The Road to Redemption: NFL Players Aiming for Bounce-Back Seasons in 2024

In less than a month, the 2024 NFL regular season will begin with a repeat of the AFC Championship Game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs, the reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champions. That being said, every new NFL season presents new chances for certain players to try and make up for a bad season from the previous year. A number of well-known superstars had a disappointing season last year as a result of either bad play or injuries. Here's a breakdown of prominent NFL players hoping for a successful 2024 season and aiming to regain their dominance in the league. 

1. Saquon Barkley - Philadelphia Eagles

Many of you might be surprised to learn that the top name on this list is a two-time Pro Bowl running back. Even though Saquon Barkley came within 38 yards of reaching 1,000 rushing yards for what would have been the fourth time in his career, Barkley's efficiency on the ground is what propels him to the top of the list. Last season, Barkley saw his yards per rush attempt drop from 4.4 yards in 2022 to 3.9 yards in 2023. However, it should be noted that Barkley's decreased production is mostly due to the New York Giants' subpar offensive line performance. 

Following his offseason deal with the Eagles, Barkley will now be playing behind one of the league's best and most proficient blocking lines instead of one of the league's worst offensive lines in the Giants. Last season, former Eagles running back D’Andre Swift, who had never run for over 1,000 yards, reached that milestone with the Eagles, where he averaged 4.6 yards per rush. Being just 27 years old, Barkley is by no means regarded as "old" at the running back position entering his seventh season. In addition, fans should anticipate that Barkley will easily surpass the 1,000-yard rushing mark once again and contribute significantly to the Eagles' success this season, as head coach Nick Sirianni plans to stick with the dynamic running attack that features dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts and now Barkley on the team. 

2. Aaron Rodgers - New York Jets

All of the excitement and anticipation surrounding the arrival of four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers to the Jets last season, along with the organization and fan base's renewed aspirations to contend for the Super Bowl, ended abruptly during Week One last season on Monday Night Football. The season ended suddenly for Rodgers when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon on only the fourth offensive snap of the game. Given that Aaron Rodgers is 40 years old, the Jets and himself have a limited amount of time to make the most of his late-stage career in order to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010. Despite missing important offensive pieces in his last season with the Packers in 2022, Rodgers was still able to produce an outstanding season, passing for 3,695 yards and 26 touchdowns. With the Jets, who feature one of the finest defenses in the league under the direction of Sauce Gardner, and a young wide receiver with immense potential in Garrett Wilson, Rodgers now has everything he needs to have a bounce-back season and help the Jets snap its 13-year playoff drought. 

3. Trevor Lawrence - Jacksonville Jaguars

Since being drafted with the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Trevor Lawrence has had a challenging start to his NFL career with the Jaguars. With the Urban Meyer experiment, who led Jacksonville for one season, Lawrence was part of a squad that saw a great degree of internal friction during his rookie year, which hindered his development and made him lose faith in his head coach. In his second season in 2022, Lawrence saw a huge improvement, increasing from throwing just 12 touchdowns in 2021 to 25 touchdowns in 2022. Nevertheless, Lawrence struggled with a number of injuries and patchy performance throughout last season, which impacted the Jaguars' success in the latter stages. The team started with an 8-3 record but lost five of their final six games and missed the playoffs. With better health and pass protection this year, Lawrence is one of the favorites to make a comeback and help the Jaguars make it back to the postseason. 

4. Jaelan Phillips - Miami Dolphins

As he embarks on his fourth NFL season with the Dolphins, Jaelan Phillips hopes to recover from a dismal finish to last season. The extremely skilled linebacker was poised for a breakthrough season in 2023; unfortunately, his season was cut short by an Achilles injury sustained during the Dolphins' Black Friday victory against the Jets last year. In eight games played last season, Phillips racked up 43 total tackles, including 28 solo and 15 assisted tackles, 6.5 sacks, one interception, seven tackles for loss, and 27 pressures. Despite being placed on the Dolphins' PUP list last month because of residual effects from his surgery, Phillips is anticipated to return this season and continue to be a reliable cornerstone of the Dolphins’ 2024 defense as an emerging edge rusher in the NFL. 

5. Diontae Johnson - Carolina Panthers

After spending his first five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, wide receiver Diontae Johnson was traded to the Carolina Panthers back in early March, who was the Steelers’ primary offensive weapon on the outside. Despite this, Johnson has struggled with inconsistent play; at one time, he had failed to register a touchdown reception in 21 straight games with the Steelers. Now that he's joined the Panthers, Johnson will relish the chance to start fresh and be a veteran voice in an extremely youthful offense that is led by former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Compared to his 1,000-yard plus 2021 season, Johnson's production declined in his final two seasons with the Steelers, as he only managed 1,599 yards and five touchdowns in 31 games. Even though the Panthers finished last season with the worst record at 2-15, new head coach Dave Canales is concentrating on putting in place a simpler offensive scheme that will help both Johnson and Young. The 2021 Pro Bowler may gain a lot from being one of Young's main targets in the wide receiver room as he begins the next part of his NFL career with the Panthers. This might result in Johnson having a successful season with a youthful offense.