The initial waves of free agency and the draft are in the rearview mirror. So what's the outlook for your team in 2018?
NFL Nation reporters rate how optimistic fans of every team should be based on the following scale:
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3. Confident: There's enough pieces in place to seriously contend
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2. Hopeful: A few question marks, but reason to be optimistic
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1. Lukewarm: Question marks put the ceiling at .500
Note: Teams are listed alphabetically under each rating.
Rating 3: Confident
This has to be the year. The Falcons are two seasons removed from the Super Bowl and hope to regain their offensive swagger in Year 2 with coordinator Steve Sarkisian. The addition of first-round pick Calvin Ridley opposite Julio Jones gives Matt Ryan another big-play threat, provided the line and backs block. Expect the defense to keep ascending under coordinator Marquand Manuel. And special teams got better via the draft. -- Vaughn McClure
All 256 picks are in. Full coverage »
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The Jaguars face some tough decisions financially next year and will have to part ways with some pieces of that elite defense, so this season is their best shot with everyone in place. The addition of Andrew Norwell helps a run game that led the NFL last season. If the Jaguars get consistent play out of Blake Bortles, they're arguably the best team in the AFC. -- Mike DiRocco
It's crazy to say that this could be the Rams' year, given the feeling around this team last year. But they surged behind Sean McVay last season, going 11-5 while leading the NFL in points. And they've added four legitimate stars in Brandin Cooks, Ndamukong Suh, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. Their defensive line (with Suh, Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers) and secondary (with Talib, Peters, Lamarcus Joyner, John Johnson and Nickell Robey-Coleman) are among the best, as is their special-teams unit. Their offense, led by reigning Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley, could be even better if Jared Goff takes another step forward in his development. The Rams are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and they're acting like it. -- Alden Gonzalez
Minnesota was aggressive in free agency, landing a potential franchise quarterback with Kirk Cousins and filing a major hole with Sheldon Richardson. It also got better across the board on defense in the draft, from first-round corner Mike Hughes to defensive linemen Jalyn Holmes and Ade Aruna. The Vikings are very much in a win-now Super Bowl window. It could go wrong if their O-line strategy doesn't pan out. They didn't draft a starting-caliber right guard, so finding the right combination to protect Cousins will be the storyline to watch in training camp. But if they do that and get good contributions from their offensive rookies, the Vikings will be in good shape for another playoff run. -- Courtney Cronin
In a reflection of how high the bar has been raised in New England, it's always the year for the Patriots to contend for a Super Bowl championship. One example of this: Las Vegas odds list New England as having the highest projected 2018 win total in the league. Simply put, with Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski back in the fold, the Patriots are still the team to beat. -- Mike Reiss
The only thing that could knock this down to "hopeful" is how stacked the NFC is right now. But the Saints have as good a chance as anyone after falling one play short of the NFC Championship Game last year, then adding several new pieces to their defense in free agency and the draft, including linebacker Demario Davis, cornerback Patrick Robinson, safety Kurt Coleman and defensive end Marcus Davenport. The Saints still have one of the game's best QBs in Drew Brees. More importantly, they've rebuilt an offensive line, run game and defense around him. -- Mike Triplett
Repeat? They've got a shot. Nineteen of the 22 starters from the Super Bowl squad return, and the front office has added a jolt to the roster by bringing in the likes of DE Michael Bennett and WR Mike Wallace. The major question is whether Carson Wentz can return to form following ACL and LCL surgery to his lead leg. If the answer is yes, watch out. -- Tim McManus
Rating 2.5: Somewhere between confident and hopeful
The Steelers entered the offseason as ready-made contenders. The roster is well established on both sides of the ball. But there's reason to feel uneasy about the defense because of the questions still surrounding inside linebacker after the loss of Ryan Shazier due to injury. The team doesn't appear to have a long-term solution at Shazier's spot, and though drafting two sizable safeties suggests the Steelers can use them as dime linebackers, that won't be enough. Still, there are plenty of playmakers returning on defense, and the addition of wide receiver James Washington should pay off for Ben Roethlisberger. -- Jeremy Fowler
