Make or break: 15 NFL players (hey, Tua Tagovailoa) who really need a big 2024 season

At long last, NFL players have to put their money where their mouth is. After listening to the entire offseason news cycle about how guys are "in the best shape of their lives" or how "they've turned a corner with their focus and their playbook," this opening NFL weekend will finally put to rest any undue narratives about players who still have to earn their keep in the league.

That's right. As we preview the 2024 NFL season, it's make-or-break time for so many established veterans.

The players on the list below are all make-or-break for their own unique reasons. Some are already proven difference-makers who sometimes leave too much to be desired. Some are younger pieces chomping at the bit to make the leap and become household names in their own right. Others are either trying to rebound from challenging recent seasons or trying to keep on a happy smile in dire circumstances. It's a delicate balance.

Let's take a look at some of the prominent NFL vets who really need a massive 2024 season for their respective teams.

1. TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

As a rookie in 2021, Pitts looked like he would live up to the immense hype. He was the first Pro Bowl rookie tight end in 20 years and became only the second rookie tight end ever to eclipse at least 1,000 receiving yards. While it's not entirely his fault, that initial goodwill has dissipated over the last two seasons. Pitts has languished in an anemic Falcons offense that has previously had no idea how to get the ball to its playmakers. His total receiving production from a yard and catches perspective from 2022-2023 is almost equivalent to his total production from his rookie season.

It's ... not great, folks.

Pitts will have no more excuses now that an actual professional quarterback, Kirk Cousins, is calling the offensive signals and slinging the ball around in Atlanta. If Pitts can't find his top form this year, it's not likely he ever will again.

2. QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

Let me make one thing clear: I believe in Richardson. A lot. I think he has the potential to be a top-10, even a top-five quarterback for most of his NFL career. He is that good and that gifted. But there's no denying that his shoulder injury from last year -- that forced him to have early season-ending surgery -- threw a wrench into matters. While talented, Richardson needs a lot of work and time to tune the finer details of playing quarterback at the highest level, just like any rookie. The Colts are at the dangerous point where they now have some expectations, while their signal-caller has to develop. It's a volatile, pressure-filled mix for any young quarterback that sometimes results in disaster.

Fortunately, Richardson is positioned well to succeed with Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen, who has become something of a quarterback whisperer. Make no mistake. There are no excuses. The cyborg from Florida has to deliver no matter what.

3. WR Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

Poll any regular observer of NFL football, and most would probably say Higgins is comfortably the best "WR2" in the league. Most would probably say that Higgins could shine in a larger role as the top option on a majority of other NFL teams' rosters. They would be right on both counts, making Higgins' 2024 that much more paramount. You see, Higgins is playing on a franchise tag. And the Bengals, after extending Joe Burrow and (presumably, eventually) doing the same for Ja'Marr Chase, are more than likely not going to bring Higgins back after this year. That is, unless they want to back up another Brinks truck they don't have in their possession.

During this revitalized era of Cincinnati football, Higgins has always been the X-factor, that one extra player the opposition couldn't properly account for. In a contract year on one of the Super Bowl favorites, Higgins could use a dominant season as he prepares to live in a new NFL city next year.

4. LT Charles Cross, Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks have championed Charles Cross as the next face of their trenches. Rightfully so. The former top-10 draft pick from two springs ago has steadily grown into a reliable player who looks like he's on the precipice of becoming a foundational franchise piece in the Pacific Northwest. On a somewhat shaky Seahawks offensive line featuring reclamation projects (George Fant, Laken Tomlinson) and injured goods (Connor Williams), Seattle could use a leap into stardom by Cross. I'm talking about a Pro Bowl selection, at minimum, as the anchor of a formerly high-flying Seahawks offense trying to rebound from a stilted 2023 campaign. It all starts with Cross' continued hopeful ascendance up front.

5. DE Leonard Floyd, San Francisco 49ers

After carving out a solid medium-term career with the Chicago Bears, Floyd has transformed into a valuable NFL mercenary, doling out his sought-after edge-rushing abilities to any championship contender that needs that one last extra-special pass-rushing piece. This year, it's the San Francisco 49ers, who are pairing Floyd with perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Nick Bosa on their defensive line. Floyd is part an Arik Armstead replacement and part one of the 49ers' lifeboats as they try to survive the early part of their NFC title defense without an injured Dre Greenlaw.

Anything less than another 10-sack campaign with around 20 quarterback hits for Floyd would be a disappointment for a San Francisco team trying to keep its conference crown.

6. CB Jaycee Horn, Carolina Panthers

Horn has demonstrated why he was once a top-10 draft selection when he's been present on the field. At his finest, he is one of the NFL's better cornerbacks, a dynamic athlete who can run stride for stride with even the most explosive playmakers. The issue is that Horn has seldom been on the field in his three NFL seasons because of injuries. Of an available 51 total games, Horn has appeared in 22 of them. That is not going to cut it if he expects to have an extended, successful career in Charlotte or ... anywhere.

I'm not worried about Horn playing well. I'm worried about him staying on the field enough to make any of that matter. Playing most of his games in 2024 would go a long way.

7. CB Trent McDuffie, Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs let former No. 1 cornerback L'Jarius Sneed walk for one sound reason: They love Trent McDuffie. Even in a primary No. 2 role last season, McDuffie showed off enough aptitude and high-level competence on his coverage island to suggest he could be a future superstar in the Kansas City defense. As the Big Red Machine prepares to attain the first three-peat of the modern NFL era, it will need all hands on deck to hold off a stacked gauntlet of competition. McDuffie, who is stepping up to replace one of the Chiefs' more critical players from their repeat, has to lead that charge.

