blitz or drop out based on the protection.

Despite the loss of Bobby Wagner, the Commanders appear to have the dogs to run those Flores-type pressure schemes successfully.

The signed Leo Chenal away from the Chiefs, who brings with him the ability to do it all at the linebacker position. His experience in Steve Spagnuolo’s complex defense should serve him well in Washington.

The Commanders also used their 7th overall pick on linebacker Sonny Styles, who’s 6’5”, 244 pounds, and moves like a defensive back:

Perhaps most importantly for Jones’ defense, he has really good timing when he blitzes (which takes good recognition):

Frankie Luvu is another linebacker on the roster that might be a great fit for Jones’ aggressive system. In 2023, when he was playing more from an off-the-ball position, he was excellent at blitzing (even ranking first among linebackers in pass rushing according Pro Football Focus).

Last year, however, he spent more time on the edge as an outside linebacker/edge rusher (43% of his snaps according to PFF). That didn’t really play to his strengths, and he struggled as a result. The hope is he’ll have more success in Jones’ system blitzing inside.

The system also allows cornerbacks and safeties to sit on routes in anticipation of quick throws in response to the pressure. That should help a Commanders secondary that returns some players who struggled in coverage a year ago as well as the new joiners (Amik Robertson, Ahkello Witherspoon, Rasul Douglas, and Nick Cross).

Should Dan Quinn be on the hot seat?
What have you done for me lately? That’s the name of the game in the NFL.

And despite the fact that during Quinn’s first season, he brought the Commanders further than they had been in 33 years, last year showed that no one is safe.

Quinn parted ways with his offensive and defensive coordinators one year after reaching the NFC Championship Game. There are conflicting reports, but those moves seemed to be driven more by the front office than Quinn, which means the same thing could happen to him.

The biggest knock on Quinn would be that he is a defensive guy and his defense has been the weaker unit in both of his seasons with the Commanders. There were some significant improvements in his first season versus the year prior, but Washington got as far as the did based predominantly on the abilities of Jayden Daniels. The defense allowed 106 points in 3 playoff games (35.3 PPG).

It’s interesting that he chose to bring in someone from the Brian Flores tree to run (or add significant elements of) his style of defense instead of another coordinator who’s predominantly just going to run Quinn’s system. While there are some natural crossover elements to both styles of defense when it comes to being aggressive, this seems to be an attempt to try something different and implement one of the more modern (and unique) defensive schemes in the NFL.

Which is perhaps an acknowledgement by Quinn that he knows he needs to be willing to try something (anything) different to keep his job.

2026 Outlook

Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think real hard. If the Commanders went 5-12 again this year, would you be surprised? If they went 12-5 and went on another run deep in the playoffs, would you be surprised?

To me, the answer is no to both questions. They are one of the few teams in the NFL where that range of outcomes is realistic. Which means this could be an interesting season in Washington D.C.

Head Coach: John Harbaugh
Offensive Coordinator: Matt Nagy
Defensive Coordinator: Dennard Wilson
Special Teams Coordinator: Chris Horton

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 4-13)

The Giants have been more or less a dysfunctional franchise since firing Tom Coughlin after the 2015 season. In fact, their 55-109-1 W-L record since then is the 2nd worst in the NFL during that span.

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Last year was just as dysfunctional as any in the last decade. The Giants won just 4 games, turned the act of blowing leads into a consistent habit, fired their head coach in midseason, got rid of their defensive coordinator just a few weeks later, and couldn’t seem to get their 3rd-overall pick to show up for every single meeting and walk-through.

Par for the course over the last decade.

Order needed to be restored in this organization. Which is why they pursued an established head coach like John Harbaugh, who not only has a Super Bowl ring but knows how to get a group of men to play sound football in all three phases.

I’m not sure how much can be taken from last year’s team performance since the Giants will be so different this season. The one good thing that seemed to come from a disastrous 2025 was that they appear to have found their quarterback of the future in Jaxson Dart. Although he still has plenty to work on:

Key Additions

FB Patrick Ricard
WR Darnell Mooney
WR Calvin Austin III
WR Odell Beckham Jr.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
WR Malachi Fields (3rd Rd, 74th Overall)
TE Isaiah Likely
RG Francis Mauigoa (1st Rd, 10th Overall)
G Daniel Faalele

DL D.J. Reader
DL Shelby Harris
DL Leki Fotu
DL Sam Roberts
LB Tremaine Edmunds
LB Arvell Reese (1st Rd, 5th Overall)
CB Greg Newsome
CB Colton Hood (2nd Rd, 37th Overall)
S Jason Pinnock

Key Losses

WR Wan’Dale Robinson
TE Daniel Bellinger
RG Greg Van Roten
C Austin Schlottmann

DL Dexter Lawrence
DL D.J. Davidson
DL Rakeem Nunez-Roches
LB Bobby Okereke
LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
CB Cordale Flott
S Dane Belton

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Biggest Questions Entering 2026

Can Jaxson Dart take the next step?
In breaking down Dart’s 2025 all-22 tape, it was clear that he has a great feel for how to play the position and can make things happen with his off-schedule ability:

However, every area that can be considered a strength also needs more refinement.

