After Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady’s about-face in 2022, the NFL world has become a little skeptical of stars announcing their retirements. Yes, you’re done, fans, writers, and sometimes even fellow players wonder, but are you really done?
Defensive end J.J. Watt, 35, appears to be really done.
On Saturday, Watt poured cold water on the idea of a potential return before his annual charity softball game in Sugar Land, Texas.
“I had 12 great years in this league and I’m very thankful to walk away healthy,” Watt told reporters. “I told (Houston Texans coach) DeMeco (Ryans) last year—I said, ‘Don’t call unless you absolutely need it. But if you ever do call I’ll be there.’
“This is the last year I’ll tell him that, because I’m not gonna keep training the way I’ve been training.”
J.J. Watt said he’d only come out of retirement if DeMeco Ryans ‘absolutely’ needed him and asked him to come back for one more year. He sounds very content in retirement as a dad, husband and @NFLonCBS analyst @KPRC2pic.twitter.com/isOXYZWXMj
Watt, by acclamation the greatest player in the Texans’ short history, retired after playing 2021 and ’22 with the Arizona Cardinals. He finished his career with five All-Pro appearances, five Pro Bowls, and three AP Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Ryans and Watt’s playing careers overlapped for one season—2011, when Houston won its first division title.
Last week, we broke down which rookie first-round picks will make an immediate impact during the 2024 NFL season. There were plenty of options to choose from with many star players often coming from the opening round, but don’t overlook the Day 2 selections.
Every year there are a handful of prospects with first-round grades who are available on the Friday of the draft because the quarterback position gets overvalued and teams tend to prioritize roster needs. This year, six quarterbacks were taken in the first round, leaving many potential star players on the board for the teams with established quarterbacks.
Last year, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr., Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis and Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta were the first three picks in the second round. All three had dynamic rookie years for their respective teams.
In the 2023 third round, the Los Angeles Rams selected edge rusher Byron Young and defensive tackle Kobie Turner, two Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates. Also in the third round, the Miami Dolphins added running back De’Von Achane and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took edge rusher YaYa Diaby.
Here are six players from Rounds 2 and 3 who could make an immediate impact as rookies this season.
The 6'3" Coleman landed in the perfect spot to become an immediate contributor. He has the size and skill set to slide in as the Bills’ “X” receiver to complement speedy wideouts Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir. Most importantly, Coleman will have the luxury of catching passes from Josh Allen, who will probably rely heavily on Coleman’s sizable catch radius for downfield completions.
The Florida State product is viewed as Stefon Diggs’s replacement, but they’re different players, with Coleman being more of a big-bodied wideout who can come down with 50-50 passes. Remember Allen’s misfire with Diggs downfield late in the playoff loss against the Kansas City Chiefs? Coleman will likely be a friendly target for Allen on contested throws, but he’ll need to improve his route running, an area Diggs mastered over the years.
Cooper DeJean, DB, Philadelphia Eagles, No. 40 (second round)
It’s unknown whether DeJean will play safety or cornerback in Vic Fangio’s defense, but it will likely be a combination of both after how poorly things went for the Eagles’ secondary last season.
The versatile DeJean could be the starting slot cornerback or a starting safety next to C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who returned in March as a free-agent acquisition. If he’s in the slot, DeJean will have the luxury of playing next to Darius Slay and fellow rookie Quinyon Mitchell, the team’s first-round pick. DeJean likely will have an easier time getting acclimated to the pro level than Mitchell because outside cornerbacks tend to struggle early in their careers. Overall, the Eagles’ secondary will be better off after Philly landed two of the best defensive backs in the draft. DeJean, however, could have competition with Sydney Brown and Reed Blakenship at safety.
Edgerrin Cooper, LB, Green Bay Packers, No. 45 (second round)
Cooper has the speed to be a sideline-to-sideline playmaker.
Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
The versatile Cooper could end the Packers’ recent trend of getting minimal results from rookie defenders. Edge rusher Lukas Van Ness, the team’s 2023 first-round pick, had a quiet rookie year, and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt and linebacker Quay Walker—two 2022 first-round picks—have struggled to find their footing.
Cooper is an outstanding run defender and has the speed to be a sideline-to-sideline playmaker in the middle of the Packers’ defense. He will likely be an immediate starter after the release of De’Vondre Campbell. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Cooper emerges as the Packers’ middle linebacker and takes snaps from Walker and Isaiah McDuffie.
