The bottom of the NFL can be just as predictable as the top, and when you start sorting out the 2026 season, a few teams stand out for all the wrong reasons. Some clubs might surprise people, sure, but the usual suspects tend to stay right where they are. That’s the thinking behind this early look at the five worst teams when the 2026 regular season ends, complete with record projections.
At No. 32, the Arizona Cardinals land in the basement with a 2-15 prediction. That placement is hardly a shock.
They’re stuck in what looks like the league’s toughest division, and the NFC West had three real contenders last year. On top of that, Los Angeles and San Francisco can be argued to have improved even more.
Seattle did lose some talent in the offseason, but given how well that team is coached, it still wouldn’t be surprising to see the Seahawks reach double-digit wins. For the Cardinals, the outlook in July feels bleak.
The New York Jets check in next at No. 31, also projected to finish 2-15. They did bring in a fair amount of talent this offseason, but that still doesn’t make them easy to trust.
Aaron Glenn’s first season as a head coach in 2025 left plenty to be desired, and he looked overwhelmed far too often. He could improve in year two, but the early evidence wasn’t encouraging.
Quarterback Geno Smith is another major concern. Now with his third team in three years, he has played horrendous football over the past two seasons and appears to be trending the wrong way.
The Jets do have three first-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, which signals where the franchise may be looking for its real reset. For now, though, there doesn’t seem to be much of a path to a meaningful win total in 2026.
In Other News...
Cardinals Suddenly Face A Big Decision On Their New Pass Rusher
Josh Sweats first season in Arizona gave the Cardinals exactly what they hoped for when they added him, a legitimate edge threat who made an immediate impact and helped stabilize a pass rush that needed it. He finished with 12 sacks, 30 tackles and a forced fumble, production that quickly made him one of the more important names on the roster and raised the question of how secure his place in the long-term plan really is.
A new trade idea has only sharpened that conversation, because it frames Sweat as a piece another team could target while Arizona weighs whether to cash in on a player who is already drawing outside interest. The Cardinals would not be getting another player back in that scenario, only future draft value, which is the kind of return that can look attractive in the abstract and much harder to justify when a proven pass rusher is suddenly the subject of league-wide speculation. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Fans Have Every Reason To Worry About Trey McBride
Trey McBrides standing in Arizona is secure for now, and it is easy to see why. After signing a four-year extension, the tight end is under contract through the 2027 season, and he backed it up with another big individual year in 2025, finishing as one of the most productive pass catchers in the league even while the Cardinals stumbled as a team.
Still, that combination is exactly what can make a situation worth watching. McBride has already proven he can carry a major workload, and the Cardinals now have to show they can build something worthy of it, starting with stability at quarterback. There is no sign he wants out, but if Arizona keeps spinning its wheels, the league will keep a close eye on one of its best young tight ends. [Read more 🡒]
Calais Campbell Family Tragedy Leaves Cardinals Fans Heartbroken
News of Calais Campbells family has left a heavy pause around the NFL veteran and his roots in Arizona, where fans still remember the long, dependable run he gave the Cardinals. The Campbell family is grieving the loss of his mother, Nateal Campbell, while the situation in Atlanta has drawn in law enforcement and placed the familys pain in the public eye at a moment no one would want.
The family released a statement mourning Nateal Campbell and remembering their father, Chuck, as the investigation continues. For Cardinals followers who watched Calais Campbell become one of the franchises most respected players, the focus now is far from football and squarely on a family facing an unthinkable tragedy, with more details still to come from the legal process. [Read more 🡒]