2024 NFL power rankings: Cowboys free-falling, Bears surging after draft
The 2024 NFL Draft is over, and we now have a pretty clear picture of what all 32 NFL teams are going to look like for the upcoming season. Which teams improved the most, and which teams have too many lingering questions?
It's always fun to try and predict what's going to happen way too early, and that's exactly what we're going to do today. Although every NFL team should have some measure of optimism at this point, we're going to rank all 32 teams based on the way they attacked NFL free agency, the quality of picks they made (on paper) in the 2024 NFL Draft, and whether or not they're going to be able to build off of last season or get worse.
2024 NFL Power Rankings: Patriots the NFL's worst team in 2024?
32. New England Patriots
Somebody has to be the last team on the list, right? The New England Patriots are ushering in a brand-new era. Bill Belichick is gone, and Jerod Mayo is putting his stamp on this franchise. The Drake Maye era will begin with the Patriots having one of the worst collections of offensive talent in the NFL.
Are the Pats setting up Maye to fail? He might be in the toughest situation of all of this year's first-round quarterbacks.
31. Carolina Panthers
Can Bryce Young take a much-needed leap in his second NFL season under new head coach Dave Canales? Canales has worked some magic in recent years with Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith, perhaps his magic touch is exactly what Bryce Young needs.
The Panthers have made so many roster changes this offseason, but whether or not this team stays in the NFL basement is totally dependent on Young finding some measure of success.
30. Las Vegas Raiders
If the derby for quarterbacks in the NFL Draft was a high school dance, the Las Vegas Raiders ended up without a date. They took a huge risk hiring Antonio Pierce as their full-time head coach this offseason, passing on all other candidates, and now they have to roll with Gardner Minshew or Aidan O'Connell for a full season.
I suspect things could get hairy in a hurry for the Raiders this coming season unless one of those two quarterbacks absolutely lights it up. It's possible we've already seen the ceiling for both of those guys as NFL players already.
29. New York Giants
The New York Giants renewed their membership to the "Daniel Jones club" and that's not a club you want to be part of right now. The Giants drafted Malik Nabers with the 6th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. They added pass rusher Brian Burns in a trade with the Carolina Panthers.
Almost everything this team is doing indicates that they should be good or much better in 2024, but it's hard to get past their quarterback situation. If the Giants fall flat on their face this season, how many more chances will Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen get? How many chances do they deserve?
Is it ownership that's so committed to Daniel Jones? One way or another, I don't see this Giants team being good with Jones at the helm.