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0 of 32 Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett and defensive tackle Dalvin TomlinsonFrank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The sheer wave of offensive talent in the 2024 NFL draft is bound to send defensive coordinators around the league back to the lab. The quest for offensive innovation and explosiveness in the NFL never stops. But for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Offenses around the league are evolving but defenses are right there changing with them. Having a defense that can match up with the pounding run game of the Detroit Lions and the explosive passing game of the Chiefs on a weekly basis is a major benefit to contending for the Super Bowl. So with the majority of player movement in the books at the conclusion of the NFL draft, now's a good time to zoom out and take stock of the defenses around the league. Who's best equipped to shut down the best offenses in the league? Using last year's performance as a baseline and factoring in coaching changes, incoming and outgoing talent we've ranked all 32 of the league's defenses. Ranking and analysis done by B/R Scouting Dept. contributor Alex Ballentine 1 of 32 Budda BakerRyan Kang/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals offense are going to have to score a lot of points this year. The defense is going to have an uphill climb just to reach average. It's hard to even pick out a foundational piece that you feel good about with this iteration of the Cardinals defense. Budda Baker is 28 years old and was not productive in 12 games last season. The Cardinals made some free agent investments to improve things. Justin Jones is a decent penetrating interior defender, Bilal Nichols is a veteran and Sean Murphy-Bunting has put together some good years. But those guys and a few rookies aren't enough to fix a defense that was 31st in scoring defense and EPA allowed per play. How They Can Improve The Cardinals need to be better in just about every area of defense. They are probably best equipped to make strides in the secondary. Baker isn't beyond hope of returning to his All-Pro form and Max Melton could wind up being a starter across from Murphy-Bunting to give them a whole new look in the secondary. All hope isn't lost for the pass-rush either. BJ Ojulari could take a step forward in his sophomore campaign and first-round pick Darius Robinson could be a factor on the interior. 2 of 32 Patrick Surtain IIRyan Kang/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The one thing that the Denver Broncos have that others this low on the list don't is a foundational player in Patrick Surtain II. Great cover corners are hard to find and Patrick Surtain II is the real deal. Outside of him, things get a little less exciting. They traded for John Franklin-Myers and signed Levi Wallace and Cody Barton. However, they also lost Josey Jewell and released Justin Simmons so it's hard to feel like they are markedly better from the offseason. Jonah Elliss could be an early contributor but this team still feels far from putting it all together. How They Can Improve The run defense should be better and could have a ripple effect on the entire unit. The Broncos gave up an astonishing 5.0 yards per carry last season. Franklin-Myers could be a key to improving that. He's a big, powerful defensive lineman with some versatility to play inside and out. The Broncos really need their recent draft picks to take on more responsibility. Nik Bonitto will enter his third season with just 9.5 sacks and 2023 third-round picks Drew Sanders and Riley Moss need to become more than part-time contributors in Year 2. 3 of 32 Dexter Lawrence IIDustin Satloff/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The addition of Brian Burns to this unit is a reason for excitement. The secondary is scary and not in a good way, though. Deonte Banks, Tre Hawkins III and Cor'Dale Flott played the most of the returning cornerbacks but neither of the three ranked higher than 101st out of the 127 cornerbacks that PFF graded last season. Xavier McKinney was able to make up for some of their mistakes but the team didn't bring him back last season. The pass rush was a major issue last season. They blitzed at the second-highest rate in the league last season but were still just 18th in pressure percentage. How They Can Improve Going to the free agent market to grab at least one more veteran corner would help. They drafted Andru Phillips in the third round and safety Tyler Nubin in the second but they need more immediate help that a veteran like Steven Nelson or Cameron Sutton could provide. Shane Bowen takes over for Wink Martindale as defensive coordinator so they should be less reliant on blitzing to generate pressure. Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux is a good pair of edge rushers that should allow them to get home with just four rushers more often. 4 of 32 Derrick BrownRyan Kang/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The Panthers primary goal this offseason was to surround Bryce Young with talent. It's good for an offense that needs to find its identity, but it doesn't directly help a defense that was 26th in EPA and 29th in scoring. The best players on that unit were probably Brian Burns, Frankie Luvu and Derrick Brown. Burns was traded, Luvu left in free agency while Brown got a contract extension. The secondary is getting a major facelift. Donte Jackson, Shaquill Griffin, Jeremy Chinn and C.J. Henderson are all gone. Dane Jackson, Jordan Fuller and Nick Scott will take over. It's not really clear that those are upgrades. How They Can Improve There's nowhere but up for the pass rush. Even with Burns in the lineup they were 30th in pressure percentage. Jadeveon Clowney, D.J. Wonnum and K'Lavon Chiasson all signed this offseason. It's not a clear upgrade, especially with Burns leaving, but it is a trio of pass-rushers who needed a new start. If they can get a little more pressure on the quarterback it would go a long way toward creating turnovers. The Panthers were last in the league in takeaways. 