The career of most NFL players isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Most NFL players' careers are like the ebb and flow of waves rising and falling with the tide, rising and falling based on the environmental factors around them.
Some reach their full potential and others could use just a few tweaks here are there in elements that are out of their control. That being said, here is an examination of 10 offensive players ready to to rise in 2024 because of some change, big or small, to their football environments.
Reasons for thriving: Another year with his young core of pass-catchers, the addition of 2022 NFL rushing champion Josh Jacobs.
Jordan Love's first season as the Green Bay Packers starting quarterback involved throwing the second-most passing touchdowns (32) in the 2023 regular season, and helping make the Packers the youngest team to win a playoff game since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger (average age of 25 years and 214 days) after decimating the second-seeded Dallas Cowboys 48-32 in the NFC wild card round, a game they led by as much as 27-0.
Love balled out as he threw for 272 passing yards and three touchdowns on 16 of 21 passing, which led to him compiling a Green Bay playoff game record 157.2 passer rating and 13 yards per pass attempt in his NFL postseason debut. The Packers nearly toppled the top-seeded, eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round, but a late field goal miss from Anders Carlson and a Love interception equarted to a three-point defeat, 24-21.
The crazy thing about Love's first season at the controls of head coach Matt LaFleur's offense is he really didn't start clicking until the second half of the season when he threw 18 touchdowns and only one interception from Weeks 11-18.
Jordan Love 2023 season (including playoffs)
| First 9 games | Last 10 games | |
|---|---|---|
W-L | 3-6 | 7-3 |
Comp Pct | 58.7% | 69.8% |
Pass YPG | 223.2 | 261.6 |
TD-INT | 14-10 | 23-3 |
Passer Rating | 80.5 | 112.1 |
He can easily take his game up another level or three simply maturing in an offense established NFL single-season records for most catches (302), receiving yards (3,642) and receiving touchdowns (31) by first- or second-year players in 2023. Plus, the Packers went out and signed 26-year-old, 2022 NFL rushing champion Josh Jacobs with Aaron Jones approaching 30 and missing six regular season games last season. Love and the group -- Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks-- growing together and mixing in Jacobs could lead to massive production for Love.
Reasons for thriving: Has a QB defenses will respect in Kirk Cousins, has an OC in Zac Robinson who will build offense around him.
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson produced a strong rookie season with 1,463 scrimmage yards, the second-most the most among rookies in Falcons history.
He can be even better in 2024 with a quarterback defenses have to respect in four-time Pro Bowler Kirk Cousins, someone who unlike Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke, will prevent defenses from selling out and loading the box to stop the run. Robinson will also have an offensive coordinator in Zac Robinson who will center the offense around his singular talents instead of trick plays for tight end Jonnu Smith.
Robinson revealed he is planning to be used like San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, the 2023 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, in in the upcoming season. New offensive coordinator Zac Robinson served an assistant on Sean McVay's Los Angeles Rams staff for the last five seasons, a group that put the football in their stars' hands: Todd Gurley, Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua last season. Bijan Robinson is ready for his glow up.
Reasons for thriving: Playing next to 2023 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and on the team with 2023's No. 1 defense.
Derrick Henry has been thriving, let's not get it twisted. Henry, a four-time Pro Bowl running back, has been a top two leader across the NFL in rushing yards and carries in carries and rushing yards in four of the last five seasons, which makes him just the 10th player in league history to end up in the top two in the league in rushing yards four or more times.
His 280 carries were the tops in the league, and his 1,167 rushing yards were the second-most in football behind only McCaffrey. However, Henry produced a career-worst 4.2 yards per carry in 2023 at age 29, but that still equated to being above average, ranking 18th among the 44 qualified running backs in 2023.
Henry's efficiency could dramatically improve in 2024. He still produced a solid impact in 2023 with rookie Will Levis initially struggling to connect in the NFL as he averaged the worst completion percentage in professional football (58.4%). Lining up to 2023 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson should remove the metaphorical weight around Henry's ankles and free him up for a much more efficient 2024.
Reasons for thriving: Fully healthy, the addition of 2024 fourth overall pick WR Marvin Harrison Jr.
Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback Kyler Murray has missed about half (15) of a possible 34 games since 2022 while working his way back from a torn ACL he suffered near the tail end of the 2022 season. He is now as healthy as he has been in years.
Murray's career averages of 240.7 passing yards per game and 37.7 rushing yards display he's been balling out for years, and history confirms that sentiment. Murray (2019-2023) and 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton (2011-2015) are the only players in league history to have five consecutive seasons averaging 200 or more passing yards per game and 30 or more rushing yards per game. Both of their runs putting up this type of production ocurred in their first five seasons.
