NFL Offense Rankings: Key Contributors for Each Core Offensive Unit in 2024
- 1. San Francisco 49ers
- 2. Dallas Cowboys
- 3. Miami Dolphins
- 4. Baltimore Ravens
- 5. Detroit Lions
- 6. Kansas City Chiefs
- 7. Buffalo Bills
- 8. Philadelphia Eagles
- 9. Los Angeles Rams
- 10. Cincinnati Bengals
- 11. Houston Texans
- 12. Green Bay Packers
- 13. New York Jets
- 14. Cleveland Browns
- 15. Atlanta Falcons
- 16. Chicago Bears
- 17. Indianapolis Colts
- 18. Jacksonville Jaguars
- 19. Arizona Cardinals
- 20. Seattle Seahawks
- 21. Minnesota Vikings
- 22. Los Angeles Chargers
- 23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 24. New Orleans Saints
- 25. Denver Broncos
- 26. Pittsburgh Steelers
- 27. Carolina Panthers
- 28. Washington Commanders
- 29. Tennessee Titans
- 30. New York Giants
- 31. Las Vegas Raiders
- 32. New England Patriots
Each NFL offseason, I analyze all 32 NFL offenses to get a sense for how to assess them in the betting markets and fantasy sports.
1. San Francisco 49ers
- Playcaller: HC/OC Kyle Shanahan
- QBs: Brock Purdy, Josh Dobbs
- RBs: Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Isaac Guerendo, FB Kyle Juszczyk
- WRs: Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings
- TE: George Kittle
- OL: LT Trent Williams, LG Aaron Banks, C Jake Brendel, RG Jon Feliciano, RT Colton McKivitz
Last year the 49ers were No. 1 with 6.6 yards per play (YPP), 0.179 expected points added per play (EPA) and a 51.6% success rate (SR). This year they return the entire core of their offense and almost all their offensive coaches. Game on.
2. Dallas Cowboys
- Playcaller: HC Mike McCarthy
- OC: Brian Schottenheimer
- QBs: Dak Prescott, Cooper Rush
- RBs: Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, FB Hunter Luepke
- WRs: CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert
- TE: Jake Ferguson
- OL: LT Tyler Guyton, LG Tyler Smith, C Cooper Beebe, RG Zack Martin, RT Terence Steele
The Cowboys were No. 1 last year in points per game (29.9) as Prescott finished No. 2 in NFL MVP voting and Lamb earned First-Team All-Pro. They have continuity: All their projected contributors (minus the returning Elliott and the rookies Guyton and Beebe) were on the team last year. But Tolbert is a backup-level player in a starting role, Guyton is raw and Beebe's shift to C is a projection. The Cowboys likely will continue to produce, but they could be volatile overall and disappointing in the run game.
3. Miami Dolphins
- Playcaller: HC Mike McDaniel
- OC: Frank Smith
- QBs: Tua Tagovailoa, Mike White
- RBs: Raheem Mostert, De’Von Achane, Jaylen Wright, FB Alec Ingold
- WRs: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Odell Beckham, Braxton Berrios
- TEs: Jonnu Smith, Durham Smythe
- OL: LT Terron Armstead, LG Isaiah Wynn, C Aaron Brewer, RG Robert Jones, RT Austin Jackson
The Dolphins had top-five marks last year in YPP (6.5), EPA (0.095) and SR (47.4%), and they’ve upgraded WR and TE by adding Beckham and Smith. While they could be vulnerable in their interior OL with the departures of RG Robert Hunt and C Connor Williams, the sharp McDaniel has shown an ability through two years to game-plan around weaknesses.
4. Baltimore Ravens
- Playcaller: OC Todd Monken
- QBs: Lamar Jackson, Josh Johnson
- RBs: Derrick Henry, Keaton Mitchell, FB Patrick Ricard
- WRs: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, Devontez Walker
- TEs: Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely
- OL: LT Ronnie Stanley, LG Andrew Vorhees, C Tyler Linderbaum, RG Ben Cleveland, RT Roger Rosengarten
The Ravens lost RT Morgan Moses, LG John Simpson and RG Kevin Zeitler this offseason. That’s concerning, especially since the team’s two-time MVP QB (2019, '23) has missed significant time in two of the past three seasons. And the Ravens always seem to need more pass-catchers no matter how many they draft in Round 1. But as long as Jackson, Henry and Andrews remain healthy, this offense should truck.
