Ranking The 5 Worst NFL Rosters Ahead of 2025 OTAs
Between the draft, free agency, player retention and player development, there's a lot that goes into building a successful NFL roster. Unfortunately, as many fans know, some franchises have struggled to figure out the formula.
The good news is that fortunes can change quickly in the NFL. The Detroit Lions, for example, have possessed one of the NFL's best rosters over the last couple of seasons after years of being proverbial also-rans.
After being a four-win team in 2023, the Washington Commanders rode a successful offseason to a 2024 playoff berth and an appearance in the NFC Championship Game.
So, there is hope, even for downtrodden teams. However, hope doesn't erase roster deficiencies, prevent aging players from declining or turn unpolished projects into stars. It also can't stop teams like these from entering organized team activities (OTAs) with little hope of contention in 2025.
Missed the Cut
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A couple of teams earned serious consideration but ultimately fell short of the list proper. These were among the league's worst teams in 2024 but improved enough during free agency and the draft to provide promise heading into OTAs.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots won just four games in 2024, but they seemed to uncover a potential franchise quarterback in Drake Maye. Unsurprisingly, this offseason was largely about building around the young signal-caller.
New England improved its offensive cast significantly. In the early offseason, the team added wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins, plus offensive linemen Morgan Moses and Garrett Bradbury. In the draft, the Patriots grabbed offensive tackle Will Campbell, running back TreVeyon Henderson, receiver Kyle Williams and interior lineman Jared Wilson.
The Patriots offense has the potential to be both effective and entertaining in 2025. With a few nice defensive pieces also in the mix—like defensive lineman Milton Williams and corner Carlton Davis—New England could be in store for a respectable campaign.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars won only four games last season, though they did play much of the season without a healthy Trevor Lawrence at quarterback.
Having a franchise-caliber quarterback can help hide a lot of holes, and Jacksonville might have one in Lawrence. However, a poor supporting cast has prevented the 2021 first overall pick from reaching his NFL ceiling.
Unsurprisingly, the Jaguars churned over their roster in the early offseason, trading wideout Christian Kirk and parting with the likes of Evan Engram, Andre Cisco and Ronald Darby.
New general manager James Gladstone has made some calculated moves to improve Jacksonville's roster. He added linemen Robert Hainsey and Patrick Mekari, along with wideout Dyami Brown, cornerback Jourdan Lewis and safety Eric Murray. At the top of the draft, he made an aggressive trade for corner/receiver Travis Hunter, who, conceivably, could start at two positions for the Jags.
"There are very few players who have the capacity to alter the trajectory of the sport itself. Travis, while he has a lot to still earn, in our eyes, has the potential to do just that," Gladstone said, per John Oehser of the team's official website.
With Lawrence healthy and back in the fold, Jacksonville should return to relevance in the AFC South.
5. Carolina Panthers
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The Carolina Panthers may have their franchise quarterback in Bryce Young. While the 2023 first overall pick struggled mightily as a rookie and early in the 2024 season, he strung together some very strong performances at the end of last season.
In his last three games, Young tallied 10 passing and rushing touchdowns with no turnovers and posted a QB rating above 100.0 in all three contests.
Carolina took some steps to put better pieces around Young. First-round pick Tetairoa McMillan may be the true No. 1 target Young has lacked and should help to form a solid receiver with trio Xavier Legette and Adam Thielen.
It's worth noting, though, that Legette was fairly inconsistent as a rookie, while Thielen will turn 35 in August. Carolina's receiving corps does remain a work in progress.
Running backs Tony Pollard and Trevor Etienne should form a formidable backfield alongside Chuba Hubbard.
Last year's 32nd-ranked defense should be better, too. The Panthers added players like Bobby Brown III and Tre'Von Moehrig before drafting edge-rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen. However, Carolina also released pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney on Thursday.
Yet, we're talking about a team that ranked 29th in total offense and dead-last in total defense a year ago.
The Panthers should be better in 2025, but they came into the offseason with so many holes to address that they still appear to have a bottom-five roster in the NFL entering OTAs.
4. New York Giants
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To be clear, the New York Giants have had, on paper, two strong offseasons that may point them in the right direction. A year ago, general manager Joe Schoen uncovered a top-tier receiver in Malik Nabers and traded for a top-tier edge-rusher in Brian Burns.
This offseason, the Giants added some nice free-agent defenders in Paulson Adebo and safety Jevon Holland. They then added an elite edge-rushing prospect in Penn State's Abdul Carter with the third overall pick.
"Carter can immediately contribute as a pass-rusher to begin his NFL career and should develop into a complete player with more reps on the edge," Matt Holder of the Bleacher Report Scouting Department wrote.
New York also traded back into the first round for quarterback Jaxson Dart before drafting defensive lineman Darius Alexander and running back Cam Skattebo.
After ranking 24th in total defense last season, the Giants should be respectable on defense in 2025. They also have some capable offensive weapons like Nabers, Skattebo, and Tyrone Tracy Jr.
