• The Atlanta Falcons’ defense improved in 2025: Things are looking up for a Falcons’ defense that’s struggled in recent seasons.
• The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals still have elite quarterbacks to fall back on: As long as Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow are around, the Ravens and Bengals can feel optimistic.
• Unlock your edge with PFF+: Access Premium Stats, dominate fantasy with in-season tools and projections, and make smarter bets with the new PFF Player Prop Tool.

Estimated Reading Time: 30 minutes

Though the playoffs are underway, over half of the league is sitting at home, waiting, wishing and wondering how they could be in place of the eight teams left fighting it out in the divisional round a year from now.

Some of the 18 teams that missed the postseason aren’t too far away, while others have to travel a bit further down the tunnel to find some optimism. However, there is always a reason to be optimistic, even in an NFL team’s darkest hour.

Arizona Cardinals: A trio of offensive weapons

After a 2-0 start, the Cardinals slumped to a 3-14 record, losing nine consecutive games to end the season. Those failures culminated in the team firing head coach Jonathan Gannon after three seasons, and it potentially signals the end of QB Kyler Murray (72.2 grade; 22nd) in Arizona, though the former No. 1 pick only played in five games in 2025. What happens now for the Cardinals remains in question. They’ll search for a new head coach, and potentially a new quarterback, in the weeks and months to come, while preparing for the 2026 NFL Draft. They’re a team truly in flux.

However, there’s enough talent on the offensive side of the ball to hang your hat on. Tight end Trey McBride (81.7 grade; fifth) had a historically good season in 2025, catching 126 passes — the second-most in the NFL and the most-ever for a tight end in a single season — for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he is one of the three or four best tight ends in the NFL. There should still be plenty of hope for wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (68.4 grade; 54th), too. Harrison suffered injuries in his second season in the NFL, but showed a lot of promise.

As did third-year WR Michael Wilson (76.4 grade; 28th), who had a breakout season in 2025 while picking up the baton from Harrison. Wilson caught 78 passes for 1006 yards and seven touchdowns, and had the second-most contested catches (22) in the NFL. Any head coach who walks into the building has an interesting core of pass-catchers to pair with Murray or a new quarterback.

Atlanta Falcons: An emerging defense

The Falcons head into the offseason searching for a new head coach and general manager after firing Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot following an 8-9 season, their eighth-straight losing season. Like the Cardinals, the Falcons have an excellent core of young offensive talent, as running back Bijan Robinson (86.6 grade; fourth) and receiver Drake London (88.0 grade; fifth) both had strong seasons and are still under 25 years old. Nonetheless, the defense’s emergence in 2025 should leave fans feeling optimistic about the Falcons’ future.

Their 65.8 PFF defense grade was 17th in the NFL, and they were 18th in EPA per play — both middle-of-the-road numbers — but there was vast improvement from Jeff Ulbrich’s unit in 2025. In recent history, the Falcons have struggled to pressure the quarterback and have been near the bottom of the league in pressures and sacks. In 2025, the Falcons rose to 18th in pressure rate and third in sacks.

The arrivals of rookie first-round picks edge defenders James Pearce (57.8 grade; 91st) and Jalon Walker (71.6 grade; 40th) have given the Falcons life on the edge. The duo combined for 74 pressures and 16 sacks, and Pearce led all rookies with 11 sacks in 2025. The majority of Falcons’ rookie class contributed in 2025, as safety Xavier Watts (72.4 grade; 19th) made an impression in the secondary alongside veteran safety Jessie Bates III (64.5 grade; 47th) and cornerback A.J. Terrell (57.7 grade; 77th). Watts had five interceptions and four PBUs in his rookie season. There are plenty of quality players to build with.

Baltimore Ravens: A top-five quarterback

After finishing with an 8-9 record and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2021, the Ravens elected to move on from long-time Super Bowl-winning head coach John Harbaugh, moving into a new era of Ravens’ football. That’s a big change, and it would be natural for Ravens’ fans to feel, at least, a little hesitant about where the team goes next. Harbaugh had been the Ravens’ head coach for 18 years, and his fingerprints are all over the franchise—in ways both good and bad—so moving on from that is naturally a real transition.

