NFL power rankings: Contenders (Rams), pretenders (Steelers) line up behind Seahawks Nate Davis, USA TODAYThu, April 2, 2026 at 9:04 AM UTC 0 As the NFL sits at the interregnum between free agency and the 2026 draft, it's as good a time as any to update the league's power rankings. And while movement of veteran players answered questions for some teams, others have quite a few to answer – whether in the upcoming draft, or while waiting on an employment decision from Aaron Rodgers, or perhaps continuing to mull the potential trade of a superstar, say A.J. Brown or Maxx Crosby.
NFL power rankings: Contenders (Rams), pretenders (Steelers) line up behind Seahawks
Nate Davis, USA TODAYThu, April 2, 2026 at 9:04 AM UTC
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As the NFL sits at the interregnum between free agency and the 2026 draft, it's as good a time as any to update the league's power rankings. And while movement of veteran players answered questions for some teams, others have quite a few to answer – whether in the upcoming draft, or while waiting on an employment decision from Aaron Rodgers, or perhaps continuing to mull the potential trade of a superstar, say A.J. Brown or Maxx Crosby.
So while the 2026 edition of each team will further evolve with the enlistment of their rookies later this month, the rosters and outlook for most clubs have also largely taken shape – and this is how all 32 squads stack up at the moment (post-Super Bowl 60 rankings in parentheses):
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1. Seattle Seahawks (1): The champs took a few personnel hits − as expected during free agency − but also managed to retain some key contributors, like WR/KR Rashid Shaheed and CB Josh Jobe, while locking up 2025 Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba to a record extension. Secure CB Devon Witherspoon and have another banger of a draft, and GM John Schneider will have the 'Hawks nicely positioned for another Super Bowl run.
2. Los Angeles Rams (2): A team that was maybe one or two plays away from standing where the Seahawks did last season has added two really good players in CBs Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson and stands to get another impact performer in the draft. Even if QB Matthew Stafford can't repeat his MVP performance, a strengthened defense might be enough to get L.A. over the top in 2026.
3. Denver Broncos (4): The AFC's No. 1 playoff seed last season and, ultimately, a conference finalist, they're basically running it back − presumably with a healthy Bo Nix behind center while adding WR Jaylen Waddle to an offense that needed a bit more pop. Of course, on that front, it should be fascinating to see how Denver operates with Sean Payton − one of the premier play-callers in league history − ceding that role to newly promoted coordinator Davis Webb.
4. Chicago Bears (3): They recently lost WR DJ Moore − and might be better off given how his role generally devolved last season in conjunction with some of the lineup holes that opened during free agency. Yet the bigger question might be whether the NFC North champs, who had their share of smoke-and-mirrors wins in 2025, truly catch fire in the second year of the Ben Johnson-Caleb Williams union or regress to the mean as a first-place schedule replaces a last-place version.
5. Buffalo Bills (6): They recently added WR DJ Moore − and might be better off given how his role in Western New York just might be the missing piece for an organization that clearly feels it's on the cusp of a Lombardi Trophy. Yet the bigger question might be how newly promoted HC Joe Brady adapts to his role, not to mention how seamlessly two coordinators just plucked from Denver's staff − Pete Carmichael Jr. (offense) and Jim Leonhard (defense) − assimilate into what's generally been a very well-oiled machine for nearly a decade.
6. San Francisco 49ers (9): The last impression of them from the 2025 season was a 35-point loss to Seattle in the playoffs. Don't let that overshadow a 12-win season, even if that meant third place in the NFC West, during which so many of the Niners' key players were hurt for some or nearly all of it.
7. New England Patriots (5): The last impression of them from the 2025 season was a 16-point loss to Seattle in the Super Bowl … and the game was even less competitive than the score indicated. While the Pats obviously made massive strides last year, they also had one win in the regular season against a team that finished with a winning record, and then the playoffs set up very nicely for them − including Nix's absence in the AFC championship game. Don't expect another 14-win campaign, especially with a first-place schedule, though the 2026 Patriots might be more than capable of taking the 2025 Patriots head to head.
8. Houston Texans (13): A team that's won 32 games over the past three seasons has seemingly upgraded what was the league's No. 1 defense in 2025, fortified a sometimes spotty offensive line and is likely improved at running back following the trade for David Montgomery. The major question moving forward will be whether QB C.J. Stroud reclaims the form that portended a rising star when was a rookie in 2023 or if he continues to display the worrisome regression he put on front street during the 2025 playoffs.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars (7): Can they replace RB Travis Etienne's lost production? Can they replace LB Devin Lloyd's lost production and leadership? Can they get any meaningful production in Year 2 out of CB/WR Travis Hunter? Lotta big questions as the AFC South champs prepare to defend their title.
10. Los Angeles Chargers (8): Given the numbers new OC Mike McDaniel got out of Miami's offense in recent years, should be fascinating to see what he can do for the Bolts … who also seem to have questions between the tackles as the Dolphins often did.
11. Philadelphia Eagles (11): If the recent every-other-year pattern holds, they'll be playing in Super Bowl 61. Still, it's hard to get a bead on this team and its new OC (Sean Mannion) ahead of the draft … and maybe ahead of June 1, after which they can most feasibly trade Brown, if EVP/GM Howie Roseman even pulls that trigger at all.
