NFL Pre-Season Power Rankings 2024: Teams 24-15

After listing those expected to struggle in 2024, our rankings now look at the teams very much in the middle of the pack entering the new NFL season.

Here are picks 24 to 15:

24. Las Vegas Raiders

Notable Additions: TE Brock Bowers, RB Alexander Mattison, WR Michael Gallup, DL Christian Wilkins

Notable Departures: QB Jimmy Garoppolo, RB Josh Jacobs, WR Hunter Renfrow, OT Jermaine Eluemunor, CB Amik Robertson

While there may not be anything to scream about with Las Vegas, their season last year ended on just about as good a note as you can get, given their situation.

After finally ridding themselves of Josh McDaniels as their head coach and benching Jimmy Garoppolo, rookie QB Aiden O’Connell and interim head coach Antonio Pierce won the Raiders five of their last nine games to end the season at 8-9.

Davante Adams is still one of the league’s best at WR, but ultimately it will be their defense as the saving grace now that Maxx Crosby is paired with Christian Wilkins. Let’s hold hands and see how their season plays out together.

23. Chicago Bears

Notable Additions: QB Caleb Williams, WR Rome Odunze, WR Keenan Allen, RB D’Andre Swift, S Kevin Byard, TE Gerald Everett, C Ryan Bates

Notable Departures: QB Justin Fields, WR Darnell Mooney, DE Yannick Ngakoue, DT Justin Jones, S Eddie Jackson

Of all the teams hitting the reset button, no one punched it harder this year than the Chicago Bears.

There’s new faces everywhere you look in The Windy City. Of all the rebuilding teams in the league, the Bears are the one I’m looking forward to seeing the most. Their clean-slate offense should be fun to watch right out of the gate behind an impressive offensive line, but it’ll mostly fall on how QB Caleb Williams adapts to the NFL after being the no-doubt first overall pick.

Their defense was also stellar to end the season last year, with little change occurring this offseason. Depending on how the offense ends up playing, I’m excited to see these Bears rise in the rankings.

22. Seattle Seahawks

Notable Additions: QB Sam Howell, OG Laken Tomlinson, LB Jerome Baker, LB Tyrel Dodson

Notable Departures: QB Drew Lock, OG Damien Lewis, DL Mario Edwards, LB Jordyn 

Brooks, LB Devin Bush, LB Bobby Wagner, S Jamal Adams, S Quandre Diggs

Seattle remains a bit of an enigma in the NFC West, with Geno Smith set to return for his third year set up with two-headed monster D.K. Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. However, with the surprising departure of Pete Carroll and questionable choices made to the faces on defense, it’s tough to see how this season ends up faring.

It’s possible Smith gets back to performing like the Comeback Player of the Year he was two years ago, but it’s also possible things could go wrong with rookie head coach Mike MacDonald that places the Seahawks back in this strange limbo between blowing it up and running it back.

21. Indianapolis Colts

Notable Additions: QB Joe Flacco, DT Raekwon Davis

Notable Departures: QB Gardner Minshew, RB Zack Moss, WR Isaiah McKenzie

Aside from a sizable draft class, it was a pretty quiet offseason for Indy. No major changes were made to an upper-tier defense that just narrowly missed the postseason last year, and the offense will be relieved to have RB Jonathan Taylor returning fully healthy after problems with his thumb in the second half of the season.

More significant to the narrative of the Colts’ upcoming season however lands on the long-awaited return of QB Anthony Richardson, who had a rough start to his rookie season and missed the majority due to an AC joint sprain.

It’ll be interesting to see how second-year head coach Shane Steichen bounces back after a heartbreaking end to the season last year, and if Richardson is able to stay healthy.

20. New Orleans Saints

Notable Additions: DE Chase Young, WR Cedrick Wilson, LB Willie Gay Jr. 

Notable Departures: QB Jameis Winston, WR Michael Thomas, DL Malcolm Roach, S Marcus Maye

Coming in third from the NFC South I have the New Orleans Saints. Similarly to the Seahawks, it’s tough to tell what lies in the season ahead, since they won nine games last year and narrowly missed the postseason. Is that their ceiling? Maybe. Can they do better? Also maybe.

QB Derek Carr has been a middle-of-the-pack quarterback for about as long as he’s been in the league. A good leader and can win some games, but may not stretch past that. There remain some other good players on either side of the ball, and maybe some of their free agent acquisitions and draft picks will be able to push them into a double-digit win season. But for now, let’s stick with the word maybe.

