Of all the professional sports leagues in the country, the NFL boasts one of the highest rates of turnover among playoff teams each year. Each year, we see teams go from worst to first. While many would make the argument that the Los Angeles Rams are the league’s most improved team (on paper), we’ll focus on teams that missed the playoffs in 2025 and fit the mold for that cinderella story in 2026, much like the Chicago Bears experienced just a season ago. Now that the Bears aren’t headlining the offseason
winners bracket, it’s time for fans to enjoy taking a look at other teams around the league that have a chance to follow in the same mold.
Without further ado, let’s jump into the NFL’s five most improved teams this offseason, non-playoff edition.
Las Vegas Raiders
Similar to most teams with the No. 1 overall pick, the Raiders did themselves well to finally take a real swing at solving the quarterback issue that has plagued them since Derek Carr’s prime. Simply put, the Geno Smith-Pete Carroll pairing was a disaster. The first step to fixing that issue was hiring yet another coach, this time going with a much younger candidate, Klint Kubiak. Not only did Vegas pair their No. 1 overall pick with an offense-minded head coach, but they also insulated him with a “good guy” veteran in Kirk Cousins, who is still more than capable of starting in this league.
In addition to completely remaking their quarterback room, the team spent north of $308 million in free-agent dollars on 15 players, most of whom were higher-profile names. Of their prized signings, center Tyler Linderbaum headlines the most impactful names that should play a big role in 2026. In addition to spending big in free agency and picking at the top of April’s draft, the team also decided to retain star pass rusher Maxx Crosby (for now), after a trade with the Baltimore Ravens fell through on the eve of the new league year.
While they are ranked No. 1 on this list for overall improvement among the eight teams to go from worst to first, I’d rank them towards the bottom in terms of probability, simply because of how stacked the AFC West is. That said, the Raiders weren’t just looking at the near-term with these moves, especially with the development of Fernando Mendoza. Improvements should be expected, but general expectations for the upcoming season should still be tempered.
New Orleans Saints
Speaking of teams going from worst-to-first, the Saints should be at the top of everyone’s list to accomplish that feat in 2026. Last year marked the fifth-straight season that New Orleans had missed the playoffs, but even so, they came out of it with plenty of high hopes. Quarterback Tyler Shough looked like the real deal, and despite some lingering questions about his readiness, head coach Kellen Moore impressed, especially down the stretch.
In typical fashion for a team with an offensive-minded head coach, the Saints added plenty of needed talent to their offensive weaponry. Those names included Jordan Tyson with the No. 8 overall pick and their prized free agent acquisition, running back Travis Etienne. In addition to those skill position adds, they gave top-end guard David Edwards a healthy free agent contract to try and help their young offensive line take another step. Speaking of weapons, don’t sleep on the mid-round picks of tight end Oscar Delp and receiver Bryce Lance to go with veteran tight end Noah Fant. Defensively, they did lose elite linebacker Demario Davis, but were able to add Kaden Elliss, Christen Miller, and Tyree Wilson to a relatively solid unit.
On paper, the Saints look like a team that should be flirting near the .500 mark late into the season. Still, with a second-year leap from Shough and a better cap situation moving forward, there are plenty of reasons to believe that they could challenge for the NFC South title in such a weak division.
New York Giants
For the first time since the Tom Coughlin era, the Giants appear to have finally figured out their head coaching situation. Parting ways with Brian Daboll was a no-brainer, but finding a suitable replacement was the bigger challenge, especially given a weaker-than-usual pool of head-coaching candidates. Thanks to some good fortune and the country’s larger sports market, New York was able to land the big fish in John Harbaugh.
Each year, we see teams get the head coach right, and the rest of the team magically snaps into place. Giants fans are no strangers to year-one “bounce,s” but Harbaugh is the type of head coach that has far more staying power than the first-year fluke they saw under Daboll. In addition to landing the top head coach on the market, had a strong offseason adding a good mix of veteran talent like Isaiah Likely, Darnell Mooney, DJ Reeder, Tremaine Edmunds, and Greg Newsome, while bolstering their young talent (Francis Mauigoa, Arvel Reece, and Colton Hood) to pair with last year’s draft class and their other talented established veterans like Brian Burns and company.
