Week 9 marks the halfway point of the 2023 regular season. While there is still plenty of time left for teams to change their playoff outlook, it isn’t too early to take a look at who is on tank watch and has already turned their attention to the 2024 NFL Draft. We will take a look at the results in Week 9 and how they affected the draft order for next April.
2024 NFL Draft order: Tank Watch, Week 9
Arizona was shut out by the Cleveland Browns, 27-0. They move to 1-8 on the season, and no matter what happens with the remaining games, the Cardinals will retain the bottom spot in the NFL standings, thus remaining with the projected No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft.
Chicago continues to benefit from losing as well as the Panthers’ early season woes. The Bears lost to the Saints and are tied with the New England Patriots with a 2-7 record. Chicago “wins” the tiebreaker due to the strength of schedule. The Bears currently project to be on the clock at No. 2 and No. 3, and that won’t change even if the Panthers take down the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9.
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones struggled and couldn’t help his team overcome the Washington Commanders. The Pats are now 2-7 and project to have the No. 4 pick. The New York Giants are facing the Las Vegas Raiders this week. With a win, the Los Angeles Rams would move up to the No. 5 spot. With a loss, the Giants will drop to No. 4, and the Patriots will move to No. 5 due to strength of schedule.