1 optimistic prediction for all 32 NFL teams in 2024, including the Cowboys, Chiefs and Raiders (2024)

Just a year ago, plenty of people were debating if the Arizona Cardinals should trade Kyler Murray while making jokes about the video-game clause in his contract. It would’ve been one of the worst mistakes in the Arizona Cardinals’ history. When Murray returned from his ACL tear in Week 10, Arizona’s offense ranked ninth in EPA per Play (RBSDM.com) and Murray showed flashes of his old self. Now more than a year removed from surgery, Murray has a legitimate All-Pro talent at wide receiver (Marvin Harrison Jr., second-year tight end Trey McBride, a top-10 rushing attack and reliable secondary weapons. Murray’s comeback season should earn him CPOY and might even generate some MVP buzz as a “just missed” candidate. The buzz from Cardinals camp backs it all up.

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Even competent quarterback play would’ve made the Atlanta Falcons offense above-average last season. Instead, they fell short. That’s changing in 2024. Few NFL teams have the offensive firepower to match Atlanta, with Bijan Robinson and Drake London both outstanding talents at their respective positions. Kirk Cousins is the perfect quarterback for London and play-caller Zac Robinson can feature Robinson in similar ways to how he witnessed Sean McVay utilize Kyren Williams last year with the Los Angeles Rams. So, as long as everyone stays healthy, Robinson and London could each finish this season with at least 1,200 scrimmage yards and double-digit touchdowns

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For fans wondering why the Baltimore Ravens invested so little in their receiving corps this offseason, it’s because of Rashod Bateman. Selected with the 27th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, he’s only totaled 1,167 receiving yards in 34 career games. The blame for that in the last two seasons falls on injuries. However, Baltimore saw Bateman’s emergence late last season and John Harbaugh has hyped him up since February. Zay Flowers might be the No. 1 receiver in Baltimore this year and Mark Andrews will play his usual role, but Bateman could challenge for 700-plus yards and 7 touchdowns.

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This isn’t about statistics. After all, Josh Allen posted a 107.2 QB rating with a 37-10 TD-INT ratio in 2020. Instead, this focuses on Allen raising his game to a level that fans haven’t seen before. Losing Stefon Diggs is a blow and this is a young Buffalo Bills receiving corps with some changes made along the offensive line. The supporting cast simply isn’t strong right now. Allen is going to make everyone around him better in a way that Bills Mafia hasn’t seen before. It might even earn him NFL MVP.

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We even have optimism for one of the worst NFL teams in 2024. The upcoming season is all about Bryce Young for the Carolina Panthers and whether or not he can be their quarterback of the future. If he fails, David Tepper might not hesitate to hand Dak Prescott a blank check in NFL free agency. We don’t think that will be necessary. Carolina improved its interior offensive line, but the biggest boost for Young’s game and confidence is head coach Dave Canales and wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Young won’t play close to a Pro Bowl level, but he’ll show enough signs to provide plenty of hope for the future. Think the best version of Alex Smith.

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Our Caleb Williams comparison has always been an Avenger. In a world where there are more uniquely gifted quarterbacks than ever, you need one of those to beat them. It comes with a cost. For citizens in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a few buildings would be destroyed. For the Chicago Bears, Williams’ hero ball will come with avoidable sacks and turnovers. You take that because of what else he can do.

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Williams is in a phenomenal situation. The Bears receiving corps is one of the best in football and its offensive line is better than some realize. Plus, Chicago’s defense will generate plenty of stops. That puts Williams on an easy bath to break the Bears’ rookie passing yards (2,193) and passing touchdowns (11) before Thanksgiving. He will also have a shot at the franchise’s single-season passing yards (3,838) records.

For most quarterbacks, this wouldn’t be much of a prediction. However, as the Cincinnati Bengals are well aware, injuries have been a major problem for Burrow since he entered the league. We do see that coming to an end in 2024, especially with the added talent on the Bengals offensive line. Just keep in mind that Burrow starting all 17 games doesn’t necessarily mean Cincinnati makes the playoffs.

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No, we don’t see the bounce-back season coming for Deshaun Watson. Instead, the standout for the Cleveland Browns offense in 2024 will be right tackle Dawand Jones. He filled in admirably for Jack Conklin as a rookie and while OL coach Bill Callahan, Jones got one very valuable season with him. We think Jones will eventually replace Jack Conklin at right tackle and by the time the season ends, Browns’ fans will rightfully be convinced the team has a new Pro Bowl offensive lineman.

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The back-and-forth between CeeDee Lamb and Jerry Jones certainly isn’t making Dallas Cowboys fans feel good about the future. Fortunately, it should only be posturing. What happens when you don’t sign your star player to a contract extension early, relying on franchise tags to keep them from NFL free agency, is you give them all the leverage in contract talks. That’s why it now seems like a real possibility this is Dak Prescott’s last season as the Cowboys quarterback. Dallas is smart enough to not make the same mistake twice. Lamb deserves a $30-plus million AAV deal and he’ll get it.

