The Cleveland Browns one-upped the New England Patriots for the blockbuster trade of the day on Monday, dealing Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams. It’s a move that puts the Browns in full rebuild mode if their best player is no longer with them. I can understand the move to deal Garrett because his value is at an all-time high and he doesn’t get Cleveland any closer to turning things around right now.
It’s because they needed a lot better draft capital to fully prepare for a deep quarterback class in 2027 and to fill out the rest of this roster. That’s what these three teams need to figure out. Instead of remaining in purgatory, these teams need to fully reset so they can finally move out of the rebuilding phase.
New York Jets
The New York Jets were reportedly interested in landing Russell Wilson as their backup quarterback to Geno Smith. If that doesn’t reek of desperation, I don’t know what does. If New York has to go as far as turning to Wilson and Smith as their quarterback options, they’re better off just tanking and completely rebuilding. The Jets are doing a soft rebuild of sorts and it’s only going to make it tougher for them to become relevant in the AFC East again.
When they hired Aaron Glenn, the Jets should have taken the regime change as a chance to tear everything down and completely restart. They started that process with Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams getting traded at the deadline. They turned that into a decent draft. The problem is, Glenn is already in hot water and can’t afford another effortless season. The Jets have to somewhat appear competitive – hence the move for Smith.
This season shouldn’t be about trying to contend for a playoff spot. But it should be a glimpse into how this team could look in the future. The Las Vegas Raiders traded for Smith just for him to lead the NFL in interceptions and land them the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. New York is better off playing Cade Klubnik than turning to Smith. If the Jets go on a run to the playoffs it only tarnishes their future and if they have another bad season, well it will be the reason Glenn gets fired.
Pittsburgh Steelers
I know, this isn’t the Steelers way, but neither was the Mike McCarthy hire, which was far from a traditional head coaching move Pittsburgh usually makes. That should have been the trigger to kickstart a full rebuild. Instead, the Steelers succumbed to the pressure of bringing Aaron Rodgers back and now they’re just putting off and delaying the inevitable. The Steelers have no reason to turn back to Rodgers after it’s clear they need a full reset. They’ve already addressed their aging defense and now they need to solve their quarterback problem.
I’m not saying they should have relied on one of their other quarterbacks, but Rodgers isn’t making them a Super Bowl contending team. The Baltimore Ravens are always a threat in the division and there’s a lot of hype around the Cincinnati Bengals for the 2026 season. If the Bengals are back again in 2026, it further proves why the Steelers should have punted on this season and focused on building a roster to be competitive in the next two seasons or so.
For a team like the Steelers that have managed to have a lot of success – even though the playoffs haven’t been too kind to them for the last decade. Rebuilding isn’t really in their nature. But allowing this team to be stuck in mediocre purgatory isn’t productive either. Going anywhere from 7-10 to 10-7 this upcoming season doesn’t really prove anything. All it does is keep them from having a better pick and finding that game-changing player to build around.
Tennessee Titans
Tennessee has been phenomenal in their offseason approach this year. That said, as much hype that might be around them right now, it’s not the right time to put a lot of expectations on them, considering the AFC South division isn’t competitive right now. Houston has been in the playoffs each of the last three seasons, Jacksonville just finished 13-4 last year and Indianapolis has a lot of optimism, despite Daniel Jones coming off an Achilles injury.
The Titans are probably one more offseason away from changing the hierarchy in the AFC South. For now, the Titans need to focus on building toward the 2027 season. This season isn’t about competing in the AFC South nor is it about trying to land a wild card spot. Granted, if they are good this year, that’s not a bad thing. Because they could use some more young pieces, they need to make sure they have one more good draft and they’ll be in good shape.
Truthfully, if Tennessee has a season similar to the Carolina Panthers, that would be the best case scenario. If they don’t, it’s not a bad thing either. This team needs one more offseason to become legit. They’re in a much better situation than most of the teams needing to rebuild. Nonetheless, the Titans aren’t quite at contender level just yet.
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