Thursday, December 26, 2024

2024 NFL Survivor Squad: Building a 32-man juggernaut with one pick from every single team

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2024 NFL Survivor Squad: Building a 32-man juggernaut with one pick from every single team

Around this time in each of the last four offseasons, we have used this space to unveil our annual NFL Survivor Squad. If this is your first time hearing about this, you might be asking what a Survivor Squad is, so let me tell you: It’s our attempt to build the best possible roster using one representative and only one representative from each of the 32 NFL teams. 

To make things more challenging on myself and avoid reprinting the same article year after year, I have once again unilaterally declared every player and coach who made any of the previous rosters off limits for this year’s exercise. That list includes a whole lot of people: 128 of them, to be exact. Because we’ve been doing this for so long, some of the players and coaches are even out of the league by now: Bill Belichick, Aaron Donald, J.J. Watt and more. Each of the ineligible players and coaches is listed in their corresponding section below.

In an exercise like this, it’s important to know exactly what type of team you want to build. So as we have in previous years, we have worked from the baseline that in order compete in the modern NFL, one must recognize that the passing game is king and build out the roster accordingly. 

Teams tend to go as far as their quarterbacks take them, and the best teams put their quarterback in the best position possible to succeed while making things as difficult as possible for the opposing team’s signal-caller. So, in all toss-up decisions, the tie was broken in favor of whichever player or coach would help our offense throw the ball efficiently and explosively or help our defense stop the opposition from doing the same. 

Once again, we also wanted our team to be as flexible as possible — especially on defense, where the ability to disguise what you’re doing and have players fill multiple roles depending on the situation is paramount. So, pass-catching running backs, receivers who can play on the perimeter or in the slot, defensive linemen who can flex to the edge or inside, linebackers who excel against the run and the pass, and safeties who can drop down into the box, play up high, or slide to the slot were all things that we looked for in building this year’s team. 

All that said, a few quick notes before you get to the reveal of the full roster: 

  • The players (and coaches) selected at each position are not necessarily the best players (and coaches) at that particular position, but those who made the most sense on a roster where you can only (and must) take one representative from each team. 
  • The same is true of the players (and coaches) listed in the “also considered” section. Those players are also not listed in any particular order.
  • Like each of the last two years, there weren’t necessarily any “must-have” players on this year’s team. The closest to that was probably Sauce Gardner who was one of the very few players who never changed during any of the eight iterations of this roster that we cycled through before landing on the one you see below.

Without further ado, let’s walk through our squad.  

Coaching staff

Head coach: Jim Harbaugh (Chargers)

  • 2023 (ineligible): Sean McVay (Rams)
  • 2022 (ineligible): John Harbaugh (Ravens)
  • 2021 (ineligible): Andy Reid (Chiefs)
  • 2020 (ineligible): Bill Belichick (Patriots)

This spot was actually changed pretty late in the game. For a while, we had Mike Tomlin here. But then I was going to write this section and remembered that the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. Harbaugh obviously hasn’t won one in that span, either, but that’s because he was busy resurrecting yet another team during his time at Michigan, which culminated last year in a national championship. Like Tomlin, he simply gets the absolute best out of every team he coaches, and he’ll do the same for our squad.

Also considered: Matt LaFleur, Kyle Shanahan, Dan Campbell, Kevin O’Connell, Mike McDaniel, Mike Tomlin, DeMeco Ryans

Offensive coordinator: Bobby Slowik (Texans)

  • 2022 (ineligible): Ben Johnson (Lions)
  • 2022 (ineligible): Shane Steichen (Eagles)
  • 2021 (ineligible): Brian Daboll (Bills)
  • 2020 (ineligible): Greg Roman (Ravens)

Slowik was a breakout play-calling star last season, and he came back to Houston for another go-round with C.J. Stroud and Co. He was previously the passing-game coordinator under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco, and his ability to blend creative pass designs with his run scheme and marry things together to make everything look the same right up until it isn’t will serve us well. It doesn’t hurt that the system he runs consistently makes things easy for quarterbacks. We always like that.

Also considered: Kellen Moore, Zac Robinson, Drew Petzing, Ryan Grubb, Joe Brady, Todd Monken, Ken Dorsey

Defensive coordinator: Jim Schwartz (Browns)

  • 2023 (ineligible): Dan Quinn (Cowboys)
  • 2022 (ineligible): Don Martindale (Giants)
  • 2021 (ineligible): Patrick Graham (Giants)
  • 2020 (ineligible): Robert Saleh (49ers)

Schwartz took over what was already a very good defense, and last season turned it into a monster. Give him enough talent, especially up front, and he is going to wreak havoc on opposing offenses. We have plenty of talent here, so Schwartz will do exactly that for the Survivor Squad.

