With NFL free agency over, it’s the proper time to take stock of where the 32 teams stand across the league.
And looking at the landscape, a few things are clear in the AFC: The Raiders are massive, overwhelming favorites to take Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick, while the Ravens and Bills will be under the proverbial microscope as both are perennial contenders who moved on from longtime coaches in pursuit of a title.
On the NFC side, the Cardinals appear to be in full-on tank mode as Gardner Minshew II and Jacoby Brissett will battle for the starting quarterback job. The rest of the NFC West? Anything but tank mode.
But which teams are the best? Which are the contenders buoyed by superior talent in a certain area? Which teams are in the best shape positionally?
Going into the draft, let’s take a look at each position and determine who has the luxury of knowing that they’re tops at that spot.
Quarterback: Kansas City Chiefs
When we look back in 20 years on this era, there won’t be a debate about the greatest quarterback. So, while it’s fair to wonder if Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs should top this section with the three-time champ coming off a torn ACL, it’s unwise to bet against him.
Mahomes, 30, remains the most tantalizing player in the game, able to tilt the field every weekend. Kansas City has one of the league’s best offensive lines in front of him and now a ground game in the form of Kenneth Walker III. Provided Mahomes is healthy, he’s still the best in the NFL. —Matt Verderame
Running back: Los Angeles Rams
There are teams with better lead backs than Kyren Williams. The Colts, Bills, Eagles, Ravens, Falcons, 49ers and others can all make that claim. But none of those teams has a complement like Blake Corum, giving the Rams the nod here.
Williams enjoyed his third consecutive 1,000-yard season in 2025, rushing for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns on 4.8 yards per carry. He also caught 36 passes, including adding three scores through the air, while Corum amassed 746 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 5.1 yards per carry. Going into ‘26, there’s no better tandem. —MV
Wide receiver: Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals are lacking in plenty of areas on their roster, but certainly not at receiver. Cincinnati invested heavily in Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase, using a pair of top-35 picks on them in consecutive years before giving both long-term extensions.
The investments have paid off.
Chase won the receiving triple crown in 2024 with 127 catches, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns, before backing it up with 1,412 yards and eight scores last year. Meanwhile, Higgins is a force at 225 pounds, totaling 846 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns a season ago despite playing in 15 games. —MV
Tight end: Arizona Cardinals
Gone are the days of a team having a dominant pair of tight ends, such as Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez of the New England Patriots in the early 2010s. However, the position is exploding with young talent, and nobody is better than Trey McBride.
McBride led all tight ends in receptions (126) and yardage (1,239) last season while notching 11 touchdowns, despite playing with Jacoby Brissett and Kyler Murray under center. McBride also has a quality understudy in Elijah Higgins, who caught 30 passes for 301 yards in 2025. —MV
Offensive line: Denver Broncos
Denver is renowned for its defense, but don’t forget about the offensive line built by general manager George Paton. The Broncos have a pair of stud tackles in Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey, with Bolles earning Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors in 2025.
On the interior, Denver has two-time first-team All-Pro guard Quinn Meinerz and Ben Powers flanking center Luke Wattenberg, who has started 28 games over the past two seasons. It’s a unit that can both run and pass block, as evidenced by Bo Nix being sacked only 46 times over the past two years, despite leading the league with 612 pass attempts in 2025. —MV
Defensive line: Houston Texans
I’m counting edge rushers and outside linebackers—it’s practically the same thing—with the interior defensive linemen for this category.
Surprisingly, it was difficult to find a stacked team across every defensive line position. The Seahawks are superior on the interior, but have questions on the edges. The Broncos lost versatile defender John Franklin-Myers in free agency and Nik Bonitto could use more help on the outside.
With that said, let’s go with the Texans’ elite pass-rushing duo of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. These are two of the best at their position, with a combined 50 sacks over the past two seasons. Yes, Houston is missing an elite defensive tackle, but it hasn’t needed one with how much damage Anderson and Hunter create on game days. —Gilberto Manzano
Linebacker: San Francisco 49ers
I couldn’t bring myself to go in a different direction because Fred Warner is still the best linebacker in the game. He should be fully recovered from the injured ankle that cost him most of the 2025 season.
He’s in the back end of his prime, entering his age-30 season, but what he did in the first quarter of last season showed he still has plenty to offer. He carried a young San Francisco defensive front and was well on his way to being a Defensive Player of the Year contender before the injury. Also, the 49ers reunited Warner with Dre Greenlaw, who spent last season in Denver before returning to the team that drafted him in 2019. —GM
Cornerback: Seattle Seahawks
This might be unfair, but I’m going to count safety Nick Emmanwori as a cornerback because he served in the slot for many stretches throughout his rookie season.
Versatility is a must in coach Mike Macdonald’s secondary. Devon Witherspoon can shut down receivers from any position on the field and will likely see a market-setting contract extension later this offseason for his dominant 2025 season. The Seahawks also had no issues with letting Riq Woolen sign with Philadelphia in free agency because of the emergence of Josh Jobe, who re-signed on a three-year, $24 million contract. —GM
Safety: Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have the best safety in the game and are loaded at the position.
Last year, Baltimore paired All-Pro Kyle Hamilton with 2025 first-round pick Malaki Starks. The team now has a strong trio of safeties after the free-agent addition of Jaylinn Hawkins, who helped the Patriots advance to the Super Bowl last season. New coach Jesse Minter has always favored three safeties in his rotation and now has the right pieces to produce a dominant defense in Year 1 in Baltimore. —GM
Special teams: Seattle Seahawks
Let’s not overlook the fact that the Seahawks excelled in all three phases en route to winning Super Bowl LX. It wasn’t just Macdonald’s dominant defense and the stellar duo of Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Special teams stepped up throughout the season and had clutch moments from reliable kicker Jason Myers, who had a record five field goals in the Super Bowl, and dangerous returner Rashid Shaheed, who had the momentum-changing 58-yard punt return touchdown against the Rams that essentially locked up home-field advantage for the team. —GM
More NFL from Sports Illustrated
- Ranking the Top 50 NFL Free-Agent Signings of 2026
- Grading the Falcons’ New Uniforms: Atlanta Rises Up With Refreshed Threads for 2026
- Why Kirk Cousins Signing With Raiders Makes So Much Sense
- Bills QB Josh Allen, Hailee Steinfeld Welcome Baby Girl
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bengals, Cardinals Among the NFL’s Best Teams at Every Position After Free Agency.
