Rating NFL’s high 12 WR trios for 2024: Where Dolphins unit ranks after adding Odell Beckham Jr. in offseason
Quarterback will at all times be the NFL’s Most critical situation, nonetheless a huge neighborhood of large receivers can encourage a signal-caller rob his recreation to the next level.
Following the addition of four-time Pro Bowl huge receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans and all of the action from the 2024 NFL Draft, it makes the total sense within the sector to secure a restructuring of the league’s high huge receiver trios earlier than the league’s spring offseason functions and coaching camps.
About a of the grading criteria here is in keeping with old production as neatly as what the trio might perchance secure as a neighborhood going ahead. Here is our contemporary high 12, nonetheless this checklist might perchance absolutely commerce must any assorted enormous moves disappear down.
12. Tennessee Titans
This Titans neighborhood is among the extra unbiased now not too long within the past assembled ones on this checklist with Tennessee outbidding its AFC South-rival Jacksonville Jaguars to own Ridley’s companies for the cost of four years and $92 million with $46.98 million fully guaranteed. He returned to NFL action final season after a fat-season suspension for playing in 2022, and Ridley bounced encourage by leading Jacksonville in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
Hopkins producing over 1,000 yards and 7 touchdowns on 75 catches at age 31 is very impressive given the rotating door at quarterback in Nashville this past season with an injured Ryan Tannehill, rookie Will Levis and Malik Willis all throwing passes. Talking of injuries, Burks has performed lawful 22 video games in two seasons, failing to are living up to his first-round draft build of living. Then as soon as more, a return to the slot — the build he balled out in college — as a replace of lining up out huge — the build he has predominantly lined up so a long way within the NFL — might perchance encourage him rob the next step.
11. Dallas Cowboys
A case might perchance also be made for Lamb being the handiest huge receiver within the 2023 season. He led the league in catches while ranking second in receiving yards and third in receiving touchdowns. Handiest 2023 Offensive Participant of the Yr Christian McCaffrey (2,023) had extra yards from scrimmage than Lamb (1,862) final season, and Lamb’s 14 touchdowns from scrimmage also paced all huge receivers as neatly in 2023. Eight of Lamb’s 12 receiving touchdowns came within the crimson zone, tied for the most within the total NFL.
Cooks’ eight touchdown catches were tied for the eighth most within the league final season, and six of them came within the crimson zone, tied for the fifth most within the NFL. He also came up snatch for the Cowboys, hauling in dumb touchdown grabs on the toll road against the Chargers and the Dolphins. Cooks’ supreme factor of his recreation is his bustle, so this would presumably be attention-grabbing to stare how neatly he maintains that trait at age 31 in 2024.
Tolbert turned into as soon as a third-round protect shut two years within the past, and he turned into as soon as the handiest of now not-splendid choices as Dallas’ WR3. How critical additional he might perchance make is unknown as 2023 turned into as soon as no doubt his first season receiving official playtime.
10. Los Angeles Rams
Puka Nacua, who turned into as soon as a fifth-round rookie in 2023, broke the NFL’s rookie catches (105) and receiving yards (1,486) records by in point of fact morphing into a second extremely-loyal possibility for quarterback Matthew Stafford. Nacua lined up predominantly on the outside of the line of scrimmage while Cooper Kupp does critical of his determine of the slot and over the guts of the sector.
Kupp himself has been plagued by injuries the final two seasons after his historical 2021 advertising and marketing campaign wherein he obtained Offensive Participant of the Yr and Grand Bowl MVP, nonetheless playing alongside Nacua might perchance allow for a revival in his thirties since defenses obtained’t be totally targeted on him anymore.
Atwell took his recreation up a notch with Kupp now not fully wholesome, virtually doubling his occupation receiving yards output and greater than doubling his occupation receiving touchdowns production. He’ll turn 25 in October, and playing alongside Kupp and Nacua will give him opportunities to compose performs against lesser defenders.
