• Cowboys need to tie down Lamb: CeeDee Lamb catapulted himself into elite status in 2023, and the Cowboys must extend the All-Pro receiver.
• More pass rush help in Atlanta: The Falcons have struggled to rush the passer in recent seasons and could still use some help on the edge.
• Get a head start on fantasy football: Use PFF's fantasy football mock draft simulator to create real live mock draft simulations to prepare for your live draft!
Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes
As we approach the 2024 NFL season, rosters are taking real shape as front offices plan for the near and distant future. Despite teams having all offseason and a draft to address needs, there will be a plethora of moves, trades and contract extensions completed by the time training camp rolls around.
Here’s one trade, free-agent signing or extension for every NFC team before the 2024 training camp. For the AFC version, click here.
JUMP TO A TEAM:
ARZ | ATL | CAR | CHI | DAL | DET | GB | LAR |
MIN | NO | NYG | PHI | SF | SEA | TB | WSH
ARIZONA CARDINALS: Extend C Hjalte Froholdt
Froholdt signed with the Cardinals in the summer of 2023 after impressing with the Cleveland Browns the season before. The former fourth-round pick agreed to a two-year deal to be the Cardinals' starting center and stood out on a young offensive line.
The big Dane earned a 64.1 PFF overall grade in 2023, ranking 19th among centers, and his run- and pass-blocking grades were both top-20 marks at the position, too. The hope is that another year together will help improve the chemistry of a Cardinals offensive line that gave up the 12th-most sacks in the NFL in 2023. The pathway to that for Arizona can start by extending the center of the unit.
ATLANTA FALCONS: Add a free-agent edge rusher
The Falcons' pass rush has been a constant source of disappointment across multiple seasons. Now, as the team looks to be a real playoff contender in the NFC in 2024, the same issue looks set to rear its ugly head again. Atlanta recorded a bottom-10 pressure rate and pass-rush win rate in 2023 and has yet to do much to address its edge rusher situation.
Calais Campbell and Bud Dupree led the team in pressures in 2023, but neither are with the team heading into 2024. Veterans Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Lawson and Yannick Ngakoue all remain on the market, any of whom could join the team before camp and bolster the pass-rushing options.
CAROLINA PANTHERS: Secure cornerback help
The Panthers entered free agency with needs across the board and then enjoyed a strong offseason. However, the trade that landed them Diontae Johnson did include Donte Jackson, leaving them thin at cornerback. Jaycee Horn has been excellent whenever he steps on the field, but the former No. 8 pick has played in just 22 games in three seasons.
Carolina added Dane Jackson in free agency and re-signed Troy Hill to a one-year deal, but there’s a concerning lack of experience in the Panthers' cornerback room. Having Horn healthy for an entire season and bolstering the unit further could pay dividends.
CHICAGO BEARS: Extend G Teven Jenkins
When healthy, Teven Jenkins has been a hit. The Bears' 2021 second-round pick has suited up in just 31 games in three seasons but has earned a 76.6 PFF overall grade across the past two years while switching between the two guard spots. Whatever way you splice it, Jenkins is one of the up-and-coming guards in the NFL.
He is also a free agent at the end of the 2024 season, and the Bears need to act fast and lock him up. Jenkins earned the highest grade among the team's offensive linemen in 2023, and he is still just 26 years old.
DALLAS COWBOYS: Extend WR CeeDee Lamb
This one doesn’t need too much explanation. Lamb has been on an upward trajectory since he entered the league, but the former first-round pick reached superstardom in 2023, catching a league-high 135 passes for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns in the regular season. His 91.1 PFF overall grade was the highest of his career and the third highest in the NFL in 2023.
Lamb’s connection with quarterback Dak Prescott is the fulcrum of the Cowboys’ offense. Contract negotiations with Prescott are in limbo, but Dallas needs to lock up one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.
DETROIT LIONS: Acquire outside wide receiver help
The Lions were the breakout team of 2023, reaching the NFC Championship game before falling to the San Francisco 49ers in dramatic fashion. They’ll be back in 2024, courtesy of excellent coaching and one of the best rosters in the NFL, but they could still use some extra help at receiver.
While Amon-Ra St. Brown has emerged as one of the league's best receivers over the past two seasons, the Lions are still hoping Jameson Williams can live up to his draft billing. He caught 24 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns in 2023 but has yet to really put the pieces together.
Donovan Peoples-Jones and Kalif Raymond can be tertiary contributors, and Sam LaPorta will see his fair share of targets. Still, Detroit needs a true outside receiver. The free-agent market doesn’t offer much in that archetype, but could the Lions be a potential landing spot for Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins or Davante Adams?
GREEN BAY PACKERS: Extend QB Jordan Love
Jordan Love stepped into the Packers' starting quarterback role in 2023, hoping to emulate something close to the past 30 years of quarterback play in Green Bay. With the pressure on after a slow start, Love rebounded in the second half of the season and eventually earned an 83.0 PFF overall grade while tossing 32 touchdowns and racking up 4,158 passing yards through the regular season.
