The 2024 NFL season is like that message on your car's rearview mirror: it is closer than it appears.
Now that Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET roster deadline has passed, all of the league's 32 teams have slimmed their rosters down from a maximum of 90 players to the in-season maximum of 53. Many backup quarterback roles were defined, and a handful of teams made some trades to skip the waivers line.
With initial rosters being finalized, here are 12 takeaways from Tuesday's avalanche of moves.
1. Falcons aren't messing around with QB depth
The Atlanta Falcons are keeping three quarterbacks on their roster -- Kirk Cousins and 2024 eighth overall draft pick Michael Penix Jr. (obviously) and then also Taylor Heinicke. The veteran with six years of NFL experience -- 38 career games and 29 career starts -- played well below his resume this preseason.
Heinicke only completed 45.5% (20 of 49) of his passes for 206 yards without either a touchdown or an interception. At times, he looked overwhelmed across the three preseason games, which appeared to put his roster spot in jeopardy. However, he made the team, and part of that likely has to do with the 36-year-old Cousins coming off his Achilles injury. If his health wasn't a concern, they could have cut Heinicke and replaced him with any other quarterback who just missed the cut on a different team. Atlanta instead opted to keep him around, likely in part to him going through their whole offseason program.
2. Packers GM cuts bait on backup QB, kicker draft picks
The Packers have always made their bones as a draft and develop team when it comes to their quarterback position, and in that regard general manager Brian Gutekunst is no different than his predecessors, Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson.
Gutekunst drafted Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford in the fifth-round of the 2023 draft and Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt in the seventh round of the 2024 draft to back up starter Jordan Love. Clifford functioned as Love's backup as a rookie in 2023, but in 2024 that didn't matter. Both of them got cut, and Gutekunst traded for Titans 2022 third-round pick Malik Willis. He was likely to get cut, but the Packers chose to skip the line.
The Packers front office also waved the white flag on 2023 sixth-round pick kicker Anders Carlson. It's a surprising move considering the team spent a draft pick on the position and the fact that special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia coached his older brother Daniel, the Raiders' 2022 First-Team All-Pro kicker. Carlson made 27 of his 33 regular season field goals, and he was a perfect on his 20 kicks under 40 yards. However, he was 7 for 13 on kicks beyond 40 yards, a struggle that reared its head in the postseason.
With Green Bay leading 21-17 with 6:21 left on the road against the top-seeded San Francisco 49ers, Carlson missed a 41-yard field goal that was essentially a straight on attempt near the direct middle of the field. San Francisco capitalized off the miss and scored their only touchdown of the fourth quarter with 1:07 remaining to take the 24-21 lead. The Packers ended up losing by that score as opposed to going up by seven and making the 49ers having to go the length of the field to knot the game. In Green Bay's final possession, Love was forced to play hero ball and he launched a desperation, cross-body heave that was picked off by linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
Veteran kicker Greg Joseph, who has kicked for the Browns, Titans and Vikings, won the job despite being the external, 30-year-old versus the incumbent, 26-year-old Carlson. A surprising turn of events. Perhaps Carlson's miss from 32 yards out in the preseason finale against the Ravens sealed the deal.
A good high school kicker would make this field goal. Not only did Anders Carlson miss it, but it wasn't even close. pic.twitter.com/vtDUEArdIQ
— Michael Rodney (@PackersNotes) August 27, 2024
In the end, Gutekunst has a smaller ego than some general managers would have in these situations as he was willing to cut bait the moment he felt like these players were no longer benefitting the team despite investing in them with draft picks.
3. Desmond Ridder's fall from grace continues
Speaking of the Falcons, their former starting quarterback Desmond Ridder, who was once promising enough in Atlanta's eyes to publicly rule out pursing NFL MVP Lamar Jackson as a restricted free agent, is no longer good enough to win a backup quarterback competition. He lost out to 2023 fifth-round pick Clayton Tune after being clearly outplayed. It's been a tough last few years for the now-unemployed Ridder.
Desmond Ridder vs. Clayton Tune this preseason
| Ridder | Tune | |
|---|---|---|
Comp-Att | 20-35 | 35-52 |
Pass Yards | 225 | 361 |
Pass Yards/Att | 6.4 | 6.9 |
TD-INT | 0-0 | 1-1 |
Passer Rating | 76.5 | 85.5 |
4. Bills willing to roll dice on bringing Frank Gore Jr. back to practice squad
Buffalo doesn't have an established veteran backup, but it still felt alright about cutting Frank Gore Jr., who impressed this preseason. Gore Jr. balled out in the team's preseason finale, rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, averaging an impressive 5.6 yards per carry in the process. The son of the NFL's third all-time rusher, Frank Gore, appeared to have plenty of juice and shiftiness.
It would be reasonable to expect him to end up on the practice squad if no one else picks him up, but it would be just as reasonable to expect one of the other 31 teams to take a flier on him. It's just surprising to see Buffalo run that risk after his strong preseason finish.
5. The Titans are making a push to contend for AFC South title, playoff spot
Tennessee acquired former Rams linebacker and team captain in addition to a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick on roster cutdown day. The Titans have a new starter at inside linebacker, albeit one entering the final year of his rookie deal. Ernest Jones IV isn't the only key piece Tennessee has acquired to overhaul the roster this offseason.
The Titans defense has been bolstered by the acquisitions Super Bowl-winning cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, safety Quandre Diggs, safety Jamal Adams, linebacker Kenneth Murray, defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day and rookie defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat. Offensively, adding Pro Bowl running back Tyler Boyd, solid center Lloyd Cushenberry and drafting Alabama All-American offensive tackle JC Latham heavily bolsters second-year quarterback Will Levis' supporting cast. Tennessee should certainly know what they have in him by the 2025 offseason after seeing him with a much-improved ecosystem to develop in.
