Ty's 2026 NFL Preview: "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)" Division

Welcome to day four of my preseason NFL countdown.

Coming in at number 20 I have the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts came out on fire last season. They started the year like 7-1 or something. They finished the year 8-9. It was rough down the stretch for them. Daniel Jones got hurt, they tried out Phillip Rivers, but they just looked like a team not up to par talent wise as some other teams. Daniel Jones is back at QB1, but we all kind of know how that story ends. He just is not a franchise QB. He seems to get flustered and falters at inopportune times. The Colts also refuse to trade Anthony Richardson, and it never ends well when the backup QB is unhappy with their current team. Johnathan Taylor is awesome. He is a top three running back in the league. But he is being overused and underpaid. I know he just got a big raise, but it still feels like he is not making his worth. I also worry about his long term health. They just signed Keenan Allen, but when he is your best option at wideout, no disrespect to him, that is not the best feeling in the world. Alec Pierce has his moments, but they're too few to be a true threat. Tyler Warren has the goods to be a top tier tight end, but he was kind of underwhelming during his rookie season. The o line is big and nasty and pretty good. On the defensive side of the ball they took a big swing when they traded for Sauce Gardner last season, but he kind of struggled when he arrived. I do think Arden Key has the skills to be a mid tier pass rusher. I also think Deforest Buckner is fine, but not elite. Outside of those guys, it is pretty hit or miss. The Colts had such a good start to last season, but the way the season ended seems like the more likely outcome for this team this year. They will struggle and struggle mightily. I feel like it is only a matter of time before Daniel Jones tails off and Anthony Richardson is begging to be traded. Seven wins feels like the very best this team can muster this year. And it may be closer to a five win team if I'm being honest with myself.

At number 19 I have the Washington Commanders. Jayden Daniels is getting dragged left and right for his decision to sue LSU for letting another player wear number 5. He is also coming off injury and a season that saw a slight regression from his rookie year. I do feel like he is better than that and will play much better this season. But he has to stay on the field and not worry so much about what players are wearing what numbers at his alma mater. Daniels is too skilled to have another setback. Jacory Croskey-Merritt was a big time fantasy sleeper last year, but he didn't live up to the hype. I think he is a serviceable running back, but he has got to produce a little more now that he is the starter. The Commanders just signed Stefon Diggs, and I do believe he will help out the receiving corps. He has the tools to put up solid numbers. Terry McLaurin is also a very good, very capable wideout on this team. I don't think they'll miss Deebo Samuel all that much. The o line isn't all that great. It feels like Jayden Daniels has to flush himself out of the pocket much more than he would like. The o line needs to improve. The defense picked Sonny Styles in the first round of the draft and he has the makings of being a superstar linebacker. He is really, really good. Of course I adore Mike Sainristil. He is a solid coverage guy, he likes to hit and he works his tail off. K'Lavon Chaisson has a cool name and he is a solid linebacker. Then it gets kind of hairy for this defense. They tend to give up too many big plays, and that always hurts them in the long run. The Commanders will go as Jayden Daniels goes. If he is hurt and misses time, or if he is too hung up on jersey numbers, it could be a long season. I think he will play more than last year, but not enough to get this team more than seven or eight wins. The Commanders may need to bring in better players to pair up with Daniels by next season, or he may ask out.

At number 18 I have the Dallas Cowboys. This team is as mediocre as the Chicago Bulls. They win just enough to stay in the conversation, but not enough to be a threat. And every season I have to hear about how different it is going to be that year, and yet they crap out seven or eight wins, try to make changes, and then fall on their faces yet again. I genuinely like Dan Prescott, but he is too inconsistent and too unreliable. He is a very skilled player, but he hasn't won anything of importance in the NFL. Javonte Williams does nothing for me as a starting halfback. He is just there so they can mime having a backfield threat. Ceedee Lamb and George Pickens make one of the best duos at wideout in all of the NFL. Pickens is big and strong and very fast. Ceedee Lamb may be one of the three best wideouts in all of football. The problem, they have Prescott throwing him the ball and a very mediocre offensive line trying to pass protect. The defense is very interesting to me. They went out and got Quininen Williams this offseason and paid him. He was one of the prized acquisitions this past year and the Cowboys nailed it here. They also just signed Von Miller, who is old but still has a little left in the tank, and traded for Rashan Gary who I am going to miss very much as a Packers fan. He is a good edge rusher, who has been able to stay relatively healthy the past few seasons. I also love that they took Caleb Downs in the draft. He was my top prospect in the last draft. He has all pro written all over him. But it is the dysfunction in the front office, and the lack of any real true playmaking running back that is going to hold this team back. And, as much as I enjoy him as a person, Dak Prescott is not as great as they hoped he would be. The Cowboys will be much better defensively, and having Pickens and Lamb will make the offense a threat, but they will find a way to falter and only win seven or eight games this year. That seems to be the type of team they are now.

The final team for the day, at number 17 I have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs seem to be in some kind of flux. They gave Baker Mayfield what looked like his last shot, he played pretty well, but now they are refusing to pay him and he seems a bit unhappy and annoyed by that. Bucky Irving is a good, strong back, but he also seems like his time as a starter may be running out. Emeka Egbuka had a wonderful rookie year and I see him taking a big leap, possibly to becoming the Bucs new number 1 wideout. Chris Godwin is solid, if not spectacular. The o line got better too as last season wore on. The defense is interesting. The gave Vita Vea a nice deal yesterday, and that was the right move. He is one of the better interior d lineman in the league and they need him to eat up blockers and clog run lanes. I fully think Ruben Bain Jr is going to an all pro and become one of the better edge rushers in the league. Antoine Winfield Jr is a very good secondary player. He is the true definition of a ball hawk. Alex Anzalone is a tackling machine. Then it kind of falls off a cliff. They have dudes, but no one that will strike fear in you. Retaining Vita Vea was a big deal. That was a must for this defense. The Bucs are also buoyed by the fact that they play in an easy division. They should win nine games at least, and the division. They're my first playoff team in this countdown in fact.

That's 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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