Who is the worst starter in the NFL? The worst NFL players will rarely see the field and are often unknown names to the casual fan. However, the worst NFL starters are easy to spot and many fans will be noticing them during the 2024 season.
Our list of the worst NFL starters in 2024 will exclude rookies who haven’t had an opportunity to prove themselves yet. Instead, we’re highlighting NFL players with starting experience who will see plenty of snaps during the upcoming season.
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Here are the worst NFL players who will start multiple games in 2024.
Daniel Jones, quarterback, New York Giants
The New York Giants are in a unique situation with starting quarterback Daniel Jones. The longer he plays, the more at risk he is of suffering an injury which would kick in his injury guarantees for the 2025 season. If he plays at a mediocre level, New York might not be in a position to land a top quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. With that said, a passer with a career 85.2 QB rating who averaged just 208.5 passing yards per game in 59 starts just can’t be trusted. Jones is one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL and a below-average offensive line makes him even worse.
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Gardner Minshew, quarterback, Las Vegas Raiders
Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell will both make starts in 2024 and we don’t like either option. However, the guaranteed money the Las Vegas Raiders gave Minshew makes him the best bet to lead the team in starts. Playing behind a bottom-10 offensive line and now dealing with a downgrade in play-calling, Minshew could get exposed more than he was in 2023 with the Indianapolis Colts. Keep in mind, Minshew posted the fourth-highest rate of Turnover Worth Plays (3.8 percent), per Pro Football Focus, and had the second-lowest Completion Rate Over Expectation.
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Ezekiel Elliott, running back, Dallas Cowboys
The good news is that the Dallas Cowboys won’t use Ezekiel Elliott nearly as much as they used to. Unfortunately, the veteran running back also has over 1,500 career touches on his track record and the glaring signs of significant decline have been evident for years. He’s also going to run behind a much worse Cowboys offensive line than he ever has before. Dallas also doesn’t have the receiving corps, outside of CeeDee Lamb, to really scare defenses. Elliott will probably wind up leading the Cowboys in carries and by the end of the season, he’ll be one of the worst starting running backs in 2024.
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DeMario Douglas, wide receiver, New England Patriots
DeMario Douglas even making this list says everything about the New England Patriots receiving corps. We love Ja’Lynn Polk and he’ll likely finish the season as the team’s No. 1 wideout, but Douglas is atop the Patriots depth chart right now. He was very productive for a sixth-round pick as a rookie, finishing with 49 receptions for 561 receiving yards, but he shouldn’t be relied upon the way the Patriots offense will need him in 2024.
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Trevor Penning, offensive tackle, New Orleans Saints
Trevor Penning makes the list of the worst NFL starters in 2024 because New Orleans Saints right tackle Ryan Ramczyk won’t play football this season. As a result, first-round pick Taliese Fuaga might spend his rookie season at right tackle. If that happens, Penning is the only viable option on the left side for New Orleans. Unfortunately for the Saints, this is the same 2022 first-round pick who has been one of the worst left tacklers in the NFL since entering the league.
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Ikem Ekwonu, offensive tackle, Carolina Panthers
You might start noticing a trend on our list of the worst NFL starters in 2024, former first-round picks. Ikem Ekwonu showed a little promise toward the end of the 2022 season, providing hope after an ugly first run as a starter. The 2023 season was reminiscent of Ekwonu’s worst moments as a rookie. The Carolina Panthers left tackle has allowed 17 sacks and 71 total pressures (PFF_ in his first two seasons. Maybe a new coaching staff leads to a career turnaround, but Ekwonu projects as one of the worst left tackles in the NFL right now and he might eventually be benched in favor of Yosh Nijman.
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Clelin Ferrell, defensive end, Washington Commanders
No one knows why Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden used the 4th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Clelin Ferrell, picking him ahead of players like standout defenders Josh Allen, Ed Oliver, Rashan Gary and Christian Wilkins. Ferrell washed out in Las Vegas and then spent last season with the San Francisco 49ers, recording just 3.5 sacks in 471 defensive snaps. The Washington Commanders don’t have much depth at edge rusher to speak of, so Ferrell – bad as a run defender and pass rusher – will likely see the field a lot this fall.
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Troy Andersen, linebacker, Atlanta Falcons
Troy Anderson got a lot of attention in the pre-draft process thanks to an absurd 10.00 (out of 10) Relative Athletic Score. Selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 58th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Anderson has started 7 games in two seasons. While injuries are part of the reason Anderson has struggled to stay on the field, he was also just one of the worst NFL linebackers when he was out there. With no real signs of development, Anderson is poised to be one of the glaring weaknesses on one of the league’s worst defenses this fall.
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Devin White, linebacker, Philadelphia Eagles
We loved a lot of what the Philadelphia Eagles did this offseason. In fact, the collective moves still earn an A-grade in our eyes. However, the Devin White signing remains baffling. White has easily been one of the worst off-ball linebackers in football over the last two seasons and he could’ve looked even worse if Lavonte David wasn’t out there cleaning up White’s mistakes. Now, Philadelphia is relying on a highly athletic linebacker with bad discipline who routinely gets exposed in coverage and against the run. Frankly, White’s only positive impact might come as a blitzer.
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Emmanuel Forbes, cornerback, Washington Commanders
Two Washington Commanders players make it onto our list of the worst NFL starters in 2024. That probably says a lot about this defense. In coverage, Forbes allowed 16.2 yards per completion with 3 touchdowns and a 103.0 QB rating on 61 targets thrown in his direction as a rookie. Weighing barely 180 pounds, he’s already a liability against the run. Forbes isn’t getting any bigger and his issues he was always a gambler who just got burned by a lot of better players in the NFL. Washington will give him another shot with a new coaching staff, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the Commanders if Forbes is benched for the second consecutive season. This time around, it might be permanent.
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