Sportsnaut
What is the worst team in the NFL? The National Football League doesn’t kick off its 2025 season until September, but rosters and starting positions have already been determined for the most part. While what happens this season is the best judge of these squads, we can still assess what some of the worst NFL teams will be this season.
With training camp underway, let’s dive into the worst NFL teams currently and their outlook for the 2025 campaign and beyond.
The New Orleans Saints are the worst NFL team right now and they aren’t facing much competition for the title. New Orleans deserves credit for creating a foundation on the offensive line that can lead to long-term success, but this will still be a multi-year process. A young Saints’ offensive line will go through growing pains and rookie quarterback Tyler Shough doesn’t exactly inspire a ton of confidence in his upside. New Orleans will also likely have a bottom-10 defense this season and the offense could be even worse. At the very least, the Saints have positioned themselves to be in the mix for the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
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The Cleveland Browns defense deserves much better than this. With the addition of Mason Graham, there is a path for it to be a top-12 defense this fall. Unfortunately, fans are also likely to witness the worst offense in football on a weekly basis. There are some bright spots, such as the rookie running back tandem and receivers Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman, but Cleveland will likely have the worst starting quarterback in the NFL. An offense that often seems incapable of sustaining drives results in a bottom-two team.
The Tennessee Titans at least have their centerpiece at quarterback in Cam Ward. Importantly, they are also placing the rookie behind an offensive line that could be at least league average next season. However, even with Calvin Ridley, Tennessee’s receiving corps leaves much to be desired. On the defensive side, linemen T’Vondre Sweat and Jeffery Simmons provide a solid foundation. That pretty much covers everyone on the Titans roster worth considering as building blocks. Regarding the defense, this has always been a multi-season rebuild, and they might finally have the right general manager in place to lead it.
Ranking the Carolina Panthers among the worst NFL teams in 2025 has nothing to do with Bryce Young. In fact, we think the third-year quarterback will take another step forward this fall and prove he’s an above-average starter. Unfortunately, there is still not much talent around him. He will benefit from playing behind, potentially, a top-12 offensive line, and we can see young weapons like Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, and Ja’Tavion Sanders taking real strides in 2025. However, Carolina’s defense remains an alarming concern, and this young offense still needs time. One step back...