Also considered: Mike Zimmer, Ejiro Evero, Vin Fangio, Brian Flores, Lou Anarumo, Ryan Nielsen, Steve Spagnuolo, Jesse Minter

Offensive skill players

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Quarterback: Lamar Jackson (Ravens)

Yes, we’re going with the reigning MVP under center. Playing under a different offensive coordinator (Todd Monken) for the first time, Jackson last season hit career highs in both completion rate and yards per attempt. His interception rate hit a career low of 1.5%. He topped 750 rushing yards for the seventh consecutive season, and led the NFL in yards per rush for the third time. He is as dynamic a playmaker as there is in the NFL outside of Mahomes, and his versatility brings an extra elite dimension to our offense.

Also considered: Dak Prescott, Jalen Hurts, Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford, Joe Burrow, C.J. Stroud

Running back: Bijan Robinson (Falcons)

Unlike former Falcons coach Arthur Smith, we’re not going to be afraid to put Bijan on the field and give him the ball. Whether in the run game or as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Just because it wasn’t the best use of resources to take a running back in the top 10 of the NFL Draft, doesn’t mean Robinson isn’t an awesome player. We saw only glimpses of what he can do as a rookie, and we’ll see a whole lot more this year.

Also considered: Saquon Barkley, Jahmyr Gibbs, Josh Jacobs, Kyren Williams, Breece Hall, Derrick Henry, Travis Etienne

Perimeter receivers: Puka Nacua (Rams) and Tee Higgins (Bengals)

Nacua’s surprising spectacular rookie campaign (105 catches for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns), along with his versatility and willingness to act as a blocker, earned him a spot on this roster. He has good size at 6-2, 212 pounds, and he can both on the outside or in the slot. His slippery route-running skills will create easy answers for Jackson. Higgins, meanwhile, is more of a traditional, ball-winning “X” receiver. He struggled with injuries last year but in each of his previous three NFL seasons had eclipsed 65 catches, 900 yards and six touchdowns (with at least 74, 1,000 and six in both 2021 and 2022). These two make for a well-fitting duo.

Also considered: DeVonta Smith, D.J. Moore, Drake London,  Marvin Harrison Jr., Brandon Aiyuk, Jaylen Waddle, Garrett Wilson, Zay Flowers, Nico Collins, Tank Dell

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Slot receiver: Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions)

The Sun God is one of the premier slot men in the NFL. He’s an elite short-area target with the speed and explosiveness to also threaten defenses down the field. Lamar never really had a quick-game option in his passing game until Zay Flowers came along last year, and he’d benefit from the kinds of openings that St. Brown can create. 

Also considered: Jayden Reed, Chris Godwin, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashee Rice

Tight ends: Trey McBride (Cardinals) and Dalton Kincaid (Bills)

Yeah, we leaned heavily into pass-catching prowess with our tight ends. Both McBride and Kincaid can create matchup advantages when lining up as an in-line tight end or flexing out to the slot. They can essentially work as monster-sized slot men, giving us an opportunity to exploit weaknesses all over the field and especially against linebackers and safeties. And if you put a corner on one of them, we can just have them post up and go over the top. It will not be fun going against this duo.

Also considered: Jake Ferguson, Dallas Goedert, Sam LaPorta, Kyle Pitts, Noah Fant, David Njoku, Evan Engram

Offensive flex: De’Von Achane (Dolphins)

Our skill-position core is really good and really fun, but the one thing it lacks is an electric burner type who can create a big play out of thin air. Not anymore. Achane is the NFL’s premier home-run threat: He ran for 800 yards and eight touchdowns in 11 games, while only getting 103 total carries! And he’s an elite receiving threat, too! Do you know how terrified defenses would be of Lamar and Achane in the same backfield? I don’t think they’d be interested in finding out.

Also considered: Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze

Offensive line

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Left tackle: Trent Williams (49ers)

It’s about time that we figured out a way to get the NFL’s best overall offensive lineman onto this team. There are just so many good options to choose from on the Niners that it took us a while to get here. Williams is a stone wall of a pass-protector and he absolutely mauls people in the run game. We can put him on an island and not have to worry about that side of the line at all.

Also considered: Andrew Thomas, Jordan Mailata, Taylor Decker, Dion Dawkins, Tyron Smith, Orlando Brown Jr., Kolton Miller

Left guard: Tyler Smith (Cowboys)

Smith was forced to play left tackle as a rookie after an injury to former teammate Tyron Smith, and he fared quite well. But when Dallas pushed him back inside to guard last year, he had a true breakout as arguably the best player at his position in 2023. He is an ass-kicking run blocker who is quick enough to handle any kind of pressure that interior linemen throw his way. It’s hard to create a better left side of the line than the one we have here.

