# Mike Renner: Renner sorts all 32 NFL teams into 10 tiers heading into 2026, from a "need more talent" bottom group (Dolphins, Titans, Raiders, Cardinals) up to a "reigning favorites" top tier of Seahawks, Rams and Broncos. He also projects several starting jobs in Chicago, Houston and New England.

**Claimed:** Apr 29, 2026
**Pundit:** Mike Renner — https://missedtakes.co/pundits/mike-renner
**Outlet:** Pushing the Pile (podcast) — https://missedtakes.co/outlets/pushing-the-pile-podcast
**How it reached us:** said on air, transcribed by us
**Original:** https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/serve.castfire.com/audio/8174621/8174621_2026-04-12-052521.192.mp3?rssID=6037

9 checkable claims — 8 depth chart calls and 1 power ranking — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 11 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.

Of the 6 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room on every one.

> It is the reigning favorites tier. These were probably the best teams in the NFL. A year ago, nothing has dissuaded me from thinking that heading into 2026, it's the Seahawks, it's the Rams, and it's the Broncos.

*(their words, quoted for attribution)*

## The claims

- **Coby Bryant to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Coby Bryant, Chicago Bears
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Braden Smith to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Braden Smith, Houston Texans
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Keylan Rutledge to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Keylan Rutledge, Houston Texans
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Dre'Mont Jones to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Dre'Mont Jones, New England Patriots
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **We got 10 tiers... It's called the need more talent tier... It's the Miami Dolphins. It's the Tennessee Titans. It's the Las Vegas Raiders, and it's the Arizona Cardinals... they might be better than we thought tier. And it is the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns... quarterback questions tier... It's the Colts. It's the Vikings, the Falcons, it's the Steelers... head coach slash quarterback buoying mid rosters tier... it's the Chiefs, it's the Chargers, it's the Bengals, and it's the forty niners... the ascending tier... It's the Saints. It's the Cowboys. It's the Giants, and it's the Panthers... shouldn't have been that bad last year... It's the Ravens, the Lions, it's the Commanders, and it's the Bucks... close and status quo... It's the bears, it's the jaguars, and it's the Buffalo Bills... the Texans and the Patriots are in the close and got better category... the back again tier... It's the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles... the reigning favorites tier... it's the Seahawks, it's the Rams, and it's the Broncos.**
  - Kind: Power Rankings
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Dillon Thieneman to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Dillon Thieneman, Chicago Bears
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Harold Landry III to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Harold Landry III, New England Patriots
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Wyatt Teller to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Wyatt Teller, Houston Texans
  - Verdict: not settled yet
- **Devin Bush to be 1st on the depth chart**
  - Kind: Depth Chart Calls · About: Devin Bush, Chicago Bears
  - Verdict: not settled yet

## Who this take is about

- Coby Bryant — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/coby-bryant
- Chicago Bears — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/bears
- Braden Smith — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/braden-smith
- Houston Texans — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/texans
- Keylan Rutledge — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/keylan-rutledge
- Dre'Mont Jones — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/dre-mont-jones
- New England Patriots — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/teams/patriots
- Dillon Thieneman — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/dillon-thieneman
- Harold Landry III — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/harold-landry-iii
- Wyatt Teller — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/wyatt-teller
- Devin Bush — https://missedtakes.co/nfl/players/devin-bush