That could usually be a sign of hard times to come, but the Ravens are blessed with a top-five quarterback in Lamar Jackson (74.0 grade; 20th). By his standards, Jackson had a down year in 2025, completing 63.6% of his passes for 2549 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 13 games. Jackson also saw his rushing numbers dip, his big-time throw rate (2.8%) fell to a career low, and his turnover-worthy play rate (3.1%) and pressure-to-sack rate (23.1%) increased. It was the first time since his rookie season that Jackson’s big-time throw rate was lower than his turnover-worthy play rate, and he earned his highest turnover-worthy play rate since 2021.

There’s little reason to believe that this was no more than an aberration for Jackson, though. He battled injuries in 2025, missing four games, and those injuries translated to a less aggressive Jackson. However, the real Lamar Jackson isn’t far away. The moments of genius, like his Week 18 performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he threw three touchdowns, had two big-time throws and earned a 91.6 grade, are still there. Jackson is just one of a few elite quarterbacks in the NFL, someone you can hang your hat on to lift your team.

Cincinnati Bengals: One of the NFL’s best offensive cores

The Bengals finished with a 6-11 record, missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season and leaving the team in an interesting spot. Franchise QB Joe Burrow (91.8 grade; second) has made some comments in recent weeks that will loom large over the next few weeks, but with head coach Zac Taylor still in charge, it looks to be all systems go with the same Bengals core in 2026. That’s something of a positive, but the Bengals need major help on the defense. They were 29th in EPA per play and 26th in success rate.

The need to improve on defense is evident, and that can’t happen overnight, but as long as the Bengals have their offensive trio of Burrow, WR Ja’Marr Chase (90.1 grade; fourth) and WR Tee Higgins (80.1 grade; 17th), then there’s reason to believe in the Bengals’ path. Burrow only played in eight games in 2025, and the Bengals suffered as a result. Without Burrow, the Bengals were 25th in EPA per play on offense and had a 1-7 record. With Burrow, the offense showed more life, and the Bengals were 5-3.

The Bengals’ offense lives and dies with Burrow’s ability to get the ball out to his star receivers. Chase and Higgins combined for 184 catches, 2258 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2025, and they are arguably the best wide receiver duo who are realistically just about to hit their primes. Though it hasn’t translated to recent success, as long as the Bengals’ trio is on the field, they’ll be a team to watch.

Cleveland Browns: The defense

The 2025 season was another year of trials and tribulations for the Browns, which ended with a 5-12 record and head coach Kevin Stefanski’s departure. The Browns enter the 2026 offseason with just as many questions, if not more, as they entered the season with. The quarterback position still isn’t locked down, as Shedeur Sanders (44.1 grade; 41st), a 2025 fifth-round pick, failed to inspire hopes of a long-term answer, the majority of the offensive line are free agents or need to be replaced, and a new coaching staff has to be brought in.

It’s hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel for the Browns on the offensive side of the ball, but the defense remains one of the best in the NFL. The defense finished the season second in EPA per play allowed and third in success rate, and it had arguably the best player in football lining up for them. Edge defender Myles Garrett (92.7 grade; first) had a historic 2025, breaking the single-season sack record, as he finished the season with 23 sacks, 84 pressures and 46 stops — tied for the second-most in the NFL. Garrett leads a unit that finished second in pass-rush win rate, but the talent extends beyond him.

The Browns drafted linebacker Carson Schwesinger (74.4 grade; 21st) in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and the former UCLA Bruin has had a successful rookie season and is heading toward the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award in a season where he racked up 54 stops, 18 pressures, three sacks and two interceptions. Schwesinger is one of the best rookie linebackers to enter the NFL in years, and is part of a strong linebacking core that features LB Devin Bush (87.6 grade; fourth), who had a bounce-back year in 2025. Maintaining strong defensive play is a tough ask from year to year, but there’s enough talent on the Browns’ defense to remain optimistic that they can make for a strong unit that keeps the team in games.