8. QB Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

When everything is gelling for the Dolphins, when they're in a comfortable rhythm, Tagovailoa looks virtually unstoppable. He's a man with impeccable timing and touch who understands his receivers' responsibilities so well that you swear he can read their minds. The catch is what happens when a modicum of adversity strikes, as it does for every single NFL quarterback. Because the moment Tagovailoa is forced to improvise and work out of structure, he is often the picture of panic. The Miami offense becomes rudderless with a quarterback way too dependent on precise timing at all costs.

Knowing this about Tagovailoa, it's no wonder the Dolphins have faded down the stretch into oblivion each of the last two seasons. For that to not happen again, Tagovailoa finally has to take the next step as a mature, full-fledged quarterback.

9. DT Christian Wilkins, Las Vegas Raiders

The ex-Miami Dolphin cashed in with one of the richest contracts ever awarded to an NFL defender. Now he has to prove he was worth that cheese on a Raiders team that will almost certainly be centered around its defense. (No disrespect to Gardner Minshew.) Las Vegas signed Wilkins to give Maxx Crosby a worthy running mate as someone who can make the All-Pro's life easier in the trenches. If Wilkins is a dud, most of the Raiders' plans for immediate competitiveness probably go out the window. It wouldn't be the first time a high-profile pro defensive tackle didn't live up to his new price tag on a new team. (Albert Haynesworth, stand up!)

The onus is on Wilkins to ensure that kind of disaster doesn't happen again.

10. QB Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

Alright, enough messing around. The Jets (naively) brought Aaron Rodgers over to compete for championships. His first season ended on the first drive with an Achilles tear -- nothing anyone could fix or account for. OK, fine. But if a 40-year-old Rodgers stays healthy and still plays poorly in a make-or-break Jets season in 2024? Hoo boy, it'll be time to lift the wool hanging over Gang Green's eyes.

11. WR Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions

From top to bottom, the Lions are ready for their first-ever Super Bowl spotlight. Detroit is well-coached, formidable in both trenches, has top-third quarterback play, and otherwise has plenty of depth in all three phases. The only flaw about this Lions team is it has, as it stands, no genuine deep threat. The kind of playmaker who can pull another defender out of the box, making the Lions' penchant for physical play in the run game that much more potent. The kind of playmaker who ensures an offense never gets too stagnant or predictable.

Ideally, after an up-and-down two seasons, the young Williams will become this reliable stretch-the-field player for Detroit in 2024. If he does, no one in the NFC will even touch the boys in Honolulu Blue.

12. CB Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys

Diggs is only 25 and is just starting his massive five-year, $97 million contract this season. From an individual standpoint, he technically doesn't have to do anything for a long time! But the Cowboys always have bigger aspirations, and championship windows don't last forever. Yes, I know Dallas implodes every January, but there is a window open. If the Cowboys are going to make something of it for once, they'll need their star players and players paid like stars to bring the heat when it's crunch time.

There should be no denying that Diggs -- after missing most of 2023 with an ACL tear -- is one of those core players who needs to tilt the field for the Dallas defense at all costs.

13. OT Broderick Jones, Pittsburgh Steelers

Is Jones a left tackle? Is he a right tackle? Not even Mike Tomlin seems to know, as the Steelers' depth chart for Week 1 has Jones slated for a start on the right side. For now. After watching their recent quarterbacks get torn asunder, the Steelers have made a concerted effort to invest in their offensive line lately. Pittsburgh's first and second-round draft picks in 2024 were dedicated to their line. Their first-round pick in 2023 was Jones. That's a lot of premium capital put into one premium position group.

The straw who stirs the drink is Jones, who, no matter what side he plays on, will be playing one of the most vital positions on the team. A second-year leap would do wonders for Tomlin's sterling track record and the new program the Steelers are attempting to construct.

14. EDGE Brian Burns, New York Giants

Daniel Jones looks like he's probably still awful, which would leave electric rookie Malik Nabers hanging out to dry. And even as they fortify aspects of their roster around the margins, it's unclear whether Giants general manager Joe Schoen or head coach Brian Daboll know what they're doing. Even if Jones likely turns this Big Blue season into a lost one, some measure of exciting potential and goodwill would go a long way in selling this rebuilding project. It's something like the big-fish trade acquisition, Burns, living up to the billing of a top-tier pass-rusher who tears apart quarterbacks every week alongside Kayvon Thibodeaux.

That's a footnote to build on and be optimistic about while you are on the likely hunt for a new quarterback next offseason.

15. C David Andrews, New England Patriots

Before you say it, the Patriots are likely going to stink. There is not much to glean about their 2024 season other than how they'll start earnestly constructing Drake Maye's future supporting cast down the line. That's it. Still, even in these kinds of seasons in NFL Purgatory, where it's clear a team won't be competitive but has to show up every week, it's crucial to show off a sense of professionalism. Some Patriots players are still learning the ropes. Some of them need guidance and a leader who has been there and done that, even when everything appears bleak and pointless.

Enter Andrews, a two-time Super Bowl champion and borderline Pro Bowl-caliber center.

Andrews has nothing more to gain as an NFL player. He could retire and drive off into the sunset tomorrow and be happy. But his responsibility remains to his younger Patriots teammates, particularly if he's ever snapping the ball to Maye, the hopeful future of the franchise. Andrews is a bodyguard and leader by example wrapped up into one for a rebuilding organization.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Make or break: 15 NFL players (hey, Tua Tagovailoa) who really need a big 2024 season