The primary wave of free agency has come and gone, and most NFL teams have their 2026 rosters solidified before adding in the draft next month. While the Chiefs made some big moves this March by adding the likes of Kenneth Walker, Alohi Gilman, and Khyris Tonga, some of their primary AFC competitors made decisions to improve (or reduce) their teams.
Here is a look at all 16 AFC teams ranked from worst to best in the aftermath of free agency. To present the most interesting aspect, where do the Chiefs land on the heels of a disastrous 2025 campaign?
16. Miami Dolphins — 2025 Result: 7-10
It is worth wondering if Malik Willis knew what he was getting himself into when he signed a three-year, $67.5 million contract within the first hour of free agency. It can easily be argued that the Dolphins have the least talented roster in the AFC, if not the entire NFL, as presently constructed.
While Willis is the major signing, Miami also brought in the likes of Tutu Atwell (Los Angeles Rams), David Ojabo (Baltimore), and Jalen Tolbert (Dallas). With respect to those players, none of them are difference-makers on a team that desperately needs one. The list of notable players exiting Miami is longer than those coming in, as Jaylen Waddle, Tua Tagovailoa, Bradley Chubb, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Tyreek Hill have all left the building over the past month.
The Dolphins will also be experiencing a change on the sidelines, as Jeff Hafley takes over for Mike McDaniel. While Hafley was impressive in his two-year stint as defensive coordinator for the Packers, he compiled a losing record (22–26) over four years as a head coach at Boston College. Essentially, the surrounding talent that Willis will be equipped with in his first opportunity as a preferred starter is De'Von Achane and a prayer. Not ideal for the Fins.
15. Cleveland Browns — 2025 result: 5-12
Here are some positives for the Browns:
- Myles Garrett exists.
- They largely return the same defense that finished top five in yards allowed per game, passing defense, and sacks last season.
- Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr. appear to be very exciting skill-position players.
That is where the positives end for Cleveland, which has won eight games over the past two seasons. Similar to Miami, they also made a head coaching change, switching out Kevin Stefanski in favor of former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken. The 60-year-old Monken had a successful three-year run in Baltimore, as Lamar Jackson won league MVP and was named First-Team All-Pro twice under his tutelage.
Unfortunately for Monken, the Browns don't roster anyone close to Jackson's caliber at the game's premier position, as second-year players Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel are set to compete for the starting role. Barring a miracle, it will likely be another long, unenjoyable season in Cleveland.
14. New York Jets — 2025 result: 3-14
The Jets don't need to be good in 2026. They just need to be "normal bad," or not a complete and utter embarrassment. While that may not seem like a high bar, it's been quite a while since Gang Green has been a "normal bad" team.
There is no question that Head Coach Aaron Glenn and General Manager Darren Mougey inherited a mess last year, which resulted in an uncompetitive 3–14 campaign. However, New York has made notable additions this offseason, including Geno Smith, Demario Davis, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and T'Vondre Sweat. While Davis and Fitzpatrick are not the All-Pro caliber players they once were, they provide steady veteran leadership the team lacked a year ago.
Smith returns to the team that drafted him 13 years ago and will try to end the longest playoff drought among the four major American sports. Smith isn't a great quarterback by any stretch, but he's a competent passer who can get the ball to star receiver Garrett Wilson. It would be a surprise if the Jets are good in 2026, but it's easy to see a team trending in the right direction.
13. Las Vegas Raiders — 2025 result: 3-14
Speaking of trending in the right direction, the Raiders also fall under that category. Las Vegas was the worst team in the NFL in 2025, hence why they are picking first in next month's draft. With that pick, they are widely expected to select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who won both the Heisman and National Championship this past year.
Mendoza would be walking into a solid situation for a first overall pick, as he will receive play calls from Klint Kubiak, who was instrumental in the Seahawks winning last year's Super Bowl. The Raiders also have an elite tight end in Brock Bowers and a talented running back in Ashton Jeanty. A major catalyst in the team's shortcomings from a year ago was due to a porous offensive line. Enter Tyler Linderbaum, who was signed to a record-setting three-year, $81 million contract.
On the defensive side, the Raiders also made some nice moves such as bringing in linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, re-signing Eric Stokes, and, for the time being, retaining Maxx Crosby. While Las Vegas still has a long way to go to reach contender status, they could be a frisky team if Mendoza reaches his potential.
12. Tennessee Titans — 2025 result: 3-14
Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll are implementing a bold strategy of signing all of the players who got them fired in New York. All joking aside, the Titans have been active this offseason, as they hope to implement a winning culture and build around Cam Ward.
