With minicamps in the rearview and the calm before the training-camp storm upon us, it’s again time to examine which offenses will be laced with pace, who will forgo tempo, and a handful of teams we haven’t fully figured out.
Every offseason brings tales of teams wanting to play faster, and there is no shortage of recent soundbites to that effect. Words are wind, my friends. Lately, it seems the only thing play-callers enjoy more than cramming extra tight ends is a creeping tempo.
Pace and pass rates are sinking. The Shanification of the league has more offenses burning time with frequent pre-snap motion. Average target depth is down, and completion rates are up — spawning “long handoffs” that exacerbate already worsening between-plays clock-grinding.
Along with additional kickoff returns resulting in better field position and shorter drives the last two years, plus more accurate field goal kickers capping drives from longer ranges, it’s taken a toll on play volume.
Do not despair. There are bright spots in several cities, and we will detail them first as we identify which teams will — and which will not — play games in 2026 on fertile fantasy soil.
Up In Pace
Cincinnati Bengals
Why not kick off Up in Pace with a technically slow offense? The Bengals have never ranked faster than 19th in neutral pace over seven seasons with Zac Taylor — or higher than 22nd in neutral no-huddle rate. Usually, they finish much lower. It simply doesn’t matter because Taylor will again have Joe Burrow chucking the piss out of the ball. Starting with Taylor’s first season as head coach and play-caller, Cincinnati ranked sixth, eighth, seventh, second, third, first, and second in situation-neutral pass rate — despite Burrow not joining the team until 2020 or being a stranger to the injury report.
Bengals contests are voluminous more often than not, having ranked top 10 in combined plays three of the last four years — with Burrow missing nearly half his games that fourth year. Their matchups will continue to produce mountains of points and plays so long as they remain chock-full of pass attempts. While the defense is projected to improve, potentially leading to fewer sideways game scripts …it’s the Bengals. The only thing in Cincinnati as bankable as Skyline-chili heartburn are incessant Burrow dropbacks. If those continue — and they will — nothing else matters from a pace perspective.
Dallas Cowboys
This is the easiest projection every single year. Thank you, Dak Prescott. Whether Mike McCarthy is getting rid of Kellen Moore or getting replaced himself, the Cowboys will play fast. Whether Dallas has a high pass rate or a low one — which regularly occurred not long ago — the Cowboys will play fast. Whether they use a ton of no-huddle or ditch it, the Cowboys will play fast. Prescott is the constant, and his presence has led to an abundance of play volume, both for the Cowboys and their opponents.
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