Tennessee Titans 2026 NFL Season Preview

stevenlourie 2026 NFL Season Previews, Titans

Quarterback

In 2024, the Titans were the worst team in the league, going 3-14, and they got the #1 pick as a result. That #1 pick got them quarterback Cam Ward, but the rest of this roster remained a disaster and Ward, considered raw for a #1 overall pick, struggled mightily in his first season in the league, in large part due to the issues around him. Again, the Titans went just 3-14. Now going into 2026, the Titans spent aggressively in free agency and got a new coaching staff, led by defensive minded head coach Robert Saleh, who consistently gets the most out of his defenses, and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, a former head coach who will essentially be the head coach of the offense. 

The Titans are hoping these improvements will lead to a big jump in Cam Ward’s effectiveness and the team’s win total, but a lot of the moves they made won’t move the needle in a significant way and, even if they improve somewhat, they have a long way to go to even be a decent team, after finishing last season 31st in schedule adjusted efficiency, including 30th on offense and 23rd on defense. Ward finished his rookie season with 59.8% completion, 5.87 YPA, 15 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions.

Ward did get better as the season went on, which is a promising sign, as he went from a 5/6 TD/INT ratio in his first 8 games to a 10/1 TD/INT ratio in his final 9 games and 58.1% completion in his first 8 games to 61.6% completion in his final 9 games, but his YPA fell from 6.01 to 5.71, which is the most predictive quarterback stat and which means that this offense still did not move downfield consistently. His supporting cast was a big part of the problem and I would expect a better season from both Ward and his supporting cast this season, as well as his coaching, but he could easily remain a well below average starting quarterback.

Ward at least didn’t miss a game as a rookie, though he did suffer a shoulder injury in week 18 that cost him a lot of the off-season. In his absence, the Titans went to Brandon Allen, who is one of the worst backup quarterbacks in the league with a career 73.3 passer rating in 10 career starts. This season, the Titans will at least have a better veteran, Mitch Trubisky, behind him. Trubisky was a bust as the #2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, but he has carved out a long career as a solid backup and, overall, he has a 86.9 career passer rating in 57 starts. Still, this is overall a below average quarterback room unless Ward can make massive strides in year two.

Grade: C+

Receiving Corps

The Titans’ receiving corps was their biggest issue on offense last season and was the position group they focused most on improving this off-season, giving a 4-year, 70 million dollar contract to free agent wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and using the 4th overall pick on wide receiver Carnell Tate. They also came to a renegotiated contract with wide receiver Calvin Ridley for 13 million and will get him back after multiple leg injuries, including a broken leg, limited him to 250 snaps in 7 games last season.

Robinson surpassed 1,000 yards receiving last season with a 92/1014/4 slash line, but it took him 140 targets to get there. The year before, on the same target total, he managed just a 93/699/3 slash line. Robinson is a former second round pick who is still only going into his age 25, but he is also only 5-8 and doesn’t have a huge upside as a result. He’s probably best as a #2 receiver rather than the #1 receiver he was forced into being last season with Brian Daboll’s Giants. Carnell Tate has a bigger upside and is relatively NFL ready, but he could still struggle through growing pains as a rookie. Calvin Ridley had a 1000+ yard season as recently as 2024 and has surpassed that mark three times in his career, but he is now going into his age 32 season and coming off of a major injury. They are not a bad top receiver trio, but they are not a good one either.

The good news is they should be a lot better than what the Titans had last season. Last season, their top-3 wide receivers were 4th round rookie Elic Ayomanor, who averaged 1.02 yards per route run and had a 41/515/4 slash line, fellow 4th round rookie Chimere Dike, who averaged 1.02 yards per route run and had a 48/423/4 slash line, and veteran journeyman Van Jefferson, who averaged 0.93 yards per route run and had a 29/350/1 slash line. This season, Jefferson is not on the roster, while Ayomanor and Dike will be no higher than 4th on the depth chart unless injuries strike ahead of them, in which case either one could be improved over last season in their second season in the league.

The Titans overall leading receiver last season was actually tight end Chig Okonkwo, who had a 56/560/2 slash line and 1.33 yards per route run. Unfortunately, he left as a free agent and, while he shouldn’t be that big of a loss, the Titans downgraded by bringing in Daniel Bellinger on a 3-year, 24 million dollar deal to replace him. In four seasons in the league since being drafted in the 4th round in 2022, Bellinger has averaged just 0.98 yards per route run and his 286 receiving yards last season were a career high, but Brian Daboll had him with the Giants and seems to like him as a scheme fit.

With Bellinger replacing Okownko, the Titans could give a bigger role to incumbent #2 tight end Gunnar Helm, who flashed potential as a receiver (1.45 yards per route run, 44/357/2 slash line) as a 4th round rookie in 2025. He is a projection to a larger role, but he has proven he deserves that bigger role, especially with Bellinger replacing Okonkwo. Even if he doesn’t start or play as many snaps as Bellinger, Helm is probably the best tight end on the roster. Even with Okonkwo gone, this should still be a better receiving corps overall compared to last season, but largely by default.

Grade: B-

Offensive Line

In addition to losing starting tight end Chig Okonkwo, the Titans also lost a pair of starters on the offensive line this off-season. One of those losses will be more impactful than the other. Right guard Kevin Zeitler was not retained, ahead of his age 36 season, but, despite his age, he was still an above average starter in 16 starts last season. Making matters worse, his likely replacement is Cordell Volson, a 2022 4th round pick who made 48 starts in his first three seasons in the league, but who consistently struggled and then missed all of 2025 with injury. His biggest competition for the starting job will be 2025 5th round pick Jackson Slater, who played just 31 snaps as a rookie, and 5th round rookie Fernando Carmona, both of whom are probably even worse options than Volson.

The loss of center Lloyd Cushenberry will be less impactful because he was below average in 15 starts last season. However, his likely replacement, Austin Schlottmann, is unlikely to be any better. Schlottmann has had some decent moments, but ultimately has only started 18 games in eight seasons in the league, with a career high of 4 starts in a season, and he is now going into his age 31 season. Given his age and that he is a first-time full-time starter, he is unlikely to find success in 2026. However, his only real competition for the role is 6th round pick Pat Coogan, leaving Schlottmann as the heavy favorite to start. 

The Titans’ best offensive lineman is left guard Peter Skoronski, who has improved in every season in the league since going 11th overall in 2023, going from an average starter to an above average starter to one of the best guards in the league in 2025. Skoronski is a one-year wonder in terms of playing at the level he played at last season, but he should remain at least an above average starter in 2026 and, still only in his age 25 season, it is possible he has permanently turned a corner and will remain one of the best guards in the league for years to come.

At tackle, the Titans have two players that they have made big investments in, but who have yet to live up to the price tag. Left tackle Dan Moore was added on a 4-year, 82 million dollar deal last off-season, making him the 16th highest paid tackle in the league in terms of average annual salary, but he has never been more than an average starter, while making 82 starts across five seasons in the league. 

Meanwhile, right tackle JC Latham, selected 7th overall in 2024, has also only been an average starter across 30 starts in two seasons in the league, though he is still only going into his age 23 season and has the upside to take a step forward, perhaps a big step forward, in his third season in the league in 2026. Depth is suspect at tackle too, as their likely swing tackle is Austin Deculus, a 2022 6th round pick who struggled mightily in five starts last season, after starting just one game in his first three seasons in the league combined. This offensive line has one bright spot in left guard Peter Skoronski, but this is a below average group overall.

Grade: C+

Running Backs

The Titans running back room largely remains the same this season. Tony Pollard figures to lead the team in rushing for the third straight season, after totaling 2,161 yards and 10 touchdowns on 502 carries (4.30 YPC) over the past two seasons combined, with 3.31 yards per carry after contact, a 47.2% carry success rate, and a 13.3% missed tackle rate. His age is a bit of a concern, going into his age 29 season at a position that ages faster than most, and he is going into the final year of his contract, so the Titans used a 5th round pick on Nicholas Singleton as a potential long-term option, but I wouldn’t expect him to have a big role in year one unless Pollard gets hurt.

Tyjae Spears also remains, but the Titans have been hesitant to ever use him as more than a passing down specialist, giving him just 6.1 carries per game in his career, since being selected in the 3rd in 2023. Spears has been effective in that role though, averaging 1.27 yards per route run and a 51/353/1 slash line per 17 games. That is significantly better than Pollard, who has averaged 0.73 yards per route run over the past two seasons. Spears has been less effective as a runner though, with 4.09 YPC, 2.95 yards per carry after contact, a 43.4% carry success rate, and a 22.7% missed tackle rate in his career. I wouldn’t expect his role to expand in 2026, barring an injury to Pollard, in which case Spears would likely split the workload with the rookie Singleton, rather than taking over as a true lead back. This is a decent, but underwhelming backfield.

Grade: B-

Interior Defenders

As I mentioned, the Titans’ new head coach Robert Saleh has consistently gotten the most out of his players as a defensive play caller and, with Brian Daboll essentially being the head coach of the offense, that will free up Saleh to focus on defense and call plays on that side of the ball. The Titans seemed to have a focus this off-season on rebuilding their defensive line into one that better suits Saleh’s scheme, including the addition of four players who have played for Saleh in previous stops. 

The biggest move was trading T’Vondre Sweat, who was an above average interior defender last season, but whose size at 6-4 364 made him a poor fit for a scheme based around speed and athleticism. In exchange for Sweat, the Titans got edge defender Jermaine Johnson, who was with Saleh with the Jets. To replace Sweat, the Titans signed Jordan Elliott and Solomon Thomas, who were with Saleh with the 49ers and Jets respectively. 

Even if they are more familiar with the scheme, both should be obvious downgrades, not just from Sweat, but also from free agent departure Sebastian Joseph-Day, a veteran rotational player who was solid across 470 snaps last season. Elliott has consistently been a below average pass rusher (career 4.7% pressure rate) and run stopper across an average of 483 snaps per season in six seasons in the league. Thomas has at least been a solid interior pass rusher in his career, with a career 7.0% pressure rate, but that dropped to 5.2% in 2025 and he’s now heading into his age 31 season, so he is unlikely to bounce back in a significant way in 2026. The Titans also added Jackie Marshall in the 6th round of the draft and he could have a deep rotational role, even as a rookie, in a thin position group.

Fortunately, the Titans still have Jeffery Simmons, who is one of the best interior defenders in the league regardless of scheme. Also a high level run defender, Simmons totaled 11 sacks, 11 hits, and a 13.8% pressure rate in 15 games last season and in the past six seasons combined he has 40.5 sacks, 48 hits, and a 10.1% pressure rate in 90 games. Still in his prime in his age 29 season, Simmons should continue dominating this season. He significantly elevates by himself a position group that is otherwise a liability. 

Grade: B

Edge Defenders

As I mentioned, the Titans got Jermaine Johnson in the trade that sent T’Vondre Sweat to the Jets. Johnson was underwhelming last season across 678 snaps, finishing with just 3 sacks, 4 hits, and a 8.9% pressure rate, while playing middling run defense, but last season was his first season back from a torn achilles that cost him almost all of 2024 and in 2023 with Robert Saleh as his head coach he had 7.5 sacks, 8 hits, and a 12.6% pressure rate, while also playing at an above average level against the run. That’s the best season of Johnson’s 4-year career and he’s no guarantee to bounce back to that level, but he is a former first round pick who is still only going into his age 27 season, so he could easily be significantly better in 2026, another year removed from his injury.

Johnson will start opposite his former teammate with the Jets and another player familiar with Saleh’s scheme, John Franklin-Myers, who the Titans signed to a 3-year, 63 million dollar deal in free agency. Franklin-Myers has totaled 32 sacks, 62 hits, and a 13.1% pressure rate in 98 games over the past six seasons, while playing adequate run defense. He is a hybrid player who can play both on the edge and on the interior and he gets pressure at an above average rate from both spots. In his last stop with the Broncos, he was primarily an interior player, but with Saleh and the Jets he primarily played on the edge and lined up on the interior on occasion, a role I would imagine he moves back into now with Saleh and the Titans. His age is a minor concern, going into his age 30 season, but even if he declines somewhat he should still be a solid pass rusher.

The Titans also traded back up into the first round to draft Keldric Faulk 31st overall to give them added depth at the edge defender position and that selection was a good value, as Faulk could have been a top-20 pick. Additionally, veteran Jacob Martin was added on a 2-year, 9 million dollar deal in free agency. The 8-year veteran has only exceeded 375 snaps in a season twice in his career and is heading into his age 31 season, but he played 700 snaps last season and had 5.5 sacks, 13 hits, and a 11.0% pressure rate, in line with his career 11.9% pressure rate. He’s a below average run defender and could decline as a pass rusher, given his age, but he is a decent reserve option.

The Titans also still have Oluwafemi Oladejo, a 2nd round selection in 2025. He struggled as a rookie in 6 games in an injury plagued season, both against the run and as a pass rusher (7.8% pressure rate), but he has the upside to be a lot better in year two. He won’t average nearly the 40.2 snaps per game he played last season in a much deeper and more talented position group than a year ago, but he could still be useful as a deep reserve.

Grade: B

Linebackers

Linebacker Cedric Gray was a bright spot for this defense last season. After only playing 48 snaps as a 4th round rookie in 2024, Gray saw 921 snaps last season. His pass coverage was below average, but he more than made up for it with excellent run defense. He’s still a one-year wonder, but he is also still only going into his age 24 season, so he easily could continue playing at the same level for years to come and has the upside to be even better going forward.

Veteran Cody Barton struggled as the other starter, playing 1,060 snaps and playing at a below average level in coverage and against the run. With Barton heading into his age 30 season and never being more than a marginal starter in his career, the Titans used a second round pick on Anthony Hill, who could start immediately and push Barton into a reserve role. Hill could have some growing pains as a rookie, but he could easily be an upgrade immediately. This is a decent, but unspectacular position group.

Grade: B-

Secondary

The Titans also remade their secondary this off-season, after this was a position of liability last season, with 15 different players making starts in the secondary, 8 at cornerback and 7 at safety, and mostly being liabilities. Three new expected starters were added in free agency. None of them are more than average starters, but they have a good chance to be better than what the Titans had last season. At cornerback, Cor’Dale Flott and Alontae Taylor were signed to deals worth 45 million over 3 years and 58 million over 3 years respectively and figure to be the two outside starters in base packages.

Flott, a 2022 3rd round pick, has developed into a decent starter over the past two seasons, while starting 24 of 28 games. Still only in his age 25, Flott could still get better, but that is not a guarantee. Alontae Taylor, meanwhile, was a 2nd round pick in 2022 and has started 53 of 64 games in four seasons in the league, while playing at about a league average level. Already going into his age 28 season, he probably is who he is at this stage of his career.

Tony Adams, another former Jet who was with Robert Saleh, was added at safety on a 1-year, 2.14 million dollar deal. He has started 35 of 42 games played over the past three seasons and has also been a marginal starter. He figures to start next to veteran Amani Hooker, the one constant in the Titans’ secondary last season, playing 918 snaps in 16 games. Hooker was a slightly below average starter last season in what was a career worst year for a normally solid starter (67 starts in as many games in the past five seasons). Still only in his age 28 season, he has some bounce back potential in 2026.

The one spot that is uncertain in this secondary is the slot cornerback spot. Marcus Harris, a 2025 5th round pick who was mediocre across 342 snaps last season, is one option. The Titans also signed former Chief Joshua Williams in free agency, but the 2022 4th round pick was mostly mediocre across 455 snaps per season in the first three seasons of his career, before only playing 17 snaps last season. The Titans could also use three safeties together frequently in sub packages, with 2025 3rd round pick Kevin Winston, who was decent across 313 snaps as a rookie, being the likely third safety. This isn’t a bad secondary anymore, but it still isn’t a good one, despite big investments.

Grade: C+

Kicker

Joey Slye was one of the worst kickers in the league and has been for years, finishing below average in terms of points in four straight seasons and five of the past six, costing his teams 22.01 points compared to an average kicker over that stretch. Despite that, the Titans have done nothing to even add competition for him this off-season. He figures to remain a below average option in 2026.

Grade: C+

Conclusion

The Titans spent significantly this off-season to try to improve their roster, which they did, but most of their off-season additions won’t move the needle significantly, while off-season losses like Kevin Zeitler and T’Vondre Sweat will somewhat offset their additions. With a slightly improved roster, Cam Ward going into his second season in the league, and an improved coaching staff, this team should be better than last season, but they are starting from such a low base point, ranking 31st in schedule adjusted efficiency last season, that they still figure to be one of the worst teams in the league.

Prediction: 4-13, 4th in AFC South

Pittsburgh Steelers 2026 NFL Season Preview

stevenlourie 2026 NFL Season Previews, Steelers

Quarterback

The Steelers moved on from long-time head coach Mike Tomlin this off-season. Tomlin had famously never had a losing season in 19 years as the Steelers’ head coach, but he also just as famously had not won a playoff game since 2016, losing his final 7 playoff games as Steelers head coach. With Tomlin gone, it looked possible that the Steelers might look to rebuild this off-season, with a younger coach and a younger roster, after ranking 2nd in snap adjusted age on offense and 3rd in snap adjusted age on defense last season. 

Instead, the Steelers replaced Tomlin with an even older, more experienced head coach in Mike McCarthy, brought back most of their older players, including quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who will once again be the oldest quarterback in the league in his age 43 season, and supplemented their roster with more veterans added in free agency and via trade. The Steelers went 10-7 last season, but benefitted from a 7-3 record in one score games and a +12 turnover margin, two things that tend to be inconsistent year-to-year and that would have been especially unlikely to continue with a new head coach. They ranked 22nd in schedule adjusted efficiency and overall were starting from a lower base point than their record a year ago suggested. 

However, their off-season moves improved this team, while their decision to move on from Mike Tomlin allowed them to replace defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, whose schemes were hurting this defense, with Patrick Graham, who has consistently gotten the most of his talent in his seven years as an NFL defensive coordinator. Because of those moves, the Steelers should be better in terms of schedule adjusted efficiency this season than last season and should remain in the playoff mix even if they don’t have the same success in close games or in the turnover margin. The end result should be a familiar one for this team, 9-10 wins and a potential playoff spot, but no playoff wins.

Rodgers returning this season was never a given and he did not officially sign until mid-May, but it always seemed like the most likely option, as the Steelers never seriously pursued other veteran options, while Rodgers lacked an alternative that would have allowed him to continue starting for a playoff caliber team, ultimately choosing the Steelers over retirement. Last season, Rodgers was simultaneously a far cry from his prime self, but also good enough for the Steelers to justify bringing him back this off-season over all other veteran alternatives. He made 16 starts and completed 65.7% of his passes for an average of 6.67 YPA, 24 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 94.8 that was actually his best since 2021. At his age, there is always the possibility that he drops off completely in 2026, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he remained a decent, albeit low upside option at the quarterback position.

With this season expected to be Rodgers’ final season, the Steelers are at least trying to prepare themselves for the future, using a 6th round pick in last year’s draft on quarterback Will Howard and a 3rd round pick in this year’s draft on Drew Allar. The Steelers also still have veteran backup Mason Rudolph, who is probably best equipped to be the backup in the short-term in his age 31 season, with a career 84.7 passer rating in 19 starts, but the Steelers will probably want to keep both young development quarterbacks on the roster, meaning Rudolph could be on the outside looking in for a roster spot, unless the Steelers opt to keep four quarterbacks, which would be unusual. 

Of the two young quarterbacks, Howard is probably the best suited to be a backup this season, but it is tough to know what to expect from a quarterback that wasn’t drafted highly and that didn’t take a snap as a rookie and he is only the best suited to be a backup by default, as Allar has the tools to be a starter long-term, but fell to the 3rd round because of how much development he needs to reach his potential. This is overall a subpar quarterback room, but the re-signing of Rodgers at least keeps this team in the mix for another playoff berth.

Grade: C+

Receiving Corps

The biggest off-season addition the Steelers made on offense was trading for Colts receiver Michael Pittman. Wide receiver was a desperate need for the Steelers going into this off-season because five of their seven leading receivers last season were either tight ends or running backs, while nominal #2 receiver Calvin Austin, who had a 31/372/3 slash line on 1.22 yards per route run, was not retained as a free agent. With Mike McCarthy coming in and instituting a more traditional offense than the tight end and running back centric one that ex-offensive coordinator Arthur Smith preferred, wide receiver help was needed. Pittman was sent to Pittsburgh in essentially a salary dump, but he was a good value for the price of a late round pick swap and a 3-year, 59 million dollar extension. 

Pittman has averaged a 87/940/4 slash line per 17 games and 1.67 yards per route run in 6 seasons in the league. He doesn’t have much explosiveness, with a 10.8 career yards per catch average, but he has caught 68.4% of his targets in his career, despite inconsistent quarterback play and he is a good complement for DK Metcalf, who has averaged a 75/1089/8 slash line per 17 games (14.4 yards per catch) with 1.89 yards per route run in 7 seasons in the league. Both Pittman and Metcalf should remain close to their usual selves, with both going into their age 29 season. The Steelers also used a second round pick on Germie Bernard and a fourth round pick on Kaden Wetjen to further add to their wide receiver depth. Bernard figures to be the Steelers’ #3 wide receiver in a rookie, in a position group that is much better than a year ago.

The Steelers also still have a pair of solid tight ends, Pat Freiermuth, who is more of a pass catcher, and Darnell Washington, who is more of a blocker. Freiermuth has averaged a 57/583/5 slash line per 17 games with 1.42 yards per route run in his career, while Washington has seen his yards per route run average increase from 0.44 to 1.29 to 1.72 in three seasons in the league. That only led to a 31/364/1 slash line on 43 targets last season because he blocked on 59.0% of his snaps, while Freiermuth had a 41/486/4 slash line on 54 targets and blocked on just 32.4% of his snaps, but Washington has shown he can be a capable receiver when needed, while Freiermuth is also a decent blocker. They are a solid tight end duo and, even with a better wide receiver group, they should still be heavily involved in this offense with fellow tight end Jonnu Smith (54 targets) no longer on the roster. This is now a solid overall receiving corps.

Grade: B

Running Backs

The Steelers also added Rico Dowdle in free agency this off-season, to replace free agent departure Kenneth Gainwell. Dowdle is a different kind of running back than Gainwell, as Gainwell is a receiving back (73/486/3, 1.47 yards per route run in 2025), who can also run the ball on occasion (4.71 YPC, 55.3% carry success rate on 114 carries in 2025), while Dowdle is a solid runner who also can contribute as a receiver. In the two past seasons as a starter, including 2024 with Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys, Dowdle has totaled back-to-back 1000+ yard seasons on an average of 4.57 YPC, with 3.22 yards per carry after contact, a 50.7% carry success rate, and a 16.8% missed tackle rate, while averaging 1.02 yards per route run. Still in his relative prime in his age 28 season, I would expect similar effectiveness from him in 2026.

Dowdle might not get the same carry total as the last two seasons though (235 and 236), as the Steelers still have Jaylen Warren, who led this team with 958 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns on 211 carries (4.54 YPC) last season. Warren is a solid receiver (1.44 yards per route run in his career) and will move more into Gainwell’s old role, with Dowdle in Warren’s old role, but Warren also has averaged 4.73 YPC with 3.26 yards per carry after contact, a 52.1% carry success rate, and a 27.6% missed tackle rate in his career, so he should be more involved as a runner than Gainwell was last season. Dowdle and Warren form a solid duo. If either of them miss time, the backup would either be 2025 3rd round pick Kaleb Johnson, who only played 51 offensive snaps as a rookie, but could still have potential, or 7th round rookie Eli Heidenreich.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

One aging veteran the Steelers didn’t bring back is left guard Isaac Seumalo, who was an above average starter last season, but was not retained ahead of his age 33 season in 2026. He will be replaced by either Spencer Anderson, a 2023 7th round pick who has been below average across 11 career starts, veteran free agent addition Brock Hoffman, who has been decent in 16 career starts (7 at guard and 9 at center), or third round rookie Gennings Dunker, all of whom would be a significant downgrade from Seumalo. 

