Jalen Hurts takes the field before a game against the Washington Commanders. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOE GLORIOSO / FLICKR
Ben Staker
Sports Editor
After an eventful offseason, the National Football League kicked off its 2024 regular season with a game between the Baltimore Ravens and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
The new season marks a time of hope for all fan bases across the country. While some teams will have a better chance at competing for a Super Bowl than others, everyone will be tuning in to their favorite team’s game in week one.
During the offseason, the league saw many established players change teams, as well as an influx of talented rookies entering the league. The 2024 NFL Draft saw a record fourteen offensive players selected to start the first round, including five quarterbacks. Of those quarterbacks, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels were named the starters for their respective teams. Some other rookies to keep an eye on in week one are wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers. Both were titled as can’t-miss prospects and look to establish themselves as their team’s number one receiver.
A few teams to watch this year would be the Texans, Titans, Eagles, and Bears, as they were among the most active teams this offseason. The Texans brought in former Pro Bowlers Joe Mixon, Stefon Diggs, and Danielle Hunter. They were also able to retain key contributors from last season’s team like Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz.
Sticking with the AFC South, the Tennessee Titans quietly had one of the best offseasons in the NFL. They completely restructured their roster with the signings of Tony Pollard, Lloyd Cushenberry, Kenneth Murray, Chidobe Awuzie, and Jamal Adams. They didn’t stop there though. The Titans were able to pair wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd with DeAndre Hopkins. However, their biggest move of the offseason was trading for former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
On the NFC side of things, the Eagles were able to extend guard Landon Dickerson and star wide receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. This was hardly the beginning of their moves though as they signed Bryce Huff coming off a career season with the Jets, former Giants Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley, and a key piece of their 2022 NFC Champion team, C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
The last team to look out for this season is the Bears. They owned the first overall and ninth overall picks in the 2024 NFL draft and seem to have hit home runs on both picks. With the first overall pick, they selected former Heisman winner Caleb Williams, and with the ninth overall pick they selected one of the three can’t-miss wide receiver prospects, Rome Odunze. They had a great draft, but before that, they were able to sign D’Andre Swift, Gerald Everett, and Kevin Byard, along with re-signing Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson and trading for Keenan Allen.
While other teams in the league made many moves this offseason, these are the teams I feel set themselves apart. The Eagles and Texans are widely regarded as two of the best teams in the NFL this season, but the Bears and Titans had sneaky good offseasons. For that reason, I see them as dark horse candidates to make the playoffs.
It’s going to be a long season full of surprises, career-defining moments, and breakout players, but that’s what makes the NFL so interesting to follow. No matter what team you’re a fan of, it’s hard to look away even when they’re playing badly. I wish everyone’s favorite team good luck this season and can’t wait for it to get started