With just under four months until the start of the 2026 National Football League season, teams are preparing for offseason training and workouts and are finishing up roster changes until kickoff on opening day.
The season is scheduled to begin on Sept. 9, with the reigning Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks set to take on an opponent that will be announced when the schedule is released May 14.
While there is still a while to go before the season begins, here is an early look at the AFC:
AFC North
Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the AFC North after Baltimore Ravens kicker Tyler Loop missed a game-winning 44-yard field goal that ended Baltimore’s season and made the Steelers division champions.
The Ravens, who finished the season with an 8-9 record, battled injuries on both sides of the ball throughout the season, and if they can stay healthy, they’ll have a better outlook for the 2026 season. Baltimore also added star linebacker Trey Hendrickson from the Cincinnati Bengals during the offseason, bolstering a defensive unit that struggled at times last season.
Cincinnati finished last season with a 6-11 record, but, like Baltimore, it struggled to keep players healthy. Quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a turf toe injury during Week 2, and didn’t return until late November, when the Bengals already held a 3-8 record. After having one of the worst defenses in the NFL a season ago, the Bengals drafted three defensive players and acquired defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II during the offseason.
The Steelers are entering their first season under head coach Mike McCarthy after Mike Tomlin walked away from the job after 19 seasons at the helm. McCarthy brought in Brian Angelichio and Patrick Graham as his offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively, as part of a new-look coaching staff. Pittsburgh finished last season with a 10-7 overall record.
The Cleveland Browns have been at the bottom of the division since the turn of the century, aside from a few double-digit win seasons in 2007, 2020 and 2023. Following their 5-12 record in 2025, the Browns parted ways with head coach Kevin Stefanski and hired Todd Monken to fill his place.
AFC South
The AFC South has been an unpredictable division over the last five seasons, as three of the four teams have taken home the division title since 2020. Last season, the Jacksonville Jaguars won the division with a 13-4 overall record — just one game better than the Houston Texans who finished second in the division.
The Jaguars are entering their second season under head coach Liam Coen, who’s helped revamp Jacksonville. The Jaguars lost running back Travis Etienne Jr. and linebacker Devin Lloyd during the offseason, but they’ve picked up, re-signed or drafted players who will help fill those roles.
Houston has upgraded its offensive line throughout the offseason. After allowing 54 sacks in 2024, which tied for third worst in the NFL, the unit improved in 2025, allowing 31. Despite the improvement, the Texans signed offensive guard Wyatt Teller and offensive tackle Braden Smith.
The Indianapolis Colts started last season with an 8-2 record, but after quarterback Daniel Jones tore his achillies in early December, the Colts lost their remaining games to miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. Despite this, the Colts lost many key players throughout the offseason, including offensive tackle Braden Smith, linebacker Zaire Franklin and wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., among others. However, Indianapolis hasn’t made many flashy additions of its own. They re-signed wide receiver Alec Pierce to a four-year, $114 million deal, and drafted University of Georgia linebacker CJ Allen, but there are still gaps in the roster.
The Tennessee Titans, who finished 2025 with a 3-14 record, added many players to its defensive unit, which ranked in the bottom half of the league in many defensive categories last season. They acquired defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers, cornerbacks Alontae Taylor and Cor’Dale Flott, edge Jermaine Johnson II along with multiple defensive draft picks. They also drafted and signed two wide receivers to help their young quarterback Cam Ward, who will enter his second season in the NFL in 2026.
AFC West
After nine straight seasons of the Kansas City Chiefs reigning over the AFC West, another team took charge in 2025. The Denver Broncos won the division with a 14-3 overall record, while the Chiefs finished third in the division at 6-11.
In their second season with quarterback Bo Nix and third with head coach Sean Payton, the Broncos earned the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and advanced to the AFC Championship against the New England Patriots. Nix broke his ankle in the game prior, leaving quarterback Jarret Stidham to lead the Broncos in the conference championship. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw and defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers departed from the Broncos, who had one of the best defensive units last season, but offensive addition wide receiver Jaylen Waddle will be another receiving target for Nix alongside wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
The Chiefs struggled throughout the early parts of 2025, but after star quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in early December, they lost their three remaining games to miss the playoffs. Kansas City has struggled in the run game in recent seasons, but it brought in running back Kenneth Walker III from the reigning Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks to improve that area of play. However, the Chiefs have lost key contributors on the defensive side of the ball, like cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.
The Las Vegas Raiders are a completely new-look team from a season ago when they finished 3-14 and received the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Raiders brought in Klint Kubiak — who was offensive coordinator of the Seahawks last season — as their head coach. They drafted quarterback Fernando Mendoza from Indiana University with the No. 1 pick and signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins as a mentor and competition. They’ve brought in impactful defensive players, like linebacker Nakobe Dean, offensive linemen to protect their young quarterback and offensive weapons for him to throw to. While it might take some time to get all the new pieces working together, the Raiders are in a much better spot than they were in 2025.
Despite making the playoffs in 2025, the Los Angeles Chargers once again struggled once they got to postseason play. They finished the season with an 11-6 overall record. The Chargers lost veterans edge Odafe Oweh and wide receiver Keenan Allen during the offseason but didn’t do much in free agency to fill the gaps that were left by them. They drafted University of Miami edge Akheem Mesidor with their first-round pick, and wide receiver Brenen Thompson from Mississippi State University in the fourth round but haven’t made a splashy move to patch the holes.
AFC East
The New England Patriots won the AFC in 2025 but fell to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. The AFC East division was competitive, with the Patriots and Buffalo Bills making the playoffs last season.
Despite finishing the season with a 14-3 record and a trip to the Super Bowl, the Patriots have been aggressive throughout the offseason. They added wide receiver Romeo Doubs from the Green Bay Packers as an offensive weapon for quarterback Drake May and brought in former New York Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker to protect him. Along with the offensive additions, the Patriots made moves on the defensive side, signing players like edge Dre’Mont Jones and safety Kevin Byard III.
The Bills have had much roster turnover this offseason, but not at the position they might need it the most after a 12-5 record last season. Buffalo has struggled finding offensive weapons for quarterback Josh Allen in recent seasons, but it only brought in two wide receivers so far this offseason. The Bills traded with the Chicago Bears for DJ Moore II and drafted Skyler Bell from the University of Connecticut in the fourth round.
After going 7-10 last season, the Miami Dolphins have completely flipped their roster. They released quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and signed quarterback Malik Willis from the Packers in this place. They brought in two wide receivers, Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell, and drafted offensive tackle Kayden Proctor from the University of Alabama with the No. 12 overall draft pick to protect Willis.
Like the Dolphins, the Jets will look like a completely new team this season. With their three first round draft picks, the Jets selected an edge David Bailey from Texas Tech University and two offensive skill players in tight end Kenyon Sadiq from the University of Oregon and former Indiana University wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. There are still questions surrounding the quarterback position, as the Jets parted ways with Justin Fields and brought in veteran quarterback Geno Smith, who spent the last season with the Raiders.
