As the 2024 NFL season marches on, the league’s landscape continues to shift and evolve. While some teams bask in the glow of success, others find themselves mired in the depths of despair. For a select few franchises, the future looks particularly bleak, with lengthy rebuilds looming on the horizon. These teams, burdened by questionable decisions, aging rosters, and salary cap woes, face an uphill battle to reclaim their former glory. But which teams are truly the most hopeless? Let’s dive in and examine the dire situations facing the NFL’s worst teams in 2024 and beyond.
The Cleveland Browns: A Quarterback Quagmire
The Cleveland Browns find themselves in a precarious position, largely due to the massive contract given to embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson. With Watson suffering a potentially season-ending Achilles injury, the Browns are left with a $92 million albatross hanging around their necks. The path forward is unclear, as trading Watson seems impossible, and the team may be forced to hold onto him as the league’s most expensive backup while pursuing a new starter in the draft. It’s a costly mistake that will haunt the franchise for years to come.
The New York Giants: Searching for a Savior
The New York Giants’ hopes for a bright future hinge on finding a franchise quarterback. With Daniel Jones struggling and backup Drew Lock failing to provide a spark, the Giants are left wondering where to turn. The offensive line remains a weakness, and while the defense shows promise, it’s unclear if the team has any true stars on rookie contracts. The Giants may be just one quarterback away from competitiveness, but finding that savior is easier said than done.
The Tennessee Titans: Turnover Troubles
The Tennessee Titans have a knack for building early leads, only to watch them slip away in heartbreaking fashion. Turnovers have been the team’s Achilles heel, with the Titans ranking among the league’s worst in giveaways. Rookie quarterback Will Levis has been the primary culprit, and while the team’s future under center remains uncertain, finding a solution to the turnover woes is paramount. The Titans have pieces in place, but without stability at quarterback, their rebuilding efforts may be for naught.
The Las Vegas Raiders: Missing Draft Classes
The Las Vegas Raiders’ woes can be traced back to a decade of poor drafting. The team is missing virtually an entire roster’s worth of homegrown talent, forcing them to overspend in free agency and rely on less-pedigreed players. While the Raiders boast a young roster and ample cap space, the lack of star power on rookie contracts is concerning. The path back to contention is a long one, and the Raiders must navigate it carefully to avoid the pitfalls of the past.
The Carolina Panthers: A Defensive Disaster
The Carolina Panthers’ defense is a sight to behold, and not in a good way. The team is allowing a staggering 3.1 points per possession, tying them with the 2007 Dolphins for the third-worst defensive performance through seven weeks since 2007. The Panthers’ run defense is nonexistent, their pass rush is feeble, and blown coverages are commonplace. With a glaring need for young talent on both sides of the ball and missing draft capital from the Bryce Young trade, the Panthers have a long road ahead.
The New Orleans Saints: Cap Space Catastrophe
No team faces a more daunting salary cap situation than the New Orleans Saints. The team projects to be a staggering $81.4 million over the 2025 cap, the result of years of pushing money into the future to remain competitive. With an aging roster and a slew of expensive contracts, the Saints are in a bind. Even if they decide to rebuild, the process will be painful and prolonged, as they’ll need to account for dead money hits and find ways to manipulate the cap. It’s a bleak outlook for a team that once seemed poised for perennial success.
The Saints are a couple of years away from even being in position to start a multiyear rebuilding process.
– According to a league source familiar with the Saints’ cap situation
As the 2024 NFL season rolls on, these six teams find themselves in the unenviable position of staring down the barrel of a lengthy rebuild. From quarterback quandaries to cap space catastrophes, each franchise faces unique challenges that threaten to derail their hopes for a brighter future. While some may be closer to competitiveness than others, all will need to navigate treacherous waters and make difficult decisions in the years to come. The road ahead is long and arduous, but for the NFL’s worst teams in 2024, it’s a journey they must undertake to reclaim their place among the league’s elite.
