6 NFL Players Who Could Shed the 'Bust' Label in 2024
For many young players, the upcoming 2024 NFL season represents what may be a final opportunity to make it in the league.
These players have earned the "bust" label after failing to produce consistently in the early stage of their careers and desperately need to turn things around now that their contracts are running down and chances to impress running out.
Some of these players have a much better opportunity than others to get their careers back on track. Whether they've gotten a fresh start by signing elsewhere, had a positional logjam cleared or finally seem healthy after struggling with injury in recent seasons, the potential for a turnaround is apparent.
With that in mind, here are six players who could seize their opportunity to shed the bust label and break out in 2024.
WR Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans
1 of 6
The Tennessee Titans' decision to move on from A.J. Brown and select Treylon Burks as his replacement in the 2022 draft hasn't been a shrewd one.
Brown has been sensational for the Philadelphia Eagles—who gave the wideout the long-term contract extension Tennessee was reticent to offer—and is coming off his third Pro Bowl appearance.
Burks, meanwhile, hasn't performed anywhere near that caliber and needs to turn things around quick after a rough start to his career.
The 24-year-old's rookie year culminated with 444 yards and one touchdown on 33 receptions. Instead of building on that pedestrian performance, he took a step back during his sophomore campaign. He finished 2023 with a meager 16 catches for 221 yards and zero touchdowns, abysmal contributions from a wideout who was expected to play a far greater role in Tennessee's offense.
While Burks' regression is concerning, injuries are partly responsible for his middling output. He has been limited to just 22 appearances since entering the NFL—suiting up for 11 in each of his first two seasons—and his development was hamstrung by a lack of serviceable quarterback talent and a limited offensive scheme deployed by the previous regime.
The Arkansas product was paired with a washed-up Ryan Tannehill before Tennessee swapped in rookie second-round pick Will Levis midway through last season. While the wideout didn't display instant chemistry with his new quarterback, they did link up for 62 yards on three catches in Week 15 against the Texans and should further develop their rapport throughout the upcoming offseason.
Burks also stands to benefit from the head coaching change the Titans made. Going from the defensive-minded Mike Vrabel to Brian Callahan, who orchestrated a potent Cincinnati Bengals offense for the last half-decade, should pay dividends.
Tennessee's passing offense is likely to see a significant boost under Callahan, especially after veteran running back Derrick Henry—the focal point of the team's offensive plans during Burks' two NFL seasons—departed as a free agent.
Don't forget that the Titans' receiving corps added a key free agent in Calvin Ridley, who figures to start across from incumbent No. 1 wideout DeAndre Hopkins. Those two proven pass-catchers will demand defensive attention, making it far easier for Burks to exploit holes in the defense from the slot and wherever else Callahan schemes the third-year talent in the lineup.
WR Chase Claypool, Buffalo Bills
2 of 6
Chase Claypool landed with the Buffalo Bills this spring in what could be his last chance to prove he still belongs in the NFL. It's a stunning change of fortune for a player who was once considered one of the better value selections in the 2020 draft.
The 25-year-old made a name for himself shortly after the Pittsburgh Steelers took him in the second round that year, piling up 62 receptions on 109 targets for 873 yards and nine scores as a rookie.
Unfortunately, those numbers represent the high-water mark of Claypool's career, one that has been in a steady downward spiral in the years since. His sophomore season wasn't particularly bad—he caught another 59 balls for 860 yards and two touchdowns—but his poor showing in the first half of the 2022 campaign led the Steelers to move on at the trade deadline.
Claypool failed to rejuvenate his career with the Chicago Bears, tallying just 18 catches on 43 targets for 191 yards and one touchdown in the 10 games he played for them.
The Bears gave up on the wideout less than a year after acquiring him and shipped him to the Miami Dolphins in November. His cup of coffee in South Beach only resulted in four catches for 26 yards over nine contests, setting him up to become an unremarkable free-agent pickup for the Bills last month.