Dallas Cowboys: An elite offense

While the Browns were hindered by poor offensive play and praised for their strong defense, the Cowboys lived in a parallel realm. The offense was one of the NFL’s elite, ranking fifth in EPA per play and fourth in success rate, but the defense was one of the worst in the league. And, at times, it has been historically bad. The Cowboys allowed 30.1 points per game, the most in the NFL, and ranked dead last in EPA per play allowed and success rate, and gave up over 30 points in nine games. That poor showing, even with the addition of interior defender Quinnen Williams (88.9 grade; second), led to defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus getting fired.

However, despite the dichotomy, the Cowboys finished with a 7-9-1 record and were still in the playoff race late into the season. Health permitting, as well as some defensive realignment and reinforcements, means the Cowboys should still be in the running for the postseason in 2026, largely thanks to the strength of the offense. QB Dak Prescott (86.9 grade; seventh) had another strong season, completing 67.3% of his passes for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Prescott’s connection with WR George Pickens (85.9 grade; ninth), who had a career year in Dallas, and WR CeeDee Lamb (77.6 grade; 25th), as well as a run game that finished ninth in rushing success rate, contributed to an elite unit.

Decisions have to be made in the offseason. Pickens is a free agent in the offseason, and though there had been a few moments of obstinacy from the mercurial receiver this season, the Cowboys will look to re-sign Pickens after a season where he caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. If the Cowboys retain Pickens, as well as the rest of their core, the offense could be flying again in 2026. Elite offenses persist.

Detroit Lions: One of the most talented rosters in the NFL

The 2025 season was an abject failure for the Detroit Lions. The Lions headed into the season with one of the highest Super Bowl odds in the NFL, a year after falling to the Commanders in the NFC divisional round, but fell to a 9-8 record, missing the postseason for the first time since 2022. Injuries to the defense wreaked havoc upon the Lions, as S Kerby Joseph (59.1 grade; 69th), S Brian Branch (77.5 grade; 12th), CB Terrion Arnold (52.6 grade; 94th) and CB D.J. Reed (65.2 grade; 48th) all missed substantial time. DI Alim McNeil (51.6 grade; 92nd) also did not look like the same player upon his return from injury.

Those inconsistencies on defense hurt. The Lions were 18th in EPA per play allowed and 25th in EPA per rush allowed. However, despite all the frustration, the Lions’ 93.3 PFF grade was still third in the NFL, and the roster remains one of the most talented. The offense was a top-10 unit in EPA per play but struggled down-to-down, in part due to a new-look offensive line that lost its interior in the offseason. With QB Jared Goff (77.7 grade; 12th), WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (90.7 grade; third), WR Jameson Williams (75.6 grade; 31st) and RB Jahmyr Gibbs (85.6 grade; fifth) as the team’s offensive core, the Lions remain an explosive offense capable of generating points. The offense had the sixth-most explosive plays and was fourth in points per game.

All of that happened as the team transitioned from former offensive coordinator John Morton calling plays to head coach Dan Campbell. The offseason brain drain, as the Lions lost Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn to head coaching jobs, likely played a role in the Lions’ downturn, but the Lions could very well land strong coordinators this cycle. Whoever steps in to call the plays on offense and defense will be greeted with one of the NFL’s best rosters. A lot just went wrong for the Lions in 2025.

Indianapolis Colts: The first half of the 2025 NFL season was real

The 2025 season ended with a total whimper for the Colts. After starting the season 8-2, the Colts became the first team in NFL history to finish the season with a losing record from that position, losing seven games in a row to end the season. That was a sore blow, exacerbated by the fact that the Colts lost QB Daniel Jones (71.7 grade; 23rd) to a torn Achilles against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 14. By then, the wheels had fallen off the Colts’ ride.

