Disappointing NFL Players Who Need to Prove Themselves at 2024 Training Camp

The moment a player is selected in the NFL draft, the clock to live up to expectations begins ticking. With the influx of talent that arrives every year, a struggling player only has a few seasons to prove they can stick around and make a difference.

That’s one of the most intriguing aspects of training camp every year. The cutdown from 90 to 53 leaves a lot of talented players looking for new teams and the countdown for them to prove themselves intensifies.

The competition at training camp brings a lot of pressure and reveals who is going to elevate their game in 2024 and who might get left behind.

The following players have had disappointing seasons recently but will have the opportunity to show their growth as they compete for playing time and a roster spot in July.

Chase Claypool desperately needs a career resurgence. The Buffalo Bills desperately need a few young wide receivers to fill vital roles on their offense.

Training camp is where we’ll get to see if both parties can help each other out.

The Bills receiving corps has undergone major changes this offseason. Stefon Diggs is out, which opens the door for several younger players to elevate their game within the offense.

Khalil Shakir and rookie Keon Coleman figure to be the primary winners. After that, there’s an intriguing number of options, including Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mack Hollins and Claypool.

Claypool, 25, had 889 scrimmage yards with 11 touchdowns in his rookie season with the Steelers, but everything has been downhill since. He couldn’t really build beyond his rookie production in 2021, was traded to Chicago in 2022, and the Bears dealt him to Miami in 2023.

The Notre Dame product has frustrated and disappointed coaching staffs in the past. At 6’4″, 238 pounds, he’s a massive target with the potential to at least be a red-zone weapon, but he has to prove he can jell with his teammates and the coaching staff first.

The receiver competition in Buffalo might be his last chance to do it. There’s a definite path to a role in an exciting Bills offense, but there are other options who will be looking to create the same role for themselves.

It’s too early to start throwing around the word “bust” after just one season, but Emmanuel Forbes Jr. has a lot to prove after a rocky rookie season.

The 6’0″, 180-pound corner was a ballhawk at Mississippi State but struggled to transition to the pros. He had just one interception and gave up a passer rating of 103.0 when targeted. His thin frame also made him a liability as a run defender at times.

Most first-round picks enjoy a certain margin for error in their first few years, but that dynamic changes with the arrival of a new front office that didn’t make you a first-round pick. With Dan Quinn taking over as head coach and Adam Peters as general manager, the 23-year-old has to prove himself to a new regime.

The new leadership team brought in Michael Davis to replace Kendall Fuller. That leaves the other starting cornerback spot up for grabs, and Forbes will have to prove himself over Benjamin St-Juste just to get on the field.

St-Juste performed better than Forbes last season. The 6’3″, 200-pound corner was a better tackler and only gave up a passer rating of 87.3 on 106 targets.

St-Juste doesn’t have the same upside, but it’s on Forbes to prove his upside is more than hypothetical. His lack of bulk will force him to play with much better technique than he demonstrated this season, and he has to show the coaching staff he’s capable of that.

The Bengals showed a lot of faith in Dax Hill and veteran Nick Scott when they allowed Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell to walk in free agency last season.

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo expects great communication and quality production from his safeties.

After mostly sitting and watching in his rookie season, Hill was thrust into the role of full-time starter in 2023. Things didn’t go well in general for the Bengals defense. Hill allowed a 68 percent completion percentage when targeted, and Cincinnati ranked 25th in EPA allowed per pass.

The 23-year-old’s play has led to a change at the position for the Bengals. They brought Bell back in free agency and also signed Geno Stone. As for Hill, the team will get a look at him as a cornerback in training camp.

“We’ve seen it from him and we think it’s the best opportunity right now to help our team,” head coach Zac Taylor said of the position change, per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

On one hand, Hill was disappointing last season. On the other, the move to CB isn’t a death knell for his career. He spent the majority of his snaps in his final season at Michigan in the slot.

That’s a role that Mike Hilton has traditionally played, but Hill could establish himself as the slot defender of the future if he’s able to put together a strong camp.

The clock is ticking Terrace Marshall Jr. The 2021 second-round pick might find himself in a fight for a roster spot, let along playing time.

The 24-year-old is the forgotten man from the explosive 2019 LSU offense. While Justin Jefferson and Tee Higgins have gone on to great NFL careers, Marshall, who scored 13 touchdowns that year, has just 64 receptions in three seasons.

