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We’ve made it. It’s Week 1 of the NFL regular season! And just as we started camp, we’ll start the season with a takeaway on all 32 teams after all my travels this summer. And, yes, we’ll still have a Tuesday notes file to cover the big news of the week. Let’s dive in.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are sinking a lot of this year into player development. Much of it’s going to be centered on GM Monti Ossenfort’s first three draft classes—after a lot of moving around, he wound up with 28 picks, 14 in the top 100, between 2023 and ‘25. Twenty of those 28 picks are still with the team, including names like Paris Johnson, Marvin Harrison Jr., Max Melton, Michael Wilson, Walter Nolen III and Will Johnson. How those guys play will determine the ceiling for the team. And for what it’s worth, I liketheir approach with rookie Jeremiyah Love, with the plan being to not run up his running back odometer in Year 1.
Atlanta Falcons
Would you believe the Falcons have the NFL’s oldest roster? Statistically, it’s true, although it’s because of a veteran offensive line that is anchored by 13-year vet Jake Matthews and guys like DE Za’Darius Smith, QB Cooper Rush and old friend TE Austin Hooper (plus kicker Nick Folk), who aren’t there to play overly expansive roles. Then they have stars in their primes such as Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts. That’s why the questions at quarterback loom so large. Tua Tagovailoa certainly doesn’t look like the answer. Can Michael Penix Jr. be?
Baltimore Ravens
One of the more underrated storylines of camp: What the Ravens’ offense looks like with new OC Declan Doyle, who learned at the foot of Sean Payton, apprenticed under Ben Johnson last year in Chicago and is incredibly well regarded. Working under a defensive guru in new Ravens coach Jesse Minter, this is Doyle’s first real shot to build a system of his own, and he has the NFL’s most unique quarterback, Lamar Jackson, to work with. And this after Greg Roman put in the run game that ignited Jackson’s first MVP run and Todd Monken revamped the pass game to help him win a second MVP. This is the first time Jackson will be working with a younger offensive mind—Doyle is just 10 months older than Jackson—and the hope is that he maximizes not just Jackson but the pieces around him in how creative he is with personnel. Oh, and the roster is still really good, though there are questions on the interior of both lines.
Buffalo Bills
I’ve said it before, but I think the Bills have a different look with Joe Brady pushing the buttons. I think there’s an aggressive, attacking mentality on both sides of the ball that the staff is hoping brings out the best in Josh Allen on offense and suits guys like Ed Oliver and Gregory Rousseau on defense. I’d also say there hasn’t been nearly enough discussion on what D.J. Moore can do not just for Allen, but in opening things up for guys like fellow receiver Khalil Shakir, tight end Dalton Kincaid and running back James Cook in the passing game.
Carolina Panthers
What a huge year for Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. The former first pick played well last year … but well enough for the Panthers to pay the going rate for a franchise quarterback? If the answer to that was a resounding yes, they’d have taken care of that by now. The reality for Young is that the GM (Scott Fitterer) and coach (Frank Reich) who drafted him are gone. Other realities: Three years in, he has just 14 career wins; he’s going to have to round out his game, in particular showing better downfield production, to score a big contract; and the team still has him for 2027 on the fifth-year option, which gives them flexibility to delay the decision or even draft his replacement and hold him over as a high-end bridge. Anyway, Carolina is using previous examples of teams giving up too quickly (Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold) or committing too quickly (Tua Tagovailoa) to quarterbacks in slow-playing this. And the resulting pressure that’s on Young should help the Panthers draw a conclusion on which way to go.
Chicago Bears
One of the interesting themes I got from running my quarterback poll last week: How many people are expecting Caleb Williams to make the leap in his second year playing for Johnson. If that happens, there’s little doubt how good the Bears’ offense should be. Tight end Colston Loveland is poised to break out, receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III bring a lot of promise and left tackle Ozzy Trapilo’s unexpected early return should be a boon for the offensive front. So, then, do they have enough on defense? That’ll be the operative question given the investments they’ve made in having everything right around Williams.
Cincinnati Bengals
Theexpectations surrounding the Bengals are palpable and intentional. I don’t think Joe Burrow’s optimism being so outward is unintentional. My sense is he figures the pressure is going to be on anyway, so the team might as well figure out now who can handle it and who can’t. And the reason for it isn’t unfounded. Burrow told me during camp he believes the line, run game and defense are going to allow him to play under completely different circumstances than he has the last couple years. If that’s true, then an MVP run and a return to Inglewood for another Super Bowl very well could be in play.