5 of 32 Daron Payne and Jonathan AllenJohn McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here It feels wrong to put a Dan Quinn-coached defense this low on the list, but he's inheriting a mess. The Commanders finished last in EPA, 31st in yards per play and 26th in third down percentage. Trading away Chase Young and Montez Sweat during the season was an admission that the unit needed to be torn down before it could be built back. The good news is that the Commanders have definitely started that work. The Commanders were one of the biggest spenders in free agency and many of those signings were on defense. Quinn brought some of his former players with him and they brought in two new inside linebackers in Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner. How They Can Improve Things are in place for the Commanders to make this ranking look bad by the end of the season. Quinn has proven himself as a defensive mind. Adding Jer'Zhan Newton to a rotation on the interior that already features Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne gives them a strength to build around. The cause for concern is that it's just a lot of new personnel learning a new system. Great defense requires some chemistry and communication that just takes a while to build. There's going to be growing pains, but there is talent. 6 of 32 Khalil Mack and Joey BosaIcon Sportswire Why They're Ranked Here Jim Harbaugh walks into a great position to immediately revive the Chargers offense. The key pieces are already in place. The defense? Not so much. The Chargers cap situation essentially forced them to choose two of their high-priced stars in Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. They opted to keep both edge rushers but they both carry risk. Mack is 33 years old and Bosa has played 14 games over the last two seasons. The secondary is equally concerning. The Bolts were 25th in EPA allowed per pass and Derwin James did not look the same in 2023. How They Can Improve A change in philosophy and scheme is on the way. Brandon Staley helped engineer some good defenses with the Rams, but the Chargers were never better than 21st in scoring defense under him as head coach. It was time for a changing of the guard and a new approach. Harbaugh brought Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter with him. After watching what Mike Macdonald did coming from Michigan to the Ravens defensive coordinator, there's hope that he'll have the Chargers playing a different brand of defense. A more aggressive Chargers defense could help bring along young talents like Junior Colson, Tuli Tuipulotu and Cam Hart. 7 of 32 Harold Landry IIICooper Neill/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here L'Jarius Sneed was a huge addition. Factoring in the addition of Chidobe Awuzie in Tennessee and they have a good cornerback tandem to build around. Still, it's fair to wonder if Sneed will be as effective away from Steve Spagnuolo's press-happy scheme in Kansas City. The lack of a pass rush in the Music City will make things tougher on the secondary too. The Titans were 27th in pressure percentage last season. Denico Autry led the way with 11.5 sacks but he left in free agency. The Titans will mostly be rolling out the same group of edge rushers this season. How They Can Improve Assuming Dennard Wilson can get the most out of Sneed, the Titans secondary should look much better in 2024. However, they are going to be capped as a defense if they can't at least get to league average pressure rates. It's hard to see them doing that with the current group of pass rushers. They drafted T'Vondre Sweat in the second round. He should take over as the team's primary nose tackle but he isn't a pass rush specialist. This is a team that should be looking to give a veteran edge a call or be on the lookout for trade opportunities. 8 of 32 Lavonte DavidPerry Knotts/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here This is just below where the Buccaneers finished in EPA per play last season (19th). The defense didn't look great on paper and some of the main characters are getting older, however they didn't really make any needle-moving moves. They traded away Carlton Davis without a clear plan to replace him. Zyon McCollum—a fifth-round pick in 2022—is the likely starter across from Jamel Dean right now. On a positive note, the safety tandem of Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jordan Whitehead is good on paper. But signing a safety wasn't the move that was going to make this defensive appreciably better in 2024. How They Can Improve The Bucs need their first two defensive picks to pan out early more than most. Tykee Smith has the potential to take over the starting nickel role. He leaves Georgia as a safety but played in the slot quite a bit for the Bulldogs. Chris Braswell needs to become part of the edge rotation quickly. Yaya Diaby showed some promise as a rookie but Joe Tryon-Shoyinka hasn't live up to expectations. The Bucs are in the middle of a youth movement but it wouldn't hurt to add another veteran to the mix. A linebacker to play alongside Lavonte Davis could be a consideration or getting in on the best edge defenders who are looking for work when teams start cutting