The first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft are officially in the books, and there was no shortage of surprising selections or memorable moments. As is the case every year, several veterans around the league are under increased pressure to perform due to the rookies their teams have drafted.
While Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins shouldn’t worry about losing his starting role anytime soon, these four players’ seats are starting to heat up.
Running back Miles Sanders, Carolina Panthers
The Panthers had high expectations when they signed Sanders to a four-year, $25.4M deal last March, but the former Philadelphia Eagle now finds himself as a lame duck. On Friday, Carolina attempted to correct one of its many mistakes from last offseason by trading up for Texas’ Jonathon Brooks, the top running back in this year’s draft, with the 46th overall pick.
Sanders enjoyed a career year with Philadelphia in 2022, rushing for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns en route to earning his first Pro Bowl nod. Unsurprisingly, the transition from one of the NFL’s best offensive lines to one of the worst units in the league was not easy for Sanders. Across 16 games last season, including just five starts, Sanders rushed for 432 yards and one touchdown, so the Brooks selection isn’t particularly shocking.
Even so, it remains to be seen when Carolina will part ways with Sanders, as the team has several options if it doesn’t want to keep him around as Brooks’ backup. According to Over The Cap, the Panthers would only save $200K in cap space by designating Sanders as a post-June 1 release while incurring a $7.5M dead cap hit. Trading the tailback after June 1 could be Carolina’s best course of action, assuming it can find a trade partner since the team would save $6.2M in cap space.
Quarterback Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Although Jones’ seat isn’t as scorching as it could’ve been, there might not be a quarterback on a hotter seat entering this season. After signing a controversial four-year $160M extension last offseason, Jones’ 2023 season went as poorly as possible. The 26-year-old suffered a neck injury and a season-ending ACL tear but also struggled when healthy, throwing for 909 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions in six games.
As a result, New York flirted with the idea of taking one of the top quarterback prospects during Thursday’s first round and reportedly attempted to move up for Drake Maye before New England selected the former Tar Heel. Despite having the option to draft Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy sixth overall, Giants GM Joe Schoen selected a true No. 1 wideout for Jones in Malik Nabers.
Jones has never played with a more dynamic pass-catcher in his NFL career than Nabers, LSU’s all-time leader in receptions (189) and receiving yards (3,003). With a revamped offensive line and Nabers headlining an intriguing young receiving corps that includes Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt, Jones has no excuse to be ineffective in 2024.
Last month’s splashy move to acquire two-time Pro Bowl edge-rusher Brian Burns signals that the Giants have legitimate playoff expectations for this season. If Jones can’t lead the team back to the postseason or just flat-out disappoints, New York will surely cut ties with him next offseason.
Wide receiver Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Even though Samuel and teammate Brandon Aiyuk were subject to trade rumors throughout the draft’s first two days, San Francisco ultimately decided to hang onto the pair of talented wideouts, at least for now. 49ers GM John Lynch told reporters he didn’t entertain any offers for either receiver on Friday and is “thrilled” with his current receiving corps.
Still, that doesn’t mean Lynch won’t reopen negotiations, especially since he selected Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall with the 31st overall pick. Aiyuk’s ongoing contract discussions will play a key role in such a decision, as he’s seeking top receiver money. Considering Samuel is older and far more injury-prone than Aiyuk, San Francisco might have no choice but to move him later this offseason.
Lynch has reportedly already tried to trade Samuel to no avail. As per CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson, San Francisco and New England held “preliminary trade discussions” involving Samuel before the draft. Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle also reported that the Steelers were interested in Samuel “but were unwilling to meet the 49ers’ price.”
Until Aiyuk’s contract situation is resolved, there’s no guarantee Samuel will suit up for the 49ers in 2024, regardless of Lynch’s recent comments.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
While the 2024 season probably won’t make or break Lawrence’s career, it will be a pivotal year for the former No. 1 overall pick. Lawrence hasn’t quite lived up to the hype he garnered as a prospect and enters a season that will largely determine the price of his contract extension.
Following an impressive 2022 season where he led Jacksonville to the divisional round, it seemed Lawrence would rule the AFC South for the next decade, especially since the team added WR Calvin Ridley for 2023.
However, Lawrence regressed last season, completing 65.6% of his passes for 4,016 yards and 21 touchdowns, while the Jaguars finished 1-5 down the stretch to miss the playoffs. Injuries played a part in his lackluster performance, though it’s impossible to overlook that Lawrence has committed the most turnovers among QBs since his debut (60) while only ranking 15th in passing touchdowns (58).
Ridley signed with Tennessee this offseason, but Jacksonville improved its receiving corps by adding free-agent signing Gabe Davis and first-round pick Brian Thomas Jr. Now that he’s in the best situation of his career, Lawrence will have to prove that 2022 wasn’t an outlier — and that he deserves to be the next young quarterback to earn a massive extension.
