Tyler Guyton, LT, Dallas Cowboys
Starting at left tackle in the NFL is difficult enough. Doing so as a rookie despite playing almost exclusively right tackle in college is near impossible. Unfortunately for Tyler Guyton, he is following in the footsteps of Tyron Smith, a future Hall of Fame tackle, who was the best left tackle in Dallas Cowboys history.
The Cowboys have one of the NFL’s top offenses, and a big reason for this has been the offensive line’s play during the past several seasons. With Smith off to New York to play with the Jets, the Cowboys will rely on a rookie left tackle to save the day.
The good news is that the Cowboys have some experience with this. During the 2022 season, Tyler Smith started all 17 games left tackle as a rookie and held up well. He was a more developed prospect than Guyton, but Mike McCarthy did a good job of helping him out.
Guyton is under a ton of pressure as a rookie, and the Cowboys are hopeful he can perform well in Year 1. They fully understand there will be some rough patches throughout the season, but they just want to see progress and upside.
Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans
After being out of football for nearly two full seasons, Calvin Ridley stepped back onto the field and played all 17 games with the Jaguars. While his performance was inconsistent, he surpassed 1,000 yards and earned a monster contract from the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans are paying Ridley to be their No. 1 receiver with DeAndre Hopkins in the twilight of his career. That is going to be a tall task for Ridley, who has seen his catch percentage drop each season. During the 2023 season, Ridley caught just 55.9 percent of his targets. That was down from 69.6 percent as a rookie. Now, he’ll play with a second-year quarterback in Will Levis, who has some accuracy concerns.
Ridley will turn 30 during the 2024 season, but the Titans hope his best football will still come. Can he be the No. 1 receiver that the Titans paid him to be this offseason? That remains to be seen.
Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
This one feels pretty obvious, but it’s 100 percent true. The Carolina Panthers traded the farm for Bryce Young last offseason, and the results weren’t pretty.
The Panthers had the NFL’s worst record in 2023, meaning the Chicago Bears picked No. 1 for them, selecting Caleb Williams. Those two quarterbacks will forever be mentioned together after the Panthers traded multiple first-round picks to select Young.
The good news for Young is the Panthers did a lot to help him going into Year 2. They brought in one of the top young offensive minds in the league in Dave Canalas, and they’ve acquired more talent on offense.
Diontae Johnson is one of the league’s best route runners and can win as an X-receiver. The Panthers selected Xavier Legette at the end of Round 1, giving Young a vertical threat from the slot. They also beefed up the interior offensive line to provide more protection for Young.
Young doesn’t need to be a superstar for the Panthers in 2024. Still, he has to show some signs of progress. He needs to prove that he *could* be the answer in Carolina and show that the team is trending in the right direction.
Otherwise, the Panthers will likely move on from him in 2025, and we will be discussing the move to acquire Young as one of the worst in NFL history.