The road ahead for the Colts feels murky. Jones’ status for 2026 is unknown; they won’t have a first-round pick until 2028 after trading their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks to the New York Jets for CB Sauce Gardner (76.9 grade; ninth). Gardner is one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL but played in just 11 games in 2025 — and just four for the Colts. For a team that might not have a franchise quarterback in the building, and Jones is a free agent after 2026, that’s a concerning prospect. However, the Colts need hope in some form, and their early-season run is the guiding light.

For the first 10 weeks of the season, the Colts led the league in EPA per play and were second in success rate on offense. HB Jonathan Taylor (78.6 grade; 15th) was a force, rushing for 1,585 yards and 18 touchdowns across the season. The offensive line was top five in pass-blocking and run-blocking, as G Quenton Nelson (84.5 grade; fourth), C Tanor Bortoloni (82.6 grade; third), and T Bernhard Raimann (82.0 grade; 11th) all earned grades above 80.0. It feels far away, but it was real. The Colts beat the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos while playing well against the Los Angeles Rams. Keeping head coach Shane Steichen in the building is a big bonus, too. There’s a formula there for the Colts to tap into.

Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes will return to a stronger roster

The Chiefs’ season ended prematurely after losing QB Patrick Mahomes (76.0 grade; 15th) to a torn ACL in Week 15 against the Chargers, but the Chiefs were already 6-7 and heading to 6-8 before Mahomes’ injury. The 2025 season ended with a whimper—the Chiefs lost eight of their last nine games and will be picking in the top-10 for the first time since 2017, when they traded up to draft Mahomes with the No. 10 pick. As disappointing as it is for the Chiefs to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014, a roster reset could be a wholly positive move.

The current roster lacks talent in key positions; at wide receiver, in the secondary and on the edge, while the offensive line still feels like an equal work in progress. There’s a reason, even with Mahomes, that the Chiefs were on the outside looking in at the playoffs: the roster isn’t good enough, and Mahomes couldn’t paper over the cracks. However, with the No. 10 pick in the NFL draft, as well as a potential wake-up call, the Chiefs could be in a promising spot heading into 2026.

Mahomes’ return date is unknown, but the roster could look completely different in 2026 when he returns. TE Travis Kelce (72.0 grade; 18th) looks set to hang up his boots this offseason after 13 years in the NFL, which would create a huge hole in the starting lineup — even if Kelce has taken a step back in the last two years—and in the locker room, and Kelce has been Mahomes’ most popular target in recent years. A new-look Chiefs to open up a new era could be on the cards, and that just feels fresh.

Las Vegas Raiders: The No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft

The Raiders entered the 2025 NFL season with hope. The head coach Pete Carroll and QB Geno Smith (60.9 grade; 35th) duo was brought in to kickstart an era of stability for the Raiders, potentially helping a team that’s struggled to find structure in recent seasons. The results were cataclysmic. The Raiders finished with a 3-14 record in 2025 and fired head coach Pete Carroll after just one season in charge, while Carroll also moved on from offensive coordinator Chip Kelly in the middle of the season. That all led the Raiders to the worst record in the NFL and the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

That alone is a reason for optimism. The Raiders will head into the draft with a new coaching staff for the fifth time in six seasons, which means new faces and new ideas, but the idea of owning the top pick in the draft is palatable across all regimes. The roster isn’t good enough to just drop a rookie quarterback in and suddenly be competitive, but Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza has the talent to help lift the roster out of mediocrity.

The hope that a young franchise quarterback can give to a failing roster is invaluable, especially when that quarterback is the No. 1 pick. The direction of a team can instantly change by virtue of pinning yourself to a young rookie quarterback. Believing becomes an option again. And if the Raiders do draft Mendoza, or even Oregon QB Dante Moore, they can dare to hope and dream again. The future could look bright.

