Rams top CBS Sports’ 2026 NFL roster rankings as Seahawks land at No. 2

CBS Sports’ 2026 NFL roster rankings begin the season’s roster evaluation with a simple premise: before games are played, teams can be measured by the overall quality of their lineups. In the outlet’s preseason ordering of the top 16 rosters, the Los Angeles Rams are listed at No. 1, while the defending champion Seattle Seahawks come in at No. 2.

The Seahawks’ placement reflects more than last season’s title. CBS Sports points to the way Seattle’s defense has taken on a distinctive identity under head coach Mike Macdonald, describing it as a “Dark Side” approach that has changed the profile of the team from playoff caliber to championship-level. In this framing, roster strength is tied to scheme fit and how quickly personnel can be coached into an elite defensive system.

Seattle’s offensive momentum is also presented as a central part of the No. 2 ranking. CBS Sports highlights a breakout season from Jaxon Smith-Njigba, labeling him the league’s Offensive Player of the Year in the context of its write-up. The underlying idea is that a roster is not only about talent at every position, but about a player’s ceiling showing up quickly enough to raise the whole offense.

For the Rams, the No. 1 ranking indicates that CBS Sports views Los Angeles as the most complete roster among the league’s upper tier heading into 2026. While the ranking preview does not enumerate every player or positional breakdown in the material available here, the top billing itself carries the message that Los Angeles projects to have both depth and high-impact starters across units.

Roster rankings like these typically serve as an early storyline generator rather than a prediction of standings. They can help frame what “good looks like” for each team, especially for campaigns where the margin between wildcard contention and title contention is thin. Still, preseason lists are sensitive to interpretation, and the ranking’s real test will come when injuries, training-camp performance, and week-to-week matchups reshape the actual roster picture.

As the 2026 regular season approaches, Seattle’s No. 2 slot sets up an immediate question: can the Seahawks keep their defensive identity intact and continue building on the offensive jump attributed to Smith-Njigba? For Los Angeles, being crowned No. 1 creates its own pressure, because the next step after being labeled the league’s best roster is proving that label holds under game-day stress and late-season adjustments.

CBS Sports also tees up a broader theme for the rest of the list: which roster will outperform expectations in 2026. With the defending champion already positioned near the top and the Rams at the summit, the top of the hierarchy is crowded, and the league’s surprises may be the teams that either close talent gaps quickly or benefit most from scheme continuity.

In the days leading into kickoff, the most actionable watch items will be whether the Seahawks’ “Dark Side” defensive approach looks consistent on the field and whether Smith-Njigba’s role remains an offensive focal point. On the other side, viewers should monitor how Los Angeles’ roster strengths translate into consistent production against varied defensive looks. That is where preseason roster rankings become more than preseason commentary.