After an offseason chock-full of trades, free agent signings and draft picks, all 32 NFL teams have their rosters mostly set for the 2026 season. But how do they stack up when compared to each other?
We've tasked NFL analysts Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder with finding that answer. We asked them to individually rank every lineup in the league, then combined their ballots to form the ultimate preseason roster rankings, considering factors such as talent, age and production.
Clay projected every starting lineup, and then he identified each team's position of strength and weakness. Walder picked X factors for each roster, while Schatz chose nonstarters who could end up being key players this season.
Let's get to the list, starting with a franchise that came close to representing the NFC in last season's Super Bowl and has been aggressive all offseason.
Jump to a team:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
1. Los Angeles Rams
Biggest strength: Quarterback. It's tough to pick one strength, as edge rusher, cornerback, wide receiver and both lines are strong points on the league's clear-cut best roster. Of course, the Rams' Super Bowl chances hinge most on the health and continued strong play of reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford, 38. He dominated in 2025, pacing the NFL in both passing yards (4,707) and passing TDs (46) while finishing fourth in QBR. With the league's best roster around him, Stafford is set up for another elite season. First-round rookie Ty Simpson is his new backup. -- Clay
Biggest weakness: Tight end. "None" might be the best answer, but I'll pick a position that has a lot of depth but no clear No. 1 option. Tyler Higbee is 33 years old and no longer an every-down player. That has allowed more work for veterans Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen. There is some upside here in the form of recent second-round picks Terrance Ferguson (2025) and Max Klare (2026). A Year 2 breakout from Ferguson could quickly make this another strength area. -- Clay
X factor for 2026: The health of Stafford and wide receiver Davante Adams. Less than 12 months ago, Stafford couldn't get on the practice field due to a back issue and was a major question mark entering the season. He ended up playing the whole way -- and winning MVP -- but there's no guarantee that he can repeat that in 2026 at age 38. And Adams has played at least 14 games in each of the past six seasons, but I bring him up because he is 33 and the depth behind him and Puka Nacua is severely lacking. The Rams are the best team in football, but they have a couple of Achilles' heels they must protect. -- Walder
Nonstarter to know: Edge rusher Josaiah Stewart. Myles Garrett must come off the field occasionally, right? A 2025 third-round pick, Stewart had three sacks and an impressive 17.6% pass rush win rate as a rookie. He has a high motor but can also drop into coverage when necessary. -- Schatz
2. Philadelphia Eagles
Biggest strength: Offensive tackle. The Eagles have many strengths, especially on defense, but it's tough to beat arguably the NFL's top tackle duo of Jordan Mailata (left) and Lane Johnson (right). Mailata has ranked no lower than sixth at tackle in Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade each of the past three seasons. Johnson is 36 years old and missed time due to injury last season, but he continues to play at a high level, ranking in the upper quarter of the league in PFF grade, pass block win rate and run block win rate. -- Clay
Biggest weakness: Safety. Reed Blankenship signed with Houston, which positions second-year man Andrew Mukuba (who missed half of his rookie season with a broken ankle) and Marcus Epps (a backup for most of 2025) as the team's top full-time options. Cooper DeJean will also get a run at safety, but his role as the team's primary slot corner will keep him occupied most of the time. -- Clay
X factor for 2026: CB Riq Woolen. I'm a Woolen believer. He has the best yards per coverage snap among all cornerbacks with at least 500 coverage snaps over the past four seasons, per NFL Next Gen Stats, but there's no question opinions are divided on him. He has been benched before and started only seven games (out of 16 played) last season for Seattle. Woolen presents a wide range of outcomes for the Eagles. -- Walder
Nonstarter to know: WR Hollywood Brown. He's not going to start, but the 2019 first-rounder is going to play a role in the Eagles' offense. Last season, he had 49 catches in Kansas City for 587 yards and five touchdowns, and his average of 12.0 yards per reception was his highest since 2020. But he also registered a 32 overall score (out of 100) in ESPN's receiver scores. -- Schatz
3. Seattle Seahawks
Biggest strength: Interior defensive line. The defending champs allowed a league-low 17.2 points per game last season and finished third in the league in run stop win rate (32.5%). They remain stacked up front, with Leonard Williams (18.0 sacks over the past two seasons) leading the way and still playing at a high level at age 32. Byron Murphy II (fourth among interior linemen with 7.0 sacks in 2025) made a big Year 2 leap, and Jarran Reed remains a quality rotational player. -- Clay
