Well, folks, it's that time of the year around here once again. Just as we did last year and the year before that and the year before that and the year before that and the year before that and the year before that and the year before that, the crew here at CBSSports.com recently set out to rank each NFL team's "triplets."
Why not, right? It's the middle of the offseason, and it's tradition around these parts.
So in the space below, we are once again taking a look at the NFL's best QB-RB-WR/TE trios, grading the expected starters at quarterback and running back and their presumed top pass-catcher for the 2024 NFL season. For some teams, it was obvious who would fill each role. For others, less so. Where we had to make judgment calls on which player would start at quarterback or who would be the top target, we did. For the most part, that meant deferring to the rookie quarterback, while the skill-position slot went to the more experienced player unless it was clear that the younger one would be taking a significant step forward. (So for example, the running back for the Titans is Tony Pollard, but for the Lions, it's Jahmyr Gibbs.)
In the space below, you'll see our rankings of these triplets. The first number in parentheses is the team's average ranking based on the votes of several of our staff writers and editors at CBSSports.com, while the second number reflects the high and low end of where our staffers ranked that individual team.
For example, our No. 32 team, the Denver Broncos had an average ranking of 31.2, with a high ranking of 30 and a low of 32. We have denoted tier breaks in any place where there was either a significant gap between the two averages (i.e. the Panthers check in with an average of 30.4, while the Giants are at 28.8, so the Giants begin a new tier) or a significant sea change in the types of teams on the list (i.e. separating the Browns and Buccaneers from the Vikings, Bears, and Colts, among others).
The panel of 12 voters for this season's rankings included myself, Will Brinson, Jeff Kerr, Tyler Sullivan, Jordan Dajani, Bryan DeArdo, Cody Benjamin, Shanna McCarriston, Kevin Steimle, Garrett Podell, R.J. White, Eric Kernish, and Zach Pereles. The rankings reflect the collective wisdom of this crowd, while the corresponding analysis is mine.
Today, we'll start with the bottom half of the league, then we'll continue tomorrow with the top half. Without further ado...
Tier 8: The Bottom
32. Denver Broncos (Avg: 31.2, High: 30, Low: 32)
Last year: 21st
QB: Bo Nix RB: Javonte Williams WR: Courtland Sutton
Nix was the last of the first-round quarterbacks selected in this year's draft, and it would appear that there's not quite as much confidence in him as the first few guys that came off the board. Williams is coming off a season where he looked slow and un-explosive in the wake of his ACL tear. Sutton put together a 10-touchdown campaign, but he also only caught 59 passes for 772 yards. It's not that surprising to see this trio check in last.
31. New England Patriots (Avg: 30.6, High: 28, Low: 32)
Last year: 27th
QB: Drake Maye RB: Rhamondre Stevenson WR: Kendrick Bourne
Here's another one of those rookie quarterbacks, who we gave the nod here because we expect him to take over for Jacoby Brissett before season's end. The Pats do not have the most dynamic group of weapons surrounding him, but Stevenson has a recent season where he looked really good both running and catching the ball out of the backfield. If the Pats are to exceed this ranking, it'll probably come through one of their young receivers (Ja'Lynn Polk, Demario Douglas, Javon Baker) grabbing the top pass-catcher role away from Bourne.
30. Carolina Panthers (Avg: 30.4, High: 28, Low: 32)
Last year: 28th
QB: Bryce Young RB: Jonathon Brooks WR: Diontae Johnson
The Panthers had a nightmare season in the first year of the Bryce Young era, and their first order of business this offseason was upgrading the talent around him. (In addition to Brooks and Johnson, they also drafted Xavier Leggette and Ja'Tavion Sanders.) Brooks is coming off a torn ACL and might not be full strength to start the year, but you don't take a back high up in the second round if you're not planning to give him a huge role. And Johnson has struggles with drops and inefficiency, but he at least gets open. The ranking reflects that the talent here is not great, but amazingly, it's better than it was last year.
