The First Read: Five players who will thrive in 2024 NFL season thanks to offseason movement

This is the time of year when dreams bloom exponentially in the NFL. The first wave of free agency has come and gone, the college pro days are in full swing and the draft is just over a month away. Every fan base is wondering what else their teams can do to improve. The more new faces show up in new places, the more people think about all the grand possibilities that could loom come fall.

This writer certainly isn't immune to that phenomenon. The past few weeks have given us the typical flurry of roster moves, but today's installment of The First Read isn't focused primarily on free-agent signings. This one is about what all those signings mean for certain players heading into this coming season. There will surely be a fair share of breakout performers, and it's likely that some of those future stars will be influenced by what happened earlier this month.

So, here's a collection of players worth keeping an eye on based on how their teams have operated lately. Some already have shown flashes of what they can become, while others are just receiving their first opportunities to be major contributors. One thing they all have in common is they're now poised to do big things this fall. They are the players most likely to make a huge leap based on how the offseason has unfolded thus far …

NOTE: Players are listed with their ages as of Sept. 5, when the 2024 NFL season is set to kick off.