Work is done — and the real work is ahead
NFL teams are getting ready for training camp. The offseason is nearly over and the practices will take place in July. How have teams prepared themselves for the 2024 season? Who made the right moves and what teams figure to languish?
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals should continue to improve from the team many believed would finish last in the league in 2023. They were in most games and now have a healthy Kyler Murray for a full season. He will benefit from the gifted hands of Marvin Harrison Jr. There remain some questions particularly up front on both sides of the football. Don’t be stunned, however, if this team flirts with .500. Grade: B-
Atlanta Falcons
The buzz hasn’t calmed about the Falcons signing Kirk Cousins to a monster deal and then drafting Michael Penix Jr. in the first round. After years of subpar quarterback play since Matt Ryan left, better to have two quarterbacks than one, right? They went defense-heavy in the draft after choosing Penix Jr. Alabama RB Jase Mcclellan in the sixth is a curious pick with Bijan Robinson is the top dog in the backfield. Darnell Mooney, Charlie Woerner and Ray-Ray McCloud III should benefit the wideout room. Also, the NFC South still is blah. A chance to avoid a fourth straight 7-10 season. Grade: C
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens always seem to do well in free agency and the draft. This go-round was no exception. Losing Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins to the Chargers is easily offset by adding Derrick Henry. The draft class was strong and deep. How does Baltimore always find the gems? Grade: A
Buffalo Bills
The roster was turned inside-out and upside-down. How that will play out in the 2024 season is anyone’s guess. Grade: C
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers could have had the first pick in the draft. Instead, they have Bryce Young and have to pray he is better than he looked as a rookie. It was hardly his fault as the team was, um, pathetic. They also sent Brian Burns to the Giants, which will hurt the defense. Xavier Legette (WR, South Carolina) and Jonathon Brooks (RB, Texas) were the top two picks. They must have better rookie seasons than Young did. Grade: C-
Chicago Bears
So much reason for optimism in the Windy City. The first pick in the draft Caleb Williams brings great expectations. He will have plenty of targets to choose from, including fellow first-rounder Rome Odunze. Love the addition of D’Andre Swift to the backfield. How can this backfire? These are the Bears, remember. Grade: A
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow must stay healthy. Joe Mixon is off to Houston. Chase Brown and others will replace the running back. D.J. Reader is a tough, tough player to lose on the line. Grabbing Geno Stone from division rival Baltimore to shore up the secondary is a big plus. Trent Brown becomes a huge plus for the O Line. He signed a one-year deal so he has a lot to prove to the Bengals. Amarius Mims comes from Georgia and Kris Jenkins from Michigan. The first and second picks have huge college football chops. Will they transcend t to the pros? Grade: C+
Cleveland Browns
Cleveland was busy this offseason. They get younger at backup QB with Jameis Winston coming over to replace the departed Joe Flacco. Winston better be ready to roll at QB given Deshaun Watson’s track record in Cleveland. D’Onta Foreman is a nice signing in case Nick Chubb isn’t 100% early after his knee surgery last season. DT Michael Hall Jr. stays in-state as the first pick (second round) by the Browns. Zak Zinter will have to rebound from leg injury in last season at Michigan. Grade: C
Dallas Cowboys
Team Drama never seems to avoid soap operas. CeeDee Lamb wants a new deal and he said on Twitter he won’t discuss it at the youth football camp he is playing host to July 8-10. “I’m not speaking about any contract negotiations if that’s your questions. You’ll get 0 answers. It’s about the kids” Dak Prescott has one year left on his contract. Ezekiel Elliott returns. Tony Pollard exits. Mike McCarthy always feels like he is on a slippery slope because of a lack of playoff success. Tyler Guyton from Oklahoma will be expected to deliver on the offensive line, especially with Tyron Smith off to the Jets. Grade: C
Denver Broncos
Trading for Zach Wilson and drafting Bo Nix in the first-round borders on the silliness Atlanta did. No qualms about Nix but putting Wilson in another role to be doomed can’t keep him happy. WR Josh Reynolds was one of the more interesting names in free agency. Kicker Wil Lutz was leaving for the Jaguars, then he wasn’t. Nix will be happy to have fourth-rounder Troy Franklin in the WR room. They were both Oregon Ducks. Grade: C-
Detroit Lions
