AFC SOUTH
Texans
Despite inconsistent and flat out poor offensive showings all year the Texans still fought their way to a 12 win season and even a playoff win. Their historic level defense and phenomenal coaching from Head Coach Demeco Ryans and his staff led the way to a season that more than likely should have been lost due to poor Offensive Line play and inconsistent Quarterback play.
While the Offensive Coordinator position stayed in the hands of Nick Caley and they continue to move forward with CJ Stroud at Quarterback the Texans made a concerted effort to fix their O-Line. Bringing in Braden Smith, Wyatt Teller, Evan Brown, and rookie Keylan Rutledge the starting five now projects to have at least 3 new faces and depth wise it’s a completely new unit. While it’s a lot of change and there’s almost certainly going to be bumps and bruises that come along with bringing in as many new players as they did on this unit, it was desperately needed. The Texans run game was non existent last year and while some may point to the Joe Mixon injury as the main issue there I thought it was clear that O-Line was to blame as they got blown off the ball the majority of the snaps. As for pass protection, I wish I could say it was any better but Stroud was facing pressure constantly and took a clear toll on him throughout the season. Stroud wasn’t blameless by any means in his declining play though. At times he rushed throws and dropped his eyes when he didn’t need to and while I can’t say I blame him when you take into account the O-Line he had in front of him he has to be better in that sense and regress into creating that habit. The offense as a whole is incredibly talented and I don’t want that to get lost in this. They have one of the deepest receiving corps in the league, an incredibly talented backfield with the addition of David Montgomery paired with Woody Marks , and now an O-Line that looks to be much improved from the past two seasons. Stroud is going to have to show that he’s still capable of playing at the level he did his rookie season and if he can this team can be a Super Bowl contender.
This may not only be one of the best defenses in the league this year but one of the best we’ve seen in the past decade… if not more. They’re excellent from top to bottom and they even went and improved on the back end with the Reed Blankenship signing. With Demeco and all of this talent this unit only needs a league average offense and they’ll be leading this team to a Championship game at the least.
This team has all of the talent and coaching they need to compete with the best in the AFC. So long as they get competent O-Line play and Stroud plays at a league average level, unlike he did last year, I expect this team to be battling late in the year if not for a Super Bowl when it’s all said and done.
Prediction
10 – 14 Wins – Super Bowl Hopeful
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Jaguars
Coming off a surprisingly successful season to most, the Jaguars for the first time in a long time seemingly have their franchise Quarterback and Head Coach in place. Not only is Head Coach Liam Coen one of the leagues better offensive minds and Quarterback developers but his ability to build a staff so far has been up there with the best of them. Both Offensive Coordinator Grant Udinski and Defensive Coordinator Anthony Campanile flourished last season and in turn got interviews for Head Coaching spots this offseason. While neither of them were hired this past offseason I believe both are capable of doing so and it won’t be long until they’re each given a chance. With a coaching staff like that it’s hard to doubt what this team is capable of this coming season and is a phenomenal look for Liam Coen moving forward as the lead man.
The offense and most importantly Trevor Lawrence took major steps last season. While it was an up and down first half of the season they turned it around and really came on strong following the addition of Jakobi Meyers to the receiver room. Meyers brought a veteran savvy presence with his ultra reliable hands and great feel throughout routes that really gave Trevor a safety blanket. Parker Washington also stepped onto the scene throughout the back half of the season and only looks to be headed up from there heading into this year. It’s a really good group filled with young talent, including Travis Hunter who will certainly carve out a role within the offense as he comes back from injury as well. And while their former 1st rounder, Brian Thomas Jr, struggled last season I expect him to have a bounce back year and at the very least be a more threatening player vertically which should free up space underneath for guys like Hunter, Strange, Meyers, and even Washington despite his success down the field as well. Overall I’m really impressed with the offense but what you’ll find really throughout this team is the depth is a bit concerning after two drafts that were riddled with questionable picks.
Defensively I expect this team to be a solid group. Despite a big loss in their Linebacker room with Devin Lloyd leaving for Carolina in Free Agency I expect their excellent front four, Foyesade Oluokun, and great coaching staff to help Ventrell Miller and others fill that gap. Now that doesn’t mean they’re perfect. Their Safety room leaves a bit to be desired as Eric Murray is currently a starter and while I love the starting four of the D-Line the depth, or lack there of worries me a bit.
This team has a lot of potential and hope heading into this year and while I’m not here to say that won’t happen I would just be a bit cautious when it comes to the idea they’ll simply build off of last season. There’s reasons to point to for that progression such as getting Travis Hunter back on the field, Trevor Lawrence and the core group here being in year two of Liam Coen’s offense, and the entire coaching staff returning but it’s not all perfect. The lack of depth throughout areas of this roster and talent departures from this previous offseason do leave questions and holes that will need to be addressed and/or proven coming into the year. It’s a really solid team and while it may not result in chasing a Super Bowl this year they seem to be headed in the right direction.
Projection
8 – 11 Wins – Playoff Run Hopeful
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Titans
Although last year went about as poorly as it could have for the Titans I don’t expect that to happen again. Bringing in Robert Saleh at Head Coach and Brian Daboll at Offensive Coordinator I expect this to be a much more well run team that it was underneath former Head Coach Brian Callahan. While Saleh and Daboll didn’t work out as Head Coaches for their former New York teams I think there’s reason for optimism here in Tennessee. Saleh’s tenure with the Jets was going somewhat successfully up until some poor roster management decisions were made and the team chose to bring in aging Aaron Rodgers to lead their offense at Quarterback. While Saleh wasn’t blameless I expect his second go around as the lead man to go more successfully, especially with Daboll by his side and running the offense.
