Prisco's NFL Power Rankings, free agency edition: NFC West dominance; Dolphins starting over from ground floor
Now that most of the dust has settled in free agency, let's see how teams stack up before the NFL Draft
Now that free agency is basically behind us, we can officially start to look toward the 2026 NFL season -- even with the NFL Draft a little over a month away.
As usual, some teams spent in free agency like they printed money, trying to replicate what the New England Patriots did last year when they used their expensive free agency class to get to the Super Bowl. Most of the time, that plan doesn't work.
Even so, those teams that spent big in free agency, teams like the Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders, have to feel better about their teams now than they did 10 days ago. Their rosters are better, even if it cost them.
The really good teams targeted players to fix their issues because they know now is the time. One such team was the Los Angeles Rams. They first traded to get cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs and then landed his Chiefs teammate in corner Jaylen Watson in free agency. The main problem that kept them from being a Super Bowl team last year was suddenly fixed.
Of course with Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford coming to the end of his career, it made sense for them to go all in. The last time they made moves like this they won a Super Bowl.
Those moves to improve the secondary have the Rams up to the No. 2 spot in my Power Rankings. They are right behind the Seattle Seahawks, the Super Bowl champs who beat the Rams in the NFC Championship.
Seattle suffered a few hits in free agency -- losing running back Kenneth Walker III to the Chiefs was one of them -- but they will be just fine. The loss of offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who is now the coach of the Raiders, could be the biggest loss of all.
But the Seahawks stay in the top spot, and they will open there when the preseason rankings come out in September.
Theses rankings are done with an eye on the coming season. Free agency gives us that first glimpse of what teams might look like. The next step is the NFL Draft in April. That's when smart teams build their roster -- even if it might take time to see on the field.
The early returns are that the NFC West will be king again, especially since the San Francisco 49ers are sixth in my rankings. It's too bad the Arizona Cardinals and new coach Mike LaFleur have to navigate through that division.
The Cardinals released Kyler Murray -- he signed with the Vikings -- which means they are one of the teams that will be looking to the 2027 draft to fix their quarterback issues. The New York Jets are another team in that category. That's why those two teams are down near the bottom of the rankings.
The Miami Dolphins are actually the team in the bottom spot. They spent big to land quarterback Malik Willis, but is he the long-term guy? Then they traded receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos for three draft picks: a first, a third and then they exchanged fourth-round picks.
The rebuild is in full force, but why sign Willis if that's the case? They have to hope Willis can show he's the long-term guy, or they wasted a lot of money to get him with this roster. For now, they are looking up at the rest of the league in these rankings as the new regime tries to build and overcome poor roster decisions from the past several years.
Just don't call it tanking. Nobody wants to hear that.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | They lost running back Kenneth Walker III to the Chiefs, but they can handle that loss because this is a defensive team. They start at the top, like all Super Bowl champs do. | -- | 14-3-0 |
| 2 |  | Fixing the secondary was a must, and they did that. Now that Matthew Stafford is back for another year, they need to go for it, and they did. | 1 | 12-5-0 |
| 3 |  | The two big moves they made were getting receiver DJ Moore in a trade and signing pass rusher Bradley Chubb. With Joe Brady taking over for Sean McDermott as coach, there is a lot of change going on. | 4 | 12-5-0 |
| 4 |  | They didn't get active in free agency, instead focusing on the draft and re-signing their own. But the move to land receiver Jaylen Waddle for picks, including their first-rounder this year, says now is the time. | 1 | 14-3-0 |
| 5 |  | They didn't do much in free agency, but bringing back corner Montaric Brown was key. Losing linebacker Devin Lloyd and running back Travis Etienne won't be the big losses you might think. | 1 | 13-4-0 |
| 6 |  | They added some good pieces in free agency, especially receiver Mike Evans. The key for them is staying healthy in 2026. Injuries killed them last season. | -- | 12-5-0 |
| 7 |  | They took a few hits in free agency, but the key will be getting players like Micah Parsons and Tucker Kraft healthy for 2026. This is still a talented team -- and a young one. | 3 | 9-7-1 |
| 8 |  | They cut Stefon Diggs, but added Romeo Doubs, which makes them younger at receiver. They didn't do a lot on defense. Adding guard Alijah-Vera Tucker will help the offense -- if he can stay healthy. | 6 | 14-3-0 |
| 9 |  | After center Drew Dalman retired, they traded for Garrett Bradbury to fill that role, which is a downgrade. Left tackle is also a concern. They also didn't address the pass-rush help they need. | 1 | 11-6-0 |
