Ohhhh this is late - but it's better than never. Defensive units in the NFL are hard to evaluate as a whole - because you have 11 guys contributing on every play. The team has to be in sync, disciplined, and ready to change their assignment in a flash - and some teams are taking strides in the right direction. Others.. not so much. Here's where I think the 2024 Defensive Units will rank for this year's Fantasy Football Season... Stats for this post were pulled from both CBS Fantasy, and StatMuse.
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers have become one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL. How they haven't won a Super Bowl yet is beyond me - but they have an elite offense, and a top-notch defense. In the AJFFL 2023 Regular Season, the 49ers posted up 135pts in 14 games, adding 23 more points in the final three weeks of the AJFFL postseason. They ended up as the Number 3 defense in the AJFFL with an impressive 0.81 RelVal, including 48 sacks and 28 turnovers (22INT, 6FR). This defensive unit allowed the 8th fewest yards to opponents through 18 weeks (even though we only play 17, some stats can't be separated unless I track them - and I just don't have the time to do it all lol), and the 3rd fewest Points Against. The 49ers lost a few big names to Free Agency... Arik Armstead (DE) signed in Jacksonville, Chase Young (DE) went to New Orleans, and Javon Kinlaw (DT) went to the Jets. To combat some of the losses, the 49ers stepped up and added Leonard Floyd (OLB) from Buffalo, Yetur Gross-Matos (DE) from Carolina, and Jordan Elliot (DT) from Cleveland. They're clearly the top-unit heading into the season - even if they lost some firepower on the D-line.
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens have been a defensive force for years. Many, many years. In the last 10 to 20 years, they seem to find themselves at the top of the NFL and it's a whirlwind of how. One thing that they're going to really struggle with is the loss of DC Mike Macdonald. The former Michigan Wolverine/Baltimore Ravens DC was announced as the Seattle Seahawks Head Coach on January 31st - just a few days after the Ravens were eliminated from the postseason. In addition to Macdonald, the Ravens also lost three starters over the offseason - Patrick Queen (ILB) signed with Pittsburgh, Jadeveon Clowney (DE) went home to the Carolina Panthers, and Geno Stone (S) signed a 2 year deal with Cincinnati. Let's talk stats though - the Ravens led the league with 60 sacks last year, and created 31 turnovers (18INT, 13FR). They also tout the 6th fewest yards against and the fewest points against in the 2023 season - something to hang your hat on if you're a Ravens fan. To say this team would regress substantially would be a mistake in my eyes - I still think this is a Top-5 Defensive unit at worst.
Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones could fire Mike McCarthy and hire my old high school football coach and the Cowboys would be just fine on either side of the ball. Dan Quinn was relieved of his duties after some internal turmoil caused rifts amongst the coaching staff and players - and the Cowboys decided to hire former Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer to take over the back-end. There's little concern with the Cowboys defense - Dorance Armstrong (DE) is the only notable player who signed elsewhere in Free Agency (with Washington), even if they didn't really address any glaring needs in Free Agency. As a matter of fact, only one player was signed by Dallas in FA - Eric Kendricks (ILB) from LAC. Jayron Kearse (S) and Stephon Gilmore (CB) are still a free agents, and the Cowboys Front Office doesn't seem too concerned about bringing them back. Gilmore will be 34 by the start of the season, so it might not be in the Cowboys best interest anyway - especially since they extended C.J Goodwin and Jourdan Lewis this offseason. Kearse saw Dallas sign three Undrafted Free Agent Safety's this spring too - so there's a pretty good chance he's looking elsewhere for work too. One of the big reasons the Cowboys were so high on people's boards last year (and this upcoming season) is their defensive unit seems to find the endzone for 6pts more than any other defense in the league. In the last three seasons, the Dallas Cowboys Defense/Special Teams has 19 Touchdowns. Only the New England Patriots are threatening in that department, with 11 of their own. So a quick glance of the numbers: The Cowboys created 26 Turnovers last year (17INT, 9FR) and ranked 5th in Yards Against - while matching their pace (5th) for Points Against last year. Too many signs point to this team being a threat once again - and a Top-10 finish should be guaranteed - although falling out of the Top-5 is a serious possibility with how little they've changed, and how much their competition is trying to upgrade...
