NFL Off-season Review: 3 Teams That Just Mised the Playoffs, and Did not improve

A lot depends on health and luck, but here are the non-playoff teams who just missed the playoffs, but I believe did not improve their playoff chances this off-season. This is the NFL Off-season Review: Part Two.

Kansas City Chiefs 6-11

• Kansas City rebuilt the secondary almost out of necessity. Several cornerbacks (including starters Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson), and several safeties (including starting safety Bryan Cook) are no longer with the team. Free agent signings Kader Kohou and Alohi Gilman, as well as sixth overall pick cornerback Mansoor Delane are slated to fill those holes.
• Will Andy Reid actually run the ball now that they have Kenneth Walker III and rookie Emmett Johnson? Walker and Johnson should be a better duo than Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt, but the Chiefs don’t run the ball much. Kansas City has been in the top half of the league in rushing attempts as a team only once since 2016. Having a balanced offense will be more important than ever with Patrick Mahomes coming off a major injury.
• The Chiefs offense still has a few concerns. Mahomes is participating in OTA’s already, but is coming off a torn ACL. Most guys need some time to get back to normal. Rashee Rice has legal issues, and if he were to miss time due to suspension, it would further weaken an already needy receiver group. Kansas City only added fifth rounder Cyrus Allen to the receiver room this off-season. The offensive line should be decent, but right tackle is still a question mark.

Minnesota Vikings 9-8

• Is Kyler Murray really the one to take this team to the next level? J.J. McCarthy was pretty bad this past season, but Murray didn’t exactly impress while he was in Arizona. He has one playoff appearance in his career where his team lost and he was awful in the game. Minnesota has a lot of weapons on offense, but you’re setting yourself up for disappointment if you’re expecting Murray to play like he did a few years ago when he has either been injured or mediocre for much of the last four seasons.
• Minnesota came into the off-season needing help in the secondary, and that group is still a concern. James Pierre was the only veteran addition at cornerback, and only rookie Jakobe Thomas was added at safety. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores uses three safeties often, so rotational guys like Jay Ward, Theo Jackson, and even Thomas will be depended on early and often.
• The defensive line was rebuilt, but questions remain. Steady vets Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave jumped ship in free agency. Rookies Caleb Banks and Dom “Big Citrus” Orange bolster the girth and talent up front, but the unit lacks experience and quality depth. Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel are an excellent pass rushing duo, but there is also a lack of proven depth behind them on the edge. Jonathan Greenard was traded during the 2026 NFL Draft to Philadelphia.

Indianapolis Colts 8-9

• For better or worse, this is the direction the Colts are going in. They paid a lot of money to quarterback Daniel Jones ($44 million per year) and wide receiver Alec Pierce ($28.5 million per year). Indy was winning games, and Jones was playing the best ball of his career before getting hurt (again), but going all-in on a quarterback with an extensive injury history like this is questionable. Pierce has never had more than seven touchdowns, or topped 50 receptions in a season. He barely surpassed 1,000 yards for the first time in his career (college or pros), and set a career high in receptions (only 47). Yet Pierce is now being paid like a top 15 wide receiver – and he isn’t one.
• Right tackle is a question, with mid-round second year pro Jalen Travis getting his chance to show he can be the long term starter. The Colts paid Alec Pierce, but had to trade Michael Pittman to do it. The team signed Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in free agency and stole Deion Burks in the 7th round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but neither is a real replacement for Pittman. Who replaces Kenny Moore? Moore had been one the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL, and the team doesn’t currently have a true starting nickel corner on the roster. The team hopes second year pro Justin Walley will be able to fill that role.
• There are reports that Jones will be ready for week one of the regular season. If Jones isn’t ready to go opening weekend, or his play isn’t what it was this past season, it could get ugly for the Colts. Having to rely on Anthony Richardson or Riley Leonard for an extended period of time is less than ideal.