While it's easy to scoff at how many former Jets and Giants players have landed in Tennessee, John Franklin-Myers, Jermaine Johnson, Wan'Dale Robinson, and Cordale Flott are all meaningful additions. Signing Alontae Taylor to a three-year, $58 million deal is another notable move to help improve their secondary.
The primary questions for the Titans are how Cam Ward can progress in his second season, as well as what they get out of Saleh from a coaching perspective. The former 49ers defensive coordinator had a frustrating tenure with the Jets, compiling a 20–36 record, but is an excellent defensive mind.
11. Indianapolis Colts — 2025 result: 8-9
Remember when the Colts were 7–1 through the first half of last season and had the league's highest-scoring offense? Pepperidge Farm remembers. The Colts finished their 2025 campaign on a seven-game losing streak and lost Daniel Jones to a torn Achilles tendon in the process. While the Colts re-signed Jones to a two-year, $88 million deal, this is a risk for a player coming off of a major injury and who has been a middling quarterback for most of his career.
Indianapolis also does not own a first-round pick due to their midseason trade for Sauce Gardner, which clearly did not pay dividends in 2025. Gardner is a very good cornerback when healthy, but he he played in just four games with the Colts last season due to a calf strain. General Manager Chris Ballard has also made some head-scratching decisions this offseason, such as signing Alec Pierce (who has one 1,000-yard season in his career) to a four-year, $116 million contract, trading Michael Pittman to the Steelers, and acquiring former Chiefs defensive tackles Derrick Nnadi and Jerry Tillery in free agency.
The Colts feel like a team that is headed nowhere fast and peaked last October. Shane Steichen is a smart offensive mind at head coach but could be on the way out if Indy misses the postseason yet again.
10. Los Angeles Chargers — 2025 result: Lost Wild Card
Oh yes. I can already see all 12 (at most?) Chargers fans being furious about this ranking. After all, the team that this site covers went 6–11 last season while Los Angeles reached the postseason and swept the Chiefs in the process. Despite having a copious amount of cap space, the Chargers did virtually nothing to meaningfully improve the team from Wild Card fodder to a real contender.
They re-signed 35-year-old Khalil Mack to a one-year, $18 million contract while losing Odafe Oweh to Washington. Perhaps their most meaningful loss came from the sidelines, as defensive coordinator Jesse Minter left to become the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens and will be replaced by Chris O'Leary. O'Leary, 34, has just one season of defensive play-calling experience — at Western Michigan University in 2025. I don't mean to break news, but facing Patrick Mahomes (2x), Josh Allen, Drake Maye, and Lamar Jackson — all on Los Angeles' schedule in 2026 — will be slightly more challenging than going up against signal-callers in the MAC.
As for the offense, what's there? Yes, Justin Herbert is very good, but it's fair to wonder if he can elevate his surroundings like some of his contemporaries. The receiving core is currently Ladd McConkey, Quentin Johnston, and Tre Harris, and while the returns of Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt will be welcome, the line's interior remains a question mark at best. It goes without saying that this space is not a fan of the Chargers' offseason. Oh, did I mention L.A. has five (5) draft picks in April? Insert the Kevin McCalister "woof" GIF.
9. Cincinnati Bengals — 2025 result: 6-11
There are things to like about the 2026 Bengals. Joe Burrow is incredible, Ja'Marr Chase is non-human (complimentary), and Tee Higgins is possibly the best jump-ball receiver in the league. If Cincinnati can keep Burrow upright, this team should light up the scoreboard this upcoming season. In Burrow's eight starts last year, the Bengals went 5–3 while having games where they scored 32, 34, 45, and 37 points.
There are also numerous things to dislike about the 2026 Bengals, I say as I vehemently side-eye the other side of the ball. Cincinnati's defense has been a sieve for two consecutive seasons, and they retained defensive coordinator Al Golden despite finishing 30th in points allowed per game. I mean, this team gave up 39 points to the (checks notes) Jets in a game last season.
They did add to their defense this offseason by acquiring the likes of old friend Bryan Cook and Boye Mafe, but that unit still has a long way to go to reach competency.
8. Baltimore Ravens — 2025 result: 8-9
If this was written after the Ravens supposedly traded for Maxx Crosby, they would be comfortably in the top five. Well, there is a reason many say the N.F.L stands for Not For Long. As everyone knows by now, Crosby will not be coming to Baltimore, as the Ravens opted to sign Trey Hendrickson instead. While Hendrickson is a terrific player, giving a 32-year-old edge rusher coming off an injury-riddled season four years and $122 million is risky business.
