Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images
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By Matt Verderame
Was last season a blip or an inflection point? That’s the lingering question for the AFC West.
After winning the division for nine consecutive years, the Chiefs posted a 6–11 record, finishing third in the West. As a response, Kansas City was aggressive, shoring up both sides of the ball, led by the free-agent signing of Kenneth Walker III and a pair of first-round, defensive draft picks.
Then there’s the Raiders, who have a new coach-quarterback combination in former Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. While the climb from the basement to the penthouse is steep, that combo is the ticket to making a strong move.
But we begin with the Broncos, who are hoping to hold onto their newfound perch atop the division. Denver won 14 games and earned the AFC’s top seed behind a suffocating defense, which ranked third in points allowed while pacing the league with 68 sacks. In hopes of getting the offense up to speed, the Broncos added some with the trade for receiver Jaylen Waddle, relinquishing three draft picks in the process.
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Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images
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By Gilberto Manzano
The NFC South hasn’t been a strong division for quite some time, but the mediocrity among the four teams could lead to another compelling race down the stretch.
Last year, the Panthers surprised the football public by winning the division, but they did it with an 8–9 record and were on the right side of a three-way tiebreaker with the Falcons and Buccaneers after going 3–1 in the division. Now, there’s a case to be made that the team that wasn’t involved in the tiebreaker could win the division in 2026.
The Saints may be the team that goes from last to first with the moves they made this offseason, including the first-round selection of dynamic wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. But the Buccaneers also got stronger and benefited from the draft after edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. fell to them in the middle of the first round.
As for the Panthers, they made their mark in free agency, signing edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd. And the Falcons are hoping the addition of Tua Tagovailoa will either push Michael Penix Jr. to improve or force them to turn the page on Penix after making him the No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft.
There are plenty of storylines in this wide-open race in the NFC South.
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Sam Greene/The Enquirer/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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By Albert Breer
From dave moore (@DaveMoore44): Will Joe Burrow play his whole career in Cincy?
Dave, this sort of question would’ve been preposterous 20 years ago. But based on where the NFL is now, and where professional sports are in general, when it comes to player movement, it’s hard to rule out the idea that Joe Burrow could end up elsewhere.
If you really want to dig into it, I think the most relevant case study for Burrow’s future is Matthew Stafford.
Burrow is now 29 and six seasons into his career, having made the playoffs twice, advancing to the AFC title game on both occasions and reaching the Super Bowl after his second season as a pro. Stafford turned 29 in February 2017. He was eight seasons into his NFL career, had made the playoffs three times and lost in the first round each time. He played four more (playoff-less) seasons in Detroit before asking for a trade in January 2021.
Like Burrow, Stafford had some high-end talent around him on offense in Detroit, but played with only two top-10 defenses, and just four that ranked in the top half of the league over his 12 seasons as a Lion. So there are some similarities, including the fact that both quarterbacks genuinely wanted to be agents of change for the teams that drafted them.
All this is to say, I don’t think we’re there yet with Burrow. But like Stafford, he badly wants to win, and he won’t be content with coming up short on Lombardi Trophies forever.
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Morgan Tencza/Imagn Images
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By Matt Verderame
The AFC South has been an unpredictable lot the past few years.
In 2023, the Texans rose from the definition of downtrodden—11 wins over the previous three years—to not only win the division behind rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, but to also win a playoff game. Last year, the Jaguars engineered a dramatic turnaround under new coach Liam Coen, increasing their win total by nine on their way to a division title.
This season, the division once again has the potential to be topsy-turvy. After starting 7–1 last year, the Colts finished 8–9 after sustaining a rash of injuries, including a broken leg and torn Achilles for quarterback Daniel Jones in Week 14. With Jones on the mend, it remains an open question which version of Indianapolis more accurately represents what the team will look like in 2026.
Meanwhile, the Titans have loaded up after a three-win season with a horde of free agents and a pair of first-round picks, not to mention a new coach in the rejuvenated Robert Saleh. And in Jacksonville, the Jaguars primarily maintained the status quo, preparing to defend their AFC South crown behind Coen, quarterback Trevor Lawrence and star coordinator Anthony Campanile, who led his swarming defense to rank second in EPA per play (-0.17) last season, tied with the champion Seahawks.
But we start in Houston, where the Texans are trying to figure out how to ascend from good to great, led by a defense that has generational talent at multiple levels.
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By Albert Breer
I spent this morning looking through the names of available free agents, and what was interesting to me is how you can categorize these guys, to explain why they’re still available nearly two months after the start of the league year.
And there are reasons for the availability of each guy. So I figured, with the draft now in the rear-view mirror, it would be a good time to give you the different categories of May free agents.
First, you have players who may have overshot their markets in the first place. These things happen, and in some cases, it’s because of past experiences they had taking deals that might, in retrospect, look team-friendly. 49ers WR Jauan Jennings is a good example of that, looking for No. 2 receiver money. Chargers G Mekhi Becton might be another one, who simply thought he had more value than the rest of the league did. Browns TE David Njoku is a little older, but I’d say he’s in this group, too.
Second, there are the older guys who might not need (or want) to go to OTAs, who aren’t quite what they once were, but would be well-positioned to pounce when a team or two comes away from the spring worried about their position. Bills DE Joey Bosa, Browns G Joel Bitonio, Titans G Kevin Zeitler, Cowboys DE Jadeveon Clowney and Commanders WR Deebo Samuel would fit into that category. Saints DE Cam Jordan is in here somewhere, too, if he’s as willing to leave New Orleans as he’s been said to be.
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By Daniel Flick
The dust has settled on the 2026 NFL draft. Teams are beginning rookie minicamp and gearing up for the start of OTAs.
Across the league, teams will rely on rookies to help elevate a unit or position group. Some organizations need immediate contributions more than others, but snaps exist everywhere.
And in a draft class with quality talent spanning through the end of Day 2 and into the early part of Day 3, there should be impactful, productive rookies on each team..
Here’s my prediction for each team’s best first-year player, including 16 taken after the opening round.
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