• Can Bryce Young play up to his draft status? With more pieces now in place, it is on Young to start proving why he was selected with the first overall pick of the 2023 draft.
• How quickly can the offense play up to its potential? Excitement levels around the Bears offense might be at an all-time high — and for good reason.
• Check out PFF’s fantasy football rankings: PFF’s fantasy football rankings include ranks from our experts, projections and our strength of schedule metric.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
With the bulk of free agency and the NFL draft behind us, we should have a clearer picture of the state of all 32 NFL teams. But, as always, there are still some question marks around every team.
With that in mind, we took a look at the biggest question mark surrounding each NFL team.
ARZ | ATL | BLT | BUF | CAR | CIN | CHI | CLE | DEN | DAL | DET | GB | HOU | IND | JAX | KC | LVR | LAC | LAR | MIA | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF | SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
The Cardinals managed to add important pieces on offense this offseason, drafting star wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and signing a new left tackle in Jonah Williams. As a result, this team should look competitive — at least on the offensive side of the ball — with good quarterback play.
Coming back from injury, Kyler Murray earned a 70.8 PFF grade last season, 24th at the position, but he needs to find his form from 2020 and 2021 to get this offense to reach its potential.
Instead of addressing their needs on the defensive side of the ball, the Falcons used their first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft on quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who—barring absolute disaster—will spend his first few years in the league on the bench.
The move is even more surprising considering that Atlanta’s defensive linemen ranked just 27th in total pressures last season. Without any significant additions, the chances of the unit improving seem slim.
The Ravens fielded one of the best offensive lines in football last season, finishing the season with a top-five unit in PFF’s final 2023 offensive line rankings. However, they recently let guards Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson walk in free agency and traded right tackle Morgan Moses to the Jets.
Although Ben Cleveland and Patrick Mekari — who are expected to start at right guard and right tackle, respectively — have extensive playing experience, the left guard position is likely to be filled by second-year offensive lineman Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, who did not play last season.
Bills signal-caller Josh Allen was PFF’s highest-graded quarterback last season, which would suggest he can elevate the play of any receivers playing with him. This theory will definitely be tested in 2024, as the Bills have lost both Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, their top two receivers from a year ago.
No one player can be expected to fill Diggs’ shoes. So, the question is whether the production from Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel and rookie Keon Coleman can reproduce what Diggs and Davis contributed to the passing game.
It would be quite an understatement to say that the situation surrounding Bryce Young last year was unsuitable to evaluate a rookie quarterback. However, the team used free agency to bolster their offensive line, signing guards Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt to lucrative contracts to better protect their second-year signal caller. They then traded back into the last pick of the first round to add wide receiver Xavier Legette.
With more pieces now in place, it is on Young to start proving why he was selected with the first overall pick of the 2023 draft.
Excitement levels around the Bears offense might be at an all-time high — and for good reason.
The offensive line, which was playing really well toward the second half of last season, stayed together and was even potentially strengthened with the signing of Ryan Bates, who is expected to start at center. Wide receiver Keenan Allen’s arrival should also significantly boost the receiving corps.
At this point, the success of the unit depends on how quickly rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze and, more importantly, No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams can get up to speed.
Offensive line play has been an issue for the Cincinnati Bengals for years, and it’s not as if they shied away from trying to fix it, either. Still, despite continuous investments—via the draft and free agency—the unit has failed to perform at even an average level in recent years.
During the 2024 offseason, the Bengals not only signed Trent Brown, one of the best available offensive tackles, but they also drafted Georgia’s Amarius Mims in the first round of the draft.
These investments have to start paying dividends at some point, but will that be in 2024?
This is a recurring question that has worried Browns fans more and more over the last two seasons.
You simply do not expect your $230 million quarterback to get outplayed by a free agent who was signed off the street — but that is what happened in 2023 when Joe Flacco stepped in to replace an injured Watson and played far better than anything we have seen from Watson in a Cleveland jersey.
The Browns will field the same offensive line from last season, while their receiving corps could even get a boost with the addition of Jerry Jeudy. There should be no reason for Watson not to improve on his 2023 season, in which he earned a 67.3 PFF grade that ranked 27th among the league’s quarterbacks.
Leading up to the draft, there were some questions about where the holes would be on the Dallas offensive line after the departures of Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz. Many assumed Tyler Smith would move to left tackle, opening up a spot on the interior for a rookie.
However, the recent selection of Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton goes against this assumption, as he is now expected to play at left tackle. This would mean that Smith stays at left guard, which could lead to third-round pick Cooper Beebe either not seeing the field or transitioning to center.
That said, the formation of the Cowboys offensive line is just the first part of this question; the next part will be how well they can protect quarterback Dak Prescott.
There are quite a few questions regarding this Denver Broncos roster, which has led to much of the criticism about the selection of Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
For starters, starting linebackers Alex Singleton (61.2) and Cody Barton (53.9) both earned PFF grades that ranked outside the top 55 at the position. In addition, there are now also questions regarding the safety position following the departure of Justin Simmons.