9. Minnesota Vikings
How big is Justin Jefferson? Properly, his occupation moderate of 98.3 receiving yards per recreation is the handiest in NFL historical past, and in 2023 he turned into handiest the third player in NFL historical past to total 1,000 or extra receiving yards while playing 10 or fewer video games in a season. Jefferson joined Chargers huge receiver Wes Chandler (1982) and Rams huge receiver Jim Benton (1945) as the handiest others to secure that feat.
Jefferson’s 2023 output is even extra extraordinary brooding about Kirk Cousins turned into as soon as misplaced early within the year with a torn Achilles. Addison, meanwhile, turned into lawful the third rookie in Minnesota historical past to own 10 receiving touchdowns of their debut season becoming a member of Sammy White and Pro Soccer Hall of Famer Randy Moss.
Minnesota is for the time being thin at WR3 after K.J. Osborn’s departure to the Fresh England Patriots, which is why they should always now not higher on this checklist.
8. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are ranked as highly as they are on the strength of their trio. Metcalf is one of lawful six avid gamers with 900 or extra receiving yards in each of his first five seasons, becoming a member of Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Mike Evans, A.J. Green and Terry McLaurin.
Metcalf also registered the third-absolute best share of his catches that went for either a first down or a touchdown in 2023 (78.8%). Lockett took a step encourage, seeing his four-season experience of getting over 1,000 yards arrive to an end in 2023, nonetheless Smith-Njigba completed the second half of of his rookie year solid. This neighborhood can proceed to ascend on the strength of Metcalf and Smith-Njigba’s vogue.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Evans is coming off one of his handiest seasons ever, co-leading the NFL in receiving touchdowns (13) along with Tyreek Hill while ranking ninth within the league in receiving yards (1,255). He has recorded over 1,000 receiving yards in all 10 of NFL seasons, and if he does so as soon as more in 2024, he’ll tie the GOAT Jerry Rice for the longest experience of 1,000-yard seasons in NFL historical past.
Godwin recorded his third 1,000-yard season in a row and fourth within the final five years while feasting out of the slot. Trey Palmer did now not dominate as a rookie, nonetheless his recreation-sealing 56-yard protect shut-and-bustle touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles within the NFC wild card round will seemingly be a signal of things to reach. He is presumably pushed for the third receiver situation in Tampa by 2024 third-round protect shut Jalen McMillian, who turned into as soon as a key contributor to the 2023 CFP runner-up Washington Huskies the final two seasons.
6. Philadelphia Eagles
Handiest two avid gamers own extra receiving yards than Brown (2,952) since he joined the Eagles in 2022: CeeDee Lamb (3,108) and Tyreek Hill (3,509). That is it. The 2 high single-season receiving yards totals in Philadelphia each belong to Brown for his 2022 (1,496) and 2023 (1,456) campaigns.
DeVonta Smith is ascending, totaling over 900 yards in all three seasons as neatly as over 1,000 in each of the final two. The Eagles’ No. 3 receiver situation has been a characteristic they’ve been unable to solidify over the final few years, nonetheless maybe extra encourage arrives within the draft later this month.
5. San Francisco 49ers
Brandon Aiyuk turned into as soon as quietly dominant in 2023. He led the NFL with 81.3% of his catches leading to either a first down or a touchdown. He averaged the second-most yards per protect shut within the league (17.9) while totaling the seventh-most receiving yards within the NFL (1,342). He is in a contract dispute for the time being, and he deserves each penny.