He is one of the most interesting quarterbacks to keep an eye in the NFL this year because he is capable of taking off and becoming a star. But he is also capable of stagnating due to some bad habits and his overall style of play.

On the one hand, it’s encouraging that his offensive coordinator, Matt Nagy, was the Chiefs offensive coordinator in 2017 when Patrick Mahomes was a rookie.

Dart has a similar nature to a younger Mahomes in that he wants to break the structure of the play and tends to get into sandlot mode too often. That tendency needs to be reeled in.

At the same time, how much credit can be given to Nagy for Mahomes’ development when he wasn’t with the Chiefs during Mahomes’ first year as a starter (2018)? And when he moved on to take the Bears head coaching gig, he wasn’t able to develop Mitch Trubisky (the 2nd overall pick in the same draft as Mahomes) into a franchise quarterback.

At this point, you can make an argument in either direction for Nagy being the right guy to help Dart make the leap. Only time will tell.

What will the receiving corps look like?
This is one of the biggest questions with the Giants offense. The hope is that their best wide receiver, Malik Nabers will be in the lineup as his normal explosive self for the entire season. That seems to be a huge IF right now given the new information about a recent 2nd procedure on his knee and the current uncertainty that he’ll be ready for Week 1.

Even with Nabers back, the Giants have a lot of questions at #2 and beyond. They signed a ton of wide receivers this offseason (Darnell Mooney, Calvin Austin III, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and even Odell Beckham Jr.!), and they traded up to take Malachi Fields in the third round. The Giants also still have Ol’ Reliable Darius Slayton on the roster as well.

This could end up being a really good wide receiving corps. But no one can tell you exactly who will be the #2 receiver, #3, and beyond. It will be one of the major stories of the Giants’ 2026 season.

What will the offensive approach be?
This gets us to their offensive approach. We know that Harbaugh wants his offense to have a hard-nosed blue-collar element to it. He’s going to run the football both with their running backs and with Jaxson Dart (he didn’t shy away from that with Lamar Jackson in Baltimore).

The Giants have also given us a few hints this offseason that they want to major in the run game. They used their 10th overall pick on tackle Francis Mauigoa, who they’ll likely move inside to right guard. Maui will certainly bring a physical element to this O-line.

One of the most interesting (and telltale) moves that the Giants made this offseason was the addition of former Raven and defensive-tackle-turned-fullback Patrick Ricard.

In Baltimore, Ricard was used regularly in the run game as a 300-pound lead blocker who could move defenders with ease:

He’s basically like a 6th offensive lineman who operates out of the backfield. And the Giants brought him over for one purpose…to run the football.

New York also signed former Raven tight end Isaiah Likely, another indicator that the Giants’ offense might resemble Baltimore’s and lean on bigger personnel.

For instance, last year the Ravens utilized “21” and “12” personnel at the 3rd-highest rate in the NFL according to SumerSports. They used the lowest rate of “11” personnel (3 wide receivers).

If the Giants take that same approach and only need 2 receivers the majority of the time, that might easy some of the unknowns mentioned above with their receiving corps.

Still, as physical as the Giants might want to be, much will depend on the health of their backfield. Will Cam Skattebo be ready for week 1 and effective in his return from a gruesome leg injury? Will Dart be able to keep himself on the field and out of the concussion tent? Availability, as well as how good their receivers look, will likely determine much of the Giants’ offensive approach.

How big of a hole will the interior D-line be?
On paper, the Giants defense looks legit. They’ve got very good talent at all 3 levels. However, their interior D-line is a huge question mark.

The loss (via trade) of arguably the best nose tackle in the game won’t be an easy one to handle. And even before Dexter Lawrence was dealt to the Bengals, he still wasn’t enough on his own to make up for the lack of depth they had inside.

That no doubt contributed to the Giants having perhaps the worst rushing defense in the NFL last season (31st in rushing yards per game, dead last in yards per attempt and runs of 10+ yards allowed).

The Giants added a stable of defensive tackles this offseason (D.J. Reader, Shelby Harris, Leki Fotu, Sam Roberts). None are anywhere near as impactful as Lawrence. However, depth is definitely one of the most important components of a good D-line, and the Giants set out to make sure they at least had a good rotation to work with.

But opponents will definitely test the waters here. If offenses can find success running the ball inside, they can neutralize what should be a dangerous pass rush.