5. Detroit Lions
- Playcaller: OC Ben Johnson
- QBs: Jared Goff, Hendon Hooker
- RBs: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery
- WRs: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond
- TE: Sam LaPorta
- OL: LT Taylor Decker, LG Graham Glasgow, C Frank Ragnow, RG Kevin Zeitler, RT Penei Sewell
The Lions have been top-five in YPP (5.9, 5.9) in two seasons with Johnson as the coordinator, they’re loaded with young skill talent (Gibbs, St. Brown, Williams, LaPorta) and they possess one of the league’s best OLs. As good as they were last year, they might be better this year.
6. Kansas City Chiefs
- Playcaller: HC Andy Reid
- OC: Matt Nagy
- QBs: Patrick Mahomes, Carson Wentz
- RBs: Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire
- WRs: Marquise Brown, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, Kadarius Toney
- TEs: Travis Kelce, Noah Gray
- OL: LT Kingsley Suamataia, LG Joe Thuney, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, RT Jawaan Taylor
The Chiefs disappointed last year (No. 15 with 21.8 PPG), but they still have perhaps the best play-caller/QB combo in league history, and they upgraded WR by replacing Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Watson with Brown and Worthy. An offense with Mahomes is more likely to outperform than not.
7. Buffalo Bills
- Playcaller: OC Joe Brady
- QBs: Josh Allen, Mitch Trubisky
- RBs: James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson
- WRs: Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir
- TEs: Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox
- OL: LT Dion Dawkins, LG David Edwards, C Connor McGovern, RG O’Cyrus Torrence, RT Spencer Brown
The Bills parted ways with WRs Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason, but they still have one of the league’s best QBs, strong OL continuity and four potential emerging playmakers (Cook, Kincaid, Coleman, Shakir). The burden will be on Brady to maximize Allen’s potential.
8. Philadelphia Eagles
- Playcaller: OC Kellen Moore
- QBs: Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett
- RBs: Saquon Barkley, Kenny Gainwell, Will Shipley
- WRs: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Parris Campbell, DeVante Parker, Ainias Smith
- TE: Dallas Goedert
- OL: LT Jordan Mailata, LG Landon Dickerson, C Cam Jurgens, RG Tyler Steen, RT Lane Johnson
The Eagles lost franchise C Jason Kelce to retirement, and they enter this season with their fifth offensive playcaller in five years, but the OL is still stable and they sport arguably the league’s best skill quintet (Hurts, Barkley, Brown, Smith, Goedert). The Eagles might not return to their 2022 form (No. 2 EPA, 0.114), but they probably will be better than they were in 2023 (No. 9 EPA, 0.051).
9. Los Angeles Rams
- Playcaller: HC Sean McVay
- OC: Mike LaFleur
- QBs: Matthew Stafford, Stetson Bennett
- RBs: Kyren Williams, Blake Corum
- WRs: Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell
- TEs: Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson
- OL: LT Alaric Jackson, LG Jonah Jackson, C Steve Avila, LG Kevin Dotson, RT Rob Havenstein
The Rams have rebuilt their OL over the past 18 months, and in their two years with a healthy Stafford (2021, '23), they’ve been No. 8 in offensive EPA (0.067, 0.053). With the dynamic trio of Nacua, Kupp and Williams, the innovative McVay should be able to McMastermind yet another productive season out of Stafford, provided the 36-year-old veteran stays healthy.
10. Cincinnati Bengals
- Playcaller: HC Zac Taylor
- OC: Dan Pitcher
- QBs: Joe Burrow, Jake Browning
- RBs: Zack Moss, Chase Brown
- WRs: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Jermaine Burton, Trent Irwin, Andrei Iosivas, Charlie Jones
- TEs: Mike Gesicki, Erick All
- OL: LT Orlando Brown, LG Cordell Volson, C Ted Karras, RG Alex Cappa, RT Trent Brown
Injuries to Burrow (calf, wrist) plagued the team’s 2023 campaign, but in 2022, the Bengals were No. 4 in EPA (0.085). They upgraded RT, TE and arguably RB this offseason, they fortified the OL in Round 1 with backup OT Amarius Mims and they kept the playmaking pass-game trio of Burrow, Chase and Higgins intact. The primary question with the Bengals is playcalling: Can Taylor coach as well as his stars play?
