Ranking the NFL’s Best Skill-Position Groups of 2026

The best skill-position talent doesn’t necessarily mean a Super Bowl win, but it does mean entertainment.

Oddly enough, the teams oozing with offensive talent at running back, wide receiver and tight end haven’t often won it all in recent years. While the 2024 Eagles were loaded with Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, you need to go back to the 2019 Chiefs before another champion had multiple Pro Bowlers in the skill-position areas.

So, having the best talent in the spots surrounding your quarterback is always a smart move. This season, there are a slew of teams that could be considered to be top 10 in this realm but barely missed our list, including the Broncos, who added receiver Jaylen Waddle; the Bills, who have rushing champion James Cook; and the Ravens, who have a pair of 1,000-yard stars in receiver Zay Flowers and running back Derrick Henry.

Still, those AFC contenders didn’t crack our list because 10 other teams have more firepower at the top of their depth charts.

10. New England Patriots

Last year, the Patriots went to the Super Bowl without having a 1,000-yard rusher or receiver on the roster. This offseason, they added such a star in disgruntled wideout A.J. Brown, trading a 2028 first-round pick to the Eagles for him.

In Brown, the Patriots have the ultimate, big-bodied playmaker for quarterback Drake Maye. In Philadelphia, Brown posted four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and earned All-Pro accolades three times. At 226 pounds, Brown can box out defenders and win in tight spaces, qualities New England’s receivers have lacked in recent years.

Despite being surrounded by middling weapons, Maye still earned second-team All-Pro honors by throwing for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns. Now with Brown alongside free-agent pickup Romeo Doubs, New England has one of the better receiving corps, a group deep enough that general manager Eliot Wolf traded away Kayshon Boutte this summer.

With Rhamondre Stevenson and second-year back TreVeyon Henderson, the Patriots have a quality tandem that produced 1,514 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2025. The duo should only improve as Henderson gains experience and Stevenson fixes his fumbling issues; he only lost the ball twice last season after six fumbles the year before.

9. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals might be in for a long year, but it won’t be because they lack firepower.

Arizona spent the No. 3 pick in April’s draft on Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, who should immediately be one of the league’s more dynamic runners once healthy from a high ankle sprain. With the Fighting Irish, Love ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns, finishing third in the Heisman Trophy voting last year.

In the passing game, tight end Trey McBride has asserted himself as the league’s best, earning first-team All-Pro in 2025 by catching 126 passes for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns, all bests for tight ends. On the outside, the Cardinals have a 1,000-yard receiver in Michael Wilson, who enters the final year of his rookie deal as one of the big trade chips to watch. Wilson was targeted 126 times last season, catching 78.

Finally, there’s an open question about what to expect from third-year wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. The 2024 first-rounder caught 62 passes for 885 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie, but those numbers dwindled to 41 receptions for 608 yards and four scores over 12 games in 2025. Will he bounce back or continue to struggle?

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This ranking could prove a fool’s decision, but the Buccaneers have ample reason to believe their offensive stars will bounce back after a lackluster season.

While Mike Evans is now in San Francisco, the receivers are still excellent, featuring Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan. Last year, Egbuka led the team as a rookie with 62 catches for 938 yards and six touchdowns, while Godwin and McMillan combined to play only 12 games due to injuries.

If Godwin and McMillan can stay healthy, there’s a track record of success. As a rookie in 2024, McMillan notched 461 yards and eight touchdowns in a depth role. Meanwhile, Godwin has four 1,000-yard seasons to his credit, including three consecutive from 2021 to ’23. Still only 30 years old, he could have plenty left to give.

Then there’s running back Bucky Irving, who exploded as a rookie two years ago, rushing for 1,122 yards and eight scores on 5.4 yards per carry. However, in eight games last year, Irving’s production fell off with only 3.4 YPC under now-fired offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard.

With Grizzard’s replacement, Zac Robinson, running the show, can the stars get back on track?

7. Atlanta Falcons

Like the Cardinals, people would be more excited about the Falcons if they had a quarterback to believe in. Alas, they do not.

While Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. are entrenched in a battle for the top job, the talent around them is ready for takeoff. Atlanta has arguably the league’s top back in Bijan Robinson, who in 2025 amassed an NFL-best 2,298 scrimmage yards, including 1,478 on the ground and 820 through the air on 79 receptions. Robinson, who earned first-team All-Pro honors, is a perennial Offensive Player of the Year candidate.

Beyond Robinson, the Falcons have a pair of quality pass catchers in second-team All-Pro tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Drake London. Though London’s 2025 season was limited to 12 games with a sprained PCL, he still managed 919 yards and seven touchdowns, while Pitts contributed 88 receptions for 928 yards and five touchdowns.

If the Falcons could even get competent quarterback play, the offense would be one of the NFL’s best.

6. Chicago Bears

Few teams can realistically enter a season and believe the offense could score 30 points per game, but the Bears are such a team.

Under second-year coach Ben Johnson, Chicago is loaded with weapons ranging from star tight end Colston Loveland and running back Kyle Monangai to receivers Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze. All four are under 25, suggesting their best ball is ahead of them.

