NFL teams live and die by how well they manage the margins, and some franchises seem to spend years tripping over the same problems. As the 2026 season approaches, a few organizations are already carrying the kind of baggage that makes optimism feel fragile.
The Miami Dolphins land near the top of that list. They’re expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL in 2026, and that outlook only got darker after Miami lost receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill this offseason. The team is hoping Green Bay Packers imports Jeff Hafley and Malik Willis can steady things, but that feels like a long shot for a franchise that last won the AFC East in 2008.
Cleveland sits at No. 1, and the reasons are hard to miss. The latest DeShaun Watson-Shedeur Sanders drama is all that needs to be said.
Browns fans are still living through a 37-year wait for a division title, and the franchise keeps finding fresh ways to frustrate them. Cleveland has repeatedly missed on top draft picks, especially on offense, even while its defense has been elite for years.
Myles Garrett eventually grew tired of the team’s struggles and plays for the Rams.
Arizona checks in at No. 3 after another offseason that leaves more questions than answers. The Cardinals’ playoff drought is not as long as New York’s, but the franchise has spent too long searching for a true cornerstone quarterback.
Instead of solving that issue, Arizona used the No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on running back Jeremiyah Love. Love’s talent isn’t the issue.
The problem is that the Cardinals still look nowhere near ready to challenge in the best division in football, which includes the Super Bowl champions.
The Jets round out the group at No. 4, and their situation is familiar in all the worst ways. Aaron Glenn’s team is holding onto hope that 2027 will be kinder, especially with three first-round draft picks in hand.
But the AFC East is a brutal place to make mistakes, with the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots standing in the way. New York hasn’t won the division since 2002, and its last real playoff surge came in the Rex Ryan years of 2008 and 2009.
In Other News...
Cardinals Collapse Put Their Quarterback Gamble In A Tougher Spot
The Cardinals preseason loss to Dallas did more than just fill a line in the standings. Even with most of their starters resting, Arizona gave up 34 points and 413 total yards to a Cowboys group built around backup players, a rough showing that put a spotlight on the kind of depth issues teams hope to avoid this time of year. It also served as a reminder that the offseason quarterback picture is already under a brighter-than-usual lens, with Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck all part of the conversation.
Mike LaFleur pointed to a poor week of practice as part of the problem, and the game did little to ease the pressure around a roster trying to find some stability. The defensive concerns are obvious enough, but the bigger question may be how much support the quarterbacks will actually have if the rest of the team cannot hold up its end. For a club already weighing its options under center, a lopsided preseason setback does not make that decision any easier. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Defense Is Giving Fans A Familiar Reason To Worry
The Cardinals defense entered the 2025 preseason with some expectation that the new-look coaching staff would help clean up last years problems, but the early returns have looked awfully familiar. Under defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, Arizona has already given up more than 30 points in two preseason games, and the issues have shown up in the same places they did before: stopping the run and getting off the field on third down.
Arizona allowed 25.6 points per game in the preseason, along with 139.7 rushing yards and a 61.1% opponent third-down conversion rate, numbers that point to more than just August rust. With coaching changes at most positions but continuity at defensive coordinator, the Cardinals are still searching for signs that the problems from a year ago are being addressed rather than repeated. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Still Have Key Week 1 Jobs Up For Grabs
With one preseason game left before the roster gets trimmed to 53, the Cardinals are still sorting out a few of the most important Week 1 decisions. Mike LaFleur is expected to settle on Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, while Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier appear set to share the workload at running back, giving Arizona a clearer picture of the top of the depth chart even as the final shape of the lineup remains in flux.
Plenty of other jobs are still being sorted out on both sides of the ball, and the last exhibition outing figures to matter for more than just fringe roster hopefuls. Several projected starters and rotation spots are still tied to game-plan needs and how players perform in live action, which means the Cardinals are entering the finish line with a few questions still open and a lot of the meaningful decisions still ahead. [Read more 🡒]