Love is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the 2024 season, and the Packers are likely looking to sign the former first-round pick to a long-term, monster deal. It could be a risk, given that Love has started only 18 regular season games, but if his late-season play is any indication, Green Bay would be wise to tie him down.
LOS ANGELES RAMS: Extend LB Ernest Jones
Jones was a breakout star on the Rams' defense in 2023. The former third-round pick was already flying under the radar, despite two seasons of strong play, but 2023 was his moment in the limelight. Jones earned an 82.1 PFF overall grade — the eighth-best mark among linebackers — and his 90.0 run-defense grade ranked fifth.
On top of that, Jones demonstrated his ability as a blitzer every game, racking up 33 quarterback pressures — the most among at the position. Jones is a free agent at the end of the 2024 season, and the Rams need to keep key defensive players on the roster. Extending him would be a shrewd move.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Reinforce the interior defensive line
The Vikings completely retooled their defensive line in the offseason. Danielle Hunter and Marcus Davenport left in free agency and were replaced by Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, and Minnesota selected edge rusher Dallas Turner in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The edge group is revitalized, but there will be questions about the interior.
Jerry Tillery was brought in to support veterans Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard, but the lack of tangible depth could hurt the Vikings. The front office should pick over the free-agent market to fill out the unit with more talent.
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS: Sign a free-agent receiver
The Saints' offense struggled in 2023. Derek Carr’s numbers in his first season in New Orleans were solid, and his 77.2 PFF overall grade ranked 16th, but he and the Saints never really put their foot on the gas. The front office improved the offensive line and added Equanimeous St. Brown and Cedrick Wilson Jr. in free agency, but the receiver room still looks thin.
While Chris Olave is a superstar and Rashid Shaheed and A.T. Perry should be serviceable, the lack of a true No. 2 receiver, unless either Shaheed or Perry steps up, is a clear weakness.
NEW YORK GIANTS: Extend S Jason Pinnock
Pinnock had an excellent 2023 with the New York Giants. The former Jets safety earned a 67.7 PFF overall grade in his third NFL season across 16 starts. He showed off his ability as a blitzer, recording 10 pressures, the ninth most among safeties. He also allowed a solid 79.4 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks.
The Giants' secondary is one of the weaker units in the NFL on paper, and Pinnock, the best player in the secondary, is a free agent at the end of the 2024 season. The direction of the Giants is unclear; they could be in a full rebuild and in search of a new quarterback in 2025. Regardless, re-signing Pinnock to lock down a key defensive player is pivotal.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Extend DI Milton Williams
Williams has been an under-the-radar performer on the Eagles' defensive line for the past three seasons. The 2021 third-round pick started 10 games in 2023, earning a 70.4 PFF overall grade and adding a career-high 25 pressures and 26 stops.
Philadelphia's defensive line is getting younger after Fletcher Cox retired in the offseason. The bulk of the interior snaps will be shared between Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter and Williams in 2024. As such, Williams is an important cog in one of the NFL's more talented defensive lines, and he is also a free agent in 2025. He could get paid big bucks on the open market, so the Eagles will know his value and should plan to extend him.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: Extend WR Brandon Aiyuk or trade him
The big news around the NFL is that Brandon Aiyuk requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers after the two parties have been unable to agree on a long-term contract extension. Simply put, Aiyuk deserves to be paid. The former first-round pick earned a career-high 92.3 PFF overall grade in 2023 and caught 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season.
Paying Aiyuk is a tricky task for the 49ers, who have limited cap space and significant money tied up in some big-name deals. However, if there’s a way to do it, San Francisco must pull the trigger or risk losing Aiyuk.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: Extend S Julian Love
Love signed a two-year deal with the Seahawks in 2023 and had a career year in his first season in Seattle. His 72.8 PFF overall grade was a career-high mark, and he set career bests in pass breakups (six), passer rating when targeted (83.7) and interceptions (four). His performance in 2023 earned him his first-ever Pro Bowl appearance.
That Pro Bowl appearance, combined with his general play, has boosted Love’s stock heading into a contract year. And if the Seahawks are smart, they should look to lock up Love before it's too late.
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: Add a free-agent pass-rusher
The Buccaneers fielded a strong pass-rushing unit last season, but the unit underwent changes in the offseason. Now, the edge positions are occupied by Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, Randy Gregory and Yaya Diaby. It’s an OK group, but the Tampa Bay could use a little more juice on the edge.
They’ll be contending for a playoff spot in the NFC South, so an experienced pass-rusher could be a real difference-maker in their fight for contention once more.
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: Extend G Sam Cosmi
Cosmi broke out as a full-time starter at right guard in 2023, earning an 80.6 PFF overall grade, the fifth-highest figure among all guards, while allowing just one sack. The former second-round pick is still just 25 years old and has yet to reach his prime. He’ll be a free agent at the end of the 2024 season.
Quality starting guards are hard to come by in the NFL, and Cosmi has shown that he has the potential to be a long-term starter. The Commanders can solidify their interior for the next few years by extending him.
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