A year ago as a first-round rookie, Loveland burst onto the scene with 713 yards and six touchdowns, highlighted by a 137-yard effort in the Bears’ wild-card win over the Packers. He’s joined on the outside by Odunze and Burden, who combined for 1,313 receiving yards and eight touchdowns despite missing seven games between them. Burden came on especially strong as his rookie year progressed with three December games of 60-plus yards and 47-of-60 targets throughout the season.

With quarterback Caleb Williams entering his third year and second in Johnson’s offense, expect the passing game to take another leap forward.

5. San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers’ ranking depends entirely on whether they can stay healthy.

San Francisco has been dealing with a crush of injuries, including receiver Ricky Pearsall, who is out for the season. At the same time, Mike Evans (groin), Christian McCaffrey (calf) and George Kittle (rehabbing his torn Achilles) have missed either most or all of training camp.

Still, the Niners are loaded with talent. McCaffrey is a former Offensive Player of the Year who totaled 2,126 yards and was named a first-team All-Pro in 2025. Evans, who was limited to eight games with a broken collarbone last year, has posted 11 consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards. As for Kittle, the 32-year-old played only 11 games in ’25 before tearing his Achilles in a playoff win over the Eagles, but he’s played in at least 14 games each of the four prior seasons. When healthy, he remains an elite tight end, evidenced by five consecutive Pro Bowl berths.

4. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals haven’t reached the playoffs since losing in the 2022 AFC championship game, but it’s not because their offensive talent is lacking. Instead, it’s been a combination of horrific defensive play and injuries to Joe Burrow.

Even with Burrow missing nine games last season, receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins still combined for 2,258 yards and 19 touchdowns, with a majority of that production coming on passes from Joe Flacco and Jake Browning. Chase has an argument as the league’s top receiver, having completed the triple crown in 2024 with 127 receptions for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns.

While Chase and Higgins rightfully get most of the attention, don’t forget about Chase Brown. Last year, Brown had his first 1,000-yard rushing season while adding 69 receptions for 437 yards.

If the Bengals can finally keep Burrow upright and rank in the top half of points allowed, something they haven’t done since 2022, they could be a very tough out in the wide-open AFC.

3. Dallas Cowboys

Last season, the Cowboys won seven games despite having the 30th-ranked defense. The reason? George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb emerged as the league’s top receiving tandem.

After a trade last offseason that brought Pickens over from the Steelers for a third-round pick, the Cowboys’ fourth-year star exploded for 93 receptions, 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. Meanwhile, Lamb totaled 75 catches for 1,077 yards despite missing three games, earning Pro Bowl honors while Pickens was named a second-team All-Pro.

In the backfield, Dallas signed Javonte Williams to a one-year deal in free agency and watched him amass 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns on 4.8 yards per carry before giving him a three-year contract this offseason. Factor in tight end Jake Ferguson as one of the league’s better red zone threats (eight touchdowns in 2025) and the Cowboys are as loaded as any team across the board.

2. Los Angeles Rams

The Rams are the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl after falling to the Seahawks in the NFC title game last year, and the offense is a huge reason why.

While MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford doesn’t factor into this equation, his weapons are elite. On the perimeter, future Hall of Fame receiver Davante Adams remains a force at 33, having led the league with 14 touchdown receptions last season. There’s also Puka Nacua, a fifth-round pick from BYU in 2023 who has been one of the league’s top playmakers. Nacua paced the NFL last season with 80 first downs and 129 receptions while totaling 107.2 receiving yards per game.

Although there’s not one standout tight end on the roster, Los Angeles plays four different contributors. Combined, they notched 1,128 yards and 17 touchdowns, with Colby Parkinson totaling eight of them.

Finally, Kyren Williams is a top-10 back by any measure. Williams has enjoyed three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, scoring 36 touchdowns over that span. Paired with Blake Corum, the Rams have one of the more dangerous backfields, as the duo averaged 4.9 yards per attempt a year ago.

1. Detroit Lions

Despite missing the playoffs last year and being saddled with questions this summer, no team has a greater collection of weapons than the Lions.

Along with Robinson and McCaffrey, Jahmyr Gibbs is the best all-around back in the league. In 2025, he ran for 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns on 5.0 yards per carry while catching 77 passes for 616 yards and another five scores. Without David Montgomery sharing the backfield this year after his trade to the Texans, Gibbs’s numbers should only increase.

On the perimeter, Detroit has perennial All-Pro wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and three All-Pro selections while totaling at least 106 receptions each year. He’s joined by speedster Jameson Williams, who had a career year in 2025 with 65 catches for 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns.

If tight end Sam LaPorta can return soon from his back injury, he’s another headache for defenses. LaPorta was a star as a rookie in 2023 with 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, but a somewhat down sophomore season gave way to injuries in ’25, limiting him to nine games and 489 yards. Should he bounce back, LaPorta could be a top-five tight end.

Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollowPublished 7 minutes ago | Modified 7 minutes agoMATT VERDERAME

Matt Verderame is a national NFL staff writer for Sports Illustrated, writing features, columns and more. Before joining Sports Illustrated in March 2023, Verderame wrote for FanSided and SB Nation. He’s a proud husband to Stephanie and father of two girls, Maisy and Genevieve. In his spare time, Verderame is an avid collector of vintage baseball cards.

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