Fortunately, the Steelers should have one upgrade on the offensive line, as they used their first round pick on tackle Max Iheanachor. Iheanachor is likely to begin his career at right tackle, which will move incumbent right tackle Troy Fautanu to left tackle. Fautanu was a first round pick in 2024 and was an above average starter at right tackle last season, after missing almost all of his rookie year with injury. Moving him to another position is a bit of a risk, but he has the upside to play left tackle and left tackle is a more valuable position, so it makes sense to have their best tackle there, especially since it would allow Iheanachor to stay at his collegiate position. Incumbent left tackle Broderick Jones was a liability last season, so Iheanachor being added and starting as a rookie will benefit this offensive line.

Jones is also a former first round pick, back in 2023, but his career has not gone according to plan, as he has mostly struggled across 38 career starts. Making matters worse, he is coming back from a serious neck injury that could sideline him for the start of the season. Even if he is ready to play by week 1, he could face competition for the swing tackle job from Dylan Cook, who was an upgrade by default in four starts in place of an injured Jones last season. Cook went undrafted in 2022 and has never played outside of that brief stretch last season, so he is still an unknown, but he could ultimately end up being a better option than Jones. Cook and Jones will provide depth, along with whichever two of the three options at left guard do not win the starting job.

Mason McCormick and Zach Frazier remain the starters at right guard and center respectively, both going into their third season in the league, on what is now an overall very young offensive line. McCormick, a 4th round pick, was decent as a rookie in 14 starts, before taking a step forward last season and playing at an above average level in 17 starts, while Frazier, a 2nd round pick, has been above average in both seasons. Frazier is more likely than McCormick to continue playing at an above average level in 2026, due to his more proven track record and his higher draft status, but McCormick could have permanently turned a corner and could easily remain above average in 2026 and beyond. This is a young offensive line, but a decent unit overall, with its only true weakness being left guard.

Grade: B

Interior Defenders

The Steelers brought back all of their aging veterans on defense too, with the oldest of the bunch being Cameron Heyward, who is set to go into his age 37 season. Heyward has not looked his age though, finishing last season with 3.5 sacks, 6 hits, and a 9.9% pressure rate, while playing at a high level against the run. Heyward could decline in 2026, perhaps significantly, but even a significant decline from him could still result in him being an above average interior defender, given how high of a base point he is starting from.

Heyward figures to start opposite Derrick Harmon, who had a solid rookie year, playing at an average or better level both against the run and as a pass rusher (7.8% pressure rate). The 2025 1st round pick could easily take a step forward and be even better in year two. Keeanu Benton also will remain in the mix for a significant role. The 2023 2nd round pick is a bit of a liability against the run, but he has totaled 7.5 sacks, 22 hits, and a 6.9% pressure rate in 51 career games and could still improve as a run defender, only going into his age 25 season.

Yahya Black is another young interior defender the Steelers have and the 2025 5th round pick played 416 snaps as a rookie, but he was a liability against the run and as a pass rusher as a rookie (3.2% pressure rate). He could be better in year two, but it doesn’t seem like the Steelers are giving him a chance to prove it, opting instead to sign veteran Sebastian Joseph-Day. Joseph-Day is going into his age 31 season, but he has been a capable run defender and pass rusher (career 6.5% pressure rate) throughout his career, while averaging 501 snaps per season, and, even if he declines in 2026, he should still be better than Black was last season. This is a deep and talented position group.

Grade: A-

Edge Defenders

If the Steelers were to start to rebuild this off-season, one player who likely would have been moved is edge defender TJ Watt. Watt could have generated a significant return for the Steelers via trade this off-season, but this might be the last off-season that would be the case, as he is going into his age 32 season and has declined a little in recent years from his Defensive Player of the Year peak. On top of that, the Steelers would be in good shape at the edge defender position even without Watt, as Alex Highsmith, going into his age 29 season, is a high level starter opposite him, while Nick Herbig, going into his age 25 season, is a high level reserve who seems ready for a larger role.

Watt finished last season with 7 sacks, 14 hits, and a 9.9% pressure rate, while playing at an above average level against the run, but that is a far cry from just two years ago, when he had 19 sacks, 20 hits, and a 15.6% pressure rate, while playing at an elite level against the run. Another year into his 30s in 2026, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him decline even further in 2026, though he has a good chance to at least remain an above average starter overall.

Highsmith is also an above average all-around player, totaling 37 sacks, 36 hits, and a 13.1% pressure rate in 58 games over the past four seasons, while consistently playing at an above average level as a run defender. Still in his prime, he should remain an all-around above average player in 2026. Herbig, meanwhile, has generated a 12.5% pressure rate in three seasons in the league since going in the 4th round in 2023. 

Last season, Herbig saw a career high 610 snaps, more than his first two seasons in the league combined (607 snaps), in part because Highsmith and Watt missed four games and three games respectively, but Herbig also averaged 32.8 snaps per game in games in which he did not start, so the Steelers made an effort to get him on the field more, even at the expense of Watt and Highsmith. Herbig did not disappoint, finishing the season with 7.5 sacks, 13 hits, and a 13.3% pressure rate, while also playing at an above average level against the run. Watt, Highsmith, and Herbig were arguably the best edge defender trio in the league last season and should remain that this season.

With a top-3 like that, there isn’t much need for anyone else, but the Steelers also have 2025 4th round pick Jack Sawyer, who played 295 snaps as a rookie, mostly when Watt or Highsmith were out due to injury. Sawyer wasn’t bad, recording a 9.6% pressure rate and providing adequate run defense. He won’t see much of a role this season unless more injuries strike, but he could be better this year than he was as a rookie, which makes him better than a lot of teams’ 4th edge defender option. This is a loaded position group.

Grade: A

Linebackers

The Steelers’ linebacking corps was the weakness of their defense last season. Patrick Queen (1,112 snaps) and Payton Wilson (733 snaps) were their top-2 linebackers in terms of snaps and both were liabilities. Queen has had some decent years in the past and is still only in his age 27 season, so he could bounce back, but this is now back-to-back below average seasons for him. Wilson, meanwhile, showed more promise in a smaller role (493 snaps) as a 3rd round rookie in 2024, so he at least has upside, but, like Queen, there is no guarantee he is any better this season. Top reserve Malik Harrison (295 snaps) also struggled, as he has throughout his six seasons in the league, on an average of 258 snaps per season. 

The only Steelers linebacker who did not struggle last season was Cole Holcomb, who played 198 snaps in 8 games and was at least a solid run defender, while also being decent in coverage. Holcomb used to be an above average linebacker before tearing everything in his knee midway through the 2023 season and missing over a season and a half. He’s also now going into his age 30 season and his solid play last season came in limited action, but there is at least some hope he could be a solid situational player for the Steelers this season, even if he isn’t what he once was. Holcomb should at least beat out Harrison for the #3 linebacker job. With Holcomb potentially playing a bigger role, Queen at least having some bounce back potential, and Payton Wilson being young and having some upside, it is possible the Steelers’ linebacking corps is better in 2026 than 2025, but largely by default, as this is still a below average unit.

Grade: C+

Secondary

Another aging veteran the Steelers kept this off-season is Jalen Ramsey, who is heading into his age 32 season. Ramsey was a high level cornerback in his prime and an above average cornerback as recently as 2024, but his play fell to a league average level in 2025 and there is a good chance he never bounces back, given his age. The Steelers moved him to safety midway through the season to try to get more out of him as he ages. That didn’t seem to help, but perhaps that move will have some benefit in his first full season at his new position in 2026.

Ramsey will start at safety next to free agent addition Jaquan Brisker, a decent, but unspectacular starting option. The more impactful free agent addition the Steelers made on defense this off-season was cornerback Jamel Dean, who came over from the Buccaneers on a 3-year, 36.75 million dollar deal. Dean is another aging veteran, going into his age 30 season, but he isn’t totally over the hill yet and hasn’t shown any signs of decline yet, arguably coming off of the best season of his career. Dean probably won’t repeat his career best year again in 2026, but the 7-year veteran has been an above average starting cornerback for years, with his only weakness being durability, as he has missed 21 total games due to injury in his career. Even with age and injury concerns though, he should be a welcome addition for a cornerback room that needed help.

Dean will start opposite Joey Porter, a 2023 2nd round pick who has developed into an above average starter and who could still have room for further growth, only going into his age 26 season. The third cornerback job will probably go to Asante Samuel, who the Steelers took a flier on mid-season last year as he worked his way back from a serious neck injury that ended his 2024 season early. Samuel played decently across 222 snaps last season and, prior to his injury, he was starting to develop into an above average starter. Still only going into his age 27 season, Samuel still has time to develop into what it looked like he was becoming before the injury if he can stay healthy. As far as #3 cornerbacks go, Samuel is an above average option.

The Steelers also used a third round pick on Daylen Everette to give them more insurance at cornerback in case injuries strike, which is a higher than average possibility for Samuel and Dean. The Steelers could also use three safeties together in some sub packages, with DeShon Elliott, who is likely to be a backup with Brisker being added, being an experienced reserve who has mostly been a decent starter across 69 career starts. This is an above average secondary overall.

Grade: B+

Kickers

Chris Boswell had a down year by his standards in 2025, but he still counted for 2.92 points above an average kicker, down from 8.12 points above average in 2023 and 14.63 points above average in 2024. Boswell is going into his age 35 season, so perhaps he is starting to decline, but kickers can kick at a high level into their mid to late 30s and it is very possible that his relative struggles last season were more the result of the year-to-year variance inherent at the kicker position than age. He should remain at least an above average kicker in 2026 and has the upside to be among the best kickers in the league.

Grade: A-

Conclusion

The Steelers were not as good as their 10-7 record last season, going 7-3 in one-score games and finishing with a +12 turnover margin, two things that are not consistent year-to-year. In terms of schedule adjusted efficiency, which is more consistent year-to-year, they ranked just 22nd. They were also one of the oldest teams in the league last year, with several aging veterans who could be worse this year than last year. However, they also upgraded this offense by adding wide receiver Michael Pittman and running back Rico Dowdle, while upgrading their defense by adding cornerback Jamel Dean and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who has always gotten the most out of his talent and now gets to work with the most talented defense he has ever worked with. It might not be enough for the Steelers to make the post-season again this year, but they should at least be in the mix for a playoff spot.

Prediction: 9-8, 3rd in AFC North

New York Jets 2026 NFL Season Preview

stevenlourie 2026 NFL Season Previews, Jets

Quarterback

The Jets have by far the longest playoff drought in the NFL, not making the post-season since 2010, while every other team has made it since 2017, with all but one other team making it since 2020. Complete organizational dysfunction has been to blame. The Jets have used six draft picks in the first two rounds on quarterbacks since 2006 and not a single one has worked out for them, with multiple going on to have success elsewhere. They have had five different head coaches since 2015. They traded for Aaron Rodgers and in his two seasons with the team they got one season missed due to injury and another season where he had the worst passer rating of his 18 seasons as a starter.

After failing with another quarterback last season, reclamation project Justin Fields, the Jets seemed to go all in on tanking and rebuilding midway through last season. They traded their two two best players, interior defender Quinnen Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner, in trades that netted them an extra first and second round pick this year and two extra first round picks next year. They played undrafted rookie Brady Cook at quarterback for the final four and a half games of the season even though he was completely outmatched, leading to five straight losses by 23 points or more to end the season, the longest such streak in NFL history. Overall, the Jets finished last season dead last season in schedule adjusted efficiency, struggling mightily on both sides of the ball, ranking 31st on offense and 29th on defense.

Unfortunately, that did not result in the Jets getting a high pick to draft a potential franchise quarterback, as they ended up with the second pick in a draft with only one clear franchise quarterback prospect. Now the Jets will turn their attention to the 2027 NFL draft, when they will have three first round picks as a result of the aforementioned trades. The Jets traded for a stopgap option at quarterback in Geno Smith, who was originally drafted by the Jets in the second round in 2013, failed with the Jets, only to later find success with the Seahawks, before ending up with the Raiders last season, where he struggled, completing 67.4% of his passes for an average of 6.75 YPA, 19 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. Now going into his age 36 season and not in a good situation in which to try to bounce back, it is very possible the Jets will end up having Geno Smith both before and after he was good.

The Jets took a shot in the fourth round of the draft on quarterback Cade Klubnik, but he is nothing more than a dart throw and seems highly unlikely to develop into the long-term starter. He will at least be the backup as a rookie as he is a better option than Brady Cook, their only other alternative on the roster, and, in what figures to be a lost season, Klubnik figures to at least get a few starts at some point as the Jets try to see if he has anything before deciding whether or not to draft a quarterback in next year’s draft. This is arguably the worst quarterback room in the league.

Grade: C

Receiving Corps

One area the Jets should be better this year is the receiving corps. Last year they were led in receiving by Garrett Wilson, who only had a 36/395/4 slash line and didn’t catch a pass after week 6 due to injuries. This season, Wilson should be healthier and they added a pair of pass catchers early in the draft, taking tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wide receiver Omar Cooper with the 16th pick and the 30th pick respectively. The Jets will also get a full season out of Adonai Mitchell, who was acquired in the Sauce Gardner trade, and they could get a better season out of tight end Mason Taylor, a 2025 2nd round pick who has the potential to take a step forward in his second season in the league.

Garrett Wilson, first round pick in 2022, has averaged 1.70 yards per route run in his career, while exceeding 1,000 yards receiving in every season in the league except his injury plagued 2025 season, and he has never missed a game aside from last season, so he isn’t an injury prone player. Still very much in his prime in his age 26 season, Wilson should bounce back in 2026 as long as he can avoid further injury. 

Behind Wilson, Omar Cooper will likely be the #2 wide receiver right away and, while he could have some growing pains as a rookie, he should still be an upgrade over the other receivers they had last season. Adonai Mitchell, meanwhile, was a second round pick in 2024 and has averaged 1.48 yards per route run in his career. There is no guarantee he ever reaches his potential, but he isn’t bad as far as #3 wide receivers go.

Kenyon Sadiq also figures to be heavily involved in the offense in year one and, like Cooper, he could struggle through growing pains, but should still be an upgrade for this receiving corps. Mason Taylor also still figures to be involved in the offense, even as the likely #2 tight end. He averaged 1.05 yards per route run last season and could see that increase in his second season in the league, although his overall production (44/369/1) might dip due to decreased usage with Sadiq being added to the mix. 

The Jets also have 2025 4th round pick Arian Smith, who was a disaster as a rookie, averaging just 0.21 yards per route run, but he is just a backup option now and could take a step forward in his second season in the league and become a decent #4 receiver. If not, the Jets added veteran Tim Patrick in free agency for additional depth. He has averaged 1.39 yards per route run in his career, though he is now going into his age 33 season and has averaged 1.15 yards per route run over the past two seasons. This isn’t a great receiving corps, but it is a decent overall group, which is more than could be said about last year’s group. The lack of a decent quarterback will hold them back from their statistical potential though.

Grade: B-

Running Backs

The Jets also have a solid running back in Breece Hall. The Jets attempted to trade Hall at the deadline last year as well, but didn’t get offers to their liking and opted to keep him and ultimately lock him up on a 3-year, 43.5 million dollar contract that makes him the 5th highest paid running back in the league in terms of average annual salary, after franchise tagging him this off-season. In four seasons in the league since being selected in the second round in 2022, Hall has rushed for 3,398 yards and 18 touchdowns on 755 carries, good for a 4.50 YPC average, while averaging 3.26 yards per carry after contact, a 18.0% missed tackle rate, and a 45.8% carry success rate. 

Hall is also a big part of the Jets’ passing game, averaging 1.51 yards per route run in his career. He tore his ACL as a rookie, but has missed just two games in three seasons since, while averaging 225 carries per season, and he doesn’t seem to have any lingering effects from his injury. He’s not an elite back and the Jets probably overpaid to keep him, but he could be a useful part of a good offense if the Jets can get there before Hall gets too old.

Depth behind Hall is a concern though. Braelon Allen was supposed to be the backup last season, but he suffered a serious knee injury and missed the final 13 games of the season. The 2024 4th round pick now has just 110 carries in two seasons in the league and hasn’t shown that much, averaging 3.73 YPC, with 2.81 yards per carry after contact, a 10.0% missed tackle rate, a 50.9% carry success rate, and 1.07 yards per route run. The youngest player in his draft class, Allen is still only going into his age 22 season, younger than a lot of rookies, so he still has significant upside if he is past his injury, but there is no guarantee he is a useful complement for Hall this season. 

In Allen’s absence, Isaiah Davis was the primary backup, but he had just 43 carries, leaving a lot of the burden on Hall. A 5th round pick in 2024, Davis has averaged 5.62 YPC on 73 career carries, with 3.88 yards per carry after contact, a 17.8% missed tackle rate, a 47.9% carry success rate in his career, but only across 73 carries, as he has primarily played in passing situations (76.4% of his career snaps have come on pass plays). Especially with Allen returning from injury, Davis figures to again play primarily in passing situations, where he has a decent 1.19 yards per route run average in his career. Even with depth concerns, this isn’t a bad backfield.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

The Jets bring back four of five starters on the offensive line from a year ago, with the exception being left guard, where free agent addition Dylan Parham replaces free agent departure John Simpson. Parham is only a marginal starter, but he should still be an upgrade over Simpson, who was a liability. The Jets did also lose right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker in free agency, but he tore his triceps before the season even started and missed the whole season, so that isn’t really a loss.

When Vera-Tucker went down, the Jets moved center Joe Tippman to right guard to replace him and plugged in veteran backup center Josh Myers at center. Tippman, a 2023 2nd round pick, was an above average center in his second season in the league in 2024, but wasn’t quite as good at right guard in 2025, playing at about an average level. Myers, meanwhile, was a liability at center, as he has been throughout his career (73 starts in five seasons in the league). The Jets only added 6th round pick Anez Cooper at guard this off-season and re-signed Myers to a 2-year, 11 million dollar deal, so they will keep the same set up in 2026, due to the lack of a better option.

Tackle is the strength of this line, where the Jets’ 2024 and 2025 first round picks are. Armand Membou, selected 7th overall in 2025, was the Jets’ best offensive lineman as a rookie, playing at an above average level in 17 starts at right tackle. Olu Fashanu, selected 11th overall in 2024, was not quite as good, but he has been solid in each of his first two seasons in the league, taking over as a starter midway through his rookie year and starting 24 games since. Both have the upside to be better in 2026 than they were in 2025.

Aside from Vera-Tucker, who is no longer on the roster anyway, none of the Jets’ offensive linemen missed any time with injury last season, but that is highly unlikely to happen two years in a row, which would expose their limited depth. Aside from rookie guard Anez Cooper, the Jets’ reserve options are Max Mitchell, a hybrid guard/tackle who has been mediocre in 17 starts in 4 seasons in the league, Xavier Newman, a hybrid guard/center who has been mediocre in 5 starts in 4 seasons in the league, and Chukwuma Okorafor, who has mostly struggled in 60 career starts at tackle, with his most recent start coming in 2023. The Jets’ lack of depth figures to become an issue at some point for an offensive line that even at full strength is an underwhelming group overall.

Grade: C+

Interior Defenders

While the Jets’ mid-season trades last season suggested a full rebuild, the Jets did not operate like a team planning for the long-term in free agency this off-season, adding several veterans over 30 on defense who simultaneously won’t be around long-term, but could also hurt their draft position in the short-term by helping the Jets win a game or two that they would have not otherwise. One of those veterans was interior defender David Onyemata, who is going into his age 34 season.

Onyemata was a consistently above average player in his prime, but he has only been an average player over the past two seasons, totaling just 4 sacks, 3 hits, and a 6.3% pressure rate in 34 games (down from a 9.5% pressure rate in the previous six seasons combined), while playing at just an average level against the run. He figures to continue declining in 2026 and making his addition even more puzzling is the fact that the interior defender position was already a strength for the Jets.

The Jets traded Quinnen Williams, one of the top interior defenders in the league, to the Cowboys midway through last season, but, in his absence, Jowon Briggs broke out. Briggs finished the 2025 season with 4 sacks, 6 hits, and a 11.9% pressure rate, and, in the final 9 games of the season after the Quinnen Williams trade, he had 29 total pressures, good for 7th most in the NFL among interior defenders from week 10 on. His run defense was a little subpar, but he more than made up for it with his pass rush ability. 

Briggs was only a 7th round pick in 2024, but his breakout didn’t come out of nowhere, as he flashed potential as a rookie, albeit across just 133 snaps. It’s possible Briggs won’t be as good again in 2026 as he was in 2025, but he should still remain at least an above average interior pass rusher and it’s possible he has permanently turned a corner and will continue rushing the passer at the level he did last season.

The Jets also supplemented their interior defender room before free agency even started, trading edge defender Jermaine Johnson to the Titans for T’Vondre Sweat. Sweat, a 2024 2nd round pick, is a massive run stopper at 6-4 362, but he also gets more pass rush than you’d expect from someone of his size, totaling 3 sacks, 5 hits, and a 7.4% pressure rate in 29 career games. Sweat entered the league with a huge upside and, now going into his third season in the league, it is possible he keeps getting better.

The Jets also have veteran holdover Harrison Phillips, whose role becomes more unclear with Onyemata being added to the mix. Phillips played 692 snaps last season and was an above average run defender and a below average pass rusher (3.2% pressure rate), as he has been throughout his career (career 5.2% pressure rate), but he is going into his age 30 season, so he could decline this season. The Jets also could save 7.5 million in cash and cap space by releasing him before the start of the season, which seems like a possibility. 

Further adding to the possibility of Phillips being released is the fact that the Jets used a 4th round pick on Darrell Jackson, a run defense first prospect, to add even more depth to this position group. Jackson likely won’t have a role as of now, but he could see deep reserve snaps if Phillips is moved before the start of the season or if someone suffers an injury. This is a talented position group with good depth.

Grade: A

Edge Defenders

As I mentioned, the Jets traded Jermaine Johnson (678 snaps) to the Titans for T’Vondre Sweat this off-season, a trade the Jets won because Sweat is on a cheap rookie contract for two more years, while Johnson is owed 13.411 million in the final year of his first round contract in 2026, and because Johnson was underwhelming for them last season, finishing with just 3 sacks, 4 hits, and a 8.9% pressure rate, while playing middling run defense. 

The Jets also lost Micheal Clemons (578 snaps) as a free agent this off-season, but he will be missed even less, as he was a solid run defender, but a terrible pass rusher, with 1 sack, 5 hits, and a 6.8% pressure rate. To replace Johnson and Clemons, the Jets signed Joseph Ossai and Kingsley Enagbare in free agency and then used the 2nd overall pick on David Bailey. Those three will play significant roles along with holdover Will McDonald, who was their best edge defender a year ago. 

Bailey is very NFL ready and should be an above average starter in year one, opposite McDonald. A first round pick in his own right, selected 15th overall in 2023, McDonald has totaled 18.5 sacks, 24 hits, and a 12.2% pressure rate in 32 games over the past two seasons, after playing sparingly as a rookie. McDonald leaves something to be desired as a run defender, but his pass rush ability more than makes up for it. He was a relatively old rookie and is already in his age 27 season, so he probably is who he is at this stage of his career, but he should at least stay in his prime for multiple more seasons.

