Ranking the Five NFL Uniform Releases of 2026

Each year, NFL franchises take a leap of faith, re-designing uniform combinations that have been in their closet. Some teams, like the Packers, Colts, or Chiefs, have barely, if at all, wavered from their past; others, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns, reverted to an old style after the minimum five-year limit has passed. Last year, the NFL saw a plethora of new alternate uniforms, but 2026 has been the year for primary changes. In the 2026 NFL Offseason, five teams announced and released their newest collection of uniforms, highlighting a new era for the entire organization, in hopes that looking good can correlate to playing well on the gridiron. Today, I will be ranking my opinions, from worst to best, on the newly released uniforms for the Titans, Falcons, Rams, Commanders, and Ravens.

5. Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons are an interesting team to start with. On one hand, the elimination of their pseudo-alarm clock look was a big deal, but on the other, the fans were ignored once again. To go from the uniqueness in the Matt Ryan and Roddy White era of Falcons uniforms to their 2020 look was a serious downgrade that received immediate criticism. The franchise added a ‘Dirty Birds’ throwback, which was a fan favorite, resulting in fans calling for a permanent throwback as their primary, similar to how the Jets reverted to a similar set from the 80s and 90s. However, what they got was close, but far from what the fans desired. Atlanta went back to their primary home red uniforms that resemble the 70s version, changed the away number color to red, reflecting the late 90s, early 2000s combo, and kept the ‘Dirty Birds’ look as their alternate. That all seems fine and dandy, but with the Falcons opting for a simplistic red home jersey and a white away jersey with red numbers, it resembles the Cardinals a little too much. Additionally, the Falcons opted not to bring back any variation of the silver pants, which were a staple for nearly 20 years of Atlanta history. All in all, the new look is an upgrade, and would be higher on the list if it did not look so similar to the Cardinals and some parts of the Texans' uniforms.

4. Los Angeles Rams

While I will not be doing an updated list later in the summer, the Rams find themselves at spot four due to the minimal changes and the timeline of their second planned uniform release, set for the summer of 2026. When the Rams released their jaw-dropping blockbuster uniform change in 2020, it showed glimpses of the uniform combo that was worn from 1973 to 1999. The Rams, who fully completed their move from St. Louis, dropped the navy and gold from the Steven Jackson era, opting to return to the brighter blue and yellow, but with a twist. The jerseys had an interesting front shoulder patch with the team name, an arch design on the outside shoulder, and one of the three jerseys was a cream/bone color. All three design choices did not sit well with fans who had just watched their team return home after 25 years. However, with the introduction of NFL Rivalry uniforms in 2025, and the Rams participating in the first installment, jersey designers made some adjustments that would later be changed into what was released. The front shoulder patch was removed, the arch was changed into a ram horn, the bone color uniform combo was archived, presumably forever, and the number color gradient on the primary blue jerseys was changed to a solid color. While the changes were minimal but necessary, there is still excitement from the summer 2026 release that could later elevate the team's uniform updates higher in the rankings of the new 2026 uniforms.

3. Washington Commanders

I promise, this is the last time I will call a newly released uniform combo interesting, but the Commanders’ updates are, for a lack of a better word, interesting. The history of Washington’s uniforms and eventual change came from the decade-long pressure for the use of ‘Redskins’ and its offensive nature, as it is considered a racial slur against Native Americans. Therefore, Washington dropped the name ‘Redskins’, temporarily changing it to ‘Football Team’ before revealing the new name of ‘Commanders’ with a sharp departure from previous looks, prior to the 2022 NFL Season. Around 2024, the team came under new ownership, and their goal was to honor team history without necessarily going back to the original name. Their solution was to bring back the gold pants in 2024 and a ‘Super Bowl Era’ alternate in 2025 as a test run, before permanently going back to the classic ‘Redskins’ look but with the Commanders name and logo. As for their newly created alternate, Washington went with an all-black look and an alternate logo of the Washington ‘W’ with a spear through it. While the controversial team name may not be returning, it is worth noting that the Commanders will be rocking a classic throwback look as a primary for the foreseeable future as they prepare to return to RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., as opposed to Landover, MD.

2. Tennessee Titans

Formerly known as the Houston Oilers and briefly the Tennessee Oilers before becoming the Titans, there has been little to no success at all. With one Super Bowl appearance, which was a loss to the Rams, only 10 playoff appearances in 26 years, and none since 2021, Tennessee ownership felt it was time to go back to their roots. The 2026 Titans kept their name but adopted the Oilers' color scheme and uniform design, which has received nothing but love from fans everywhere in the NFL, not just in Nashville. In their first season as the Tennessee Titans back in 1999, the team with a new name, uniform, and stadium made a miraculous run to the Super Bowl. The Titans would keep those uniforms until 2018, opting for a more futuristic look, introducing a red and silver accent and a sword design embedded in the shoulder cuff. It wasn’t until 2023 that the Titans chose to wear an Oilers throwback, which was a simplified version compared to the 2009 AFL Anniversary edition and the jerseys worn prior to their team relocation in the late 90s. Then in 2026, the Titans made the full switch to the Oilers’ color scheme and uniform combinations, as well as a revised logo that keeps the Titans ‘T’, but in the Oilers palette.

1. Baltimore Ravens

There may be a little bias when it comes to putting the Ravens at the top of this list, but I stand by the rankings for two reasons. The first is that the Ravens did not revert to any historical uniform combination. This is mostly because, for the past 30 years, the Ravens have had essentially the same uniform, with slight modifications over the years to seem more sleek and add more options. The second reason is that the Ravens did not go down a simplistic path like the Falcons. If the Ravens chose to simplify an already simple uniform, it would start to look like the Minnesota Vikings with a different shade of purple. Instead, ‘The Next Flight’ collection adds to their already spectacular uniforms, giving nods to the state of Maryland, the history of the Ravens, and an option to build upon their uniforms when it is their turn for the NFL Rivalry uniforms in 2028. The Ravens added a wing design on the collars, which “spread wide in a threat display, signaling aggression and dominance." The wings also pay homage to the original Ravens logo with the outspread wings. The pants feature a stripe down the leg resembling talons, but double as a representation of the Calvert crest in the Baltimore and Maryland flags, with its diagonal split. While they changed their alternate helmet to feature the primary logo, it can now be cycled in with the other jerseys, leaving an alternate-only helmet to be created. The ‘Darkness Falls’ uniform combination, which has been worn for years, now features a matte black helmet with an all-black front-facing raven logo, with red eyes, that mirror the red eyes seen throughout M&T Bank Stadium and the tunnel when the starters run out. At the end of the day, I am excited to see all the new uniforms with my own eyes in the coming months and years, but I am more thrilled to know that Baltimore’s ‘Mustard Yellow’ pants remain in the vault.