Now that we have a good idea of what all 32 NFL teams’ final 53-man rosters will look like, it’s an ideal time to see which teams will improve their 2025 win totals…and which clubs will regress big time.
Here are five NFL teams that will make a big leap in 2025 and five that will fall apart.
Which NFL teams will improve and which ones will falter in 2025?
Big Leap: San Francisco 49ers
Much like the 2020 squad, the 2024 49ers went from NFC champions to dead last in the NFC West. The key factor? An onslaught of injuries to their superstar players.
Christian McCaffrey missed 13 games. Brandon Aiyuk 10. Trent Williams seven. Brock Purdy two. Nick Bosa three. You get the point by now.
We know the 49ers lost an insane amount of talent this offseason — namely Deebo Samuel, Aaron Banks, Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga, Javon Hargrave, Leonard Floyd, and Charvarius Ward. But we’ve seen too many times what a healthy core of Purdy, Aiyuk, Run CMC, Williams, George Kittle, Bosa, and Fred Warner can do together.
Let’s not sleep on their key offseason additions, either. They brought back Robert Saleh for the defensive coordinator role, used a first-round pick on Mykel Williams, and acquired Bryce Huff from the Philadelphia Eagles to bolster their pass-rush. In other words, the 49ers will be just fine.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Sorry, but it’s dangerous to bet against a team that’s played in four of the last six NFC Championship Games and is a few plays away from winning two Super Bowls. As long as the injury bug doesn’t hit them hard again, the 49ers will re-emerge as an NFC heavyweight and make a run at the Lombardi Trophy.
Fall Apart: New Orleans Saints
We’re not trying to be mean or anything…but there’s a chance that the 2025 Saints go down as the worst and most unwatchable football team since the 2017 Cleveland Browns, who went 0-and-16. At least that team had Myles Garrett, though.
Last year’s Saints went 5-12 WITH Derek Carr behind center for 10 games. With Carr unexpectedly retiring, the Saints now have a QB competition consisting of Spencer Rattler and rookie Tyler Shough.
The Saints also lost star offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk to retirement, and underrated corner Paulson Adebo signed with the New York Giants. Other than that, we suppose it’s not so bad for a team with zero true game-changers outside of 30-year-old running back Alvin Kamara.
We loved the hiring of Kellen Moore as head coach, but what’s he supposed to do with this group? Not even prime Bill Belichick, Bill Walsh, or Chuck Noll would win with this team.
The Saints don’t want to admit it, but it almost feels like they’re setting up a tank job to get an early pick and take a top QB prospect next year. We don’t hate that strategy, but we’d be amazed if this NFL team won more than three games in 2025.
Big Leap: Chicago Bears
Caleb Williams dazzled as a rookie despite taking a league-high 68 sacks, throwing for 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. And that was with unqualified head coach Matt Eberflus holding him back with his mind-numbing in-game management.
Highly-touted quarterbacks of Williams’ caliber always make a big leap in year two. But this could seriously be an MVP-like campaign for last year’s first-overall pick. Just look at what the Bears did this offseason to ensure he’s not let down again.
They got arguably the hottest name available in the 2025 coach hiring cycle, Ben Johnson. The former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator coached this team to a top-five offense in three straight years, reviving Jared Goff’s career while unlocking the talents of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, and Jameson Williams.
So yeah, we’re sure Johnson will get plenty out of Williams, who has a higher upside and skill set than Goff. As for that offensive line, how about the additions of Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson, and All-Pro guard Joe Thuney?
We already liked the Bears’ set of weapons around Williams. Then they drafted Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III to complement DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and D’Andre Swift.
Don’t sleep on the cornerback trio of Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, and Kyler Gordon, either. The Bears have the talent to churn out a top-five offense and, at minimum, a top-10 defense.
Finally, things are looking up for the Bears. A big leap is on the horizon, and potentially a surprise return to the postseason?
Fall Apart: Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have become satisfied with being in the “mushy middle,” which is the worst place to be: Good enough to compete for a playoff spot. Not good enough to win the Super Bowl. But also not bad enough to get those franchise-changing top-five draft picks.
Think about it. From 2015 to 2024, the Colts have finished with seven to 11 wins eight times, including six seasons of seven to nine wins. They are the epitome of mediocrity.
Bringing back head coach Shane Steichen and GM Chris Ballard, with Anthony Richardson still the starting quarterback, inspires little reason for us to think anything will change.
The offensive line was Indy’s main strength, but they lost two valuable starters in Ryan Kelly and Will Fries. If Richardson doesn’t pull through in a make-or-break year, their backup plan is Daniel Jones. Good luck with that.
The Colts play in the weak AFC South, yes. But the Tennessee Titans won’t be punching bags anymore with first-overall pick Cam Ward taking over at quarterback. The Jacksonville Jaguars will be a more formidable opponent as well after drafting Travis Hunter.
Indy has eight games against teams who finished with double-digit wins last year, plus opponents like the Jags, San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders are bound to improve.
But hey, maybe it’ll take one more disastrous year for the Colts to bring the widespread changes this NFL organization needs. So maybe falling apart in 2025 isn’t the worst outcome.
Big Leap: Denver Broncos
The Broncos were one of the biggest surprises of 2024, finishing with a 10-7 record en route to their first playoff appearance in nine years. That was thanks to the breakout year of rookie QB Bo Nix and a defense that finished third in scoring and a league-high 63 sacks.
Well, there’s no more flying under the radar. It’s time for the Broncos to make the jump to Super Bowl contender, and the pieces are there for Sean Payton’s squad to do it.