While new acquisition Brandon Jones finished his Dolphins career with his highest-graded season, he played fewer than 600 snaps last season. Furthermore, the remaining safeties on Denver’s roster also lack playing experience or have yet to show that they can play at an NFL level.
With the Lions offense remaining intact, the team focused only on defense this offseason, and justifiably so. But while the additions at cornerback should have a significant impact, it is to be seen whether star edge defender Aidan Hutchinson got enough help in the pass-rushing department.
Detroit signed veteran interior defender D.J. Reader, but he is coming off a season-ending injury. Meanwhile, Marcus Davenport is trying to revive his career following a disappointing season in Minnesota.
With the departure of De’Vondre Campbell, the Packers are essentially giving the keys to the defense and the middle of the field to third-year linebacker Quay Walker. However, they also need Walker to improve his play, as he has failed to earn a PFF grade over 60.0 in either of his first two seasons in the NFL.
Next to him, it is either former backup Isaiah McDuffie, who ranked just 69th among linebackers in PFF grade in 2023, or one of the rookies Green Bay just drafted.
The two candidates are third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper or former Texas A&M Aggie Edgerrin Cooper, who was the first linebacker selected in the draft when the Packers chose him with the 45th pick.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud put together an amazing rookie season, and he has every chance to get even better with the addition of wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
However, in some situations last year, Stroud had no other option but to be brilliant, as the offense heavily relied on him extending drives after unsuccessful run plays on early downs. It is on the offensive line to make sure these run plays are actually helping Stroud rather than putting him in more difficult positions. While the unit essentially remains unchanged, some improvement can be expected due to players getting healthy and young offensive linemen taking a step forward.
With the exception of Kenny Moore II, the Colts have a lot of young cornerbacks on their roster. In fact, the team has five corners entering either their second or third season in the league and played more than 300 snaps last season.
Unfortunately, none of them managed to earn a PFF grade over 67.0 in 2023. Admittedly, the expectations were not high last season when they were thrust into action, but they will need to step up in 2024 to allow the Colts to become a formidable defense and take advantage of their pass-rushing additions.
While Calvin Ridley was supposed to solve the Jaguars’ pass-catching issues for good, he stayed in Jacksonville for just one season and signed with the Titans ahead of 2024. As a result, the Jaguars, who signed Gabe Davis in free agency, are essentially left without a true No.1 receiver.
Now, either Davis or incumbent Christian Kirk will have to reach levels they have not previously reached in their careers, or rookie first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr. will have to get up to speed quickly and have an outstanding rookie campaign.
The Chiefs making moves at offensive tackle is almost an offseason tradition. The 2023 additions of Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor have not yielded the expected results, though.
While Jawaan Taylor remains on the roster—with the Chiefs hoping he will play up to his price tag in 2024—Smith was not re-signed, leaving 2023 third-round pick Wanya Morris projected to start at left tackle.
However, Kansas City drafted BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia with the 63rd overall pick, providing some competition for the left tackle position.
The Raiders might have the worst quarterback situation in the entire NFL right now. Either incumbent second-year signal caller Aidan O’Connell or career journeyman Gardner Minshew will be under center for Week 1.
It seems unlikely that either is a long-term option at this point. Last season, they finished 28th and 31st, respectively, among the league’s signal-callers in terms of PFF grade.
Regardless of what the rest of the offense and team look like, this team’s ceiling might be relatively low in 2024 because of the quarterback play.
Following the hire of Jim Harbaugh as the team’s new head coach, the Chargers lost their top two receiving options in Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
They did have a chance to draft a true No. 1 receiver with the fifth overall pick in the draft, but they instead went in a different direction and selected offensive tackle Joe Alt from Notre Dame.
While the move is likely to pay off in the long term, it does not solve the lack of receiving options for Justin Herbert in 2024. While Los Angeles did draft Ladd McConkey in the second round and signed D.J. Chark last week, the passing game might struggle due to the options at receiver.
While the Rams have often lacked strong pass-rushing options, this was often compensated by Aaron Donald simply being Aaron Donald. But now that the future Hall of Famer has retired, the Rams will need to get a pass rush from others, and the team did not hesitate to address this issue.
Within the first 40 picks of the draft, Los Angeles selected both edge defender Jared Verse and interior defender Braden Fiske out of Florida State. How quickly they get accustomed to the NFL will decide how far the Rams defense steps backward.
The Dolphins have arguably the best wide receiver duo in the NFL. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle both earned a 90.0-plus PFF grade last year, finishing among the seven highest-graded receivers in the league.
While both receivers produced more than 1,000 receiving yards in 2023, no other Dolphins player surpassed 370, and the lack of other receiving options often led to the offense struggling down the stretch.
The additions of Odell Beckham Jr. and Jonnu Smith are encouraging signs that the Dolphins will have a reliable third receiving option in 2024.