Bailey and McDonald starting leaves Ossai and Enagbare as the reserves, but both will still have significant roles. Ossai was a 3rd round pick in 2021 and took a few years to develop, but is coming off of a career best year in 2025, in which he played a career high 616 snaps, totaled 5 sacks, 9 hits, and a career high 11.5% pressure rate, while playing above average run defense. He’s never been that good before, but, unlike some of the Jets’ free agent signings, he is still relatively young, only going into his age 26 season, so it is possible he has permanently turned a corner and will remain a solid all-around player.

Enagbare is also only going into his age 26 season, but he isn’t as good of a player. Playing 468 total snaps, Enagbare only had 2 sacks, 6 hits, and a 9.9% pressure rate last season, while playing middling run defense and that is very much in line with how he has played through four seasons in the league. In 68 career games, the 2022 5th round pick has 11.5 sacks, 21 hits, and a 9.8% pressure rate, while playing consistently middling at best run defense and averaging 474 snaps per season. He’s not bad depth to have, but is clearly the Jets’ 4th best edge defender. This is a decent, but unspectacular position group overall.

Grade: B-

Linebackers

The oldest player the Jets added this off-season was linebacker Demario Davis, who is one of the oldest defensive players in the league, going into his age 37 season. Davis hasn’t dropped off much, if not at all yet, playing at an All-Pro level in 2025. Davis has been extremely durable in his career, missing just two games in 14 seasons in the league, which has probably helped him age so gracefully, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if he did decline at least somewhat in 2026. Even if he doesn’t, he doesn’t fit the Jets’ timeline at all, so he was a weird addition.

Davis will start next to Jamien Sherwood, a solid linebacker in his own right, albeit not as good as Davis. Sherwood has played 1,063 snaps and 1,110 snaps in the past two seasons respectively and has been a slightly above average every down player in both seasons. Still only in his age 26 season, I would expect more of the same from him in 2026. Sherwood was the Jets’ only good linebacker last season though, as Quincy Williams, Kiko Mauigoa, and Marcelino McCrary-Ball all struggled across 783 snaps, 328 snaps, and 106 snaps respectively. Williams left as a free agent, leaving Mauigoa and McCary-Ball to compete for the third linebacker job and both figure to be a liability.

McCrary-Ball began last season as the third linebacker, but missed the final 13 games of the season due to injury. This season, Mauigoa is probably the favorite for the job, as he was a 5th round pick in 2025 and has a higher upside, while McCrary-Ball went undrafted in 2022 and has played just 3 defensive snaps in his career other than last season. Fortunately, the Jets will not use three linebackers together frequently, so whoever wins the third linebacker job likely won’t have to play much, but that would change if one of their top-2 linebackers got hurt. The lack of depth is a minor concern in a position group where the two starters are one of the best starting duos in the league.

Grade: A-

Secondary

The Jets also traded for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick this off-season and he is going into his age 30 season. Fitzpatrick has been a consistently above average safety in his career and he will benefit a position group that had six different players make starts last season, largely ineffectively, but Fitzpatrick could start to decline this season and, even if he doesn’t, his age makes him a weird fit for the Jets’ timeline. Fitzpatrick will start next to Andre Cisco, who was the Jets’ best safety by default last season, but who only played in eight games due to a season ending shoulder injury. 

Cisco was only an average starter and has only been an average starter throughout his 5-year career, but that still makes him better than the alternatives. Still only in his age 26 season, he should continue being an average starter in 2026. Meanwhile, Malachi Moore, a 2025 4th round pick who led this position group with 949 snaps last season and was below average, will be the third safety. He could take a step forward in his second season in the league and ultimately is an above average third safety option.

Cornerback was also a big problem for the Jets last season, especially after Sauce Gardner was traded. All in all, nine different players made starts for the Jets at cornerback last season and almost all of them other than Gardner struggled. The Jets didn’t make any huge additions at the cornerback position this off-season, but they signed veteran Nahshon Wright and used a second round pick on D’Angelo Ponds. Along with Brandon Stephens, whose 1,047 snaps made him the only Jets cornerback above 400 snaps last season, those will likely be their top-3 cornerbacks this season.

Stephens did play a lot last season, but he was a below average starter, as he has been throughout his career, with 64 starts in 81 games in five seasons in the league. He figures to continue struggling this season. Nahson Wright came out of nowhere to play 1,040 snaps and intercept 5 passes with the Bears last season, after the 2021 3rd round pick only played 272 total snaps in his first four seasons in the league combined, but Wright also gave up a lot of big plays, in addition to the interceptions, and interceptions tend to be inconsistent on a year-to-year basis. If his interception total decreases and he continues giving up big plays, he will be a liability for the Jets. 

Ponds, meanwhile, is not a bad option, but he is only a rookie, so, overall, this is an underwhelming top-3 at cornerback. The Jets also have 2025 3rd round pick Azareye’h Thomas, who struggled across 311 snaps last season, but who still has a high upside and who could be better in his second season in the league in 2026. He will probably start the season as the 4th cornerback, but could easily find himself starting by seasons’ end, due to injury or ineffectiveness of one of the cornerbacks ahead of him on the depth chart. The Jets’ should get better safety play this season, but cornerback is still a big problem for them.

Grade: C+

Kickers

Nick Folk was the strength of the Jets last season, ranking 3rd in the NFL with 10.86 points added above average, after ranking 2nd with 10.48 points added above average in 2024. However, the Jets lost him in free agency and both of their replacement options would be massive downgrades. Cade York is the experienced option, but he has cost his teams 17.16 points compared to average in just 23 career games, an average of 0.75 points lost per game that is the worst of any kickers in at least the past 10 seasons who has kicked in at least 20 games. Meanwhile, Lenny Krieg, York’s competition for the job, is a 2025 undrafted free agent who has never played in an NFL game. Whoever wins the job figures to be a liability in 2026, perhaps a massive liability. 

Grade: C-

Conclusion

The Jets figure to be one of the worst teams in the league. In addition to having arguably the worst quarterback situation in the league and a subpar roster overall, the Jets also have one of the worst coaching staffs in the league, led by head coach Aaron Glenn, whose defenses have consistently underperformed their talent level throughout his years as a defensive coordinator or head coach. They should be in the mix for another high draft pick again in 2026.

Prediction: 4-13, 3rd in AFC East

San Francisco 49ers 2026 NFL Season Preview

stevenlourie 2026 NFL Season Previews, 49ers

Quarterback

In 2024, the 49ers went 6-11, but they had the most adjusted games lost to injury of any team in the league and still finished 3rd in schedule adjusted efficiency, which is much more predictive of future winning than win/loss record. Going into 2025, it seemed clear that the 49ers would see a big increase in win total, even after some off-season losses. The 49ers still had a lot of injuries in 2025, with the 5th most adjusted games lost to injury of any team in the league, but they still managed to improve to a 12-5 record. They declined a little bit in terms of schedule adjusted efficiency, partially due to their off-season losses, ranking 8th. Their offense was great, ranking 2nd, but their defense fell to 27th, largely due to injuries. 

Their offense wasn’t immune to injuries either though. In fact, quarterback Brock Purdy missed 8 games with injury, which would normally be a death sentence for a team, but the 49ers still went 5-3 in the games Purdy missed because backup Mac Jones played almost just as well, completing 69.6% of his passes for an average of 7.44 YPA, 13 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. Purdy, meanwhile, completed 69.4% of his passes for an average of 7.63 YPA, 20 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Purdy was the better runner, averaging 4.45 YPC on 33 carries, as opposed to 1.67 YPC on 36 carries for Jones, but their passing numbers were almost identical, with Purdy’s passer rating of 100.5 (8th in the NFL) only being slightly above Jones’ 97.4 rating (13th in the NFL). 

Purdy’s numbers were similar to his career numbers, completing 67.9% of his passes for an average of 8.64 YPA, 84 touchdowns, and 37 interceptions in 45 career starts, while rushing for 3.92 YPC and 11 touchdowns on 160 carries. However, Jones’ 2025 season was a big step forward from his past performance, as he had previously completed 66.5% of his passes for 6.85 YPA, 67 touchdowns, and 50 interceptions in 57 starts in four seasons in the league prior to last season. Jones’ performance didn’t completely come out of nowhere though, as he completed 67.6% of his passes for an average of 7.30 YPA, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions as a rookie in 2021 and he is a former first round pick who has always had a high upside.

Whether Jones could be as good again this season if needed remains to be seen, but Purdy has now suffered a significant injury in three of four seasons in the league, so it is possible we will see Jones again at some point this season. The 49ers reportedly got significant trade offers for Jones this off-season and he has at least proven he is good enough to start somewhere in the NFL, but the 49ers valued him enough as a backup to turn down those offers. 

On one hand, Jones is going into the final year of his contract and will probably leave for a starting job next off-season, leaving the 49ers with nothing, but Jones also saved their season last season and there is a chance he could do it again this season, so the 49ers decided it wasn’t worth it to trade him away, even for a significant return. With Purdy and Jones, this is one of the best overall quarterback rooms in the league.

Grade: A-

Receiving Corps

On top of Brock Purdy’s injury, the 49ers were also without their two best receivers in terms of yards per route run for large chunks of the season. Tight end George Kittle, who averaged 2.15 yards per route run, was limited to 11 games, in which he had a 57/628/7 slash line, while wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who averaged 1.85 yards per route run, was limited to 9 games, in which he had a 36/528/0 slash line. Unfortunately, Kittle also suffered a torn achilles in the playoffs, meaning he is likely to miss more time in 2026 and he probably won’t be at his best even when he does return, especially given that he is going into his age 33 season. He’s also been pretty injury prone throughout his career, missing time in seven of nine seasons in the league. 

Kittle has been one of the best tight ends in the league throughout his career though, averaging a 86/1169/8 slash line per 17 games and 2.45 yards per route run since 2018, while blocking at an above average level, so even if he is at much less than his best in 2026, he could still be an above average all-around tight end. Pearsall, on the other hand, could just be scratching the surface on his potential, as the 2024 1st round pick is only entering his age 26 season. He has yet to play a full season, also missing time after a gunshot wound as a rookie, but he isn’t necessarily injury prone and could put together an impressive season in 2026 if he plays a full season. 

In Pearsall’s absence, Jauan Jennings (55/643/9) and Kendrick Bourne (37/551/0) were their leading receivers at the wide receiver position, but they were underwhelming, averaging just 1.39 yards per route run and 1.53 yards per route run respectively. Both left as free agents this off-season and the 49ers attempted to upgrade over them by signing veterans Mike Evans and Christian Kirk in free agency and then using a second round pick on De’Zhaun Stribling. 

Evans figures to start in two wide receiver sets opposite Pearsall. Evans is a future Hall of Famer who exceeded 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first 11 seasons in the league from 2014-2024, while averaging 2.07 yards per route run in his career, but he fell to just a 30/368/3 slash line and 1.62 yards per route run in 9 games in an injury plagued 2025 season and he is now heading into his age 33 season. He should be healthier in 2026 than 2025, but it is very possible that his best days are behind him at his age. I would guess that if both are healthy that Pearsall outproduces Evans in 2026.

Kirk, meanwhile, figures to compete with the rookie Stribling for the third receiver job. Kirk has seen better days too, averaging a 74/946/5 slash line per 17 games and 1.66 yards per route run in the first seven seasons of his career from 2018 to 2024, but he fell to just a 28/239/1 slash line in 13 games last season with 0.86 yards per route run in 2025. He is only going into his age 30 season, so he isn’t totally over the hill, but he has missed 18 games due to injury over the past three seasons combined and is unlikely to bounce back to his old form in 2026, while also being likely to miss more time due to injury. Even if he begins the season as the third receiver, Stribling should beat him out sooner rather than later.

With Kittle likely to miss time at the start of the season, the 49ers’ wide receivers figure to take on a larger target share, while backup tight ends Jake Tonges and Luke Farrell split snaps. Tonges is a 2022 undrafted free agent who caught the first 34 passes for 293 yards and 5 touchdowns of his career in Kittle’s absence last season, but he only averaged 1.27 yards per route run and isn’t much of a blocker either. Farrell, meanwhile, is a blocking specialist who has averaged just 0.88 yards per route run in his career, with just 47 catches in 83 games in five seasons in the league. Both would be significant downgrades from Kittle. With Kittle, Evans, and Kirk all being on the wrong side of 30 and having injury concerns, while Ricky Pearsall and De’Zhaun Stribling are unproven, this receiving corps has concerns, but they have upside if enough things go right.

Grade: B

Running Backs

Somehow, with all of their injuries last season, one player who stayed healthy is running back Christian McCaffrey, who has been extremely injury prone in his career, missing at least 10 games in three of the past six seasons. In his other three seasons though, he has exceeded 1,800 yards from scrimmage all three times with two both seasons above 2,000 yards from scrimmage. Last season was one of those 2000+ yard seasons, but he was not as efficient as he had been in the past. 

Much of his yardage came through the air last season, as he actually led this team in catches (102), receiving yards (924), and targets (129) due to all of the 49ers’ injuries in the receiving corps. On the ground, he only averaged 3.86 YPC, down from a career average of 4.58 YPC, while his 2.76 yards per carry after contact was down from his career average of 2.85, his carry success rate was 48.6%, down from his career average of 49.9%, and his missed tackle rate was 15.1%, down from his career average of 16.4%. 

Now going into his age 30 at a position where players typically have relatively short careers, it is very likely that McCaffrey’s best days as a runner are behind him and he could easily suffer another significant injury. McCaffrey should at least remain a useful receiver when healthy, as he has averaged 1.72 yards per route run in his career and has not really declined in that aspect, averaging 1.79 yards per route run last season, 3rd best among eligible running backs. He probably won’t be quite as involved in the passing game this season unless they have as many injuries in the receiving corps as they had last season, but he should still be one of the most productive receiving backs in the league if he stays healthy, which is a big if, given his history.

Veteran Brian Robinson, a former starter in his own right, was the 49ers’ backup running back last season. He was only an early down option, averaging just 0.38 yards per route run and totaling just a 8/25/0 slash line, but he was a solid runner, averaging 4.35 YPC, with 3.10 yards per carry after contact, a 23.9% missed tackle rate, and a 54.3% carry success rate. The 49ers could have kept him relatively cheaply this off-season to give themselves a good insurance option, with Robinson only signing in Atlanta for 2.5 million on a 1-year deal this off-season, but the 49ers opted not to bring him back and instead used a 3rd round pick on Kaelon Black, a similar early down only option. 

Black will only play a similar role to Robinson last season as long as McCaffrey is healthy, but he would likely see the lions’ share of the carries if McCaffrey misses time this season. Meanwhile, 2025 5th round pick Jordan James, who played just 3 snaps as a rookie, largely due to his own injuries, would then be the change of pace and passing down complement to Black, a role he seems decently suited for based on his college tape. This backfield would be very inexperienced if McCaffrey gets hurt and there is a good chance that happens at some point and, even if he does not get hurt, he probably won’t be what he once was, but as long as he is healthy, he will still be one of the better all-around backs in the league, even at less than his best.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

The 49ers also didn’t have many injuries on the offensive line, with the exception being the left guard position, where the 49ers didn’t have any good options anyway. That remains the case in 2026, as the starting left guard job will either go to 2025 7th round pick Connor Colby, who struggled in six starts as a rookie last season, veteran free agent addition Robert Jones, who has struggled across 30 career starts and missed all of last season with injury, or 4th round rookie Carver Willis, all of whom will likely be liabilities this season.

The rest of this offensive line should remain the same in 2026, though there are some age concerns, with left tackle Trent Williams going into his age 38 season, center Jake Brendel going into his age 34 season, and right tackle Colton McKivitz going into his age 30 season. Williams has consistently played at an All-Pro level in recent years, has yet to show any signs of slowing down, and even if he does decline in 2026, he should still remain at least an above average starting left tackle, but any significant decline from him would hurt this offensive line and, at his age, that is definitely a possibility. 

Brendel is a consistently marginal starter who would likely be a liability if he declined in 2026, which is a decent possibility. McKivitz has been an above average starter who has made every start in each of the past three seasons, after only starting five games in his first three seasons in the league combined. He could still remain an above average starter even if he declines a little and his age isn’t as much of a concern as Brendel’s age or Williams’ age.

Right guard Dominick Puni remains in his prime, as the 2024 3rd round pick is only going into his age 26 season. Puni was better as a rookie than in his second season in the league, but he has been above average in both seasons and he has some bounce back potential in his third season. If he’s closer to his rookie year form than his second year form, that would at least be a little bit of a boost for this offense and it’s possible he has his best year yet in year three, which would make him a borderline All-Pro caliber player.

The 49ers’ depth options include whichever two of the three competitors at left guard do not end up starting, as well as veteran swing tackle addition Vederian Lowe, who has mostly struggled across 25 career starts, 5th round rookie right tackle Enrique Cruz, and veteran backup center addition Brett Toth, who has struggled in six career starts. The 49ers definitely have talent upfront, but concerns include three of their starters being on the wrong side of 30, a weakness at left guard, and the potential for their starters at the other four positions besides left guard to not be as healthy as last season, when they missed just three games total. This should still be a good offensive line, but they might not be quite as good as a year ago.

Grade: B+

Edge Defenders

As I mentioned earlier, the 49ers’ defense struggled mightily last season due primarily to concerns. One of the biggest injury absences was edge defender Nick Bosa, who is an All-Pro caliber player when healthy, but tore his ACL in week 3 and missed the rest of the season. When healthy, Bosa has totaled 64.5 sacks, 110 hits, and a 16.2% pressure rate in 85 career games, while playing at a high level against the run, and he is just going into his age 29 season, so he is still in his prime if he’s healthy, but he has now torn both of his ACLs in his career and it is possible he won’t be quite as good as his normal self at least at the start of the season. Still, getting him back will be huge for this defense.

Making matters worse, Mykel Williams, who the 49ers used the 11th overall pick on in 2025 to give them a much needed complement for Bosa, also tore his ACL and had his season ended after 385 snaps in 9 games. Williams also wasn’t particularly good even when he did play, only managing 1 sack, 2 hits, and a 7.8% pressure rate and not playing good enough run defense to make up for his lack of pass rush. Normally I would say that Williams has a good chance to take a big step forward in year two, given his obvious upside, but recovery from a major injury complicates his projection.

In the absence of Bosa and Williams, the 49ers were led in edge defense snaps by Sam Okuayinonu (574 snaps). They also traded for Keion White at the trade deadline and he played 318 snaps in 9 games. Along with third round rookie Romello Height, Okuayinonu and White will provide depth behind Bosa and Williams, in a smaller role than a year ago. Okuayinonu only managed 3 sacks, 4 hits, and a 8.2% pressure rate and the 2022 undrafted free agent wasn’t much better across 451 snaps in 2024 in the first significant action of his career. Even as a reserve, Okuayinonu might be a liability.

White was at least decent last season though. He struggled earlier in the season with New England, leading to him being benched and traded, but he had 5 sacks, 10 hits, and a 10.5% pressure rate in 2024 with the Patriots, while playing solid run defense, and he is a former 2nd round pick, so he is a solid backup option. He will probably be their top reserve, while the 49ers are probably hoping the rookie Height can overtake Okuayinonu in the rotation as a rookie. Bosa returning from injury is huge for this position group and they do have other players with upside, but the other players also have downside.

Grade: B

Interior Defenders

Even with all of the injuries on the edge, the 49ers were arguably worse on the interior of the defensive line last season, as all five players who played at least 100 snaps at the interior defender position last season for the 49ers struggled. There is good news going into 2026 though. For one, all of those players who struggled last season are gone except Alfred Collins and CJ West, who were 2nd and 4th round rookies last season and have the upside to be a lot better in year two, especially Collins, who has the higher upside. It’s possible one or both of them continue struggling in 2026, but the 49ers also added veteran Osa Odighizuwa via trade and they used a 4th round pick on Gracen Halton to give them another young option with upside. 

Barring a massive improvement and breakout from one of the young players, Odighizuwa figures to be the best of the bunch, perhaps by far. Odighizuwa is at his best as a pass rusher, with 17 sacks, 59 hits, and a 10.9% pressure rate in 84 career games, but he is also an adequate run defender as well. Still in his prime in his age 28 season, I would expect more of the same from him in 2026. He significantly upgrades a position group that otherwise has upside, but also significant concerns.

Grade: C+

Linebackers

Along with Bosa, the other big loss on this defense last season was linebacker Fred Warner, who broke his leg in week 6 and missed the rest of the season. Warner has only ever missed one other game in his 8-year career, so he is as durable as they come, and he reportedly would have been ready to return if the 49ers had advanced another week into the post-season last year, so I am not concerned he won’t be 100% for the start of the season. His age is a minor concern, going into his age 30 season, but he is an All-Pro caliber linebacker when on the field and he was on his way to one of the best seasons of his career when he got hurt, so, even if he isn’t quite at his peak, he should still be a very welcome re-addition for the 49ers.

The 49ers also get a different kind of re-addition, re-signing veteran Dre Greenlaw, Warner’s former running mate, after a lone season with the Broncos. Greenlaw hasn’t been the same since tearing his achilles at the end of the 2023 season, missing all but 34 snaps in 2024 and then being limited by possibly related leg injuries in 2025, when he played just 324 snaps in 8 games, leading to his release in Denver. However, he has still shown flashes of being the above average every down linebacker he was before the injury in his limited action over the past two seasons and he is still only going into his age 29 season, so, if he can stay relatively healthy in 2025, he has the potential to play at close to his old level of play, though that is obvious not a guarantee at this point. 

Without Warner and Greenlaw, the 49ers were led in linebacker snaps by Dee Winters last season, who played 993 snaps and was decent. With Warner and Greenlaw back, the 49ers opted to trade Winters this off-season and will give the third linebacker job either to Tatum Bethune, who finished second in this position group with 498 snaps last season and was mediocre in the first significant action of the 2024 7th round pick’s career, or they will give the job to 2025 3rd round pick Nick Martin, who concerningly only played 15 snaps as a rookie, even in a position group that needed help, but who could still theoretically have untapped upside. The 49ers’ third linebacker spot is a concern, especially since there is a higher than average chance they need their third linebacker, given that their top-2 linebackers are coming off of injury, but the return of Warner and Greenlaw will be huge upgrades for this position group, even with the caveat that they are coming off of injuries taken into account.

Grade: A

Secondary

Things remain very similar in the secondary as they were a year ago, with their top-5 in terms of snaps played all being brought back for 2026. There are a couple things that will slightly be different at safety. For one, Malik Mustapha should be healthier, after missing five games at the start of the 2025 season due to a torn ACL that he suffered late in 2024. Mustapha, a 2024 4th round pick, has been a decent safety in two seasons in the league (22 starts in 28 games) and doesn’t seem to have had any long-term effects from the injury. Now another year removed from the injury and another year older, Mustapha could easily have his best season yet in his third season in the league 2026 and, even if he doesn’t, just having him in the lineup from week 1 should be a small boost for this defense.

The 49ers should also have fellow starting safety Ji’Ayir Brown in the starting lineup from week 1 this season, after weirdly benching him to start last season, even with Mustapha out. The 49ers’ starting safeties at the beginning of last season were Marques Sigle and Jason Pinnock, who both struggled. Brown, a 2023 3rd round pick, has mostly been an unspectacular starter in three seasons in the league (694 snaps per season, 31 starts in 49 career games), but he is a better option than either Sigle or Pinnock were and putting him back in the lineup after the start of last season was the smart move, one that should continue into 2026, even with Sigle, a 2025 5th round pick, still on the roster as a reserve.