Also considered: Landon Dickerson, Elgton Jenkins, Jonah Jackson, Isaac Seumalo, Joe Thuney

Center: Lloyd Cushenberry (Titans)

Cushenberry got himself a nice payday from the Titans this offseason after putting together the best season of his career a year ago. He allowed only 14 pressures on 647 pass-blocking snaps, and he had his best year as a run blocker, too.

Also considered: Garrett Bradbury, Steve Avila, Aaron Brewer, Tyler Linderbaum, Creed Humphrey, Andre James

Right guard: Quinn Meinerz (Broncos)

Our second guard spot is going to Cushenberry’s former teammate. He was Pro Football Focus’ third-highest graded guard last season on the strength of his elite run blocking. He didn’t get the awards recognition from Pro Bowl or All-Pro voters, but he had a really good year and is about to head into his physical prime.

Also considered: Samuel Cosmi, Kevin Zeitler, Robert Hunt, Mike Onwenu, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Shaq Mason, Wyatt Teller, Trey Smith

Right tackle: Braden Smith (Colts)

Smith has steadily been a borderline top-10 right tackle for the entirety of his pro career. He was limited to just 10 games last year but he played really well in them. When the Colts ran the ball behind him, they average an astronomical 1.73 yards before contact per carry, according to TruMedia. The league average for runs off right tackle was just 1.27 per carry. 

Also considered: Penei Sewell, Zach Tom, Brian O’Neill, Kaleb McGary, Morgan Moses, Trent Brown

Defensive front

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Edge rushers: Montez Sweat (Bears) and Josh Hines-Allen (Jaguars)

Here, we have a pair of edge rushers heading into their prime years who each got deservingly paid by their teams. Hines-Allen (formerly Josh Allen) checked in fifth in the NFL in pressure rate last season, generating a sack, hit or hurry on 18.3% of his pass-rush snaps, via TruMedia. That’s out of 187 players who rushed the passer at least 200 times. Sweat checked in a bit lower at 12.9%, but he made up for it by posting one of the best pressure-to-sack ratios in the league. Settling into Matt Eberflus’ defense in Year 2 with Chicago, he can take his game up another notch this year. These two will make life extremely difficult for opposing quarterbacks.

Also considered: Demarcus Lawrence, Bryce Huff, Aidan Hutchinson, Rashan Gary, Jonathan Greenard, Cameron Jordan, Nick Bosa, Jaelan Phillips, Trey Hendrickson, Alex Highsmith, Will Anderson Jr., Harold Landry, George Karlaftis

Interior defensive linemen: Christian Wilkins (Raiders) and Jalen Carter (Eagles)

Wilkins deservingly scored a huge payday this offseason after delivering the best season of his career a year ago. He had 11.5 sacks, 33 tackles for loss, and 27 QB hits through his first four NFL seasons, then racked up nine sacks, 10 TFLs and 23 hits in 2023. His 58 pressures with ninth among interior defensive linemen and now he gets to play next to Maxx Crosby. Carter got off to a blazing-hot start to his debut season before fading a bit down the stretch, but we know he has incredible talent. After finishing second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, there is space for him to blow up this year. 

Also considered: Osa Odighizuwa, Daron Payne, Derrick Brown, Vita Vea, Kobie Turner, Leonard Williams, Javon Hargrave, Ed Oliver, Justin Madubuike, Keeanu Benton

Defensive front flex: Andrew Van Ginkel (Vikings)

Reunited with Brian Flores (his former head coach in Miami and the person who unlocked Van Ginkel as a flexible defender), Van Ginkel should continue doing about a 1,000 different things on the field and just wreaking all kinds of havoc as a pass rusher, run defender and even coverage guy. He’s the perfect fit for this kind of role on our team.

Also considered: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

Back seven

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Linebackers: Bobby Okereke (Giants) and Frankie Luvu (Commanders)

Okereke had a really good season in New York after getting paid last offseason. Luvu has had a couple really good seasons in a row but for some reason didn’t get paid that much this offseason, even though he landed with essentially the perfect coach to weaponize his skill set in new Washington coach Dan Quinn. These two can work interchangeably at times and we also get a good deal of pass rush out of them. 

