1 Roster Move That Could Alter Each Divisional Race in the 2024 NFL Season (2024)

The 2024 NFL season opener is less than three weeks away. The clock is ticking on front offices to make those final tweaks to the roster as they prepare to chase glory in a new campaign.

As teams prepare to craft their first 53-man roster, we've already seen at least one team make a few major moves to get a leg up on the rest of their division. The Atlanta Falcons continued their aggressive offseason by signing Justin Simmons one day after trading for Matthew Judon.

They are the kind of moves that might not be a huge deal in a vacuum, but they could tip the scales in a division that was decided by a tiebreaker between the Buccaneers and Saints.

Here, we'll take a look at one move that could have a real impact on each division with just a few weeks before real game action starts.

The Baltimore Ravens are no strangers to late Summer pickups. They added Jadeveon Clowney and Ronald Darby right around this time last season. Both went on to be key defensive contributors for a team that won the AFC North.

Once again, they are a few weeks from the season starting and could use a boost on the defensive side of the ball.

New defensive coordinator Zach Orr is going to be relying on Odafe Oweh and/or David Ojabo to come alongside Kyle Van Noy to anchor the pass rush. Oweh has just 13 sacks in his first three seasons. Orr has expressed his excitement about Ojabo, but he's played just five games in his first two seasons due to injury.

The free agent market is meager at this point, but Yannick Ngakoue stands out as an option who could help.

The 29-year-old only had four sacks last season, but he posted 41 total pressures and a pressure rate of 11 percent, per Sports Info Solutions.

Adding the veteran, who played for the Ravens in 2020, could be helpful as the Ravens try to repeat as AFC North champions in 2024.

On paper, the Chicago Bears have done a lot to be a completely different team in 2024. Caleb Williams has looked great in the preseason, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze change the dynamic of the passing game and the defense was already making strides under Matt Eberflus last season.

But winning the NFC North means beating the Lions and Packers. The Lions have been one of the best offensive teams over the last few seasons and Jordan Love showed just how good he can be over the back half of last season.

The Bears defense will have to take another step forward if the team is going to win the division.

One final opportunity to push them to the next level would be working out a trade for Haason Reddick.

Former NFL executive Scott Pioli said in an appearance on Good Morning Football (h/t Gene Chamberlain of Sports Illustrated) that the Bears were one of the teams that was pursuing Matthew Judon in trade talks with the Patriots.

Now Reddick remains the most obvious trade piece left on the board. The Jets traded for Reddick earlier this offseason, but he has held out for a new contract and requested a trade. The Jets have told Reddick they won't trade him.

Of course, that could be public posturing to maintain Reddick's trade value.

The Bears were notably better on defense once they traded for Montez Sweat during the season last year. Bringing in Reddick would give them two legitimate threats off the edge and should cause the Lions and Packers to get a little less sleep at night.

The Colts are a darkhorse team to watch in the AFC South. A healthy Anthony Richardson running Shane Steichen's offense has the potential to upset the Houston Texans hype train in 2024.

Of course, that means finding a way to slow down a Texans offense that has C.J. Stroud throwing to Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell.

The Colts aren't the best-equipped to do that right now. They are relying on a lot of young talents in the secondary. Kenny Moore II and Julian Blackmon are the reliable veterans while JuJu Brents, Nick Cross, Jaylon Jones and Dallis Flowers are all unproven commodities at this point.

Stephon Gilmore is available, but he requested to be traded from the Colts in 2023. The best option might be the trade market where Marshon Lattimore would be a good target.

Trade chatter surrounding the Saints cover man has quieted, but it still makes sense for New Orleans to listen to offers on him. Paulson Adebo is up for a new contract and they just drafted Kool-Aid McKinstry. They could have a youth movement of their own in the secondary.

Lattimore would give the Colts a definite answer across from JuJu Brents at cornerback. The 28-year-old gave up just 6.4 yards per target last season.

The Falcons have definitely upped the ante in the NFC South. They ended up two games behind the Buccaneers and Saints last season, but their offseason did enough gap-closing before they added Justin Simmons and Matthew Judon to the defense.

The Buccaneers won the division last season. Now the pressure is on for them to do something else if they want to stay in the race.

The most obvious answer would be to find a better answer at cornerback. Carlton Davis III left for the Detroit Lions this offseason and the Bucs didn't do much to replace him. Former fifth-round pick Zyon McCollum is in line to start across from Jamel Dean.