6. Panthers raise their standard in WR room
When a new regime takes over an NFL team, as it has in Carolina in 2024, new head coach Dave Canales and new general manager Dan Morgan have no emotional attachments to players they inherited. And that certainly was on display on Tuesday.
Wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr., a 2021 second-round pick, was sent packing after three seasons with the team. He played in 36 games, catching 64 passes for 767 yards and only touchdown. His production dipped last season, as he played in just nine games and totaled only 19 catches for 139 yards.
Morgan spent the offseason beefing up their playmakers. He traded away cornerback Donte Jackson and a sixth-round pick to the Steelers to reel in wide receiver Diontae Johnson and a seventh-round pick to add another steady veteran presence and target for Bryce Young. Morgan then proceeded to spend three of Carolina's first four picks in the 2024 NFL Draft on offensive playmakers: South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette (32nd overall), Texas running back Jonathon Brooks (46th overall) and Texas tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (101st overall).
And with the talent Young now has at his disposal there wasn't room for the underproducing Marshall.
7. Bears can develop a (backup) QB
Get this: Chicago is the only franchise in NFL history without a quarterback who has thrown 30 touchdowns or 4,000 yards in a single season. They've struggled to develop a high-level quarterback, but they succeeded in getting a backup quarterback to play at a decent level.
Tyson Bagent, an undrafted free agent out of Division II's Shepherd, earned the backup quarterback job for the second year in a row beating out four-year NFL veteran Brett Rypien and undrafted free agent quarterback Austin Reed out of Western Kentucky. It's a good sign for the future of the Bears because if they can develop Bagent consistently, Caleb Williams should be a piece of cake.
8. From Broncos' trash to Lions' treasure?
Denver stood by 28-year-old wide receiver Tim Patrick through a torn ACL in 2022 and a torn Achilles in 2023. He rewarded that patience by catching all five of his targets this preseason, which included a touchdown reception from first-round rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
However, that wasn't enough to retain a roster spot with the Broncos as they surprisingly cut him. He quickly landed on his feet Tuesday, signing with the NFC runner-up Detroit Lions. The once-undrafted rookie, Patrick caught 143 passes for 2,009 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns from 2018 through 2021. He will now compete to be the third wide receiver in a Lions offense that features All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, quarterback Jared Goff, running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, tight end Sam LaPorta plus offensive linemen Penei Sewell and Frank Ragnow.
9. Bengals no longer tolerate lackluster offensive line play
Cincinnati's path to an AFC North title is simple: keep quarterback Joe Burrow healthy for an entire season. They didn't in 2023 (wrist) and during his rookie year in 2020 (knee), and Cincy missed the playoffs. When Burrow remained on the field in 2021 and 2022, the Bengals were the seventh-ranked scoring offense each season, and they either won the AFC or finished as AFC runner-ups.
Yet, they felt comfortable cutting 2021 second-round pick offensive lineman Jackson Carman. They did so after enhancing their offensive line in 2024 by signing Super Bowl champion offensive tackle Trent Brown to a one-year, $4.75 million deal, and by utilizing their 18th overall pick on the 2024 NFL Draft's top physical specimen at the offensive tackle position, Georgia's Amarius Mims, who stands 6-8 and 340. Mims didn't allow a single sack in 30 career games, eight starts -- including both College Football Playoff games en route to the 2022 national title -- as a Bulldog.
In years past, Cincy may have held on to Carman out of desperation. Not anymore.
10. Mac Jones somewhat reestablished NFL credibility
Mac Jones left the Patriots battered and bruised after two tumultuous seasons in 2022 and 2023 following a Pro Bowl rookie season in 2021. The Pats traded Jones to the Jaguars, and this preseason, he showed he certainly still belongs in the NFL, maybe even as a starter in the right situation.
In Jacksonville, he will be the clear backup behind Trevor Lawrence, but Jones carved defenses up this preseason. He completed 73.1% of his passes (38 of 52) for 421 yards and three touchdowns. That resulted in a 115.9 passer rating across his three preseason games. Jones looks like he can definitely still play after the Jaguars locked him in as their QB2 for the upcoming season.
11. Texans WR Tank Dell is fully healthy and ready to roll
Six-year NFL veteran wide receiver Noah Brown being released reveals something big: Texans second-year receiver Tank Dell is fully healthy and ready to roll. He suffered a season-ending leg injury while blocking on a goal line run in Week 13 against the Broncos, and Dell also survived a minor shooting incident in Florida earlier this offseason in which a bullet went through his leg and out the other side.
Dell's seven receiving touchdowns in the first 13 weeks last season were tied for the fifth-most in the NFL before he went down with his fibula injury. Being comfortable cutting a capable depth piece in Brown indicates Dell is ready to go.
12. Lions believe in a healthy Hendon Hooker
Hendon Hooker entered the NFL as a 2023 third-round pick recovering from a torn ACL, but a year later, he balled out in the preseason. Hooker completed 29 of his 44 passes for 300 yards, a touchdown and an interception. That was on top of totaling 138 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries for a whopping 7.3 yards per carry.
Detroit co-signed his preseason performance by cutting veteran Nate Sudfeld, which paved the way for the 26-year-old Hooker to assume backup quarterback duties behind starter Jared Goff. Not a bad place for the second-year passer to be just a year removed from rehabbing a torn ACL.
