Now that preseason football has finally arrived, it’s time to take a look at 10 NFL teams that will disappoint in 2024. Several teams have high expectations, but some won’t be able to live up to the pressure. These could be teams that don’t quite reach their Super Bowl aspirations or others with hopes of winning the division but ultimately fall short of their goals.
Cleveland Browns
On paper, the Cleveland Browns have one of the NFL’s best rosters. But this team will only go as far as Deshaun Watson can take them. Cleveland’s defense will keep them within reach of winning every game, but until Watson can return to his MVP form, the Browns will continue to disappoint.
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Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears may have won the offseason by drafting a potential generational talent in Caleb Williams. They then supplied him with a bevy of weapons, adding Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze while reinforcing the offensive line. They’ve also taken a step defensively, but it takes time to put it all together, and Chicago may need another season before becoming a serious contender in the NFC North.
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New York Giants
GM Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll both have to be entering the season on the hot seat. The same goes for Daniel Jones, who still has three years left on his four-year, $160 million contract. Letting Saquon Barkley go only places more pressure on the offense, and while they may have one of the best pass-rushing groups in the NFL, the Giants may just not have enough scoring firepower to make a difference.
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Houston Texans
It’s very hard to have repeat success in the NFL. No one expected the Houston Texans to win 10 games last season. They’ve improved the roster in a big way, but we wonder if they experienced too much roster turnover. Houston lost its leading rusher, tackler, and sack artist. While we could argue that each of their replacements is an improvement, that’s a lot of moving parts for one year. But we’re fully prepared to be wrong on this one.
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Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles needed a fresh start, arguably more than any other team in the NFL. But did they fix the issues that plagued them a season ago? There have been reports that there’s internal friction between head coach Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts, and if the locker room doesn’t have strong chemistry, it’s hard to see how this team can return to being one of the NFL’s best. Jason Kelce’s retirement could have a bigger impact on the offense than most anticipate, but the Eagles do have a very talented roster.
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New Orleans Saints
Despite having a roster filled with Pro Bowl talent, the New Orleans Saints haven’t been able to put it all together under Dennis Allen. They’ve been hit with a series of injuries, and the offensive line hasn’t meshed. Ryan Ramczyk has already been ruled out for the season, so former first-round pick Trevor Penning will need to start living up to his potential. But we’re not sure Derek Carr has enough weapons to thrive either. It’s a big mess in The Big Easy.
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Seattle Seahawks
Changing head coaches was a very risky move for the Seattle Seahawks. While they’ve had some disappointing seasons lately, Pete Carroll was still very capable of leading a locker room. We believe in Mike Macdonald’s ability, but sometimes it takes a year to get the team to buy in. Otherwise, the Seahawks are filled with potential.
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Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels has MVP potential, but we don’t expect to see it this season. After allowing the second-most sacks in the NFL, we’re not sure the Commanders did enough to fix their offensive line. Then there’s Dan Quinn taking over at head coach, which could lead to greatness or a disaster.
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Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos may not have sky-high expectations, especially with an undefined quarterback room. But this was a team that allowed the sixth-most points in the NFL a season ago too. With questions on offense and defense, Coach Payton will need to perform some magic to pull it all together.
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Las Vegas Raiders
We actually like how the Las Vegas Raiders improved the rest of their roster while not freaking out about the quarterback position. But a team is only as strong as their QB, and their ceiling is limited with Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew. Being in a division with Patrick Mahomes doesn’t help, even if the Raiders beat the Chiefs in Week 16. We expect a team that plays hard for Coach Pierce, but they just don’t have enough offensive talent or a good enough secondary to be legitimate contenders.
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