It's a roster hole that could wind up taking the Bucs out of the NFC South race if he doesn't have a breakout season.

The situation could be rectified if the Buccaneers reach out to Stephon Gilmore. The 33-year-old started all 17 games for the Cowboys last season, defending 13 passes and collecting two interceptions.

The age is obviously a concern, but Gilmore has started 33 games over the last two seasons and is still producing at an above-average level.

He could be a missing piece for a Bucs defense who is going to face a tougher challenge from Atlanta this year.

The Miami Dolphins have not officially won the AFC East since 2008. The Patriots won it every season from 2009-2019 and the Bills have taken it every year since.

Last year, that came down to tiebreakers as the Dolphins 11-6 record matched the Bills. Now, they'll hope that the Bills losing several key players and trading away Stefon Diggs will be enough to snap the streak.

The problem is that the Dolphins lost some key players too. Specifically, the Dolphins overhauled some of their defensive personnel. While swapping out Jerome Baker for Jordyn Brooks could be a wash, and losing Christian Wilkins could move the needle in the wrong direction for Miami.

It's hard to replace an interior disruptor like Wilkins. He was an elite run defender and started putting together some pass rush production last season. Signing Calais Campbell will help, but he's 37 years old.

A trade for Roy Robertson-Harris could help. The 31-year-old is a stout run defender and has chipped in at least three sacks in each of the last three seasons.

The Jaguars signed Arik Armstead and drafted Maason Smith, leaving Robertson-Harris's role for the 2024 season in question. He would undoubtedly be featured in the Dolphins interior rotation, though.

The Dallas Cowboys are the reigning, defending NFC East champions, but the Philadelphia Eagles did much more in the offseason to take back that crown. Washington is lurking in the background as a sleeper, but it will likely still come down to the Eagles and Cowboys this year.

The Cowboys are mostly running things back with the same core they did last season. On defense, they lost a few rotational players to Dan Quinn in Washington. On offense, it's mostly the same with the notable exception of Tony Pollard leaving for Tennessee and the Cowboys bringing back Ezekiel Elliott.

It's fair to question whether bringing back Elliott will do much for the Cowboys backfield. The 29-year-old has 2,065 career carries and averaged just 3.5 yards last season. If Rico Dowdle doesn't have a breakout season, the Cowboys really don't have an answer in the backfield.

It comes as no surprise that ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the Cowboys are "keeping a short list of external options" at the position. He also noted that Miles Sanders and Dalvin Cook are on that list.

Sanders should have more tread on the tires. He's two years younger and has a legitimate reason for struggling in Carolina behind their offensive line. He could likely be had for cheap in a trade or signed when the Panthers cut their roster down to 53.

The Chiefs have a strong hold on the AFC West and will be going for their ninth consecutve divisional crown. It's going to be tough for anyone to stop that streak this season.

The challengers all have serious questions, but if you squint hard enough and believe that Aidan O'Connell or Gardner Minshew can provide average quarterback play the Raiders could be a thorn in their side.

That's because the defensive front has the potential to be elite. Malcolm Koonce showed what he can do over the back half of last season while Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins are an elite inside-out duo.

The main question is the secondary. Specifically at the cornerback where Jakorian Bennett might be lining up as the starter across from Jack Jones.

Trading for James Bradberry would be a boom-or-bust move that could help the secondary. He would be reunited with defensive coordinator Patrick Graham who was the defensive coordinator for the Giants when Bradberry was a Pro Bowler.

If Graham can help him rebound after a tough 2023 season then he could wind up helping the Raiders compete in the AFC West.

Ahkello Witherspoon was a good starter for the Rams last season, but they chose to go with their youth movement to fill out their cornerback room this season. It's a good move on paper as they have a lot of young talent.

But things can change quickly when the injury bug hits and the Rams have already been stung a few times. Darious Williams (hamstring) and Derion Kendrick (torn ACL) have both suffered injuries that change the situation for the Rams secondary.

Witherspoon was a good starter last season. He started all 17 games and surrendered just a 75.7 passer rating.

The Niners are the obvious favorite in the NFC West, but the Rams have the roster to be a threat.

Adding a better answer to deal with their cornerback injuries would be a way to better prepare for what San Francisco can bring to the table. It would also help stave off the Seahawks with their receiving corps.