Going through all eight NFL divisions, I ranked the teams who finished last across those last season by likelihood of going first in 2024! Let me know who you think will make a jump!
Tag Archives: NFL Offseason
My NFL top 100 players of 2024:
It’s that time of the year again. Players across the NFL have voted for their peers and created a list of the top 100 among those – and so did I. As always, I have to mention the fundamental issue with how the official list is put together, considering each participant only lists their first 20 names, which encourages some biases for teammates. Players at the end of the ranking would otherwise not make the cut.
Once again, this list is about the 100 best players in the league, regardless of position, heading into 2024 – not judging their play last season exclusively but also not turning this into an actual projection exercise. Some of them are easier to measure and there is probably some inclination towards those who affect the game significantly through multiple avenues. However, you will only find 11 quarterbacks among these names. And specifically on that topic, I tried to isolate the player from the situation, which is why some MVP candidates may not have made their way onto the list, even if their numbers would suggest that they should be.
Please note that players like Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Nick Chubb, Jaelan Phillips and Dre Greenlaw were not eligible in this discussion, considering we don’t fully know their availability and effectiveness for this upcoming season. I also didn’t feel comfortable ranking Cooper Kupp or Nick Bolton, who each played about half a season in 2023, but once again I’m not quite sure where they stand health-wise.
Here it is:
Key position battles across 2024 NFL training camps:
With all veterans across the NFL arriving at their team facilities for training camp, it’s time to look at the most interesting and/or meaningful competitions for starting jobs. I want to describe what role needs to be filled – some more distinctly defined than others – with a quick summary of why the spot is up for grabs, present the candidates with some statistics to back up their case, discuss some schematic nuances and who I consider as favorites based on what those coaching staffs are looking for as well.
I settled on six position battles on each side of the ball, without repeating positions. Some of the them may be more critical, as we’ll get to in a second – while others may be more niche roles or at least could look as much, as these battles play out. At the very end, I added one more position group for all 32 teams, where there’s some competition to keep your eye on, listed by alphabet.
Let’s dive in:
Should the Jaguars have paid Trevor Lawrence 275 million dollars?
Contracts for quarterbacks across the NFL was balooned over the last decade plus. Trevor Lawrence striking a five-year, 275-million-dollar contract recently became a big topic for discussion.
I want to break down if the player is worth that money based on his tape, if the Jaguars are currently setting him up for success with the infrastracture around him and if the deal actually could end up being advantageous for the franchise down the road!
Second- and third-year breakout candidates for the 2024 NFL season – Defense edition:
In the second half of this annual series, we’re switching over to the defensive side of the ball and outlining young players around the NFL, who I expect to make a leap in 2024.
For the purposes of this exercise, considering it’s tough to set the guidelines for what counts as an actual “breakout”. Therefore, I relied mostly on statistical metrics that exclude players from this category – no front-seven defenders who recorded double-digit sacks or tackles for loss, players who intercepted 4+ passes, earned a Pro Bowl/All-Pro nominations or are just generally considered one of the better performers at their respective positions. Also, I generally stayed away from players who have barely seen action in the pros yet.
Also, in order to not repeat myself, I won’t mention names like 49ers edge rusher Drake Jackson (who had a hot start before suffering a quadriceps injury that ended last season early for him), Broncos edge rusher Baron Browning (who missed the first half of the season but did put up strong pressure numbers from that point onwards) and Bengals safety Dax Hill (whose grading looks worse than his raw production, but I expect to align more now and Cincinnati’s defense generally bouncing back with him in year two as a starter), since they made the list last year.
Let’s begin:
Second- and third-year breakout candidates for the 2024 NFL season – Offense edition:
We’ve been heavily focused on video and podcast formats recently. So now it was time to get back to writing about players and delivering detailed evaluations/outlooks for one of my favorite pieces of the offseason. Split up into offense and then defense next week, we’re looking at some young players across the league I expect to make a leap in 2024.
For the purposes of this exercise, considering it’s tough to set the guidelines for what counts as an actual “breakout”. Therefore, I relied mostly on statistical metrics that exclude players from this category – no 1000-yard rushers or receivers, players that have scored double-digit touchdowns, earned a Pro Bowl/All-Pro nominations or are just generally considered one of the better performers at their respective positions. Also, I generally stayed away from players who have barely seen action in the pros yet.
Also, in order to not repeat myself, I won’t mention names like Colts left tackle Bernhard Raimann (who has established himself as an average starter I’d say) and Broncos tight-end Greg Dulcich (who missed pretty much all of 2023), since they made the list last year.
Let’s begin:
One burning question for each AFC team ahead of the 2024 season
In the second half of this little two-piece mini series, I’m switching over the AFC and ask myself “what is the one burning question I have for each team as I think about the 2024 NFL season?”
One burning question for each NFC team ahead of the 2024 season
Following my month-long divisional draft & roster review series, I’m back with a little two-piece project, where instead of diving into a bunch of individual players, I looked at each team as a whole and asked myself “what is the one burning question I have for them as I think about the 2024 NFL season?”
Most improved position groups across the 2024 NFL offseason:
After spending the last month reflecting on what the player acquisition process looked like for all 32 teams, with a focus on the names brought in via the draft, it’s now time to take a step back and identify the positional units that improved the most throughout this process, comparing the additions and departures at those spots.
This is purely based on the players that were brought in/let go from the point the 2023 NFL season ended onwards, not taking injuries into account. So you’re not going to find the Jets here for getting back Aaron Rodgers from the torn Achilles he suffered four snaps into his time with New York for example. Along with that, I like to take a broader look at this in terms of which position groups were stocked up best rather than just talking about a singular star performer they acquired.
Let’s dive in:
AFC West Draft & Roster Review 2024
This is the final edition of our month-long draft & roster review series, where I break down every single player all 32 NFL teams selected in the draft – one division at a time – discussing the general roster make-up and the roles of the new pieces within it!
And we finish off with a bang, with the reigning Super Bowl champs in the Chiefs, the Broncos with a new rookie QB, the Chargers with completely overhauled leadership and the Raiders, who didn’t draft a quarterback and are entering an interesting year!
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