5 NFL Teams That Will Make A Massive Leap in 2026…And 5 That Will Crash Hard
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
The buildup for the upcoming 2026 season is incredibly exciting, as we got to see free agents sign with other teams, headline trades occur, and teams draft their future superstars during the 2026 NFL Draft.
When the regular season kicks off, we will all see it come together for certain teams that have found their winning formula and rebound from a lost season to glorious success, thanks to high draft capital, aggressive coaching upgrades, and smart moves during the offseason.
However, the opposite will happen to some teams that rode the wave of success in 2025 and see a massive crash occur in 2026, resulting in a lost season, due to an aging core, cap hell, and unsustainable turnover luck.
Which NFL teams will play well or play badly in 2026?
Massive Leap: Baltimore Ravens
Despite finishing the 2025 season with a disappointing 8-9 record, the Ravens are poised to make a significant leap back to success, thanks to the hire of new head coach Jesse Minter and their exciting offseason moves.
Even though the Maxx Crosby trade was a flop, the Ravens still signed Trey Hendrickson to a four-year, $112 million deal, boosting the team’s pass rush.
Lamar Jackson will be much healthier when the season begins, making the offense more exciting to watch. Not to mention, Nnamdi Madubike and Nate Wiggins will also be much healthier on defense.
Minter, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, and defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver should implement new schemes and tricks that will be refreshing to see unleashed in the 2026 NFL regular season.
The Ravens also have a more favorable schedule, as they have the ninth-easiest in the league, and will square off against six teams that reached the playoffs in 2025.
With all of that, it makes for an exciting cocktail of a team ready to cause some havoc in the competitive AFC North.
Crash Hard: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
As fun as it is to see Baker Mayfield play well with the Bucs, they’re projected to crash hard during the 2026 season.
Losing Mike Evans to the San Francisco 49ers will impact the team during the regular season. Sure, they have Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin, but not having Evans’ impact on the roster will be felt immediately.
The Bucs’ defense saw a mass exodus of talent leave the roster, with Lavonte David retiring, Haason Reddick getting released, Jamal Dean signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Christian Izien signing with the Detroit Lions.
The loss of these defensive veterans will negatively impact the team’s defense, as they’ll be forced to rely on rookie talent like Rueben Bain Jr. (who should do well), Caden Fordham, and Keionte Scott to step up right from the get-go.
Mayfield enters a year of immense pressure, as he tries to rebound from his late-season slide in the 2025 season, when he threw 14 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. It shows doubt on whether Mayfield can carry the team when the offense struggles.
The Bucs fired offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard and hired Zac Robinson with hopes he’ll revitalize the offense during the 2026 season. Robinson will also be Mayfield’s fourth offensive coordinator since he joined the team in 2023.
On top of that, head coach Todd Bowles is on the hot seat for the 2026 NFL season, as missing the playoffs in 2025 increased the heat, and if the downward spiral on offense continues, he may have to update his résumé for 2027.
Massive Leap: Tennessee Titans
The Titans made some significant changes during the 2026 offseason, hiring Robert Saleh to be the team’s next head coach, along with hiring former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll to be their next offensive coordinator, and Gus Bradley as their next defensive coordinator.
With Saleh in the fold, the Titans’ defense saw some significant upgrades during the offseason, as Jordan Elliott, Mohamoud Diabate, Tony Adams, Joshua Williams, and Jermaine Johnson II should give the unit a massive boost during the upcoming season.
Not to mention, Saleh’s new schemes fit the Titans’ new personnel very nicely, as they’re expected to make some noise in the AFC South.
Cam Ward is expected to take a step forward with the additions of Wan’Dale Robinson via free agency and Carnell Tate via the 2026 NFL Draft, and they should excel in Daboll’s offense.
On top of that, the Titans hold the eighth-easiest schedule in the 2026 season with fair and reasonable matchups against the New York Jets, New York Giants, and Cleveland Browns during their first eight weeks of the season.
Sure, the Titans might not make the playoffs, but sometimes seeing positive strides under a new coaching regime is a step in the right direction for long-term success.
Crash Hard: Miami Dolphins
After firing head coach Mike McDaniel and releasing Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins took on the largest dead cap hit at $99 million after a disappointing season.
What do they do after that? Hire Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and sign Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5 million deal, which is a bit much for a guy who’s been a backup quarterback, showing limited experience at best during his time in the league.
New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan made a roster purge by releasing Bradley Chubb, Alec Ingold, Tyreek Hill, and Jack Jones, and trading Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos, as they rely on unproven rookies, which is not a great sign.
Not to mention, the rest of the dead cap money the Dolphins are taking on will impact them signing talented veterans who would help them during the upcoming season.
On top of that, the Dolphins have the second-hardest schedule heading into the 2026 regular season, as they have to face off against the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, and Green Bay Packers on the road, with the Broncos and Packers games being in cold-weather stadiums, which is a massive disadvantage for the Dolphins.
Sure, the Dolphins signed De’Von Achane to a four-year, $64 million deal, but the team is likely going to tank in 2026 for a chance to land the overall pick of the 2027 NFL Draft.
Massive Leap: New York Giants
The Giants are poised to make a massive leap during the 2026 season, as the Harbaugh effect is real.
Second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart is expected to take a huge leap forward in his progression and likely become a superstar under Harbaugh’s and new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy’s watch.
Dart received an upgrade in offensive weapons with veteran wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Juju Smith-Schuster and tight end Isaiah Likely on the roster, while Malik Nabers recovers from his injuries.