Adding 2024 fourth overall pick wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to a supporting cast that besides running back James Conner, who is 29, and wide receiver Greg Dortch, who is 26, Harrison (22), Wilson (24), McBride (24) and 2024 third-round running back Trey Benson (21) are all younger than 25. Harrison Jr. led college football with 28 receiving touchdowns since 2022, which is why he finished his collegiate career as a consecutive Unanimous All-American.
Harrison Jr.'s presence could help elevate a healthy Murray to new heights.
Reasons for thriving: Playing with an explosive QB in 2024 No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels.
Terry McLaurin is an underrated wide receiver: He is one of six players with 900 or more receiving yards in each of his five seasons, joining Mike Evans, A.J. Green, Randy Moss, and Jerry Rice. The crazy part about that stat is the best quarterback McLaurin has played with is probably Alex Smith.
That all changes in 2024 with second overall pick quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, shattered records as an LSU tiger, like the single-season passer efficiency mark (208.0), and he led the country in total yards (412.2) and total touchdowns per game (4.2). He also became the first player to lead college football in passing yards per attempt (11.7) and yards per carry (8.4) in the past 60 years.
Pairing an explosive quarterback in Daniels with a playmaker like McLaurin could lead to the best years of the 28-year-old's career.
Reasons for thriving: Being healthy and being provided a much improved offensive line in 2024.
The New York Jets didn't have a "emergency plan" when Aaron Rodgers went down the fourth play of the 2023 season, according to former New York running back Dalvin Cook. The Jets went out and planned to do better by their future Hall of Fame quarterback by completely overhauling the offensive line in 2024.
Jets' offensive line investments this offseason
- Signed eight-time Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith
- Signed Baltimore Ravens offensive guard John Simpson
- Traded for Baltimore Ravens right tackle Morgan Moses
- Drafted Penn State All-American left tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu 11th overall
Rogers will be 41-years-old in December, and he is accustomed to strong offensive line play: the Packers ranked inside the top seven in the entire NFL in pass-blocking rank in Rodgers' final nine seasons in Green Bay. The Jets were bottom five in the league in every pass-blocking metric last season. Their success rides on how Rodgers perform, so they did what they needed to do to keep him healthy in 2024.
Reasons for thriving: Second year in NFL, additions of wide receivers Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd, running back Tony Pollard and and JC Latham.
Between the Tennessee Titans' mess of an offensive line and a lack of options in the passing game outside of DeAndre Hopkins, 2023 second-round pick quarterback Will Levis naturally struggled after a hot start in Week 8 against the Atlanta Falcons when he threw for four touchdowns by only throwing four touchdowns the rest of the year in his final eight starts.
Part of the reason for these struggles was his overall disconnect, especially when throwing deep. Levis led the NFL with 10.3 air yards per pass attempt, but he wasn't consistent, completing an NFL-worst 58.4% completion percentage.
With a year under his belt and a supporting cast that includes Hopkins, one of the 2010's best pass-catchers, Levis should throw a party for all the moves Tennessee has made this season, including signing running back Tony Pollard, wide receiver Calvin Ridley and offensive linemen Lloyd Cushenberry. They also drafted Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham. Time to figure out if Levis is the future in Nashville for years to come.
Reasons for thriving: Additions of 2024 No. 1 overall pick QB Caleb Williams, No. 9 overall pick WR Rome Odunze, six-time Pro Bowl WR Keenan Allen.
The 2023 season for Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore, was extremely productive with the fourth- most receiving yards in a season in Bears history (1,364). He also posted career-highs in receptions (96), receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns (8).
With the 2024 first overall pick quarterback Caleb WIlliams (the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner), six-time receiver Keenan Allen and 2024 ninth overall pick Rome Odunze in addition to Moore, the Bears' top target is ready for his close up.
Reasons for thriving: Playing in an offense where he is no longer the only playmaker defenses fear.
Playing behind one of the better offensive lines in football up in Philadelphia and with other playmakers he respects, Saquon can exhale. The 27-year-old might still have the 2018 version of himself waiting to roar, lining up alongside Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith could help put Barkley back on the map.
Ditto for Philly's offensive line. The Giants' 41.1 run-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus was the NFL's third-worst while the Eagles' 76.5 PFF run-blocking grade is the third-best in the NFL.
Reasons for thriving: Year 2 as Dallas' TE1 with Dak Prescott, Cowboys will have to rely even more on passing game.
"Yeah, to be the best tight ends in the game, and I'm going to start and put the pressure on Ferg," Prescott said Thursday. "I mean, obviously he leads ... Starts with Ferg. His intensity, his approach to the game, how he leads those guys in the meeting room. And I know he can rub off on them more and more, it'll be a hell of a room."
Prescott trusts Ferguson to take care of Dallas' young tight ends off the field, but he will likely be throwing even more seam passes to his tight end. In an offense without Tony Pollard, Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz, the Cowboys' run game could be a struggle. The more pass-heavy Dallas continues to get, the better for Ferguson's development.