At cornerback, Deommodore Lenoir (1,065 snaps), Renardo Green (815 snaps), and Upton Stout (592 snaps) should remain their top-3 cornerbacks again this season and the 49ers added to their depth by signing veterans Jack Jones and Nate Hobbs and using a 4th round pick on Ephesians Prysock. Lenoir has started 64 games in five seasons in the league, including all 49 he has played over the past three seasons, and he has mostly been decent over those three seasons. Green, a 2nd round pick in 2024, had a decent rookie year, but struggled a bit in 2025. He could easily bounce back in 2026 though. Stout, meanwhile, struggled at the start of last season, after being drafted in the 3rd round in 2025, but improved as the year went on, something that could easily continue into 2026. They are a decent, but unspectacular trio.

With the rookie Prysock likely locked into a roster spot based on where he was drafted, that probably leaves veteran backups Jones and Hobbs competing for one roster spot, even though both have extensive experience. Hobbs, a 5th round pick in 2021, has made 43 starts in five seasons in the league and has mostly been decent, but injuries have been a big problem for him, costing him 23 games in those five seasons, including 6 last season, when he also got benched and played a career low 358 snaps total. Jones, meanwhile, has started 33 of 34 games in the past two seasons, but has been a middling starter at best. Both are decent backup options, but are probably redundant on this roster. The 49ers lack high end talent in the secondary, but this is not a bad group.

Grade: B-

Kickers

The 49ers used a 3rd round pick on Jake Moody in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he proved to be a massive bust, costing the 49ers 3.71 points compared to an average kicker in 2023, 12.20 points compared to an average kicker in 2024, and then getting cut early in the 2025 season after his struggles continued. The 49ers then replaced him with veteran Eddy Piniero, who was a massive upgrade, only missing one field goal all season and accumulating 8.36 points above an average kicker. Piniero has been inconsistent in his career, but has ultimately added 11.96 points above average in 86 career games. He probably won’t be as good in 2026 as he was in 2025, but he at least gives the 49ers a relatively reliable veteran option with something of a floor.

Grade: B+

Conclusion

The 49ers won 12 games and finished 8th in schedule adjusted efficiency last season despite the 5th most adjusted games lost to injury in the league. They may be healthier in 2026, but they have a pretty injury prone roster and also a pretty old roster, ranking 2nd in average age, after finishing last season 3rd in snap adjusted age. In particular, their offense has up to seven expected starters who are going to be 30 or older this season, which is a concern, because their offense was the strength of their team last season, ranking 2nd in schedule adjusted efficiency. At least their defense, which ranked 27th largely due to their two best players missing the majority of the season, should be significantly better to compensate for any offensive decline. They should remain a playoff team with a similar win total to a year ago, even across what should be a tougher schedule, but they are not quite a top level team.

Prediction: 11-6, 3rd in NFC West

Cleveland Browns 2026 NFL Season Preview

stevenlourie 2026 NFL Season Previews, Bears

Quarterback

During the 2022 off-season, feeling they were a quarterback away from being true contenders, the Browns made an aggressive trade with the Houston Texans, giving up three first round picks for quarterback Deshaun Watson, who they then guaranteed 230 million over the next five seasons. It was a risky trade, not just because of the money and draft compensation it took to acquire him, but also because Watson had a history of legal trouble that not only made acquiring him a PR nightmare, but that also would cost Watson the first 11 games of the 2022 season, after he had already sat out the entire 2021 season. 

As risky as the trade seemed, it somehow has gone even worse than anyone could have expected. Watson has played just 20 games in four seasons in Cleveland, first missing those 11 games with suspension, then missing 11 games in 2023 with a shoulder injury, and then 27 games between 2024 and 2025 with a double torn achilles, including an entire 2025 season on the shelf. Even before all the injuries, Watson never played well and has completed just 61.2% of his passes for 6.04 YPA, 19 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with the Browns, a far cry from the 67.8% completion, 8.21 YPA, 104 touchdowns, and 36 interceptions he had in five seasons with the Texans.

Whether it was rustiness after missing almost two seasons with suspension or a poor work ethic or lack of scheme fit, Watson has been a diminished quarterback since his first start with the Browns and subsequent injuries only made things worse. In his last action in 2024, he completed 63.4% of his passes for an average of just 5.31 YPA, 5 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions and now he is coming off of another major injury and heading into his age 31 season. 

The Browns were right that they were a quarterback away from being true contenders, going 18-16 between 2022 and 2023, despite a poor quarterback situation, but that has fallen to 8-26 between 2024 and 2025, as their roster has gotten older and the guaranteed money and draft compensation that the Browns gave up to get Watson has limited their ability to add young talent to replace their aging starters. Their defense, which has been the strength of this team for years, has remained a high level unit, ranking 4th in schedule adjusted efficiency in 2024 and 3rd in 2025, but their offense has ranked dead last both seasons, leading to the Browns ranking 29th in overall schedule adjusted efficiency in each of the past two seasons.

In Watson’s absence last season, the Browns started three quarterbacks, veteran Joe Flacco, third round rookie Dillon Gabriel, and fifth round rookie Shedeur Sanders, none of whom had any success. Sanders probably was the best of the bunch by default, but he completed just 56.6% of his passes for an average of 6.60 YPA, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. A lot of that was due to a poor supporting cast and he could be better in his second season in the league, but fifth round picks rarely develop into long-term starting quarterbacks in the NFL and Sanders has yet to show anything to suggest that he will be an exception.

The Browns had the 6th overall pick in this year’s draft, but with this being a weak quarterback draft, there was no quarterback worth taking with that pick and, as a result, Sanders is expected to compete with a returning Deshaun Watson for the week 1 starting job in 2026. Gabriel remains on the roster, but is not considered a serious contender for the starting job and, with the Browns adding yet another young developmental quarterback through the draft, 6th round pick Taylen Green, Gabriel is not even guaranteed a roster spot this season. 

Even though Sanders is younger and probably has the higher upside of their two quarterback options, Watson is considered the favorite for the job because the Browns apparently want to make absolutely sure he is not good before letting him walk as a free agent next off-season. New head coach Todd Monken also views Watson as being a better fit for his scheme than Watson was under previous head coach Kevin Stefanski and seems to think he can rehabilitate him. Monken was far from the Browns’ first choice at head coach and, hired at 59 years old, he is the 4th oldest first time head coach in NFL history, but he is at least a superior offensive play caller to Stefanski, which could help this offense at least a little bit. 

Regardless, Watson is unlikely to have significantly more success under Monken than he did under Stefanski, given his age and injury history, and it is very likely that both Watson and Sanders will see starts this season in what figures to be another lost season for the Browns, whose primary goal by November will probably be to determine if either Watson or Sanders has any chance to be the long-term starter, before deciding what to do with what figures to be another high draft pick in a better quarterback draft in 2027. This is arguably the worst quarterback room in the league.

Grade: C

Offensive Line

As I mentioned, the Browns had become an increasingly old roster in recent years, as a result of not having their own first round pick for three straight seasons from 2022-2024. Their oldest unit in 2025 was their offensive line, where four of their five week 1 starters finished the season at 30 years of age or older. The results were not good. In total, 10 different players made starts for the Browns upfront last season and the majority of them were liabilities. The relatively good news is that 8 of those 10 players were all free agents this off-season, giving the Browns an opportunity to retool this offensive line, but they didn’t have a lot of good options available to them and the result is an offensive line in 2026 that isn’t much better than it was in 2025. 

The only one of those eight free agents that the Browns had on the offensive line who was retained is guard Teven Jenkins, who was a backup for most of last season and only made just 4 starts. A 2nd round pick by the Bears, Jenkins was decent in his limited action last season, as he has been throughout his 42 starts in 5 seasons in the league, but he is also pretty injury prone, missing 23 games due to injury from 2021-2024 in his first stint as a starter. In five seasons in the league, his career high is 14 starts in a season. 

If Jenkins misses time again this season, which seems likely, he would probably be replaced by Zak Zinter, a 2024 3rd round pick who has shown very little across 279 snaps (3 starts) in two seasons in the league. Another possibility in Jenkins’ absence would be new right tackle Tytus Howard moving inside to guard, where he has made 32 of his 93 career starts, and then 3rd round rookie Austin Barber would slot in at right tackle, but that doesn’t seem like a good option.

The Browns gave Howard a big 2-year, 45 million dollar extension when they acquired him in a trade from the Texans this off-season, suggesting they view him as a tackle rather than a guard. Even as a right tackle, that is an overpay, as he is the 3rd highest paid right tackle in the league in terms of average annual salary, but he has mostly been just an average starter in his career regardless of where he has played. He is also now heading into his age 30 season and could start to decline in 2026, in which case he would likely be a liability. 

The Browns also overpaid free agent additions Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins, who will start at left guard and center respectively, after being signed to contracts worth 49.5 million over 3 years (14th highest paid guard in the league in average annual salary) and 24 million over 2 years (5th highest paid center in the league in average annual salary) respectively. Johnson was a first round pick by the Chargers in 2022, but has been a liability throughout his career, across 65 starts in four seasons in the league. 

Now going into his age 27 season, Johnson is running out of time to make good on the upside he entered the league with and he seemed like someone that would get a cheap one-year prove it deal this off-season, rather than a contract that pays him like an above average starter. Making matters worse, the player he replaces is Joel Bitonio, the Browns’ only above average starter on the offensive line last season. Johnson will almost definitely be a significant downgrade.

Elgton Jenkins, meanwhile, was once an above average starting offensive lineman, with experience at tackle, guard, and center in his career, but 2025 was a career worst year for him and he’s now heading into his age 31 season, so it is very likely his best days are behind him. He also missed 8 games last season with a broken leg that included ligament damage, which further dampens his outlook, and he has overall been pretty injury prone in recent years, missing 21 games total in the past five seasons combined. The Browns would be lucky to get both a decent and a healthy season out of him in 2026. If he misses time, the Browns would likely either turn to 5th round rookie Parker Brailsford or 2023 6th round pick Luke Wypler, who has struggled in 6 career starts.

Possibly the Browns’ best offensive lineman is left tackle Spencer Fano, even though he is only a rookie. Selected 9th overall after a trade down from 6, Fano has a high upside, but might not be more than an average starter as a rookie. He also hasn’t played left tackle since his freshman season in college and lacks ideal size and length for the left tackle position, meaning he could end up at right tackle long-term. For now, the Browns will try him on the more challenging left tackle, without another good option on the roster, but that just adds to his learning curve in year one. This figures to be a below average offensive line once again, even after all of their off-season changes and investment.

Grade: C+

Receiving Corps

After not having a first round pick in three straight drafts from 2022-2024, the Browns badly needed a good draft in 2025, which fortunately they did have. Arguably their best value pick was tight end Harold Fannin in the third round, who led the team with a 72/731/6 slash line and averaged 1.68 yards per route run as a rookie. Now going into his second season in the league, Fannin could take a step forward and be even better and, if he ever gets a good quarterback to play with, he could end up being one of the most productive receiving tight ends in the league.

Aside from Fannin, the best part of the Browns’ 2025 draft was the fact that they got an extra first round pick in 2026 out of it, just by moving down from 2 to 5 with the Jaguars. With the 24th overall pick that they got from Jacksonville, the Browns selected wide receiver KC Concepcion and then they got another first round caliber wide receiver, Denzel Boston, with their own second round pick at #39. The Browns’ wide receiver room was so bad last season that Concepcion and Boston could be their two best wide receivers, even as rookies. They will have big roles and both have big upside, but both could also struggle through growing pains in year one.

The Browns still have veteran Jerry Jeudy, who has been their leading wide receiver the past two seasons, and he figures to start in three wide receiver sets with Concepcion and Boston. With a terrible quarterback situation, Jeudy fell to a 50/602/2 slash line on 1.02 yards per route run last season, despite receiving 106 targets. Jeudy himself was part of the problem and, only in his age 27 season, he has some bounce back potential, but his career numbers aren’t drastically better than his 2025 numbers, as he has averaged a 66/912/3 slash line on 113 targets per 17 games in his career, while averaging 1.64 yards per route run. 

Jeudy did have a 90/1224/4 slash line in 2024, but that was largely because the Browns passed so much, as his 1.72 yards per route run average was not nearly as impressive as his overall yardage and he also had about 19% of his overall yardage in one game where backup quarterback Jameis Winston threw for 497 yards. At his best, he is only a slightly above average wide receiver option and, potentially fourth in the pecking order for targets behind Fannin and the two rookies, on a team with a bad quarterback situation, I wouldn’t expect Jeudy to produce much in 2026.

Isaiah Bond and Cedric Tillman both played significant roles in this receiving corps and remain on the roster, but I would expect both to be outside of the Browns’ top-3 wide receivers, unless injuries strike. A rookie last season, Bond averaged just 0.98 yards per route run with a 18/338/0 slash line on 44 targets, while Tillman, a 2023 3rd round pick, has averaged just 0.88 yards per route run, with averages of a 32/373/2 slash line on 59 targets per 17 games, in three seasons in the league. Tillman has also missed 13 games in three seasons, with at least three games missed in every season. Neither he nor Bond are guaranteed a roster spot in an improved receiving corps in 2026, though at least one of them will have to remain on the roster, due to the lack of a better option.

Behind Fannin at tight end, the Browns lost David Njoku, who had been a solid starting tight end for them for years, but took a backseat to Fannin last season, finishing with just a 33/293/4 slash line on 48 targets with a 1.06 yards per route run average in 12 games, before leaving as a free agent this off-season. In his place, the #2 job will either go to incumbent #3 tight end Blake Whiteheart, who has averaged just 0.31 yards per route run while playing just 455 total snaps in three seasons since going undrafted in 2023, Jack Stoll, a veteran blocking specialist with a career 0.47 yards per route run average, or 5th round rookie Joe Royer. All of them are likely to be downgrades from Njoku and none of them are likely to cut into Fannin’s playing time as much as Njoku did (42.9 snaps per game). This receiving corps is better than it was a year ago by default, but this is still a below average unit

Grade: B-

Running Backs

Another key member of the Browns’ 2025 rookie class is running back Quinshon Judkins, who went in the second round. Judkins had 230 carries in 14 games as a rookie and, while his 3.60 YPC average and 40.9% carry success rate don’t look good, it wasn’t really his fault, as he averaged just 0.40 yards per carry before contact, as opposed to 3.20 yards per carry after contact. He also broke tackles at a 17.8% rate and was surprisingly a decent receiver, averaging 1.05 yards per route run, despite not really being used much in that capacity in college. The Browns’ lack of offensive talent around him could keep Judkins’ YPC average down again in 2026, but he is still a solid starting running back. 

Even though Judkins was a decent receiver as a rookie, Dylan Sampson, another member of the 2025 draft class, going in the 4th round, will remain their primary passing down back in 2026. Sampson actually led this team with 1.86 yards per route run last season, which ranked 2nd in the league among running backs last season, and he finished with a 33/271/2 slash line on 40 targets. Sampson’s YPC average was even worse than Judkins’ at 2.69, as was his 30.8% carry success rate, but, like Judkins a lot of that wasn’t his fault, as he averaged 2.45 yards per carry after contact and had a 18.5% missed tackle rate. 

Judkins is clearly the better runner though, leaving Sampson as a passing down/change of pace complement. With third string running back Jerome Ford leaving in free agency, that job will likely go to Raheim Sanders, who was also a rookie last season, going undrafted. Sanders only averaged 3.41 YPC on 27 carries as a rookie, but he averaged 3.11 yards per carry after contact, had a 18.5% missed tackle rate, averaged 1.11 yards per route run, led the team with a 51.9% carry success rate and overall exceeded what you would expect out of an undrafted rookie, albeit in limited action. If Judkins misses time with injury, Sanders and Sampson would likely split work in his absence. By default, the Browns’ running back room is the strength of an offense that figures to be one of the worst in the league again in 2026.

Grade: B-

Edge Defenders

While the Browns’ defense has remained an elite unit in the past couple years, despite the team’s overall record, there are some concerns on this side of the ball. The big one is that they lost defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who is one of the best in the league and whose arrival in Cleveland in 2023 coincides with the Browns’ ascension to an elite defense. Another concern the fact that is edge defender Myles Garrett, who has won two of the past three Defensive Player of the Year Awards and who set the single season sack record in 2025, is now going into his age 31 season.

I don’t expect Garrett to drop off suddenly overnight, but if he declines from a record setting Defensive Player of the Year to merely a really good edge defender, that could have somewhat of a negative effect on a defense that is built around him, especially when coupled with the loss of their defensive coordinator. Selected 1st overall in 2017, Garrett has more than lived up to the hype, totaling 125.5 sacks, 115 hits, and a 14.5% pressure rate in 134 career games, while playing at a high level against the run as well. He has been especially good as a pass rusher in recent years, totaling 83 sacks, 71 hits, and a 16.0% pressure rate in 83 games since the start of the 2021 season.

Any potential decline from Garrett would be made worse by the fact that the Browns don’t really have another high level edge defender opposite him. Alex Wright is an above average run defender, but doesn’t really rush the passer, totaling just 5.5 sacks, 5 hits, and a 8.4% pressure rate in 14 games last season and totaling just a 6.8% pressure rate in four seasons in the league, since being selected in the 3rd round in 2022. Wright (470 snaps in 2025) splits snaps opposite Garrett with Isaiah McGuire (428 snaps in 2025), a solid, but unspectacular all-around rotational player, who has 4.5 sacks, 12 hits, and a 12.3% pressure rate in 33 games as a part-time player over the past two seasons.

Cameron Thomas (310 snaps) was decent as a deep reserve last season, but is no longer with the team, leaving Julian Okwara, who has played just 1,056 snaps in six seasons in the league and who spent the entire 2025 season on the Browns practice squad, as the most likely candidate to be the Browns’ fourth edge defender. The only other options are Markees Watts, a former undrafted free agent who has played just 83 snaps in three seasons in the league, and a trio of undrafted rookies. Myles Garrett’s presence still makes this a really good edge defender group, but Garrett might not be quite as good in 2026 as he has been in recent years, they lack another above average starter opposite him, and depth is very scarce outside of their top-3, all of which hurts their overall grade at least a little bit.

Grade: A-

Interior Defenders

Another talented rookie from the Browns’ 2025 draft class is Mason Graham, who they selected 5th overall after moving down with the Jaguars in that trade that netted them an extra first round pick, among other picks. Graham was solid as a rookie across 765 snaps, only managing 0.5 sacks, but adding 4 hits, and a 8.1% pressure rate, while providing above average run defense. He has a good chance to take another step forward in year two.

That would be good because the rest of this position group is concerning. Shelby Harris (511 snaps) and Maliek Collins (473 snaps) played significant roles for this group last season, but Harris left as a free agent and was replaced by Kalia Davis, an obvious downgrade who has been a consistent liability on snap counts of 54, 259, and 491 in three seasons of action his career, especially struggling as a pass rusher, with a career 3.1% pressure rate. Collins, meanwhile, is going into his age 31 season and coming off of a career best year that he seems unlikely to repeat in 2026, given his age.

Collins finished last season with 6.5 sacks, 7 hits, and a 9.6% pressure rate in 12 games and, while he has consistently been a solid pass rusher in his career, with 22.5 sacks, 39 hits, and a 9.8% pressure rate in 75 games over the past five seasons, he has never been as good as last season. He’s also consistently been a liability against the run in his career, which his pass rush ability was enough to make up for last season, but it might not be this season.

The Browns will be hoping to get more this season out of Michael Hall, their 2024 2nd round pick, who played just 178 snaps in 9 games due to injury, but he also only played 232 snaps in 8 games as a rookie, due to injury and suspension, and he hasn’t shown much in his limited action. With Hall and Davis likely to be a big part of this interior defender rotation and Maliek Collins unlikely to be as good as a year ago, the Browns badly need Mason Graham to take a significant step forward in year two, which is a possibility, but not a guarantee.

Grade: B

Linebackers

Carson Schwesinger was another talented rookie from the Browns’ 2025 draft class, providing both above average run defense and pass coverage across 958 snaps, en route to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, after being drafted in the second round. Like Mason Graham, he could take another step forward in year two and, like Graham, the Browns need him to, given the state of the rest of this position group. 

Devin Bush, a solid linebacker across 873 snaps, left as a free agent and the Browns replaced him with free agent addition Quincy Williams, who was a decent every down linebacker in his prime, but who was a massive liability across 783 snaps in a career worst 2025 campaign and who now heads into his age 30 season, meaning his decline last season was likely permanent. He figures to be a significant downgrade from the departed Bush.

Depth is a concern too with top reserves Jerome Baker (261 snaps) and Mohamoud Diabette (298 snaps) gone. That leaves the third linebacker job to either 5th round rookie Justin Jefferson, 2024 undrafted free agent Winston Reid, who has played 144 snaps in his career, 2024 6th round pick Nathaniel Watson, who has played 55 snaps in his career, or 2025 undrafted free agent Easton Mascarenas-Arnold, who has played 12 snaps in his career. The third linebacker only plays in obvious running situations, but if either Schwesinger or Williams miss time with injury, whoever is the third linebacker would likely have to move into an every down role. Schwesinger elevates this position group, but the rest of this group is a liability.

Grade: B-

Secondary

Luckily, the Browns’ secondary remains largely the same as a year ago, with the only differences being potential improvements. Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell will be the starting cornerbacks in base packages again. Ward, selected 4th overall by the Browns in 2018, has been a consistently above average starter throughout his career, while starting 107 of 110 games played in eight seasons in the league. The only concern with him is durability, as he has missed 23 games in his career, including at least two in seven of eight seasons and at least one in every season. 

Campbell also has durability concerns, missing at least two games in three of five seasons in the league and 13 games total, but he is generally an average to above average starter when healthy. Acquired 5 games into the 2025 season for Greg Newsome, Campbell proved to be an immediate upgrade and, still only going into his age 26 season, the 2021 2nd round pick should continue playing at a similar level in 2026 and for at least the next few years. Having him for the full season should be a small boost to this secondary.

At safety, Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman will remain the starters. Delpit, a 2nd round pick in 2020, missed his whole rookie season with injury, but has played in 78 of a possible 85 games since, starting 68 of them, and he has generally been an average to above average starter. Hickman, meanwhile, went undrafted in 2023 and didn’t become a full-time starter until 2025, but he flashed promise across snap counts of 308 and 463 in his first two seasons in the league and carried that into his first season as a starter, in which he was above average in 17 starts. Hickman is still relatively unproven, but should continue playing at that level going forward and, only going into his age 25 season, it is possible his best days are still yet to come.

The one potential difference in this group could be the fifth defensive back role, which is close to a full-time role, given how often teams are in sub packages now. Myles Harden, a 2024 7th round pick, somewhat predictably struggled in that role, playing 529 snaps, the first significant snap count of his career. In 2026, he could be replaced by second round pick Emmanuel Warren-McNeil, a safety who can also play on the slot and who was a steal in the late second round, or veteran free agent addition Myles Bryant, who has only played snap counts of 69 and 343 in 2024 and 2025 respectively with the Texans, but who played snap counts of 689 and 852 in 2022 and 2023 respectively, who is still only going into his age 28 season, and who has overall been a decent slot cornerback in his career. This is an above average overall secondary that could easily be better in 2026 than it was in 2025.

Grade: A-

Kickers

The Browns made 2023 undrafted free agent Andre Szmyt a first time starter in 2025 after he won an off-season competition and the decision largely paid off, as he added 2.02 points above an average kicker on the season. He’s still pretty unproven and it is tough to know what to expect from him going forward, especially at a position that tends to be pretty inconsistent year-to-year, but Szmyt has more than earned the right to be the undisputed starter going into 2026, which the Browns have made him by not adding any competition for him this off-season.