Cleveland Browns
It might not show up in the win column yet, but I love the Browns’ young core, with Carson Schwesinger, Mason Graham, Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr. among those in last year’s draft class, and Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion and Spencer Fano looking like immediate contributors from this year’s group. GM Andrew Berry knew he had to get younger after the Deshaun Watson trade drained resources to do so from 2022 through ‘24, and he has effectively done that. Now the Browns are set up what could be a pretty nice situation for a young quarterback in 2027.
Dallas Cowboys
Might the Cowboys have a big swing coming? Jerry Jones set the table for it at the start of camp. And though other people in the organization have told me since that he was freelancing on that one and they did not know it was coming, the logic behind such a move is actually there. The team has a really nice layer of talent, particularly on offense, in its starting 22. But it also lacks depth. And with left tackle Tyler Guyton now seemingly rebounding and some optimism that the pass rush might be OK, adding a difference-maker on defense, maybe at cornerback and/or another rusher, would make sense between now and the trade deadline. If, of course, such an opportunity arises.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos might have the NFL’s deepest roster, which is pretty remarkable given that they’re still just four years removed from the Russell Wilson trade. They might have the NFL’s best collection of linemen, they’re tremendously well-stocked at the premium positions (receiver, cornerback, edge rusher), and their quarterback is in position to take another step with Jaylen Waddle coming aboard and joining a skill group that has a bunch of complementary weapons that’ll benefit from his presence. All the way around, this is a sturdy group that Sean Payton and George Paton have put together, and it should be more prepared than anyone to deal with the natural attrition that an NFL season brings.
Detroit Lions
I think you can make a case that the Lions have the NFL’s most talented core, which was highlighted to me with the new deal they did for running back Jahmyr Gibbs. The explosive young back joined Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Jack Campbell and Kerby Joseph among young talent drafted, developed and now re-signed to big-money deals by the Lions. Brian Branch and Sam LaPorta could be next. And I’m on record as saying I believe Jared Goff has become way better than people give him credit for. A favorable schedule is waiting too, and I honestly believe the Lions can vie with the Rams and Seahawks for the NFC’s ticket to Inglewood.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers are stocked with really good young players. By the time it really counts, how many great players will they have? Will outside linebacker Micah Parsons and tight end Tucker Kraft be themselves coming off torn ACLs? Will Christian Watson, Matthew Golden or Jayden Reed emerge as a true 1 at receiver? Will former first-rounder Jordan Morgan be an upgrade over Rasheed Walker at left tackle? Will Lukas Van Ness, Devonte Wyatt and the crew on the defensive front be able to generate a rush in Parsons’s absence early on? Can Edgerrin Cooper and Evan Williams realize their considerable potential on defense? Could rookie Brandon Cisse quickly become a high-end NFL corner? And is Jordan Love ready to take another big step? Again, this is already a good team. If its young guys can take the step from good to great, a la Seattle last year, then the Packers will be a true Super Bowl contender.
Houston Texans
The offensive rebuild of the last two years has given head coach DeMeco Ryans and the Texans a unit that mirrors the edgy, violent image of his defense—with grinders such as running back David Montgomery and O-linemen Wyatt Teller and rookie Keylan Rutledge now in the fold. But can they come anywhere close to mirroring the defense’s production? That’s an open question, and losing Jayden Higgins, the 2025 second-round receiver who was poised for a breakout, for the year won’t help. That, in turn, puts a little more on quarterback C.J. Stroud, who’ll be playing for a massive second contract (presuming there isn’t a last-ditch effort to extend him before the season). Then we’ll see if Stroud can return to form with what should be a stronger run game serving as the foundation for second-year coordinator Nick Caley’s offense. If he can, the sky’s the limit for the group.
Indianapolis Colts
I like a lot of things about the Colts. Shane Steichen is one of the sport’s best offensive architects, and Daniel Jones was playing great ball before he got hurt last season. Jonathan Taylor is one of the game’s best backs, and Tyler Warren is going to be a monster at tight end. Alec Pierce and Josh Downs complement each other really well at receiver, the O-line should be better and Lou Anarumo is one of the game’s best defensive coordinators, and he has an elite secondary and a really solid defensive line to work with. My issue here is like my issue with Dallas: I’m concerned with their depth. An injury or two in the wrong spot and the context of the season could change completely, as could the future of some key people in the organization.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Do you even remember the Jaguars won 13 games last year? It feels like few folks do. So you might also have missed how supremely well-coached the team was last year, how quarterback Trevor Lawrence took off at the end of it, how the receiver group started to mesh, how the defensive front became a menace and how Travis Hunter—who they believe can become a shutdown corner—has since turned his focus to defense. I don’t think Jacksonville wins 13 games again in 2026, but I do think they’ve turned the tide with a group—in exec Tony Boselli, GM James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen—that’s moving in lockstep and has started to create a very real, comprehensive program in a place that long had a lot of foxes in the henhouse (which they paid a price for since ownership isn’t there day to day to officiate those sorts of things).
Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes has heard everything you’ve said about him and his team, and he has seen how some of the shine may have come off him after his devastating knee injury on Dec. 14. I say here now that I think he comes back like gangbusters. But … have the Chiefs done enough around him? That, to me, is the operative question. And what could determine it largely rests on two guys the Chiefs took risks on in the draft. They have very high ceilings and, as we’ve seen, very low floors: left tackle Josh Simmons and receiver Rashee Rice. If those guys are playing to their potential, Kansas City could have another Super Bowl team on its hands. If they’re unavailable or in disrepair for large chunks of the season, the likelihood of that is lessened.
Los Angeles Chargers
Maybe I’m alone on this, but I think the ceiling is sky high for the Chargers, with Justin Herbert working with new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt back in the fold, running back Omarion Hampton healthy, promising young receivers on hand and a savvy, tough, big defensive core (Khalil Mack, Tuli Tuipulotu, Daiyan Henley, Derwin James Jr.) in place. Granted, there are question marks. One will be, for sure, how new DC Chris O’Leary does coming back from a year calling the defense at Western Michigan, replacing Minter as DC. But I don’t see any reason why with improved health and roster upgrades in places like the tight end room (where Charlie Kolar and David Njoku join Oronde Gadsden II), Herbert could not be an MVP candidate, and the Chargers could not join their crosstown rivals as a true candidate to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium.
Los Angeles Rams
Not sure what else we can say about the Ramsat this point. The team was a tick off being the best in football last year, losing home-field advantage with the two-point snafu against Seattle in December, then falling just short back there in the NFC title game. After Thanksgiving, the Seahawks had 20 points scored on them twice, and it was the Rams both times, with Seattle winning those games 38-37 and 31-27. Matthew Stafford was magnificent in the championship game, as was the Rams’ offense against the brick wall that was the Seahawks’ defense. And now the defense is adding Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson and, yes, Aaron Donald to a group that had plenty of tavlent and a top-shelf coordinator in Chris Shula to begin with. Can’t wait to watch these guys play.
Are there questions? One interesting one is having Puka Nacua, Byron Young and Kobie Turner going into contract years. Maybe team speed on offense would be another mild concern. Otherwise, this looks like a wagon heading into Week 1.
Las Vegas Raiders
The big question most people have for the Raidersis when they’ll turn to top pick Fernando Mendoza, and I think the answer now is really dependent on a lot of outside forces. Two of those would, of course, be what level Kirk Cousins plays at and how long he can keep Vegas in contention. If Cousins plays well and the Raiders are in the race, then it’s hard to imagine the coaches toss that aside to throw Mendoza in. The other piece is a little more abstract, and that’s the ability of the offensive personnel to get Mendoza going. We know Kolton Miller, Tyler Linderbaum, Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty can play. The question, then, is how the other six guys in the huddle come along. Because, as detailed and meticulous as coach Klint Kubiak’s process is in developing Mendoza’s footwork, timing and eyes, the Raiders wouldn’t want all that undone because they can’t be good enough around him.
Miami Dolphins
If you need a sign for how far the Dolphins have to go, it was right there the day after the cutdown: The team was awarded seven castoffs on waivers, meaning just 46 of the guys on their 53-man roster were with the team for training camp. Or, to look at it another way, GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley, after a full summer with the roster, decided that seven guys cut by other teams were better than 44 of the 90 they had in training camp. That’s what digging out of a four-year ditch of a draft slump looks like for a new regime coming in, and so most of the wins that come for Sullivan and Hafley this year are likely to arrive in places other than on the scoreboard. And it’d be good if those started to show with an outsized rookie class. The Dolphins are currently carrying 13 rookies and five other guys classified as first-year players on the 53-man roster.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have had a reputation for being a great home for veteran quarterbacks that fell out of favor elsewhere, for one reason or another. It goes back to my childhood: Rich Gannon, Jim McMahon, Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, Brett Favre and Kirk Cousins have all led Minnesota to the playoffs. Now they have Kyler Murray in to lead an offense with a ton of talent in the prime of their careers, with a veteran defense capable of maximizing Brian Flores’s scheme. So whereas sometimes we oversimplify things, as if the quarterback is playing one-on-one hoops against the other team’s quarterback, this one is a situation where the new triggerman really is that pivotal of a piece. And the Vikings do believe that they’ll be able to leverage a great year out of Murray with all they can do in moving the quarterback around on bootlegs and keepers, and what their receivers are capable of in scramble situations.