Miami Dolphins: A few gems to build around on offense

The Dolphins struggled to get going in 2025. They started the season 2-7 before clawing their way back to 6-7, but the Dolphins were always fighting from underneath while cratering on offense, so they elected to bench QB Tua Tagovailoa (62.1 grade; 33rd) after six seasons, likely spelling his end with the team. The Dolphins also moved on from head coach Mike McDaniel at the end of the season, and now the team heads into a period of uncertainty. With no clear answer at quarterback and Tagovailoa’s future to decide, whoever steps into the Dolphins’ head coaching job fights with their hands, but there are a few key players to build around, particularly on the offense.

After a few seasons of poor offensive line play across the board, the Dolphins got an excellent performance from center Aaron Brewer (87.4 grade; second) and second-year tackle Patrick Paul (66.2 grade; 45th), who earned a 74.4 pass blocking grade. Their play up front led to the Dolphins being a better rushing team in 2025 than in years past.

The Dolphins’ 85.2 PFF run grade was seventh, and HB De’Von Achane (89.2 grade; first) rushed for a career-high 1350 yards and eight touchdowns, while setting career-highs in missed tackles forced (49) and 10-plus-yard rushes (40). In the passing game, WR Jaylen Waddle (84.0 grade; 11th) stepped up in WR Tyreek Hill‘s place, catching 64 passes for 910 yards and six touchdowns. Waddle’s impact has subsided in recent seasons, but with Hill likely on the way out in 2026, Waddle will be the key cog in the Dolphins’ passing game, and he’s proven to be as reliable as they come.

Minnesota Vikings: A respectable record in 2025 despite the question marks

There was a lot of turbulence in Minnesota in 2025. The Vikings entered the season ready to see what second-year QB J.J. McCarthy (61.8 grade; 34th) could produce after missing the entirety of his rookie season. McCarthy’s surroundings were professed to be as good as anywhere in the league. The offensive line was invested in and improved upon. The WR Justin Jefferson (80.5 grade; 15th) and Jordan Addison (65.4 grade; 71st) pairing would give McCarthy an excellent group of pass-catchers, and head coach Kevin O’Connell would continue to be one of the best play-callers in the game.

Instead, McCarthy struggled to stay on the field in 2025, completing 57.6% of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 10 games, but his 7.3% big-time throw rate was the second-highest among quarterbacks. The growing pains were evident, and McCarthy went through some rough stretches, but the fact that the Vikings still finished with a 9-8 record in 2025 is a testament to their roster strength, particularly on defense.

The Vikings’ 68.5 PFF grade on defense ranked 16th in the NFL but ranked sixth in EPA per play allowed and ninth in success rate while allowing just 19.6 points per game, seventh-fewest in the league. Brian Flores’ unit played hard and fast, blitzing more than any other defense in the NFL, while pressuring opposing quarterbacks at the highest rate in the league. Flores is a free agent and could land a job elsewhere, which would leave the Vikings in a vulnerable spot, but there’s enough talent for a new defensive coordinator — should one come in — to pick up the pieces. This is a good roster, and if McCarthy can kick on in Year 3, the Vikings will be challenging in the NFC North.

New Orleans Saints: Have the Saints found their quarterback?

The Saints were thrown into disarray at the end of the 2024 season, as veteran QB Derek Carr announced his retirement after a lingering shoulder injury. With no tangible long-term quarterback answer on the roster and a weak free agent class outside of Sam Darnold, the Saints elected to draft Louisville QB Tyler Shough (74.6 grade; 19th) in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Shough sat behind QB Spencer Rattler (70.0 grade; 27th) for the first eight games of the season but stepped in against the Buccaneers in Week 8 and never looked back.

Shough completed 67.6% of his passes for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, and he showed enough potential for the Saints to seemingly commit to him for 2026, at least. A big part of Shough’s success was his connection with WR Chris Olave (78.0 grade; 22nd), who caught 100 passes for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns, setting career-highs across the board. Shough connected with Olave nine times on passes over 20 yards from Week 8 onwards, the second-most in the league, and no one caught more touchdowns on 20-plus-yard passes than Olave in that span (five).

