3 NFL quarterbacks who could make or break the entire 2024 season
The 2024 NFL Season could be greatly swayed by how a handful of quarterbacks play. Let's cover three who could make or break the entire year. A team will only be as good as their quarterback. That's just how this league works nowadays.
And since it's become a more QB-centric league in recent years, teams are getting more aggressive in trying to find an elite passer. That task is proving to be not easy for many squads, as they are still searching for their franchise passer.
As we head into the 2024 NFL Season, now only a couple of weeks away, these three notable quarterbacks may truly make or break the entire year.
3 NFL quarterbacks who could make or break the entire 2024 season
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Deshaun Watson has not been good with the Cleveland Browns, to say the least. The Browns have gone 8-4 in Watson's 1 starts, but that is much more due to their amazing defense. The former Houston Texans passer has looked like a bottom-5 quarterback in this league, and it's been an interesting situation to watch unfold.
If Deshaun Watson can get back to the way he was playing at the beginning of his career, the Browns turn into legitimate Super Bowl contenders. If he is still struggling as the 2024 NFL Season progresses, not only will the Browns not be nearly as good as they could be, but the AFC gets that much easier, and Watson himself end up having a very murky and uncertain future in the league.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts has been in the NFL since 2020 and has had one notable season. He's somehow seen as a top QB in the NFL by many, but to me, he's quite average. Hurts was able to be unlocked a bit by former offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, but there hasn't been much else to talk about since that 2022 season.
If Jalen Hurts can prove me wrong and can return to his self from two years ago, the Philadelphia Eagles will be legitimate Super Bowl contenders, but this team will be a fringe playoff squad at best in 2024 if Hurts is again playing like he did in 2023. This could then pave the way for teams like the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers to again make a deep run, and it could even pave the way for some more under-the-radar NFC teams to make a deep run.
The Eagles are still seen as one of the better teams in the NFL, but their quarterback is limiting them at this point in time.
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow has never played a full season in his NFL career. Never.
This is a huge problem for the Cincinnati Bengals, who will not go anywhere unless Burrow is on the field for at least 90% of the season. Now having suffered two season-ending injuries, the Bengals passer may be creeping toward that injury-prone label that no athlete wants. Besides the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cincinnati Bengals may be the best team in the AFC.
But let's say Burrow again misses some time in 2024; that immediately takes the Bengals out of any sort of playoff race, and it makes the conference that much more interesting, as it could allow another team to make a push. Joe Burrow is clearly the second-best QB in the NFL behind Patrick Mahomes, but staying on the field is turning into a huge problem. If Joe Cool can do that in 2024, Cincy is right back in the mix.