New England Patriots
The Patriots are at a real contract impasse with star cornerback Christian Gonzalez, with a bumpy negotiation leaving the sides divided two days from kickoff. It has left the player frustrated, in that this doesn’t typically happen for a premium player at a premium position. How will it affect the team’s season? Well, coach Mike Vrabel built a top-shelf culture last year, and that’s constructed through buy-in from the team’s best players. The roster, particularly on offense, has been upgraded from last year’s Super Bowl team. But the schedule is tougher, the Patriots had great injury luck last year and the vibe the team had was a pretty important element to who they became.
New Orleans Saints
I like the bank of talent the Saintshave on offense. They have first-round picks at receiver (Chris Olave and the now-injured Jordyn Tyson) and tackle (Kelvin Banks Jr. and Taliese Fuaga). They have two really solid backs (Travis Etienne and Alvin Kamara). Oscar Delp is an intriguing talent at tight end, and the interior of the offensive line is tough and experienced. So can quarterback Tyler Shough play? We’ll find out, with the Saints another one of those teams that might or might not be in on a deep 2027 draft class at quarterback. Shough finished last year strong, so there’s certainly reason for optimism. But flashing for a month and sustaining it for a season are two different things.
New York Giants
If the Giants are going to the playoffs in John Harbaugh’s first year—and they certainly look like a team that can—then this is going to have to look like a Harbaugh team quickly, and I think it has the chance to. That, of course, is going to start up front. Andrew Thomas has to stay healthy at left tackle, and Francis Mauigoa needs to be ready to roll at guard (he was an immediate starter in college, too, so the transition should be smooth). On defense, with the monster (and versatile) linebacker group they have, they’ll need the defensive tackle position to stay healthy (DJ Reader, Shelby Harris) and continue to evolve, something that was reflected in last week’s trade with the Ravens for C.J. Okoye, an International Pathways player that Harbaugh had in Baltimore. Otherwise, a lot of pieces are in place.
New York Jets
If nothing else, the Jets should be better equipped to carry out head coach Aaron Glenn’s vision for a football team this year. Bringing on vets with background with the coach such as Geno Smith (who Glenn was with in New York in 2013), David Onyemata and DeMario Davis (who Glenn was with in New Orleans) helps, as does adding smart, leader types he doesn’t know as well like Minkah Fitzpatrick. But bigger than just that will be the expected progress on the lines of scrimmage. The Jets believe they have one of the NFL’s best young offensive tackle tandems in Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou, and they added talented young guys to the defensive front in T’Vondre Sweat and second overall pick David Bailey. This is how Glenn saw it built in Detroit, and the hope is that foundation starts to show itself in New York. And for what it’s worth, there’s a lot of tantalizing young pieces on offense, which might make this a sneaky-good landing spot for a rookie quarterback in 2027.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles’ last nine years: 94–54–1, five NFC East titles, three conference titles and two world championships, including a 50–18 record over the last four years. That’s a really high standard. So could this be a year they come back to the pack a little bit? They’re losing difference-makers at premium positions with receiver A.J. Brown and linebacker Jaelan Phillips both gone, they’ve gotten older at offensive tackle and have a new coordinator coming in to work with quarterback Jalen Hurts. And that last one, to me, might be the biggest key. Sean Mannion’s charge is to re-establish the Philly run game around Saquon Barkley. But Barkley is now in his ninth year. And it’ll at least be interesting to see Hurts’s transition to a scheme that’s based on detail and precision, with the hope being that the success of the run game will get the quarterback playing faster.