Following the departure of Kirk Cousins, the Vikings used multiple avenues to address the quarterback position, signing former San Francisco 49ers backup Sam Darnold and drafting former Michigan Wolverine J.J. McCarthy.
McCarthy is obviously the Vikings’ future, but this roster has enough pieces to compete now, so it will be interesting to see how the Vikings balance the long-term strategy with the short-term goals.
The Patriots re-signed Mike Onwenu in free agency, and he is expected to play at right tackle, a position he often played well during his first four seasons in New England. However, the rest of the offensive line comes with many question marks, especially after the departure of tackle Trent Brown.
Veteran center David Andrews is expected to bring solid play in the middle of the line, but while the Patriots have multiple young guards with potential, their performances so far have not been promising.
Pass rush and pass protection have been issues for the Saints in recent times, and the front office did try to address both during the offseason. New Orleans signed free agent edge defender Chase Young to bolster the pass rush. They also drafted Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga with their first-round pick, an understandable choice given the shaky start to Trevor Penning‘s career and the health questions surrounding right tackle Ryan Ramczyk.
Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether these two additions are enough to help the Saints, who desperately need reinforcements in the trenches.
Daniel Jones may have signed a huge contract extension in 2023, but there have been questions all offseason about whether the Giants would replace him at quarterback.
While they did sign Drew Lock in free agency, they ultimately did not draft a quarterback in the first round of the draft. Furthermore, they even strengthened the offense around Jones by selecting wide receiver Malik Nabers and bringing help along the offensive line, as well.
With these additions, it is fair to wonder how long a leash Jones has and whether Lock will get a chance in this offense if Jones fails to improve in 2024.
Considering the age of their starting quarterback, the Jets are essentially all-in for 2024. Given the strength of their roster, they are even well-positioned for a run.
But while they have a good No. 1 option in third-year receiver Garrett Wilson, there are both consistency and injury issues regarding the possible No. 2 options in Mike Williams and Allen Lazard.
A struggling secondary caused many issues for the Eagles in 2023, and it was one of the main reasons they could not replicate their 2022 success.
Darius Slay and Garrett Bradbury remain on the roster, and the team brought back C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency, but that did not stop general manager Howie Roseman from addressing the position during the draft.
They made Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell the first cornerback selected in the draft and double-dipped by picking Iowa’s Cooper DeJean with the 40th overall selection. While some teams can be patient with rookies, due to this team’s potential and the issues at the position in 2023, the Eagles need the rookies to fit in immediately.
Not long ago, the Pittsburgh offensive line was considered among the worst in the league and a weakness of the team. Fast forward a couple of dedicated drafts, and the unit has the potential to be among the league’s best.
They are expected to field first-round picks at both tackle positions in Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones, and former free-agent signings Isaac Seumalo and James Daniels played well in 2023. The selection of center Zach Frazier in the second round of the 2024 draft completes this unit and puts it on a trajectory to be the biggest strength of this offense.
The 49ers have had one of the best defensive lines in the NFL for years. However, the unit lost starting interior defender Arik Armstead and edge defender Chase Young. Furthermore, situational pass-rusher Randy Gregory has also moved on.
While Maliek Collins, Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos have been starters elsewhere in the league, it is to be seen whether the 49ers defensive line can continue its dominance with them in the lineup.
Due to injuries and a lack of development from their second-year offensive tackles, the Seahawks offensive line was among the worst units in the NFL last season. However, there were no attempts to actually improve the unit during the offseason.
On the contrary, Seattle let Damien Lewis and Evan Brown walk in free agency and signed only journeyman guard Laken Tomlinson to replace them. Unless young tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas take a significant step forward, there is a big chance this unit will be among the worst offensive lines in the league.
Last year, the Buccaneers recorded just 247 total pressures, 26th in the NFL, yet the team recently released edge defender Shaquil Barrett, whose 56 pressures led the team last year.
Among the remaining interior and edge defenders, only one played a significant number of snaps and earned a pass-rush grade over 70.0 in 2023: interior defender Vita Vea.
Although rookie edge defender Yaya Diaby led the team in sacks, the Buccaneers need him to be more consistent on a snap-by-snap basis in his second season.
The Titans were active during the offseason, adding players such as L’Jarius Sneed, Chidobe Awuzie, Calvin Ridley and JC Latham, but the team still has quite a few holes.
Regardless of those holes, the biggest question for the Titans in 2024 is whether they have found their franchise quarterback in Will Levis. They hope it will be easier to evaluate their quarterback with an improved offensive line and the addition of reliable targets after Levis ranked 30th among quarterbacks with a 63.7 PFF grade in his rookie season.
Having signed veterans Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu to pair with former first-round pick Jamin Davis, the Commanders might have a case for having the best linebacker corps in the NFL. However, outside of that position, there are quite a few question marks on this side of the ball in Washington.
The Commanders traded away both of their starting edge defenders during last season and have not replaced them with household names. They also let defensive backs Kamren Curl and Kendall Fuller walk in free agency.
