Whether it’s a coaching change or a potentially necessary quarterback shift, there are some NFL teams that need to do something in the opposite direction. There seem to be more average teams than usual as we close out Week 5 of the 2026 NFL Season.
The league also feels expansive this year for a number of reasons. Even some of the teams we were pretty high on before the season didn’t perform as we expected, and there are some teams that have exceeded expectations.
This is all to say that the 2026 season has been wacky. We went through another power-ranking exercise, and, this time, we ranked the teams that needed to make a big change, and the criteria was ranking teams based on how big of a change they needed to make. All 32 teams definitely had something wrong, but some stood out more than others. We are not necessarily advocating these steps, but it is clear that these steps are necessary for the sake of the franchise.
Ranking the teams that need to make the biggest changes through Week 5
6. Dallas Cowboys – Moving on from Christian Parker
The Dallas Cowboys took a big risk in hiring Christian Parker this offseason, as it was his first defensive coordinator job, but he came from Vic Fangio for free, so many hyped up the hire, because surely it would be better than Matt Eberflus, right?
Well, not exactly. Dallas’ performance on Thursday Night Football on defense against a rookie quarterback was disappointing, as this team ranks near the bottom of the league in most defensive categories. This can’t be another lost season on defense, so the Cowboys may need to consider making this big change.
5. Tennessee Titans – Sending Cam Ward to the bench
It might not be Cam Ward, folks, but it wouldn’t hurt to send him to the bench for a bit either. The Carolina Panthers did send Bryce Young to the bench a while ago, and he has been borderline good since returning from that benching.
The Titans invested the first overall pick in Ward in the 2025 NFL Draft, and he just looked overwhelmed and mediocre throughout. Tennessee’s staff isn’t exactly great, but you wouldn’t be crazy to expect more from Ward right now.
A benching could do him good in the end.
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