Ty's 2026 NFL Preview: "(Nothing But) Flowers" Division

Welcome to day seven of my preseason NFL countdown. We are inside the top eight and these are the best of the best in my opinion.

Coming in at number 8 I have the Chicago Bears. The Bears look like a true team on the come up. They may have all the tools in place to make a serious run this season. Ben Johnson looks legit and this team has made the right picks in the draft the past couple of seasons. Caleb Williams is legit. The dude can sling the ball. He also has this innate ability to get himself out of trouble and find an open receiver downfield. I think he is on his way to becoming one of the top QBs in the league and he will be a headache to opposing defenses for years to come. D'Andre Swift has proven his prowess to be an every down type of back. He can rush for good yardage and he has nice hands out of the backfield. I fully believe Luther Burden has star potential. He showed some nice stuff last year as a rookie and I think he only continues to get better from here on out. Rome Odunze also has some serious breakout potential. He started a bit slow last season, but he came on strong to close the season out and I bet he parlays that into a nice season this year. Colston Loveland looks legit too. I watched him a ton in college, and it looks like that talent is translating to the pros right now. They had some similar o line issues that the Bengals had when Burrow was first there, but it looks like the front office has shored that up and they are protecting Williams much better now. The defense made some nice strides last season, and they look like they could be even better this year. Montez Sweat is a very good edge rusher. I think they will get a decent version of Devin Bush on a prove it deal. Dillon Thiemann may have been one of the better safeties in the last draft and they snagged him right away. TJ Edwards is also a very solid linebacker. The Bears are in a good spot right now. They have tons of talent and they're still young, so they can only get better from here. It bums me out that they're in the same division as the Packers because it looks like the Bears will be the favorites for a solid amount of time in the near future.

At number 7 I have the Denver Broncos. Boy was I wrong about Bo Nix and Sean Payton. I thought Payton was too old and not willing enough to change his coaching style and update it. He has done that and it. has worked to this point. Nix is coming off a tough injury, but he is tough, can make the throws and can even escape the pocket if he needs to. JK Dobbins just keeps hanging on in this league and continues to put up numbers. He is solid when he is on the field. Courtland Sutton is a capable and reliable wideout. He is carving out a nice spot for himself with this offense. Getting Jaylen Waddle from the Dolphins last season was a humongous boost for the wide receiver room. He is one of the better wideouts in the league. Evan Engram is a very solid tight end and has thrived since leaving Jacksonville. The o line, as is usually the case, is top tier. They do a damn fine job. The defense is full of guys that do their jobs and do them very well. Patrick Surtain is an elite level safety. Nik Bonito is a tackling machine at linebacker. DJ Jones is a good interior d lineman. The Broncos have the goods to be highly competitive in the AFC. I bet if Bo Nix didn't destroy his ankle in the playoffs last season they would have made the Super Bowl. They can get back there, they just need to stay healthy.

At number 6 I have the Houston Texans. The Texans may have the most talented roster in all of football. This team has capable elite players at the most important positions. CJ Stroud may have taken a mild step back last season, but he's too good to not come back strong this season. He has every skill you want in a modern QB. They were able to bring in David Montgomery this offseason and he instantly makes this backfield so much better. He will get the bulk of the work this year and I think the Texans will benefit from that. Nico Collins is a legit number 1 wideout. He has more than proven his worth with this team and they're paying him as they should. Dalton Schultz is the perfect safety blanket for any QB at tight end. And the o line does their job very well. Will Anderson is an absolute freak of nature and he may be one of my new favorite players to watch in all of football. He is so menacing and terrifying coming off the edge. Danielle Hunter is a very awesome compliment at the other edge spot. Sheldon Rankins is a very good interior d lineman. Henry To'oTo'o is incredibly consistent at linebacker. Derek Stingley Jr has become a blanket at corner. Kamari Lasseter has the potential to be a great secondary player. And they have such an awesome coach, who really knows defense in Demeco Ryans. I don't know why they struggled a little last season, but they should more than make up for that this year. They should be in the title conversation all season long.

The final team for the day, coming in at number 5 I have the Los Angeles Chargers. Jim Harbaugh has built this team in his image, it is year three for him and they look like they are more than ready to make the leap. Justin Herbert is awesome. He has shown that he can make all the throws, scramble when needed and is tough as nails. Omarion Hampton is more than ready to take over as the starting running back. He had to wait two seasons, but now it is his time and he will grow from here. Ladd McConkey proved to me he is much better than I thought. Quentin Johnson may drop the ball a bit too much, but he has excellent separation speed and he should do better with less expectations. Bringing in David Njoku was a brilliant move. Harbaugh loves to utilize the tight end position, and Njoku has made himself into a top level tight end in the NFL. The o line, even after suffering an injury to one of their starters a few days ago, is one of the best in the league. They are mean and nasty and big. Jesse Minter left to take over the Ravens, but the defense here should still be really good. Derwin James is so good. He loves contact, is a hard hitter and has a nose for the ball. Tuli Tuipulotu has gotten better every year and I feel like he will become more of a known name this season. Denzel Perryman is mean and loves to hit. Khalil Mack is back again and he is the best kind of vet to have for this defense. Junior Colson has looked good this preseason. And Jamaree Caldwell is going to get every chance to prove himself this season. The Chargers look pretty damn good this season and they are the type of team that wants to grind their opponents down to nothing. This is what Jim Harbaugh does best, and year three is when his teams seem to pop.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for my top four teams heading into the season. 

Ty

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

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