How will the Giants use Arvell Reese?
Reese is a complete freak of nature. He’s explosive, flies around the field, and could have been selected at the top of the draft to be solely an off-the-ball linebacker or an edge rusher:

Giants brass has indicated that they’ll pair Reese as a stacked backer with new free agent signing Tremaine Edmunds.

That makes some sense given the firepower the Giants have at edge rusher (Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux). However, new defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson doesn’t have to make him a static player. And I hope he doesn’t.

I’d love to see him used in similar fashion to how Micah Parsons was earlier in his career when Dallas aligned him in a variety of different positions (off the ball linebacker, edge rusher, inside blitzer, and even as a spy in select situations).

Perhaps Wilson can put Reese off the ball inside on early downs and let him track down ball carriers in the run game or drop out into coverage. And then once you get into more obvious passing situations, they can line him up on the edge. They can have him stand up over the center. They can have him blitz.

We can see an absolutely dangerous NASCAR 4-down pass-rushing package with Reese, Carter, Burns, and Thibodeaux. Perhaps something similar to what the Super Bowl XLVI Champion Giants had in 2011 with Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Mathias Kiwanuka:

They’ll be able to create mismatches all across the offensive line. Let’s hope they take advantage of Reese’s versatility and use him in a multitude of ways.

2026 Outlook

The bottom line is that this team has all the ingredients they need to get back to “Giant football.” Physicality on both sides of the ball. Emphasis on the run game. A dangerous pass rush. And a head coach who knows what the hell he’s doing.

It’s no surprise that they seem to be everyone’s favorite pick to have the biggest turnaround this season.

Head Coach: Brian Schottenheimer
Offensive Coordinator: Klayton Adams
Defensive Coordinator: Christian Parker
Special Teams Coordinator: Nick Sorensen

2025 Summary (W-L Record: 7-9-1)

In 2024, the Cowboys defense finished 28th in total yards allowed, 29th in yards per play, and 31st in points allowed. So entering last season, the general sentiment was that there was nowhere to go but up.

Somehow, the defense defied those expectations and found a way to keep getting worse. They finished 30th in total yards allowed, 31st in yards per play, and dead last in points allowed.

It’s a shame because the Cowboys had one of the best offenses in the league last year. On that side of the ball alone, they were capable of competing with anyone.

Perhaps the biggest reason for their success was that they recommitted to the run. That comes as no surprise considering the last name of their head coach is Schottenheimer.

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In his first year as head coach, Brian Schottenheimer helped turn the run game from a bottom-5 unit the year before to a top-10 rushing attack. The Cowboys also took advantage of their new-found run game by using play-action at the 8th-highest frequency in the NFL. They had a ton of success doing so, finishing the year 1st in completion percentage off of play-action, 6th in yards per attempt, and 6th in EPA per play:

Running the ball more frequently didn’t stop Dallas from spreading it out and utilizing one of the most dynamic receiving duos in the league (CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens). The Cowboys used 11 personnel (3 wide receivers) at the 5th-highest rate in the NFL. They finished the season 9th in completions of 20 yards or more and were the #2 passing game in the league.

Still, none of it was enough to overcome arguably the worst defense in the NFL. They finished 7-9-1 and missed the playoffs for the second straight season.

Key Additions

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
OT Drew Shelton (4th Rd, 112th Overall)

DL Otito Ogbonnia
DL Jonathan Bullard
EDGE Rashan Gary
EDGE Malachi Lawrence (1st Rd, 23rd Overall)
LB Jaishawn Barham (3rd Rd, 92nd Overall)
LB Dee Winters
CB Cobie Durant
CB Devin Moore (4th Rd, 114th Overall)
S Caleb Downs (1st Rd, 11th Overall)
S Jalen Thompson
S P.J. Locke

Key Losses

WR Jalen Tolbert
C Brock Hoffman

DL Osa Odighizuwa
DL Solomon Thomas
EDGE Jadeveon Clowney
EDGE Dante Fowler
LB Kenneth Murray
LB Jack Sanborn
CB Kaiir Elam
CB Trevon Diggs
S Donovan Wilson
S Juanyeh Thomas

Biggest Questions Entering 2026

There’s no way the defense can get worse, right?
We all said the same thing last year, but luckily for the Cowboys, there truly is nowhere to go but up this season. You can’t finish 33rd in the league in points allowed (although I guess you could always give up more total points).

In defense of their 2025 DC Matt Eberflus, it’s not easy to do your job when you unexpectedly lose Micah Parsons right before the start of the season. While I don’t think that Eberflus gave the Cowboys much of a scheme advantage each week, I also know that he didn’t enter very many games with a personnel advantage.