Also considered: Terrell Edmunds, T.J. Edwards, Jack Campbell, Ivan Pace Jr, Matt Milano (injured), David Long Jr., Quincy Williams, Logan Wilson, Zaire Franklin, Nick Bolton

Outside corners: Sauce Gardner (Jets) and Jamel Dean (Buccaneers)

We finally found a way to get the NFL’s best cornerback onto the team. Sending receivers over to Sauce is not quite putting them on Revis Island, but they’re definitely not going to come away with many catches over there. As we wrote in our ranking of the league’s top cornerbacks, Dean had a bit of a down year in 2023, but he was so consistently good in his first four seasons that we’re willing to overlook that and place him on this list anyway. Expect to see him locking down one side of the field for Tampa’s defense again in 2024.

Also considered: Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, Jaylon Johnson, Jaycee Horn, Darious Williams, Charvarius Ward, Denzel Ward, Joey Porter Jr., Derek Stingley Jr., Tyson Campbell

Slot corner: Devon Witherspoon (Seahawks)

Witherspoon had a strong rookie season and he is going to be unleashed in Year 2 while playing for Mike Macdonald. The former Ravens defensive coordinator found a way to get the best out of a similar player in Kyle Hamilton, and Witherspoon’s versatility should be unlocked in this new defense. He’s going to be a fixture among the league’s top corners. 

Also considered: Kyler Gordon, Rasul Douglas, Kader Kohou, Michael Carter, Kenny Moore II, L’Jarius Sneed

Deep safety: Xavier McKinney (Packers)

McKinney got himself paid this offseason and will likely move back into the center field role that suits him best in new Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s system. He can drop down and play inside the box, but he’s better when allowed to see the entire field and fly around trying to make plays on the ball. And he’ll do that for our squad. 

Also considered: Jessie Bates III, Antoine Winfield Jr., Talanoa Hufanga, Ji’Ayir Brown, Marcus Williams, Grant Delpit, Andre Cisco

Box safety: Tyrann Mathieu (Saints)

Mathieu has been so good for so long that it’s surprising we’ve never put him on the team before. One of the most versatile players in the league, we could have slid him into pretty much any role in the secondary. 

Also considered: Jaquan Brisker, Harrison Smith, Julian Love, Kyle Dugger

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Back seven flex: Trent McDuffie (Chiefs)

Speaking of versatility … McDuffie thrived last season with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo moving him around from the perimeter to the slot. He can lock down inside or out, he comes up and plays the run, he can blitz off the edge and he will just generally make life extremely difficult for opposing offenses. With Schwartz calling our defense, he can find a ton of ways to make plays. 

Also considered: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Brian Branch, Josh Metellus, Kyle Hamilton, Geno Stone, Derwin James

Specialists

Returner: Marcus Jones (Patriots)

Jones missed most of last season due to injury but he was a First Team All-Pro as a returner the year before. He stood out as arguably the best possible Patriots representative. 

Also considered: KaVontae Turpin, Keisean Nixon, Kene Nwangwu, Rashid Shaheed

Punter: Johnny Hekker (Panthers)

Kicker: Chris Boswell (Steelers)

The Panthers and Steelers were the last teams left without representatives. 

Also considered: None

FULL ROSTER

Position Representative Team
Head Coach Jim Harbaugh Chargers
Off. Coordinator Bobby Slowik Texans
Def. Coordinator  Jim Schwartz Browns
Quarterback Lamar Jackson Ravens
Running Back Bijan Robinson Falcons
Perimeter WR Puka Nacua Rams
Perimeter WR Tee Higgins Bengals
Slot WR  Amon-Ra St. Brown Lions
Tight End Trey McBride Cardinals
Tight End Dalton Kincaid Bills
Off. Flex De’Von Achane Dolphins
Left Tackle Trent Williams 49ers
Left Guard Tyler Smith Cowboys
Center Lloyd Cushenberry Titans
Right Guard Quinn Meinerz Broncos
Right Tackle Braden Smith Colts
Edge Rusher Montez Sweat Bears
Edge Rusher Josh Hines-Allen Jaguars
Interior DL Christian Wilkins Raiders
Interior DL Jalen Carter Eagles
Def. Front Flex Andrew Van Ginkel Vikings
Off-ball LB Bobby Okereke Giants
Off-ball LB Frankie Luvu Commanders
Perimeter CB Sauce Gardner Jets
Perimeter CB Jamel Dean Buccaneers
Slot CB Devon Witherspoon Seahawks
Deep Safety Xavier McKinney Packers
Box Safety  Tyrann Mathieu Saints
Back Seven Flex Trent McDuffie Chiefs
Returner Marcus Jones Patriots
Punter Johnny Hekker Panthers
Kicker Chris Boswell Steelers

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