All in all, the Giants are far from a complete product, but the talent boost (both on the roster and the coaching staff) is undeniable. With the Eagles losing A.J. Brown and ending last season on a sour note and questions remaining in Dallas and Washington, a four-to-six win jump is not out of the question, especially if Harbaugh can hit the ground running. Admittedly, I’m not a big believer in Jaxson Dart, but if he can live up to the hype surrounding his rookie season and Malik Nabers can return to form (once fully healthy), the ceiling for this group is sneaky.
New York Jets
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a big believer in ripping the band-aid off a situation that simply isn’t working out. If it were me, I would have fired Aaron Glenn after his year-one disaster, but Darren Mougey’s job security is about as safe as it gets, which makes giving Glenn another year a little more understandable. The Jets were smart to sell at last year’s deadline, and it didn’t take long for them to see a return on that decision.
Adding edge rusher David Bailey and receiver Omar Cooper to the roster in the first round was nice, but Kenyon Sadiq might be the gem of their three first-rounders. D’Angelo Ponds felt about as “safe” as anyone in the first two rounds of the draft, so being able to land him in Round 2 should be a great foundational piece for the defense moving forward. In addition to a star-studded draft class, the Jets made plenty of other acquisitions, including swapping Jermaine Johnson for T’Vondre Sweat, Demario Davis, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Joseph Ossai, David Onyemata, and Dylan Parham.
In terms of overall roster improvement, the Jets argue they are “winning the offseason” in that category. The two big questions, at least in the short term, are in two key areas. First is the coaching staff, which I’m not confident will make it out of a second season, and the bigger one, at least long-term, is the quarterback position. The return of Geno Smith is a nice story, but 2025 in Vegas was a disaster for the veteran quarterback. Similar to their swing-and-miss on Justin Fields last offseason, it’s hard to envision this season ending with them feeling good about what they have at the position heading into 2027. On the plus side, they’ll have additional high-round draft capital next year, and with another poor finish, they should be well-positioned to have their pick of many of the top quarterbacks in next year’s class. Overall, their offseason needs to be graded with a long-term outlook in mind, and one could argue that they’ve set a better, if not better, overall roster foundation than any of the other teams on this list, outside of quarterback, of course.
Tennessee Titans
Earlier in the offseason, I ranked each team’s quarterback situation heading into the regular season. With a weaker-than-normal rookie class, it became difficult to rank the first-year quarterbacks by combining their one-year body of work with an overall future outlook. That said, I came away highest on Cam Ward and believe that with the right coaching staff, he still has a high enough ceiling to be the best of his class. Far too often, we jump to conclusions based on a small body of work without considering all the context that went into a quarterback’s rookie season.
Tennessee replaced the failed experiment that was former head coach Brian Callahan, but I’m not completely sold that Robert Saleh was the right choice. Couple that with hiring Daboll as the offensive coordinator and play-caller, and the general skepticism is warranted. That said, there’s plenty to like about how the Titans approached the offseason. Their aggressive free-agent approach landed them the top spot in money spent this offseason, with a whopping $322 million on outside signings. Of those signings, John Franklin-Myers, Alontae Taylor, Cor’Dale Flott, and Wan’Dale Robinson stand out as players who should have a positive impact from Day 1. Receiver was a big need for Ward and the offense last year, which is why taking Carnell Tate with the No. 5 overall pick in April’s draft made plenty of sense.
Having a pair of first-round picks always helps, but call me skeptical that Keldrick Faulk will turn into a good NFL player. Luckily, they followed that pick up by taking linebacker Anthony Hill in the second round, who adds a play-making presence to the middle of their defense. There’s no doubt that their defensive woes will be turned around under Saleh, but the offense will be the bigger question. Their offensive line has long been an issue, and on paper, it shouldn’t give anyone a warm and fuzzy feeling that it’s magically going to develop into a “good” unit any time soon. This is a roster that still has holes, but the skill positions are vastly improved, and Daboll has experience successfully developing younger quarterbacks. In my estimation, Ward is the key to their success (or failure), and I’m choosing to believe that his ceiling will win out, even if I didn’t love their approach to hiring a new coaching staff or improving their offensive line.
Who do you think has the best chance to go worst to first this season?