The good news for Dallas is that this side of the ball will look a lot different than it did at the start of last season.

After adding Kenny Clark as a part of the Micah Parsons trade, Dallas traded for Quinnen Williams last November. Williams is still one of the best interior defensive linemen in the game:

Then they flooded the zone with defensive talent this offseason. They traded for edge rusher Rashan Gary, traded for linebacker Dee Winters, and then used 4 picks in the top 114 of the NFL Draft on defensive players: Caleb Downs (S), Malachi Lawrence (EDGE), Jaishawn Barham (LB), and Devin Moore (LB).

They added versatility and athleticism up and down their defense. From a talent standpoint, they are substantially better than a year ago.

What will Christian Parker’s defense look like?
The Cowboys have had two straight years of one-and-done defensive coordinators since Dan Quinn left.

After hiring more established and experience coaches to man the position over the last two seasons, Jerrah went in a new direction this year. His new DC Christian Parker has never been a defensive coordinator at any level.

His approach will be a bit of a mystery until we get to see the Cowboys in action. Everyone’s presumption, including mine, is that he’ll be heavily influenced by Vic Fangio since he spent the last two seasons on his staff in Philadelphia (he also coached with him in Denver back in 2021). At a high level, that would indicate lots of 2-shell/quarters coverage, etc.

That said, as I pointed out in my Eagles profile yesterday, Philly played a ton of man coverage (1st in the NFL) and single-high (3rd in the NFL) last year under Fangio. So maybe he’ll lean more in that direction.

Regardless of how exactly he plays it, he’ll have a versatile chess piece in safety Caleb Downs who he can build his defense around.

Many thought Downs was the best overall player in this year’s draft. He can do it all. He can play in the slot, cover wide receivers, blitz, drop into coverage, and contribute in the run. He’s capable of making this defense an absolute pain to deal with:

Will the pass rush actually be better this season?
All of the Cowboys’ defensive issues last year started with their pass rush. While they strangely finished 1st in pressure percentage according to Pro-Football-Reference, they were just 25th in sack percentage. That’ll happen when you lose one of the best closers in the game in Parsons.

There were just two players on the roster who had more than 3.5 sacks, and the effects of not getting to the quarterback could be felt everywhere. Dallas was dead last against the pass, dead last on 3rd down, and 30th in takeaways.

Even with the moves they made this offseason, they still don’t appear to have any pass rushers who are close to Parsons’ class. However, they do have an assortment of players (both on the interior and off the edge) who can still make an impact. The improvement is more likely to come in the form of multiple pass rushers getting 5-10 sacks than any one player getting 15, for instance, or being a league leader.

It’s clear they are better across the D-line this season. Are they top-10-unit-in-the-league better? That’s the big question.

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Can they get more explosive plays in the run game?
The Cowboys’ run game improved dramatically last season. But it was more of an efficient and consistent run game than an explosive one. Dallas ranked 9th in rushing yards per game, 9th in yards per play, and 10th in percentage of runs gaining 4 yards or more. They also had the 2nd-lowest percentage of negative runs.

This was a rushing attack that leaned on steady running between the tackles (2nd-highest frequency in the NFL) and taking advantage of defenses that played with light boxes against them (10th-highest frequency according to NFL Next Gen Stats). They also leaned on a good balance of zone and gap compared to the rest of the NFL.

Dallas didn’t rack up a ton of big plays on the ground, however, ranking just 20th in runs of 10 yards or more. The hope is that 2nd-year running back Jaydon Blue can provide that element if he can earn more snaps.

A running back who could make house calls to go along with that passing game would make the Cowboys extremely dangerous:

Can Dak Prescott stay healthy?
Prescott’s career has followed a strange pattern going back to 2019. In odd years (2019, ‘21, ‘23, ‘25), he’s played extremely well. Those are the only 4 seasons of his career where he’s thrown 30 TD passes or more, and he played himself into the MVP discussion in a couple of those seasons.

In even years, however, he’s faced some kind of major injury that’s either led to him missing significant time or playing while somewhat compromised.

This year is, unfortunately, an even year. And while that actually has nothing to do with anything, the pattern is a reminder that keeping Prescott healthy and upright needs to be a major priority. Prescott rarely gets credit for it, but he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the game. Dallas needs to do everything it can to ensure he stays on the field.

Continuing to lean on the run game and play-action can go a long way in that effort. 3rd-year left tackle Tyler Guyton also will need to step up his performance (and stay on the field).

2026 Outlook

The Cowboys have got just about everything they need on the offensive side of the ball to be successful. Their defense is the big question, from their scheme to how their new talent will perform.

If they can get their act together and just play at a league-average level, not only would it be a major improvement, but it would also give the Cowboys a legitimate shot of winning the division and actually doing something in the playoffs.