Dan Campbell will have to remind the Lions over and over they are the hunted and no longer the hunted. Keeping Ben Johnson as OC when he could have been head coach elsewhere is a huge plus. The Lions finally have it figured out and continue to do so with solid draft picks and smart free-agent signings. Grade: A
Green Bay Packers
Still think letting Aaron Jones go will come back to hurt the Packers. Josh Jacobs comes in but Jones feels like a better fit in GB, Xavier McKinney should turn out to be the best free-agent signing. Hard to believe the Giants let him go. First-round pick Jordan Morgan should be a boost for the OL. It may take time but he should fit right in with the Packers. A third-round pick on MarShawn Lloyd of USC is baffling after signing Jacobs and still having A.J. Dillion. Grade: C
Houston Texans
The Texans have Stefon Diggs … for 2024. Will be intriguing to watch how the wideout’s contract situation plays out with him a free agent after this season. Joe Mixon comes over from the Bengals. He’s good for one or two big games a season and the rest are grunt and groan. C.J. Stroud was brilliant as a rookie and has a stacked offense to run. The Texans simply have to focus on playing and not on the hype of last year. Grade: B+
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts kept a lot of their core and made a wise moving in extending WR Michael Pittman. All the moves they made won’t be of a ton of help if Anthony Richardson can’t stay on the field. Joe Flacco is the new backup with Gardner Minshew in Las Vegas. Extending DeForest Buckner and Zaire Franklin keeps the defense solid and there is room for growth. They went defense with UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu in the first round and then offense through the first of two in round five. Grade: B
Jacksonville Jaguars
Mac Jones as the backup to Trevor Lawrence is bizarre unless the Jags think the Patriots were right to bail on the former Alabama QB because all he will be is a reserve. Jacksonville fell apart after a strong 2022. The Jags went to LSU for their first two picks with Brian Thomas Jr. a WR to help Lawrence in the first and Maason Smith a DT in the second. Arik Armstead is a nice addition to the defense. Mitch More and Gabe Davis come in from the Bills The year is a must-rebound for the Jags. Have they done enough? Grade: B-
Kansas City Chiefs
Travis Kelce continues his world tour with Taylor Swift. Patrick Mahomes has become the man about town and big event. Rashee Rice seems hellbent on wrecking his career and others. There were more troubles with the law. If this isn’t a recipe for a Super Bowl hangover, nothing is. Grade: C-
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders now have the market cornered on tight ends with Brock Bowers drafted out of Georgia to go with 2023 second-round pick Michael Mayer. It will be interesting to see how much they are able to get the football to the TEs and keep Davante Adams happy. Gardner Minshew should start at QB over Aidan O’Connell, right? Christian Wilkins brings beef to the DL with a long-term contract as a free agent from the Dolphins. Josh Jacobs rumbled to Green Bay. Will Zamir White and Alexander Mattison be enough of a tandem to replace the former league-leading rusher? Grade: C-
Los Angeles Chargers
Does signing Jim Harbaugh make the offseason a success? Letting both Mike Williams and Keenan Allen go will only make Justin Herbert’s job more difficult. Ladd McConkey and Brenden Rice don’t add up to Williams and Allen. Austin Ekeler left for Washington and Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins arrived from Baltimore. Grade: D+
Los Angeles Rams
Aaron Donald’s retirement leaves a massive hole or three on the defense. Is Matthew Stafford going to stay healthy? Sean McVay did a great job last season and faces another task to keep the momentum going in the upcoming one. Can’t punish the team for Donald deciding he had enough. Still, it stings. Grade: C-
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins were the bullies of South Beach until they met playoff-caliber opponents. Then, the Fish were squished. The offense is exhilarating. And Odell Beckham Jr should turn out to be just a nice piece as opposed to a key one. The defense must get better. Christian Wilkins is gone to LV. Veterans Kendall Fuller, Shaquil Barrett and Jordan Poyer enter. They have experience. What do they have left? Grade: C-
Minnesota Vikings
Going from Kirk Cousins to either Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy does not feel like a step forward. The wideouts just need a quarterback who can get them the ball. With the talent among Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison it shouldn’t be difficult to complete passes all over the field. And landing Aaron Jones after he was booted from Green Bay is a gift from a fellow team in the division. Grade: C+