The Cardinals could be the surprise team of 2024 because of the arrival of stud rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., but don’t overlook Arizona’s other moves this offseason to improve the offense. Benson made a name for himself at Florida State as an explosive playmaker who recorded 23 touchdowns and rushed for 1,896 yards during his final two seasons.
Benson will likely split carries with veteran running back James Conner, but there were times last year in which Conner struggled to adjust to Drew Petzing’s offense. Benson might offer more as a pass catcher and has sub 4.4 speed to generate explosive plays. The rookie back will also get to run behind a revamped offensive line with bookend tackles Jonah Williams and Paris Johnson Jr., the 2023 first-round pick. Benson, Harrison and Kyler Murray could quickly become a formidable trio in the NFL.
Junior Colson, LB, Los Angeles Chargers, No. 69 (third round)
Colson should benefit from need at the position and familiarity with the Chargers’ coaching staff. He started 36 games for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan and will reunite with Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who held the same role at Michigan.
The Chargers’ linebacker unit struggled constantly during the Brandon Staley era, leading to the team parting with Kenneth Murray Jr. and Eric Kendricks. Colson, who led Michigan in tackles the past two seasons, is a physical downhill linebacker with reliable instincts on the field. He should be in line for a starting role next to veteran Denzel Perryman.
Bralen Trice, Atlanta Falcons, edge, No. 74 (third round)
Trice had a combined 16 sacks the past two seasons.
Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports
Many assumed the Falcons would select an edge rusher with their No. 8 pick, which instead ended up being quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Atlanta eventually filled the need with the third-round selection of Trice, a relentless playmaker for a Washington team that advanced to the national championship game in January.
Trice, who had a combined 16 sacks the past two seasons, won’t have to face stiff competition to win a starting job over veterans Lorenzo Carter and 2022 second-round pick Arnold Ebiketie. Trice could be this year’s version of Rams edge rusher Byron Young, the 2023 third-rounder who flourished under Raheem Morris, the Rams defensive coordinator turned Falcons head coach.
We're just months away from the start of the NFL season and before we know it, we'll be betting on games and spending our Sundays watching Red Zone.
Despite the season still being a few months away, sportsbooks have already released all of the futures odds you can think of for the 2024 campaign. One of the betting markets that is already available is the odds to win the NFC.
The San Francisco 49ers were the best team in the conference from the opening week all the way until the Super Bowl, but the upstart Detroit Lions almost managed to pull off the upset in the NFC Championship. Will those two teams meet in the NFC Championship next season?
Let's find out what the oddsmakers think and take a look at the odds to win the NFC for all 16 teams.
The San Francisco 49ers are understandably once again the betting favorites to win the NFC. There's no reason to doubt them after what they've done the past two seasons and have only made moves that have improved their roster for 2024. There's a strong they'll be the No. 1 seed in the conference again in 2024.
Despite the two powerhouse teams in the NFC East, the Detroit Lions are second on the odds list to win the NFC and advance to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. Can they finally do it? Did they improve their defense enough to hang with the 49ers?
The Eagles won the NFC two seasons ago but imploded in the second half of the season last year. Eagles fans are anxiously awaiting the start of the season to see which version of Philadelphia will show up in 2024. Oddsmakers seem to still have faith in them.
Not only is the NFC East a toss-up between these two teams, but the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys have the same odds to win the NFC at +700. Of course, the Cowboys have to learn how to win in the playoffs if they want to pull it off.
The youngest team in the NFL got hot in the second half of the 2024 season and went on to upset the Cowboys in the wild card round of the playoffs. Can they take a step forward in this year's campaign?
The Falcons were seemingly a quarterback away from being a playoff team last year. Now that they have Kirk Cousins, they're amongst the top options to win the NFC, albeit still a step below the top dogs in the conference.
No rookie quarterback has ever started in a Super Bowl. The closest was Brock Purdy with the 49ers two years ago, but he was injured in the NFC Championship and the Eagles went on to win. Can Caleb Williams achieve the feat in his first year as the Bears quarterback?
The Los Angeles Rams will once again be a dark horse in the NFC but with the passing attack they have, they can beat anyone on any given Sunday.
