On September 9, 2026, the new season of the NFL gets underway, and anticipation is growing, both among teams and among sports fans and football experts.
The offseason is an excellent time to sign new players and improve the roster and strategy. The 2026 one has been full of developments. Below is a look at the teams that have done best and worst from it.
Los Angeles Rams
The LA Rams have played a blinder. First, they traded Jared Verse to the Cleveland Browns in return for possibly the best defensive player of his generation, defensive end Myles Garrett, and for 2027 first-, 2028 second-, and 2029 third-round pick. This smart trade puts the Rams in serious Super Bowl contention. Garrett’s magical style makes other teams’ offensive play feel predictable.
This is in addition to cornerback acquisitions Trent McDuffie (traded) and Jaylen Watson (free agency) from the Chiefs that lend real defensive reinforcement, leaving the Rams powerful offense free to give opponents headaches. If you’re checking American football odds on DraftKings, you might consider the Rams this season.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens mean business this season. They signed linebacker Trey Hendrickson from the Cincinnati Bengals, drafted rookie offensive guard Vega Ioane from Penn State Uni’s Nittany Lions and signed three veterans: offensive lineman John Simpson from the New York Jets, defensive lineman Calais Campbell, from the Arizona Cardinals, and safety Jaylin Hawkins, from the New England Patriots. This will bolster offense, defense, and secondary.
Two young coaches have also joined the Ravens to breathe new life into the team and carry them over the hump and on to the AFC North title. Jesse Minter joins as head coach and Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator. Hopefully, Minter brings fresh ideas, and Doyle pushes the offense to the next level.
Cleveland Browns
Hamstrung by quarterback Deshaun Watson’s contract, the worst in NFL history, the Browns gave themselves some salary-cap relief by trading Garrett trade to the LA Rams. As well as acquiring talented pass rusher Jared Verse, the Browns have added offensive muscle in the form of offensive linemen Tytus Howard (Houston Texans), Elgton Jenkins (Green Bay Packers), and Zion Johnson (free agent from the LA Chargers), and rookie wide receivers KC Concepcion (Texas A&M) and Denzel Boston (University of Washington). Safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Toledo) brings an extra defensive option to the team, and the Garrett trade also gifted them draft picks.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Things don’t feel nearly as promising for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Free agency saw linebacker Devin Lloyd, running back Travis Etienne, cornerback Greg Newsome II, and safety Andrew Wingard all head for pastures new.
The team’s offensive coordinator, Grant Udinski, had vowed to change the offense, but the Jaguars chose Texas A&M tight end Nate Boekircher, an older rookie who was ranked at 56 overall and received just 19 passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns last season. Highly illogical, and the Jaguars exit the offseason looking much worse.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are establishing themselves ever more firmly as a middle-of-the-road team each season. This year, they waved goodbye to offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins and veteran cornerback Nate Hobbs. They also traded pass rusher Rasha Gary to the Dallas Cowboys and wide receiver Dontayvion Wickes to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Not content with that, in free agency, the Packers lost their highly reliable wide receiver Romeo Doubs, linebacker Quay Walker, and left tackle Rasheed Walker. So, heavy losses at the Green Bay Packers, for sure. Just as well they’ve acquired linebacker Zaire Frankin (traded from the Indianapolis Colts), defensive lineman Javon Hargrave (ex-Minnesota Vikings), and defensive back Brandon Cisse (South Carolina) to help them weather the on-field fallout from the offseason fiasco.
Arizona Cardinals
No one expects much from the Arizona Cardinals any season, but this offseason has been exceptionally abysmal. The team hired Mike LaFleur as offensive coordinator, whose offensive and defensive overall record is poor and whose top offensive man is Nathaniel Hackett. Hackett struggled as head coach at the Denver Broncos and as offensive coordinator at the New York Jets.
This is coupled with the fact that, instead of hunting for a quarterback, the Cardinals are again depositing all their hopes in Jacoby Brisset, who went 1-11 last year. Although new running back Jeremiah Love (Notre Dame), a No. 3 pick overall, will support him, Brisset will be carrying the team by himself. Tight end Trey McBride, wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr, and Love will have to work well collectively and play better to ease the strain on Brisset.
NFL offseason provides teams with tremendous opportunities to improve their teams. The Rams, Ravens, and Browns have all capitalized on it to build stronger teams, whereas the Jaguars, Packers, and Cardinals clearly didn’t get the memo. Still, at least the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots had a lousy offseason, too….