| 10 |  | Adding Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator will liven up the run game if the star tackles come back healthy. By adding fullback Alec Ingold, it's clear Jim Harbaugh is going back to his roots of being a physical running team. | 2 | 11-6-0 |
| 11 |  | They suffered a few hits in free agency, most notably edge rusher Jaelen Phillips. Will they trade receiver A.J. Brown? Should they? | 2 | 11-6-0 |
| 12 |  | New coach Jesse Minter and the front office tried to trade for Maxx Crosby, but they backed out and ended up with Trey Hendrickson. That will work out in the long run because they kept their two first-round picks. | 1 | 8-9-0 |
| 13 |  | They didn't do a lot in free agency, but they did add nice pieces in linebacker Alex Anzalone and edge Al-Quadin Muhammad. The big key will be staying healthy in what looks like a win-or-else year for coach Todd Bowles. | 5 | 8-9-0 |
| 14 |  | They didn't do a lot in free agency in terms of the wow moves, but they did some good things. Adding safeties Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke and corner Cobie Durant address some problem areas. The draft will be huge for this team. | 5 | 7-9-1 |
| 15 |  | They are redoing their offensive line with Taylor Decker and Graham Glasgow gone. They have to hope players they acquired like Cade Mays and Juice Scruggs will help that unit. | 1 | 9-8-0 |
| 16 |  | Kyler Murray was signed to a one-year deal to compete with J.J. McCarthy. The money is on Murray being the guy, which should help juice up the offense. | 1 | 9-8-0 |
| 17 |  | They made some moves on the offensive line, which might not be a bad thing. They have to get better up front and hope C.J. Stroud can get back to his earlier form. | 6 | 12-5-0 |
| 18 |  | The big story is the rehab timetable for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his torn ACL. When he is ready, he will have a new back in Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to help the run game. If Mahomes is healthy, they will be higher on this list when the season starts. | 7 | 6-11-0 |
| 19 |  | They paid a lot of money to keep quarterback Daniel Jones and receiver Alec Pierce. After trading two ones for corner Sauce Gardner last year, they are all in this year. | 5 | 8-9-0 |
| 20 |  | They are waiting patiently on Aaron Rodgers to make a decision as to whether he will play. It looks like he will, but new coach Mike McCarthy has to hope he does because there aren't a lot of options left. | 5 | 10-7-0 |
| 21 |  | I liked their free agent signings of edge Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook. But is that enough for the defense to make big strides? We know they will score on offense. | 1 | 6-11-0 |
| 22 |  | The spent big on the defensive side of the ball in free agency, getting pass rusher Jaelen Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd. Signing Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker to take over for the injured Ickey Ekwonu was a nice move. | 6 | 8-9-0 |
| 23 |  | They added running back Travis Etienne and guard David Edwards to help second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. They have to find out if he's their long-term guy. | 1 | 6-11-0 |
| 24 |  | New coach Kevin Stefanski has quarterback issues, which is why they signed Tua Tagovailoa to a one-year deal. They don't know when Michael Penix Jr. will be healthy, so it made sense. There will be a quarterback competition. even when he does return. | 1 | 8-9-0 |
| 25 |  | New coach John Harbaugh takes over a team that has some talent in key spots, including some nice free agent additions. The most important thing will be the growth of Jaxson Dart in his second year. | 1 | 4-13-0 |
| 26 |  | This is a team with a lot of change -- two new coordinators -- as coach Dan Quinn and his team try to bounce back from a bad 2025 season. They did add some nice pieces to the defense in free agency. | 1 | 5-12-0 |
| 27 |  | New coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll certainly put their stamp on the free agency class as they signed a lot of their former players. The roster is better, but they seem to be behind the other three teams in the division. | 3 | 3-14-0 |
| 28 |  | They wanted to get older in some spots, and they did just that on defense. They also traded for quarterback Geno Smith, but they will have their eye on the 2027 class. | 3 | 3-14-0 |
| 29 |  | They made some big-time moves -- and one they didn't by having their trade for Maxx Crosby to the Ravens get voided by Baltimore. Adding center Tyler Linderbaum will help when they draft Fernando Mendoza first overall. | 3 | 3-14-0 |
| 30 |  | New coach Mike LaFleur will go with Jacoby Brissett as his starting quarterback. That means they will likely draft one next year with Kyler Murray being released. | 1 | 3-14-0 |
| 31 |  | New coach Todd Monken will see a revamped offensive line as the Browns added four new starters since the end of last season. The key, of course, is who will be the quarterback behind that group. | 3 | 5-12-0 |
| 32 |  | They signed Malik Willis to be their quarterback for this season, but the roster lacks talent. This season will be a challenge for first-year coach Jeff Hafley. | 11 | 7-10-0 |