Despite his regression, there's still plenty of reason to believe Claypool can thrive with the Bills.
The Notre Dame product should get ample opportunity in western New York. Buffalo's receiving corps is desperate for veteran contributors after the franchise dealt away No. 1 wideout Stefon Diggs and let playmaker Gabe Davis walk on the open market.
Josh Allen represents the best quarterback Claypool has worked with. The battery now has a full offseason to get up to speed, valuable prep time the receiver didn't get at his last two stops after coming over in midseason trades.
If the speedy, athletic 6'4", 238-pound pass-catcher can tap into the talent that made him a rookie sensation, the Bills will be getting incredible value on the one-year "prove-it" deal he has inked with them.
LB Nakobe Dean, Philadelphia Eagles
3 of 6
It wasn't too long ago that the Philadelphia Eagles were earning praise for their pickup of linebacker Nakobe Dean with the No. 83 overall selection in the 2022 draft.
However, while the Eagles were getting a player many felt would be a first-round talent late on Day 2, the 23-year-old hasn't lived up to that hype during his first two NFL seasons.
Injury red flags caused Dean to plummet out of Round 1, but they didn't play much of a role in his rookie disappointments. He was active for every game but only saw consistent action on special teams, resulting in his first professional season ending with a meager 13 tackles.
Injuries struck when the Georgia product's role finally increased in 2023, though.
After earning a starting linebacker job in training camp, the sophomore opened the year logging 49 defensive snaps—more than he earned in all of 2022—and recorded seven tackles in the contest.
A foot issue kept him sidelined for a month after that, and his return lasted just four games before a Lisfranc injury forced him back to the sidelines for the rest of Philadelphia's disappointing campaign.
Dean will get another chance at realizing his potential this coming season, but he must capitalize and show he can stay healthy. With his back to the wall, he should answer the call and show out, especially with esteemed defensive coordinator Vic Fangio taking over for Sean Desai in the City of Brotherly Love.
Expect Dean to emerge from training camp as the Eagles' starting off-ball linebacker again, but this time make a huge leap. He's been on the cusp of a breakout for some time and simply needs to stay on the field to reach his ceiling in 2024.
.jpg?w=256 "PATRIOTS-VRABEL")
DT Javon Kinlaw, New York Jets
4 of 6
The New York Jets drew criticism earlier this offseason after inking Javon Kinlaw to a one-year deal worth $7.25 million.
The concerns were fair, given the contract paid the South Carolina product like a top-30 defensive tackle for the 2024 season—a status he certainly didn't attain during his four-year run with the San Francisco 49ers.
Kinlaw was a relative disappointment in the Bay Area. After getting selected No. 14 overall in 2020, he failed to develop into a reliable starter, let alone the potential star that his draft position would suggest.
After recording 33 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 14 games as a rookie, he went on to appear in just 10 total contests between the 2021-22 seasons due to injury.
Those durability issues led to San Francisco declining Kinlaw's fifth-year option and letting him hit the open market after a bounce-back campaign (one in which he played in all 17 games and notched a career-high 3.5 sacks) in 2024.
Despite the lack of production, the 26-year-old may finally develop into a quality defensive tackle in the Big Apple. He was quite strong against the pass in 2023, recording nine pressures, three hurries and two knockdowns to go along with his sack count while only seeing the field for a total of 476 defensive snaps on the year.
He's almost certainly going to figure heavily into Gang Green's interior pass-rushing plans, but he may get the opportunity to bring up his run defense too.
Even if Kinlaw doesn't develop into a well-rounded defensive tackle, he should still get plenty of usage as a situational pass-rusher. The Jets have found success with deep rotations in the defensive trenches under head coach Robert Saleh, and it could be a huge boon to have one of the league's more promising interior disruptors taking down quarterbacks in clear passing scenarios.
If Kinlaw can build off his promising showing last year, stay on the field and constantly create havoc in the backfield, he'll not only live up to his current deal but also set himself up for a long-term contract next spring.