Detroit Lions You didn't think I would do it, did you? Well guess what - the Detroit Lions are my underdog defense of the year. This team addressed their offense last season, and this offseason has targeted their defense as a whole to upgrade. And that they did - adding Carlton Davis (CB) in a trade with Tampa Bay, and then signing Amik Robertson (CB), Marcus Davenport (DE), and DJ Reader (DT) in he first few days of Free Agency. The Lions then extended Khalil Dorsey (CB) and Kindle Vildor (CB) for one more year each - while letting Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Benito Jones, and Will Harris walk. Detroit also cut Cameron Sutton - but that's a whole 'nother story. Detroit has been building a lot over the last few years, and their defense is improving. Last year's line ended with 41 Sacks and 22 Turnovers (16INT, 6FR). They ranked 19th in Yards Against, and 22nd in Points Against last year... but again, they're addressing the elephant in the room. This team could finish as high as a Top-5 Defensive Unit, but they could just as easily finish 15th. It's all about team chemistry, and we will have a more clear picture of where they fall in the NFL rankings come mid-August.
Cleveland Browns The NFL's best defensive unit from 2023 is still a Top-10 Defense, mark my words. After being #1 in fewest yards allowed in 2023, the Cleveland Browns are hoping to be back in the mix for another playoff run this fall. Their defensive performance of 49 sacks and 28 Turnovers (18INT, 10FR) last season was quite the pace to set - and then they topped it off with allowing the 7th fewest points. What more does DeShawn Watson and company need? The Browns lost a few key defensive players, like Jordan Elliot (DT) to San Francisco, and Michael Ford (CB) to Houston - but they extended Za'Darius Smith (OLB), Shelby Harris (DT), and Maurice Hurst (DT) while adding Jordan Hicks (ILB), Quinton Jefferson (DT), Devin Bush (ILB), Justin Hardee (CB) and Tony Brown (CB). The numbers speak for themselves, and their performances are what separates them from the pack. Cleveland should be one of the first defense's off the board this fall for their steady presence, but there's definitely a chance they're overlooked due to the fact that they're... well, the Cleveland Browns.
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills have been an offensive powerhouse over the last few seasons, and their defense is keeping up the best they can. They finished ranked as the 5th Best Defense in the AJFFL last season - which is something to celebrate. One thing to note though - they're getting older. Buffalo had quite a few moves this offseason, including a trade that sent Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. With the extra cap space they were able to acquire, the Bills resigned a plethora of players - starting with DaQuan Jones (DT), Cam Lewis (CB), and AJ Epenesa (DE). That's partially because they also lost seven players from their defensive corps... Leonard Floyd (OLB) went to San Fran, Dane Jackson (CB) signed with Carolina - Tim Settle (DT) is now in Houston, while Tre-Davious White (CB) went further west to the Rams. Jordan Poyer (FS) and Siran Neal (S) took low-cap deals with the Miami Dolphins, while Jordan Phillips (DE) signed with the Giants and Poona Ford (DE) went to the Chargers. So what does that mean for the Bills? Well, they addressed a lot of those holes in the draft and Free Agency - starting with Austin Johnson (DT) from the Chargers, and Mike Edwards (S) from KC. There's always depth to add, but with the experience the Bills lost - a warm body might be better than trying to find studs - especially considering their cap-situation. Enough player talk though, the Bills posted 54 sacks last season with 30 Turnovers (18INT, 12FR) in 2023. Buffalo finished 9th in yards allowed and 3rd in points against - but with all these changes, this might be the most volatile D/ST among the group. Their ceiling is quite high - and could be a Top-5 Defense... but that's if all the additions they made this offseason go swimmingly. Lets be honest, though... the Bills luck is not good. Don't be surprised if they fall out of the Top-10 this fall.
