Ranking the NFL uniform changes

Five NFL teams unveiled new uniforms for the 2026 season and the Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley and Brian Sandalow are ranking the looks. Remember, this is subjective, not objective.

PATRICK FINLEY
1.Titans
Is it abhorrent to dress up like the Oilers when you moved them out of Houston? It is wrong that NFL properties once sent the University of Houston a cease-and-desist letter because the Cougs dared to wear Oilers colors? Yes and yes.

Still, this is the only uniform makeover that dares to do more than sharpen the corners of a logo or turn a gradient color into a solid one. Gone are the navy jerseys and flaming thumbtack helmet logo that symbolized the team for most of its 29 years in Tennessee. So is the beveled “T” — and, for a brief, terrible time, its matching swordlike shoulder yoke.

I welcome the six-string stripe, meant to mimic a guitar, that appears down the middle of the helmet and on the sleeves. It’s clever, even if the Predators put it across their numbers years ago.

The Titans rebrand made the worst uniform in the NFL better. These uniforms are clean, even if our conscience isn’t.

2. Commanders
The Commanders’ old alternate uniform combined my two least favorite sports uniform trends — cosplaying the military and being all-black even though it’s not a team color. Their black helmet had a W directly in the front of the helmet, stenciled numbers on the side of it, and a military inspired “Commanders” logo on the chest with lines above and below it. The players’ names on the back got the same striped treatment.

The new and improved black “Hail Raiser” set features the W helmet logo pierced by a spear — the team says it’s a reference to being the tip of the spear, not the old, unacceptable nickname — and a jersey number font mimics the everything-old-is-new-again home and road sets, which are delightful.

3. Rams
The Rams’ uniforms are beautiful in person. The blue is mesmerizing. I even liked the gradient numbers.

Still, getting rid of the goofy Los Angeles Rams logo on the front — which looked like a “Hello My Name Is …” tag — and mothballing the dirty dishwasher alternates is a major upgrade. I’m bracing for the Rams’ rumored yellow alternate jersey to ruin all the good feelings, though.

4. Ravens
I’ll miss the gold trim around the Ravens’ numbers as much as I miss the gold outline on the Jaguars’ numbers. Both were the best parts of their uniforms.

A team with the slogan “forevermore” kept their uniforms for seemingly that long, yet they never really became classics. A new uniform, rather than a refresh, would have been better.

5. Falcons
Are the Falcons a red team with black accents or a black team with red accents? They don’t even know — they’ve worn red jerseys at home for 35 years and black for 25.

In dumbing down their uniforms, the Falcons went too dull. My suggestion: do what they did from 1966-69 and have a black-and-gold helmet stripe: black for the University of Georgia and gold for Georgia Tech.

BRIAN SANDALOW
1. Rams
When we did this exercise in 2020, the Rams were an example of subtraction by addition. There were too many pointless flourishes on what should be a timeless look.

Six years later, the Rams reversed course.

Bone is history, the gradients are gone and actual ram horns are back on the jerseys. The Rams successfully updated their traditional uniform and came out with a winner. The modern touches the Rams kept – especially the rounded numbers – look so much better without the superfluous just-because-we-can trash.

2. Titans
Where to begin with these? OK, in a vacuum the Titans clearly upgraded from whatever they were trying with their previous set. These uniforms aren’t perfect – the stripe gets lost on blue elements – but the Titans will resemble a serious NFL team.

However, and it’s a big however, the Titans are wearing colors more associated with Houston. C’mon, make your own identity and don’t live off the old Oilers. It’s only been almost three decades.

Though, maybe the Titans are tacitly admitting their Tennessee-era branding has been a failure. They’d never say that, but we can.

3. Commanders
Here’s another set that’s great without context. The Commanders turned back the clock to their clean Super Bowl look and wiped away the visual atrocity that was the Snyder-designed uniforms. On that front, well done.

Still, there’s a part of this that’s uncomfortable. A spear as part of the black helmet’s logo feels like too much of a nod to the previous, unprintable team name. It would have been nice if the Commanders had built off the team’s prior home uniforms, the only look from the set that was salvageable, to create more distance from the old days.

4. Falcons
So close, Atlanta.

The needless piping and humongous ATL on the chest have vanished like a 28-3 Super Bowl lead. The main uniforms are streamlined and don’t have too many frills, reading like a modernization of their beloved throwbacks (which remain).

There’s just something missing. The Falcons snuck some silver onto the pants stripes but needed to go further. Why not a pair of silver pants? They’d mimic the Dirty Birds era and pair well with the logo and face masks, both of which have silver.

5. Ravens
The four teams above upgraded by toning down the pointless embellishments. The Ravens, a paragon of uniform stability for 25 years, regrettably decided to go in the other direction.

If you’ve ever wondered what wings would look like on an NFL team’s collar, or craved seeing purple shift depending on the light, then this is what you’ve been waiting for. There’s new pants striping meant to resemble raven claws that’s oriented in a way to represent the crests on Baltimore and Maryland’s flag.

These are not bad changes. Just completely unnecessary. If we do this in 2031, don’t be surprised if the Ravens are included.