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The predictions for NFL teams shed light on how we think the 2024 season will go for them. So, this should say a lot about what we think of the Denver Broncos. Courtland Sutton has popped up in NFL trade rumors for the last two years and with the Broncos in a transition year, his name will pop back up in late October. Denver needs draft picks to find cheap, young talent and that’s why a deal will be explored if they are way back in the standings. The good news is that a very thin market at wide receiver will generate a quality return for Sutton.

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It’s never too late to hop on the Detroit Lions bandwagon. We’ll start with Jared Goff. Keep him in mind as a darkhorse MVP candidate this season, because the Lions’ quarterback had a 108.9 QB rating with a 24-6 TD-INT ratio last season. Why does that matter? Because 14 of Detroit’s first 15 games are indoors. That sets up for a shot at the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs. What raises the bar is a much-improved secondary, which gives the Lions’ defense a shot at being a top-10 unit this season. With an elite offensive line and one of the best NFL rosters and coaching staff, Goff is absolutely capable of winning the NFC and potentially a Super Bowl.

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It’s never been an issue with the talent for the Green Bay Packers defense. Oftentimes, the Packers defense either got outcoached consistently or the play-caller relied heavily on a vanilla scheme. That’s changing under Jeff Hafley, who is already unleashing Green Bay’s defensive line in training camp. There’s an All-Pro talent at corner (Jaire Alexander), a first-round pick at every level (Lukas Van Ness, Rashan Gary, Quay Walker and Eric Stokes) and significant depth in the secondary and some at edge rusher. While we do suspect the Packers run defense will be an issue in 2024, a strong pass rush with excellent play in the secondary is more than enough to field a top-12 defense.

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C.J. Stroud flashed elite talent as a rookie last season and that was in a new system with a Houston Texans offensive line that experienced constant turnover. He heads into the 2024 season with Stefon Diggs added to his receiving corps and an offensive line poised to take a step forward. That’s all he needed. Winning NFL MVP might require the Texans to finish with the No. 1 seed in the AFC with Stroud approaching 40 total touchdowns. We believe that’s very doable.

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To put the Anthony Richardson hype into perspective, his strongest believers are at least eyeing his long-shot odds for NFL MVP. We’re not going that far. However, Richardson is going to show those flashes early in the 2024 season and as his accuracy starts improving, that’s when the real national buzz will be set free. Richardson is one of the five most physically-gifted quarterbacks in football and Shane Steichen is a phenomenal play-caller. This is a match made in heaven and we can’t wait to see what Steichen can do if Richardson stays healthy.

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The discourse surrounding Trevor Lawrence after the Jacksonville Jaguars signed him to a contract extension wasn’t positive. For those who watch the Jaguars quarterback the closest, however, there’s an understanding he is capable of so much more. Before injuries tanked his 2023 season, he posted a 94.4 QB rating and averaged 7.53 yards per attempt in 12 games. Let’s also keep in mind that the Jaguars receiving corps is average, at best, and Doug Pederson inexplicably keeps allowing Press Taylor to call plays. Lawrence will rise above all of that in 2024 with a career-best season.

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We were skeptical of the Xavier Worthy pick, as he’s 5-foot-11 and barely 170 pounds. If there’s any duo who can make it work, though, that’s Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. NFL teams took the deep pass away from Mahomes in the last two years, but you can’t do that with Worthy’s speed. While Travis Kelce will still lead the Chiefs in every category, Worthy will be the No. 1 receiver and his big-play ability will make the Chiefs offense better than we’ve seen in years.

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NFL teams like the Las Vegas Raiders can’t consistently rely on developmental players in the first round, but Tyree Wilson is a unique case. He got to spend the 2023 season behind Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce, developing behind the scenes. He also won’t be pressured onto the field in 2024, not with Crosby, Koonce and now Christian Wilkins carrying this Raiders front. With that said, Raider Nation will get to see Wilson coming around in the second half of the 2024 season, serving as something to build from when he becomes a full-time starter in 2025.

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Anyone hoping to see Jim Harbaugh do for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024 what he did in his first season with the San Francisco 49ers will be disappointed. From the Justin Herbert injury to concerns with the receiving corps and defense, that’s just not realistic. With that said, this is a perfect evaluation year for Harbaugh. He’ll find which players fit the culture and should be kept around to create a championship-caliber locker room and determine which players don’t belong in Los Angeles. Doing that is what will set the Chargers up for long-term success.

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The absence of Aaron Donald is going to make life so much tougher for the Los Angeles Rams defense. While that hurts Jared Verse’s ability to generate sacks, he does have the benefit of the Rams defensive line boasting a lot of young talent. It also helps that defensive backs and linebackers rarely win DPOY. Realistically, 7-9 sacks from Verse could be enough for him to take home the honor this season.

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Tyreek Hill averaged 112.4 receiving yards per game last season, which meant he would’ve eclipsed 1,900 yards if he played in every game. Instead, an injury held him out of one contest and limited him in another. We’re banking on a healthy Hill in 2024 and with his extension signed, the motivation will be centered on trying to break the single-season receiving yards record. He’ll challenge it and win his first Offensive Player of the Year award.

