Since the NFL shifted to its current eight-division format in 2002, the AFC South has often been the league’s punching bag. With just 739 wins over that 24-year stretch-24 fewer than the next lowest division, the NFC West-and only one Super Bowl champion to its name (the 2006 Indianapolis Colts), the South has struggled to shake its reputation as the NFL’s least accomplished neighborhood.
But if you’ve been paying attention lately, you know the winds are starting to shift.
In 2025, both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans punched their tickets to the postseason, while the Indianapolis Colts looked like a legitimate threat through the first half of the year. At one point, you could argue Indy was the team to beat in the AFC-until a second-half collapse derailed what could’ve been a breakthrough season.
Now, as we turn the page to 2026, the AFC South suddenly feels like one of the league’s most intriguing divisions. Jacksonville, Houston, and Indianapolis all return with continuity at key spots-on the sideline, under center, and in the front office. That kind of stability is rare in today’s NFL and could set the stage for a fierce three-way battle for the division crown, not to mention a coveted home playoff game.
And don’t sleep on the Tennessee Titans.
Yes, they finished in the basement last season. Yes, the 2025 campaign went sideways early. Rookie quarterback Cam Ward struggled to adjust to the speed of the pro game, and head coach Brian Callahan didn’t make it through the year, dismissed midseason after a short and rocky tenure.
But there’s a new energy in Nashville, and it starts at the top.
Enter Robert Saleh.
The former Jets head coach takes over a Titans team that may be better positioned for a turnaround than most realize. Saleh’s time in New York didn’t go as planned-his 20-36 record from 2021 to 2024 speaks to that-but it’s hard to ignore the context. He walked into a turbulent situation, and things only got messier with the arrival of Aaron Rodgers and all the drama that followed.
Despite the losing record, Saleh’s reputation as a defensive mastermind and player’s coach remains intact. His work as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020 helped build one of the league’s most feared units, and his ability to connect with players is something that consistently comes up from those who’ve played under him.
Just ask Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.
Al-Shaair played for Saleh during his first two seasons in San Francisco and credits the coach for helping launch his NFL career. Now, he’ll be seeing Saleh twice a year from across the field-and he knows exactly what the Titans are getting.
“Happy for him, but I was like, golly! Man, the division was already tough, and it just got a lot tougher,” Al-Shaair said.
“Coach Saleh is an amazing coach, an amazing person. And I think he landed in a great spot in Tennessee, because they have a great foundation, and the core guys that they have I think will love playing for him.”
That foundation includes Jeffery Simmons, a five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle who earned First-Team All-Pro honors for the first time last season. Simmons was already a dominant force-he posted a career-high in sacks in 2025 despite the chaos around him-but pairing him with a defensive mind like Saleh could take his game to another level.
Al-Shaair, who played alongside Simmons in 2023, knows exactly what that kind of pairing could mean.
“I’m like, oh gosh, the player that Jeff already is without having a coach like Saleh-now being in that type of scheme-it’s going to help elevate his game even more, which is already tough to do,” he said.
So yes, the AFC South still has a long way to go before it sheds its reputation entirely. But between the young quarterbacks in Jacksonville and Houston, a Colts team hungry to bounce back, and a Titans squad that just might have found the right coach at the right time, this division is no longer a punchline.
It’s a battleground. And in 2026, it could be one of the NFL’s most compelling storylines.