Eyes on the future
29. Tennessee Titans
Cam Ward entering the fray is massive for the future of the Titans. I'm a believer in the rookie, but let's also not pretend that there won't be a lot of growing pains in Nashville this season. The O-line remains a concern and the defense, though it has pieces, is still a work-in-progress. There will be flashes from Tennessee this year, but it's all about the future. If Ward has a good rookie season and the foundation is set for the offense, that'd be considered a win for this franchise.
28. New York Jets
Consider me quite skeptical that the Jets' gamble on Justin Fields is going to prove any kind of fruitful. This Jets roster isn't a complete disaster, but there are enough holes at quarterback and even in parts of the defense to think that new head coach Aaron Glenn has things trending in the absolute right direction, but perhaps it'll take some time to reach the final destination.
27. New York Giants
While Abdul Carter and this Giants defense will showcase some elite playmaking this season, the Giants quite clearly aren't in their finished form yet. I don't know how anyone is convincing themselves that Russell Wilson is going to help elevate this offense, but I'm already starting to count the days until New York officially hands the keys over to Jaxson Dart, who looked like the real deal throughout the preseason. In a season that should largely be about future building blocks, the rookie QB needs to be given the keys to the car sooner rather than later.
26. Carolina Panthers
Given the late-season surge from Bryce Young right when everyone had written off the former No. 1 overall pick, there is reason to think the Panthers could make a push back closer to relevance this season. The defense gives you more than enough reason to remain skeptical of that, of course, but having Young make strides and continue those as they improve the offensive skill positions meaningfully with the likes of Tetairoa McMillan could make Carolina frisky this season, and more importantly give Dave Canales and Co. strong footing to walk forward on with this team.
25. Las Vegas Raiders
No team has me torn quite like the Raiders entering the season. On one hand, I have immense respect for Pete Carroll as a head coach, and the fact that new GM Jon Spytek made such wholesale changes to try and hand his new coach a functional roster is admirable. At the same time, I still have my reservations that this defense is good enough outside of Maxx Crosby and a few others, and there's a chance that the Geno Smith-led offense is the epitome of steady-but-not-great throughout the year, even with the addition of Ashton Jeanty to the backfield.