## What others said about the same people

- Chris Simms on Houston Texans: Simms went through the entire Week 3 slate with straight-up winners and predicted final scores, taking Jacksonville, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Carolina, Kansas City, Seattle, the Giants, Baltimore, New Orleans, Minnesota, San Francisco, Denver and Philadelphia. He also expected Zay Flowers and Puka Nacua to sit, Kyler Murray to play, and said Marvin Harrison Jr. projects as no better than a good No. 2 or high-end No. 3 receiver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/662b7ba3-1bf6-4ad0-9f93-9f2ab83143fd (scored 47.62)
- Steven Ruiz on Houston Texans: Previewing Week 3, Ruiz picked the Ravens to beat the Cowboys in Brazil, Jacksonville over New England in a low-scoring game, an upset by the Broncos over the Rams, the Raiders over the Saints, the Eagles over the Bears, the Lions over the Jets, and his Hail Mary that Houston beats Indianapolis by two touchdowns. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a30ff469-4972-4c48-855b-ba984e4de9d0 (scored 0)
- Nate Tice on New England Patriots: Tice picked the Bengals over the Texans in a low-scoring game, the Jaguars at Denver, the Bears over the Vikings, the Patriots over the Steelers and the Rams to edge the Giants, and his Hail Mary was the Cowboys scoring 40 on Washington. He also floated Abdul Carter as a possible All-Pro. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b6211c80-3d1c-46b8-8a0c-151fc0ba92de (scored 100)
- Matt Harmon on Chicago Bears: Harmon picked the Bengals to beat the Texans in Week 2, expecting Nico Collins to miss the game with a hamstring injury, and also predicted the Titans would be shut out by the Eagles. He took the Rams over the Giants, the Bears over the Vikings, and the Jaguars at Denver. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/21a71025-ab65-4716-ac2c-e77ad5ce3348 (scored 0)
- Tracy Sandler on Chicago Bears: Sandler predicted Caleb Williams would miss two to three weeks with his hamstring injury, and in the picks segment took the Broncos, Ravens, Vikings, Bills and Bears (switching off an earlier Tampa pick). — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/74f12600-9587-488a-af00-2e8c11643531 (scored 100)
- Adam Chudwin on Chicago Bears: In his annual game-by-game Bears prediction, Chudwin went through all 17 games and landed on a 12-5 season for Chicago. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/b6e5e93f-2997-4140-881f-3acec911a1f1 (scored 100)

## More depth chart calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

- Pat Fitzmaurice on Jonah Coleman: In his Week 3 waiver column, Fitzmaurice makes several depth-chart calls around injuries: Jonah Coleman leading Denver's backfield, Marcus Mariota taking over in Washington, Michael Penix Jr. starting once healthy, and Malik Washington serving as Miami's top receiver, plus availability expectations for Detroit's injured safeties. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/2cbd48f6-15ea-4aa5-84bc-bcc50d94d09a (scored 0)
- Fox Sports on Michael Penix Jr.: Fox Sports states that a healthy Tua Tagovailoa will serve as Atlanta's backup quarterback in Week 3, with Michael Penix Jr. handling the starting duties against Green Bay. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/a90e69a8-707f-43e9-a63e-cdb3e7bd0829 (scored 100)
- Pat Fitzmaurice on Aaron Jones: In previewing the 10 most intriguing fantasy performers of Week 2, Fitzmaurice expects Atlanta's quarterback problems to persist with Tua Tagovailoa unlikely to play and Michael Penix Jr. not ready to return, flags Falcons slot corner Billy Bowman Jr. as a possible Week 2 returnee, and describes Aaron Jones as Minnesota's lead back and Kaelon Black as the clear backup to Christian McCaffrey in San Francisco. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/31adc8bb-8f15-453f-bbcf-cab44e29b8b3 (scored 100)
- Matt Severance on Deshaun Watson: The CBS Sports preview backs Tampa Bay to beat Cleveland in the Bucs' Week 2 home opener, and states that Deshaun Watson — not Shedeur Sanders — will be Cleveland's starting quarterback in Week 2. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/944568ce-7205-409f-8354-a392016fd8bf (scored 100)
- Rafael Zamorano on Deshaun Watson: Zamorano reports Watson will start Week 2 at Tampa Bay and suggests there's little reason to expect improvement, raising the possibility Watson's five-year contract never yields more than single-digit wins. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/d7d7e0a2-61e0-4525-970b-b01a2356f11b (scored 100)
- Rich Hribar on Tua Tagovailoa: Hribar expects Tua Tagovailoa to be Atlanta's starting quarterback for Week 2 while Michael Penix stays out, with Penix's return closer to Week 4. He is unenthusiastic about the Falcons' offense either way and treats Bryce Young as a fringe fantasy starter. — https://missedtakes.co/opinions/124ac755-a942-4382-8bad-177da7f8170d (scored 0)

---

Accuracy is 0-100 against what actually happened. The naive guess is what a strategy requiring no knowledge would have scored on the same call — the difference is the skill, and it is what the MissedTakes Score averages.

Full method: https://missedtakes.co/methodology

We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span for attribution; we never republish their article. If this is wrong, tell us:
https://missedtakes.co/corrections?pundit=mike-renner