11. Houston Texans
- Playcaller: OC Bobby Slowik
- QBs: C.J. Stroud, Davis Mills
- RBs: Joe Mixon, Dameon Pierce, FB Andrew Beck
- WRs: Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Robert Woods, Noah Brown, John Metchie
- TEs: Dalton Schultz, Brevin Jordan, Cade Stover
- OL: LT Laremy Tunsil, LG Tytus Howard, C Juice Scruggs, RG Shaq Mason, RT Blake Fisher
One all-time great rookie campaign does not a Hall of Famer make, but Stroud looked like a franchise savior in 2023 with his league-high 273.9 passing yards per game and league-low 1.0% INT rate. The Texans should benefit from coordinator continuity with Slowik returning for a second season, and they have the league’s deepest WR unit. As long as their interior OL holds up, the Texans should improve upon last year’s No. 13 finish in YPP (5.4) and PPG (22.2).
12. Green Bay Packers
- Playcaller: HC Matt LaFleur
- OC: Adam Stenavich
- QBs: Jordan Love, Sean Clifford
- RBs: Josh Jacobs, A.J. Dillon, MarShawn Lloyd
- WRs: Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton
- TEs: Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft
- OL: LT Rasheed Walker, LG Elgton Jenkins, C Josh Myers, RG Jordan Morgan, RT Zach Tom
The team’s succession plan worked to perfection in 2023, as Love took over for the traded Aaron Rodgers and passed for 4,159 yards and 32 TDs in his first year as a starter. Jacobs might be a downgrade on released stalwart Aaron Jones, and the OL could still use some upgrades, but Love and his slew of emerging pass-catchers provide the Packers with an elevated offensive floor and vaulted theoretical ceiling.
13. New York Jets
- Playcaller: OC Nathaniel Hackett
- QBs: Aaron Rodgers, TyRod Taylor
- RBs: Breece Hall, Braelon Allen, Israel Abanikanda, FB Nick Bawden
- WRs: Garrett Wilson, Mike Williams, Allen Lazard, Malachi Corley, Xavier Gipson
- TEs: Tyler Conklin, Jeremy Ruckert
- OL: LT Tyron Smith, LG John Simpson, C Joe Tippmann, RG Alijah Vera-Tucker, RT Morgan Moses
With the return of Rodgers (Achilles), the Jets could have a top-five offense given how explosive Wilson and Hall are and how the team has rebuilt the OL (four new Week 1 starters plus Round 1 OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu as a backup). At the same time, what are the odds Hackett suddenly learns how to call plays, Smith and Moses (both 33 years old) stay healthy the entire year and the recovering and routinely unavailable Williams (knee) and Vera-Tucker (Achilles) don’t suffer impactful injuries? Not good.
14. Cleveland Browns
- Playcaller: HC Kevin Stefanski
- OC: Ken Dorsey
- QBs: Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston, Tyler Huntley
- RBs: Nick Chubb, Jerome Ford, D'Onta Foreman
- WRs: Amari Cooper, Jerry Jeudy, Elijah Moore, Cedric Tillman
- TEs: David Njoku, Jordan Akins
- OL: LT Jedrick Wills, LG Joel Bitonio, C Ethan Pocic, RG Wyatt Teller, RT Jack Conklin
With a two-time Coach of the Year (2020, '23), the Browns have maintained a league-average offense over the past two seasons despite poor QB performance. Watson has played just 12 games since joining the team and seems unlikely to regain his 2020 form (league-high 4,823 yards), but the Browns should still be serviceable on offense thanks to their upside-laden skill players and beastly OL.
15. Atlanta Falcons
- Playcaller: OC Zac Robinson
- QBs: Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix
- RBs: Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier
- WRs: Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Rondale Moore, KhaDarel Hodge
- TE: Kyle Pitts
- OL: LT Jake Matthews, LG Matthew Bergeron, C Drew Dalman, RG Chris Lindstrom, RT Kaleb McGary
Robinson is a first-time playcaller, but he joins the Falcons after spending a half decade with McVay as an assistant and multiple years at Pro Football Focus as an analyst: He has potential. He also has weapons, including an above-average veteran pocket passer, a skill cohort full of recent top-eight selections (Robinson, London, Pitts, Penix) and a near-elite OL returning all five starters. The unit would have benefited more this year if the team had used its Round 1 pick on someone likely to play right away (instead of a backup QB), and the offense might need time to coalesce, but it should be solid.
16. Chicago Bears
- Playcaller: OC Shane Waldron
- QBs: Caleb Williams,