The Patriots’ offensive breakout last season propelled them to a surprising playoff run. Adding Josh McDaniels as a play caller, an improved offensive line and Drake Maye’s ascension in his second year were keys to the Patriots going from averaging 17 points per game in 2024 to 28.8 points last year. The Bears, Colts and Seahawks were also among offenses that broke out last season. Here’s a look at five offenses with the talent and the coaching to become dangerous in 2026 — and the questions that might prevent their ceilings from being reached.Jacksonville JaguarsI included the Jaguars on this list last season, and they did break out in the second half of the campaign. But they have a chance to make another significant ascension this season.Coach Liam Coen has quickly put himself in the top tier of NFL play callers. Coen propelled the Buccaneers offense into one of the most explosive units in the league and then came to Jacksonville, where Trevor Lawrence had the best season of his career in Coen’s offense. There were some growing pains early in the season: the Jaguars couldn’t stop making procedural errors and dropping passes. It was clear they were having a tough time learning the offense, as Coen didn’t take it slow installing his system. His drinking-from-a-water-hose approach paid off later in the season when the unit grew more comfortable and started to click.Parker Washington is 'exception' to this NFL size ruleRobert Mays and Derrik KlassenThe Jaguars averaged 20.86 points per game before the Week 8 bye. They scored 32.8 points after, ranking second in the league behind only the Rams in that span.Through the process, Coen discovered how to best deploy receiver Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers became a dependable target for Lawrence over the middle and Parker Washington emerged as a potential star slot receiver. Brenton Strange is one of the league’s most underrated tight ends and will be the head of the snake in the Jaguars’ multiple-tight-end sets, complemented by second-round pick Nate Boerkircher.Lawrence should be leading a much cleaner operation and things should continue to slow down for him in his second year in Coen’s offense.The next step for the offense is to improve the running game. Even if we look at the running game split after their Week 8 bye, they ranked 30th in average rush yards before contact, 25th in rushing success rate and 28th in explosive rush rate. Many of their best runs were outside runs or option runs involving Lawrence. Increasing Bhayshul Tuten’s carries will help with explosiveness, but the offensive line must be better. A one-dimensional offense could swing the pendulum in the other direction for Lawrence, highlighting his tendency to put the ball in harm’s way.Denver BroncosThe Broncos finished last season 15th in offensive DVOA, FTN’s efficiency metric that accounts for strength of schedule, and 18th in points per drive (2.06).The Broncos have an elite offensive line and a top-tier receiver duo after trading for Jaylen Waddle to pair with Courtland Sutton. Their running game took a dip last season after J.K. Dobbins suffered a season-ending injury in Week 10 — they ranked 10th in explosive rush rate (10 percent) before the injury. They dropped to 28th (4.8 percent) from weeks 11-18. Dobbins is back and the Broncos drafted Jonah Coleman to back him up as their between-the-tackles runner. Last year’s second-round pick, R.J. Harvey, will be the satellite back, getting the ball on off-tackle runs and targets in the passing game.Jaylen Waddle was all Denver Broncos needed this offseasonDerrik KlassenAdding Waddle should bolster the passing game. When Sean Payton has a slot receiver he likes, he feeds them targets, and Waddle is the most explosive slot receiver Payton has ever had. Payton will be handing off play-calling duties to Davis Webb this season, but it’s still his system. Payton’s constant changing of personnel groupings can be difficult for defenses, but it can also be hard on his offense when the calls aren’t getting in on time. The hope is that a fresh voice like Webb’s can clean up some of the Broncos’ procedural issues.All of the ingredients for a top-10 offense are there, but it’ll depend on quarterback Bo Nix taking the next step. Nix salvaged some overall poor performances with late-game heroics last season, and he also shined in big games, including the best game of his career against the Bills in the divisional round before fracturing his ankle on the game’s penultimate play. Nix must improve his accuracy to become more consistent. He ranked among the worst passers in the league in percentage of throws off target. He missed several deep passes that were schemed open. And he failed to throw for over 4,000 yards despite leading the league in pass attempts. He’s proven he’s capable of high-level play, but he needs to show that he can do it more often.Houston TexansI get it. It’s hard to believe the Texans have much hope on offense based on the last time we saw them, when they turned the ball over five times against the Patriots in the playoffs. Nick Caley’s first season as Houston’s offensive coordinator could hardly be considered a success, but the offense had a few big games against good defenses (Jaguars, Chargers, Steelers). I still believe that giving C.J. Stroud more agency at the line of scrimmage and trying to improve the pass protection scheme from Bobby Slowik’s system were the right moves, despite the growing pains last season.As a play caller, it’s hard to overcome one of the worst offensive lines in the league that struggled to run block and pass protect. The Texans ranked 30th in ESPN’s pass block win rate and 32nd in the run block win rate. General manager Nick Caserio overhauled the offensive line this offseason, adding three new potential starters. The Texans signed right tackle Braden Smith and left guard Wyatt Teller. Smith was the best right tackle on the market, but Teller’s game has sharply declined. They also drafted mauler Keylan Rutledge in the first round, but