Grading every NFL team's 2026 preseason: Rams ace the summer, Falcons fail amid quarterback uncertainty
It's full steam ahead for the NFL as it rockets towards the start of the 2026 regular season. Right now, the league is in a bit of purgatory, sitting between the end of the preseason and roster cuts, while still a little more than a week out from the results counting for real. This gives us a chance to catch our breath before the regular season and look in the rearview mirror to assess what transpired over the preseason. Coming into these exhibitions, there were plenty of storylines to follow, including quarterback battles, veterans adjusting to new environments, and first-year coaches continuing to lay their foundation for the upcoming year. Below, we'll highlight some of those storylines, determine whether or not some of the biggest questions were answered, and deliver our grades for how each team's preseason went. Grade : B+ While records in the preseason hardly mean anything, kudos to first-year coach Joe Brady for going a perfect 3-0 over the exhibitions. Buffalo didn't play its starters a ton throughout the preseason, but the offense did see a brief glimpse of what's to come between Josh Allen and his new wideout DJ Moore. In the opening preseason game of the summer, the duo connected on three of their four targets for 61 yards. Allen led back-to-back scoring drives and looked to be in midseason form. The defense also saw flashes from veteran pass rusher Mike Dana, who'll be in the rotation along with Bradley Chubb and rookie T.J. Parker . Grade : C New England has a lot of top-end talent, but depth could prove to be its Achilles' heel in the quest to build on its Super Bowl appearance. Mike Vrabel even said the quiet part out loud over the preseason, telling reporters after the Week 2 exhibition against Philadelphia, "I do not think we have a very deep team." That's particularly true on defense and was on display in the loss to Cleveland, when the Dillon Gabriel-led offense posted 17 points in the first quarter. The Christian Gonzalez contract extension saga also continues to loom over the organization, making it a somewhat turbulent summer in Foxborough. Grade : C- The Dolphins went 0-3 over the preseason, which might be a precursor to how the 2026 regular season will go. Overall, the offense struggled, averaging 7.3 points in their three exhibitions. In fact, they scored just one touchdown this summer, a 14-play, 93-yard drive led by incoming starter Malik Willis in Week 1 of the preseason. This is a young team that is still trying to find its way, which was evident in them completely revamping their QB room behind Willis, trading away Quinn Ewers and acquiring Kyle McCord . That said, they have started to see flashes from some of those youngsters, including second-round linebacker Jacob Rodriguez . Grade : C Injuries were a big storyline throughout the summer for the Jets . Star running back Breece Hall missed time due to a groin injury, first-round rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq has been dealing with a hernia, and edge rusher Joseph Ossai has a foot ailment. The No. 1 thing to accomplish coming out of the preseason is to be as close to full health as you can get, and New York is limping just a bit. On a more positive note, Geno Smith showed promise in his lone drive of the summer, completing all seven of his attempts on a 69-yard touchdown drive against Pittsburgh. Two areas that still have major question marks hovering over them are at kicker and corner. Jason Sanders struggled with kicking this preseason and will now battle Blake Grupe , who was just brought in after roster cuts. Meanwhile, there's plenty of uncertainty surrounding Brandon Stephens and Azareye'h Thomas ' ability to anchor the secondary, while rookie D'Angelo Ponds just got back on the field after missing the bulk of the offseason due to injury. Grade : B The biggest issue for the Bengals -- aside from health -- over the past few years has been their defense. The franchise deployed plenty of capital to address it this offseason, and judgi [... truncated ...]
