Cowherd’s pre-season NFL hierarchy puts focus on Bengals, Texans and Bears
Colin Cowherd has released his first 2026 Herd Hierarchy, with several prominent teams left outside his top 10 before Week 1.
Fox Sports has reported that Colin Cowherd’s first 2026 pre-season Herd Hierarchy ranks 10 NFL teams ahead of Week 1. The list includes at least one of the teams from last season’s Super Bowl, while the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens were left out.
Cowherd identified the Cincinnati Bengals as one of the league’s most improved teams. He pointed to defensive additions including Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, Kyle Dugger, Cashius Howell and Boye Mafe, and said Cincinnati had won its division twice when Joe Burrow had a top-20 defence.
The Houston Texans were also rated highly, with Cowherd describing their defence as the NFL’s best by a margin. He noted that Houston returns 10 of its 11 defensive starters and has won 10 of its past 11 games, while raising concerns about the health of the team’s receivers.
Cowherd placed the Chicago Bears at No. 8, backing the offensive potential of quarterback Caleb Williams and receivers Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland and Luther Burden. He also questioned whether Chicago has a consistent pass rush.
The Denver Broncos were praised for retaining most of their offensive production. Cowherd highlighted the addition of Jaylen Waddle, Denver’s record of giving up the fewest sacks and its recent defensive sack production, while calling quarterback Bo Nix “pretty good”.
Cowherd said the Chiefs and Ravens were close to making the list. The hierarchy reflects his pre-season evaluations and projections, rather than an independently verified measure of team strength.