he’ll move from guard to center, which won’t be an easy transition. Left tackle Aireontae Ersery had his ups and downs last season as a rookie but played well enough to continue being developed. How much he improves this will be key for this offense.New Texan David Montgomery has averaged 8.4 rushing touchdowns in his seven NFL seasons. (Tim Warner / Getty Images)David Montgomery is a massive upgrade for the Texans’ running back room, and his presence slots Woody Marks into the No. 2, third-down back role, for which he’s more suited. The Texans’ run game should be much better and should take the load off of Stroud’s shoulders. Nico Collins is the headliner of the receiving corps, but the Texans have some good complementary pieces as well. Jayden Higgins had 525 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie. He’s 6-4 with 4.47 speed and has a lot of untapped potential. Also, Tank Dell could return from a gruesome injury suffered in 2024.We’ve seen young quarterbacks like Lawrence and Baker Mayfield struggle in bad offenses and have their careers resurrected when their surroundings improve. Stroud has struggled for two seasons after a strong rookie campaign, but I still believe he can rebound in his second season in Caley’s offense. With a season of added responsibility at the line of scrimmage under his belt, Stroud should be much more comfortable and, theoretically, the ability to adjust protections and change plays can be an advantage.The Texans offense doesn’t have to be a top-10 unit for them to be contenders because they have arguably the league’s best defense. If they can finish in the 12-15th range in offense DVOA, they can be Super Bowl contenders.Los Angeles ChargersThis should finally be the year when we don’t have to wonder why Justin Herbert doesn’t have the help he needs. Mike McDaniel is a top-tier offensive coordinator who will scheme up more layups for Herbert than he’s ever had in his career. His receiving corps is full of young, talented receivers like Ladd McConkey and Tre Harris, and former first-round pick Quentin Johnston has emerged as a useful player.Some have criticized the Chargers for not adding enough to the offensive line, but getting tackles Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt back gives them one of the best tackle duos in the league, and signing center Tyler Biadasz was a godsend. Center is a vital position in outside-zone systems. The guard position is questionable, but McDaniel has shown he can scheme around it in Miami, and he saw Kyle Shanahan do it for years when McDaniel was a 49ers assistant.Herbert has scrambled more than he ever has in his career in the past few seasons, and his ability to create has kept the Chargers offense afloat. Since 2024, Herbert ranks sixth in the league in scramble rate (6.5 percent). With McDaniel, Herbert will cut down his average time to throw. He’s already been adjusting his footwork to get rid of the ball quicker. Herbert played in an offense as a rookie that emphasized the quick game, but McDaniel’s scheme will create space for YAC. However, there will be a give-and-take; you don’t want to neuter a quarterback with the physical ability of Herbert, so expect McDaniel to throw downfield much more than he did in Miami.The Chargers addressed McDaniel’s wishlist, signing his fullback in Miami, Alec Ingold, and blocking tight end Charlie Kolar. Although tight end Oronde Gadsden II displayed explosive ability as a receiver as a rookie, don’t be surprised if Kolar is the starter while Gadsden rotates in on passing situations or multiple tight end sets. The Chargers also signed David Njoku and can line up in three-tight-end sets, which is the latest offensive trend.The Chargers’ offense has versatile chess pieces, a mad-scientist play caller pushing the buttons and a freak of nature at quarterback. Health, which has been an issue for the Chargers, is the only obstacle that could stand in the way of being a top-five offense.New Orleans SaintsThe Saints have quietly put together a strong offense through the draft. They drafted both their young, talented tackles: left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. this year and right tackle Taliese Fuaga in 2024. Chris Olave has emerged as a star receiver. Most importantly, Tyler Shough, whom they drafted in the second round last season, looks like he can develop into an above-average starter. They don’t have a star at running back, but the combination of Travis Etienne Jr. and Alvin Kamara should be fine.With free-agent signing David Edwards, the best guard available, the Saints’ offensive line has a chance to be very strong. They ranked 28th in rushing success last season. I don’t expect the running game to be explosive, but the Saints should be more efficient on the ground, which should help solve their red zone issues — the Saints had the worst red zone touchdown percentage in the league last season.Tyler Shough finished second in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2025 behind only Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. (Brett Davis / Imagn Images)The Saints ranked 29th in pass block win rate in 2025. With a season of development for Banks and Edwards playing inside of him, the offensive line should do a better job of keeping Shough clean, which is vital. According to Pro Football Focus, Shough ranked 41st among qualifying quarterbacks in pressure-to-sack rate and his efficiency drops significantly when he’s pressured. If the Saints can protect Shough, he has a chance to produce like a tier 2 quarterback. It’ll be his second season in coach Kellen Moore’s system, and he’ll have weapons in Olave and first-round pick Jordyn Tyson. Tyson has WR1 ability, but he must stay healthy. He had limited participation in OTAs because of a hamstring injury suffered last season.The Saints’ talent is mostly good, not elite. They have the potential to be at least good at multiple spots with no major weaknesses. If the offensive line lives up to its potential, New Orleans has a chance to make a big jump.