The National Football League’s NFC Divisions were dominant throughout the 2025 season. The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots in early February, while multiple divisions had at least three teams with winning records.
After the 2026 NFL Draft, and partway into the offseason, here’s an early look at how the NFC teams are looking before next season starts in early September:
NFC North
The NFC was home to two of the premier divisions in the NFL, one of which was the NFC North. The Chicago Bears won the division with an 11-6 record, but each of the four teams had a winning record.
The Bears’ season ended in the divisional round with an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams. While they haven’t made too many splashy additions to their roster for next season, they’re returning a core group of players who will develop throughout the offseason, like quarterback Caleb Williams, tight end Colston Loveland and wide receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. They lost a few key players during the offseason, like wide receiver DJ Moore and safety Kevin Byard III, but Chicago has reinforcements.
The Bears ended the Green Bay Packers’ season in the Wild Card round of the playoffs after a desperation throw from Caleb Williams was caught for a touchdown with 1:20 remaining in overtime. The Packers were without starting quarterback Jordan Love for some of the 2025 season as he dealt with injuries, leaving Malik Willis to fill in his role. Willis signed with the Miami Dolphins during the offseason, and the Packers brought in veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Linebacker Micah Parsons will also return to the Packers in early 2026 after he tore his ACL in December. While Green Bay hasn’t made too many flashy moves this offseason, it’ll be healthier when the season starts, which should bode well for a squad that went 9-7-1 in 2025.
The Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings both finished last season with 9-8 records but missed the playoffs. The Vikings should have a battle for the starting quarterback role after they brought in former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, despite having J.J. McCarthy, who is entering his third season in the league. They lost many impactful defensive players, like defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, but made some key additions to replace them, like defensive tackle Caleb Banks.
After two straight trips to the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, the Lions were absent from postseason play in 2025. The Lions revamped their offensive line during the offseason, as they used their first-round draft pick on offensive tackle Blake Miller from Clemson University, and signed former Carolina Panthers center Cade Mays.
NFC South
The NFC South was arguably one of the worst divisions in the NFL in 2025. The Carolina Panthers came away with the division title but only had an 8-9 record to show for it.
The Panthers have picked up three offensive tackles so far this offseason, one via the draft and two through free agency. Carolina also added center Luke Fortner as a free agent after former center Cade Mays departed. The offensive line support should provide quarterback Bryce Young, who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Panthers in 2023. While the Panthers heavily invested in the offensive line, it left little room for Carolina to add offensive weapons for Young or impactful defensive players.
Like the Panthers, the Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons both finished with an 8-9 record. Despite starting the season 5-1, Tampa Bay failed to make the playoffs or even take home the division title in the NFC South. The Buccaneers had many important players depart during the offseason, like veteran wide receiver Mike Evans and linebacker Lavonte David. Still, they did bring in younger pieces to fill those voids.
While the Falcons have plenty of offensive weapons to make a run next season, it will most likely depend on their quarterback’s play. Wide receiver Drake London, tight end Kyle Pitts and running back Bijan Robinson have all proved they are capable, but the issue comes with who is passing them. After releasing quarterback Kirk Cousins, the Falcons signed former Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and retained Michael Penix Jr., who tore his ACL in mid-November, but should be healthy for the 2026 season.
The New Orleans Saints are building around quarterback Tyler Shough, who is entering his second season in 2026. They added former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. and drafted Jordyn Tyson with the No. 8 overall pick for more offensive firepower. Defensively, they’ve added players at defensive tackle, cornerback and linebacker.
NFC West
The NFC West was the second of the two premier NFC divisions in the NFL last season. Three of the four teams earned spots in the playoffs; the Arizona Cardinals, who were 3-14, were the only team from the west who didn’t see postseason play. The Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams even made it to the conference championship, which Seattle won en route to becoming the Super Bowl champion.
Part of the Seahawks’ success this season came from the run game. The duo of running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet helped carry Seattle to a 14-3 record. However, 2026 will look different for Seattle. Walker became a free agent and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, while Charbonnet tore his ACL during the Seahawks’ playoff run and his return is unknown. The Seahawks drafted former University of Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price to bolster the group, but the core of running backs won’t be as stable as it was in 2025.
After their appearance in the NFC Championship, the Rams addressed some key concerns on the defensive side of the ball. Los Angeles added former Kansas City cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson during the offseason. Despite Matthew Stafford coming off an MVP season, the Rams made the surprising decision to draft former University of Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with their No. 13 overall pick, rather than adding players in other areas of need.
The San Francisco 49ers made lots of flashy moves during the offseason after going 12-5 in 2025. They signed wide receiver Mike Evans and Christian Kirk and picked up linebacker Dre Greenlaw in free agency. With their first three picks, the 49ers drafted a wide receiver, edge rusher and running back. San Francisco has a balance of veteran players, along with its young players, which could bode well for another playoff season.
While the Cardinals were largely uncompetitive in 2026, they haven’t made many bold moves during the offseason. After releasing quarterback Kyler Murray, they signed Gardner Minshew II — who played for the Chiefs last season — and drafted former University of Miami quarterback Carson Beck. They brought in a lot of offensive linemen and skill position players, but didn’t make many additions on the defensive side.
NFC East
While the Philadelphia Eagles found success in 2025, the rest of the NFC East struggled and failed to make the playoffs.
The Eagles, which have a game scheduled in London against the Jaguars on Oct. 11, were 11-6 in 2026. They lost key contributors on both offense and defense, but they’ve made sure to patch up the holes left through free agency, the draft and trades. It’s expected that the Eagles are going to trade star wide receiver A.J. Brown after the post-June 1 deadline, but they’ve brought in skill players who could make an impact alongside the players already on the roster.
The Dallas Cowboys, which went 7-9-1 in 2025, have spent the offseason rebuilding their defensive unit. After losing linebacker Micah Parsons last offseason, the Cowboys’ defensive unit struggled, which forced them to bring in defensive players. Dallas used its No. 11 overall pick on safety Caleb Downs from Ohio State University and the No. 23 overall pick on former University of Central Florida edge Malachi Lawrence.
The Washington Commanders, who went 5-12 in 2025, lost many big-name players during the offseason, like running back Austin Ekeler and wide receiver Deebo Samuel. However, they brought in plenty of players at many positions who should be able to help reinforce both the offensive and defensive units. The Commanders will also return in 2026 with a healthy Jayden Daniels, after the quarterback suffered an elbow injury in November.
After finishing last season with a 4-13 record, the New York Giants went all in on rebuilding their roster, especially the defense. They brought in key players at defensive tackle, linebacker and in the secondary to help shape the future of the team. On the offensive side of the ball, the Giants brought in skill players to help quarterback Jaxson Dart, who is entering his second season in the league.