Heading into the final season of his rookie contract, he is on thin ice in Carolina. He requested a trade at last year’s deadline and has been a speculative trade target all offseason.

Yet, Marshall is still on the roster. If that is still the case when training camp opens, then it’s time for him to prove he belongs on an NFL roster.

The Panthers have changed their wide receiver landscape through the trade market and the draft. They dealt for former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson and traded up in the draft for Xavier Legette.

Throw in Jonathan Mingo and Adam Thielen, and there are already four receivers on the roster with more proven production. That leaves Marshall fighting with the likes of Ihmir Smith-Marsette, David Moore, Cam Sims and Mike Strachan for a roster spot.

It’s now or never for Marshall.

The New Orleans Saints drafted Trevor Penning in the first round in 2022 with hopes that he’d be able to take over as the left tackle.

Their decision to select Troy Fautanu in the first round this year probably puts those hopes to rest.

Penning’s career got off to a slow start due to a foot injury in his rookie season, and he was benched six games into the 2023 campaign.

That doesn’t mean 2024 can’t be a new beginning for the Northern Iowa product, though. The Saints have overhauled their offensive staff and brought in Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator.

Penning started OTAs at right tackle. The position change gives the Saints an alternative plan as a knee injury has put Ryan Ramczyk’s status up in the air for the season.

It also provides the 25-year-old with a second chance to get his career going.

“It’s a fresh start,” Penning said, per John DeShazier of the New Orleans official site. “It’s a whole new offense, new side of the (offensive) line. Kind of flush the past, get away from the past, move on. That’s kind of what I’ve gotten out of it.”

Training camp will be important for Penning. A strong preseason would show the coaching staff he can make it as a full-time starter after two seasons of struggling.

If he doesn’t look good in camp, though, the Saints might start exploring the tackle options on the free-agent market.

The ascension of the Detroit Lions offense over the last few seasons is made even more impressive by the fact that they haven’t even enjoyed much production from their 2022 first-round pick.

Jameson Williams has flashed some of the promise that made him the No. 12 overall selection two years ago, but he hasn’t been able to get into a rhythm.

Part of that has been due to injuries and a suspension that got in the way of a normal start to the year. The 23-year-old missed his first training camp while healing from a torn ACL he suffered at Alabama, and he served a four-game suspension the following year for violating the league’s gambling policy.

Ultimately, Williams’ production was a letdown in the 12 games he did play. He had just 24 receptions for 354 yards and two touchdowns.

The Lions receiver situation is still fluid beyond Amon-Ra St. Brown. Detroit’s best hope is that Williams finally lives up to his potential to create a formidable trio with Sam LaPorta in the passing game.

Thus far, the reports are good for Williams coming out of OTAs and minicamp. Head coach Dan Campbell described him as a “man on a mission” while highlighting him as the most improved player through team’s early offseason program.

He’ll need to take full advantage of a regular offseason if he’s going to break out in Year 3.

The Las Vegas Raiders have the makings of a dominant defensive front in 2024. But the potential for them to put together a game-wrecking unit would be enhanced if 2023 first-round pick Tyree Wilson improves upon a disappointing rookie season.

The 24-year-old’s lack of production wasn’t entirely under his control. He started out the year with a foot injury he suffered in college. He got healthy enough to play by Week 1, but he lost valuable time to prepare for the season and the results weren’t good.

The 6’6″, 275-pounder was only on the field for 44 percent of the defensive snaps, had 3.5 sacks and an 8.1 pressure percentage.

Despite the lack of production from Wilson, the Raiders defensive front got better as the year went on. With Antonio Pierce taking over as head coach, Malcolm Koonce had six sacks over the final four games, giving Maxx Crosby a much-needed sidekick.

The Raiders further reinforced the defensive line by signing Christian Wilkins this offseason. He’s the interior pass-rusher who can bring everything together.

Wilson also has the frame to kick inside on passing downs, and he has a new perspective on what it takes so succeed in the league.

“Coming in from college, you think you’ve got everything figured out,” he told reporters. “But this year, I just slowed back down, started taking the coaching and just come out here and work. You gain respect by the actions that you put in, and it just really helped me take more steps up this year.

Wilson will have to show off that work ethic to earn a larger role in Year 2 on a Raiders defensive line that should contend to be among the league’s most productive.