Baltimore is also undergoing significant change, as John Harbaugh was fired after 18 seasons at the helm and replaced by Jesse Minter. Baltimore still has stars such as Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Kyle Hamilton, but their roster doesn't have the depth it has had in years past. Key contributors like Linderbaum, Gilman, and Isaiah Likely have all departed, and many of the team's stalwarts are aging. Henry is 32, Roquan Smith turns 29 in a couple of weeks, Mark Andrews turns 31 before the season begins, and Jackson is 29 while coming off an injury-riddled season.
As long as Jackson is healthy and Henry's play doesn't decline with age, Baltimore could certainly return to contention in 2026. However, this is currently a team with more questions than answers.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars — 2025 result: Lost Wild Card
The 2025 Jaguars had the most under-the-radar 13-win season in recent memory. They were playing so well to close out the regular season that many fans and analysts picked them to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LX. Unfortunately for Duval County, all those good vibes came to a halt when they fell at home to a solid but beatable Bills team in the Wild Card round.
Jacksonville has also lost more than they have gained, as Travis Etienne Jr. and Devin Lloyd took their talents to the NFC South by joining the Saints and Panthers respectively. Etienne and Lloyd were arguably the best players on each side of the ball for the Jags in 2025, and now they are both out the door. Not Great Bob!
Jacksonville will also be playing a more difficult schedule as a result of its regular-season success from a year ago. A key factor that will determine the success of the 2026 version of the Jaguars is Trevor Lawrence improving his consistency. Over the final six games of the regular season, Lawrence was excellent, throwing 15 touchdowns to just one interception. However, in the Jaguars' first eleven games, the Clemson product recorded a touchdown-to-interception ratio of just 14 to 11.
The Jaguars deserve respect going into 2026, but their increased schedule difficulty and losing the likes of Etienne and Lloyd make them a regression candidate.
6. Pittsburgh Steelers — 2025 Result: Lost Wild Card
This ranking works under the assumption that Aaron Rodgers will be back under center for the Steelers in 2026. A team that rolls out Will Howard or Mason Rudolph as the Week 1 starter would not be a borderline top-five team in the conference. There is an argument that Pittsburgh made the most improvement to its roster this offseason by adding the likes of Michael Pittman Jr., Jamel Dean, Jaquan Brisker, and Rico Dowdle.
The Steelers also made a significant upgrade in offensive play-calling by going from Arthur Smith to Mike McCarthy, who has led numerous high-powered offenses in both Green Bay and Dallas. While losing Mike Tomlin's floor-raising ability could be a factor, McCarthy was the best possible replacement to ensure Pittsburgh remains a factor in the AFC playoff race.
Much of their success hinges on whether Rodgers does return and how he can perform over the course of a 17-game season when he turns 43 in December. Rodgers wasn't great in 2025 but was competent and helped elevate an offense with mediocre talent to a postseason berth.
5. Houston Texans — 2025 Result: Lost Divisional Round
The Texans are the inverse of the Bengals. On one hand, they present a suffocating defense that flat-out embarrassed many offenses (including the Chiefs) in 2025. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter are the best edge-rushing duo in football, which doesn't even mention an absurdly loaded secondary featuring Derek Stingley Jr., Kamari Lassiter, Jalen Pitre, and now Reed Blankenship. Houston's defense is good enough to win many games on its own.
The question mark with the Texans comes on the other side of the ball, particularly their quarterback, C.J. Stroud. After an outstanding rookie season, Stroud has struggled over the past two seasons, finishing 24th in QBR in 2024 and committing seven turnovers in just two playoff games last season. The last time Stroud was seen on an NFL field, he single-handedly cost Houston a very winnable game against the Patriots in the Divisional Round by hurling four first-half interceptions.
In fairness to the fourth-year starter, his receiving options outside of Nico Collins are scarce, as Xavier Hutchinson and second-year players Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel don't keep defensive coordinators up at night. The Texans have a championship-caliber defense, but their offense still has plenty to prove.
4. Kansas City Chiefs — 2025 result: 6-11
I feel this is an appropriate placement for the Chiefs at this point. While Kansas City was a disaster in 2025, their 6–11 record is not quite indicative of the quality of team they were. Had Patrick Mahomes not gotten injured in Week 15, the Chiefs likely beat punchless Titans and Raiders teams and possibly take down the Broncos on Christmas. The Chiefs were by no means good last season, but their final record makes them appear worse than what they were in reality.
