The NFL’s mandatory minicamps are wrapping up, and with them the quiet part of the offseason—leaving a fresh reshuffle of contenders. The biggest swing comes with the Los Angeles Rams’ arrival of reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, alongside a
For the third morning in a row, rosters were still moving—but not the way they do in January. By this week’s end. the NFL’s mandatory minicamps are set to close out the offseason. the last push before players head for tee times and passports and the kind of downtime that finally doesn’t come with a practice schedule attached.
Normally, the stretch right after the draft drifts along quietly. This year, it doesn’t. Two major June trades. fresh legal considerations. and injury updates for several key players have combined to flip the usual routine. Training camps are next. and so is the first wave of power rankings built off who looks ready to withstand change—and who’s still trying to absorb it.
The Los Angeles Rams now look like one of the most abrupt answers to the question. The team sits at No. 2 in the latest post-offseason power ranking. and the difference is as concrete as it is dramatic: Myles Garrett has arrived. the reigning Defensive Player of the Year joining the defense. Alongside him are cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. With Matthew Stafford back for at least one more year as the team’s frontman. the expectation in this ranking is that the Rams aren’t just improving—they’re accelerating.
Seattle follows at No. 1, sitting in the top spot even as the roster took noticeable free-agency hits. The Seahawks lost offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and the replacement Brian Fleury has never called plays. That’s not the only concern in the write-up—Seattle is also described as a team that won’t sneak up on anyone after a dominant season capped by a decisive Super Bowl triumph. The gap between the Rams and Seahawks in the prior season is described as negligible. and with Los Angeles adding defensive upgrades. this ranking suggests Seattle may not be the team to beat for 2026.
San Francisco is listed at No. 3, even as the NFL’s math stays skewed toward the idea that the NFC West is loaded. The ranking points out that the 2025 NFC West was the first in league history to have three teams win at least 12 regular-season games. The names fueling optimism for 2026 are Nick Bosa and Fred Warner returning from season-ending injuries. plus a possible Week 1 presence for tight end George Kittle (Achilles). The newcomers for the Niners include veteran wide receiver Mike Evans and defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa.
The Denver Broncos are at No. 4, with the ranking’s confidence tied to health and offensive shape. It argues Denver likely reaches the Super Bowl if quarterback Bo Nix didn’t get injured in the playoffs. Nix is expected to be a full go in 2026. when wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and new play-caller Davis Webb are also expected to bring more dimensionality. On the defense. the ranking flags legal problems involving OLB Jonathon Cooper and asks whether those issues could detract from a unit described as foundational to Denver’s success in an AFC that appears “wide-open.”.
The Buffalo Bills are at No. 5. and the stakes are framed around a specific late moment: the ranking suggests they probably reach the Super Bowl if Josh Allen didn’t throw the alleged interception in overtime of the playoff loss at Denver. It also acknowledges that Allen had three legitimate turnovers in that game. which led to the ouster of longtime coach Sean McDermott. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady is now in charge of the offense. The new coordinator on defense is Pete Carmichael Jr. and major additions include wide receiver DJ Moore. along with several new defensive starters.
New England lands at No. 6. The defending conference champions added wide receiver A.J. Brown. but the ranking also points to uncertainty: it asks whether coach Mike Vrabel’s distraction-filled offseason and the team’s Super Bowl 60 collapse will carry over. It also notes that a team that was well ahead of schedule in 2025 could struggle to stay on pace in 2026.
Chicago sits at No. 7. The ranking credits QB Caleb Williams and the team’s ability to pull rabbits out of the hat last year on the way to Chicago’s first NFC North crown since 2018. It says a full year in Ben Johnson’s office should be a major plus. even as it flags that Moore is gone and Rome Odunze is still feeling aftereffects from last season’s foot injury. It adds that a first-place schedule and defensive personnel changes could make it hard for a team that was ahead of schedule in 2025 to stay on track.
Houston is at No. 8, with last year’s top-ranked defense basically returning en masse. But the ranking makes the question simple: the team’s fortunes likely hinge on a reimagined offense and whether QB C.J. Stroud can finally get Houston to its first AFC championship game, or at least beyond.
Then comes Cincinnati at No. 9—anchored by what QB Joe Burrow said this week. “We have everything we need,” Burrow said while comparing the team’s current setup to his dominant 2019 LSU national champions. The ranking builds on that confidence. laying out the conditions it believes must follow: an offense that’s difficult to stop and that protects Burrow adequately. plus a defense that can limit opponents to 25 points a week.
The AFC North thread gets louder through what the ranking says comes next. It’s not only that Burrow is optimistic; it’s that this division is being described as a place where changes are arriving fast enough to demand constant adjustment. That backdrop is what makes the Rams’ leap feel tied to more than one team’s offseason—because it suggests a league where power doesn’t just shift in November. It shifts in June. in legal updates. in injuries. and in who comes out of training camp ready for the version of the season that has already started taking shape.
