As the NFL season approaches, all eyes are on the top contenders vying for the Super Bowl title. Meanwhile, the bottom-dwelling teams are often relegated to the sidelines, with their hopes pinned on the next draft and the potential of adding talented young players. However, there are reasons to be optimistic about these struggling teams, and we’ll explore those reasons in this article.

Arizona Cardinals: Growth from a Young Core

The Arizona Cardinals are one of the teams with the lowest Super Bowl odds, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Despite being in a tough division with the defending Super Bowl champions, the Cardinals have a young core that’s ready to grow and develop. Offensively, head coach and primary playcaller Mike LaFleur inherited a talented but inconsistent group. While the offense will be without promising rookie guard Chase Bisontis for the whole season due to a torn MCL, and first-round RB Jeremiyah Love is currently injured with a high ankle sprain, there’s still reason to be curious about their offense.

Last year, the Cardinals’ offense had a good foundation but was too static, relying on their players to make plays on islands. Their motion rate of 43.9% was 30th in the NFL, despite being 12th in Offensive Success Rate when a player goes in motion. Adding motion to their offense will give players like WRs Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson a much easier chance of creating space, while giving the QB easier answers to the test. It’ll especially help Harrison, who is a smooth mover and glider when defensive backs can’t get their hands on him at the line of scrimmage. LaFleur’s decision to use more motion and easier ways of getting his young stars the ball should help them grow in a big way, and that’s exciting for the 2026 season.

On the defensive side, the Cardinals have talent in important spots when healthy. DT Walter Nolen III is a game-wrecker with his speed and explosiveness, and CB Will Johnson had promising moments, but neither player can stay healthy for long. If you get healthy years from those two, combined with quality reps from EDGE Josh Sweat, CB Garrett Williams, and S Budda Baker, you get a fun core that should be built around moving forward.

Miami Dolphins: A Pain in the Butt for Backside EDGEs

The 2026 Miami Dolphins should be a pain in the butt for backside EDGEs to defend. New offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik goes about his business differently than former playcaller Mike McDaniel, but both come from the same San Francisco tree, where forcing defenses into base defense via heavy personnel is the way to go. Where I think this can help Miami, and QB Malik Willis is leaning into the athleticism of their offensive stars, which should make for some fun moments. Left tackle Patrick Paul, left guard Kadyn Proctor, center Aaron Brewer, and RB De’Von Achane are all good athletes who fit the offense Slowik is bringing to Miami. Combine that with Willis being a run threat to backside EDGEs, and you (potentially) get cutback lanes galore.

Does this mean I think the Dolphins offense will be elite? No, I still think they have a myriad of questions in the receiving corps, and Willis is still unproven as a full-time starter, but schematically, their run game could be very fun. With all of the speed and run threats in the backfield, their offense could put a lot of nice stuff on tape, a promising sign for a team that’s in year one of a rebuild.

Cleveland Browns: The Youth Movement

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Browns might be bad, but their young guys are talented and can be built around. I know we’ve been on this ride before with Cleveland, but the biggest reason for hope on a team with one of the worst QB battles in the league is that all of their prized young guys are going to play significant reps. On offense, second-year RB Quinshon Judkins and TE Harold Fannin Jr. are the highlights, but rookie wideouts KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston have been tearing up camp for the Browns. Concepcion was the second of their first-round picks (the other being LT Spencer Fano), and HC Todd Monken has found many ways to get him the ball, as well as Boston.

The QB battle might look rough, but the young supporting cast should provide some fun moments. On defense, the young core of EDGE Jared Verse, DT Mason Graham, reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year LB Carson Schwesinger, and S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren should provide consistent pop (even if they don’t get sack production like they did last year). CB Denzel Ward should still remain one of the best CBs in the league, giving new DC Mike Rutenberg a bevy of tools in his arsenal. With Rutenberg coming from the Atlanta Falcons, I wonder if Cleveland leans more on pressure through scheme and simulated looks than on just lining up and winning. If so, you’ll see a lot of youth and athleticism making plays.

New York Jets: An Offense to Watch

For the Jets, I could’ve just expanded this to the entire offense (which we’ll get to later), but I think their offensive line is on the verge of becoming a special unit. Which is what you should expect after spending three Day 1 or 2 picks on offensive linemen in the last three years. The trio of RT Armand Membou, LT Olu Fashanu, and RG Joe Tippmann gives the Jets an athletic core on the offensive line, one that can play in both zone and gap schemes. Round that group out with Josh Myers and Dylan Parham, and you have a unit that can be very good very soon.

The Jets’ offense as a whole is one I’m cautiously keeping an eye on. I don’t have much faith in OC Frank Reich, but the core is there for this offense not to be a bottom dweller in 2026. A receiving corps of Garrett Wilson, AD Mitchell, Mason Taylor, and rookies Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr. could be very fun to watch, with RBs Breece Hall and Braelon Allen in the backfield. New QB Geno Smith could find his mojo after a down year, but even if he’s not what he was in Seattle, having a QB who is willing to test tight windows could elevate this offense a lot.

Atlanta Falcons: Bijan Robinson

Before EDGE Jalon Walker tore his ACL and EDGE James Pearce Jr. got suspended for eight games, I would’ve put a defense that retains their defensive coordinator, Jeff Ulbrich (I do think their secondary is quietly becoming something special), but instead I’m going to go with one of the coolest players in the NFL, Bijan Robinson. Since entering the NFL, Robinson leads the NFL in touches, scrimmage yards, and is sixth among all ball carriers in first downs or touchdowns per touch (min. 600 touches). The coolest part about Robinson is that he’s not only able to make people miss but also run through contact at a high level.

Robinson just got a big-time extension, and it was much deserved for being one of the best players in the league. I’m excited to see how HC Kevin Stefanski continues to get Robinson the ball. The offense shouldn’t change much from former playcaller Zac Robinson, plenty of wide zone with boot action off of it, but there will be many more under-center looks and designed downfield targets. The depth of the Falcons’ receiver room isn’t anything spectacular, so I still expect Robinson to be a feature in the passing game as well. This offseason hasn’t been perfect for the Falcons, but Robinson is one of the few bright spots.