during training camp. 9 of 32 A.J. TerrellKevin C. Cox/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The Falcons defense was solid in a few areas last season. They were 17th in scoring and top three in third-down defense. It's a good foundation to build on, but they weren't really a scary unit either. They were 29th in takeaways, 27th in interception percentage and 21st in sacks. Essentially, the Falcons were good on a down-to-down basis, but they didn't force many errors or make many plays. That's a hard way to live and the biggest problem is they didn't do much to get better from a personnel standpoint. After picking Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall pick, they used their next four picks on defense, but a premium addition in free agency or the draft would make it easier to feel good about them taking a step forward. How They Can Improve The Falcons are essentially banking on continuity and coaching to take them to the next level. Calais Campbell and Jeff Okudah are the biggest losses. However, the familiar names will have to learn a new scheme under new head coach Raheem Morris and defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake. Getting top-range-of-outcome performances from their rookies would help too. Ruke Orhorhoro and Brandon Dorlus could play a lot of snaps early on the defensive line while Bralen Trice needs to chip in right away on the edge. 10 of 32 Kobie TurnerTony Ding/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here For the first time in 10 years, the Rams are going to have to play defense without Aaron Donald on the field. His presence will be sorely missed and his retirement knocks them down a few spots in these rankings. That being said, the Rams did have Kobie Turner emerge with nine sacks as a rookie. They also addressed the defensive line in the draft, taking Jared Verse in the first round followed up by his college teammate Braden Fiske in the second. There are still more questions than answers in the secondary. Tre'Davious White is a boom-or-bust free agency signing given his injuries and Darious Williams is 31 years old. How They Can Improve It's really hard to project how well the defensive line is going to perform. They are relying on so many young players, but their front office has also built up some credibility. After watching Puka Nacua and Turner ball out for them last season, it's hard to rule out this draft class from having a major impact. We've highlighted the concerns about White and Williams, however, they have high ceilings. White has been an All-Pro talent when healthy and Williams put in a good season with the Jaguars last season. 11 of 32 Kenny Moore II and Zaire FranklinMichael Hickey/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The Colts pass rush was a good example of how sacks don't tell the whole story. Samson Ebukam, Kwity Paye, DeForest Buckner and Dayo Odeyingbo each had at least eight sacks but the team's pressure rate was still just 19.6 percent. Much like the rest of the unit it wasn't bad, but it also wasn't that good. The Colts were a middle-of-the-road unit in just about every metric. Shaquille Leonard's drop off and eventual release didn't help. DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart are still a strong duo in the middle of the defensive line but they aren't getting any younger. How They Can Improve Drafting Laiatu Latu with the 15th pick should help the pass rush. They have good pieces in place but they don't have a premier threat on the outside who can anchor the pass rush. Latu can be that player if he stays healthy. The defensive front is a lot closer to breaking out of the average tier than the secondary. That being said, this was a young secondary and the Colts moves this offseason would seem to point toward them believing they will improve. Kenny Moore II is the only true veteran while JuJu Brents, Jaylon Jones and Nick Cross have opportunities to take a step forward in 2024. 12 of 32 Josh SweatSteph Chambers/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The Eagles are tough to slot. The fall from dominant unit in 2022 to the primary cause of an epic collapse over the second half of 2023 is jarring. How much of that decline was due to personnel losses and aging? How much was due to the transition from Jonathan Gannon to Sean Desai? The 2024 unit will tell the story and it doesn't look a whole lot like the 2023 version. The Eagles made changes at every level of the defense. Signing Bryce Huff, Devin White and drafting Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. They have young, exciting players all over the field and the switch to the godfather of a whole defensive coaching tree in Vic Fangio. How The Can Improve The Eagles secondary was the biggest culprit for the struggles last season. They can improve by allowing Mitchell, and potentially DeJean, to have major roles from the beginning. James Bradberry had a good season in 2022 when the pass rush was the best in the league, but struggled when they took a step back. Keeping Bradberry wouldn't even make sense if there was a logical way out of his contract. Fangio would be wise to let Mitchell play right away and find a role for the versatile DeJean to fill as a rookie. 