What Went Wrong for Each Team that Missed the NFL Playoffs: Part 1

       18 Weeks of the NFL Season have suddenly disappeared, and over half of the league has their sites set on offseason improvements. Like always, that begins with identifying the problem(s) from the previous year. Over the next month or two, we will cover each eliminated team's major issues from this past season, starting with the worst teams and working our way up. 

Las Vegas Raiders (3-14); Pick 1 

       Hopes were high in Vegas going into the season, with a new QB and head coach that had experience together, and a top 10 pick at RB. The feeling grew with a week 1 victory over New England, but they only tallied two more wins throughout the season - one of which coming in a meaningless week 18 matchup against the bare bones Chiefs - en route to a 3-14 campaign. The most visible of the many holes on this roster was at the Quarterback position. Geno Smith had revived his career with Pete Carroll in Seattle, but failed to carry that with him in Vegas. The team will almost certainly use their top pick on a new signal caller. 

       Rookie RB Ashton Jeanty didn't have the season many expected of him following a record setting year at Boise State, but their wasn't much to work with, either. The offensive line struggled immensely throughout the year once again, much like most of the other bottom teams. Lineman are much harder to fix in one offseason, though, so it will require some close scouting and evaluations, with calculated risks necessary from upper management. 

       Pete Carroll came to the Raiders after a year off from Head Coaching gigs, and it showed. At 74 years old, it was already unlikely that this would be an extended stay, but him getting another season seemed impossible after the disaster that was their 2025 campaign. Vegas now will begin the offseason searching for their 4th head coach in as many years, though their cap space an above average draft capital should place it near the top of most prospective coach's lists. 

New York Jets (3-14); Pick 2

       Both New York teams once again find themselves picking in the top 10. While not necessarily a surprise considering the overall lack of talent on each roster, fans can always dream at the beginning of the year. The Jets reeled in Justin Fields at QB this offseason, hoping to strike big after he had a promising year in Pittsburgh. Fields struggled with a weak supporting cast, however, and the team ended the season with undrafted free agent Brady Cook running show. Needless to say, QB will be the top priority this offseason and the team is in prime position to draft one of the top two. 

       Head Coach Aaron Glenn is expected to stay around for at least another year, despite a less than ideal start in New York. The team is expected to lose RB Breece Hall in free agency, not surprising considering the seasons they've had, but Hall is one of their top offensive playmakers, so they should look to add another back either later in the draft or in free agency. The talent at WR outside of Garret Wilson leaves room for improvement, but I wouldn't expect any major additions as they have young options they'd like to develop in AD Mitchell and John Metchie III.

       The defense, which was supposed to be Glenn's specialty, was not particularly good before the trade deadline, and took the biggest hit when they traded away the 2 best players on the team in Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner. They were able to find good value in return, getting the aforementioned Mitchell in the Sauce Gardner trade as well as 2 first round picks, and gaining solid pick compensation for Williams as well. The future, while the current roster is likely the worst in the league, is not all dark for the Jets. If they can hit on even just a couple of their prime picks in the coming years, then a quick turnaround is entirely possible. 

Arizona Cardinals (3-14); Pick 3 

       Another lost season in Arizona under Jonathon Gannon, which turned out to be the final nail in the coffin for him. The two sides parted ways Monday after a woeful 3 year stint in which the team went 15-36. Gannon had seemingly moved on from former #1 overall pick Kyler Murray after just 5 games this year, and I would expect whoever the new Head Coach is to handpick their own QB.  Still, the Cardinals' biggest problem was far from their Quarterback play. Jacoby Brissett filled in fine, often times looking better than Murray, and built strong connections with Trey McBride and Michael Wilson. 

       Losing RB James Conner to injury early on didn't help their chances, though they expect him to be back next year. He, however, will be 31 at the start of the 2026 season, coming off a season ending ankle injury that often delivers a blow to running back careers. In an era of NFL football where most running backs around the league are viewed as easily replaceable, I expect the Cardinals to bring in some younger talent to both challenge Conner for the starting job and take some of the load off of his shoulders. Other than that, they seem to be set at skill positions, despite an unexpectedly quiet first two seasons from Marvin Harrison Jr. 

       The defense consistently let up big plays and could never seem to get off the field. One slip up from the offense and it suddenly felt like the game was out of reach. It's not necessarily a lack of talent, either. Arizona had spent a good deal of money the past few off-seasons on building up a strong defense, but they could never seem to put a healthy product on the field. I expect a great deal of the assets to go to various tools for their incoming defensive coordinator. 

Tennessee Titans (3-14); Pick 4

       The Titans made Head Coach Brian Callahan the first firing of the season after a 1-5 start, and interim Mike McCoy failed to make a big enough dent to gain consideration for the position, so the team will look for a new leader in the coming weeks. The 3-14 record doesn't look pretty at face value, but there was plenty of encouraging growth in their young core by season's end. Rookie QB Cam Ward, surrounded by less than ideal talent and a wealth of inexperience, made strides in the final weeks that will make the coaching job look enticing to higher level candidates. 

       His help, though, is where most of the issues can be found. Ward made rookie mistakes - which, from the name, should be expected - but his supporting cast did little to bail him out. The running backs did the best they could behind a poor offensive line, and I wouldn't expect much to change there. Even before Calvin Ridley went down with a season ending injury, he struggled with consistency and drops, making him a likely cap casualty this offseason. Tyler Lockett was released at his request midseason, and Ward's top two true receiving producers were both rookies who had their fair share of drops, as well. TE Chig Okonkwo was the team's top target, but could be on his way out the door as his rookie contract expires this off-season. I would expect gaining more weapons for the young QB to be a top priority in the next couple of months. 

       The defense was supposed to be a bright spot at the beginning of the season, and part of that held true. Jeffrey Simmons had a career year, and second year nose tackle T'vondre Sweat continued to pair well with him. They seem to have found a gem in linebacker Cedric Gray, and Cody Barton had a solid first year. The secondary, however, struggled with injuries and off-field issues that ate away at them throughout the season, as well as a couple of midseason trades that sent starters to contending teams for more picks. Though it has been the focus for the last couple of years, I expect earlier draft picks to be used with a specific focus on improving the last line of defense.