The problem is that Dart isn't viewed as a pro-ready prospect, and the veteran quarterback duo of Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson leaves plenty to be desired. Winston remains turnover-prone, while Wilson floundered down the stretch for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season.
The Giants may be better than they were during last year's 3-14 season, but they can't expect monumental improvements with a marginal quarterback room.
3. Cleveland Browns
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The Giants may or may not have an answer at quarterback for the 2025 season, but things are even more uncertain for the Cleveland Browns.
Deshaun Watson has been a total flop and is unlikely to be healthy enough to play this season after tearing his Achilles twice in the last year. Joe Flacco is a 40-year-old bridge quarterback, while Kenny Pickett was a first-round bust that the Steelers abandoned after just two seasons.
Cleveland's other quarterbacks are rookie third-round pick Dillon Gabriel and rookie fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders.
Of course, we've seen head coach Kevin Stefanski guide the Browns to the playoffs with a rotating cast of quarterbacks before. Flacco led the team late in 2023, but Cleveland started five signal-callers that season.
The problem is that the Browns best players—including Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward—aren't getting any younger. Cleveland lacks receiver depth behind Jerry Jeudy, and it did nothing this offseason to improve a very questionable left-tackle situation.
Cleveland has, on paper, a strong draft class. Incoming players like defensive tackle Mason Graham, linebacker Carson Schwesinger and running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson should contribute right away.
However, that's not enough to overhaul a team that won just three games in 2024 and still has questions at the game's most important position.
Cleveland has thrown multiple darts at the quarterback position this offseason. There's a very real chance it'll be targeting a new quarterback with a top-five draft selection in 2026.
2. New Orleans Saints
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New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has a history of kicking contracts down the road, which has left the franchise awkwardly straddling the line between rebuilding and relevance.
Bleacher Report's panel of NFL analysts recently placed New Orleans at the bottom of its post-draft power rankings because of this fact.
"The Saints simply aren't a serious team right now, even if they have multiple established and quality veterans on the roster and tried to fix their offensive line with Kelvin Banks Jr.'s selection at No. 9 overall," Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski said.
New Orleans does have some talented veterans, like Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Cameron Jordan and Tyrann Mathieu. However, many of them are either well into their 30s (Mathieu, Jordan) or coming off of significant injuries (Olave, Rashid Shaheed).
While Banks should help boost the Saints offensive line some, we're talking about a unit that was ranked 22nd overall by Pro Football Focus last season. "Better" may mean average in 2025.
The Saints have a defense that ranked 30th overall last season and may rely heavily on rookies like Vernon Broughton and Jonas Sanker this year. Most importantly, though, New Orleans has uncertainty at quarterback.
Rookie Tyler Shough may be the starter this season. Derek Carr was dealing with a shoulder injury that put his 2025 campaign in question. On Saturday, he announced his retirement.
"Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with Heather, I've decided to retire from the National Football League," Carr said in a statement, via the team's official website. "For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience."
The Saints have enough talent that they're unlikely to have the league's worst record in 2025. However, they were a five-win team last year and appear to be treading water with one of the most confusing roster-building plans in the league.
1. Tennessee Titans
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The Tennessee Titans ended up with the first pick in the 2025 draft and rightfully used it on Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
Ward is the future in Tennessee, and while he may not have been the safest prospect in the draft, he has the potential to be the franchise quarterback that the Titans have lacked.
"Ward is among the most gifted throwers in the NFL draft class. The combination of arm talent, mobility/athleticism, and accuracy is what the NFL is looking for in potential franchise QBs," Dame Parson of the B/R Scouting Department wrote.
It feels incredibly unlikely, though, that Ward leads the Titans to a Commanders-like turnaround this season.
Tennessee "earned" the No. 1 pick for a reason, and it wasn't simply poor quarterback play. The offensive skill group underwhelmed, and the offensive line wasn't good.
Pro Football Focus ranked Tennessee's line 28th overall last season. The Titans took some steps to improve their offense, but none appear to be home runs, aside from the selection of Ward.
Van Jefferson is a serviceable-at-best receiver, while wideout Tyler Lockett will turn 33 in September. Guard Kevin Zeitler is 35, and left tackle Dan Moore Jr. allowed 12 sacks last season, according to PFF.
The Titans added pieces like receiver Chimere Dike and tight end Gunnar Helm on Day 3 of the draft, but they may need time to develop.
Defensively, Tennessee may be respectable in 2025 after ranking second in yards allowed but 30th in points allowed last season. Rookies Oluwafemi Oladejo and Kevin Winston Jr. can contribute early, but the Titans also parted with leading pass-rusher Harold Landry III.
A year ago, the Commanders added an experienced coach in Dan Quinn and went on a free-agent spending spree before drafting Daniels. Tennessee still has second-year head coach Brian Callahan and took a much more conservative approach to the offseason.
In short, Tennessee had the league's worst team a year ago and is probably looking at another long, disappointing season—closer to New England's 2024 campaign than Washington's. On a positive note, the Titans may be primed to surge in 2026 with their franchise quarterback, Ward, in tow.
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