Ty's 2026 NFL Preview: "I Wish You Wouldn't Say That" Division

Welcome to day three of my preseason NFL countdown.

Coming in at number 24 I have the Las Vegas Raiders. I said all throughout the draft process that I hope for Fernando Mendoza's case he doesn't end up with the Raiders. Well, he ended up with the Raiders. I will say that he did look solid in his first preseason game playing against some backups. I believe he can, and most likely will, have a solid NFL career, but it is just a bummer he has to go to a franchise that is always in some kind of disarray. The Raiders also brought in Kirk Cousins. That's great for them if they like dudes that can throw for 300 yards, act like they are the best in the business and never win any games of importance. Ashton Jeanty should be a star, but he was doomed when the Raiders drafted him, just like Mendoza. He is going to get overused and burnt out way faster than he should. Brock Bowers is wildly overrated in my opinion. They really don't have much of a threat at wideout. And the o line is mediocre at best. The defense is not all that great either. Maxx Crosby wants out. They took a flyer on Kwity Paye, but he has never gotten above solid during his NFL career. Nakobe Dean cannot stay healthy. Quay Walker is becoming a journeyman. And Jeremy Chinn used to be a solid secondary player, but he has fallen off a bit in the past few seasons. The Raiders just can't seem to get things right as they continue to be mediocre to bad every year. I don't see that changing much this season as well. I do think Menodza will take over as the starter in about a month, and that Jeanty will get hurt or be way too tired to carry the load that will be asked of him. The Raiders are a six win team at the very best.

At number 23 I have the Carolina Panthers. I know they were in the playoffs last year, but they still went 8-9. Their division was that bad. I still have a little ounce of hope for Bryce Young. He looked like he figured a few things out last season. His reads got a bit better and he was less likely to get out of the pocket way too soon. I have all the faith in the world in Tet McMillan as the number 1 wideout. He had a solid season last year, and I see a leap coming this season. Chuba Hubbard has turned himself into a viable number 1 running back on this team. He is good at rushing the ball and has made himself into a decent pass catcher out of the backfield. Xavier Lagette needs to not be only talked about for how he speaks. He has got to do more on the field. The tight end and o line are very ho hum. I will say though, the o line did get a tiny bit better as the season went on last year. The defense is not great. I feel like they have traded away or let good players walk in free agency. They struggle to keep guys around. And because they do that they end up taking flyers on guys like Jaelan Phillips and Derrick Brown and Jaycee Horn. I believe Horn was picked by them, but he already feels like an also ran to me. They have got to start drafting young talent to make this defense tough once again. Or try to get some free agents with more talent to sign up to play for them. Again, eight wins feels like the ceiling for this team. That may have worked last year to get them in the playoffs, but that won't cut it this year.

At number 22 I have the Minnesota Vikings. Boy oh boy did they mess up when they drafted JJ McCarthy ninth overall two years ago. I told RD, who is a Vikings fan, that I would not have drafted him that high. He is a legend at Michigan for being the QB of their 2023 title winning team, but he was not why they won it all. That team was built on defense and running the ball. He made plays when he was asked to, but that was not very often. The Vikings have now shifted the focus to Kyler Murray as QB1. Murray is a better QB, but not by as much as some think. He also may or may not be totally focused on football. Murray has a good arm and can run when needed, but he has gone backwards every year he has been in the NFL. Aaron Jones will always be one of my favorite players, but he is well past his prime. He did have moments last season, but you could see the regression already beginning. I wish Justin Jefferson could play with a legit QB for once in his career. He is one of the best wideouts in the game, but when you have Kirk Cousins, JJ McCarthy and now Kyler Murray throwing to you, it is all up to Jefferson to make them look better than they are. He is so fast and skilled and has incredible hands. I just want him to have a legit QB for once. TJ Hockenson is a fine tight end, but he is not an upper echelon player at his position. Jordan Addison is an okay number 2 wideout, but he has off field stuff he should be dealing with. The o line is nothing to write home about either. The defense took a blow when Jamal Adams got hurt the other night. I know he is older, but a solid vet like that always helps a younger team. And looking up and down that defense shouldn't strike much fear in any opponent. Josh Metellus and Byron Murphy Jr are okay secondary players, but they won't blow you away. Blake Cashman is a mid tier linebacker. The d line is full of unproven players. The Vikings haven't been able to get much right outside of drafting Justin Jefferson. And if they falter like I think they will this season, maybe seven wins is being generous, Jefferson may finally ask out of there.

The final team for the day, coming in at number 21 is the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here's a little recap of what they did this offseason. They let Mike Tomlin go, one of the best and most consistent coaches the NFL has ever seen, and replaced him with Mike McCarthy. They also sat around all offseason and waited to see if 41 year old Aaron Rodgers was going to come back to be their starting QB. Oof. That would hurt my soul if I were a Steelers fan. Rodgers is washed. It is so easy to see that now. He has got next to nothing left in the tank. And he is a massive head case and a total asshole. I loathe him. I don't think Jaylen Warren is the best back in the league. I think he is fine, but he is not that scary coming out of the backfield. DK Metcalf is still here, and while he is a freak of nature, I'm sure he hates Aaron Rodgers, and I know he will grow to loath Mike McCarthy. Roman Wilson is coming off an injury and Pat Freirmuth feels like a flash in the pan. The Steeler o line has always been a strength, but they are only getting older and creakier. The defense is not that wonderful either. I think TJ Watt is massively overrated. Sure he is good for one or two highlight sacks a year, but the rest of the season he is either hurt or not causing much havoc. Patrick Queen is good, but he was better in Baltimore. They signed Jalen Ramsey, but don't you think it is a little odd that he cannot stay on one team for more than a season or two at this point? I do think Joey Porter Jr is a legit lockdown corner and the best player on that defense. The d line is not near what this team used to be too. It feels odd for a team like the Steelers to be in a position like this. And to let Mike Tomlin walk just so you could go out and hire Mike McCarthy is truly assinie to me. I fully believe that this will be the first season in a long, long time that the Steelers will finish under .500. I don't see them winning more than seven games.

That does it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next four teams. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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