Grade: B

Conclusion

The Browns spent a lot of money to try to improve their offense, particularly their offensive line, this off-season, but all of those additions were overpays. They could be better by default on offense this season, after ranking dead last in the past two seasons, with some promising rookies being added and a new offensive head coach and play caller, but their defense could easily be worse, after losing elite defensive play caller Jim Schwartz, as well as a few free agents, while other key players like Myles Garrett and Maliek Collins are on the wrong side of 30. Overall, this looks likely to be a third straight last place season for this team.

Prediction: 4-13, 4th in AFC North

Buffalo Bills 2026 NFL Season Preview

stevenlourie 2026 NFL Season Previews, Bills

Quarterback

The Bills have consistently been one of the best teams in the league since 2020, winning at least 11 games in six straight seasons since then, while leading the league with 73 total regular season wins over that stretch, but it hasn’t translated to any Super Bowl appearances. It is not as if they have no post-season success, winning at least one playoff game in all six of those seasons, becoming the first team in NFL history to win a playoff game in six straight seasons and not make the Super Bowl.

Josh Allen has gotten a lot of criticism for not taking this team to the Super Bowl yet, but he has performed pretty well in 15 career post-season games, completing 66.5% of his passes for an average of 7.33 YPA, 29 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, while rushing for 767 yards and 9 touchdowns on 135 carries (5.68 YPC). The bigger problem has been the Bills’ defense, which has surrendered 33.2 points per game in their six post-season losses since 2020.

Long-time head coach Sean McDermott had a lot of regular season success (98-50 since taking over as head coach in 2017), but he has a defensive background and finally paid the price for all of the Bills’ post-season defensive failures, getting fired this off-season. In his place, the Bills promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who has had a lot of success in three years on the job, and he hired promising defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard to run the defense, allowing Brady to continue focusing on offense and calling offensive plays. Whether or not this is what puts the Bills over the top remains to be seen, but changing things up makes sense at this point and the Bills seem likely to at least win a lot of regular season games again and remain in contention in the AFC.

Allen is going into his age 30 season, which is a bit of a concern for a quarterback whose athleticism is a big part of his game, but Allen has been extremely durable, not missing a game since his rookie year in 2018, despite 782 carries in seven seasons since then, so he could age better than most dual threat quarterbacks and remain an elite quarterback for years to come. Allen’s breakout as an elite quarterback coincides with the Bills’ breakout as one of the best seasons in the league, completing 65.8% of his passes for an average of 7.54 YPA, 190 touchdowns, and 73 interceptions and rushing for 3,580 yards and 62 touchdowns on 673 carries (5.32 YPC) in 101 starts since 2020. It shouldn’t be a surprise at all if he continues playing at a similar level in 2026.

If Allen does miss time with injury, the Bills would be in a lot of trouble, not just because of how good he is, but because they have an underwhelming backup quarterback situation, with Kyle Allen, who has a career 82.1 passer rating in 19 starts in eight seasons in the league and no starts since 2022, likely to remain the #2 quarterback, without another good alternative being added this off-season. Some good teams could survive a short stretch without their starting quarterback, but the Bills do not seem to be one of those teams. That being said, the likelihood of Kyle Allen being needed for an extended period of time is slim, given Allen’s history of durability.

Grade: A

Receiving Corps

While their defense coming up short has been the primary issue for the Bills in their recent playoff defeats, the bigger issue last season was their lack of talent at the wide receiver position. In their ultimate playoff loss to the Denver Broncos, the Bills were using Brandin Cooks, a well past his prime player who got cut by the last place Saints earlier in the year, as their #2 wide receiver and top outside receiver. The Bills’ three leading receivers last season were slot receiver Khalil Shakir (72/719/4) and a pair of tight ends in Dalton Kincaid (39/571/5) and Dawson Knox (36/417/4), while their leading outside receiver was Keon Coleman (38/404/4), who was benched and made a healthy stretch on several occasions due to disappointments on and off the field. 

The Bills viewed getting a better outside receiver as paramount this off-season and paid a significant price to get DJ Moore from the Bears, giving up a late second round pick and picking up the remaining 98 million over four years owed on Moore’s contract, 49 million of which is guaranteed over the next two seasons. Moore used to be a consistent 1000+ yard receiver, surpassing that mark in four of five seasons from 2019-2023, but he had an inefficient 98/966/6 on 140 targets (6.90 yards per target) in 2024 and then a career low 50/682/6 slash line on 85 targets in 2025, slowly getting phased out of the Bears’ offense down the stretch, with just 41 targets in the Bears’ final 9 games. 

Moore is still only going into his age 29 season and hasn’t missed a game since 2020, so he shouldn’t be washed up yet. More likely his statistical decline over the past two seasons is more the result of poor chemistry with new quarterback Caleb Williams than Moore himself declining, but the Bills paid a steep price in terms of draft compensation to get a player who has a lot of guaranteed money left on his contract and whose current team had been phasing him out for younger players. He should at least be somewhat of an upgrade for the Bills, but it is fair to question the price they paid to get him. 

Moore might lead the Bills in targets, but both Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid figure to still be heavily involved in the offense, as they are targets Josh Allen trusts, who have been very efficient for this offense. Shakir has caught 75.8% of his targets in four seasons in the league, while averaging 8.89 yards per target and 1.81 yards per route run, so he doesn’t need a huge target share to have a significant impact on this offense. Kincaid, meanwhile, has averaged 1.80 yards per route run and 7.87 yards per target in his career, including 2.79 yards per route run (1st among tight ends) and 11.65 yards per target last season, showing the talent that made him a first round pick in 2023.

Kincaid’s biggest issue in his career has been injuries, costing him nine games over the past two seasons and limiting his snap count in others (35.9 snaps per game when he does play), but he obviously has the talent to be a talented every down tight end if he can ever stay healthy enough to play a full snap count. Whether that happens this season or not remains to be seen, but I would project him to at least play more than last season. He might not be as efficient, but he could still produce enough to have a significant impact on this offense.

If Kincaid stays healthier this season, his playing time would likely come at the expense of Dawson Knox, who is a much less efficient target, averaging 1.11 yards per route run and 7.74 yards per target in seven seasons in the league. Now going into his age 30 season, Knox is unlikely to get any better at this stage of his career and could get worse, so it would be for the best for the Bills’ offense if he was more of a traditional #2 tight end. The Bills also have Jackson Hawes, a 2025 5th round pick who excelled as a blocking specialist as a rookie, blocking on 78.9% of his snaps, but also averaging 1.81 yards per route run in his limited role as a pass catcher. He should play a similar role in 2026 and, if he ever got an expanded role in the passing game, he could surprise people and be somewhat productive. 

Keon Coleman and Josh Palmer, their two most productive outside receivers by default, both remain on the roster and will compete for the #3 wide receiver role. Other options for that role include 4th round rookie Skyler Bell and blocking specialist Tyrell Shavers, who played 441 snaps last season, after only playing 32 snaps in his first two seasons in the league, and averaged just 1.17 yards per route run, while blocking on 50.1% of his snaps. The Bills have made big investments in Coleman and Palmer and are probably hoping one of the two wins the job.

Coleman was selected in the first round in 2024, is still only going into his age 23 season, and has flashed potential thus far in his career, averaging 1.50 yards per route run, but the Bills have been disappointed with his effort off-the-field and have been underwhelmed with his abilities on the field thus far. However, it sounds like he is getting a clean slate going into his age 26 season and he has the talent to be the favorite for the #3 receiver job. 

Palmer, meanwhile, is owed 10.25 million mostly guaranteed this season on a 3-year, 29 million dollar contract the Bills signed him to last off-season, but that guaranteed money is probably the only reason he is still on the roster, as he had just a 22/303/0 slash line and 1.28 yards per route run last season. He has been a little better in the past, but his career 1.37 yards per route run average isn’t particularly impressive either. It seems unlikely he will have a significant role in this offense and he could be overtaken by the rookie Bell for the #4 receiver job at some point this season, as Bell was a great value at his draft slot and has the tools to be a long-term starter. This should be a better receiver corps than a year ago, with DJ Moore added, Dalton Kincaid potentially being healthier, and Keon Coleman potentially taking a step forward.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

The Bills’ offensive line was a concern going into this off-season because they had been an above average unit in recent years, but had a pair of starters, left guard David Edwards and center Connor McGovern, set to hit free agency. However, the Bills were able to retain McGovern on a 4-year, 52 million dollar deal and, while they lost Edwards, he was the more replaceable of the two. In his absence, the Bills will either promote Alec Anderson, their top reserve the past two seasons, or plug in veteran free agent addition Austin Corbett.

Anderson has flashed a lot of potential on snap counts of 290 and 189 over the past two seasons respectively, but the 2022 undrafted free agent is still a projection to a larger role and also the Bills like him as a 6th offensive lineman in jumbo packages, which the Bills have run more than any team in the league over the past two seasons, so the Bills may prefer to start Corbett, a more experienced and proven starter. 

Corbett has started 78 games in 8 seasons in the league (67 at guard, 10 at center, and 1 at tackle) and has always been an average to above average starter, but the concern with him is both age, going into his age 31 season, and durability, missing 29 games over the past three seasons combined, which is why the Bills were able to get him on only a 1-year, 1.4875 million dollar deal. He was still decent across 11 starts last season and could prove to be a steal if he can stay healthy and avoid any further decline, but that is a big if at this point. The Bills may wind up starting the unproven Anderson, with Corbett operating as a versatile reserve and their 6th offensive lineman when they run jumbo packages.

Fortunately, the rest of this offensive line stays the same from the past two seasons. McGovern, a 2020 3rd round pick by the Cowboys, was a bit of a late bloomer, not having an above average season until his 5th season in the league in 2024, but he now has back-to-back above average seasons and still is only going into his age 29 season, so I would expect more of the same from him in 2026. Right guard O’Cyrus Torrence has made 50 starts in three seasons in the league since being drafted in the second round in 2023 and he has been decent, but unspectacular.

The strength of this offensive line is the tackle position, where left tackle Dion Dawkins has been an above average starter for most of his career (137 starts in 9 seasons in the league), while Spencer Brown, a 2021 3rd round pick (69 starts in 5 seasons in the league), has also developed into an above average in recent years. Dawkins’ age is becoming a concern, as he is going into his age 32 season and could decline somewhat this season, which would hurt this offensive line somewhat, but he would have to decline a lot to become a liability.

Along with Dawkins’ age and the uncertainty at left guard, the other big concern on this offensive line is depth. Whoever does not start at left guard will provide solid depth, but the rest of the Bills’ reserves are a concern, with talented swing tackle Ryan Van Demark leaving in free agency. Other depth options include 4th round rookie Jude Bowry, who will compete with 2024 6th round pick Tylan Grable (146 snaps in two seasons in the league) for the swing tackle job, and backup center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, a 2024 5th round pick who has played 217 snaps in two seasons in the league. The lack of depth is made more concerning by the fact that the Bills use six offensive linemen on the field more than any team in the league. This is still a solid offensive line, but they probably won’t be quite as good as they have been the past two years.

Grade: B

Running Backs

Outside of Josh Allen, the Bills’ best offensive player is running back James Cook. A second round pick in 2022, Cook is undersized at 5-11 190, which had historically led to the Bills reducing his workload, despite his obvious talent, in an effort to keep him from tiring out or getting injured. That changed in 2025, when Cook set career highs in snaps (639) and carries (309), and he responded by leading the league in rushing yards with 1,621 on an average of 5.25 yards per carry. In total, Cook has averaged 5.06 yards per attempt in his career, with 3.05 yards per carry after contact, a 18.2% missed tackle rate, and 54.9% carry success rate. He’s also been extremely durable, despite his size, missing just one game in four seasons in the league.

The Bills give Cook a rest in obvious passing situations, as many teams do with an elite lead back, swapping him out for passing down specialist Ty Johnson, but Cook still totaled a 33/291/2 slash line in the passing game, averaging 1.11 yards per route run, not far off from his career 1.28 yards per route run average. Johnson, more of a receiver than a running back, had a 24/263/2 slash line and averaged 1.18 yards per route run, in line with his career 1.22 yards per route run average, while playing 83.9% of his 335 snaps on pass plays. In seven seasons in the league, he has totaled just 329 carries in 106 games.

If Cook were to miss time, Ray Davis would probably be the featured runner, with Johnson remaining in a pure passing down role, maybe taking on a couple extra carries at most. Davis was a 4th round pick in 2024 and has shown some potential in two seasons in the league, averaging 4.19 YPC on 171 carries, with 2.92 yards per carry after contact, a 22.8% missed tackle rate, a 49.1% carry success rate. He’d obviously be a big downgrade from Cook if Cook was injured, but he isn’t bad as far as true backups go and Cook’s history suggests there is a better than average chance that he plays every game. Led by an elite, durable lead back, with decent depth behind him, the Bills are in good shape at the running back position.

Grade: A-

Interior Defenders

While the Bills’ defense has typically been what has let them down in the post-season in recent years, they actually weren’t bad in the regular season last season, ranking 18th in schedule adjusted efficiency, despite having the 4th most adjusted games lost to injury in the league on that side of the ball. Probably their most impactful absence on defense last season was Ed Oliver, who played just 108 snaps in three games due to injuries to his ankle, arm, and knee. When healthy, Oliver is one of the best interior pass rushers in the league, with 30 sacks, 54 hits, and a 10.3% pressure rate in 95 games in seven seasons in the league, since being selected 9th overall in 2019. He is generally a below average run defender, but his pass rush more than makes up for it. 

The amount of injuries he suffered last season is concerning, but he still made it back for the post-season, so he should be well past those injuries by the start of the 2026 season and he is still only going into his age 29 season. Durability has been a bit of a concern for him in recent years, as he also missed seven games between 2022-2024, but at the very least, Oliver should be on the field much more in 2026 than he was in 2025, which will be a big boost for this defense.

Making Oliver’s injury worse is the fact that Daquan Jones and TJ Sanders, who were their #2 and #3 interior defenders, also missed five games each. With all of their injuries, the Bills were led in snaps at the interior defender position by 4th round rookie Deone Walker, who was decent across 464 snaps, both as a run defender and a pass rusher (6.9% pressure rate). Jones is gone, not being retained ahead of his age 35 season, but with Oliver back and Walker looking like a potential future starter, the loss of Jones isn’t that big of a deal. Sanders, meanwhile, struggled across 296 snaps last season, but he was also a rookie and the 2025 2nd round pick could take a step forward, perhaps a significant step forward, in year two in 2026. 

Deep reserve options at the interior defender position for the Bills include DeWayne Carter, a 2024 3rd round pick who struggled across 315 snaps as a rookie and then missed last season with a torn achilles, and 2025 3rd round pick Landon Jackson, who was originally drafted as an oversized edge defender at 6-7 280, but who only got on the field for 30 snaps as a rookie and will now gain weight and move inside in an attempt to jump start his career. The Bills will be hoping they don’t need either of them for a significant role in a position group that should be better than a year ago due to better health and continued development from young players.

Grade: B

Edge Defenders

The Bills’ edge defender group, on the other hand, could be worse this season than a year ago, as they let veteran Joey Bosa walk and replaced him with Bradley Chubb, who figures to be a downgrade, despite being signed to a 3-year, 43.5 million dollar deal with 26.97 million guaranteed. It was an odd decision. Bosa left something to be desired as a run defender last season, but excelled as a pass rusher, with 5 sacks, 12 hits, and a 14.0% pressure rate. The concerns with Bosa are age, going into his age 31 season, and injury history, 39 games missed over the past 8 seasons, including 2 games missed in 2025, but Chubb is going into his age 30 season and has an extensive injury history as well, in addition to being a downgrade from Bosa. 

Chubb didn’t miss a game last season, but he has missed 43 games in 8 seasons in the league, including all of 2024 with a multi-ligament knee injury, and he did not seem the same upon his return, struggling mightily against the run and not rushing the passer at a high enough level to make up for it, totaling 8.5 sacks, 9 hits, and a 12.2% pressure rate. Both as a run defender and a pass rusher, Chubb was worse than Bosa in 2025. Chubb has had better years in the past, but given his age and injury history, it seems unlikely he will ever regain his old form. Chubb will start in Bosa’s old role (37.5 snaps per game) opposite Greg Rousseau, a mainstay on this defensive line since being selected 30th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Rousseau doesn’t usually get mentioned as a top pass rusher and only has 32 sacks in his career, but that is partially because he rotates more than most top edge defenders, playing 589 snaps per season in his career, including 631 last season, and he also has much better peripheral pass rush stats than his sack totals would suggest, totaling 60 hits and a 13.9% pressure rate in 78 career games. He is also a consistently above average run defender. Last season was arguably the best of his career, as he totaled 7 sacks, 16 hits, and a 14.9% pressure rate, while playing at a career best level against the run. Still only in his age 26 season, with minimal injury history (six games missed in five seasons in the league), he should remain a well above average all-around edge defender for at least a few more seasons.

In addition to signing Chubb, the Bills also used a 2nd round pick on TJ Parker to replace top reserve AJ Epenesa, who was decent across 437 snaps last season, before leaving in free agency, and they signed veteran Mike Danna to compete for deep reserve snaps with Michael Hoecht, who only played in two seasons last season due to suspension and a torn achilles. Parker could have some growing pains as a rookie, but he also could have been a first round pick and was a good value at the top of the second round, after the Bills traded out of the late first round. He should be solid as the Bills 3rd edge defender.

Danna is a mediocre option, playing decent run defense in his career, but only managing a 8.1% pressure rate, while playing 495 snaps per season in six seasons in the league (389 in 2025). He’s not bad as a 4th defensive end option though. Hoecht, meanwhile, has been a little bit better in his career, with a career 10.4% pressure rate, along with generally decent run defense, while playing 669 snaps per season from 2022-2024, but the torn achilles he suffered last season complicates his projection. This position group isn’t as good with Bradley Chubb replacing Joey Bosa, but this is still a slightly above average position group overall, led by the highly reliable and all-around well above average Greg Rousseau.

Grade: B+

Linebackers

The Bills also had a lot of injuries in their linebacking corps last season. The problem is most of their linebackers weren’t good anyway and the only one who was decent, Shaq Thompson (417 snaps in 11 games) was not retained this off-season. Also not retained this off-season was Matt Milano, who struggled across 492 snaps in 12 games, but whose departure leaves the Bills very thin at the linebacker position behind Terrel Bernard (623 snaps in 12 games) and Dorian Williams (433 snaps in 16 games), who both also struggled last season.

Bernard, a 2022 3rd round pick, has been below average in each of the last three seasons, playing 56.5 snaps per game, while missing nine games total in the past two seasons. Dorian Williams, a 2023 3rd round pick, has maybe been marginally better, but still below average he has played an average of just 25.9 snaps per game in three seasons in the league, with a maximum of 651 snaps played in a season. He will almost definitely have to play an expanded role this season, especially if Bernard misses more time with injury. 

Behind Bernard and Williams, the third linebacker role will either go to Joe Andreessen, a 2024 undrafted free agent who has played just 211 snaps in two seasons in the league, or 4th round rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr. The third linebacker only plays in obvious running situations, but if either Bernard or Williams miss time with injury, whoever is the third linebacker would have to move into an every down role. This is a well below average position group overall.

Grade: C

Secondary

Top cornerback Christian Benford also dealt with injuries last season, missing three games and being limited in others. Normally a well above average starting cornerback, Benford was only slightly above average last season, which hurt this secondary. Still only in his age 26 season, he could easily bounce back this season, which would be needed for a cornerback room that otherwise has upside, but not a lot of experience. 

Tre’Davious White (700 snaps) and Taron Johnson (571 snaps) played key roles in this secondary last season, but were average at best and were not retained this off-season. In their absence, the Bills will start Maxwell Hairston, a 2025 1st round pick who flashed his first round talent across just 348 snaps in 11 games in an injury plagued rookie season, while 2nd round rookie Davison Igbinosun will compete for the third cornerback job with veteran free agent additions Dee Alford and CJ Gardner-Johnson, who are both mediocre options. 

Alford has averaged 531 snaps per season over four seasons in the league (581 in 2025), primarily on the slot (78.2% of snaps), but the 2022 undrafted free agent has generally been a liability. Meanwhile, Gardner-Johnson struggled mightily last season across 767 snaps with the Texans, Ravens, and the Bears, getting cut mid-season by Houston and Baltimore. He has had some decent seasons in the past, but he has also been very injury prone, missing 29 games over the past five seasons. It’s possible he could bounce back at least a little bit in 2026, but it is also possible that all his injuries have permanently sapped his abilities.

Gardner-Johnson could also be a candidate at safety, which is also an unsettled position. Cole Bishop, a 2024 2nd round pick, broke out as an above average starter in 2025, after only playing 358 mediocre snaps as a rookie, but opposite him the Bills started three other safeties. Veteran Jordan Poyer was probably the best of the bunch by default, but he wasn’t retained as a free agent this off-season, ahead of his age 35 season. The rest of the Bills’ starting safeties last season struggled and are also no longer on the roster. 

Jordan Hancock, a 2025 5th round pick, flashed potential as a rookie, but only across 150 snaps and he didn’t make a single start, despite a need at the position, so he probably isn’t a real candidate to start opposite Bishop in 2026. Veteran free agent addition Geno Stone is a more realistic candidate to start and will probably primarily compete with Gardner-Johnson. Stone finished second in the league with 7 interceptions in 2023, but also missed a lot of tackles and gave up a lot of big plays, as he has throughout his career, when he has otherwise totaled just 7 interceptions in 66 games. This secondary has some upside, but also a lot of concerns.

Grade: B-

Kickers

Tyler Bass was supposed to be the Bills’ kicker in 2025, for the 6th straight season, since being drafted in the 6th round in 2020. However, he suffered what ended up being a season ending hip and groin injury before the season even started. That ended up being a blessing in disguise though, as Bass had cost the Bills 11.49 points compared to an average kicker in his first five seasons in the league combined, while Prater turned back the clock and actually contributed 2.64 points above an average kicker in 2025. Prater wasn’t retained ahead of what would have been his age 42 season in 2026 and the Bills didn’t add any other kickers, leaving Bass in that role, even though he is an underwhelming option and coming off of a significant leg injury. It is hard to imagine he won’t be at least somewhat of a liability in 2026.

Grade: C+

Conclusion

The Bills figure to win somewhere between their usual 11 and 13 games again in 2026. That won’t mean anything to some people though if they can’t finally get over the hump in the post-season. Whether or not they can do that remains to be seen, but consistently qualifying, getting a high seed, and winning at least one game is an accomplishment in and of itself and doing that year after year will likely lead to them winning it all at some point. Expect them to at least be contenders again this season.

Prediction: 12-5, 1st in AFC East

Baltimore Ravens 2026 NFL Season Preview

stevenlourie 2026 NFL Season Previews, Ravens

Quarterback

Going into 2025, the Ravens had high expectations, after finishing the 2024 season ranked 1st in schedule adjusted efficiency. However, they finished the season 8-9 and out of the playoffs entirely, as everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Their defense was ravaged by injuries, totaling the 3rd most adjusted games lost to injury in the league. Their offense did not have the same total amount of injuries, but they had the most important one, as quarterback Lamar Jackson wasn’t healthy for most of the season, even if he only actually missed 4 games. 

Despite all that, the Ravens still would have made the playoffs if they hadn’t missed a makeable field goal at the end of their week 18 winner-take-all clash for the division against the Steelers. In total, the Ravens went 1-4 in one-score games and if just one or two of those had flipped, they still would have made the post-season, despite all of their injuries. In terms of schedule adjusted efficiency, the Ravens finished the season ranked 11th, including a 11th ranked offense and a 15th ranked defense.

