NFL Vibe Check: Every Team Entering the Season

NFL Vibe Check: Every Team Entering the Season

Vibe check. Vibe check. This is just a general check of every team's vibe as we progress through training camp and head toward the season. Nothing overly scientific about this analysis coming your way. It's really just what the energy feels like surrounding this team and the fan base. Just a general assessment of the vibes.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are an interesting one. I feel like mid describes their vibe right now. They definitely improved last year. Here, I mean, they more than doubled their win total from the year before, but there's just not a lot to get like super excited about this year if you're a, you know, neutral NFL fan looking at the Cardinals and being like, "Oh, what can I expect from you this year?" Obviously added some defensive pieces which should definitely help and if they're going to improve, that's going to be a big reason why. But their offense is like exactly the same. No real coaching changes. I am still concerned about Marvin Harrison Jr. reaching that elite status as a wide receiver because if you don't change anything around a guy when he disappoints in year one and I do think a lot of his problems came down to usage versus you know his own talent it makes you wonder why you would expect anything to change. So I feel like the Cardinals are kind of just the NPC of the NFL—they're fine but just feels like mid describes their vibe right now.

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons, on the other hand, again vibes are so much determined by just what you can hang your hat on and look forward to this upcoming season because vibes are going to change a week into the season. They'll certainly change a month into the season when we see that so much of this stuff is probably going wrong. Some of it will go right, but when you look at the Falcons right now, preseason training camp, season hasn't started, they've got a brand new shiny quarterback that they're excited about. They don't have old man Kurt Cousins and his torn Achilles anymore. So, I think the Falcons vibes you got to put in good just because there's something that, you know, their fans are really looking forward to this year and can really be excited about. Plus, they actually spent some first-round picks on defense for once, which is good because their defense is usually big stinky butt.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens vibes are great. Say what you will about coming up short in the playoffs. This fan base has to feel as good about their team as any fan base in the league. You know, not named the Philadelphia Eagles or the Kansas City Chiefs. Lamar Jackson, Dererick Henry, a roster as well as any to win a Super Bowl. They just have to actually get over that hump finally, but impossible to deny that the vibes are absolutely great in Baltimore.

Buffalo Bills

Same exact thing. One of the AFC's top contenders, one of the teams that we are hoping to see in the Super Bowl instead of the Chiefs for once. Spent a bunch of their draft picks on defense. I believe the first five draft picks they made were on the defensive side of the ball. So hopefully juicing up that side of the ball will help them finally get over the hump. But just I really don't have to overexplain it. It's the Bills. They're a great team. They're a great offense. They're an exciting Super Bowl caliber team. Obviously the vibes are going to be great.

Carolina Panthers

I actually think their vibes are good. Shout out to the NFC South for sponsoring the good vibes here so far. The emergence of Bryce Young in the second half of last year combined with the draft pick of T McMillan just gives Panthers fans a lot to look forward to this year. Now that defense is a different story. They might be one of the worst units in the league and I certainly don't think anybody's going to mistake the Panthers for like a true contender this year. But we expected this to be a long rebuild. They gave Dave Canales a long contract because they knew this was going to take a while. So it's all about just marginal steps forward and I think they're making them and I think they'll continue to make them.

Chicago Bears

The Bears also have to go in the good vibes tier right now. Again, may maybe the most prone to this going down as we get into the season. Like we could be a month into the season and the Bears are 0 and 4, 1 and three and Ben Johnson looks like a terrible head coach and this is just has completely collapsed. But as of right now, like looking at all the things you want to be excited about an upcoming season, the Bears have done everything right this offseason. They got the hottest head coaching candidate we've seen in years. They invested in the O line. The only thing they didn't do was get a better running back than DeAndre Swift, which I do think will come back to bite them, but nevertheless, the vibes are certainly good in Chicago, at least for now.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals are an interesting one because we might be looking at the best offense in the NFL, which generally would lend itself to being good vibes, right? But the way they are treating some of their players on the defensive side of the ball, you know, Trey Hendrickson is caught in this contract dispute despite leading the NFL in sacks the last two years. They haven't even signed their first-round pick, Shamar Stewart, because of some weird contract language. And that's all just about as bad energy as it can get this time of the year, especially when we already knew their defense was going to be their weakness. And so again, this isn't a commentary on like where I think these teams are going to finish this year or their records or anything. It's strictly an assessment of the vibrations. And currently the Bengals vibes are pretty bad.

Cleveland Browns

Oh boy. Uh, this is a real tough one. Real head scratcher. No, the Cleveland Browns vibes are real bad. They have no legitimate quarterback to speak of. They still have Predator Watson on their roster somewhere, rehabbing hopefully in the pits of hell. Their brand new shiny running back is already in legal trouble and still doesn't have a contract. So, I mean, look, resigning Miles Garrett is great. Glad you got to keep him around. But uh yikes.

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a tough one to pin down because historically they have done what the Bengals are doing, which is mistreat their players and not signing them to extensions when they should. And they are doing that right now with Micah Parsons. But they also have some things that at least make you excited for this upcoming season. It's not just bringing back the same team from last year and being a to Parsons. Like they brought in George Pickkins, which is exciting. Their running back room is kind of a disaster, but at least there's a couple rookies in there. I like Jaden Blue. I'm excited to see what he can do this year. I don't know how excited I am about Brian Shottenheimer as their head coach. It doesn't feel like that's going to be all that different from what they've been doing the last few years. Obviously, it's an in-house guy, so it probably won't be that different. I feel like the vibes surrounding the Cowboys are mid.

Conclusion

As the 2025 NFL season approaches, every team carries its own energy, expectations, and storylines into training camp. Some franchises are buzzing with optimism thanks to new quarterbacks, bold draft choices, or Super Bowl-ready rosters, while others are weighed down by contract disputes, shaky leadership, or unresolved quarterback issues.

The truth is, vibes are fleeting — one hot start or devastating injury can completely rewrite the narrative within weeks. But for now, this vibe check gives us a snapshot of where each team stands emotionally and culturally before the season begins. Whether it’s excitement, cautious optimism, or outright chaos, every fan base has something to hold onto as kickoff draws closer.