6 NFL Teams That Must Win Now or Make Significant Changes in 2024

We can place most teams in a few categories: rebuilding, win-now mode and developing a young core. Those classifications help us adjust our projections for each team.

That being said, clubs that fall short of high expectations in the upcoming season could make major changes in 2024.

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis and general manager Dave Ziegler have made it clear how they view this year's team, though they refuse to use a specific buzzword, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic:

"The Raiders won't use the 'rebuilding' word out of deference to Adams and defensive star Maxx Crosby, but Ziegler and owner Mark Davis have both said they won't judge the 2023 season on the number of wins. They are looking for improvement from what they hope is a young core of players."

Apparently, Davis and Ziegler need to see more roster development before they can base the success or failure of a season on the Raiders' win-loss record.

Across the league, several teams have more pressure to not only win games but also make the playoffs. Generally, these clubs have underachieved, trended in the wrong direction or made incremental steps toward postseason contention over the previous few years.

We'll highlight six teams that need a playoff berth or a postseason win to preserve quarterback, head coaching and general manager jobs in 2024.

Cleveland Browns

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Browns general manager Andrew Berry

Last offseason, the Cleveland Browns went all in with Deshaun Watson. Despite his 22 pending civil cases of sexual assault and misconduct during massage sessions, the Browns acquired the quarterback from the Houston Texans and signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract.

General manager Andrew Berry's decision to acquire and sign Watson to a lucrative deal with the circumstances around the signal-caller deserved criticism. Aside from that, the Browns face pressure because of the way they built their roster over the past year.

Before Cleveland added Watson, it traded for four-time Pro Bowl wideout Amari Cooper. This offseason, the team acquired three-time Pro Bowl edge-rusher Za'Darius Smith.

By the way, the club has the fourth-most cap dollars allocated to its offensive line with an edge-rusher (Myles Garrett) and running back (Nick Chubb), who both rank in the top four at their respective positions in average annual salary, per Spotrac.

Cleveland has a veteran roster with multiple Pro Bowl and All-Pro players on both sides of the ball. Clearly, they're in win-now mode with a head coach in Kevin Stefanski who's won fewer games each year after leading the club to the playoffs in 2020.

If the Browns fail to clinch a playoff berth this year, Berry could get the boot, or he may find a new head coach to take a team with established veterans over the hump.

Detroit Lions

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Quarterback Jared Goff and head coach Dan Campbell.

While it seems odd to believe the Detroit Lions face any sort of win-now situation after missing the postseason in six consecutive campaigns, they have brought the expectations upon themselves.

Last year, they finished 9-8, registering a winning record for the first time since their last playoff year in 2017. Detroit won five of its last six contests as one of the hottest teams between December and January.

This year, the Lions have become a trendy pick to win the NFC North. In fact, they're favored to win the division (+140) with the Minnesota Vikings, which won the NFC North last year, getting the second-best odds (+275) on DraftKings books.

Now, combine the media hype and favorable odds with the excitement of the fanbase. For the first time in the Lions' history at Ford Field (dating back to 2002), they've sold out their home games.

At every level, NFL aficionados have taken a sip of Lions Kool-Aid. And with so much attention on the franchise, Detroit must deal with the imminent pressure.

If the Lions tumble back into sub-.500 territory, general manager Brad Holmes or head coach Dan Campbell, who's won 37 percent of games as the team's lead skipper, could lose their jobs. Perhaps the Lions look to replace Jared Goff in next year's potentially quarterback-rich draft class.

Los Angeles Chargers

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Chargers head coach Brandon Staley

In recent years, the Los Angeles Chargers have become, arguably, the NFL's biggest underachievers. Under head coach Brandon Staley, they've fallen deeper into the pit of disappointment.

Justin Herbert is regarded as one of the league's top quarterbacks. In The Athletic's yearly QB tiers, which polls league executives and coaches, he ranked fifth overall on the first tier.

In 2020, the 25-year-old broke rookie records and won Offensive Rookie of the Year. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in the following campaign. Last season, he played through a rib injury and still completed a career-high 477 passes, leading an offense that ranked third in passing yards.

Despite all of Herbert's accolades and impressive numbers, the Chargers have zero playoff wins with him under center. On top of that, they lost in embarrassing fashion to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 AFC Wild Card Round, squandering a 27-0 lead.

If the Chargers underachieve again, Herbert isn't going anywhere. Los Angeles signed him to a five-year, $262.5 million extension in July. General manager Tom Telesco seems safe as well. Since 2021, he may have drafted three long-term starting offensive linemen with the addition of Rashawn Slater, who is a Pro Bowler, Zion Johnson and Jamaree Salyer.

Staley should be on the hot seat going into the 2023 season. In the past, he's made questionable decisions in fourth-down scenarios and drew criticism for playing his starters in the final game of the 2022 season, which didn't have any impact on the team's seeding. In that contest, wideout Mike Williams was carted off the field with a back injury.

