Quarterbacks are important. There’s no disputing that. It’s why NFL teams are so quick to reset the position’s market when locking up even relatively unproven signal-callers for the long haul.
Oftentimes, however, a quarterback is only as effective as his supporting cast. There are a select number of transcendent talents, to be sure: Put Patrick Mahomes on any franchise, and his track record of NFL stardom suggests he’d elevate any lineup. Still, the easiest way to project a quarterback’s success is by looking at what’s around him, both on the field and on the sidelines.
Here, we’re ranking the 10 best quarterback situations entering the 2024 season, accounting for 1) skill weapons, 2) offensive linemen, 3) coaches and 4) defensive support, in roughly that order. Just because a quarterback has an enviable situation, of course, doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed a Super Bowl run; an elite setup has the ability to simply make a lesser passer competitive.
All that said, here are the teams doing the most to support their quarterback going into the season:
Wild cards
Atlanta Falcons
There’s a lot of upside, to be sure, with Robinson likely to take a bigger role as the do-it-all dual threat. The coaches are intriguing. Is there enough out wide to truly aid Cousins and meet his big-money expectations?
Buffalo Bills
For all the questions thrown the Bills’ way after their complete overhaul of Allen’s receiving corps, this isn’t as barren an infrastructure as you might think: Cook is an explosive dual threat out of the backfield, and Kincaid has the upside to be a Pro Bowl pass catcher at tight end. Still, in today’s NFL, it’s tough to outgun the best of the best when you’re lacking a bona fide No. 1 on the outside.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Etienne might be an All-Pro in a bigger market, while Kirk, Davis and Engram all serve functionally as No. 2-level outlets. The question is, how much can the line and…
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