Top 100 Players of 2024, Nos. 90-81: Cousins, Barkley and Reddick see major drops in rankings

Smith finished the year with 1,000+ receiving yards for the second consecutive season and tacked on seven touchdowns to move up the rankings and earn himself a three-year extension. But despite a star quarterback in Jalen Hurts and the dual threat of Smith and A.J. Brown, the Eagles collapsed after starting the year 10-1 and flamed out in the Wild Card Round. In 2024, Smith and Co. will look to get back to the high-scoring attack that resulted in a trip to Super Bowl LVII.

Although he appeared in just 12 games this season due to a hamstring injury, Baker still finished with 87 combined tackles and five tackles for loss to earn his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl nod. However, he earned the lowest PFF grade in his career and recorded sub-70 grades in run defense and coverage. This year will be critical for Baker as the two-time All-Pro is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2024 season.

Lindstrom remains one of the best blockers in the league after earning his third consecutive 80.0-plus PFF overall grade and finishing with a 98% efficiency rate for the second straight year. Earning Pro Bowl honors for the second straight season, he allowed just three sacks, two QB hits and 10 hurries while starting 16 games. Last offseason, the Falcons signed Lindstrom to a five-year extension, and he’s made sure to prove he’s worth it.

Reddick, who was traded to the Jets this past spring, had a career-best year in 2022 for the Eagles to earn a place on the Defensive Player of the Year ballot. However, he saw a drop in nearly every stat column in 2023. After finishing with 16 sacks in the previous season, Reddick still had 11 sacks to earn himself Pro Bowl honors, but he finished the year with 38 combined tackles, his lowest since his rookie season.

As one of just six players in NFL history to average 70-plus rushing yards and 25-plus receiving yards per game over his career, Barkley has proven himself to be one of the best offensive talents in the league. Barkley finished the 2023 season with 962 rushing yards and 10 scrimmage TDs; however, he has missed 21 games from 2020-23, including three contests last season which is concerning despite his productivity.

Wirfs, 25, enters a crucial season on the fifth and final year of his rookie contract. After allowing just five sacks, 13 hurries and six QB hits in 2023, Wirfs finished with an 80.0+ PFF grade for the fourth season in a row and recorded the second-highest pass-blocking grade among all offensive tackles to earn his third consecutive Pro Bowl honors.

After finishing the season with 1,114 yards on 66 receptions, eight touchdowns and a career-best 16.9 yards per reception, Metcalf is back in the the Top 100. Not only did he earn a Pro Bowl selection in 2023 but Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba also became the first trio of Seattle receivers in franchise history to each top 60 receptions, 600 receiving yards and four touchdowns in the same season.

Before Jim Harbaugh entered the picture this offseason, it was looking rather grim in Los Angeles. The Chargers allowed 47 touchdowns to their 36 touchdowns scored this season and were close to the top in the league in both average yards per game and points per game allowed. James led the team with 86 solo tackles, 125 combined tackles, two sacks and an interception, but his 60.1 PFF grade was good for 71st at the position in 2023.

While all eyes will be on Caleb Williams and the newly transformed offense, NFL.com’s Adam Rank named Sweat as the most-important non-QB to watch this upcoming season. And rightfully so. In the 2023 season, Sweat posted career-highs with 57 combined tackles and 12.5 sacks while forcing 72 quarterback pressures to earn his first Pro Bowl selection and a spot in the Top 100 after five seasons in the league.

In a year that saw seven starting quarterbacks sustain season-ending injuries, Cousins appeared in eight games before suffering a torn Achilles. The veteran QB finished his final season in Minnesota with 18 touchdowns, 2,331 passing yards and five interceptions before signing a whopping four-year deal with the Falcons as a free agent this offseason. With a new head coach and offensive coordinator behind him (and a rookie QB waiting in the wings), all eyes will be on Cousins this year.