The preseason is over, the roster churn has settled down, and the NFL is moving into real football mode. With cutdown day in the books and Week 1 on the horizon, the league’s latest pecking order is starting to take shape.
At the very top, the Los Angeles Rams have added another superstar to the mix and remain entrenched in the No. 1 spot. At the other end, the Cleveland Browns sit dead last, and the quarterback situation is the biggest reason why.
- Cleveland Browns
The Browns land at No. 32 because no team enters the season with a worse quarterback setup. Deshaun Watson is still projected to start, which is hard to wrap your head around after everything that’s already been said about the move.
It may be the first time in NFL history that an owner has publicly called a quarterback acquisition a mistake, only for that same player to be back in the starting lineup a year later.
There’s enough talent elsewhere on the roster to keep Cleveland interesting, but the quarterback spot is a full-blown problem.
- Miami Dolphins
Miami’s cutdown period was a busy one, and the team reportedly set an NFL roster cutdown record with seven waiver claims. That fits with a roster that looks very much in rebuild mode under new head coach Jeff Hafley.
Even with that reset underway, there are reasons to keep an eye on the Dolphins. Malik Willis flashed in relief with the Packers, the team’s 13-player draft class brings some intriguing weapons, and there’s been investment in the trenches.
It’s a work in progress, no question. But it could be a pretty entertaining one.
- Arizona Cardinals
Arizona feels like another team entering the year with a long list of evaluation points. The biggest one is obvious: how long does Jacoby Brissett hold the starting job?
Then there’s the rest of the puzzle. How soon does Carson Beck get a shot?
Can Jeremiyah Love stay healthy through his rookie season? And at some point, Marvin Harrison Jr. has to start living up to the hype that came with him before the draft.
The same kind of questions hang over the defense, where the Cardinals need players to step forward and become part of whatever the future foundation looks like.
- Las Vegas Raiders
The preseason made one thing clear for Las Vegas: Kirk Cousins was the right choice as the starting quarterback for 2026. Fernando Mendoza showed plenty of ability and upside, but he’s also walking into a situation where the Raiders earned that No. 1 draft slot for a reason.
Letting Mendoza sit, learn, and grow while the rest of the roster develops looks like the smart move from head coach Klint Kubiak.
The Raiders could be without star running back Ashton Jeanty to begin the season, but they did get a strong preseason emergence from fourth-round pick Mike Washington Jr., who looked like a stud.
In Other News...
Cardinals Fans Have Seen Where Greg Dortch Still Carries Real Value
Greg Dortchs next stop is taking him back to where his football journey began, with the veteran wide receiver and punt return specialist signing with the Buffalo Bills practice squad in the city where he was born. After being released by the Detroit Lions during final roster cuts, Dortch now lands in a place that also gives him a familiar face on the coaching staff and a chance to carve out a role with a team looking for answers in the return game.
For Cardinals fans, it is another reminder of why Dortch kept showing up as a useful piece in Arizona over five seasons. He never had to be a headline act to matter, and his value often came in the margins, where dependable return work and roster flexibility can swing a week. Buffalo is betting that same versatility can help solve an immediate special teams need, and if it works, it will only reinforce what Cardinals followers already know about how useful he can be. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Quietly Addressed A Depth Concern Fans Should Notice
The Cardinals kept working the margins of the roster with a pair of practice squad additions, bringing in defensive lineman Jared Harrison-Hunte and offensive lineman Vershon Lee. It is the kind of move that does not make headlines outside the building, but it does speak to how teams quietly patch holes and keep bodies in place as the season grinds on.
Harrison-Hunte has already spent time with Carolina after a college career that took him from Miami to SMU, while Lee arrives after a stint with Minnesota following his years at South Carolina. For Arizona, the appeal is straightforward: add developmental depth, give the coaching staff more options, and make sure the next injury or workload spike does not leave the room thin in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Roster Cuts Squeezed Out Some Veterans Fans Expected To Stay
The Cardinals first 53-man roster of the 2026 season reflected how competitive camp had been from top to bottom, with every healthy rookie surviving the cut and a handful of expected veterans left on the outside. Arizona also leaned into some deeper position battles, carrying an unusually high number of wide receivers and safeties as it sorted out the back end of the roster.
For a team trying to balance proven names against younger, cheaper options, the decisions were especially noticeable at linebacker and in the secondary. Azeez Ojulari and Marcus Murphy-Bunting were among the veterans released, while Keaontay Ingram and sixth-round rookie inside linebacker Sharar made the initial team, underscoring how much the Cardinals valued preseason performance and roster flexibility. [Read more 🡒]