Admin August 27, 2024
Young football fan gives the Kansas City Chiefs a heap of hugs
Kenyon, a young NFL fan who underwent a kidney transplant, shares hugs with the players of the reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs.
USA Today
The NFL offseason is all but over after its months of workouts, training camps and preseason games. One of the last big offseason moments came on Tuesday, when all 32 teams made their final cuts to get their rosters down to the 53-man allowance.
Most of the moves to get under the 53-man cap flew under the radar, but a few notable players became free agents and signed elsewhere. One example is wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who had been under contract with the New England Patriots. He signed with his former team, the Kansas City Chiefs, on Monday morning.
Transactions like the Smith-Schuster signing often don’t make or break a team’s outlook on the season, but they can be enough to move the needle when it comes to championship odds. Here’s how all 32 teams rank by Super Bowl 59 odds after Tuesday’s cut deadline, courtesy of BetMGM:
NFL RECORD PROJECTIONS: Chiefs rule regular season, but is three-peat ahead?
NFL power rankings: Super Bowl odds after 53-man roster cuts
T-4. Philadelphia Eagles (+1200)
Among the Eagles’ roster cuts ahead of Tuesday’s deadline were former Broncos tight end Albert Okwuegbunam and wide receiver John Ross, the previous 40-yard dash record holder attempting to make a career comeback.
Heading into the 2024 season, the Eagles will enjoy a high-powered offense featuring recently extended receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Philadelphia also acquired running back Saquon Barkley via free agency and wide receiver Jahan Dotson via trade to add to its offense. They’ll also still have one of the strongest offensive lines and a top defense in the league to work with as well.
T-4. Detroit Lions (+1200)
Among Detroit’s cuts this week were wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones and quarterback Nate Sudfeld.
Seven months ago, the Lions were 30 minutes away from reaching a Super Bowl. This offseason, they extended several of their most important offensive players: quarterback Jared Goff, offensive tackle Penei Sewell and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. The team also beefed up their defense in adding cornerbacks Carlton Davis (via trade) and Amik Robertson (free agency).
The Lions expect to make another deep playoff run again in 2024, and with their roster so full of young talent, the odds aren’t against them.
3. Baltimore Ravens (+1000)
The Ravens released wide receiver Russell Gage, among others, as they worked to get their roster down to 53.
Baltimore, like Detroit, was one game away from a Super Bowl last year. This year, they’ll enter their second season with offensive coordinator Todd Monken and first with defensive coordinator Zach Orr after Mike Macdonald left to take the Seahawks’ head coaching job.
The Ravens saw a ton of roster turnover with so many pending free agents, but they appear ready to commit to another season of strong defense and running the football. Safety Kyle Hamilton took a big leap in 2023 and looks like one of the best young secondary defenders in the game today. Edge rusher Kyle Van Noy and defensive tackle Justin Madubuike are also back after re-signing in the offseason. But the biggest addition was running back Derrick Henry, who is coming off of his fifth 1,000-yard season in the last six.
2. San Francisco 49ers (+600)
Among the 49ers‘ roster cuts this week were wide receiver Robbie Chosen and running backs Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Matt Breida.
The biggest question remaining for San Francisco this offseason is what will happen with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Otherwise, this is a team poised to make another Super Bowl run. The 49ers extended star running back Christian McCaffrey in the offseason and won’t have to make any big decisions on other key players until after this year. If any year was the year to get over the hump and win a Super Bowl, this might be the one for San Francisco.
1. Kansas City Chiefs (+500)
One notable Chiefs cut was wide receiver Kadarius Toney, whom the team had acquired in a trade in 2022. Also notable, though, were Kansas City’s additions ahead of the cut deadline. The team brought back Smith-Schuster, its top receiver from 2022, after the Patriots cut him, and it acquired tight end Peyton Hendershot in a trade with the Cowboys less than an hour before the deadline.
There needn’t be much to say about the Patrick Mahomes-era Chiefs. When he is healthy, it has not seemed to matter much which players he’s surrounded by or how well (or poorly) they play in the regular season. Kansas City is going for a three-peat this year, and it’s up to the rest of the league to figure out how to stop it.
PREVIOUS RANKINGS: Chiefs, 49ers lead the way in Super Bowl odds ahead of 2024 season