We're officially into the final stretch run of the 2024 NFL season. Bye weeks are in the rearview mirror. Each team has only four games remaining on its schedule. Amazingly, though, only seven of the league's 32 teams have been officially eliminated from the playoffs.
There are a bunch of truly bad teams this season, but also a bunch of truly excellent teams, so a lot of the middle of the pack is still alive. As a result, the only teams already onto next season in one sense or another are the Jets, Patriots, Titans, Jaguars, Browns, Raiders and Giants.
One thing most of those teams have in common is that they'll be looking for a new quarterback in a few weeks. The Patriots (Drake Maye) and Jaguars (Trevor Lawrence) have their quarterbacks for the foreseeable future, but the other five teams listed are sure to be looking around. And that means it's important to inspect the offensive infrastructure those teams have in place, and where they might need to add in order to set their next signal-caller up for success in the future.
New York Jets
- What they have: RB, WR1, LT, RG
- What they need: TE, LG, RT, Play-caller
Between Breece Hall, Braelon Allen and now Isaiah Davis, the Jets have an embarrassment of riches at running back. As we have seen this season, though, that doesn't guarantee you all that much. It's nice to have -- and it's certainly even nicer to have depth -- but you need a heck of a lot more to find success. Garrett Wilson hasn't has as good a season as many expected he would, but much of that disappointment can be laid at the feet of Aaron Rodgers. With Olu Fashanu and Alijah Vera-Tucker, the Jets do have two quality offensive linemen locked in for the future.
But there are questions surrounding whether Davante Adams will be back and whether the Jets have anything else in their receiver room beyond him and Adams. Tyler Conklin is fine, but the tight end room could use an upgrade. And there are still plenty of holes along the offensive line that need to be filled, in order for any quarterback of the future to find success. And, of course, this is a team that will be looking for a new head coach and offensive play-caller, and finding the right mix there is going to be massively important for any young quarterback they drop into the lineup.
Cleveland Browns
- What they have: WR, TE, OL, (Play-caller?)
- What they need: RB, WR
Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman and Elijah Moore makes up a decent receiver corps, but the Browns could still use a true No. 1 receiver type, so we have WR on both lists here. David Njoku is a certified baller at tight end, now one of the best in the league. Cleveland's offensive line isn't quite the machine it once was and has dealt with a whole lot of injury issues, but when healthy is still a really solid group. The Browns have to think about depth and eventual replacements, but there aren't yet any glaring holes.
Nick Chubb, though ... It's sad because he really was one of the best pure runners we have seen in quite some time. But he turns 29 in two weeks and has looked like a shell of himself since returning from his latest gruesome knee injury. It's awesome just to see him back on the field, but the Browns need something more at that spot. We don't yet know whether head coach Kevin Stefanski and/or offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey will be back next year. That's definitely an interesting area to watch.
Tennessee Titans
- What they have: RB, left side OL
- What they need: WR2/3, TE, right side OL
Tony Pollard looks fully recovered from the fractured leg he suffered last season. He came on down the stretch in Dallas last year, earned himself a contract and has found a way to succeed despite a horrendous offensive environment. J.C. Latham and Peter Skoronski should be locked in on the left side of the offensive line for a while, but the entire rest of the line needs some work. (Even Lloyd Cushenberry has had something of a down year.)
Calvin Ridley came on strong for the first few games after the DeAndre Hopkins trade, but he has 18 catches for 255 scoreless yards over Tennessee's last four contests. He doesn't look like a true WR1. And despite Nick Westbrook-Ikhine's outrageous touchdown streak, it's clear that Tennessee doesn't have much beyond Ridley in the pass-catching department. Major additions are needed there.
Las Vegas Raiders
- What they have: WR2, TE, LT, G, C
- What they need: RB, WR, right side OL, Play-caller
Between Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers, the building blocks of a strong pass-catching corps are in place. Even Michael Mayer looks like a nice ancillary piece. There's still a need for a perimeter threat given that Meyers is best in the slot and Bowers is a tight end, but the bones are there. And then Kolton Miller is locked in at left tackle, Jordan Meredith has played well at guard and both Andre James and Jackson Powers-Johnson can work at center, while JPJ has also played guard this year.
Maybe Sincere McCormick ends up being the answer at running back, but we're going to need to see more than a three-week sample of pretty decent rushing success. And he has yet to contribute in the pass game, so there's obvious need for a pass-catching back as well, unless Dylan Laube exits the dog house. The Raiders also need to upgrade the right side of their offensive line, and after whiffing on the Luke Getsy hire last offseason, they'll need to start over in the play-caller department. Although, that could possibly happen anyway if Antonio Pierce is one-and-done as the head coach.
New York Giants
- What they have: RB, WR1, LT, (Play-caller?)
- What they need: Everything else
Tyrone Tracy Jr., Malik Nabers, Andrew Thomas. Three players who should be locked in for quite a while. Will Brian Daboll and Mike Kafka be back, and allowed to work with a quarterback of their choosing? We'll see.
Otherwise, the Giants need everything on offense.