Jackson’s injuries primarily affected his rushing ability, as he averaged just 5.1 carries per game and 3.98 yards per carry in nine games after suffering his first injury, down from 9.8 carries per game and 6.06 yards per carry in 107 total starts in his career. His passing numbers were still in line with his career averages, completing 63.6% of his passes (64.8% for his career), for 8.44 YPA (7.83 for his career), and 21 touchdowns to 7 interceptions (187 to 56 for his career), but his rushing ability is what makes him special and that was severely hampered last season as he tried to play through multiple lower body injuries.

This now makes it four seasons out of seven full seasons as a starter in which he has suffered some sort of significant injury. His rushing ability is what makes him special, but it also puts him in harm’s way more often than most quarterbacks and, as he gets older, injuries will only become more frequent and will likely lead to him not playing at an elite level for as long as most elite quarterbacks. However, in his three healthy seasons, he has either been the MVP or the MVP runner up and he’s still only going into his age 29 season, so his upside is as high as any quarterback in the league if he can avoid significant injuries.

The Ravens weirdly opted to bring in Cooper Rush as their backup quarterback last off-season, even though he is stylistically the opposite as Jackson, rather than bringing back long-time backup Tyler Huntley, who was closer to Jackson stylistically and more familiar with the scheme, but the Ravens opted to change course mid-season after Rush struggled in Jackson’s absence. Huntley only ended up throwing 67 passes all season, but he played as well as he ever had, completing 77.6% of his passes for an average of 6.36 YPA, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions, while also adding 6.29 YPC on 24 carries. 

Huntley was kept this off-season to give them a trusted insurance policy in case Jackson misses more time. In six seasons in the league, Huntley has started 16 games and completed 66.2% of his passes for an average of 5.93 YPA, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, while rushing for 4.82 YPC and 5 touchdowns on 165 carries. He’s obviously a downgrade from Jackson and the Ravens would be in a lot of trouble if Jackson missed significant time again, but Huntley is at least a better option than Rush. The Ravens would likely be back to being Super Bowl contenders if Jackson is at his best, but that is a big if.

Grade: A

Offensive Line

One big problem for the Ravens’ offense is the center position, where Tyler Linderbaum, who was one of the best centers in the league last season, left as a free agent and, in his absence, they have arguably the worst center situation in the league. Free agent addition Danny Pinter is the only player on their roster with any real experience at center. A veteran utility linemen, Pinter has only made ten starts in six seasons in the league, seven of which came at center, and he has been a liability wherever he has played. Now going into his age 30 season, I would expect him to be a massive liability if he becomes a full-time starter for the first time in his career.

Other options include Corey Bullock, a 2024 undrafted free agent who has played 13 career snaps and 2023 7th round pick Jovaughn Gwyn, who has only played 11 career snaps, as well as potentially Andrew Vorhees, who has never played center and who was benched at guard after being a liability across 20 career starts, and Emery Jones, a hybrid guard/tackle who played 48 snaps as a 3rd round rookie last season and who has also never played center. Center figures to be a big position of weakness for the Ravens’ offense this season.

Guard was a position of weakness for the Ravens last season, with Vorhees and free agent departure Daniel Faalele both being liabilities as the starters. The right guard position was definitely upgraded, with the Ravens using their first round pick on Vega Ioane, who was the best pure guard prospect in the draft and could easily be an above average starter immediately. The left guard position is a little bit more of a concern, with the Ravens set to start free agent addition John Simpson, who they signed to a 3-year, 30 million dollar deal this off-season.

This is a reunion for Ravens and Simpson, who started 17 games at left guard in Baltimore in 2023, but he struggled that season, as he has throughout most of his career (72 starts in six seasons in the league). The exception was 2024, when he was a solid starter in 17 starts with the Jets, so it is possible the Ravens could get at least decent play out of him, but most likely he will be a liability, albeit not necessarily a downgrade from Vorhees. It’s also possible the Ravens bench Simpson for Emery Jones, who fits best at guard and has the talent to potentially start long-term, but Simpson’s contract, which includes 17.5 million guaranteed, suggests he will at least get the first chance to start.

The tackle position is a position of relative strength for the Ravens. Ronnie Stanley has been a high level left tackle in his career and was a well above average starter as recently as 2024, but he has had a lot of injuries in his career, missing time in all ten seasons in the league, with 45 games missed total, and he is now heading into his age 32 season. Between his age and injury history, he has definitely seen better days and could easily continue declining and continue being injury prone in 2026.

With Stanley aging and being injury prone and uncertainty on the interior of the offensive line, it is  very possible right tackle Roger Rosengarten will be the Ravens’ best offensive lineman this season. A 2nd round pick in 2024, Rosengarten was a solid starter as a rookie and then was better in year two, especially excelling in pass protection, ranking 2nd among offensive tackles in pass block win rate and allowing just 3 sacks all season. He’s a bright spot on an offensive line that could easily be underwhelming overall, with likely weaknesses at center and guard.

Grade: B-

Receiving Corps

The Ravens’ receiving corps was also a bit of a weakness last season. Zay Flowers put up big numbers as the #1 receiver, totaling a 86/1210/5 slash line with 2.53 yards per route run on 118 targets, a career best year for the 2023 1st round pick who also had 77/858/5 slash line with 1.64 yards per route run on 106 targets in 2023 and a 74/1059/4 slash line with 2.25 yards per route run on 116 targets in 2024. However, no other Ravens pass catcher had more than 422 receiving yards last season. Part of that is because the Ravens ranked dead last in the league in pass attempts last season with 422, while also missing their starting quarterback for four games, but the receivers themselves were part of the problem too.

The Ravens also had some pass catchers depart in free agent this off-season, losing wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who played sparingly and who only had a 22/330/2 slash line, but who averaged 1.63 yards per route run, Isaiah Likely, who was once a solid #2 tight end, but struggled last season after missing time with a foot injury early in the year, totaling a 27/307/1 slash line and 1.29 yards per route run, and Charlie Kolar, a great blocking tight end who flashed potential as a receiver with 1.39 yards per route run, but who ultimately only had a 10/142/2 slash line. The Ravens didn’t add any notable veterans to replace them, instead using 3rd and 4th round picks on wide receivers Ja’Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt and 4th and 5th round picks on tight ends Matt Hibner and Josh Cuevas. All will have the opportunity to earn significant year one roles.

Zay Flowers should remain the clear #1 receiver, still only going into his age 26 season, but either of the rookies could end the season as the #2 receiver, with their competition being Rashod Bateman, who has only averaged 1.32 yards per route run in his career, and Devontez Walker, a 2024 4th round pick who has flashed potential thus far in his career (1.94 yards per route run), but only across 220 total snaps. Hibner and Cuevas, meanwhile, will compete for the #2 tight end role with mediocre veteran free agent addition Durham Smythe, who has averaged 0.91 yards per route run in eight seasons in the league and isn’t much better as a blocker.

Mark Andrews will remain the #1 tight end, but he is a bit of a concern too and, going into his age 31 season, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Cuevas and Hibner were in part brought in to potentially replace him long-term. Andrews used to be a great receiving tight end, averaging a 71/904/8 slash line per 17 games and 2.11 yards per route run prior to last season, but he fell to a 48/422/5 slash line on 70 targets in 17 games last season, with just 1.23 yards per route run. Now going into his age 31 season, it is likely that Andrews has seen his best days, even if it’s possible he is a little better in 2026 than he was in 2025. This receiving corps has a lot of rookies who could play significant roles, but it is possible they are better overall than they were a year ago if a couple of the rookies are ahead of schedule.

Grade: B-

Running Backs

Running back Derrick Henry still had a great season in 2025, though he wasn’t quite as good as he was in 2024, going from 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns on 325 carries (5.91 YPC) to 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns on 307 carries (5.20 YPC). In total in his career, he has 13,018 yards and 122 touchdowns on 2,662 carries (4.89 YPC), while averaging 3.64 yards per carry after contact, a 19.0% missed tackle rate, and a 50.9% carry success rate. Henry is going into his age 32 season, which is well past when most even elite running backs start to decline, but Henry has managed to buck the normal trend for his position. He could decline in 2026, which would hurt this offense, but he would have to decline significantly to be less than an above average runner.

Henry’s weakness has always been the passing game, as he has averaged just 1.15 yards per route run and a 21/200/1 slash line per 17 games in his career, but Henry needs to come off the field at some point anyway and taking him out in obvious passing situations has never been a big deal for his teams. Justice Hill has been the primary passing down back over the past three seasons, averaging 1.28 yards per route run and a 38/314/2 slash line per 17 games in that role, and he should remain in that role in 2026. In fact, the Ravens should get more out of him, after injuries limited him to 10 games last season. 

Hill is not much of a runner, with 3.2 carries per game in his career, including just 18 total carries last season, but that would only be an issue if Derrick Henry got hurt and missed multiple games, something that has only happened to him once in his career. The Ravens did plan for the future at the running back position a little bit this off-season, using a 5th round pick on Adam Randall, who would need an injury ahead of him on the depth chart to see any sort of role as a rookie, but who could be in the mix for a role long-term. Derrick Henry’s age is a concern, as is the Ravens’ lack of proven running back depth behind him, but Henry’s upside is still high enough to significantly elevate this position group by himself.

Grade: A-

Edge Defenders

While the Ravens’ offense still has concerns even if Lamar Jackson can stay healthy, with Tyler Linderbaum gone and both Derrick Henry and Mark Andrews on the wrong side of 30, the Ravens’ defense is the biggest reason why they should have a big jump in win total this season. I already mentioned that they should be healthier, after having the third most adjusted games lost to injury last season on that side of the ball. On top of that, they replaced long-time head coach John Harbaugh with a new defensive minded head coach in Jesse Minter, who has gotten the most out of his players whenever he has called plays, something he will continue to do as head coach, and the Ravens also added Trey Hendrickson, the best available free agent edge defender, who upgrades a position that was a significant weakness last season. 

Only one Ravens edge defender had even a 10% pressure rate or better last season and that was Dre’Mont Jones, who only played 9 games for the team, being acquired in a mid-season trade. Jones is gone, but Hendrickson replaces him and he has been one of the best pass rushers in the league over the past few seasons, totaling 74.5 sacks, 79 hits, and a 15.7% pressure rate in 87 games since 2020. He leaves something to be desired as a run defender, he only played in 7 games due to injury last season, and he is now going into his age 32 season and could start to decline, but he doesn’t have a significant injury history outside of last season (four games missed in the previous five seasons) and, even if he declines as a pass rusher, he should still be a significant upgrade for this team in that department. 

The Ravens also used a second round pick on edge defender Zion Young and they have last year’s second round pick Mike Green, who could take a step forward in year two, after struggling both against the run and as a pass rusher (3 sacks, 10 hits, and a 8.5% pressure rate) as a rookie. Tavius Robinson should also see snaps, although hopefully not too many, as he has struggled across 424 snaps per season since being selected in the 4th round in 2023, particularly struggling as a pass rusher, with just a career 6.5% pressure rate. The addition of Trey Hendrickson and Zion Young plus potential improvement from Mike Green should minimize the amount Robinson has to play in an overall improved position group from a year ago.

Grade: B

Interior Defenders

The biggest injury the Ravens had on defense last season was interior defender Nnamdi Madubuike, who missed all but two games with a serious neck injury. Madubuike is only an average run defender, but he was one of the best interior pass rushers in the league prior to the injury, totaling 21.5 sacks, 29 hits, and a 11.4% pressure rate in 36 games since the start of the 2023 season, and he is still only in his age 29 season, so getting him back should really help this defense, even if he might not be 100% in his first year back.

In addition to getting Madubuike back from injury, the Ravens also get back Calais Campbell, a free agent addition who played for the team from 2020-2022. Campbell is the oldest defender in the league, going into his age 40 season, but he still played pretty well last season in a rotational role, playing at a slightly above average level both against the run and as a pass rusher across 524 total snaps, totaling 6.5 sacks, 9 hits, and a 9.7% pressure rate as a pass rusher. 

Campbell obviously isn’t what he was in his prime, when he was one of the best players in the league at his position, but the fact that he is still contributing in a meaningful way at his age is incredible. It’s always possible that he declines significantly this year, given his age, but he has kept himself in great shape and has rarely gotten hurt, missing just 15 total games in his career, with none missed since 2022. He was at the very least a worthwhile re-addition for the Ravens and likely will contribute in a meaningful role as a rotational player this season.

Madubuike and Campbell add to a position group that was led last season by Travis Jones, who stepped up in Madubuike’s absence to play at a career best level across a career high 743 snaps. At his best against the run, Jones also totaled 5 sacks, 4 hits, and a 9.8% pressure rate last season. He also played at an above average level overall across snap counts of 452 and 599 in 2023 and 2024 respectively and he has totaled 7.5 sacks, 11 hits, and a 8.6% pressure rate in 50 games over the past three seasons, in addition to playing at a high level against the run. Still in his prime in his age 27 season, he should continue being an above average pass rusher and run defender, though probably across a smaller snap count, with Madubuike back and Campbell being added.

The Ravens also get Broderick Washington back from an injury that limited him to 102 snaps in 3 games last season, but he has been a consistently below average rotational player in his career and, in a better position group than a year ago, he shouldn’t play more than deep reserve snaps, barring injuries ahead of him on the depth chart. The Ravens also still have John Jenkins, who ranked 2nd among Ravens interior defenders with 523 snaps played last season. Even going into his age 37 season, he is still a decent run defender at 6-3 327 and will probably continue having a limited role in that capacity, but he has never been a good pass rusher (5.2% pressure rate for his career, 3.9% pressure rate last season) and should not see as many snaps as he did last season, especially given his age. In a deeper and more talented position group than a year ago, he won’t have to.

Grade: A-

Linebackers

One of the Ravens’ best defensive players last season was Roquan Smith, who again played at an above average level, both in coverage and against the run, which he has done for several seasons in a row. He was also relatively healthy, only missing two games, which continues a trend for him, with only eight games missed in eight seasons in the league. He should still be in his prime in his age 29 season in 2026, so he should continue playing at a similar level.

The rest of this linebacking corps was a weakness last season though and should remain one this season. Teddye Buchanan, a rookie 4th round pick, started the first 14 of the first 15 games of the season, playing 652 snaps total, and he played about how you’d expect a 4th round rookie linebacker would in a significant role, faring slightly below average. He then tore his ACL and missed the rest of the season, leaving Trenton Simpson as the starter. Simpson had previously been the starter in 2024 before Buchanan beat him out as a rookie and, as you’d expect out of a player who was replaced by a 4th round rookie, Simpson struggled in both 2024 and 2025, across snap counts of 654 and 406 respectively. 

Simpson was a 3rd round rookie in 2023 and is still only going into his age 25 season, so he could have some untapped upside, but he is probably best as a reserve. Buchanan, meanwhile, would be a candidate to take a step forward in year two under normal circumstances, but recovering from a significant injury complicates his projection. He will probably return to the starting role whenever he is able to return, but that might not be in week 1 and he could continue struggling upon his return. Roquan Smith elevates this position group somewhat, but the rest of the bunch is a concern. 

Grade: B

Secondary

The Ravens’ best defensive player last season was safety Kyle Hamilton and that figures to continue being the case in 2026, even with an improved supporting cast. Hamilton has played at an All-Pro level in each of the past three seasons and is still only going into his age 25 season, so his best days could still be in front of him. The 2022 1st round pick has the potential to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2026, or sometime in the near future. Hamilton will continue to start opposite Malaki Starks, the Ravens’ 2025 1st round pick who was solid in 17 starts as a rookie. He could easily take another step forward in 2026 and become an above average starter. 

Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey remain as the starting outside cornerbacks in sub packages. Wiggins, the Ravens’ 1st round pick in 2024, has been solid in two seasons in the league, across snap counts of 679 and 1,029 respectively. He was a little better as a rookie in a smaller role than he was in 2025, but he could easily bounce back in 2026 or have his best season yet, still only in his age 23 season, with a high upside. Humphrey, meanwhile, is also a former first round pick, back in 2017. He’s mostly been an above average starter in his career (113 starts in 131 games in nine seasons in the league), but he was closer to an average starter in 2025 and now is heading into his age 30 season, so his best days could be behind him. 

The 5th defensive back job in sub packages is up for grabs, with the Ravens losing safety Alohi Gilman this off-season, after he was decent in that role last season. The Ravens signed free agent Jaylinn Hawkins and he started 15 games for the Patriots last season, meaning they could continue primarily using three safeties together in sub packages, but Hawkins was marginal at best last season, which is on par with how he’s played in his career (47 starts in 90 games in 6 seasons in the league), so he is at least somewhat of a downgrade from Gilman. 

The other option is veteran cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who played 558 snaps last season and was decent. He has been an average to above average cornerback in his career (86 starts in 108 games in nine seasons in the league), but he is going into his age 31 season, so he isn’t what he used to be. He also has a pretty significant injury history, missing 34 games in the past six seasons combined. At the very least, he figures to have somewhat of a role in this defense regardless of whether or not he is the primary 5th defensive back and, in a limited role, he is not a bad option. 

The Ravens also added Chandler Rivers in the 5th round of the draft to give them a potential long-term option, though he is unlikely to have a role as a rookie unless multiple injuries happen ahead of him on the depth chart. The downgrade from Alohi GIlman to Jaylinn Hawkins hurts this secondary a little bit, but this unit was the strength of the Ravens’ defense last season and should be almost as good this year as it was a year ago.

Grade: A-

Kickers

Tyler Loop famously missed the week 18 kick that would have sent the Ravens to the post-season last season, but the 2025 6th round pick was all-around not that bad as a rookie, finishing with 1.25 points below average. Possessing a high upside, Loop could take a step forward in his second season in the league and become at least a league average kicker, though that is not a guarantee.

Grade: B

Conclusion

The Ravens may or may not get a healthier season from Lamar Jackson in 2026 than they did in 2025 and they also lost talented center Tyler Linderbaum, while Derrick Henry and Mark Andrews are on the wrong side of 30, so their offense is questionable, but their defense should be a lot better with Nnamdi Madubuike healthy and Trey Hendrickson being added, as well as talented defense mind Jesse Minter taking over as head coach. After ranking 11th in schedule adjusted efficiency overall last season, I would expect them to at least be a top-10 team this season, even if everything doesn’t go according to plan, which should translate to a lot of wins, against a relatively weak schedule. If Lamar Jackson can play at or close to his peak form, the Ravens should be in the mix to be the top team in the AFC.

Prediction: 13-4, 1st in AFC North

Carolina Panthers 2026 NFL Season Preview

stevenlourie 2026 NFL Season Previews, Panthers

Quarterback

The Panthers won the NFC South in 2025, but they were arguably one of the worst division winners in NFL history. Not only did they have a losing record at 8-9, winning their weak division by default, but they weren’t even as good as their record suggested, as they needed a 7-3 record in games decided by one score to even get to 8-9, despite a weak schedule. In terms of schedule adjusted efficiency, they ranked just 26th and were below average on both sides of the ball, ranking 25th on offense and 20th on defense. The Panthers made significant upgrades to their roster this off-season, spending aggressively in free agency, and they should be a better team, but that might not translate to more wins, as they are starting from a lower base point than their 2025 record suggests.

Quarterback Bryce Young was as mediocre as this team was as a whole. He isn’t as bad as he was during his disastrous start to his career, when he won just 2 of his first 18 career starts and got benched for veteran journeyman Andy Dalton, but even his improved play in 26 starts since getting his job back has resulted in just 62.9% completion, 6.42 YPA, 38 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. Young was the #1 overall pick in 2023 and is still only going into his age 25 season, so he still has a lot of upside, but he would need to take a big step forward in year four in 2026 to even be a decent starting quarterback.

The Panthers parted ways with the aging Dalton behind Young this off-season and replaced him with free agent signing Kenny Pickett. Pickett is also a former first round pick, but he is already on his fifth team in five seasons in the league and, overall, he has completed 62.4% of his passes for an average of 6.19 YPA, 16 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions in 27 career starts. Pickett is also already going into his age 28 season, as he was an old rookie who was drafted in the first round more for his supposed NFL readiness than his upside, so it is unlikely he ever significantly improves. He is not bad as far as backup quarterbacks go, but he isn’t a serious option to take Young’s job and, as mediocre of a starting option as Young is, Pickett would still be a noticeable downgrade if he had to start in case of an injury to Young.

Grade: C+

Offensive Line

Most of the big free agent signings the Panthers made this off-season were on defense, but they also signed Rasheed Walker, the top free agent left tackle. Walker has been a solid starter for the Packers over the past three seasons (48 starts) and should remain one for the Panthers in 2026. Unfortunately, he is not an upgrade over the player he is replacing, Ikem Ekwonu, a solid left tackle in his own right, who is expected to miss most if not all of the 2026 season after tearing his patellar tendon in the post-season last year. A patellar tendon tear is the most serious type of knee tear a player can suffer and even if Ekwonu returns to action this season, he probably will not be a 100% and would probably only return as a reserve, with Walker being added as a replacement.

The Panthers also added an offensive tackle in the first round of the draft, selecting Monroe Freeling. Freeling probably won’t see significant action as a rookie unless there is another injury ahead of him on the depth chart, but Walker was only signed to a 1-year deal, Ekwonu will also be a free agent next off-season, and right tackle Taylor Moton is heading into his age 32 season, so Freeling will start long-term. Moton has been a consistently above average right tackle in his tenure as a starter with the Panthers (128 starts in the past 8 seasons), but at his age there is concern for a potential decline this season, even if he hasn’t started to decline noticeably yet.

The Panthers also will likely get worse play at the center position in 2026 compared to 2025. Cade Mays, who left as a free agent, was a decent starter last season and he will be replaced by free agent signing Luke Fortner. A 3rd round pick by the Jaguars in 2022, Fortner started all 34 games in the first two seasons of his career, but he was one of the worst starting centers in the league, leading to him getting benched ahead of the 2024 season. 

Fortner eventually ended up with the Saints, where he made 10 starts as an injury fill in last season and, while he was better by default than he was in 2022 or 2023, he was still a below average starter, which he is likely to remain in 2026. The Panthers also added center Sam Hecht in the 5th round of the draft and, while he could end up as the starter at some point this season, he is probably not a realistic candidate to start week one and, if he does start at some point as a rookie, he is likely to also be a liability.

The good news is the Panthers will get talented right guard Robert Hunt back from a torn biceps that limited him to two games last season. Hunt is an above average guard when healthy and doesn’t have a significant injury history, missing seven games in five seasons in the league prior to 2025, so he is an obvious bounce back candidate, although his age could be a concern, going into his age 30 season. When healthy and at his best, Hunt forms one of the best guard duos in the league with left guard Damien Lewis, a consistently above average starter in his own right.

Along with the rookie Freeling at tackle and the rookie Hecht at center, depth options for the Panthers on the offensive line include guard Chandler Zavala, a 2023 4th round pick who has struggled across 14 career starts, and Stone Forsythe, a veteran swing tackle with 27 career starts, 13 of which came last season as an injury fill-in with the Raiders, where he was a liability. This offensive line has some concerns, as they figure to get worse play at center than a year ago, while right tackle Taylor Moton and right guard Robert Hunt are on the wrong side of 30, but Hunt should at least be healthier this season than last season, which will be a boost to this line. Overall, this looks like a solid, but unspectacular unit.

