Matt Johnson
One of the biggest stories in the NBA this season has been the number of teams tanking for better positioning in the 2026 NBA Draft. While tanking isn’t quite as big of an issue in the National Football League, where there is no draft lottery involved, a few clubs don’t seem to be signaling a strong desire to win next season.
It’s hard to blame them. Even a year out, there’s extraordinary buzz about a 2027 NFL Draft class that will feature quarterbacks Arch Manning, Dante Moore and Brendan Sorsby—not to mention elite talents like wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, edge rusher Dylan Stewart and cornerback Leonard Moore.
Related: 2026 NFL Mock Draft
With that in mind, we’re highlighting a few teams who already seem to be signaling that they’ll be tanking next season for a better pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
New York Jets
The New York Jets already possess three first-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, so we know plenty of their resources will be devoted to scouting and player evaluation for the upcoming season. Now, the front office did bring in a lot of veteran talent (Joseph Ossai, Demario Davis, Kingsley Enagbare, David Onyemata and Minkah Fitzpatrick) to help out Aaron Glenn’s defense. Did it significantly improve the roster? Yes. However, that doesn’t take much since New York looked like one of the worst NFL teams in recent memory during the second half of the 2025 campaign. New York still has a bottom-five roster in the NFL and there’s a real chance this club has a top-three pick, a top-15 pick and a top-20 pick in Round 1 next year.
Las Vegas Raiders
Even with Maxx Crosby returning, the calculation doesn’t change much for the Las Vegas Raiders. It will take time for quarterback Fernando Mendoza to adjust to playing under center, and passers who lack elite physical tools can be exposed by the talent and speed in the NFL. Furthermore, the team is working to integrate a new-look offensive line and a receiving corps that—despite the recent addition of Jalen Nailor—still has much to prove. All of that is to say, Las Vegas might have to settle for five to six wins in 2026.
Miami Dolphins
It certainly appears as though the first-year tandem of head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan are planning a multi-year rebuild for the Miami Dolphins. Releasing Tyreek Hill was obvious, but taking a historic dead-cap hit by cutting Tua Tagovailoa truly signaled that 2026 would be the season this regime tears the roster down to the studs. De’Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle are still around, which makes this a much more interesting landing spot for dual-threat quarterback Malik Willis, especially since there are very low stakes in Miami. The Dolphins are taking a calculated bet on Willis being their long-term quarterback. If it doesn’t work out this fall, they can move on from him relatively easily and draft a top signal-caller in the 2027 NFL Draft—or, if Willis lives up to his potential, Miami could grab a top defender next year. Either way, it will likely be a top-five pick.
Cleveland Browns
It’s certainly a decision to quickly move forward with Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson as your starting quarterback options for the 2026 NFL season. One thing is for sure: the Cleveland Browns and first-year head coach Todd Monken do not have any good options. It doesn’t help that the remade Browns offensive line features a below-average guard they overpaid for (Zion Johnson), a center (Elgton Jenkins) who has been in decline for two seasons now, and Teven Jenkins on the interior. It took a record-breaking season from Myles Garrett for Cleveland to win five games this past season. With Jim Schwartz gone, five wins might be the ceiling for the Browns this fall.
Arizona Cardinals
It’s not as if the Arizona Cardinals didn’t make any additions this offseason. Signing Isaac Seumalo will improve the offensive line, and Tyler Allgeier is absolutely an upgrade for the run game, at least compared to what the team had last season after injuries. However, there’s probably a six-win ceiling on a team quarterbacked by Jacoby Brissett or Gardner Minshew with a bottom-10 defense. First-year head coach Matt LaFleur will also experience growing pains on the job, probably capping Arizona at no more than five wins. With the state of the roster as a whole, the Cardinals certainly seem to be more focused on building an infrastructure that would be welcoming to a quarterback like Arch Manning or Dante Moore.