Biggest weakness: Running back. Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III signed with the Chiefs and Zach Charbonnet tore an ACL in January, leaving Seattle's backfield with a much different look in 2026. Rookie Jadarian Price -- the final pick of the first round -- could emerge as a standout player, but he is an unknown and has minimal experience as a pass catcher. Holdovers George Holani and Kenny McIntosh, as well as journeyman Emanuel Wilson, will battle for work until Charbonnet makes his return. -- Clay
X factor for 2026: WR Rashid Shaheed. While Shaheed delivered a kick return touchdown in the playoffs, his receiving production after he was traded to Seattle was lower than expected. Shaheed recorded 1.8 yards per route run with the Saints in the first half of 2025 but only 1.1 with Seattle, postseason included. With a full offseason as a Seahawk, perhaps he can emerge as a productive No. 2 option behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba. -- Walder
Nonstarter to know: Edge Derick Hall. Rotating the edges is very important in Seattle's defense, and Hall played 37% of the defensive snaps in 2025. Though he had only two sacks in the regular season, he had another two and a forced fumble in the Super Bowl victory over the Patriots. He also had a strong 15.3% pass rush win rate off the edge. The Seahawks gave Hall a three-year, $42 million extension this offseason, highlighting how much he means to their defense. -- Schatz
4. Buffalo Bills
Biggest strength: Quarterback. What else could be the answer, as the team has 2024 NFL MVP Josh Allen? Allen has finished no lower than seventh in QBR in each of the past six seasons (third or better in four of them). He hasn't been asked to throw the ball as much in recent years, but he has still finished in the top 10 in passing TDs six seasons in a row. Allen remains a major factor with his legs, leading all QBs in carries, rushing yards and rushing TDs last season. Only Derrick Henry (44) has more rushing TDs than Allen (41) over the past three seasons. -- Clay
Biggest weakness: Off-ball linebacker. Terrel Bernard remains the team's top LB, but he has battled injuries (nine total games missed) and ineffectiveness in each of the past two seasons. Running mate Dorian Williams has generally been a situational player but might need to play an expanded role this season. Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and fourth-round rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr are his primary competitors. Buffalo might lean a bit more on three-safety looks in the post-Sean McDermott era due to its LB situation. -- Clay
X factor for 2026: Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. One of the upsides of promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach is keeping the consistency and continuity of the potent Bills offense. But on the defensive side, Buffalo is replacing a good coach in Sean McDermott. Will Leonhard be able to get enough out of an imperfect defensive roster to make Buffalo title contenders? -- Walder
Nonstarter to know: RB Ray Davis. James Cook III deservedly gets the accolades, but Davis was excellent in backing up Cook last season. Davis averaged 4.7 yards per carry (14.8% DVOA) and 8.6 yards per reception with two receiving touchdowns (23.9% DVOA). He was also one of the top kick returners in the NFL. -- Schatz
5. Baltimore Ravens
Biggest strength: Safety. Kyle Hamilton is one of the league's best defenders and is entering only his age-25 season. He led all NFL safeties in pass-rush attempts last season and finished in the top 10 at the position in tackles, passes defensed and tackles for loss. He is joined by 2025 first-round pick Malaki Starks, who was solid as a rookie. Newcomer Jaylinn Hawkins was an every-down player for the Patriots last season, and all three players played at least 950 snaps in 2025. -- Clay
Biggest weakness: Interior offensive line. The coaching staff is new, but this is the same weakness the Ravens had in the previous two seasons. Baltimore could have three new starters on the interior. Standout center Tyler Linderbaum signed with the Raiders, leaving journeyman Danny Pinter (264 snaps played over the past three seasons) as the projected replacement. John Simpson was brought in as a slight upgrade over Andrew Vorhees at guard. There's some upside at the other guard spot after the team spent its first-round pick on Olaivavega Ioane. -- Clay
X factors for 2026: WRs Devontez Walker, Ja'Kobi Lane and Elijah Sarratt. It's hard to get too excited about the receivers room behind Zay Flowers (Rashod Bateman is the team's No. 2 WR on paper). But if Baltimore could get a breakout from one of these three -- the latter two are rookies -- it would go a long way toward rounding out the offense beyond Lamar Jackson. -- Walder
Nonstarter to know: DT Broderick Washington Jr. Washington missed most of 2025 after an Achilles injury, but he'll play an important role for the Ravens as a 5-technique end if Nnamdi Madubuike doesn't return from his neck injury or Calais Campbell finally plays to his age. Washington will need to step up, as his pressure rate of 2.9% in 2024 was near the bottom of the league for interior linemen. -- Schatz