Grade: B

Receiving Corps

Things remain relatively similar in the receiving corps for Bryce Young and the Panthers this season. Tetairoa McMillan remains as the obvious #1 receiver and could improve further on the 70/1014/7 slash line and 1.84 yards per route run average that won him Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2025, after being selected 8th overall. No other Panthers receiver had better than a 33/394/3 slash line last season, but Jalen Coker, who had that slash line, did so in only 11 games and should at least be healthier in 2026. 

Coker flashed a lot of potential with a 1.72 yards per route run average as a rookie in 2024, but that fell to 1.37, which isn’t that surprising, as Coker originally went undrafted and did not enter the league with a high upside. Coker has still exceeded the expectations of an undrafted free agent, but he would probably be best as a #3 receiver and is only the Panthers’ likely #2 receiver due to the lack of a better option. Xavier Legette was a first round pick in the same draft class as Coker, but he has been a massive bust, looking more like an undrafted free agent than Coker has. 

On 59 more targets in two seasons in the league, Legette has 12 fewer receiving yards than Coker, while averaging just 1.05 yards per route run. He rightfully seemed to be getting phased out of the offense in favor of Coker down the stretch last season, receiving just 27 targets to 36 for Coker in the final 8 games of last season. Legette still has time to turn it around, but he was overdrafted in the first place, barely producing in college outside of one season when he was 22 years old, so it is not a surprise he has been a bust and I would expect him to continue struggling. 

Legette could get phased even further out of the offense because the Panthers used a 3rd round pick in this year’s draft on Chris Brazzell, who could push Legette for the #3 receiver job at some point this season. Brazzell will probably begin the year as the #4 receiver, which would make him a reserve, along with John Metchie, a second round pick in 2022 who never developed, averaging just 1.02 yards per route run across three different teams, and Jimmy Horn, a 2025 6th round pick who was decent across 148 snaps as a rookie (1.32 yards per route run).

The Panthers also didn’t get much out of their tight ends last season. Tommy Tremble (636 snaps) was their primary tight end, but he only finished with a 27/249/2 slash line on 0.91 yards per route run. A 3rd round pick in 2021, that was actually a career high in receiving yardage for Tremble, who has averaged just 0.79 yards per route run in his career. I wouldn’t expect him to suddenly improve this season. Ja’Tavion Sanders had a role as a passing down specialist at tight end (393 snaps, 242 routes), but he also was underwhelming, with a 29/190/1 slash line and 0.83 yards per route run. A 4th round pick in 2024, Sanders also had a 33/342/1 slash line on 1.09 yards per route run as a rookie. He’s still very young, only going into his age 23 season, so he still has upside, but he has a long way to go to be even an average receiving tight end. 

Ironically, it was 5th round rookie Mitchell Evans, mostly a blocking specialist, who was their most efficient receiver at tight end, with a 19/171/2 slash line on 1.30 yards per route run. He only ran 139 routes, as opposed to 253 blocking snaps, and he might not be as effective in a passing game larger role, but he could have earned himself more playing time in passing situations in 2026. The Panthers’ tight ends have some upside, but they are likely to be an underwhelming bunch in the receiving game again. With Jalen Coker likely to be healthier and Chris Brazzell being added in the draft, the Panthers could get more out of their receivers who aren’t Tetairoa McMillan in 2026, but McMillan figures to still be the clear #1 option and he elevates an otherwise underwhelming receiving corps by himself.

Grade: B

Running Backs

Probably the most impactful player the Panthers lost on offense in free agency was running back Rico Dowdle, who led the team in carries, rushing yards, and touchdowns. Dowdle was brought in originally to backup Chuba Hubbard, who had 250 carries as the lead back in 2024, but when Hubbard missed two games early in the year, Dowdle excelled in his absence and took his job, totaling 155 carries to 81 for Hubbard in the 11 games after Hubbard returned from injury.

Hubbard was pretty good as the lead back in 2024, averaging 4.78 YPC on 250 carries with 3.46 yards per carry after contact, a 54.8% carry success rate, and a 18.4% missed tackle rate. However, that was out of the ordinary for him, as he has averaged 4.15 YPC on 889 carries with 2.90 yards per carry after contact, a 48.9% carry success rate, and a 15.7% missed tackle rate in five seasons in the league. Last season, he averaged just 3.81 YPC on 155 carries with 2.39 yards per carry after contact, a 50.7% carry success rate, and a 9.7% missed tackle rate. I wouldn’t expect him to be as effective in 2026 as he was in 2024, though he will probably be better than he was in 2025. Dowdle will also be missed in the passing game, as he had a 39/297/1 slash line on 1.18 yards per route run, while Hubbard has averaged just 0.85 yards per route run in his career.

The Panthers also lack good, proven depth behind Hubbard, with the only player added to replace Rico Dowdle being veteran free agent AJ Dillon, who has gotten just 15 touches over the past two seasons combined due to injuries and ineffectiveness. Their highest upside option to be Hubbard’s backup is Jonathon Brooks. Brooks was a high risk, high reward pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, as he was a first round talent who tore his ACL in his final collegiate season. The Panthers were cautious with his return and held him out of most of his rookie year, but he still re-tore his ACL after just 9 carries in 3 games upon his return, leading to him missing all of 2025. 

Brooks still has time to turn it around, but it is tough to know what to expect from a player who has barely played in the NFL and who is coming off of back-to-back ACL tears. The Panthers also have 2025 4th round pick Trevor Etienne, who only had 20 carries as a rookie, but could take a step forward and handle a bigger workload in year two. Perhaps the Panthers only signing Dillon in free agency is a sign that they are confident in one or both of their two young, unproven backs. With Hubbard as an underwhelming starter and no good, proven options behind him on the depth chart, this backfield has significant concerns.

Grade: C+

Edge Defenders

As I mentioned, the biggest additions the Panthers made this off-season were on defense. Their biggest addition in terms of salary was edge defender Jaelan Phillips, who they signed to a 4-year, 120 million dollar deal, making him the 9th highest paid edge defender in the league in terms of average annual salary. Phillips was a risky signing with high upside and high downside and the Panthers are paying him as if he will hit his upside, but sometimes you have to overpay to get talent in free agency and Phillips was one of the best available players on the free agent market this off-season.

A first round pick in 2021, Phillips looked on his way to stardom early in his career, totaling 22 sacks, 32 quarterback hits, and a 12.5% pressure rate in 42 games in his first three seasons in the league, but he tore his achilles late in the 2023 season, subsequently suffered a knee injury in 2024 that cost him most of the season, and initially did not seem to be the same player upon his return in 2025, leading to the Dolphins trading him to the Eagles for a third round pick at the trade deadline, rather than extending him ahead of his pending free agency this off-season. 

Phillips started to show his old form down the stretch with the Eagles though and, despite a slow start, finished the 2025 season with 5 sacks, 11 quarterback hits, and a 17.7% pressure rate, while playing all 17 games. Phillips has a serious injury history dating back to his collegiate days, so he is a big injury risk, but he is also still only in his age 27 season and should remain an above average edge defender as long as he can stay healthy.

Edge defender was a huge position of need this off-season and Phillips will essentially be replacing DJ Wonnum (688 snaps), who left as a free agent after struggling against the run and as a pass rusher last season (8.0% pressure rate), so in that sense it would be hard for Phillips not to help this team, even if he isn’t at his best or misses some time with injury. Phillips will start opposite 2025 2nd round pick Nic Scourton, who was their only decent edge defender as a rookie. Scourton was at his best against the run, but also added 5 sacks, 6 hits, and a 9.7% pressure rate as a rookie and he could take a step forward in year two.

Fellow rookie Princely Umanmielen, selected in the 3rd round in 2025, did not have nearly as good of a rookie year, limited to 222 snaps and struggling both against the run and as a pass rusher (6.5% pressure rate). He could take a step forward in year two, but has a long way to go to even be a decent rotational player. He and veteran Patrick Jones, who missed all but 4 games last season, will be the Panthers’ top reserve edge defenders this season. Jones is a decent run defender, but only has a career pressure rate of 7.9% and now is coming off of a major back injury, so I wouldn’t expect much from him. The addition of Jaelan Phillips upgrades this position group significantly, but he comes with a significant history of injury.

Grade: B- 

Interior Defenders

Some things changed at the interior defender position for the Panthers this off-season, but things aren’t really that different overall. A’Shawn Robinson, who was solid across 658 snaps last season, left as a free agent, but he was replaced by 2nd round pick Lee Hunter, who might not be as good as Robinson, but also has a higher upside. Tershawn Wharton had back surgery this off-season and is expected to miss the start of next season, but he was limited to 9 games by other injuries last season anyway.

Derrick Brown is still by far their best interior defender and one of the best interior defenders in the whole league. A dominant run defender, Brown has also added 13 sacks, 44 hits, and a 7.5% pressure rate in 84 career games, including 5 sacks, 7 hits, and a 7.8% pressure rate in 17 games last season. Brown missed almost all of the 2024 season with injury and was badly missed, but he seemed to be his old self upon his return in 2025 and he has otherwise missed just 1 game in his other five seasons in the league. The 7th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Brown is still in his prime in his age 28 season and should continue playing at a high level in 2026.

When Wharton is on the field, he is a solid pass rusher with a career 7.1% pressure rate, but also a liability against the run. In his absence, Bobby Brown will be the primary reserve behind Derrick Brown and the rookie Lee Hunter. Bobby Brown is kind of the opposite of Wharton, providing solid run defense, but only pressuring the quarterback at a 3.2% rate in his career. Wharton’s absence could also force the Panthers to use LaBryan Ray more and he is both a liability against the run and as a pass rusher (career 2.7% pressure rate). Derrick Brown elevates this position group significantly by himself, but the rest of this group is a concern.

Grade: B

Linebackers

Along with Jaelan Phillips, the other big addition on this defense this off-season is linebacker Devin Lloyd, who the Panthers signed to a 3-year, 42 million dollar deal. He will replace free agent departure Christian Rozeboom, who was a below average every down player last season (823 snaps). Lloyd figures to be a massive upgrade. A first round pick in 2022, Lloyd struggled as a rookie, but has been a well above average player in each of the past three seasons, including a career best year in 2025 when he was a borderline All-Pro caliber player. Still in his prime in his age 28 season, Lloyd should continue playing at a well above average level in 2026, which will be a big boost for this season.

Trevin Wallace remains as the other starter. He played 624 snaps in 12 games last season and was a liability, as he was across 582 snaps as a rookie in 2024. The former third round pick is still only going into his age 23 season and could have further untapped upside, but thus far he has struggled in his career and that could continue in 2026. Claudin Cherelus remains as the top reserve. He went undrafted in 2023 and has only played 365 snaps in his career, but he has shown a little promise in that limited action. He could be deserving of a larger role in 2026, but he would be a projection to that larger role and might struggle. The Panthers also non-tendered him as a restricted free agent this off-season before bringing him back on a cheaper deal, so they don’t seem to value him as more than a backup. Devin Lloyd boosts this group in a big way, but the rest of the bunch is underwhelming.

Grade: B+

Secondary

The strength of this defense last season was their cornerbacks, with both Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson playing at an above average level. Horn, the 8th overall pick in 2021, has been a well above average player throughout his career, with his biggest concern being durability, as he played just 22 games in his first three seasons in the league, but he has been much healthier the past two seasons, only missing three games total and playing at a borderline All-Pro level. 

Still in his prime in his age 26 season, Horn is probably a bigger injury risk than most players, but as long as he is on the field, Horn should continue playing at a similar level. Jackson, on the other hand, is coming off of a career best year in his 7th season in the league and the former 5th round pick might not be able to repeat that performance. Jackson was solid in 2024, so last season didn’t come out of nowhere, but if he plays in 2026 like he did in 2024 rather than how he did in 2025 it will hurt this defense at least a little bit. 

The Panthers also have an above average starter at safety, Tre’Von Moehrig, a 2021 2nd round pick who has played at that level for three straight seasons and should continue to play at that level in 2026, only his age 27 season. Unfortunately, the rest of this secondary looks likely to be a liability. Fellow starting safety Nick Scott wasn’t too bad last season, but he has been a liability as a starter throughout his career and he is now going into his age 31 season, so he figures to be worse in 2026 than he was in 2025. He could be pushed for his starting job by 2025 4th round pick Lathan Ransom, who was decent across 336 snaps as a rookie, but Ransom is still a projection to a larger role and might get exposed if he has to play more than he did as a rookie.

Chau Smith-Wade struggled across 626 snaps as the third cornerback last season, as he did across 301 snaps as a 5th round rookie in 2024. He could have some untapped upside, only going into his age 23 season, but he would have to improve significantly to be even a decent third cornerback and there is no guarantee that happens. He could face competition for his job from Corey Thornton, a 2025 undrafted free agent who briefly flashed potential as a rookie (127 snaps), before breaking his leg, and Will Lee, a 4th round rookie who probably isn’t ready for a significant role in year one. This is still a solid secondary, but their weaknesses are clear.

Grade: B

Kickers

Ryan Fitzgerald won the Panthers’ kicker job last off-season as an undrafted rookie, but unfortunately he was a liability, missing three extra points and only making two of five field goals from 50+ yards, while ultimately costing the Panthers 4.97 points compared to an average kicker. The Panthers didn’t add any competition for him this off-season, suggesting they expect him to get better in his second season in the league, but that is not a guarantee.

Grade: C+

Conclusion

The Panthers got better this off-season, particularly on defense, but they are starting from a lower base point than their 8-9 record from a year ago suggests, as they finished last season 26th in schedule adjusted efficiency. They also face a much tougher schedule this year than a year ago, especially when compared to their division rivals, and ultimately I have them favored in just two games all season on my calculated lines. They will probably win more than just those two games, but they have a tough path to repeating as NFC South champions unless things go far better than expected.

Prediction: 4-13, 4th in NFC South

Atlanta Falcons 2026 NFL Season Preview

stevenlourie 2026 NFL Season Previews, Falcons

Quarterback

Two years ago, the Falcons took an interesting approach to resolving a major need at quarterback. They signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a 4-year, 180 million dollar deal with 100 million guaranteed, even though he was in his mid-30s and coming off of an achilles tear, and then they used the 8th overall pick on Michael Penix, even though he was considered a relatively NFL ready prospect who would be 24 years as a rookie and 26 years old in his third season in the league, which seemed like the earliest he would be starting in a best case scenario for the team. 

The best case scenario did not happen, however. Cousins disappointed and was ultimately benched 14 games into his Falcons tenure. Penix took over for the final 3 games of the 2024 season and kept the job into 2025, making Cousins a very expensive backup. Penix, however, was pretty underwhelming and, perhaps more concerning, suffered multiple injuries, something that was a concern for him in college too. Most notably, he suffered a torn ACL that ended his 2025 season in week 11, putting Cousins back into the starting lineup.

Now Penix goes into his third season in the league having started just 12 games, while completing 59.6% of his passes for an average of 7.24 YPA, 12 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, and he is already in his age 26 season with a concerning injury history. The Falcons still let go of Cousins this off-season, unable to come to terms on a cheaper contract with him, with most of his guaranteed money already paid out. Cousins was replaced with ex-Dolphins starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who came on a minimum deal because the Dolphins released him despite being on the hook for almost his whole salary in 2026 regardless of whether or not he was on the roster.

Tagovailoa had some moments in Miami, but largely due to his supporting cast around him. Last season, with a diminished supporting cast, he completed just 67.7% of his passes for an average of 6.93 YPA, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. Tagovailoa also has a concerning injury history, most notably his concussion history. There is a reason the Dolphins opted to pay him to go away this off-season, as keeping him on the roster for 2026 could have guaranteed his 2027 salary had he suffered a significant injury, which is much bigger concern with him than most quarterbacks. 

It sounds like Penix and Tagovailoa will have a legitimate quarterback competition and that Tagovailoa could start week 1 even if Penix is healthy enough to play. Either way, the chances that they get more than low end starter play out of either is not particularly high and whoever wins the starting job could easily get benched and/or injured, making it likely that both quarterbacks will ultimately see time this season.

The outcome wasn’t what they wanted, but the Falcons were right to be aggressive at the quarterback position two off-seasons ago, as they were legitimately a quarterback away from being a contender. Even with a subpar quarterback room, the Falcons haven’t been bad the past two seasons, going 16-18. Now two years later, the Falcons being a quarterback away from being contenders largely remains the case, despite a few departures from their supporting cast, but it seems unlikely they will get significantly better quarterback play than the past two seasons and, as a result, it seems unlikely they will win significantly more games. Once again, a subpar quarterback room holds back an above average overall roster.

Grade: C+

Running Backs

A big part of their above average roster is running back Bijan Robinson, who is arguably the best all-around running back in the league. Selected 8th overall in 2023, Robinson has averaged 4.85 YPC with 25 touchdowns on 805 carries in his career, with 3.37 yards per carry after contact, a 25.3% missed tackle rate, a 52.7% carry success rate, and 1.39 yards per route run. He’s also never missed a game due to injury in his career and is only going into his age 24 season, so he is as risk free as running backs come, in addition to having elite talent. He should have a similar season in 2026 as he did in 2025, when he rushed for 1,478 yards and 7 touchdowns on 287 carries (5.15 YPC) with a 79/820/4 slash line on 103 targets. 

Even with Robinson being an elite lead back, the Falcons ran the ball enough last season for backup Tyler Allgeier to have 143 carries. Allgeier left as a free agent this off-season, but the Falcons replaced him with a former starting running back in Brian Robinson, who has averaged 4.12 YPC and 17 touchdowns on 662 carries in four seasons in the league, with 2.92 yards per carry after contact, a 18.0% missed tackle rate, a 50.5% carry success rate, and 1.10 yards per route run. As far as true #2 running backs go, he is one of the better ones in the league and he figures to have a similar role to Allgeier, behind Bijan Robinson, one of the best all-around running backs in the league.

Grade: A

Receiving Corps

The Falcons also have an elite wide receiver in Drake London, who has averaged 2.15 yards per route run in four seasons in the league, since going 8th overall in 2022. His most productive season came in 2024, when he had a 100/1271/9 slash line and averaged 2.32 yards per route run, good for 11th in the NFL that season. Last season, London missed five games, but still had a 68/919/7 slash line, which extrapolates to 96/1302/10 over 17 games, and averaged 2.34 yards per route run, again good for 11th in the NFL. Still only in his age 25 season, with a limited injury history (one game missed in three seasons prior to last season), London is an obvious bounce back candidate in 2026.

The rest of this wide receiver group is a big concern though. Darnell Mooney was solid as the #2 wide receiver in 2024, totaling a 64/992/5 slash line with 1.88 yards per route run, but Mooney was never really healthy in 2025 and fell to a 32/443/1 slash line on 0.97 yards per route run, leading to his release this off-season. In his place, the Falcons signed Jahan Dotson and Olamide Zaccheaus to contracts worth 15 million over 2 years and 4.5 million over 2 years respectively and then used a third round pick on Zachariah Branch.

Even as a third round rookie, Branch might be the best option of the bunch, which says more about Dotson and Zaccheaus then it does about Branch’s NFL readiness. Dotson was a first round pick in 2022, but has been a massive bust, averaging just 0.83 yards per route run in four seasons in the league, with an average of 380 receiving yards per season. Dotson is still only in his age 26 season, but he is running out of time to make good on his upside and he would need to improve significantly to be even an average wide receiver. Zaccheaus, meanwhile, has averaged 1.22 yards per route run in his career, including 0.93 yards per route run with a 39/313/2 slash line last season.

With London missing time with injury and Mooney struggling, tight end Kyle Pitts took on a bigger role in the passing game last season and that seems likely to remain the case this season, after the Falcons paid Pitts 15.045 million to keep him on the franchise tag. Pitts finished last season with a 88/928/8 slash line on 118 targets with 1.71 yards per route run. Pitts never lived up his draft slot after being taken 4th overall by the Falcons in 2021, which made him the highest drafted tight end in NFL history, but, despite his ups and downs, he still has the 8th most catches and the 4th most receiving yards by a tight end since entering the league, while averaging 1.64 yards per route run. Still only in his age 26 season, he should remain an above average receiving tight end in 2026.

Pitts will be backed up by free agent addition Austin Hooper. Hooper is going into his age 32 season and hasn’t been a regular starter in several seasons, but he still averaged 1.34 yards per route run in a part-time role last season, in line with his career average of 1.37. He could decline in 2026, but even if he does, he is not a bad #2 tight end. The Falcons also still have Charlie Woerner, a blocking specialist who has averaged just 0.50 yards per route run with just 26 catches in 98 games in six seasons in the league. Drake London is a true #1 wide receiver and Kyle Pitts is an above average receiving tight end, but the Falcons’ lack of depth at wide receiver behind London is a significant issue.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

The Falcons also have an elite offensive lineman, as right guard Chris Lindstrom has played at an All-Pro level in each of the past five seasons. He’s also been very durable, missing just one game in six seasons in the league. Still in his late prime in his age 29 season, I would expect him to continue playing at an elite level in 2026. Unfortunately, the rest of this offensive line has seen better days. Former center Drew Dalman left as a free agent last off-season. Former right tackle Kaleb McGary missed all of last season with injury and opted to retire this off-season, ahead of what would have been his age 31 season. Left tackle Jake Matthews is still there, but he is going into his age 34 season.

Dalman was replaced by former backup Ryan Neuzil. A former 2021 undrafted free agent, Neuzil made 8 starts in place of an injured Dalman in 2024 and was decent and he continued that decent play into 2025 (17 starts), though he was still a downgrade from Dalman, who was a borderline All-Pro. McGary was originally replaced by former swing tackle Elijah Wilkinson, who was a liability in 17 starts last season. With McGary not returning, the Falcons replaced him with free agent addition Jawaan Taylor, who is also likely to be a liability. He has made 111 starts in seven seasons in the league, but he has mostly been below average in those seven seasons. Making matters worse, with Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix both being left handed, Taylor will be the blindside protector.

On the left side, Jake Matthews hasn’t shown any signs of decline yet and he has been extremely durable, not missing a game since his rookie year in 2014, which helps his chances of aging gracefully, but it is possible he declines at least somewhat this season, which further hurts this offensive line. He will start next to Matt Bergeron, whose development from a decent starter as a 2023 2nd round pick to an above average starter over the past two seasons has been a bright spot for this offensive line. Still very much in his prime in his age 26 season, Bergeron should remain an above average starter in 2026.

For depth options, the Falcons have veteran swing tackle Storm Norton and veteran interior lineman Corey Levin. Levin has had some moments in his career, but only across 7 starts in 9 seasons in the league and he is now heading into his age 32 season, while Storm Norton has also had his moments, across 22 starts in 9 seasons in the league, but he is also going into his age 32 season and missed all of last season with injury. This offensive line isn’t what it used to be, but this is still a solid offensive line, elevated by the presence of elite right guard Chris Lindstrom. 

Grade: B

Edge Defenders

The Falcons had a decent defense last season, ranking 14th in schedule adjusted efficiency, but there are some reasons for concern. James Pearce led the team with 10.5 sacks last season, adding 3 hits and a 12.5% pressure rate, though he did struggle against the run. Pearce was a first round pick in 2025 and in a normal situation I would expect him to be better in 2026, perhaps both as a run stopper and a pass rusher, but Pearce was involved in a serious legal situation this season and is likely to face some sort of suspension by the league, which will be a blow to this defense.

The draft pick the Falcons used to select Pearce was acquired by trading away their first round pick this year to the Rams, which ended up being 13th overall, which left them without a premium pick to add to this roster this off-season. The Falcons’ own first round pick in 2025 was used on another edge defender, Jalon Walker, who also had a solid rookie season, finishing with 5.5 sacks, 4 hits, and a 10.3% pressure rate, while playing at an above average level against the run. He should at least take a step forward in year two, but the Falcons would be better off if they had both Walker and Pearce together for the whole season, which seems unlikely given how Pearce spent his off-season off the field.

