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NFL free agency in 2025 did wonders to help raise the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots into surprise Super Bowl 60 teams. The Seahawks made the right call at QB with Sam Darnold, while the Patriots' busy spending spree led to significant personnel improvement.
There were some teams that matched the Seahawks' quality in this year's free agency to kick off the 2026 offseason more than a month ahead of the draft. Then there were others who focused on quantity, looking for a Patriots-like overhaul for new coaches and young QBs.
Here's the latest early look at the power rankings, to see who's rising and falling following the initial additions and losses:
NFL FREE AGENCY 2026: Team-by-team grades | Best players still available
NFL Power Rankings 2026
1. Los Angeles Rams (previous early 2026 ranking: 2)
The Rams strengthened their cornerback situation with former Chiefs starters Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson and also were able to keep top playmaking safety Kamren Curl. After falling short in the NFC title game with coverage issues, the Rams have become the new consensus Super Bowl 61 favorites.
2. Seattle Seahawks (1)
The Seahawks kept Rashid Shaheed and Josh Jobe for their passing game and secondary, but took some expected defensive hits with Riq Woolen, Boye Mafe and Coby Bryant. The most pressing issue for the draft is finding a more reliable back with Kenneth Walker III gone.
3. Buffalo Bills (3)
The Bills' biggest moves were trading for a top WR, D.J. Moore and then remixing the rass rush again with Bradley Chubb. They also kept their offensive line mostly intact and got some secondary depth. The tweaks are good enough to think they will be on the AFC contenders' short list again with Josh Allen under Joe Brady.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (5)
The Chiefs don't seem to have any worries about a full-strength Patrick Mahomes playing for the offense in 2026, with Kenneth Walker III giving them a top power back and with both Travis Kelce and Tyquan Thornton returning. They also had to save money at cornerback as they have confidence to always replenish that position to keep it up for Steve Spagnuolo's defense.
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5. Philadelphia Eagles (6)
The Eagles lost three key defensive contributors in Jaelen Phillips, Nakobe Dean and Reed Blankenship but rebounded a bit by adding Riq Woolen and Arnold Ebiketie to their pass D plans under Vic Fangio. Now it's a wait to see what happens with A.J. Brown.
6. San Francisco 49ers (7)
The 49ers made only one big move in getting Mike Evans as their new top field-stretching and end zone wide receiver, but it can have a huge impact on Brock Purdy and the offense. The biggest thing for them winning big again will be George Kittle, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner all coming back for a healthy effect.
7. Baltimore Ravens (14)
The Ravens didn't follow through on the Maxx Crosby deal, but still came away with top edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. They also got the ideal playmaking safety, Jaylinn Hawkins, to support Kyle Hamilton. They can handle offsetting the offensive losses of Isaiah Likely and Tyler Linderbaum in the draft.
8. New England Patriots (4)
The Patriots swapped out Stefon Diggs for younger Romeo Doubs at wide receiver and Hawkins for Kevin Byard at safety. They lost more up front than they gained defensively and didn't come close to their impactful haul from 2025. In relation to the other AFC powers, they lost ground.
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9. Chicago Bears (9)
The Bears were quick to remix their defense with safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush and got some extra draft capital with the Moore trade. They were also quick to replace retiring center Drew Dalman in the deal for Garrett Bradbury. Their solid haul makes them stay on track with winning bigger with Caleb Williams.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (8)
The Jaguars move on from two first-round stars for cap concerns, running back Travis Etienne Jr. and linebacker Devin Lloyd. They drop a little from the status quo by adding only a flyer backup back, Chris Rodriguez.
11. Los Angeles Chargers (13)
The Chargers had a lot of spending power in free agency but didn't feel like they needed to change much with Khalil Mack returning for the pass rush and Tyler Biadasz replacing Bradley Bozeman at center. Their biggest impact addition remains Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator.
12. Denver Broncos (10)
The Broncos kept JK Dobbins to address their backfield need and also kept breakout linebackers Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton. They didn't gain anything but didn't lose much, either, keeping them treading water.
13. Detroit Lions (15)
The Lions were able to move David Montgomery and got a decent power backup to Jahnyr Gibbs in Isaiah Pacheco. Center Cade Mays and guard Juice Scruggs are some interesting pieces for their offensive line revamping around Penei Sewell.
14. Houston Texans (11)
The Texans are also overworking their offensive line with Braden Smith replacing Tytus Howard. They solidified running back with Montgomery and even got some extra defensive playmaking in safety Reed Blankenship. They need to do more in the draft to jump the Jaguars.
15. Green Bay Packers (12)
The Packers lost their backup QB, backup running back, No. 2 wide receiver, a left tackle, a center, their No. 2 edge rusher and a starting linebacker. They got only a few defensive pieces back with the new no-Jeff Hafley defense. The results were rough enough to drop them well below other NFC playoff-caliber teams.
