The NFL offseason always brings relentless optimism. Between coaching changes, the NFL draft, and free agency, rosters can be massively overhauled over a short time period. Sometimes, the changes are a smash hit and a team strikes gold to become a surprise in the following season.
However, it doesn’t always work that way. We’ve previously covered the top 10 best NFL rosters entering the 2024 season, and now we’re on the other end of the spectrum. Which teams make up the worst 10 rosters in the NFL this year?
This list isn’t a prediction of which teams will end the season with the worst 10 records, but rather a measurement of talent. We weighed the star power, depth, and level of impact each roster is getting from every position.
The extremes of the Las Vegas Raiders will make them a fun team to watch in 2024. Whether it’s Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew under center, they’ll have to strongly lean into the strengths of an offense with an unproven running back stable and lack of depth at receiver.
The good news is Davante Adams, Brock Bowers, and Michael Mayer are fully capable of providing big plays.
It’s the consistency that is the concern for a young unit with no defined third receiver and a first-year starting running back after Josh Jacobs departed to Green Bay. The offensive line will benefit from adding second-round pick Jackson Powers-Johnson, but it’s still not a reliable unit. Playing in the AFC West meatgrinder will expose the team’s issues more than most divisions.
The defense is in a similar boat.
The defensive line is more than formidable, with Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins headlining it. The big question is whether the passing defense will again rank in the top 12 of yards and touchdowns allowed despite the individual talent failing to perform at a star level.
That might change as Robert Spillane, Jack Jones, and Tre’von Moehrig continue to grow. If they don’t, the Raiders might see some regression on defense.
We’re not far removed from when the New Orleans Saints had one of the NFL’s most talented rosters. There are several areas of major strength for the Saints, but years of average or worse drafting has caught up to Mickey Loomis’ team. The once-stellar offensive line is now uninspired, and their defensive line is continually looking for anything out of recent draft picks.
The Saints don’t have a bad roster, but they continue trending downward. Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave buoy an offense with a declining quarterback. Their secondary is arguably the deepest in the NFL, and Demario Davis is an ageless wonder.
But the combination of relying on Derek Carr, an aging Kamara, unproven receivers beyond Olave, and below-average trench play have the Saints on the cusp of embracing a major rebuild in the near future.
The Los Angeles Chargers have been a “what if” team for years. Despite boasting top-end talent like Joey Bosa, Derwin James, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Bryan Bulaga in recent years, the injury bug has routinely depleted their playmakers. Now, under Jim Harbaugh, the roster is being revamped.
The good parts are obvious. Justin Herbert will play behind an improved offensive line, and the defense added some quality depth pieces to protect against injuries. However, the Chargers didn’t have much money to work with, so they couldn’t fill every need with a proven starter. Almost every positional group has at least one major role available in 2024.
The Chargers could see everything go right, with Quentin Johnston a star in Year 2, J.K. Dobbins fully healthy, and Bosa playing at an MVP level. If those question marks don’t play out favorably, then the unheralded receivers, limited running back talent, and young depth along the defense will be pushed beyond their capabilities.
Expect a transition year as Harbaugh looks for guys who can survive beyond his first season. The Chargers’ top-end stars keep them from falling below some of their peers on this list, as the trio of Herbert, Bosa, and James is unmatched when healthy.
>> READ: How Harabugh Will Rebuild Chargers
The Tennessee Titans have doubled down on fixing their offense this offseason, expunging Mike Vrabel and Derrick Henry in favor of new coach Brian Callahan, WR Calvin Ridley, and RB Tony Pollard.
If nothing else, Tennessee’s 2024 offense should be much better than the unit that ranked fourth-worst in Pro Football Reference’s offensive rating system. There’s more explosiveness, and adding JC Latham to the offensive line brings more skill to the unit.
The star power with DeAndre Hopkins, Jeffrey Simmons, and L’Jarius Sneed is undeniable. But it’s impossible to overlook the team’s lack of depth and other high-end talent.
Tennessee has worked hard to plug holes with fairly capable and familiar names, but guys like Tyler Boyd, Arden Key, Kenneth Murray Jr., and even Ridley don’t move the needle that much. A lot must go right for the Titans to be more than an annoying team to face.
That really starts with second-year QB Will Levis. Even with a versatile backfield, a more capable receiving corps, and a young but fairly talented offensive line, Levis’ development will make or break the Titans.
He’s shown flashes of being a potential above-average starter, but he’ll have to sharpen his decision-making and processing so that the offense can be threatening in any form.
Regardless of how the case is presented, the 2023 Washington Commanders undeniably were bad. Ranking 31st in team DVOA, 32nd in points and yards allowed, and 28th in scoring rate, their offense couldn’t function, and the defense stopped no one.
It’s easy to see why they finished the season with eight straight losses.
A new coaching regime should help, and a large batch of rookies added depth across a roster lacking impact starters and reliable role players. An offensive identity carved around rookie QB Jayden Daniels will help augment what was a woeful run game and maximize explosive receivers like Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson.
The Commanders’ offensive line still has a few question marks at the tackle spots, but Daniels will reduce the astounding sack rate Sam Howell produced in 2023.
The defense definitely lacks individual edge-rushing talent and playmaking, but the foundation up the middle is improved. Veterans Dorance Armstrong, Frankie Luvu, and Bobby Wagner bring consistency and respectability on a down-by-down basis, raising the floor from horrible to competent.