The Giants saw a massive defensive rebuild during the offseason as they signed D. J Reader, Elijah Campbell, Tremaine Edmunds, and Ar’Darius Washington to the roster, making for a more competitive unit for the upcoming season.
Second-year linebacker Abdul Carter is also expected to take a massive leap forward, as he has the potential to become one of the league’s most elite defensive players.
On top of that, the Giants have a more favorable schedule ahead of them in 2026, making it a great test for their new strides toward long-term success.
Crash Hard: Arizona Cardinals
Things have not been going great for the Red Birds during the 2026 offseason, as they released Kyler Murray after he dealt with an injury-riddled 2025 season and are facing a contract dispute with Jacoby Brissett.
If Brissett doesn’t get paid and gets traded, the Cardinals will have to rely on Gardner Minshew and rookie quarterback Carson Beck, who needs developmental time.
The Cardinals drafted running back Jeremiyah Love with the third pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, but signed him to a massive four-year, $53 million deal, as he never played a single snap in the NFL.
The Cardinals’ offensive line is regarded as one of the weakest in the league, with Brissett sacked 43 times during the 2025 season. However, they did make some tweaks to the line for the upcoming season.
As a cherry on top, the Cardinals have the fourth-hardest schedule in the league and will face teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, and their divisional NFC West opponents twice. Not to mention, the team’s bye week isn’t until week 14.
On top of that, the Cardinals have a new coaching regime under Mike LeFleur, who is an offensive-minded coach, but will have to implement a new system for a team coming off an abysmal 3-14 season.
Although the Cardinals will likely improve on their previous record, we still see a massive crash ahead of them in the 2026 season.
Massive Leap: New Orleans Saints
The Saints showed some optimism when Tyler Shough took command of the offense in the latter part of the 2025 season, and he should be ready for a full season of action in the upcoming season.
Head coach Kellen Moore and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier will provide Shough, newly signed Travis Etienne Jr., and Chris Olave with new offensive schemes to utilize on the field in the upcoming season.
The offensive line got a nice boost with the addition of David Edwards via free agency, the drafting of Jeremiah Wright, and the signing of undrafted free agent Alan Herron. Not to mention, tackles Taliese Fuaga and Kelvin Banks Jr. are solidifying an excellent offensive wall.
The Saints also got a nice upgrade on defense with the return of Kaden Elliss, the signings of Anfernee Jennings and Martin Emerson, and the trade for Tyree Wilson, which should make this defensive unit slightly more formidable.
There’s a lot of excitement in the “Big Easy,” and we can’t wait to hopefully see the Saints make some positive strides in the 2026 NFL regular season.
Crash Hard: Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars heading into the 2026 season might get a rude awakening, as they failed to address signing a new veteran running back during the offseason when Travis Etienne Jr. signed a four-year, $52 million deal with the New Orleans Saints.
On defense, the Jaguars lost Devin Lloyd, Greg Newsome II, and Andrew Wingard to free agency, as their impact on the team will be missed.
The Jaguars have a tougher schedule in the 2026 season, as they have to face the Denver Broncos on the road in week two, the New England Patriots at home in week three, and back-to-back games in London against the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans, respectively, before their bye week in week seven.
Opposing teams’ defenses will likely figure out how to exploit head coach Liam Coen’s and offensive coordinator Grand Udinski’s system during gameplay in the regular season.
The Jaguars are moving Travis Hunter to a full-time cornerback role with occasional offensive snaps, leaving Trevor Lawrence without a game-changing wideout.
Sure, Brian Thomas Jr. is talented, but will he rebound from his down year in 2025? Only time will tell.
On top of that, the Jaguars also have a tough stretch of games near the end of the season against the Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, and Dallas Cowboys, with most of those teams making the playoffs in 2025.
We could either see the Jaguars crash hard at the beginning of the season or near the conclusion of the season, but time will only tell what happens from here.
Massive Leap: Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are poised to make some major gains with a healthy Joe Burrow heading into the start of the 2026 NFL season.
The Bengals made some major offseason trades, acquiring Dexter Lawrence, who’ll revamp the pass-rush after Trey Hendrickson signed with the rival Baltimore Ravens.
Not to mention, the Bengals signed Jalen Davis, Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook, Jonathan Allen, Ja’Sir Taylor, and Kyler Dugger to further give the defense a strong boost for the 2026 regular season.
The Bengals still have the offensive duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins for Burrow to work with for the 2026 season, along with running back Chase Brown, looking to have another 1,000-yard season on the ground.
Joe Flacco was re-signed to the roster as Burrow’s backup in case anything happens to him during the season.
On top of that, the Bengals have a fairly easy schedule ahead of them in 2026 and should earn more wins by the end of the season.
Crash Hard: Pittsburgh Steelers
As talented as the Steelers are, they could see a massive crash occur during the season due to an aging roster and intense divisional competition.
Aaron Rodgers may have re-signed with the team and will play his final season with them, but he’s 42 and will be 43 by the end of the season.
The Steelers’ defense will likely see some regression, as they heavily rely on T. J. Watt to cause havoc, even though he’ll be 32 in October.
Not to mention, future Hall of Famer and veteran defensive tackle Cameron Heyward is 37 and isn’t getting any younger.
The Steelers have one of the oldest rosters in the league and need younger guys to step up.
On top of that, Mike Tomlin stepped down as head coach of the team after their 30-6 Wildcard Round loss against the Houston Texans and has been replaced by Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy is a good coach, but he may not be able to bring the Steelers back to dominant defensive football, and could likely see a crash during the upcoming season.