New England Patriots
It is a new era in New England in more ways than Jerod Mayo replacing the iconic Bill Belichick as Patriots head coach. Mac Jones left for Jacksonville with the “bust” tag affixed. Mayo has his work cut out with a team that is in reverse from its best days. Drake Maye went third overall out of North Carolina. If he was such a high pick, why take Joe Milton of Tennessee in the sixth? Offense was the focus of the draft with only one defensive player taken, CB Marcellas Dial of South Carolina. Would be nice to have Christian Gonzalez for a full season. No one should be surprised if this team finishes last once again. Grade: D
New Orleans Saints
Does anyone believe Derek Carr has a career year in him when he has not had one yet. The Saints went all in on the former Raiders QB and it didn’t work out any different than with the Silver and Black. Chris Olave is a star and Michael Thomas’ star tumbled like few have and he is gone. If the season goes NFC South, could Spencer Rattler get a look at QB? New Orleans has to hope Chase Young is the player Washington drafted and not the one sidetracked by injury the past couple of years. If he is, that could be a fantastic addition to the D-Line. Grade: C-
New York Giants
Tommy DeVito’s run is done. Will it be Daniel Jones or Drew Lock at QB? Neither one will make opponents tremble. Malik Nabers already making an impression on social media throwing thousands away at strip clubs. This is a first-round pick and he is acting like he’s been to five Pro Bowls. Or maybe like a kid just out of college with stupid money. Love getting Brian Burns for the defense. Make or break already for Brian Daboll. Grade: C
New York Jets
More than four plays. That’s what the Jets need from Aaron Rodgers in 2024. Nothing else is seriously going to matter unless the elite quarterback is on the field early and often. Grade: C
Philadelphia Eagles
If the Eagles start 2024 the way they finished 2023, there likely will be changes made in-season. Jalen Hurts is picked on all the time. That seems harsh in many instances. Saquon Barkley could prove a massive signing if he avoids injury. And that is a big if. C.J. Gardner-Johnson is back in the secondary. Devin White is added to the LB corps. Bryce Huff got big bucks. A lot of changes and shifts were made. They need to work for Nick Sirianni to be comfortable sitting and not on the hot seat. Grade: B
Pittsburgh Steelers
Kenny Pickett quickly went from starter to dispensable. Mike Tomlin works miracles. Getting a renaissance from Russell Wilson would be another. How much time will Wilson spend looking at opposing defenses as opposed to wondering what Justin Fields is doing? The defense is brilliant and always gets better. Grade: B-
San Fracnsco 49ers
The first-round pick of Ricky Pearsall is peculiar until you realize all the issues the Niners and Deebo Samuel have. And there are issues with Brandon Aiyuk, too. “I don’t know what the finances are and what they have going on,” Aiyuk said on a podcast. “If you can’t afford a Lamborghini, you can’t have one.” Imagine trying to keep two Lambos happy. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have big issues and they have yet to be resolved. They somehow managed to give JaJuan Jennings a two-year contract. Grade: C-
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks begin a new era with Mike McDaniel in and Pete Carroll out. He’s stepping into a tough spot as Carroll was a legend. Leonard Williams is still on board and will help the former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator. Geno Smith is the QB and he is a roll of the dice. It will be intriguing to watch how the draft picks play out as none jump off the page as instant stars. Grade: C
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs look to keep their “dynasty” in the NFC South rolling. They locked up Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans, which is good news for the offense. In the weak division it doesn’t take much to stay at or near the top. Grade: B
Tennesee Titans
Do not expect Tony Pollard to impress the way Derrick Henry did for Tennessee. The former Cowboy needs to show more than he did last season with Dallas. Calvin Ridley was given a massive contract. Feels like overpaying the WR. The new coach Brian Callahan has his work cut out for him. Grade: C
Washington Commanders
Dan Quinn steps in after his role as DC in Dallas. He gets a Heisman winner in Jayden Daniels at quarterback. Austin Ekeler is a nice addition to the backfield if he can stay on the field. More experience — age? — comes in the form of Zach Ertz, Dante Fowler Jr., and Marcus Mariota. They bring knowledge but who knows what they have left? Grade: B-