The rookie quarterback looked confident in the pocket, flashed his arm talent and even added 186 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns, doing all of that in less-than-stellar surroundings. The Saints’ 65.0 PFF pass-blocking grade was 19th in the NFL, and their 68.8 PFF run grade was 31st. Shough was leaned on to move the ball, and the Saints were 17th in EPA per pass play from Week 9 onward. The second-round rookie didn’t just look good; he helped the team win games, as the Saints won four of their last five games, ending the season with a 6-11 record and pushing the team out of quarterback range in the first round of the draft. Shough has done more than enough to show he could be the Saints’ long-term starter — or at the very least, he’s earned the opportunity to show that in 2026.

New York Giants: Finally, some hope

Recent history hasn’t been kind to the New York Giants. They’ve made the playoffs just once since 2017 and have eight losing records in the last nine seasons — their overall record in that span is 44-104-1, the second-worst in the NFL. In that time, the Giants have filtered through four permanent head coaches and 10 different starting quarterbacks. On paper, the 2025 season didn’t scream improvement. The Giants finished with a 4-13 record and won their final two games of the season to cut any doubt of them holding the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

However, for the first time in a long time, there’s hope in New York. A glimmer of hope. The Giants traded up to draft QB Jaxson Dart (68.4 grade; 30th) with the No. 25 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and the former Ole Miss quarterback showed some promise in his rookie season, completing 63.7% of his passes for 2,272 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions while adding 487 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. Dart plays a little fast and loose, and that reckless style of play has already seen him be evaluated for multiple concussions in 2025, but there’s a lot to like about the young gunslinger.

Dart will get the chance to lead the franchise forward in 2026, and even the notion that a young, exciting quarterback could lead the Giants forward is a positive. Even in Daniel Jones’s rookie season, there wasn’t this much excitement over what he could be, but Dart possesses the traits and the grit to succeed in the NFL. Dart will hopefully be joined by WR Malik Nabers, who tore his ACL in Week 4, and HB Cam Skattebo (80.5 grade; 13th), who suffered a season-ending ankle injury, in 2026 to form a young offensive core.

New York Jets: A strong offensive core to drop a quarterback in

The only team to have a worse record than the New York Giants in the last nine seasons is their Met Life counterparts, the New York Jets. The Jets’ 44-105 record since 2017 is the worst in the NFL, and their 3-14 record in 2025 — their worst since 2020 — leaves them with the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The 2025 season was Aaron Glenn’s first in charge of the Jets, and the early signs were not good. The defense, Glenn’s background, failed to make its mark, and their 56.8 PFF defense grade was 26th in the NFL, while they ranked 30th in EPA per play allowed.

On the offensive side of things, the Jets still have a gaping hole at the quarterback position — a situation that feels like the norm for the Jets — but their ecosystem for an impending signal caller shows real signs of promise. The offensive line is headlined by two young offensive tackles, rookie T Armand Membou (72.7 grade; 32nd) and T Olumuyiwa Fashanu (69.2 grade; 38th), but features a strong interior. The running game has some potential pop — the Jets 79.6 PFF run grade was 15th in 2025 — though HB Breece Hall (83.5 grade; eighth) is a free agent after this season, while WR Garrett Wilson (72.5 grade; 39th), who finished second on the team in receiving despite only playing in seven games in 2025, caught 36 passes for 395 yards and four touchdowns.

Beyond Wilson, the Jets have some intriguing receiving options, like WR Adonai Mitchell (59.7 grade; 97th), who joined the Jets before the trade deadline, and rookie TE Mason Taylor (59.6 grade; 49th), who rounds out a promising and young offensive core. The goal now should be to get a quarterback the Jets can drop into the offense. And they have plenty of ways to attack that need. They have the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft, a litany of picks, and the option to trade for a veteran. A good NFL offense really isn’t far away.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A proven track record in recent seasons likely means they can bounce back

After a 6-2 start to the season, the Buccaneers cratered after their Week 9 bye, losing seven of their last nine games in 2025 to finish with an 8-9 record and miss out on the playoffs in the final week of the season. Every facet of the team’s play fell off, but the offensive side of the ball took the biggest hit, as the offense finished 23rd in PFF offense grade, 24th in EPA per play, and 23rd in success rate and QB Baker Mayfield’s (70.0 grade; 27th) 62.2 grade from Week 10 onward was 26th out of 36 quarterbacks, and his nine interceptions were tied for the second-most in that span.