Seattle Seahawks The biggest signing of the offseason for Seattle's Defense wasn't Leonard Williams (DE) who inked a 3 year, $64.5M contract extension with the franchise - but during the NFL Playoffs when they announced the hiring of Mike Macdonald from Baltimore. The defensive guru wanted to become a coordinator and coach, so after a few years as a defensive assistant and positional coach, he took a trip back to the University of Michigan in 2021 to gain experience as a DC. After one year in Ann Arbor, Macdonald returned to the Ravens and reignited their defense - making them one of the most dangerous defenses in the league. Macdonald has finally earned a chance to be a NFL Head Coach, and what better team to do it for than the Seahawks. Seattle has a lot of defensive talent on their team, and they've been known to stir things up from time to time. But now with Macdonald, the Hawks might be taking a huge step in the right direction - defensively, at least. The Seahawks didn't do great last year as a defensive unit, they ranked near the bottom of the league in Points Allowed (28th) and even worse in Yards Allowed. Despite the low metrics, they were able to find the QB 47 times, while creating 19 Turnovers (11INT, 8FR). Will they be a longshot to make the Top-10? Absolutely. But I would take a flier on them just in case - Macdonald has done some impressive work in the last 5 years alone. Don't be surprised if they come out with a purpose.
Pittsburgh Steelers Every year, experts pick Mike Tomlin to finally fall below the .500 mark. And every year, Mike Tomlin finds a way to prove them wrong. I don't know how to make sense of it... I really don't. Last year, Pittsburgh ended their campaign with the 9th fewest Points Against, despite finishing 21st in Yards Allowed. The Steelers earned 47 sacks with 27 Turnovers (16INT, 11FR) - and they still found a way to a 10-7 finish with a Wild Card Playoff Berth. Is this the year Tomlin's luck finally runs out? I wouldn't bet on it... considering the track record mentioned above. Their defensive unit can still sign a few aging names from last season (Patrick Peterson - CB, Markus Golden - OLB, Blake Martinez - ILB, etc), but officially they haven't lost anyone substantial to another team yet. They did add quite a few faces back into the mold, though. Patrick Queen (ILB) signed a 3-year deal, while Deshon Elliot (S) and Dean Lowry (DE) jumped on board for two years. Not to mention the resigning of Miles Killebrew (S) and Montravius Adams (DE) - this defensive corps hasn't changed much this offseason. They even welcomed back an old face - Cameron Sutton - who was released by the Lions following an off-field legal dispute. That being said, Pittsburgh has a reputation for being a strong defensive team - and this upcoming season shouldn't be any different.
Houston Texans Talk about a team that came out of nowhere... DeMeco Ryans lit a fire NO BODY expected in a young Houston Texans team earning themselves a division championship in the process. This year - they're coming into the season with a big target on their backs... but they did their homework this offseason and added some BIG pieces to help. We will start with the departures, as they lost some aging players like Sheldon Rankins (DT) and Denzel Perryman (ILB), but they also saw some key playmakers leave in Free Agency - like Jonathan Greenard (DE). However... the additions firmly outweigh the subtractions... The Texans added Danielle Hunter (OLB), Denico Autry (DE) and Tim Settle (DT) on multi-year deals, while picking up Foley Fatukasi (DE) from division rival Jacksonville - and former #3 Overall Pick Jeff Okudah (CB). That's just the top of the swamp - Houston signed 14 players to contracts this year, while seven players from last year's squad still remain on the market. For a middling defense (14th in Yards Against, 14th in Points Allowed), they made quite the impact around the league with how dangerous they can be. Houston tallied 46 sacks and 24 Turnovers (14INT, 10FR), finishing the AJFFL in 16th after the AJFFL Regular Season. I fully expect them to climb the ranks - even if everyone in their division is out for blood.
Jacksonville Jaguars I am high on this team for some reason, and I can't really explain why. They weren't anything special last year - or the year prior... or the year before that. They've added a few big defensive assets over the years, but nothing that's going to take them from 'Division Contenders' to 'Conference Favorite'... but they're still making my Top-10. The Jag's finished the AJFFL Regular Season ranked 18th among defenses, pulling the QB down 40 times and earning 27 Turnovers (16INT, 11FR). That's not very "elite"... but then again, the second-half of this list is pretty bland. Maybe I'm off my rocker and it's time I take a break from writing. Personnel wise, the Jaguars lost Darious Williams (CB), Rayshawn Jenkins (S), and Foley Futakasi (DE) from their main rotations, but they added a few big names as well. Staring with Arik Armstead (DE) and Darnell Savage (S), Jacksonville was also able to acquire Ronald Darby (CB) before hitting the draft. With three players from last years squad still unsigned, Doug Pederson's defense definitely took a step in the right direction. Will it be enough? I'd be willing to put $5 on it... but then again, I'm not very good at sports gambling, either.
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