13 of 32 Devon Witherspoon and Tariq WoolenSteph Chambers/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here It's not surprising that the Seahawks turned things over to a defensive head coach in Mike Macdonald this offseason. The defense was the Achilles heel throughout the year, finishing toward the bottom of the league in most metrics. But Macdonald's quick turnaround of the Ravens defense as their coordinator last season brings hope he can do the same in Seattle. They've certainly gone to work changing the personnel picture. They signed Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson as linebackers who fit Macdonald's scheme and drafted Byron Murphy II in the first round of the draft, giving them a disruptive interior pass-rusher to team up with Leonard Williams. It's all hypothetical right now, but there are a lot of exciting scheme fits on paper. How They Can Improve Macdonald's first order of business is going to be improving the third-down defense. The Seahawks were 31st in third-down defense, allowing teams to convert nearly half the time. The pass rush wasn't bad. They were ninth in the league in pressure percentage, but the secondary surrendered the 10th-highest passer rating in the league. Riq Woolen and Michael Jackson are the kind of bigger, physical corners who can have success in Macdonald's system, it's going to be a matter of how quickly it can all come together. 14 of 32 Trey HendricksonIan Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here All things considered, the Bengals were one of the most disappointing units in the league last season. They went from eighth in EPA in 2022 to 27th in 2023. The defense was weak against the run, giving up 4.7 yards per carry. The scary thing was that the personnel wasn't all that different from the 2022 crew. A lot of those players will be back again in 2024, hoping to prove last season was an aberration. However, D.J. Reader and Chidobe Awuzie left in free agency. The Bengals made some changes to the interior of the defensive line, drafting Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson after signing Sheldon Rankins. They're ranked a little higher than they performed because we've seen Lou Anarumo have success with this group before. How They Can Improve There's enough youth on this defense to believe that they'll take a step forward. Dax Hill, DJ Turner and Cam Taylor-Britt should all have significant roles at corner and are within the first three years of their rookie contract. There's a lot less pressure on young safeties Jordan Battle and Tycen Anderson with Geno Stone and Vonn Bell joining the team in free agency. Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt have to get their 2022 form and they need to keep Trey Hendrickson happy after his trade request, but the talent is there for this defense to rebound. 15 of 32 Ivan Pace Jr.Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The Vikings might not have a perfect defense but they have a strong identity. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores is going to bring the pressure to opposing offenses and force them to deal with a wide variety of looks and packages. His first year brought mixed results, but the Vikings have done things in the offseason to give him better players to work with. Danielle Hunter will be missed, but Jonathan Greenard is younger and will replace a good portion of his production. Dallas Turner is a hand-in-glove fit with this scheme and signing Andrew Van Ginkel gives them a blitzer with experience in Flores' system. How They Can Improve The Vikings have to get more out of their blitzes. They dialed up pressures more often than anyone in the league, but they were still 15th in pressure percentage. A blitz that doesn't get home makes life awfully tough for the secondary. If the sum of the parts they brought in is greater than the impact of Hunter, the pass should improve which will help the secondary. Essentially, there needs to be more synergy between the levels of the defense to take a step forward in 2024. 16 of 32 Matt Milano and Terrel BernardMichael Owens/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The Bills cap situation impacted the entire roster but the defense was hit particularly hard. The list of players they lost is long and several were key contributors. Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde have been one of the top safety tandems in the league for a while. Leonard Floyd was one of their best pass rushers last season, Tre'Davious White was a star when healthy and Tyrel Dodson was a good linebacker beside Matt Milano. The Bills had to replace all of those pieces on a budget and there's bound to be some drop off. They do, however, still have Milano in the middle of it all and they still have Greg Rousseau and Ed Oliver up front. Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford is a solid cornerback duo and they have coaching continuity with Sean McDermott still in charge. How They Can Improve Getting second-round pick Cole Bishop up to speed quickly will help in the secondary. Taylor Rapp is a fine veteran stopgap in the secondary and Bishop is a promising prospect. Von Miller showed his age last season. He had no sacks in 12 games. Getting him to return to some level of production at 35 years old would be huge. There are enough familiar faces to be alright. They will need some unexpected depth to emerge if they are going to do better than that. 17 of 32 Jaylon Johnson and Tremaine EdmundsTodd Rosenberg/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here Matt Eberflus was hired to be the head coach because of his work as a defensive coordinator. That showed in 2023 as the defense wound up finishing in the middle of the pack after putting one of the worst defenses on the field in 2022. There are a lot of reasons to believe they'll be even better in 2024. Bringing back Jaylon Johnson was huge. They are replacing Eddie Jackson with Kevin Byard and bringing back every other starter from a secondary that features several recent draft picks in Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson and Jaquan Brisker. How They Can Improve It would be a lot easier to like this defense if they had a serious pass rush threat outside of Sweat. Justin Jones was second on the team in sacks with 4.5 and he left in free agency. The Bears drafted Austin Booker in the fifth-round but expecting immediate contribution from a Day 3 pick is a big ask. The Bears had one of the best run defenses last season so we know the defensive line can hold up in that way. They should be looking to either add one of the top pass-rushers available on a free agent market that includes Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Lawson and Yannick Ngakoue. 