Summary of Buy or sell their offseasons: Playoff hopefuls

Overview of Buy or Sell Their Offseasons: Playoff Hopefuls

In this episode of The Athletic Football Show, Robert Mays, Dave, and Derek continue their offseason evaluation series by judging eight “playoff hopeful” teams — franchises with real postseason aspirations but not quite in the top-tier Super Bowl contender bucket. The central question throughout is not just whether these teams got better, but whether they did the most with the limited cap space, draft capital, and roster flexibility they had available.

Core Themes From the Discussion

• Resource constraints matter. Several teams were operating with little cap room or few premium draft picks, so “did enough” is relative.
• Future flexibility vs. immediate upside. A lot of these front offices prioritized 2027 and beyond, even if that made 2026 less exciting.
• Roster building is stage-dependent. The hosts repeatedly stress that a team coming off a rebuild should be judged differently than a team that has already shown Super Bowl-level ceiling.
• Health and internal development are huge factors. For teams like the Bears, Packers, Lions, and Eagles, some of the “improvement” depends on stars returning healthy or young players taking a leap.

Team-by-Team Verdicts

Jacksonville Jaguars — Mostly Sell / Neutral

• The Jags were viewed as resource-pinched largely because of their own prior decisions, especially the Travis Hunter trade.
• The group liked some individual moves — like cheap depth additions and keeping defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile — but didn’t see a roster that is clearly better.
• Biggest concern: offensive line uncertainty, thin edge depth, and cornerback depth.
• The second-round tight end pick was noted as the most debated move, especially with more immediate-impact options available.

Chicago Bears — Buy

• The Bears were praised for handling bad injury luck and roster attrition responsibly.
• Moving on from DJ Moore was framed as a smart long-term allocation of assets, even if it makes the present roster a bit weaker.
• They added a center plan, a tackle lottery ticket, and more depth, while keeping flexibility for 2027 and beyond.
• The caveat: the pass rush/front still looks shaky, and the team may need future aggressive moves to become a true elite unit.

Dallas Cowboys — Buy

• The Cowboys were one of the more interesting cases: the offseason felt encouraging, but not flawless.
• The defense got a major philosophical reset under Christian Parker, especially in the secondary.
• The secondary additions and Caleb Downs were well received; the main concern is whether the front seven is strong enough.
• The hosts liked the Cowboys’ organizational direction more than they have in years, even if the roster still needs help at linebacker.

Houston Texans — Buy

• The Texans were applauded for changing the identity of the offense by rebuilding the interior line and adding a tone-setter like David Montgomery.
• The move is designed to make the offense more physical and stable, not just more talented on paper.
• The main question is whether the line improvements translate into real down-to-down consistency.
• Defensive edge depth remains the one area that could still use a move.

Green Bay Packers — Sell

• The Packers’ offseason was described as a case of paying for previous mistakes and dealing with the fallout of past roster decisions.
• Losing depth at receiver and along the offensive line means more young players now have to become starters right away.
• The biggest concern is fragility: too many key spots now depend on players who were previously depth pieces.
• The blue-chip injury situation adds uncertainty, even though the ceiling is still there if everyone gets healthy.

Philadelphia Eagles — Buy, with caveats

• The Eagles got strong marks for smart contingency planning and elite roster management.
• The group liked the way they insulated themselves from future losses, including at receiver and edge rusher.
• Still, there’s real concern that this team may be losing too many important people — notably A.J. Brown and Jeff Stoutland — to call it a clear win for 2026.
• The tension: the Eagles may be making the right big-picture moves, but they may not be the same team in the short term.

Detroit Lions — Lean Buy / Mixed

• The Lions’ offseason was seen as logical but somewhat volatile, especially with the offensive line rework.
• Moving Penei Sewell to left tackle and drafting Blake Miller was defended as a safer way to stabilize the line.
• Offensively, the team still has a very high ceiling if health and continuity cooperate.
• The defense is the bigger concern, especially with future extensions looming for several core players and some thin depth at key spots.

Denver Broncos — Strong Buy

• The Broncos were the clearest “buy” of the group for the hosts.
• They made very few changes, but that was viewed as evidence that the roster was already in good shape.
• The big swing was adding a receiver who fits Bo Nix extremely well and can unlock the offense.
• The defense remains strong, though linebacker and safety depth are slightly worrisome.
• Overall, the Broncos were treated as a legitimate contender, not just a playoff hopeful.

Final Takeaways

• The episode emphasizes that offseason grade depends on team context: a “quiet” spring can be smart for a good team, while a busy one can still miss the mark.
• The hosts are generally more bullish on teams that:
  • protected long-term flexibility,
  • added schematic fits,
  • and avoided panic spending.
• The most controversial calls were probably:
  • selling the Packers,
  • being lukewarm on the Jaguars,
  • and treating the Broncos as near-contenders based on relatively little roster churn.

Looking Ahead

The show ends by teeing up the next installment of the series: the contenders, where the bar for offseason success becomes much higher and the scrutiny gets sharper.