The Rich Eisen Show’s 2026 NFL Sleeper Teams Draft Round 3: Cowboys, Patriots & Bears???

The sleeper team draft ended exactly the way three sports fans doing something off the cuff always end up. Nobody planned it. Everybody picked their own team.

1. New England Patriots, taken by Chris. He built the mystery first. A team that overachieved last year, that a lot of people credited to the schedule, that you probably had nobody from in your fantasy league, whose number one receiver from a year ago is gone. A team that did not look great in the playoffs.

"They're not even the favorites to win their own division, Seth Rollins," Chris said. "Can you believe that? My final sleeper team of this draft are your defending AFC champion New England Patriots."

His argument is that expectations have cratered while the roster improved. They got better on offense and better on defense, and Chris made a point of the receiver they added.

"Have you heard of A.J. Brown?" he said. "They should have had the MVP of the whole dang league last year."

A defending conference champion is claiming underdog status, and Chris is happy to wear it.

2. Chicago Bears, taken by guest host Seth Rollins, who was mildly offended he had to explain himself at all.

"They're predicted to finish third in the North this season," Rollins said. "Are you crazy? Are you out of your mind? Are you lunatics?"

His case starts with Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams in year two together, which he thinks is unstoppable. From there it is a roster inventory. Roman Wilson back to full health. Colston Loveland in his second season, on his way to top-five tight end status. Luther Burden, a fantasy sleeper and, in Rollins's words, a baller in open space. And a coach he considers the league's best at scheming receivers open.

The backfield returns two backs, D'Andre Swift coming off his best season in years and Kyle Monangai entering year two.

The defense is where Rollins expects the real jump, largely on availability. Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon cannot possibly be hurt as much as they were, the secondary got reinforcements, and better coverage means more time for a front four featuring Montez Sweat.

He did not stop at better.

"They're going to win this division and they are going to get to the NFC title game, if not the Super Bowl," Rollins said.

3. Dallas Cowboys, taken by TJ, who opened with a number and made everyone wait for it.

That number was 11,134, the days since Dallas last won a Super Bowl on January 28, 1996. The second number was 30, the points per game the Cowboys defense gave up last season.

"You can't win football games giving up 30 points a game," TJ said.

His entire pick rests on that unit changing. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker is the savant he keeps hearing about, and the draft brought in Caleb Downs, plus a pick Rich thought was such a big deal that he texted TJ about it live while on air. On offense, all 11 starters are back, and TJ is very confident in a kicker he pays five dollars for every year in his auction league.

Then he zoomed out and defended the whole exercise.

"If you don't think that your team is going to win every year, then why are you even spending time watching the games?" TJ said. "Football and sports take up way too much of our time, take up way too much of our emotional capacity."

Which does not extend to baseball. TJ is not letting the Mets ruin his summer.

The desk closed it out with the honest read on all nine picks.

"God, guys, we are awful, aren't we?"