As for Daboll being in charge of the offense, I’m genuinely excited for what this could look like with Can Ward. While Daboll’s fiery personality may not have been the best fit as a Head Coach there’s no question he’s one the leagues best Quarterback developers and offensive play callers out there. Even in his last season with the Giants the offense wasn’t the issue nor was the young Quarterback he had leading the charge. Now while I love the outlook for this offense with the Daboll and Ward pairing there’s still a number of questions from a roster perspective that worry me. This O-Line is very concerning and I expect it to affect or even flat out hamstring this team and what they’re able to do at times throughout next season. The rest of the offense has some exciting young pieces and even a few veterans that are quality players but until this Offensive Line is improved upon or barring a shocking level of development under the new coaching staff I don’t expect this offense to reach it’s potential, which is extra frustrating considering this has been an issue for years now.
The defense on the other hand I expect to be very solid next season. With Saleh in charge I expect this group to play fast and aggressive which suits their personnel very well. They added a ton of new impactful players to the defense this offseason through free agency such as Jermaine Johnson II, John Franklin-Myers, Alontae Taylor, and Cor’Dale Flott and even added a couple exciting draft picks with Keldrick Faulk and Anthony both of which I expect to play big roles this year. All of this was added to a young and/or talented core of players with Jefferey Simmons head lining said core group but I expect players like Cedric Gray and Kevin Winston Jr to take huge steps under this staff and be just as impactful as some of the previous names I listed. This group is talented and full of excellent athletes that should fit right into Saleh’s scheme and way of playing which should make for some fun defensive football early on for Titans fans while the offense hopefully comes around.
While 2026 may not be the year this group is ready to compete for the division or contend in the AFC the outlook for them is very promising. It may be another rebuilding year here in Tennessee but this should be a much more entertaining and competitive team than the Titans fielded last season.
Prediction
5 – 8 Wins – Rebuild / Retool
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Colts
After a surprising 8-2 start to last season the Colts suffered a couple injuries to key players, none less important than Quarterback Daniel Jones, and proceed to lose 7 straight games to end the year. While it was obvious that those 7 straight losses were in large part due to those aforementioned injuries I’m afraid that it may have also been a partial sign for what’s to come this year. Where I hesitate to make that prediction begins with the coaching staff. Head Coach Shane Steichen is an incredibly gifted and creative offensive mind and he’s got two excellent veteran coaches by his side in Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo and Offensive Coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. I would also point at an assistant, O-Line Coach Tony Sparano Jr, as a big piece as well as he’s helped bring along a number of mid to late round picks across the O-Line including 4 of their current starters. Jalen Travis, Tanor Bortilini, Matt Goncalves, and Bernhard Raimann were all 3rd and 4th round picks and they’ve stepped in and played quality snaps. While not the best group in the league it’s worth mentioning how they’ve over performed along that unit through injuries and/or veterans aging out in recent years. It’s a really solid coaching staff and there’s some exciting young assistants as well.
The roster is where I start to get concerned for this up coming season and I wish I could say it’s just one side of the ball. On offense it starts with Quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones is coming off a really impressive season but after suffering an achilles injury in Week 14 and having the injury history that he does I can’t say I’m all that optimistic about his return. Not only does the injury scare me but I still have a hard time believing the league won’t catch on to Jones and this offense. While I was impressed with how their O-Line played last season I do have my questions and hesitancies as well. When you pair that with a Quarterback coming off an achilles injury that doesn’t have a good feel for pressure I start to get concerned for what this offense looks like when the run game isn’t working. Along with the questions I have for Quarterback and O-Line I also look at their receiving corps and the shocking lack of depth after trading away AD Mitchell and Michael Pittman Jr. I love Alec Pierce and Josh Downs but even Pierce is coming off/dealing with an injury right now as well which is concerning. I worry with all of these issues the passing attack is going to hamstring this team and they’ll become one dimensional and/or heavily reliant on their run game, especially early on in the year.
Defensively I have more hope but the problem being I don’t know that they’ll be at the level they need to be to make up for the struggles on offense. There’s some undeniably great parts of this defense with none more obvious than outside Corner and the secondary overall. Sauce Gardner and Charvarius “Mooney” Ward are an incredible tandem and you pair that with a solid group at Safety as well with Cam Bynum, Hunter Wohler, and rookie AJ Haulcy and you have a nice solid secondary. Where I start to get concerned is with the front seven. The group is solid but the lack of a game changing talent or guy that can take over a game is glaring, in my opinion. Deforest Buckner is capable of playing at that level but injuries have held him back recently rom doing so consistently and while I’m a fan of their young Edge rushers Laiatu Latu and Jaylahn Tuimoloau I don’t view either of them as guys that dominate games or even plays regularly enough. You also have a new room of Linebackers with rookies CJ Allen and Bryce Boettcher and veteran Akeem Davis-Gaither which could be a major improvement of a significant step back depending on what they get out of those rookies.
This team should still be competitive and I predict they’ll have an inverted year from the last where they start slow but finish stronger. The part that worry about is that I don’t know that it will be enough for where this team wants to be. It’s been years under this regime and while there’s been some unfortunate breaks I don’t know that they can survive yet another middling season. We very well may be headed towards a new regime and tear down of roster for a brighter future following this season, as disappointing as that is.
Prediction
5 – 8 Wins – Rebuild / Retool Season