Don't expect much from the Seattle Seahawks in their first year in the post-Pete Carroll era.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South last year. Can they run it back with Baker Mayfield as their quarterback once again? Do they have enough talent to compete with the top teams in the conference? Oddsmakers aren't so sure about that.
The Minnesota Vikings won't be NFC contenders in 2024.
While they look decent on paper, the Saints aren't in a position to make a run in the conference in 2024.
If Kyler Murray can play at an MVP level and their defense can step up in a big way, the Arizona Cardinals could be an interesting team to watch this season.
The Jayden Daniels era begins in the nation's capital.
It's a tough year to be a Giants fan. That's all there really is to say.
If Bryce Young can look like a competent quarterback in 2024, that's about as good of a win as the Panthers will get this season.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Welcome to the NFL offseason, where receivers get paid lots of money (just ask Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jaylen Waddle and Nico Collins), the NFL continues to push for an 18-game season, the league and NFLPA discuss ways to ruin the offseason calendar and teams continue to go through their OTAs and mandatory minicamps.
So we asked our MMQB staff of NFL experts to answer a series of eight questions over the next two weeks. They debated the worst move Wednesday, so today they’re going to weigh in on the most improved teams.
Let’s get to their answers as we get closer to the NFL taking a break before July training camps.
Matt Verderame: Chicago Bears
The Bears not only added Williams, but added a weapon for him by selecting Odunze with the No. 9 pick / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
The Bears not only added Williams at the sport’s paramount position, but they also traded for veteran receiver Keenan Allen before nabbing wideout Rome Odunze with the No. 9 pick, giving them a duo of talented pass catchers to go with DJ Moore.
With a defense boasting talent at all three levels including edge rusher Montez Sweat, linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, corner Jaylon Johnson and safety Jaquan Brisker, the Bears have talent in a way they haven’t since the days of Brian Urlacher and Matt Forte.
Should Williams realize his potential, Chicago could challenge for a playoff spot and potentially more in the NFC.
Gilberto Manzano: Washington Commanders
There’s usually one team that goes from last to first most NFL seasons. I’m not saying the Commanders will win the NFC East, but I’m giving them the best odds after finishing 4–13 last season.
Washington has drastically improved in various areas and not just with the roster. There’s optimism in the nation’s capital because Josh Harris replaced Dan Snyder as team owner. And new GM Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn had a strong first offseason in Washington.
Quinn could quickly build a formidable defense with the many savvy moves Peters made, including the signings of Dorance Armstrong, Frankie Luvu, Bobby Wagner, Jeremy Chinn and many other defenders. And it helps that Quinn already has head coaching experience from his time with the Atlanta Falcons.
I would say the Bears but Matt already jumped on the answer and did a fine job of articulating why. I’ll throw the Giants into the ring for two reasons: Brian Burns changes the calculus of this defense, and I like the combination of Brian Daboll and Drew Lock and am very curious to see if it ends up bearing some Geno Smith-ian fruit for the Giants. While I wasn’t sold on Malik Nabers as the best available wide receiver at that point, I think this team can win between eight to 10 games this year despite not having what one would consider a transformative offseason. The Giants are still low on weapons, but their offensive line will develop (read: has to develop) and this defense is seriously formidable, though I would have liked to have seen a repair in the Wink Martindale–Brian Daboll relationship to the point where Martindale would have gotten to use Burns.
Albert Breer: Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals selected Harrison with the fourth pick in the draft, giving Arizona a playmaker at a premium position. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY
I like the Giants and Bears, too, but Arizona has quietly continued to do very logical things to improve its roster, and set up a sustainable future. Moving Paris Johnson Jr. to left tackle, and signing Jonah Williams at a very reasonable price to replace him on the right side made the Cardinals younger, and better at the position. Marvin Harrison Jr. could quickly be among the NFL’s best skill players, and, thus, change the math for the rest of Arizona’s skill group. Top-100 picks Darius Robinson and Max Melton are tough, competitive, program fits at premium positions for the defense.
And, then, there’s Kyler Murray, who really seems to have turned a corner from a leadership standpoint since tearing his ACL two years ago. He’s been in the building and around the team more, while cementing himself as the triggerman for GM Monti Ossenfort and coach Jonathan Gannon’s build.
Now, I’m not saying the Cardinals are going to the playoffs. But I wouldn’t be stunned if they got to .500 or better, which would be a nice Year 2 jump for the group they have in charge.