18 of 32 Quay WalkerMichael Owens/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The Green Bay Packers moved on from Joe Barry this offseason and hired Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley. They finished 23rd in defensive EPA last season despite having the talent on paper to be a top-10 defense. The problem with giving the Packers the benefit of the doubt with a new coach is that some of the stars on this defense just didn't play well. Rashan Gary didn't continue his ascent as a top pass rusher in this league. His 9 sacks and 55 pressures were solid, but not career-highs. Jaire Alexander missed a major chunk of time for the second time in three years, Preston Smith will turn 32 during the season and Eric Stokes only played in three games with multiple injured reserve stints for a hamstring injury. How They Can Improve There is reason for optimism with the secondary. Alexander can be elite if he's healthy and Stokes would provide a boost. The Packers signed Xavier McKinney giving them a real solution at a position that has been a problem in the past. There's also a lot of young talent on this team that is in position to break out. Quay Walker will take over as the leader of the linebackers and he'll have rookie Edgerrin Cooper playing beside him. Javon Bullard could take over a safety role or become the team's nickel. Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden could build on promising rookie campaigns. 19 of 32 Jalen RamseyCooper Neill/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here This ranking is a good bit higher than where the Dolphins finished by most metrics last season. They were 16th in EPA allowed per play and 22nd in scoring defense. They also had to navigate several key injuries with Jalen Ramsey, Xavien Howard, Bradley Chubb, Jerome Backer and Jaelan Phillips all missing significant time. Howard and Baker are gone and they lost Christian Wilkins in free agency, but the Dolphins should benefit from better injury luck in 2024. New defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver is going to have weapons to install his vision. Chubb and Phillips should come back healthy and the Fins added Chop Robinson in the draft along with Shaq Barrett in free agency. Kendall Fuller, Jordyn Brooks and Jordan Poyer were good veteran additions as well. How They Can Improve The secondary has to be better in 2024. The Dolphins were third in pressure percentage yet they still ceded the ninth-highest passer rating in the league. If the Dolphins didn't get immediate pressure teams were able to test the secondary down field. They saw the seventh-highest average depth of target and surrendered 2,381 air yards. Fuller and Poyer need to show they are upgrades over Howard and DeShon Elliott. The other concern is how the team replaces Christian Wilkins. They aren't attempting to do it with one player. Instead, they signed multiple interior defenders, including Teair Tart, Jonathan Harris and Benito Jones. 20 of 32 Josh Uche and Christian BarmoreDustin Bradford/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The Patriots used seven of their eight draft picks on the offense for a reason. The defense was solid last season despite little help from the other side of the ball. They finished 11th in EPA per play and third in yards per play. The personnel that made that happen is mostly coming back. There weren't many exciting additions to the group. Sione Takitaki should be a contributor at linebacker after his stint with the Cleveland Browns. They also didn't lose much either. Myles Bryant and Jalen Mills are the most notable names. A massive extension for Christian Barmore and a new contract for Josh Uche will keep two of their best defensive lineman around in 2024. How They Can Improve The Patriots had an underrated defense by most metrics. They probably didn't get the recognition they deserved because they didn't force enough turnovers, which was the only way they were winning games last season. The Pats were 24th in takeaways per game. They combined for just 10 interceptions on the season and thrived on getting teams off the field in third-down situations. They can make things easier for themselves by creating more splash plays in 2024. 21 of 32 Roy Robertson-Harris and Josh AllenMike Carlson/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here There's a lot to like about what the Jaguars did on defense in the offseason. Adding Arik Armstead was the headliner. The 30-year-old gives them an upgrade on the interior with a lot of experience on dominant defensive lines. Bringing back Josh Allen was huge after he racked up 17.5 sacks. The Jaguars were just outside the top 10 in pressure percentage last season but should break through this season. The secondary should be improved too. Ronald Darby put together a great campaign for the Ravens last season. He'll slot in across from Tyson Campbell at cornerback. Bringing in Darnell Savage gives them another safety who can man the slot. They now have two of those players with Antonio Johnson providing a similar skill set. How They Can Improve The success of the Jaguars defense is going to largely depend on how quickly they can adapt to new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. The team fired Mike Caldwell at the end of the season because the results on the field didn't seem to line up with the talent they have on paper. Nielsen was a long-time assistant for the Saints before getting his first defensive coordinator job with the Falcons last season. He seemed to get the most out of the group in Atlanta. He will be inheriting a much more talented defensive line in Jacksonville but the corners are going to need to prepare to play a lot more press coverage. 