19. Los Angeles Chargers

Notable Additions: OT Joe Alt, RB J.K. Dobbins, C Bradley Bozeman, OLB Bud Dupree

Notable Departures: RB Austin Ekeler, WR Keenan Allen, WR Mike Williams, TE Gerald Everett, LB Eric Kendricks, LB Kenneth Murray

The acquisition of Jim Harbaugh as their head coach has shone a new light on the Chargers. QB Justin Herbert has gotten paid and can still sling the ball just about any distance, but the departure of just about all his pass-catchers from last season string up some questions for this year.

A lackluster pass defense that also just took some hits also makes for a rough road through the loaded AFC, but perhaps Harbaugh can make some magic happen from what was a disappointing season in LA last year.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars

Notable Additions: WR Gabe Davis, C Mitch Morse, DL Arik Armstead, CB Ronald Darby, CB Tre Flowers, S Terrell Edmonds, S Darnell Savage

Notable Departures: WR Calvin Ridley, OLB Dawuane Smoot, CB Tre Herndon, S Rayshawn Jenkins

The Jaguars had a very promising start to their 2023 season before collapsing at the end and missing the playoffs altogether, as aspiring QB Trevor Lawrence struggled with turnovers down the stretch.

Talent still remains there, however. WR Calvin Ridley will be missed but he was quickly replaced through free agency and the draft. Their defense held relatively stout (at least against the run) all season, but it’ll be tough to patch up the mistakes from last year and get past the Texans, who currently own the AFC South.

17. Atlanta Falcons

Notable Additions: QB Kirk Cousins, WR Darnell Mooney, WR Rondale Moore

Notable Departures: RB/WR Cordarelle Patterson, TE Jonnu Smith, OG Matt Hennessy, OLB Bud Dupree, DL Calais Campbell, CB Tre Flowers

Atlanta receives some flowers solely based off their acquisition of QB Kirk Cousins. What’s been nothing but mediocrity ever since blowing the Super Bowl in 2016 finally has rays of hope now that they’ve found a genuine serviceable QB, who was tearing up the league last year before going down with injury. 

Now paired with Drake London and Bijan Robinson, two young rising stars in their respective positions, Atlanta seems ready to make some noise after joining Carolina in the basement of the NFC South. It’s not an easy road ahead as Tampa just made QB Baker Mayfield their sure-fire guy, but if Kirk can get back to how he was playing to begin last year, they might have a chance.

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Notable Additions: WR Sterling Shepard, OLB Randy Gregory, CB Bryce Hall, S Jordan Whitehead

Notable Departures: OG Matt Feiler, OG Aaron Stinnie, C Ryan Jensen, OLB Shaq Barrett, LB Devin White, CB Carlton Davis

Here’s the thing about the Bucs. I have full-fledged faith that QB Baker Mayfield is still in an excellent position to lead the team effectively and likely win the NFC South again. Mike Evans is a truly underrated receiver and should have no problem helping Mayfield shine like he did last season. However, the departures from their offensive line and defense cannot go ignored.

Losing two very serviceable guards is almost cause for panic in today’s NFL, and Ryan Jensen was once a top center in the league before retiring. Some of those holes were filled through the draft, but competition is going to heat up in the NFC South very soon, so we’ll see.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers

Notable Additions: QB Justin Fields, QB Russell Wilson, RB/WR Cordarelle Patterson, LB Patrick Queen, CB Donte Jackson, S DeShon Elliot

Notable Departures: QB Kenny Pickett, WR Diontae Johnson, WR Allen Robinson, OT Chukwuma Okorafor, LB Kwon Alexander, CB Patrick Peterson

The Kenny Pickett experiment has ended in Pittsburgh, as they’re now looking at a fresh pair of starter QBs in their locker room.

It’s tough to say whether or not Russ will be the missing piece for the Steelers to make a playoff run judging by his performance in Denver, but the versatility of Justin Fields to also maybe take up a Taysom Hill-esque role may give them a fighting edge.

It’s obvious their defense is figured out. They’ve had a top-tier defensive squad ever since TJ Watt entered the league. Questions still remain surrounding RB Najee Harris and the receiving core, but let’s give Russ and Fields a try before we say Pittsburgh will end up right back where they started.