The passing defense still has ways to go, and young cornerbacks Benjamin St-Juste, Emmanuel Forbes Jr., and Mike Sainristil will ultimately determine whether the unit can produce enough turnovers to overcome its talent deficiency.
>> READ: Building the Perfect Jayden Daniels Offense
Considering the 2023 Carolina Panthers finished last season with the league’s worst record, they’re obviously not a team ripe with terrific talent. That hasn’t changed much this offseason, but they’re also not devoid of talent. Having the wrong coach and a struggling rookie quarterback tanked the Panthers beyond other factors.
Adding free agents Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt, trading for Diontae Johnson, and hiring Dave Canales as head coach will help Bryce Young become a more competent, consistent presence. No one will confuse this Panthers offense for being overly dynamic. They’re still relying on limited-ceiling or rookie playmakers, but it’s a unit that can help a defense that ranked fourth in yards allowed and 11th in scoring per drive.
Carolina’s apparent lack of high-end playmakers puts a firm ceiling on what it can accomplish in 2024. Losing Brian Burns hurts their short and long-term outlook, so internal development will become key as they continue to churn the roster. I still expect Carolina to be a below-average team, but it’ll claw its way through opponents who take them too lightly.
>> READ: Why Carolina Spent So Much on Guards
Most preseason projections last year had the Arizona Cardinals finishing with the NFL’s worst record. Not only was QB Kyler Murray coming back from an ACL tear with an unknown timeline, but the Cardinals were in the midst of a roster transition.
Even though Arizona finished with the fourth-worst record, the coaching staff might’ve overachieved with the talent they were working with.
After injecting 12 rookies and a few veterans into its roster this offseason, Arizona suddenly has the makeup of a rising team. With Murray shaping back into form at the tail end of 2023 and giving him Marvin Harrison Jr., Zay Jones, and Trey Benson, the offense has significantly more help than in recent years. The key for the unit is whether the offensive line to continues developing, as the interior still has major question marks.
The defense has its share of proven starters like Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson, but then there are many question marks and youngsters who will learn in a trial-by-fire method. That will lead to inevitable breakdowns and exposure in the short term. We’ll feel better about Arizona’s roster in another year after some of the young talent emerges as viable starters and more bodies are churned.
The offensive line is a clear strength for the Denver Broncos, but a whole host of concerns exist outside of it. The Broncos were only a quarterback away for years, but roster churn, cap-induced cuts, and injuries have thinned this roster.
If the team doesn’t start well, veterans like Courtland Sutton, Javonte Williams, and Samaje Perine could find new homes by the trade deadline.
Recent Day 2 picks like Marvin Mims Jr., Drew Sanders, and Riley Moss have to start showing they can produce for the Broncos to become more than a moderately interesting rebuilding project. Nik Bonitto broke out with eight sacks in 2023, so there’s hope for a young cast of players entering their first year of real opportunity.
However, it’s hard to rank Denver higher when the team doesn’t appear to have a single Pro Bowl candidate outside of Patrick Surtain II.
The best case for Denver’s long-term health obviously includes rookie QB Bo Nix performing well and drawing the most from guys like Mims, Troy Franklin, Greg Dulcich, and Audric Estime. If Nix and even two of those young playmakers hit, then Denver’s roster will be looking much more promising than it does today.
There are times when a great play-caller just doesn’t cut it as a great head coach due to their personnel decisions, and the New York Giants seem to be experiencing that with Brian Daboll.
When he took over, the Giants were in an odd spot, simultaneously lacking cap flexibility and roster talent. Daboll overachieved by making the playoffs in Year 1, and then the team crashed hard in 2023 as several limitations and more injuries ravaged the roster.
Losing Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney this offseason won’t help the Giants get back on track. The additions of Malik Nabers, Jon Runyan, Brian Burns, and Tyler Nubin are considerable, but there is still a lot of pressure on an underwhelming offensive line and QB Daniel Jones.
New York has little depth at receiver and no standout tailback, and it is banking on Evan Neal to take a giant leap for the offense to be sustainably average.
The roster’s foundation is at least interesting, with Nabers, Andrew Thomas, Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and a promising cornerback room looking like capable leaders for the future. It’s just not enough right now, though.
For all of the faults that the 2023 New England Patriots had, at least Bill Belichick produced a league-average defense with several starters who would have trouble maintaining their roles elsewhere.
With Belichick gone and Jerod Mayo taking over, one would assume the incumbent personnel can maintain a similar level of play. The Patriots hope so, as they added only one draft pick in the 2024 class and zero free agents to the defense.
It’s likely to get much worse than repeat its performance. Christian Barmore, Kyle Dugger, and Christian Gonzalez are the only productive players with any real future on the unit, with Marte Mapu as a fun, athletic project. However, Matthew Judon, Jonathan Jones, and Jabrill Peppers are clearly aging, and the lack of capable replacements behind them makes this unit need an overhaul.
New England understandably opted to add to the offense this offseason instead because revamping the entire roster wasn’t doable. Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye will give the unit a spark, and receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker augment DeMario Douglas and Kendrick Bourne enough to make the passing game more threatening than anemic.
However, the offensive line is still a major question mark. The battle of young blockers like Cole Strange, Sidy Sow, Layden Robinson, and Caedan Wallace must produce some quality starters.
The roster is startlingly devoid of high-end playmakers and young prospects with the traits to become stars. Years of bad drafting and being too scheme-specific have left it devoid of potential All-Pro or even annual Pro Bowl performers.