22 of 32 Marshon Lattimore and Tyrann MathieuCooper Neill/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The stars of the Saints defense are getting older but that didn't keep the unit down last season. The Saints were fifth in EPA allowed per play and sixth in scoring defense. They can mostly thank the secondary for that. The group highlighted by Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo and Tyrann Mathieu helped the Saints average 1.7 takeaways per game. The Saints have traditionally been stout on defense and benefit from Dennis Allen being the defensive coordinator or head coach since 2015. Most years the Saints have to deal with the loss of at least one major player on defense because of their cap management, but they are only losing a few rotational players this time around. Age could be the enemy here, though. Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis will be 35 when the season starts. Tyrann Mathieu will be 32. It's surprising that the Saints did so well in many defensive metrics considering the lack of production from the pass rush. The Saints were just 28th in pressure percentage and managed just 34 sacks. Those numbers will have to improve in 2024. The good news is that they have the potential to get better. Adding Chase Young will allow them to rely less on Cameron Jordan. He played 70 percent of the snaps last season and only had two sacks. Willie Gay Jr. is a solid addition to the linebacker corps as well. 23 of 32 Alim McNeill and Aidan HutchinsonRyan Kang/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The Detroit Lions had the promise of a strong defense in 2024, but it was still in the theoretical stage. A weak secondary was the major reason behind the Lions finishing 25th in scoring defense. They gave up 7.4 yards per pass (30th) while the run defense was stingy (3.8 yards per carry) and the front led the league in pressure percentage. The secondary will look much different this year. They traded for Carlton Davis and signed Amik Robertson before drafting Terrion Arnold. Throw in Brian Branch, who had a strong rookie season, and you have the makings of a good group. The addition of Marcus Davenport makes a highly productive pass rush all the scarier. How They Can Improve Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn should feel the pressure coming into 2024. If the Lions secondary can fall into place, they are a Super Bowl contender. It will be up to him to have unit playing well from the jump. There are a lot of new pieces to break in, but they are also more talented on paper. If the Lions secondary can even get to league average with Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill and Davenport getting after the quarterback they will be a strong defense. 24 of 32 Will Anderson Jr.Ryan Kang/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here DeMeco Ryans flexed his defensive coaching muscles with last year's defense. They went from ranking 27th in scoring and 30th in yards allowed under Lovie Smith in 20022 to 11th and 14th respectively in Ryans first year as head coach. Now he gets several returning starters with familiarity with his system. That's not to mention that the Texans invested real free agent dollars into building the unit up. Foley Fatukasi and Denico Autry are veteran defensive linemen who will help. Jeff Okudah and C.J. Henderson are former high draft picks with the ceiling to develop into real answers across from Derek Stingley and Azeez Al-Shaair gives them a linebacker with familiarity in Ryans' system from their 49ers days. That's not to mention Danielle Hunter coming in to replace Jonathan Greenard, which should be a net positive in 2024. How They Can Improve Many of the new pieces on this defense are hypothetically upgrades. Hunter has to stay healthy to outperform what the Texans got out of Greenard in 2023. Denico Autrey will be 34 when the season starts and there's a reason that Henderson and Okudah are each on their third team despite being former first-round picks. Assuming one of those corners pans out or they are able to acquire a veteran through free agency or trade, this ranking could be low. 25 of 32 Malcolm Koonce and Maxx CrosbySteve Marcus/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The Raiders season was a tale of two halves last season. The team, including the defense, was a mess under Josh McDaniels and they struggled to a 3-5 start to the season. When McDaniels was fired and Antonio Pierce took over as the interim head coach the defense blossomed. Over the second half of the season they were among the best scoring defenses in the league with a pass rush that averaged over three sacks a game. Adding Christian Wilkins to the mix through free agency should ensure that they have one of the better pass rushes in the league. If Tyree Wilson and Jakorian Bennett can take steps forward after their rookie seasons, this unit has a ton of potential. How They Can Improve The secondary has to prove itself if the Raiders are going to build on the momentum of last year. Jack Jones was a revelation after getting released by the Patriots in the middle of the season, but he has to prove that he can consistently be the team's No. 1 corner. They also need either Bennett or veteran Brandon Facyson to claim the spot opposite Jones. The safeties should also be feeling the pressure to earn their spot. Both Marcus Epps and Tre'Von Moehrig are in the final years of their contract. It's easy to feel really good about the front seven. The secondary still has a fair amount of questions though. 