Rating 2: Hopeful
The Ravens came within a game of making the playoffs the past two seasons and have more optimism of reaching the postseason after an offseason of adding playmakers. They upgraded at wide receiver with free agents Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead, and improved at tight end by drafting Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews in the first three rounds. The hope is that revamping Joe Flacco's supporting cast will get Baltimore over the postseason hump. -- Jamison Hensley
The Panthers might think this is the year, and for key leaders like Thomas Davis and Ryan Kalil who are entering the final year of their careers, it is all or nothing. But the rebuilt receiving corps has to prove it can help take Cam Newton's game to another level under new coordinator Norv Turner. And the secondary remains a work in progress with holes at free safety and the spot opposite cornerback James Bradberry. Plus the NFC South will be strong again. However, the core players led by Newton, Greg Olsen and Luke Kuechly remain in place, which gives the Panthers a chance to make a run. -- David Newton
Much of this hinges on the difference Mike Pettine can make in the Packers' defense. The new coordinator received some reinforcements from new GM Brian Gutekunst to help with the rebuilding job -- his former Jets player Muhammad Wilkerson plus the first three picks in the draft, corners Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson, and linebacker Oren Burks. If Pettine can develop some pass-rushers to complement Clay Matthews and Nick Perry after Gutekunst practically ignored that position in the draft, then this could be the year as long as Aaron Rodgers stays healthy. -- Rob Demovsky
The Texans' biggest question mark is whether the key players they had to play part of last season without -- J.J. Watt, Deshaun Watson, Whitney Mercilus and D'Onta Foreman -- will come back healthy and be able to contribute at a high level. Houston certainly has the talent on the roster to get back to the playoffs, especially if Watson can play at a similar level to last season, but that group has to stay healthy. -- Sarah Barshop
The Chiefs have a new and largely untested starting quarterback in Patrick Mahomes II, but that's the good news. He should experience the ups and downs that most young QBs go through, but he showed in his one game last season that the offense should be capable with him at the controls. It's the other side of the ball that could ruin things for the Chiefs. They'll have to score a lot of points if they're going to win the AFC West title for the third straight season. -- Adam Teicher
After just missing the playoffs last season, the Chargers didn't need to do much this offseason. They added experience to the offensive line by signing center Mike Pouncey in free agency and potentially solved their kicking woes with the addition of Caleb Sturgis. The selection of Derwin James in the first round of the draft gives an already talented defense a center fielder to roam the middle of the field. With all of the changes in the rest of the division, the Chargers should be the favorites in the AFC West. -- Eric D. Williams
Adam Gase is banking on a revamped culture to help produce better results than last year's 6-10 season, and why not have hope that better results will follow? Ryan Tannehill's return from a knee injury that cost him the 2017 season instantly makes the Dolphins a better team. Add in a high-upside first-rounder in defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick -- who can match up against tight ends like Gronkowski -- and those are two foundation-type pieces that provide hope that this year will be better than the last. The optimism ultimately comes down to belief that Gase, having gained valuable experience in his first two years, will push the right buttons to have Miami in playoff contention late in December. -- Mike Reiss
The Giants' talent wasn't as bad as their record indicated last year, and now they've added some major pieces. Nate Solder at left tackle and Saquon Barkley at running back offer massive upgrades over Ereck Flowers and Orleans Darkwa. They also get Odell Beckham Jr. back from injury. If new coach Pat Shurmur can coax even a decent season out of Eli Manning, then the Giants can hold out hope for a playoff spot, even if the roster remains a work in progress. -- Jordan Raanan
The amount of buzz surrounding the Niners has been tempered a bit by the ongoing legal situation involving linebacker Reuben Foster. But there's still plenty of optimism that they can turn their strong finish last season into a run at the 2018 postseason. While questions persist, particularly on defense, the Niners bolstered the supporting cast around Jimmy Garoppolo, and having him in place for a full
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