Edge David Ojabo, Baltimore Ravens
5 of 6
The Baltimore Ravens took a chance on David Ojabo two years ago despite some glaring red flags that he wouldn't pan out.
The Michigan edge-rusher was a known injury risk heading into the 2022 draft, where he was considered a Day 1 prospect prior to suffering an Achilles tear during his pro day.
That ailment directly led to Ojabo falling to the Ravens at No. 45 overall and the subsequent slow start his NFL career has gotten off to. He spent most of his rookie campaign sidelined, making only three appearances in total and recording just a single sack in the 2022 season finale.
While Ojabo's first year was always going to be a rough one due to his Achilles rehabilitation, his highly anticipated sophomore season also turned out to be a bust.
The 23-year-old opened the campaign figuring to be a key part of Baltimore's pass-rushing rotation and logged a sack in the opener. He played a career-high 70 percent of the defensive snaps in Week 2 and even earned his first career start the following game.
Injuries would rear their head again, though. Ojabo landed on the IR with knee and ankle issues ahead of Week 4, and although the hope was that he would return at some point, he was ultimately shut down for the entire year after opting for surgery on his partially torn ACL.
It's clear the Ravens can't rely on Ojabo at this point, but he could still be a nice surprise for their defense in 2024—at least if he manages to stay on the field. He hasn't been awful during his limited action, even earning an impressive 81.5 PFF grade for his work as a rookie.
His career stats of seven tackles, three pressures, two sacks and two QB hits aren't terrible for a young prospect who has barely breached 100 defensive snaps in the NFL, either.
Considering Ojabo still possesses all the unteachable candidates teams covet in their edge defenders, including great size and athleticism, there is still time for him to get things back on track. He's shown flashes in the limited time he's been available and should be able to build on that if he can avoid another lengthy injury absence in 2024.
QB Zach Wilson, Denver Broncos
6 of 6
Zach Wilson may well be the latest in a long line of first-round quarterback busts, but there is still a glimmer of hope for the 2021 No. 2 overall pick.
His nightmare tenure in New York, which saw him go 12-21 as a starter and toss more interceptions than touchdowns over the last three seasons, mercifully concluded when the Jets traded him to the Denver Broncos on April 23.
It's an ideal landing spot for Wilson, a place where he'll have a fair opportunity to rehab his downtrodden career.
If Wilson is ever going to realize the potential that made him such a lofty pick three years ago, it's likely going to be under Sean Payton.
The Broncos head coach won a Super Bowl and was a perennial contender during his time with the New Orleans Saints largely due to his potent offensive system and partnership with future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees.
While Wilson isn't the second coming of Brees by any stretch of the imagination, it's possible Payton will be able wring the most out of the signal-caller after his talents were mismanaged by Gang Green. The coach notably maximized Brees' abilities following his polarizing tenure with the San Diego Chargers and helped the prolific passer earn 12 of his 13 career Pro Bowl nods.
Wilson should get a fair shot to earn the QB1 role in 2024, even after the Broncos wound up nabbing a potential franchise quarterback in Bo Nix just days after acquiring him.
History appears to be on Wilson's side, as Payton has rarely deployed rookies under center during his head coaching career. Prior to selecting Nix at No. 12 overall this year, he had drafted just four signal-callers in total—and none in the first round—and gave only one (Ian Book in 2015) a start during their first season.
The competition between Wilson, Nix and journeyman Jarrett Stidham for the starting job projects to be fierce.
If Wilson emerges from this three-way battle as Payton's top choice, the 24-year-old likely displayed enough skill and growth to run an effective NFL offense. While he may never live up to his No. 2 overall billing, he should prove he's no bust with a strong showing in Denver.
.jpg?w=480 "PATRIOTS-VRABEL")
.jpg?w=480 "NFL Combine Football")
.jpg?w=480 "Cowboys Draft Football")