26 of 32 T.J. WattRandy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The Steelers were another example of how a good defense can drag a mediocre (or worse) offense into relevance. The Steelers offense was consistently bad with Matt Canada as the coordinator and the defense just kept doing its thing as the Steelers finished with a 10-7 record and made the playoffs. T.J. Watt is the centerpiece. As long as he stays healthy the Steelers have a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and a nasty pass rush. Minkah Fitzpatrick is the star of the secondary but Joey Porter Jr. showed signs of becoming a strong starter for them at corner. The addition of Patrick Queen gives them a threat at linebacker they haven't had in a while. How They Can Improve There's a fair amount of projection involved in assuming the secondary isn't going to be a liability. Fitzpatrick dealt with a hamstring injury that kept him out of four games and a knee issue that held him out of two more games. Porter Jr. is a legitimate building block, but Donte Jackson gave up a passer rating of 107.7 with the Panthers last season. The rest of the cornerback group is young and inexperienced. It would be easier to feel about the cornerback group if they were to explore a reunion with Patrick Peterson or Cameron Sutton. 27 of 32 Roquan SmithRyan Kang/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here Todd Monken got plenty of credit for opening up the Ravens offense, but they made it to the AFC Championship Game because of a lockdown defense. They are losing a considerable amount of coaching and playing talent but there are several main characters sticking around to create a formidable unit. Roquan Smith remains one of the few needle-moving off-ball linebackers in the league. He leads a front seven that was able to retain Justin Madubuike who had a breakout season with 13 sacks. His versatility and ability to pressure the quarterback on the interior will make life easier for everyone up front and a remodeled coaching staff. How They Can Improve Ask Philadelphia Eagles fans how much coaching turnover can hurt. The Ravens coaching staff is going to look much different this season. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald became a head coach while defensive line coach Anthony Weaver and defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson both got defensive coordinator jobs. The Ravens tabbed 31-year-old Zach Orr as the next defensive coordinator. He's going to have to make an immediate impression. That's not to speak of key personnel losses. Jadeveon Clowney was second on the team in sacks last season and will be gone. Patrick Queen was a perfect running mate for Smith while Ronald Darby and Geno Stone were critical contributors in the secondary. However, there should be enough belief in the Ravens ability to draft and develop that they will still field a top 10 defense in 2024. 28 of 32 Javon Hargrave and Nick BosaMegan Briggs/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The 49ers offense gets a lot of credit, but the defense deserves its flowers too. The group was fourth in scoring defense and eighth in yards per play. That was despite a relatively down year from a talented defensive line too. The Niners were only 17th in pressure percentage, but they still had the fourth-lowest passer rating allowed. The off-ball linebacker duo of Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw is one of the best in the game and they added De'Vondre Campbell. The 49ers re-tooled the defensive line and should see better results in 2024. They didn't keep Chase Young, Randy Gregory or Clelin Ferrell but picked up Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos on the edge. On the interior, they traded for Maliek Collins and signed Jordan Elliott. Given this coaching staff's track record, there's reason to believe they'll get the most out of the new additions. How They Can Improve There are definitely reasons to be concerned about the depth in the secondary. Charvarius Ward is a good cover corner who can play press coverage and man up top receivers. Deommodore Lenoir proved he's an asset for the defense as well last year. But whether he plays on the outside or in the slot is going to depend on who rises to the occasion this season. The Niners tried out multiple options in the slot last season to varying degrees of success. The 49ers went with a high-volume approach to solving the issue in the offseason. They drafted Renardo Green but also signed Rock Ya-Sin, Issac Yiadom and Chase Lucas. 