Naturally, more experience will help Nix improve drastically in year two. The Broncos signed former Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram to get more support for Courtland Sutton. They used second and third-round picks on running back RJ Harvey and wide receiver Pat Bryant to bolster the group, too.
And if that defense wasn’t scary enough? They signed All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga, star linebacker Dre Greenlaw, and used their first-round pick on Texas corner Jahdae Barron as if it was hard enough throwing against Patrick Surtain II.
So they had a top-10 scoring offense and defense last year. Both units got better. A Hall of Fame-caliber coach to help their young star QB take that next step? We kid you not: These guys are ready to become legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Fall Apart: Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals were in the running to win the NFC West, sitting at 6-4 with seven games to go. But as the case has been in the Kyler Murray era, the Cardinals unraveled in the second half, dropping five of their final seven games to finish 8-and-9.
On paper, this NFL team should be even better in 2025, right? Marvin Harrison Jr. is poised to make a big leap in year two. Their defense got much-needed boosts with the draft picks of Walter Nolen and Will Johnson and the free agent signing of Josh Sweat.
Well, the Cardinals are merely the fourth-best team in the NFC West. The 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are bona fide Super Bowl contenders. The Seattle Seahawks won 10 games last year and figure to be in the mix after swapping out Geno Smith for Sam Darnold behind center.
Arizona still has a leaky offensive line, and we’re still waiting to see Murray put it together for a full season. Add it all up, and Arizona will have a heckuva time trying to even match last season’s win total.
Big Leap: Dallas Cowboys
Love or hate the Cowboys all you want, but they’re a virtual lock to improve their win total in 2025. Double-digit victories and a return to the NFL postseason are very much in play here.
In some ways, it’s remarkable Dallas finished 7-10 last year with Dak Prescott missing their final nine games with a hamstring injury. Micah Parsons was out for four contests, and the All-Pro cornerback tandem of DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs combined to play just 18 games.
So naturally, Dallas will improve thanks to better luck on the injury front. Don’t forget that Prescott had a career year in 2023 with CeeDee Lamb as his only explosive pass-catcher. Well, Dallas finally got its No. 2 receiver by acquiring George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jerry Jones also signed two capable 1,000-yard rushers in Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders to help the backfield. And though we’re unsure about Brian Schottenheimer as a head coach, he’s at least an upgrade over Mike McCarthy, right? And Matt Eberflus is certainly a better fit at DC than Mike Zimmer, whose D finished 31st in scoring last year.
Fall Apart: Cleveland Browns
Quite frankly, we don’t know what the plan is in Cleveland.
Time will tell how it plays out, but we’re still stunned they passed on the opportunity to draft Travis Hunter by trading down three spots via the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mason Graham is an excellent prospect, but how much will he really move the needle with the Browns already occupying a solid front seven led by Myles Garrett?
Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel are in the QB room. AKA, a 40-year-old journeyman, a former first-round pick and draft bust, and two unproven rookies. Yippee…
So, how exactly will the Browns improve after doing little to address the No. 32 scoring offense and No. 27 scoring defense from a year ago?
By the way, the Browns have the second-hardest strength of schedule for 2025. Such is life when you play in the AFC North with three perennial playoff contenders in the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
If last year’s three-win team wasn’t painful enough for Browns fans to watch? Believe us, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Big Leap: Cincinnati Bengals
Their 9-8 record wasn’t sexy, but the 2024 Bengals may be the greatest NFL team to miss the postseason. That is not an exaggeration.
Joe Burrow led the NFL with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase won the receiving triple crown. Trey Hendrickson led the league in sacks. And the Bengals still missed the postseason by one game.
Unfortunately, they were undone by another slow start and a woeful defense that finished 25th in scoring. Call it bad luck or whatever you want, but it’s time for the Burrow-led Bengals to re-cement themselves as a Super Bowl contender.
The Bengals hired Al Golden to replace Lou Anarumo as their defensive coordinator and used their first-round pick on Shemar Stewart, giving Trey Hendrickson a much-needed sidekick. The long-term extensions for Chase and Tee Higgins should only boost team morale, too.
After finishing 9-and-8 in back-to-back years and narrowly missing out on the playoffs, Cincinnati is poised to rebound and challenge the AFC’s big three — AKA the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens — for the conference crown.
Fall Apart: Miami Dolphins
After four straight winning seasons and two straight NFL playoff appearances, the Dolphins limped to a disappointing 8-and-9 finish last year. Yes, that was mainly due to Tua Tagovailoa missing six games to injury, but Miami’s core players also didn’t produce as expected.
Tyreek Hill had his worst season since his 2016 rookie year, one year after leading the league in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Raheem Mostert went from a career year in 2023 to…278 rushing yards that led to his release.
Calais Campbell and Emmanuel Ogbah, who combined for 10 of Miami’s 35 sacks last season, left. All-Pro corner Jalen Ramsey is a goner, too. And while we’re at it, is anyone really convinced that Hill even wants to be in Miami anymore?
So Miami has lost more talent than it gained this offseason. Tagovailoa, unfortunately, will always be an injury risk. And while they’re not quite playoff contenders, the AFC East rivals New England Patriots and New York Jets all made plenty of impactful moves to ensure they’ll be more competitive.
So Miami doesn’t have any more gimme wins inside the division. Not to mention, Josh Allen picks up two easy wins against them each season!
So basically, Miami needs Tagovailoa, Hill, and Jaylen Waddle to all stay healthy and carry a very flawed team to the postseason. Let’s briefly assume the AFC has the same four division winners from last year. In that case, do you see Miami finishing ahead of the Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, or Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card race? Neither do we.
Brace yourselves for a long NFL season, Dolphins fans. At least the Miami Heat might be better next year?