Tier 7: Holding Pattern
29. New York Giants (Avg: 28.8, High: 25, Low: 31)
Last year: 18th
QB: Daniel Jones RB: Devin Singletary WR: Malik Nabers
Daniel Jones under center and Devin Singletary behind him just screams "this is temporary." New York tried unsuccessfully to replace Jones this offseason, and did not restructure his contract like it did last year, before it had even kicked in. Nabers is obviously here to stay, and hopefully for a long time, but it's not surprising to see New York tumble from its over-inflated ranking last year.
28. Las Vegas Raiders (Avg: 27.8, High: 26, Low: 30)
Last year: 16th
QB: Aidan O'Connell RB: Zamir White WR: Davante Adams
Again, we're going with O'Connell over Gardner Minshew here, because it wouldn't make sense for Vegas not to roll with the younger guy so long as he shows a baseline level of competence. But O'Connell was basically just ... fine last year and White is a fourth-round pick who has just 121 carries in two years. Adams is amazing, but apparently not amazing enough to single-handedly carry this group to a higher ranking.
Tier 6: Too Many Question Marks
27. Tennessee Titans (Avg: 25.8, High: 20, Low: 30)
Last year: 25th
QB: Will Levis RB: Tony Pollard TE: DeAndre Hopkins
Levis' debut season was extremely up and down. We'll see what he looks like in a more pass-friendly offense with an upgraded offensive line and pass-catchers. Pollard looked terrible early last year coming off his broken leg, but came on down the stretch. The Titans signed Calvin Ridley this offseason, but Hopkins is still the better player. The dude is a marvel. Alas, we can't justify putting the Titans higher without knowing more about Levis.
26. Pittsburgh Steelers (Avg: 25.6, High: 20, Low: 27)
Last year: 22nd
QB: Russell Wilson RB: Najee Harris WR: George Pickens
Our panel is, once again, not inspired by Russell Wilson -- or by the Steelers' triplets. Harris is likely to remain the lead back due to inertia and financial investment, but he has been outplayed by Jaylen Warren in each of their Warren's two seasons. Pickens has a ton of talent, but we also haven't seen him totally tap into it just yet, so it's hard to say he should carry this ranking.
25. Washington Commanders (Avg: 24.7, High: 20, Low: 28)
Last year: 29th
QB: Jayden Daniels RB: Austin Ekeler WR: Terry McLaurin
Daniels is ultra-talented. We know this. Everyone has been waiting a while to see McLaurin play with a real quarterback, and hopefully he has finally found one. Ekeler is coming off a down season, but he's still really reliable -- especially in the passing game. But it's hard to say the Commies should be any higher than this given the uncertainty about how this trio will work on the field.
24. New Orleans Saints (Avg: 23.6, High: 18, Low: 27)
Last year: 29th
QB: Derek Carr RB: Alvin Kamara WR: Chris Olave
I'll cop to being very surprised by both this ranking and the next one, for opposite reasons. I had New Orleans lower than this on my ballot. Carr just does not have the upside of many other quarterbacks. Kamara will turn 29 later this month and hasn't topped 4.0 yards per carry in three years. His yards per catch hit a career low 6.2 last year. Olave is great, but the Saints should be further down the list.
23. Los Angeles Chargers (Avg: 22.2, High: 16, Low: 28)
Last year: 5th
QB: Justin Herbert RB: Gus Edwards WR: Josh Palmer
Conversely, I thought the Chargers would be higher than this, just on the strength of Herbert. I tended to weight the quarterback most in my own rankings, while my colleagues apparently felt like Edwards and Palmer should drag L.A.'s ranking down.
Tier 5: Slightly Below Average
22. Cleveland Browns (Avg: 20.6, High: 13, Low: 25)
Last year: 14th
QB: Deshaun Watson RB: Nick Chubb WR: Amari Cooper
Again, this is another team I think should be much lower. Watson has not played well since 2020. That's four years ago. I don't care what the reason is, you just do not see guys struggle for that long and suddenly get it back. Chubb is coming off a horrific knee injury and will turn 29 this season. The likelihood of his recapturing his (incredible) form is extremely low. If he even gets on the field. Cooper is awesome, but this ranking feels off.