Considering the depths to which the offense fell, it’ll be hard for Buccaneers fans to see the bright side. Nevertheless, it exists, primarily because of what we know the Buccaneers can be. They showed it in the first half of the season, and they’ve shown it in recent seasons past. The fact that offense was able to transition from Dave Canales to Liam Coen as offensive coordinators in successive seasons was always going to be hard to replicate, as offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard failed to capture lightning in a bottle, so the team moved on from him at the end of the season.

However, the Buccaneers weren’t always blessed with injury luck, losing WR Mike Evans (69.8 grade; 49th), WR Chris Godwin (68.9 grade; 53rd), HB Bucky Irving (67.8 grade; 45th) and T Tristan Wirfs (92.7 grade; second) all for extended periods. On top of that, Mayfield was also banged up and playing through an injury. A lot went wrong for the Buccaneers in 2025, and though previous play doesn’t equate to future success, there’s still a lot of talent on this Buccaneers roster for one more ride in 2026. Even with an improving NFC South, the Buccaneers should be in play to challenge for the division crown once again. After all, they were only a Falcons loss away from the playoffs.

Tennessee Titans: A young franchise quarterback

The Titans were handed the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after a 3-14 record in 2024 and drafted QB Cam Ward (58.5 grade; 37th). It’s early days, but the Titans shouldn’t look back, even as they posted their second-straight 3-14 record in 2025. Ward flashed every ounce of potential that a franchise quarterback should have in his rookie season, completing 59.8% of his passes for 3,169 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and his 21 big-time throws were the 16th-most in the NFL.

There were some rookie warts; Ward was sacked 55 times this season, the most in the NFL, and was often culpable of holding onto the ball for too long. His 23 turnover-worthy plays were the third-most in the NFL, but his talent is overwhelming. Ward can make freak plays with his arm and his legs, already better than most in the NFL, and a step forward in 2026 would really solidify his status as one of the up-and-coming quarterbacks in the NFL.

After a couple of years trying to buy into the Will Levis experience, the Titans have hit the motherlode with Ward, who is one of the most gifted passers of a football to enter the NFL in recent years, and that has immediately changed the potential direction of the franchise. If the Titans get this right and put the right coaching staff around Ward, they could be in for a bright future.

Washington Commanders:  A bounce-back season from Jayden Daniels

The 2025 season was the year from hell for the Washington Commanders. After a hugely successful 2024 season that saw them one game away from making the Super Bowl, the Commanders heavily regressed in 2025, falling to a 5-12 record and failing to make the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. The needle seemed firmly pointed upwards heading into 2025, but this season serves as a reminder that there’s always work to be done.

The Commanders were stung by a string of injuries to QB Jayden Daniels (74.9 grade; 18th), who played in just seven games in 2025. In those seven games, Daniels still flashed who he could be, completing 60.6% of his passes for 1,262 yards, eight touchdowns and three interceptions. His second season in the NFL paled in comparison to the first, but there’s still every reason to believe Daniels can be a top-10 quarterback. He doesn’t turn the ball over, doesn’t take sacks, and has the arm talent and escapability to make the play call right when things break down.

Daniels’ surroundings in 2026 could be better, too. The Commanders’ offensive line earned a 71.1 PFF pass blocking grade in 2025 and found its groove in the second half of the season, as T Laremy Tunsil (84.7 grade; seventh) played particularly well, allowing just 15 pressures. With WR Deebo Samuel (69.4 grade; 51st) set to hit free agency as well, the Commanders could aggressively pursue another receiver this offseason, too. All of that makes for a better ecosystem for Daniels.