Even more concerning, the Chargers have ranked 20th or worse in points and yards allowed under Staley, who has a defensive coaching background. If star edge-rushers Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa stay healthy, he must field a stronger defensive unit this year.

Most importantly for Staley's job security, the Chargers need a playoff win with one of the league's ascending quarterbacks.

New England Patriots

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Bill Belichick

The New England Patriots have won so much in the 21st century (six Super Bowls) that you may have overlooked their recent shortcomings, but owner Robert Kraft has taken note of the team's early playoff exits and non-winning seasons.

According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (h/t Bleacher Report's Paul Kasabian), people around head coach Bill Belichick have concerns about his job security.

"Robert Kraft already made it clear in March that he wants the Patriots to make the postseason and win a playoff game for the first time in five years," he wrote.

"He also paid Jerod Mayo handsomely to keep him off the coaching market and likely views him as the team's coach-in-waiting. And Belichick's friends have privately said they are worried that he is on the hot seat in 2023."

Also, keep in mind that Belichick had some friction with quarterback Mac Jones over the direction of last year's offense with Matt Patricia and Joe Judge involved in the play-calling.

This offseason, Patricia accepted a senior defensive assistant position with the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Patriots hired Bill O'Brien to fill the offensive coordinator role. Even with the coaching changes, Jones doesn't sound completely sure he's on good terms with Belichick.

On the other hand, Kraft has publicly backed the 24-year-old.

"We are blessed to have a great young quarterback in Mac Jones as our quarterback," Kraft told Neil Cavuto of Coast to Coast on the Fox Business channel (h/t Evan Lazar of the team's official website). "I'm a strong believer in him and his development."

If the Patriots miss the playoffs for consecutive years for the first time since 1999-2000 or Belichick remains at odds with Jones, Kraft may elevate Mayo to replace the iconic head coach.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles

Most prognosticators expect the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to regress without Tom Brady, who retired in February. But don't say that to offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs or cornerback Carlton Davis, who expect the team to play at a high level with Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask under center.

For the most part, the optimism around the Buccaneers doesn't extend outside their locker room, and the team may be on the cusp of a rebuild.

And Todd Bowles should feel the temperature rise on his head coaching seat.

As a lead skipper, the 59-year-old has a 34-50 record, going 2-1 as an interim head coach with the Miami Dolphins, 24-40 with the New York Jets and 8-9 in Tampa Bay for the 2022 term. In five years as a full-time head coach, he has one winning season.

Though the Buccaneers won the 2022 NFC South title, they won it in a subpar division that finished without a team over .500. Secondly, Bowles, who's a former defensive coordinator, fielded a unit that struggled in key areas last year. Tampa Bay surrendered the fifth-most passing touchdowns, ranked 26th in defensive red-zone scoring percentage and ranked 19th in rushing yards allowed per carry.

While offensive coordinator Dave Canales has the responsibility of putting Mayfield or Trask in the best position to succeed with Pro Bowl wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on the perimeter, Bowles must tighten up the defense and get the Buccaneers back over .500 to bolster his head coaching resume.

Washington Commanders

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Commanders head coach Ron Rivera

The Washington Commanders have yet to finish a season with a winning record under head coach Ron Rivera.

In fairness to the 61-year-old, Washington won the NFC East title in 2020, but it had a 7-9 record in a poor division. Since his arrival, the Commanders have hovered around .500 as a mediocre team without an offensive identity.

This offseason, Rivera hired Eric Bieniemy to elevate an offense that has ranked 20th or worse in each of the previous three seasons, but that move hasn't gone over well with some players.

Rivera told reporters that players have expressed "a little concern" with Bieniemy's coaching style.

"I had a number of guys come to me and I said, 'Hey, just go talk to him.' I said, 'Understand what he's trying to get across to you,'" he said. "As they go and they talk and they listen to him, it's been enlightening for a lot of these guys. I mean, it's a whole different approach."

While talking to former NFL safety Ryan Clark on The Pivot podcast, wideout Terry McLaurin had a different perspective of Bieniemy's approach.

"I think I've noticed, even from my journey at Ohio State (I learned that) where you gain more through the unselfishness," McLaurin said. "You gain more when you put yourself on the side and putting all you can in for the team. I think EB breathes that."

Bieniemy will work with journeyman Jacoby Brissett and second-year pro Sam Howell as they compete for the starting quarterback job, which isn't a bright outlook for the Commanders' passing attack.

Nonetheless, players may respond well to Bieniemy if the team puts up more points than it did in recent years and contends for a playoff spot. But if Washington struggles, especially on the offensive side of the ball, the front office may have to wipe the coaching-staff slate clean in 2024.

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Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.