Pittsburgh Steelers
I’m going to appreciate getting one last chance to see Aaron Rodgers play. I’d also say that the Steelers are walking a little bit of a narrow path in trying to contend with him, in how they hung on to an aging core for another year. Now, on offense, having vets like DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Pat Freiermuth, Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren around Rodgers within a Mike McCarthy scheme absolutely opens up the playbook and has the potential to make the Pittsburgh offense a real difficult one to play against. Ditto with T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Patrick Queen, Jamel Dean and Jalen Ramsey playing in DC Patrick Graham’s complex system. But that’s a lot of age, so whether or not they can stay healthy, and what this all looks like 12 or 14 or 16 games in … those are open questions.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have had quite the summer—and that’s without even getting to the football part of the equation. As they close out Kyle Shanahan’s decade in charge, the Niners face more questions than they have in a while. Post-Ricky Pearsall injury, they’ll be more reliant on rookie De’Zhaun Stribling at receiver than they had intended. Star tight end George Kittle is coming off an Achilles tear and star back Christian McCaffrey is now 30. They need young guys to develop around Nick Bosa along their defensive front. And they play in a division with perhaps the two best teams in football. Shanahan and his staff will, for sure, need to be at their best in pacing the older guys through, scheming around some weaknesses, and developing the young talent. To be clear, this isn’t, by a long shot, a deficient roster. But it’s not perfect either.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks, conversely, are deep and balanced in so many different ways, and I think it’s fair to expect quarterback Sam Darnold to take another step now that he’s settled in and playing a second straight year as a starter for the first time since he was a Jet. So where could the issues with the team be? Obviously, there’s a need at cornerback, which the Seahawks showed us with their pursuit of Terrion Arnold. So someone is going to have to come along as a third corner to go with Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe. Running back is a question post-Kenneth Walker III, too, and with Zach Charbonnet starting the season on the PUP list. Jadarian Price is plenty capable as the team’s first-round pick, but he’s a rookie. And the defensive line has a couple aging pieces. But these are all champagne problems. Seattle should be on anyone’s list among the top contenders and is a real threat to repeat.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I still think there’s a deal to be done between the Buccaneers and Baker Mayfield. But it’s going to take someone reengaging over the next six days. On one hand, there haven’t been any substantive negotiations since the start of camp, with Mayfield sticking to his word that if it wasn’t done by then, he was shelving it until after the season. On the other, the two sides weren’t that far apart earlier in the summer. And the Buccaneers showed their willingness to get a market deal done closer to the season again (after doing such deals with Tristan Wirfs, Zyon McCollum and Luke Goedeke the last two years), by giving Vita Vea the sort of bump, with a one-year extension, that Dexter Lawrence got in Cincinnati. So will someone pick up the phone this week?
Tennessee Titans
The Titans have veterans to give them grounding in Jeffery Simmons, John Franklin-Meyers, Cody Barton, Calvin Ridley, Dan Moore Jr., Tony Pollard, Wan’Dale Wright and Peter Skoronski. But roughly half the team’s 53-man roster is made up of first-, second- and third-year guys and the plan is for those guys to play. The more, the better. So Carnell Tate and Elic Ayomanor are pushing Calvin Ridley and Wan’Dale Robinson at receiver. Fernando Carmona Jr. beat out Cordell Volson at right guard. Gunnar Helm is starting at tight end. Femi Oladejo and Keldrick Faulk are carving out roles on the edge. Anthony Hill Jr. is pushing Cody Barton at linebacker. Cedric Gray, Marcus Harris and Kevin Winston Jr. have won starting jobs in the back seven. And as these guys win roles and get experience, the future gets a little brighter, with the plan being—and this especially goes for quarterback Cam Ward—to ride out bumps and see the development of all these guys through.
WashingtonCommanders
It’s really rare that a veteran coach such as Dan Quinn goes through the sort of on-the-fly wholesale philosophical change that the Commandersdid this offseason, and there’s no question it’s just different with more complex schemes coming in with new coordinators David Blough and Daronte Jones. Now the trick will be fitting some of the old standbys into the new way of doing things, and all eyes are going to be on quarterback Jayden Daniels in that regard. Losing Laremy Tunsil in camp—he won’t be back until at least January, and even that may be a longshot)—is a tough blow, and only underlines how his adjustment to Blough’s scheme has to chart the course back to the playoffs.
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ALBERT BREER
Albert Breer is a senior writer covering the NFL for Sports Illustrated, delivering the biggest stories and breaking news from across the league. He has been on the NFL beat since 2005 and joined SI in 2016. Breer began his career covering the New England Patriots for the MetroWest Daily News and the Boston Herald from 2005 to ’07, then covered the Dallas Cowboys for the Dallas Morning News from 2007 to ’08. He worked for The Sporting News from 2008 to ’09 before returning to Massachusetts as The Boston Globe’s national NFL writer in 2009. From 2010 to 2016, Breer served as a national reporter for NFL Network. In addition to his work at Sports Illustrated, Breer regularly appears on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, FS1 with Colin Cowherd, The Rich Eisen Show and The Dan Patrick Show. A 2002 graduate of Ohio State, Breer lives near Boston with his wife, a cardiac ICU nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital, and their three children.
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