The rest of the top tier remains packed. The Detroit Lions are at No. 10, with coach Dan Campbell having watched the No. 1 playoff seed of 2024 “burn to ashes” a year ago despite finishing 9-8. The ranking leans on the possibility of a last-place schedule. healthy TE Sam LaPorta. and promising rookies. while also tying hope to whether injured safety tandem Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch returns to form. Baltimore is at No. 11, with a recently hired staff, defensive reinforcements, and a newly bulwarked interior offensive line cited for optimism. It also highlights Lamar Jackson’s enthusiasm working with new offensive architect Declan Doyle. described by Jackson as “mind-blowing. ” even as the ranking stresses that Super Bowl expectations don’t seem significantly altered after Baltimore cratered to a sub-.500 finish.
Philadelphia is at No. 12. with Brown drama settled and attention set to shift toward Jalen Hurts and a new offense. including how well Hurts and a revamped receiving corps acclimate. The Los Angeles Chargers are at No. 13 and are framed around the question of whether the franchise can finally break through under Jim Harbaugh. while noting they still await their first playoff win in the past 12 seasons. Kansas City is at No. 14, with the ranking insisting the Chiefs can’t miss the playoffs again and pointing to how heavily K.C. leans on recently signed Super Bowl 60 MVP Kenneth Walker, while Patrick Mahomes—recovering—gets his sea legs underneath him.
Dallas is at No. 15, led by rookie coordinator Christian Parker, with the Dallas defense described as under the biggest microscope in the league. Minnesota follows at No. 16. where a quarterback battle is the biggest storyline. but the ranking’s real focus is how Kyler Murray executes an offense that’s described as a make-or-break season for his career.
Elsewhere, the rankings layer in injury and discipline questions that could affect availability early. Green Bay is at No. 18. with OLB Micah Parsons (knee) expected to miss the first month of the season and the uncertainty around effectiveness less than a year after a torn ACL. It also notes RB Josh Jacobs was arrested following a domestic violence complaint, raising questions about availability. TE Tucker Kraft is described as further along in his ACL recovery than Parsons but only 10 months removed from his injury when the season starts. and the ranking adds that a new defensive scheme and modified passing attack make another seventh seed a tough ask.
Pittsburgh is at No. 19 with the ranking saying the team officially has QB Aaron Rodgers and has the most expensive trio of outside linebackers in the league after Nick Herbig became the latest expensive addition. New Orleans is at No. 20. with the ranking saying it plucked Etienne from the Jags amid several other underrated offseason acquisitions. and that it could be poised for a playoff return in a weak division. Carolina is at No. 21. where it plucked Lloyd from the Jags and is trying to extend its reign over the middling NFC South. while the ranking flags ongoing questions around Bryce Young and blocking.
Tampa Bay is at No. 22 after a regression to 8-9 following a 6-2 start. with the ranking citing the retirement of LB Lavonte David and the departure of Evans. It says the team is “trying to run it back. ” assuming the contracts of QB Baker Mayfield and NT Vita Vea don’t become festering issues. Washington is at No. 23. after QB Jayden Daniels’ durability issues resurfaced in 2025 following his magical rookie run. with GM Adam Peters making curious personnel additions and 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk described as the next anticipated reunion with Daniels. a teammate at Arizona State.
The list continues with New York at No. 24 under new coach John Harbaugh, Atlanta at No. 25 weighing whether it could take a shot on former Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby in the supplemental draft amid long-term uncertainty at quarterback. and Indianapolis at No. 26 with an on-and-off season profile last year and the ranking’s mention that newly extended QB Daniel Jones and WR Alec Pierce might not be 100% entering the season. Tennessee is at No. 27, Cleveland at No. 28 after receiving a solid return for Garrett with GM Andrew Berry potentially heaping expectations on perceived replacement Jared Verse. and then the ranking reaches Las Vegas at No. 29 and New York (Jets) at No. 30. including discussion of whether each could take the flier on Sorsby. with three first-round picks next year also cited for the Jets.
Arizona is at No. 31. tied to the idea of using third-rounder Carson Beck already in hand to replicate last year’s 3-14 finish regardless of LB Mack Wilson’s stance. Miami is at No. 32. where the ranking says it could take the flier on Sorsby but places bigger weight on QB1 Malik Willis’s spring. while emphasizing that Willis hasn’t had an encouraging spring yet deserves more time. The ranking also highlights how Miami’s decision to dump Tua Tagovailoa came with a salary cap hit of nearly nine figures. and that the financial risk is described as far less with Willis in the event the team decides he’s not the guy.
The schedule will start moving again soon. But by the time training camps begin next month. readers are being asked to absorb a simple new truth: in this offseason. the league didn’t just change on the field. It changed on paper. in injury updates. through legal developments. and in the way teams now look at their rivals right before the season starts counting.
NFL offseason 2026 power rankings Myles Garrett trade Los Angeles Rams Joe Burrow AFC North mandatory minicamps Matthew Stafford Josh Allen C.J. Stroud Baltimore Ravens Kansas City Chiefs Denver Broncos