29 of 32 Charles Omenihu and Chris JonesPerry Knotts/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The Chiefs defense was better than just good enough for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era in 2023. Steve Spagnuolo has traditionally coached up the unit to be a complementary piece to the Chiefs high-powered offense, but last year he had the talent on the field to actually be a dominant entity on their own. The high-profile loss for the unit is L'Jarius Sneed. There's no denying he was a huge difference-maker. But the Chiefs coaching staff and front office have earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to drafting and developing secondary talent. The trio of Jaylen Watson, Joshua Williams and Trent McDuffie should be just fine. The important thing was that they brought back Chris Jones. He should anchor a pass rush that continues to enable Spagnuolo's defense to cause opposing offenses headaches. How They Can Improve The run defense needs work. The Chiefs were 28th in EPA allowed per rush. Even with Chris Jones coming back there are depth concerns on the interior. It would have been good to see the Chiefs add someone else to the room but they retained Tershawn Wharton and Derrick Nnadi. The free agent market is pretty well picked over at this point, but they should be on the lookout for defensive tackles as teams start cutting down their rosters. 30 of 32 Trevon Diggs and Micah ParsonsRichard Rodriguez/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The biggest question the Dallas Cowboys defense faces in 2024 is what the unit will look like without Dan Quinn. The elite defensive coordinator took the head coaching job at Washington and a few key players with him. However, there's still a strong case to make that they will once again be one of the best defenses in the league under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. Like Quinn, Zimmer is a well-credentialed coordinator with a penchant for building strong defenses. Micah Parsons remains one of the most electric talents in all of football and the Cowboys defense was able to remain elite despite losing Trevon Diggs for all but two games last season. DaRon Bland's emergence as a legit cover corner will help make up for the loss of Stefon Gilmore. How They Can Improve For the Cowboys to live up to this lofty billing they will have to develop some depth throughout the season. When Quinn left he took several depth pieces with him including Dante Fowler Jr. and Dorance Armstrong Jr. They also lost Neville Gallimore and Johnathan Hankins. Drafting Marshawn Kneeland helps to negate those losses, but that's just one rookie. They will have to make sure that players like Sam Williams, Viliami Fehoko Jr. and Chauncey Golston are up to playing bigger roles. 31 of 32 Sauce Gardner and Jermaine JohnsonAl Bello/Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here Because the Jets started Zach Wilson, Trevor Siemian and Tim Boyle for 16 games and still managed to win seven in 2023. All kidding aside, Robert Saleh has built a defensive juggernaut in New York. The Jets got almost no help from the offense in 2023 and still managed to finish 10th in scoring defense, first in yards allowed per play and third in EPA per play. They did it by pairing a pass rush that finished fourth in pressure percentage with a secondary that racked up 17 interceptions and 90 passes defended. Most of those pieces come back. They lost Bryce Huff in free agency and traded away Jonathan Franklin-Myers, but they also brought in Haason Reddick in a separate trade and signed Javon Kinlaw. They still boast a deep group of pass-rushers and the secondary is mostly intact. How They Can Improve Any talk of weaknesses on this defense feels like nitpicking. They have playmakers at all levels and the track record speaks for itself. However, they were not one of the better tackling teams in the league last season. They missed a combined 117 attempts which was tied for seventh-most in the league. They also have some key pieces who are aging. C.J. Mosley will be 32. Reddick is 30. Chuck Clark will be asked to step into a starting role at 29 years old. The unit isn't sponsored by AARP, but some could be in for a dropoff in production soon. 32 of 32 Za'Darius Smith and Myles GarrettNick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images Why They're Ranked Here The Browns boasted the best defense in the league when Myles Garrett was healthy last year. The pass-rusher took home Defensive Player of the Year honors for the first time in his career, the Browns were the top defense in EPA per play, yards allowed per play and was the primary reason the Browns made the playoffs with Joe Flacco at quarterback. The offseason has done nothing to cause doubt that they'll be great again. The unit will be under Jim Schwartz for the second season so there should be more familiarity with his system. How They Can Improve For all of the Browns statistical greatness on defense last season they had a critical weakness. They had the worst touchdown allowed rate in the redzone. Teams scored six on 71.1 percent of their trips inside the 20. That was in part because the Browns were merely average when it came to stopping the run. They ranked 15th in EPA allowed per rush. They've made some personnel adjustments in the middle of the defense by bringing in linebackers Devin Bush and Jordan Hicks along with defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson who could help.Ranking Every NFL Defense After the 2024 Draft
32. Arizona Cardinals
31. Denver Broncos
30. New York Giants
29. Carolina Panthers
28. Washington Commanders
27. Los Angeles Chargers
26. Tennessee Titans
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
24. Atlanta Falcons
23. Los Angeles Rams
22. Indianapolis Colts
21. Philadelphia Eagles
20. Seattle Seahawks
19. Cincinnati Bengals
18. Minnesota Vikings
17. Buffalo Bills
16. Chicago Bears
15. Green Bay Packers
14. Miami Dolphins
13. New England Patriots
12. Jacksonville Jaguars
11. New Orleans Saints
How They Can Improve10. Detroit Lions
9. Houston Texans
8. Las Vegas Raiders
7. Pittsburgh Steelers
6. Baltimore Ravens
5. San Francisco 49ers
4. Kansas City Chiefs
3. Dallas Cowboys
2. New York Jets
1. Cleveland Browns
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