No huge receiver is extra poor after the protect shut than Deebo Samuel as evidenced by his 8.8 yards-after-protect shut moderate, the supreme among all NFL wideouts. Jennings nearly obtained Grand Bowl MVP as he turned into the second player in Grand Bowl historical past to throw and protect shut a touchdown within the Substantial Game, becoming a member of Slash Foles (2017 season). Then as soon as more, this trio might perchance commerce must either Samuel or Aiyuk be traded. Rookie huge receiver Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco’s first-round protect shut at 31st overall, might perchance push Jennings for the third receiver characteristic on the 49ers’ depth chart must Samuel and Aiyuk live within the Bay Set.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
Every of the Bengals’ Substantial Three — quarterback Joe Burrow and huge receivers Ja’Marr Flow and Tee Higgins — suffered by strategy of injuries final season. When all three are true physically, they are one of many scariest offenses in football.
Higher health in 2024 is nearly assured in keeping with regression to the imply, and their trio might perchance crimson meat up within the occasion that they are in a situation to carry Tyler Boyd encourage. He stays a free agent for the time being. Irwin might perchance lose his third receiver situation to rookie wideout Jermaine Burton, Cincy’s first of two third-round picks (80th overall).
3. Miami Dolphins
Tyreek Hill led the NFL in receiving yards while co-leading the league in receiving touchdowns along with Mike Evans. Naturally, he, clearly, also led the league in yards per route bustle (3.9).
In a little step encourage for Coast, who disregarded three video games with injuries, he totaled over 1,000 yards and 14.1 yards per protect shut. No longer nasty. Coast and Hill, who disregarded one recreation with a leg harm, can compose even greater seasons going ahead. Odell Beckham Jr. signing with the Dolphins on a one-year deal price up to $8.25 million gives Miami one more enormous title for their third receiver situation.
He averaged a occupation-excessive 16.1 yards per reception in 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens, which ranked as the seventh most within the total NFL among qualifying pass-catchers. Then as soon as more, Beckham has performed 35 of a probable 67 video games since 2020, at the side of the 2022 season that he sat out of totally while recovering from a torn ACL. If he struggles to live wholesome, maybe rookie Malik Washington, whom Miami selected within the sixth round, will seemingly be a component at that situation. Washington stood out as the most impressive player at the East-West Shrine Bowl earlier this offseason.
2. Chicago Bears
Handiest one trio on this checklist has extra than one avid gamers who totaled 1,200 or extra receiving yards in 2023: the Chicago Bears. Moore’s 1,364 receiving yards inappropriate as the fourth most in a single season in Bears historical past and the sixth most within the league, and Allen is coming off recording a occupation-excessive 108 catches, the sixth most within the NFL final season.
Every must rob pleasure in lining up alongside one more WR1-caliber expertise in Washington’s Rome Odunze, the ninth overall protect shut within the 2024 NFL Draft, while catching passes from 2024 first overall protect shut quarterback Caleb Williams. Odunze, a 2023 consensus All-American, led all of college football in receiving yards (1,640, Washington’s single-season document) and catches of 20 or extra air yards (23). Chicago adding that roughly deep threat to Moore and Allen ensures Williams will open his NFL occupation solid. The different of Odunze also vaulted this trio from sixth to second on this checklist.
1. Houston Texans
Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs mentioned it handiest when news broke that his older brother Stefon, a four-time Pro Bowl different and 2020 first-crew All-Pro, turned into as soon as being traded to the Houston: The Texans own three avid gamers who might perchance be the tip receiver on their dangle teams.
Diggs leads the NFL in catches precise by strategy of the final four seasons (445) since he turned into a Buffalo Invoice in 2020. Collins totaled the eighth-most receiving yards within the league final season while averaging 3.1 yards per route bustle, tied for the second most within the NFL with Brandon Aiyuk. He trailed handiest Tyreek Hill’s league-leading 3.9 yards-per-route-bustle moderate.
Dell’s seven receiving touchdowns by strategy of the principle 13 weeks of the season were tied for the fifth most within the total league sooner than he went down with a season-ending fibula harm that occurred while he turned into as soon as blockading on a aim line bustle. Every he and Collins are age 25 or youthful. Along with his return to health and Diggs’ arrival, the Texans enter 2024 as the league’s most poor trio of wideouts.
