NFL Tiers: Which Teams Are Title Contenders Entering 2026?

The NFL's long summer of speculation ends on Thursday night. As preseason action kicks off, training camp promises to give way to real evaluation, where hidden breakouts emerge and fragile contenders face their first real stress test.

First Things First co-host Nick Wright believes he has the script for how the league will play out. On Wednesday afternoon, he revealed his team tiers entering Week 1 of the preseason, complete with plenty of surprises.

Here’s how Wright breaks down the league entering Week 1 of the preseason:

Wright made sure to highlight six teams that are 100-to-1 to make the postseason, as recent history shows someone will. However, in this context, he doesn’t believe any of the Dolphins, Browns, Cardinals, Jets, Raiders, or Titans have a chance this season.

"Almost every year, a team that has these odds and these are the six teams in the league," Wright said. "History says one of them is making the playoffs. Do you have the courage to pick it? I don’t."

Lots of high expectations for top pick Fernando Mendoza. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

Wright’s tier here is his least enthusiastic on the list. He has very little to say as the Giants, Colts, Steelers and Vikings are hit or miss and could find themselves right in the middle with eight or even nine wins.

"Seems like they could be okay," Wright said. "I don’t really have much to say about them. They could win eight or nine games. They could. I don’t know that I believe they will. They could be okay."

Jaxson will look to build on his second season under center with the Giants. (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)

The NFC South sits in a tier of its own as the most unpredictable division in the league. Still, Wright is all-in on the Buccaneers,