12. Kansas City Chiefs (12): You betting that QB Patrick Mahomes (ACL/LCL) won't be ready for Week 1? You betting that QB Patrick Mahomes misses the playoffs two years in a row … even if he has to come a largely overhauled defense? Didn't think so.
13. Minnesota Vikings (19): They finished 9-8 in 2025 … basically despite the production, or lack thereof, they got from the quarterback position. We're betting new QB1 Kyler Murray − assuming he wins this alleged competition − and an organization that seems to be in better philosophical alignment from the front office to the field makes a lot more noise in 2026.
14. Detroit Lions (14): They finished 9-8 in 2025 … but got swept by the Vikes, meaning a last-place schedule in Motown. The Lions certainly have plenty of firepower to return to contending status − and they probably will if new coordinator Drew Petzing can tweak the offense just enough to return to elite its elite form under Johnson, and if the defense can just keep enough healthy bodies in the lineup.
15. Cincinnati Bengals (16): Look who's suddenly got the most continuity in the AFC North, Zac Taylor now the division's longest-tenured coach … and one surrounded by a trio of first-timers among his annual rivals. Of course, that won't count for much if QB Joe Burrow can't stay on the field and a reimagined defense can't be simply respectable.
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16. Baltimore Ravens (15): Rookie head coach (Jesse Minter), rookie play caller (Declan Doyle), rampant questions on both lines and a quarterback coming off a down year − at least by Lamar Jackson's standard. Could be a wide variance of outcomes here.
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17. Carolina Panthers (17): Are they ready to win it all? Likely not. But the arrival of OLB Jaelan Phillips and Lloyd could separate the Panthers, who just won the NFC South, from a bunched divisional pack.
18. Green Bay Packers (10): The NFC's No. 7 playoff seed three seasons running, are they becoming something akin to Steelers West? Hard to fuel optimism amid an offseason that's felt like one big lateral move − plus the likelihood that DE Micah Parson won't be 100% all season as he comes back from his torn ACL.
19. Washington Commanders (21): Another team with something of a wild card calling plays, rookie OC David Blough just three years removed from his playing days. But if he and QB Jayden Daniels find a groove − and the latter does a better job protecting himself in the open field − then this club should rebound.
20. Dallas Cowboys (20): Will they play "a lick of defense," to quote owner Jerry Jones, this year? (Still) no Parsons, but the team that gave up the most points in the league in 2025 has a new coordinator (Christian Parker) and quite a few reinforcements on that side of the ball.
21. New Orleans Saints (23): Looking for a playoff dark horse in 2026? How about a squad that won four of its final five to end the 2025 campaign but will have a last-place schedule this year in their often clustered division. The additions of Etienne and G David Edwards could have a profound effect on an offense that took off with the promotion of QB Tyler Shough.
22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (18): They abdicated their divisional throne − maybe it was a high chair given the perennially unimpressive nature of the NFC South? − by stunningly dropping seven of their final nine games last season. Given the decline, maybe it's just as well there's been a changing of the guard with veterans like WR Mike Evans and LB Lavonte David moving on. Now we'll see how a team that's long been reliant on continuity responds amid so much significant change.
23. Pittsburgh Steelers (22): Who's the quarterback here again? Assuming it's Rodgers, who's played for new coach Mike McCarthy before, a case to be made that last year's AFC North champs could be better in 2026. Assuming …
24. Indianapolis Colts (24): They lost their final seven games last season, QB Daniel Jones starting three of those before rupturing his Achilles. Jones and WR Alec Pierce may be back, but their expensive new deals precluded the retention of several starters or pursuit of other free agents. The trajectory here seems flat − at best.
25. New York Giants (26): Established coach (John Harbaugh), last-place schedule, returning star (WR Malik Nabers), promising quarterback (Jaxson Dart). Long-sought relevance could be on the way.
26. Tennessee Titans (25): Long-sought relevance could be on the way here, too. As many players as GM Mike Borgonzi brought in during free agency, the staff he and new head coach Robert Saleh have assembled could really help second-year QB Cam Ward and Co. take off. If nothing else, the Oilers, er Titans, will look spiffy.
27. Cleveland Browns (28): Whether it's Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel, or some combination thereof, a rebooting organization sure seems like it might simply be keeping that QB1 seat warm for someone else to sit in a year from now.
28. Atlanta Falcons (27): Whether it's Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr., or some combination thereof, a rebooting organization sure seems like it might simply be keeping that QB1 seat warm for someone else to sit in a year from now − especially given how little bandwidth the Falcons have to improve their roster otherwise this year around their southpaw slingers.
29. Las Vegas Raiders (29): New coach, new quarterback (eventually), a load of free agent additions … all so they can remain decidedly buried in their division.
30. Arizona Cardinals (32): New coach, new quarterback (eventually?), a load of free agent additions … all so they can remain decidedly buried in their division.
31. Miami Dolphins (31): New coach, new quarterback, a load of (mostly cheap) free agent additions … but the Fins have a legit shot at third place in their division, even if they only win three games.
32. New York Jets (30): They're adamant that Geno Smith is their QB1 for 2026 … which is another way of saying that they'll adamantly be looking for their next QB1 in the 2027 NFL draft. As ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller said, getting the No. 1 overall pick in 2027 is "exactly where Geno led the Raiders this year." The NYJ can only hope. Trust the process.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL power rankings 2026: Rams, Broncos, Bears chasing Seahawks
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Published: April 2, 2026 at 12:27PM on Source: RED MAG
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