NFL’s All-Underrated Team on offense after first half of 2024 season

At SB Nation, we like to reveal the names and games of those NFL players whose performances outstrip their name recognition on a weekly basis in the “Secret Superstars” articles.

Now that we are as close to a halfway point in a 17-game season as we’ll ever be, it’s time to broaden the view a bit and focus on those players who have outperformed public perception for the first half of the 2024 season, Let’s start with our Secret Superstars on offense so far.

Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks

After last Sunday’s Seahawks loss to the Los Angeles Rams, a 26-20 overtime heartbreaker, Smith apologized to the entire city of Seattle for a game in which he completed 21 of 34 passes for 363 yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions, a passer rating of 90.7, and an EPA of -8.8.

Smith took the hit – literally and figuratively – for what might be the NFL’s worst offensive line, and he’s been doing that all season long. It’s an especially prominent issue given Seattle’s pass-heavy offense this season; Smith leads the NFL in attempts (347), completions (237), and passing yards (2,622). But because of an offensive line that isn’t NFL-ready at all aside from left tackle Charles Cross, Smith also has the most attempts (119) and completions (59) under pressure, and nine of his 10 interceptions have come when he’s under duress.

There’s only so much any quarterback can take of this before his game starts to break down, but when he’s kept clean even for the shortest amount of time, Smith is one of the NFL’s best deep-ball throwers. He proved this in the Rams game as he has all season long. Smith completed five of seven passes of 20 or more air yards against the Rams for 157 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 153.3.

It’s a shame that Smith’s season – and perhaps the Seahawks’ season – is being waylaid by truly offensive offensive line play, but don’t let that obscure the season he’s having when he can actually, y’know, throw the ball.

Jordan Mason, RB, San Francisco 49ers

The book on Mike Shanahan’s offenses was: Put just about any running back in the backfield, and that running back would shine. That quality seems to have moved along to the next generation. Most teams would be in a bit of trouble if their franchise backs were out for at least the first half of the season, as Christian McCaffrey has been with various injuries in 2024, but not Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers. Kyke Shanahan’s 49ers simply elevated Jordan Mason, the 2022 undrafted free agent out of Georgia Tech with 476 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in his first two NFL seasons, to McCaffrey’s place.

Through the first nine weeks of the season, only Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Josh Jacobs have more rushing yards than Mason’s 685, and that’s with Mason missing some time in the 49ers’ Week 8 win over the Dallas Cowboys with a shoulder issue, and the Week 9 bye putting him further behind. Back in early October, Mason looked more like a potential rushing champion.

McCaffrey is estimated to be back on the field for the second half of the season, and that’s great news for the 49ers, but maybe there’s a way to get him, Mason, and rookie Isaac Guerendo (another Secret Superstar) on the field all at once. Wouldn’t that be fun?

Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Sometimes, all a player needs to show what he can really do is the right environment, and the player will take it from there. That’s certainly true of receiver Darnell Mooney, the Chicago Bears’ 2020 fifth-round pick out of Tulane, who managed a 1,000-yard season with the Bears in 2021, but never really showed his best until after the Atlanta Falcons signed him to a three-year, $39 million deal with $26 million guaranteed in the 2024 preseason.

In Zac Robinson’s offense, which is very much like Sean McVay’s with its heavy utilization of 11 personnel, condensed formations, and pre-snap motion, Mooney has been equal parts Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua at times – the possession receiver who can also get explosive in a big hurry. Through the first half of the 2024 season, only George Pickens of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jayden Reed of the Green Bay Packers, and D.K. Metcalf of the Seattle Seahawks have more receptions on passes of 20 or more air yards than Mooney’s eight on 14 targets for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Overall, Mooney has 41 catches on 64 targets for 588 yards and five scores.

With a great quarterback in Kirk Cousins, and a modern passing offense he never had in the Windy City, Mooney should continue to shine.

Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers

The Packers’ 2024 passing game is a bit uncertain at this point in time – between Jordan Love’s injuries and his preponderance for YOLO throws (he’s tied for the league lead with the aforementioned Geno Smith with 10 interceptions on just 240 dropbacks), you never know what you’re going to get. One bastion of certainty, however, is the ascent of second-year tight end Tucker Kraft. Only George Kittle has more receiving touchdowns among tight ends than Kraft’s five, which the 2023 third-round pick out of South Dakota State has amassed on 28 catches and 35 targets for 376 yards.

At 6’5 and 259 pounds, Kraft is a prototype tight end for the modern era, capable of the contested catch, vertical speed and route awareness, and the ability to Godzilla potential tacklers in their tracks. He’s doing his best to standardize an offense that is anything but consistent right now.

Garett Bolles, OT, Denver Broncos

As my SB Nation colleague Mark Schofield likes to say, quarterback progress is not linear. That can also be true of offensive linemen, and it’s certainly true of Garett Bolles, the 2017 first-round pick out of Utah who allowed eight sacks and 51 total pressures in his rookie campaign, and has swerved between top-shelf and a bit iffy from season to season ever since.

So far, 2024 has been one of those top-shelf seasons. Bolles has allowed one sack, one quarterback hit, and 11 quarterback hurries in 356 pass-blocking snaps. That’s especially impressive given that Bolles is blocking for a rookie quarterback in Bo Nix who is still learning the importance of not breaking the pocket early and getting himself in trouble.

Bolles is playing in the final year of the four-year, $68 million extension he signed in 2020, and he’s turned it up at the perfect time for the contract-year phenomenon to work decidedly in his favor.

Sam Cosmi, OG, Washington Commanders

New Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has put together one of the most interesting and effective NFL offenses this season. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is playing like an MVP candidate – forget Offensive Rookie of the Year – but it’s about more than just Daniels for the 7-2 Commanders. It’s also about tying the run game together in a heavy RPO offense, and if you want that all to work, your offensive line had best be on point.

It’s been true for the Commanders, and right guard Sam Cosmi has been a big part of it. Cosmi was selected in the second round of the 2021 draft out of Texas with physical tools for days, but a clear need to up his technical consistency. Cosmi’s development in Kingsbury’s offense is clear – he’s allowed one sack, two quarterback hits, and 10 quarterback hurries in 338 pass-blocking reps (good numbers when you’re protecting a quarterback who throws deep and wins with designed runs as much as Daniels does.

As a run-blocker, Cosmi has developed an enticing palette of power moves that have him blowing defenders right out of the picture, expert pulls to seal the edge, and second-level wins that show his athleticism and accuracy.

Hjalte Froholdt, C, Arizona Cardinals

A fourth-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2019 out of Arkansas, Hjalte Froholdt is another example of an offensive lineman who needed a bit of time to show himself at his best. Froholdt barely played in his rookie year after suffering a shoulder injury in the preseason, was waived by the Pats in November, 2020, had a cup of coffee on the Houston Texans’ practice squad, and was signed by the Cleveland Browns in October, 2021. Froholdt allowed seven sacks and 18 total pressures for the Browns in 2021, which led to a turn with the Cardinals in time for the 2023 season.

It was with Arizona that Froholdt first started to reveal better potential – he gave up three sacks in 2023, and showed a lot more in his power game. So far in 2024, he’s allowed no sacks, three quarterback hits, and eight quarterback hurries in 301 pass-blocking snaps, and he’s been a force multiplier in the Cardinals’ multi-faceted run game.

Check back later this week for our midseason defensive Secret Superstars.