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There’s no denying that Kevin O’Connell is one of the most brilliant offensive-minded coaches in the NFL. Just look at what he did with the Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks after Kirk Cousins’ season-ending injury. Now, all eyes will be on what he can do with Sam Darnold and J.J. McCarthy. What Vikings fans will see is O’Connell at his best, orchestrating an offense that looks just as explosive as it did in previous years. The masterpiece will make him deserving of Coach of the Year.

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For rebuilding NFL teams, our predictions look for something that bodes well for the future. Drake Maye isn’t ready to start immediately, but the New England Patriots rookie quarterback also needs live reps to develop. So, Jerod Mayo will have Jacoby Brissett start every game in September as the Patriots offensive line settles in and Maye develops chemistry with receivers in practice. Come October, Maye will take over as the Patriots starting quarterback. The large sample size means Maye will have all the time he needs to learn on the job, setting up for more consistent flashes of greatness in December.

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It’s hard to be optimistic about a team with arguably the worst offensive line in the league and a quarterback who is one of the worst under duress. If anyone can make it work, that’ll be new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. The expectation is Kubiak makes Chris Olave an even bigger part of the passing game, leading to a 1,300-yard season with at least 8 touchdowns.

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Kayvon Thibodeaux recorded 11.5 sacks last season, but a majority of those came in the first half of the year with 5 occurring against the Washington Commanders. On a per-snap basis, Thibodeaux wasn’t particularly effective. That’s going to change now that Brian Burns has joined the defensive line. With offensive lines focused on trying to slow down Dexter Lawrence and Burns, Thibodeaux will have some unblocked paths to the quarterback and plenty of one-on-one shots.

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We couldn’t have all the New York Jets injury-prone stars playing in all 17 games this season, we’re looking at you Tyron Smith. However, the Jets offensive line is much better than it was a year ago and Rodgers should do a better job getting the football out quickly knowing his age and injury history. As for Williams, the combination of a contract year and a balanced Jets offense will help him play in every game this season.

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The problems for Jalen Hurts last season were health and Nick Sirianni-related. He’s still behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and he’s shown continued improvement year to year in protecting himself from unnecessary hits, that’s what leads us to believe he can stay healthy. As for the other factor, this offense is Kellen Moore’s and while he isn’t the ideal fit as a play-caller for Hurts, he’s better than what Philadelphia had last season. With Hurts and the Eagles’ offense carrying this team, he’ll finish the season as an MVP candidate.

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Years of early investments into the offensive line are about to pay off for the Pittsburgh Steelers. This club has been plagued by issues upfront for several years, prompting the front office to devote multiple first- and second-round picks to the position. Pittsburgh now has an emerging standout in Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu can become an above-average starter quickly. We also like the depth of this line. All of it bodes well for the Steelers to have one of the NFL’s 10 best lines in 2024.

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The Brandon Aiyuk saga last all offseason and he had his chance to be traded. With the options deemed unfavorable, the best path forward for him is to spend the 2024 season with the San Francisco 49ers. While there’s an undeniable risk that this entire turbulent offseason carries over into the regular season, we do expect San Francisco to eventually reach a financial resolution with Aiyuk. Once that’s settled, he’ll resume his role as the 49ers’ true No. 1 receiver and finish second-team All-Pro.

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We couldn’t be more excited for the Seattle Seahawks offense in 2024. Ryan Grubb created art with the Washington Huskies offense. Now, he has a top-12 quarterback (Geno Smith), three excellent wide receivers and an improved Seahawks offensive line. Smith-Njigba will play the Ja’Lynn Polk role, establishing himself as Smith’s third-down guy and possibly even leading the Seahawks in receptions.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense largely carried the team in 2023, with play-caller Dave Canales unlocking the best version of Baker Mayfield. With Canales now gone, there is rightful concern for how this unit will look. Our confidence in the new Buccaneers’ play-caller is quite high. Tampa Bay improved its offensive line, alleviating pressure on Mayfield, with Coen also pushing Chris Godwin into his more natural role (slot). A deeper Buccaneers’ receiving corps and better pass protection with a more consistent run game. At the very least, this can be a very good offense.

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The Tennessee Titans have set an excellent example of how to create an evaluation year for a quarterback. Will Levis showed glimpses of above-average starter potential last season, but there were also plenty of mistakes. In order to make a complete evaluation, he needed a full season as the starter with a supporting cast that wouldn’t hinder him. Mission accomplished. With three spots solidified on the Titans offensive line and the receiver duo of DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley, Tennessee provided Levis everything he needs. He won’t be close to flawless, but the Titans coaching staff and front office will know heading into 2025 that this team is led by a quality starter who can keep being built around moving forward.

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The first prediction for Jayden Daniels might not sound all that important. We’ll remind you that the Washington Commanders offensive line is a disaster. Daniels is going to take some massive hits, just as he did in college, but he’s also going to demonstrate the smarts to protect his body when absolutely necessary. It will keep him on the field for all 17 starts and his elite athleticism paired with that arm strength will help him finish second for Offensive Rookie of the Year, losing to Caleb Williams because of the win-loss record for both teams.

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