5 Winners and Losers from the 2024 NFL Off-Season

The Atlanta Falcons supercharged their offense by finally adding a reliable quarterback in Kirk Cousins. Although Cousins may not have a great playoff track record, he can still open the door for Raheem Morris to use the passing game. The Falcons have a young emerging defense, and they acquired both Darnell Mooney and Rondale Moore to give them more pass catchers around Drake London, who could become a star this season.

The Los Angeles Chargers lost two key pieces in Mike Williams and Keenan Allen due to cap space, and while they were able to restructure and put themselves in position to keep some key pieces on defense, they’re at a crossroads. Adding Jim Harbaugh is not a ‘free agent move’ in our eyes, so he wasn’t factored into the grading, and no one added is expected to be a massive difference-maker on either side of the ball.

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Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are not amazing QBs, but they certainly will help a Steelers’ offense that had zero reliable options behind center. Adding Patrick Queen should help an already stout defense, and they’ve made a lot of key releases and cuts as they’re finally overhauling their organization after years of the same mindless mediocrity on offense after the decline of Big Ben.

Other teams on this list at least have additions that made them tough to call losers, but the Cowboys are the exception. Not only have they lost key pieces like Tyron Smith, but their biggest addition has come in the form of Eric Kendricks, who is on the defensive side of the ball. They did need someone to help them stop the run after the Packers embarrassed them in the first round (again), but their offensive line is in shambles, and they look like they’ll get another year closer to three full decades without a Super Bowl appearance.

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The New York Giants looked dormant early in free agency, but they started firing off moves left and right, with Brian Burns being the statement acquisition to form a top-tier pass rush. Losing Saquon Barkley isn’t great, but the contract he received didn’t make sense for the G-Men to hand out, and Devin Singletary isn’t a bad replacement. Jon Runyan and Jermaine Eluemunor should boost their offensive line, with Jalen Mills, Isaiah McKenzie, and Drew Lock being nice veteran depth additions as well.

The Cincinnati Bengals were able to add some solid depth on both sides of the ball but with the situation with Tee Higgins being in flux and their lack of a dramatic improvement on either side of the ball, it’s hard to find a way for the Bengals to move up in the AFC with an emergent Texans team joining the Ravens and Bills as squads in the conference looking to knock out the seemingly unstoppable Kansas City Chiefs.

Following a surprise leap into the contenders’ tier, the Houston Texas went out and made a massive splash in free agency, grabbing Danielle Hunter to pair with Will Anderson Jr., which could form one of the top defensive lines in the game. Joe Mixon should replace Devin Singletary’s production, and  Azeez Al-Shaair can aid them defensively as well. Bringing back some key pieces only sweetens what’s been a great offseason for Houston thus far.

Not only do the Denver Broncos not have a quarterback, but they’re essentially paying Russell Wilson to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Broncos have more or less doomed themselves for the next few years, so any chance of competing is out the window. They have lost Justin Simmons this off-season, and their offense is in shambles with Jerry Jeudy heading to Cleveland. They do have the 12th overall pick, but landing a top QB prospect is essentially off the table. Barring a miracle, Denver is headed toward a very bad 2024 season, and adding safety Brandon Jones doesn’t move the needle at all.

While losing Aaron Jones hurts from an emotional standpoint, having Josh Jacobs replace him as the main RB alongside retaining AJ Dillon should improve their running game. The addition of Xavier McKinney should give them an electric young playmaker in their secondary, and they look poised to be right in contention for the NFC North crown. The Packers aren’t a perfect team, but they addressed their key flaws and should be a much complete roster with a potential second-year leap from standout Jordan Love.

The New Orleans Saints are consistently operating from a place of negative cap space. As they try to get about the cap and shed contacts and restructure, they’re ultimately forced to release solid players and are limited in how much they can spend. They have added Chase Young this off-season to a one-year deal, but that doesn’t move the needle much for them. They will be looking to the draft to reinforce the team, but they have holes all over the roster. Fortunately, they have a few solid playmakers on offense that they continue to lean on. The Saints aren’t one of the worst teams in the league, but their additions this off-season haven’t been noteworthy.