NFL 2026 offseason power rankings countdown: Can Giants, Saints take a leap forward?

1 month ago 24

It's ne'er excessively aboriginal to get acceptable for the commencement of different NFL season. As we await the commencement of grooming camps successful precocious July, we're releasing 2026 squad previews successful reverse bid of our archetypal powerfulness rankings. Frank Schwab's previews volition travel retired each weekday from present until aboriginal August, erstwhile helium reveals his No. 1 team.

Here are the previews we've launched truthful far.

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No. 32 Dolphins | No. 31 Jets | No. 30 Cardinals | No. 29 Browns | No. 28 Titans | No. 27 Raiders

The Miami Dolphins are No. 32 successful  Yahoo Sports' 2026 preseason powerfulness  rankings. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

The word "Year Zero" has been utilized by college shot writer Bill Connelly, referring to a caller manager who takes implicit a full and implicit rebuild and is fixed the grace to past a brutal play successful which a triumph oregon 2 with immoderate advancement shown by the extremity is the lone tenable expectation. This is Year Zero for caller caput manager Jeff Hafley and caller wide manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. They understood the assignment. They're successful for a unsmooth season, but with hopes of amended days down the road.

The New York Jets are No. 31 successful  Yahoo Sports' offseason powerfulness  rankings (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

A important turnover connected the roster and coaching unit gives Aaron Glenn a chance. Last play was his archetypal arsenic a caput coach, and portion the learning curve was steeper than anyone expected, possibly helium learned immoderate lessons. Maybe taking backmost antiaircraft play-calling — "To me, play-calling is my superpower, really," Glenn said — with a much experienced unit and an infusion of endowment volition crook things around. But fixed however the 2025 play ended, Glenn starts this play successful a large hole.

The Arizona Cardinals are No. 30 successful  Yahoo Sports' preseason powerfulness  rankings (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

The Cardinals went 3-14 past season, practically had the past prime among the 10 teams trying to capable a head-coaching vacancy, did thing of enactment to hole their backmost dilemma and person a roster that includes immoderate breathtaking skill-position players but needs aggregate offseasons to capable each the different holes. In the NFLPA's 2025 study card, the Cardinals ranked dormant past successful their wide people among each 32 teams. Nobody was surprised.

The Cleveland Browns are No. 29 connected  the Yahoo Sports preseason powerfulness  rankings (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

The Browns are inactive successful a multiyear rebuild. They hired Todd Monken to beryllium their adjacent caput manager and possibly boost the discourtesy astir the backmost mess. The halfway of the squad is young, present includes the promising Jared Verse, who they got successful instrumentality for trading superstar Myles Garrett, and is adding a promising 2026 rookie class. If the Browns nail their backmost prime successful 2027, each of a sudden, they volition get precise interesting. But until then, expect much of the same.

The Tennessee Titans are No. 28 successful  Yahoo Sports' preseason NFL powerfulness  rankings. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

The 2026 Titans are practically starting astatine quadrate one, and that includes their second-year backmost Cam Ward. They did astir thing good past play successful a 3-14 run that could've been worse. This clip around, there's a caller caput manager successful Robert Saleh, caller coordinators and astatine slightest 10 caller additions projected to start connected discourtesy oregon defense. It's adjacent to a brand-new team.

The Las Vegas Raiders are No. 27 successful  Yahoo Sports' preseason NFL powerfulness  rankings (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

The Raiders intelligibly tanked precocious successful the play to get the apical prime successful this year's NFL Draft, and it worked. They drafted Fernando Mendoza archetypal overall, hoping the magic helium displayed successful starring Indiana to a miraculous nationalist title rubs disconnected connected a franchise that doesn't cognize what it's similar to triumph anymore. Every downtrodden squad that lifted itself retired of the abyss had to commencement somewhere. This offseason felt similar advancement successful Las Vegas.

The Atlanta Falcons are No. 26 successful  Yahoo Sports' preseason NFL powerfulness  rankings (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

The Falcons are a conundrum. Are they the squad that went 4-0 to extremity past play oregon the 1 that was 4-9 to commencement it? Are Bijan Robinson, Drake London and choky extremity Kyle Pitts Sr. capable to pb a amended offense, oregon volition deficiency of extent and backmost issues resistance them down? Is Kevin Stefanski the reply astatine caput coach? What's the ceiling for the defense? How bash things get amended connected a roster level aft practically sitting retired the offseason? With each those questions, it's a bully happening the Falcons don't play successful a amended division.

The New York Giants are No. 25 successful  Yahoo Sports' NFL preseason powerfulness  rankings (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

A halfway of young players gave Giants fans hope. QB Jaxson Dart needs to support himself amended to enactment healthy, but helium had immoderate thrilling moments arsenic a rookie past season. Running backmost Cam Skattebo and receiver Malik Nabers person besides shown a batch of promise, though some are besides coming disconnected superior injuries. It's imaginable that by brining successful John Harbaugh arsenic a monolithic upgrade astatine coach, the Giants could person a melodramatic improvement.

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)

The Saints went 5-3 down the agelong past play aft the emergence of rookie QB Tyler Shough nether first-year caput manager Kellen Moore. They volition person to amusement they are susceptible semipermanent solutions and didn't conscionable drawback a heater for a fractional play against a brushed schedule. The roster inactive has plentifulness of issues; it was ne'er going to beryllium a one-offseason rebuild. But the Saints anticipation they person the 2 astir important pieces successful place, and yet person immoderate wage headdress flexibility for 2027 arsenic well.

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