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Avg: 20.5, High: 17, Low: 25)
Last year: 10th
QB: Baker Mayfield RB: Rachaad White WR: Mike Evans
I am similarly skeptical that the Bucs should be this high. Mayfield rebounding last year ... but we saw what happened with Geno Smith under Dave Canales two years ago, and then what happened when Canales left for Tampa last year. What's to say the same won't happen with Mayfield? And White has been a solid pass-catcher, but a wildly inefficient runner. Evans is a modern marvel and you can mark him down for 1,000 yards and close to double-digit touchdowns right now, but even he shouldn't be carrying these guys this high.
Tier 5: Exciting Young QBs (and the Seahawks)
20. Minnesota Vikings (Avg: 19.9, High: 16, Low: 25)
Last year: 12th
QB: J.J. McCarthy RB: Aaron Jones WR: Justin Jefferson
Justin Jefferson, on the other hand, is more than enough to carry a team on his own. And Jones, despite being 29, is still playing at a really high level. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry last year and had a career-high 62% rushing success rate. McCarthy will also be put in a position to succeed by his supporting cast and a really strong playcaller in Kevin O'Connell. This is aggressive, but it also feels right.
19. Chicago Bears (Avg: 18.8, High: 14, Low: 24)
Last year: 20th
QB: Caleb Williams RB: D'Andre Swift WR: D.J. Moore
If we were able to include the entire skill-position corps in this rankings, the Bears would be even higher. Given where they were two years ago, the embarrassment of riches they know have is incredible. Not just Swift and Moore, but Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, and Cole Kmet. Williams is in arguably the best position of any No. 1 pick in recent memory. If he hits the ground running, Chicago should rank much higher next year.
18. Seattle Seahawks (Avg: 18.2, High: 15, Low: 23)
Last year: 13th
QB: Geno Smith RB: Kenneth Walker III WR: DK Metcalf
This is the same trio we used for Seattle as last season, but the Seahawks took a tumble after Smith took a step back. Given his contract situation, things could be tenuous this year -- especially under a new coaching staff. But we've seen that he can hit a high ceiling, and we know both Walker and Metcalf have explosive talent. If things go well again, Seattle could jump back up.
17. Indianapolis Colts (Avg: 17.7, High: 12, Low: 25)
Last year: 24th
QB: Anthony Richardson RB: Jonathan Taylor WR: Michael Pittman Jr.
Richardson flashed enormous talent last year, albeit in only four games. But Colts coach Shane Steichen always gets the best out of his quarterbacks, and Richardson's best is likely to be extremely good, given his physical gifts. Taylor is one of the best pure runners in the game, and Pittman thrived last year with Minshew under center. There's a lot of upside here.
16. Jacksonville Jaguars (Avg: 16.2, High: 10, Low: 21)
Last year: 7th
QB: Trevor Lawrence RB: Travis Etienne WR: Christian Kirk
The Jags took a step back last year, and they accordingly took a step back in our rankings as people now have muddled expectations for what to expect from this group. Lawrence has an ultra-high ceiling, but we haven't seen him truly access it yet. Are Doug Pederson and Press Taylor the guys to get him there? He has enough talent around him, even if there are no true stars.
15. Arizona Cardinals (Avg: 15.2, High: 8, Low: 22)
Last year: 32nd
QB: Kyler Murray RB: James Conner WR: Marvin Harrison Jr.
Arizona was dead last a year ago because we expected Murray to sit out the majority, if not entirety of the season. He did sit for a while, but he came back and looked pretty good. And Arizona's Conner-led run game was really good all year. Throw one of the best receiver prospects in recent memory into the mix, and it's no surprise that the Cards took a massive leap in our rankings.
