Five Losers of the 2024 NFL Offseason - Teams That Lost The Offseason

We are less than three months away from the NFL season kicking off on September 5 between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. That means the season is right around the corner. With training camp expected to start in late July, football will soon be on our TV screens again. 

That makes now the perfect time to look back at a wild 2024 offseason. Several superstars (Saquon Barkley, Kirk Cousins, Josh Jacobs, and Derrick Henry) signed with new teams in free agency, and Justin Fields was even traded this offseason from the Chicago Bears to the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

So, with most of the offseason moves completed, let's take a look at five teams that lost the offseason. 

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Baltimore Ravens

It might surprise some people to see the Baltimore Ravens on this list. They signed one of the best backs in free agency in Derrick Henry and re-signed Justin Madubuike to a four-year deal in March. Adding Henry to an already run-heavy offense is going to make things even tougher for opposing defenses. But, outside of those two additions, Baltimore had somewhat of a disappointing offseason. 

It lost 15 players in free agency, which was tied for the most with the Minnesota Vikings during the 2024 offseason -- according to ESPN Stats & Information. Some of those players were also key contributors to last year's team, including linebacker Patrick Queen, guard Kevin Zeitler, guard John Simpson, and right tackle Morgan Moses. Losing three members of the starting offensive line from a season ago is not great news for the Ravens. 

Day one of OTAs, let’s get it ‼️ pic.twitter.com/ZmhhZinQ0u

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 20, 2024

On top of those losses, the Ravens didn't really add any notable players to replace them. Baltimore also didn't address its wide receiver room in the offseason. Entering the year with Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Nelson Agholor could present some problems for the team's passing offense. Flowers should improve in Year 2 following a solid rookie campaign, but Bateman has suffered multiple injuries over his career, and Agholor hasn't topped over 500 receiving yards since 2020. 

Buffalo Bills

It has been an offseason to forget for the Buffalo Bills. They entered the new league year way over the cap space, so the team had to make some tough decisions. That resulted in Buffalo cutting key players like safety Jordan Poyer, center Mitch Morse, and cornerback Tre'Davious White. 

The losses, though, didn't stop there for the Bills, as they had to let Gabe Davis walk in free agency and traded away Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. Now, entering the 2024 season, Buffalo's offense will surely look a little different. Their top three wideouts will be Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel -- who the team signed to a three-year deal this offseason -- and rookie Keon Coleman. 

With limited offseason additions, the Bills will be tested this upcoming season. They don't have a go-to No. 1 option on offense anymore and play in a tough AFC East division. Despite cutting both Poyer and White early in the offseason, Buffalo's defense should still be solid this upcoming season with the signing of safety Mike Edwards. But it will surely need Josh Allen to carry the offense even more.

Denver Broncos 

The Denver Broncos are in a tough spot because they are likely rebuilding for the future. That could explain why they made some of the moves they did this offseason. However, after going 8-9 last season and finishing tied for second in the AFC West, the Broncos took a huge step back heading into the 2024-2025 season. 

The team released both Justin Simmons and Russell Wilson this offseason while failing to sign any notable players. Denver also sent Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns in early March for just a fifth- and sixth-round pick. As a result, both sides of the ball will look quite different for the Broncos this upcoming season, including at the quarterback position. The team will roll with Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, or Zach Wilson at quarterback in 2024.

OFFICIAL: QB Bo Nix has signed his rookie contract. ✍️

Let's get to work, @BoNix10!

📰 » https://t.co/uOa8NtLWx4 pic.twitter.com/Oot73EQcDB

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 11, 2024

While Nix is the likely favorite to open the season as Denver's starter, there are concerns with the rookie's long-term potential. Many analysts also believed that the team reached on the former Oregon quarterback with the 12th overall pick. So, there's a chance that the Broncos didn't even land their franchise quarterback this offseason, either. 

Dallas Cowboys 

The Dallas Cowboys made almost no moves this offseason -- hence why they find themselves on this list. One year after falling short of another NFC Championship appearance, the Cowboys did practically nothing to upgrade their team. Their only outside free-agent signings were linebacker Eric Kendricks and running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Royce Freeman. 

Dallas was in a weird spot this offseason and couldn't afford to pay any player long-term. With Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons, and CeeDee Lamb all expected to get paid big money over the next two seasons, the Cowboys didn't have the money to upgrade their team this offseason. They also had to make some tough cuts by releasing Michael Gallup and choosing not to re-sign All-Pro tackle Tyron Smith. 

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott on his new era in Dallas: “We’ve got unfinished business. I’m here to chase a ring.” pic.twitter.com/YhjKPoZfTG

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) May 2, 2024

The Cowboys should still be in a good spot to make the playoffs in 2024, especially with Prescott leading the way on offense. However, they didn't improve on either side of the ball this offseason. 

New Orleans Saints 

Coming up with a fifth team was tough, but the New Orleans Saints will round out the five biggest losers from this offseason. Like most of the other teams on this list, the Saints were over the cap space entering the new league year. So, they couldn't sign many big-name players. 

New Orleans' biggest free-agent signing this offseason was defensive end Chase Young -- who delivered some mixed results with the Washington Commanders and San Francisco 49ers in 2023. Young totaled 7.5 sacks and 25 tackles (seven tackles for loss) last season. But, outside of signing him, the Saints were fairly quiet.

They didn't address their wide receiver position and will enter the year with Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Cedrick Wilson Jr. as Derek Carr's top three options in the passing game. As a result, their offense might struggle to put up some points in 2024. That might hurt their position in the NFC South, especially with the Atlanta Falcons improving in the offseason. 

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