Arnold Ebiketie and Leonard Floyd were solid pass rushers as reserves last season too, combining for 5.5 sacks, 13 hits, and a 13.0% pressure rate, but neither were retained so, In Pearce’s likely absence, replacement options include Samson Ebukam, Azeez Ojulari, and Cameron Thomas, who are all underwhelming options. Ojulari was a 2nd round pick in 2021 and is still only in his age 26 season, but he has just a 10.4% pressure rate in his career, has played in just 49 games in five seasons in the league, and played just 67 snaps total last season, frequently being a healthy scratch. Cameron Thomas has only averaged 243 snaps per season and a 9.4% pressure rate in four seasons in the league, since being selected in the 3rd round in 2022.

Ebukam used to be an above average starter, with his best season coming in 2023, when he totaled 9.5 sacks, 8 hits, and a 10.7% pressure rate, but he tore his achilles and missed all of 2024 and then was not the same upon his return in 2025, providing mediocre play against the run and as a pass rusher (9.8% pressure rate) across 416 snaps. Ebukam could be better in 2026, another year removed from the injury, but he is also in his age 31 season, so it seems unlikely he will ever bounce back to his old form. This figures to be a significantly worse position group than a year ago with James Pearce likely facing a significant suspension and useful reserves Leonard Floyd and Arnold Ebiketie not being retained.

Grade: B-

Interior Defenders

The Falcons’ top-2 interior defenders in terms of snaps played last season, David Onyemata (633 snaps) and Ruke Orhorhoro (599 snaps) are no longer on the roster. Onyemata was decent last season, but Orhorhoro was a liability and his loss could be addition by subtraction. Unfortunately, the player they traded him for, Maason Smith, is unlikely to be significantly better. Smith was a second round pick in 2024, but has been a liability on snap counts of 384 and 311 in his two seasons in the league respectively. He still has theoretical upside, only going into his age 24 season, but he has a long way to go to even be a decent rotational player.

Smith figures to play a significant role alongside Brandon Dorius, who is their top returning interior defender from last season in terms of snaps played (465), and Zach Harrison, who was limited to 7 games by injury last season, but played 34.1 snaps per game when healthy. Dorius was second on the team with 8.5 sacks last season, but his peripheral pass rush stats were not as good, as he had just 1 hit and a 8.3% pressure rate, nor was his run defense, which was mediocre. Harrison is probably their all-around best interior defender option, providing decent run defense and a 9.1% pressure rate in three seasons in the league since being selected in the 3rd round in 2023, but he has only averaged 285 snaps per season thus far in his career, playing a reserve role in his first two seasons before missing much of last season, so he is a projection to a larger role.

Deep reserve options for the Falcons include Lacale London, who has been decent, but only across 475 snaps in six seasons in the league, including a career high 270 snaps in 2025, 6th round rookie Anterio Thompson, free agent addition Chris Williams, who has mostly struggled on snaps counts of 367 and 219 over the past two seasons, and Dashawn Hand, who has been a decent rotational player in his career, but is now going into his age 31 season. This is overall an underwhelming position group.

Grade: C+

Linebackers

The Falcons lost Kaden Elliss this off-season and he was a solid every down player across 1,102 snaps last season. In his absence, the Falcons will either start free agent addition Christian Harris or Troy Andersen, who missed all of last season with injury. Both will be significant downgrades. Harris has been a liability in four seasons in the league, while only starting 27 of 46 games he has played, while Andersen, who has only played 907 total snaps in four seasons in the league, largely due to injuries, and has generally been below average when he has played. Andersen is probably their best option by default, but neither one is a good option. The Falcons also added Kendal Daniels in the 4th round of the draft, but he is unlikely to be ready to start as a rookie.

Fortunately, Divine Deablo, who was actually the Falcons’ best linebacker last season and a big part of their defensive success, remains on the roster. A 3rd round pick in 2021, Deablo took a little bit to develop, but he has turned into an above average starter in the past two seasons, particularly excelling in coverage. Last season, he was best among eligible linebackers in receptions per coverage snap and in pass breakup percentage. Still in his prime in his age 28 season, I would expect more above average play from him in 2026, but the concern is his injury history. 

Not only did Deablo miss four games last season, but he hasn’t played all 17 games since his rookie season, while missing 18 total games in five seasons in the league and never exceeding 771 snaps played in a season. It is possible the Falcons get more games and snaps out of him in 2026 than 2025, which would help this defense, but that is far from a guarantee. Deablo elevates this position group by himself, but not enough for this to be better than a below average position group overall, given the state of the rest of the group.

Grade: C+

Secondary

The Falcons’ secondary is the strength of their defense. Top cornerback AJ Terrell has been a consistently above average starter for several seasons, while starting all 93 games played in 6 seasons in the league. Meanwhile, top safety Jessie Bates has been a borderline All-Pro caliber safety for several seasons, while starting all 130 games played in 8 seasons in the league. With Terrell only going into his age 28 season and Bates going into his age 29 season, both should continue playing at the level they have played in recent years. Xavier Watts remains as the starter next to Bates and he was solid as a 17-game starter last season, despite only being a 3rd round rookie. Now going into his second season in the league, he could easily be better in 2026 than 2025. 

Terrell, Bates, and Hughes give the Falcons a good top-3 in the secondary. However, cornerback was a position of weakness other than AJ Terrell last season, with Mike Hughes (689 snaps) and Dee Alford (581 snaps) struggling in their roles last season. The Falcons used a second round pick on Avieon Terrell, who could be an upgrade by default at one of those spots as a rookie, but that would still leave one spot being a liability. 

Alford is no longer on the roster, but Hughes remains and, if he continues starting, he would likely continue struggling, as he has throughout his career (49 starts in 99 games in 8 seasons in the league). The Falcons do also get Billy Bowman back from a torn achilles that ended his rookie season after 300 snaps in 6 games, but the 4th round pick also struggled as a rookie and is unlikely to be significantly better in year two, given that he is coming off of a major injury. This secondary has top end talent, but there are still concerns.

Grade: B+

Kickers

The Falcons upgraded the kicker position this off-season in a big way, signing Nick Folk. Folk is going into his age 42 season, which is obviously a concern, but he has been one of the best kickers in the league throughout his career and he has not slowed down in his old age. No kicker has contributed more than the 28.92 points added over average in the past three seasons combined. Even if he isn’t quite as good in 2026, he should still remain an above average option.

Grade: A-

Conclusion

The Falcons finished last year 15th in schedule adjusted efficiency, slightly better than their 8-9 record. However, they lost some key players on defense this off-season and have an old roster, ranking 4th in snap adjusted age in 2025 and 7th in average age of their roster currently. Given that, they might not even win the 8 games they won last season. The obvious caveat is they would improve, perhaps significantly, if they got good quarterback play for the first time in years, but that seems unlikely.

Prediction: 7-10, 3rd in NFC South

Denver Broncos 2026 NFL Season Preview

stevenlourie 2026 NFL Season Previews, Broncos

Quarterback

The Broncos finished last season 14-3, but they benefitted significantly from having the second easiest strength of schedule in the league in terms of opponents’ record and their schedule was even easier than that. When they faced the Bengals, they faced third string Jake Browning. One of the times faced the Chiefs, they faced third string Chris Oladokun, and one of the times they faced the Chargers, the Chargers were resting many of their starters, including quarterback Justin Herbert, with their playoff seed locked up. Despite their easy schedule, they only won by more than eight points three times all season, with two of those games coming against the aforementioned Bengals and Chargers. Games against the Titans, Jets, Giants, Raiders, Commanders and Raiders again resulted in victories by 8 points, 2 points, 1 point, 3 points, 1 point, and 7 points respectively. 

Now going into 2026, they face an above average schedule and they are unlikely to have the same record in close games (11-2 in games decided by 8 points or fewer, after going 1-6 in such games in 2024), so they will have to play better to even come close to winning 14 games again. They did make a big addition to their receiving corps by trading for Jaylen Waddle, but doing so cost them their first round pick and other picks, which they could have used elsewhere. 

Meanwhile, their defense lost some key players and their roster overall is one of the oldest in the league, ranking 6th in snap adjusted age last season and 8th in average age of their roster as of right now. They also were relatively healthy in the regular season last year, ranking 8th best in adjusted games lost to injury and 5th best in total expected points lost to injury, which might not happen again this year, especially given the age of their roster.

Quarterback Bo Nix is relatively young, only going into his age 26 season, but he has ranked 29th out of 36 eligible quarterbacks and 28th out of 33 eligible quarterbacks in yards per attempt over the past two seasons respectively, with a total yards per attempt average of 6.54 in two seasons in the league. It is possible he takes a step forward in year three, but he came into the league relatively experienced and NFL ready, while lacking a high ceiling, so it seems unlikely he will improve drastically. 

Backup Jarrett Stidham hasn’t attempted a regular season pass in two seasons, but he did have to start in the AFC Championship last season when Nix broke his ankle, a game in which he predictably struggled. In six seasons in the league, Stidham has just four regular season starts and his passer rating is 78.3, meaning he is probably a below average backup quarterback, but the Broncos didn’t seem interested in trying to find an upgrade on him this off-season. This is a below average quarterback room overall.

Grade: C+

Offensive Line

The oldest position group on this offense is their offensive line, which has three starters who will be in their age 30 season or older this season. That is a concern, as they have been one of the best offensive lines in the league in recent years, ranking 8th in pass block win rate last season, 4th in run block win rate last season, and 1st in both categories in 2024, while only allowing Bo Nix to be sacked just 46 times in 34 career starts. 

Left tackle Garret Bolles was the best of the bunch last season, playing at a borderline Pro-Bowl level. He’s been a consistently above average starter throughout his career (133 starts in nine seasons in the league) and last season was arguably his best. Unfortunately, he is now going into his age 34 season and, even if he doesn’t decline significantly, which is a possibility, it seems unlikely he will repeat arguably the best season of his career again in 2026.

Right tackle Mike McGlinchey has been a consistently solid starter in his career (115 starts in eight seasons in the league) and has yet to show any signs of decline thus far, but that could change in his age 32 season in 2026, which could cause him to only be a middling starter. Left guard Ben Powers, meanwhile, has only been a middling starter at best in his career (76 starts in seven seasons in the league) and, now going into his age 30 season, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if he became a liability in 2026.

Right guard Quinn Meinerz is probably their best overall offensive lineman, playing at an above average level since entering the season as a 3rd round pick in 2021 and specifically playing at an All-Pro level in three straight seasons, which is good because he is still very much in his prime in his age 28 season and should continue being a dominant player. He will start next to Luke Wattenberg, another returning starter who rounds out this unit at center. A 5th round pick in 2022, Wattenberg became a starter in 2024 and has been a decent starter in 28 starts over the past two seasons.

Despite all of their aging starters, the Broncos only used a 4th round pick on offensive line depth, adding guard Kage Casey in the 4th round. Along with Casey, reserve options include 2023 undrafted free agent guard Adam Palczewski, who made 10 of his 13 career starts last season in place of an injured Ben Powers and struggled, center Alex Forsyth, a 2023 7th round pick who has been decent in six career starts, and swing tackle Matt Peart, who has mostly struggled in ten starts in six seasons in the league. The Broncos return all five starters from an offensive line that has played well over the past two seasons, but age is a concern, with three of the five on the wrong side of 30 and limited young depth behind them on the depth chart.

Grade: B+

Receiving Corps

As I mentioned, the Dolphins added Jaylen Waddle to their receiving corps this off-season, at the price of a first round pick, among other lesser picks. Originally selected 6th overall in 2021, Waddle has averaged 2.11 yards per route run and a 81/1098/6 slash line per 17 games in his career, while only missing 7 games due to injury in five seasons in the league. Last season, he performed similarly to his career averages, with a 64/910/6 slash line in 16 games and a 2.19 yards per route run average, and he’s only going into his age 28 season, so I don’t expect him to start declining for at least a couple seasons. He’s also produced those numbers despite only getting 119 targets per 17 games in his career, frequently operating as a #2 receiver behind Tyreek Hill.

Waddle might not get significantly more targets than that in his first season with the Broncos though. He will probably operate as the #1 receiver, but the Broncos still have Courtland Sutton, who has operated as the #1 receiver in recent years and will probably be more of a 1b to Waddle’s 1a rather than a true #2 receiver. Over the past seven seasons, Sutton has averaged a 71/971/6 slash line per 17 games and 1.71 yards per route run. He’s never been a true #1 receiver and he is now going into his age 31 season and could start to decline in 2026, so it made sense to add Waddle opposite him, but Sutton will still remain heavily involved in this offense.

Where Waddle will really upgrade this receiving corps is by pushing incumbent #2 wide receiver Troy Franklin into a much smaller role. Franklin received 109 targets last season, but only turned them into a 65/704/6 slash line and 1.45 yards per route run. A 4th round pick in 2024, Franklin also had just a 0.99 yards per route run average as a rookie. He’s still only going into his age 23 season, so he could still have further untapped potential, but a good receiving corps wouldn’t have him any higher than the third wide receiver. 

Franklin might not even be the third wide receiver this season, with 2025 3rd round pick Pat Bryant also in the mix for snaps. Bryant’s 1.22 yards per route run average last season was lower than Franklin’s, but he was much more efficient on a per target basis (7.71 vs. 6.82) and possesses a higher upside than Franklin, so he might be the favorite for the job, which would push Franklin into the #4 receiver job. It is also possible that both receivers see a limited action and rotate with each other. The Broncos also have Marvin Mims, a 2023 2nd round pick who has shown some upside (1.68 yards per route run in his career), but is best as a gadget player and returner, which is what he will be in 2026.

Another reason why Waddle was needed is because the Broncos got very little out of their tight ends last season. Receiving specialist Evan Engram turned 76 targets into a 50/461/1 slash line and 1.27 yards per route run and is now going into his age 32 season, yet another aging starter on this offense. Adam Trautman remains as a blocking specialist. He only had 0.92 yards per route run and a 20/195/1 slash line on 23 targets, in line with his career 0.96 yards per route run average, but because he is a better blocker he actually led all Broncos tight ends with 652 snaps, to 458 for Engram, a split that figures to continue into 2026. Jaylen Waddle upgrades this receiving corps, but they still have some issues in this group.

Grade: B

Running Backs

JK Dobbins led this team in carries with 153, taking them for 772 carries and 4 touchdowns, good for an impressive 5.05 YPC average. That is actually below Dobbins’ 5.20 YPC average for his career and he also has averaged 3.18 yards per carry after contact, a 19.2% missed tackle rate, and a 51.2% carry success rate across 582 career carries. The problem is he has been incredibly injury prone in his career, missing multiple games in all six seasons in the league, with 54 total missed games, including 7 last season. Dobbins received 15.3 carries per game last season when healthy and he played well enough to be re-signed to a 2-year, 16 million dollar deal this off-season, so he could get a similar workload when healthy this season, but he is also likely to miss more time at some point.

With Dobbins out last season, RJ Harvey received 13.7 carries per game, compared to 5.0 carries per game when Dobbins was active. Harvey was not as effective, averaging 3.70 YPC, with 2.66 yards per carry after contact, a 17.1% missed tackle rate, and a 45.2% carry success rate, but he was a 2nd round rookie and could be more effective in year two. He’s also a useful pass catcher, with a 47/356/5 slash line and 1.36 yards per route run, compared to 0.32 yards per route run last season for Dobbins, who only averages 0.58 yards per route run in his career. Even if he takes a step forward as a runner though, I would expect Harvey to only be a change of pace back and passing down complement to Dobbins as long as Dobbins is healthy.

Harvey also might not get as much of a workload as a runner in Dobbins’ likely absence as he did last season, with the Broncos also adding Jonah Coleman in the 4th round of the draft. A decent all-around back, Coleman probably won’t have much of a role as long as Dobbins and Harvey are healthy, but he figures to have a significant role if either one of them gets hurt. This is a decent backfield with good depth, but they are unspectacular overall.

Grade: B-

Interior Defenders

The Broncos had a great defense last season, ranking 2nd in schedule adjusted efficiency, but, as I mentioned earlier, they did lose some players this off-season. The most important departure is interior defender John Franklin-Myers, who excelled as an interior pass rusher last season, totaling 7.5 sacks, 8 hits, and a 10.3% pressure rate, while playing adequate run defense. Fortunately, the Broncos do still at least have Zach Allen, an even better interior pass rusher, who has totaled 20.5 sacks, a league leading 87 hits, and a 11.9% pressure rate in 50 games in the past three seasons combined, though his run defense has been below average. 

In Franklin-Myers absence, additional playing time will be available for veteran holdovers DJ Jones (431 snaps), Eyioma Uwazurike (409 snaps), and Malcolm Roach (402 snaps). The Broncos also used a 3rd round pick on Tyler Onyedim and have last year’s 3rd round pick Sai’vion Jones, who only played 33 snaps as a rookie, but could be involved in a rotational role in year two. DJ Jones has been a solid rotational player in his career, both as a run defender and pass rusher (6.7% pressure rate), while averaging 499 snaps per season in the past 6 seasons, but he is also yet another 30+ year old on this roster, going into his age 31 season in 2026, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he declined and struggled, especially if forced into a larger role by Franklin-Myers’ departure.

Malcolm Roach is only going into his age 28 season, but he has been marginal at best on 374 snaps per season over the past four seasons. Uwazurike is also only going into his age 28 season, but has struggled across 637 career snaps in four seasons in the league. Unless one of the two unproven young players, Onyedim and Jones, can step up in a big way, the Broncos don’t have anyone on the roster who can come close to replacing what they lost when Franklin-Myers departed. Zach Allen significantly elevates this group by himself, but this group is not as good as they were a year ago, due to the departure of Franklin-Myers, as well as DJ Jones continuing to age.

Grade: B

Edge Defenders

Along with Zach Allen, the Broncos also still have a pair of talented pass rushers on the edge in Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper. Bonitto was one of the best pass rushers in the league last season, totaling 14 sacks, 17 hits, and a 18.3% pressure rate. In total, the 2022 2nd round pick has 35.5 sacks, 41 hits, and a 16.4% pressure rate in 49 games over the past three seasons combined and he’s still in his prime, in his age 27 season. He’s only average against the run, but his efficient pass rush more than makes up for that. That should continue into 2026.

Cooper is not quite as good as a pass rusher, but he has still totaled 27 sacks, 28 hits, and a 12.9% pressure rate in 51 games over the past three seasons combined, while being a little bit better of a run defender than Bonitto. A solid all-around player, the 2021 7th round pick is also still in his prime, going into his age 28 season, and should continue playing at a similar level in 2026. He and Bonitto are one of the best edge defender duos in the league.

The Broncos also have solid depth at the edge rusher position. Jonah Elliss, a 2024 3rd round pick, struggled on 436 snaps as a rookie, but took a big step forward across 319 snaps in his second season in the league in 2025, especially excelling as a pass rusher, with 2.5 sacks, 3 hits, and a 13.2% pressure rate. Dondrea Tillman, an undrafted free agent in 2024, has been solid in both of his two seasons in the league, on snap counts of 243 and 419, providing solid run defense and totaling 9 sacks, 8 hits, and a 12.1% pressure rate. The Broncos also have Que Robinson, a 2025 4th round pick who barely played as a rookie because of the talent ahead of him on the depth chart (151 snaps), but who looked decent and who provides even further depth. This is a deep and loaded position group.

Grade: A

Linebackers

Another player the Broncos lost this off-season is linebacker Dre Greenlaw. Injuries limited him to 324 snaps in 8 games, which is why the Broncos released him to save 9 million this off-season, but he was still by far their best linebacker when healthy and, without him, this linebacking corps is a concern. Making matters worse, both Alex Singleton (1,029 snaps) and Justin Strnad (575 snaps), their top-2 linebackers with Greenlaw gone, are both on the wrong side of 30, going into their age 33 and their age 30 season respectively. Both have been average starters at best in their career, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if one or both declined to a below average level in 2026, given their age.

It is surprising the Broncos didn’t add a young linebacker behind them relatively early in the draft, but they also didn’t have a lot of picks to work with after the Waddle trade. With Greenlaw gone and no significant additions made, the third linebacker job will either go to Jordan Turner, a 2025 undrafted free agent who only played 23 snaps as a rookie, Karene Reid, a 2025 undrafted free agent who only played 4 snaps as a rookie, Drew Sanders, who went in the 3rd round in 2023, but has only played 278 snaps in three seasons in the league due to injury and ineffectiveness, or 7th round rookie Red Murdock. With an underwhelming starting duo and no proven depth, this is a below average position group.

Grade: C+

Secondary

The Broncos’ secondary remains largely the same as a year ago, with their top-7 in terms of snaps played all returning. The star of the group is cornerback Patrick Surtain, who is consistently one of the best players in the league at his position and still only going into his age 26 season. The Broncos also have a talented safety duo in Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga, who both played well above average in 2025. 

The concern with those two safeties is their injury history, as Jones has missed time in every season in the league except his rookie season in 2020, with 17 total games missed in six seasons in the league, while Hufanga missed 17 games between 2023 and 2024 with a torn ACL, though he did play all 17 games in 2025 and didn’t seem to have any negative long-term effects. Going into their age 28 and 27 seasons respectively, both should remain above average as long as they can stay on the field. If either of them miss time, the Broncos would likely turn to Devon Key, who has been marginal at best in the past two seasons across the only 327 snaps of the 2021 undrafted free agent’s career. He would be an obvious downgrade.

Behind Surtain at cornerback, the Broncos have fellow outside cornerback Riley Moss and slot specialist Ja’Quan McMillan, who are both decent, but unspectacular. Moss, a 3rd round pick in 2023, has made 31 starts over the past two seasons, after only playing 25 snaps as a rookie. McMillan, meanwhile, went undrafted in 2022, but has averaged 760 snaps over the past three seasons, 88.0% of which have come on the slot. 

The Broncos also have great depth with 2025 1st round pick Jahdae Barron, who only played 335 snaps as a rookie because he wasn’t really needed. He flashed potential as a rookie and, barring significant injuries ahead of him on the depth chart, will remain an overqualified backup in 2026, before likely taking over as a starter next season, with McMillan and Moss both going into the final year of their contract. This is a well above average secondary overall.

Grade: A

Kickers

Will Lutz was slightly below average as the Broncos’ kicker last season, costing the Broncos 2.74 points compared to an average kicker. He has overall been a slightly above average kicker in his career, accounting for 11.95 points above an average kicker since entering the league in 2016, but he has been a below average kicker in three of the past four seasons, costing his teams 8.78 points compared to an average kicker over that stretch, dating back to his return from a 2021 groin injury that cost him the entire season. The Broncos still believe in him, not adding any competition for him this off-season, but it is very possible he remains below average in his age 32 season in 2026.

Grade: B-

Conclusion

The Broncos went 14 games last season, but they had a very easy schedule and won a lot of close games last season, two things that are unlikely to continue into 2026. They also have one of the oldest rosters in the league, and as a result, several key players could decline, plus they are unlikely to be as durable as a year ago, when they were one of the least injury affected teams in the league. They also lost some talent on defense that they did not replace, a concern for a defense that was the strength of the team last season, which tends to be less consistent year-to-year than offensive performance anyway. They did add Jaylen Waddle via trade, which helps their receiving corps, but all the draft capital they gave up to acquire him hurt their ability to supplement their aging roster with talented young players. Given all of that, I expect a significant drop off in their win total in 2026.

Prediction: 8-9, 3rd in AFC West