As for the 2026 Chiefs, Mahomes is back and looks to be on track to start Week 1, and in case you missed it, they finally have a legitimate running back. Kenneth Walker III is a top-10 back in the NFL and is coming off an incredible 2025 season and postseason run with Seattle. Having a talent like Walker in the backfield will take some pressure off Mahomes, who turns 31 in September while coming off a significant injury.
Kansas City also brought in Alohi Gilman to replace Bryan Cook and Khyris Tonga to help shore up the run defense. Despite some retirement speculation late last season, Travis Kelce is back in the fold for possibly one final run. While Walker, Gilman, and Tonga are welcome additions, the Chiefs still do have some holes to fill. The receiver room is a major question mark, as nobody is ever quite sure what is going on with Rashee Rice. Kansas City also desperately needs another edge rusher to pair with George Karlaftis. Fortunately, they have ample draft ammo with two first-round picks, as they acquired the 29th overall pick from the Rams in exchange for Trent McDuffie.
The Chiefs have never entered a campaign with more questions in the Patrick Mahomes era, as in most cases, they have been the defending Super Bowl or AFC Champions. If Brett Veach uses the 9th and 29th picks wisely and shores up the receiver and edge rooms, things could be back in business at 1 Arrowhead Drive.
3. Buffalo Bills — 2025 result: Lost in the Divisional Round
The Bills are entering a new era, as they not only will be opening a new stadium but will have a new head coach for the first time since 2016. After nine successful seasons, Sean McDermott is out after the Bills fell to Denver in last season's Divisional Round. Former offensive coordinator Joe Brady — who has no previous head coaching experience — will step into the top spot on the sidelines. Every remaining year that Josh Allen is in his prime carries the expectation to win the Super Bowl, so Brady will have no shortage of pressure in his first season.
Buffalo has also made some impactful but risky moves to add to their roster this offseason. The most notable addition was acquiring DJ Moore from the Chicago Bears in exchange for a second-round pick. While Moore is an immediate upgrade to what was a previously underwhelming receiving room, he is coming off a season where he had just 682 receiving yards. The Bills also signed Bradley Chubb to a three-year, $43.5 million deal. Chubb remains a productive player, recording 19.5 sacks over his last two healthy seasons. However, he turns 30 years old this summer and has an extensive injury history.
If Moore and Chubb prove to be worth what Buffalo paid for, the Bills will once again be legitimate Super Bowl contenders. In the event that Moore's middling 2025 production was not a fluke and Chubb's age and injury woes linger, it could be yet another year where Buffalo is watching the Super Bowl with the rest of us.
2. New England Patriots — 2025 result: Lost Super Bowl LX
The defending conference champions slide into the second spot on the post-free-agency/pre-draft AFC power rankings. New England had a charmed 2025 season in which they won their first division title since Tom Brady was in town, and Drake Maye was a deserving MVP candidate all season. However, the Patriots' Super Bowl run felt more "right place, right time" than a truly dominant team making its mark.
Last conference postseason, New England averaged just 15.6 points per game offensively, capped off by an ugly 10–7 win against the Broncos in a blizzard. The Pats were also fortunate to face Jarrett Stidham in the AFC title game after Bo Nix fractured his ankle. They then looked completely out of place on the Super Bowl stage against an elite Seattle defensive unit.
With all of this said, the Patriots still have plenty to be optimistic about moving forward. Mike Vrabel remains one of the league's best coaches, and Drake Maye is an elite talent at quarterback despite his lackluster performance this past January. They also made numerous meaningful additions, bringing in the likes of Romeo Doubs, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Kevin Byard, and Dre'Mont Jones. If New England can prove it can handle a more difficult schedule, 2026 could solidify them as a perennial AFC threat for years to come.
1. Denver Broncos — 2025 result: Lost AFC Championship
While Chargers fans may have gathered (a very small gathering) to protest their ranking, Chiefs fans may do the same for the Broncos being listed as the conference's top team. The argument for Denver is fairly simple: they represent the AFC in the Super Bowl last season if Bo Nix doesn't suffer a freak injury against Buffalo. Additionally, they vastly improved on offense thanks to the trade for Jaylen Waddle.
On defense, the Broncos return most of what was an elite unit a year ago, with John Franklin-Myers being the only significant loss. The Broncos are not a perfect team by any stretch, but they have the least amount of questions of any AFC club. They have a proven coach, an excellent defensive coordinator, great defensive personnel, and now a legitimate 1–2 punch at receiver with Waddle and Courtland Sutton.
If Bo Nix can take the next step and continue to improve, Denver could win its first Super Bowl title in 11 years.