16. Cincinnati Bengals (16)
The Bengals were expected to lose Hendrickson and recovered well with a shot on former Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe. Safety Bryan Cook is a delayed filling of a big need. The offense will need some work in the draft.
17. Minnesota Vikings (20)
The Vikings were pretty quiet with not much of note coming or going until their cheap shot on the ceiling of quarterback Kyler Murray for Kevin O'Connell's offense. Should all go well, he'll beat out J.J. McCarthy for the job and make them a lot more competitive again.
18. Dallas Cowboys (17)
The Cowboys, for not having too much flexibility, retained wide receiver George Pickens and got a mix of cheaper defensive help for new coordinator Christian Parker, including Rashan Gary, Cobie Durant and Jalen Thompson.
19. Pittsburgh Steelers (18)
The Steelers trading for needed wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and signing new owner running back Rico Dowdle suggest that Aaron Rodgers will re-sign and play QB for Mike McCarthy again. They didn't see much of note lead and even helped their secondary twice with Jamel Dean and Jaquan Brisker.
20. Indianapolis Colts (19)
The Colts used all of their resources making sure Daniel Jones was locked up at quarterback and Alec Pierce would be their top wide receiver. But they also took key hits on the offensive line and defense to slide in a suddenly tough division.
21. New York Giants (21)
The Giants getting tight end Isaiah Likely, punter Jordan Stout and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds give them only limited impact as they remix the offense again for Jaxson Dart. They should be busier overall in the draft.
22. Washington Commanders (22)
The Commanders need a healthy Jayden Daniels to bring them back to contention but it helps they worked on keeping their offensive line key pieces intact and upgraded the pass-rush potential big time for Dan Quinn with Odafe Oweh, K'Lavon Chaisson and Leo Chenal. Chigoziem Okonkwo and Rachaad White are sneaky good passing game assets.
23. New Orleans Saints (25)
The Saints are marching toward being a surprise team in the second year of Tyler Shough and Kellen Moore, adding Travis Etienne Jr. as a dynamic backfield weapon and improving the blocking with guard David Edwards. Getting linebacker Kaden Elliss back is helpful as they push for a defensive youth movement.
24. Carolina Panthers (26)
The Panthers did well to upgrade their front-seven defense big time with impact edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd. Getting needed offensive tackle help later with Rasheed Walker at a bargain price was a bonus for Bryce Young and the offense.
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25. Tennessee Titans (27)
The Titans had the most money to spend and came up with a lot of needed new defensive starting punch for coach Robert Saleh and with the influence of new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, they landed Wan'Dale Robinson as a top slot target for Cam Ward. Not to be forgotten is improving offensive depth and solidifying their strength. on special teams.
26. Las Vegas Raiders (28)
The Raiders got Tyler Linderbaum as a key new starter for Fernando Mendoza and Asthon Jeanty and ended up giving remaining EDGE Maxx Crosby big help for now with Nakobe Dean, Quay Walker, Kwity Paye and Taron Johnson. Unfortunately, John Spytek has a lot more draft work to do to make them competitive again in the NFL's most loaded division.
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (23)
The Buccaneers didn't have a lot of flexibility with spending and ended up with some lateral help moves in running back Kenneth Gainwell and linebacker Alex Anzalone and had to deal with not keeping Mike Evans. They are weakened overall in the NFL's weakest division.
28. Atlanta Falcons (24)
The Falcons getting Tua Tagovailoa to compete with Michael Penix Jr. is uninspiring for the new Kevin Stefanski offense. Otherwise, Matt Ryan and new GM Ian Cunningham had a meh mixed bag of losing defense and adding complementary offensive pieces.
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29. Miami Dolphins (30)
The Dolphins got Malik Willis to shore up QB without Tagovailoa, but before free agency, they had to slash plenty in rebuild mode for Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Halfey. It will still be a while before they can make a winning splash.
30. Cleveland Browns (29)
The Browns were having a big talk about getting Willis and getting his left tackle, Walker, but none of that materialized. They are stuck where they are at QB and also have a massive shift in the offensive line along with losing some defensive punch.
31. Arizona Cardinals (31)
The Cardinals also stood pat in their offense by keeping Jacoby Brissett and James Conner while also adding Gardner Minshew and Tyler Allgeier. A lot is uncertain for the start of the Mike LaFleur era minus Murray.
32. New York Jets (32)
The Jets spent a lot of money on random defensive players as they try to rebuild their defense and splurged with a luxury franchise tag on Breece Hall. But by far the worst thing they did was trade with the Raiders for Geno Smith, pushing them backward at QB instead of forward.
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