Welcome to X factors!
This is an exercise I like to do every August in acknowledgement of our own collective stupidity. We like to think we know just who the good NFL players are in the league, and who the rising players are -- but nobody really knows from where the next key player will emerge. Here's a great example: Last season, I identified the open WR3 spot on the Rams' offense as a key issue with the team and tagged Tutu Atwell as the X factor for that offense. Should he rise into the role and succeed, the Rams' passing game would soar. Right idea, wrong guy.
That's why the exercise is helpful. It forces us to think beyond the star quarterback and star pass rusher and star coach for each team, and answer the question: "if [INSERT TEAM HERE] is surprisingly good/surprisingly bad this season, it was likely because of [INSERT PLAYER HERE]." Thinking about X factors forces us to think about roles, fits and risers beyond the regularly discussed first-rounders and trade acquisitions.
In the spirit of the exercise, I tried to name no coaches (successful) and no quarterbacks (had to do it for two teams, both of which you could probably guess without scrolling). Here are my candidates for each team's biggest X factor in the 2024 season:
Jump to a team:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
NFC WEST
