While some NFL players will break out this season, others will not.
There is only one ball dealt, only one team can win each game, and only one locker where all the cameras are initially set up to interview the most influential players.
Somewhere along the line, other players will wonder why they’re stagnating rather than booming.
Here are five players who could disappoint in 2024.
Stefon Diggs, Houston Texans
Stefon Diggs has a lot of expectations to live up to after joining the Houston Texans from the Buffalo Bills. Photo Credit: Getty Images It all looks very appealing on paper: Diggs is currently with the Houston Texans, where he’ll be teamed with talented second-year quarterback CJ Stroud.
But the buffalo The Bills traded Diggs to Houston along with a 2024 sixth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick. Diggs signed with a weak player already in Houston’s receiver room in exchange for a wide receiver and a second-round pick in 2025. That will make it tough for Diggs to take command. Remember, Diggs turned 31 this season and is coming off a season in which he averaged 69.6 yards receiving and just under half a touchdown per game.
He’s still talented, but a new uniform won’t cover his diminishing returns.
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert throws a pass for the Los Angeles Chargers. Photo credit: Getty Images Herbert can throw the ball, there’s no question about that, and he’s going to provide plenty of highlight plays this season that make him look like a superstar.
But look deeper and you’ll see the Los Angeles Chargers are a team in flux. Jim Harbaugh is ready to roam the sidelines and could be a good hire for the duration of his contract, but his first year is expected to be a difficult transition.
The team traded for Keenan Allen and may look to rookie receiver Ladd McConkey as its top pass-catcher. There are too many indications that Herbert’s performance will be up and down from week to week.
TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) takes the field before the game against the Chicago Bears at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Photo by Jay Biggerstaff-USA Today Sports Sorry, Swifties. This is nothing personal. You, too, will go through the aging process someday. You’ll wake up with sore legs and not know why. You’ll start making mindless noises every time you get up from the couch. You’ll buy a bird feeder and watch excitedly out the window as new guests fly in to feed.
Either way, this isn’t autobiographical and is entirely, um, about Kelce. He turns 35 in October. He’s recording his fewest receiving yards since 2015. He’s happily in love, which is great, but his great career is rapidly coming to an end.
TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) runs for a touchdown after the catch during the first half of a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Credit: Dale Zanin – USA Today Sports It’s funny (or maybe not funny, haha) that I put Pitts right after Kelce on this list. Kelce is on the decline of a Hall of Fame worthy career. Pitts is young, athletic and full of potential – the polar opposite of an aging star.
But Pitts has already fooled us twice. Who wants to make it three in a row? The Falcons tight end had 28 catches for 356 yards and two touchdowns in his second year in the NFL in 2022, then 53 catches for 667 yards and three touchdowns in 2023. Sure, Kirk Cousins ​​could help, but maybe it’s time to take the hype down on Pitts.
WR Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson catches a pass during a game against the Cleveland Browns. Credit: Getty Images That’s a tough question to answer because Wilson is a really good player. He’s entering his age-24 season, has already recorded two consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and has all the makings of being a star wide receiver in the NFL.
So why is he on the list of disappointing players? It’s because his quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, is a freakish dinosaur who will turn 41 this season if you believe his 365-and-a-quarter-day average per year. It’s because his offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett, has a playbook with the firepower of a garden hose.
Wilson will be a good player long term, but there are just too many question marks this season, and did I mention his quarterback is a freaking dinosaur?
