The year 2023 NFL The season is still a few months away, but it’s never too early to look ahead. Free agency and the The NFL Draft Now behind us, we have more clarity on the roster makeup for all 32 NFL teamsand if you participate, you’ve more than likely started something fantasy football Research
Journalists and fans alike try to get ahead of storylines this part of the offseason. If you are effective in predicting the future, you can make some good money at sports books or dominate your fantasy league. Last season, we saw breakout campaigns from several players, including Geno Smith, Jalen Hurts, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard and Talanua Hofanga. Each of these players was important to their teams in 2022. Which players will make big strides in 2023?
Below, we’ll break down seven NFL Players set for a breakout campaign.
The Steelers have now gone 19 consecutive seasons without a losing record, which is just one shy of setting the record. super ball era Last year was a close year, however, as Pittsburgh bounced back from 2-6 to finish 9-8. The Steelers must win their last four games to make it nine!
Pickett’s 184.9 passing yards per game is 28th NFL And his seven passing touchdowns ranked 33rd. The numbers themselves aren’t remarkable, but Pickett showed a lot of potential in 2022. He threw just one interception in his last eight games after eight hits in his first five games. Maybe his breakout has already started?
|
Passing TD-INT |
2-8 |
5-1 |
|
yards per attempt |
5.8 |
6.4 |
|
Passer rating |
66.8 |
84.0 |
In Weeks 10–17, Pickett had three fourth-quarter comebacks and four “game-winning drives.” For Pro Football Reference. Two came back-to-back in Weeks 16 and 17 to keep the Steelers in the win column. It’s so impressive Puckett answered the call as a rookie late in the fourth quarter of the year.
With plenty of additions and weapons on the offensive line such as Devonta Johnson, young George Pickens, Pat Freiremouth, Darnell Washington, Naji Harris and Jaylen Warren, Pickett is a very likely candidate to make a big leap in year two.
It’s about time, right? Tony caught just 14 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns in seven regular-season games for the Chiefs after being traded, but he played a monster. super ball LVII wins with a touchdown reception, and then the longest punt return super ball history
With the departure of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Toney is expected to be a consistent part of the offense in 2023. While he’s seen as more of a gadget player than a traditional WR1, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach believes Toney will make a play. An important role for development.
“We have high hopes for him. I mean, he was a first-round pick for a reason,” Veach said. “There’s a reason why we traded for him and we felt like he was a first-round talent and I think if he stays healthy and continues to have that chemistry with the coaching staff and Pete, which I think he’s doing a great job academically. I think the sky’s the limit for him.”
The Seahawks had an outstanding draft class last year, and it was headlined by left tackle Charles Cross, running back Kenneth Walker and defensive rookie of the year cornerback Tarek Volin. However, right tackle Abraham Lucas definitely deserves to be included among these big names.
Lucas started in all 16 games he played in last season, and allowed nine sacks on 975 offensive snaps, according to PFF. He earned a 68.5 PFF grade. While he allowed more sacks per snap than Cross, the left tackle had a lower PFF grade (63.7), and allowed 20 more pressures than Lucas. For SI.com.
Lucas could develop as a pro bowler. I expect him to have a cleaner, more consistent campaign for 2023.
You could easily put Titans wideout Treylon Burks here, but I’m interested in the second-year tight end from Tennessee. Cheg Okonkwo caught just 32 passes for 450 yards and three touchdowns in his rookie season, but proved to be the versatile player many believed he would be coming out of Maryland. He ran wheel routes out of the backfield from the fullback position, worked the middle of the field and even caught a 48-yard screen pass against the leader.
Aside from potentially being a special playmaker, another reason Okonkwo makes this list is because of Tennessee’s subpar wide receiving corps. New offensive coordinator Tim Kelly will have a game plan with Okonkwo in mind if he wants to improve one of the worst passing attacks in the NFL. Look for Okonkwo and Burks as focal points in the passing game for the Titans in 2023.
It appears the Eagles got a steal in Dean with him selected in the third round, but that remains to be seen. He didn’t play a big role in his rookie season because of Keizer White and TJ Edwards, but both are on different teams now. Dean recorded just 13 combined tackles and one tackle for loss in 2022, but could be Philly’s starting middle linebacker this season.
He’s a small player, but Dean really shines in the best defense College football History at Georgia is that he is a smart player who can both play downfield and hold his own in coverage. Dean could be a three-down playmaking linebacker in 2023. Also, it doesn’t hurt that he works with a lot of old college friends.
Owusu-Koramoah took a step back in 2022 with 70 combined tackles, four passes defensed and two forced fumbles in 11 games. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s an athlete who can wear many different hats on defense. There are a few reasons why I expect JOK to have his best season yet in 2023.
The Browns have added Dalvin Tomlinson and Zadris Smith on the defensive line, which should open things up for the linebackers. Additionally, the Browns made what I believe is a good hire for defensive coordinator in Jim Schwartz. Schwartz doesn’t blitz at a high rate, but relies on his defensive linemen to be disruptive and pressure the quarterbacks. I think it’s good for JOK.
Here’s an interesting one. The 49ers lost two of their top three leading tacklers from last year, as Samson Ibukam signed with the Indianapolis Colts, while Charles Omenio is now with the Chiefs. That opens the door for Jackson, who recorded 14 total tackles, six QB hits, eight passes defensed, one interception and three sacks in 15 games during his rookie season.
Jackson aggressively rushed the passer from the two-point stance against offensive guards, but had his hands in the dirt as a traditional defensive end. What stood out about Jackson is that two of his three sacks came after the quarterback got out of trouble with the primary pursuer. He did not stop playing.
Meanwhile, it’s no secret that Jackson’s rookie season went well. He was inactive later in the year — including in San Francisco’s three postseason matchups.
“I think Drake showed a lot this year of what he can be, but he needs to reach what he can be,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said. Via Niners wire. “I thought he was close to it at the beginning of the year. It’s been a long season and I think he’s learned as the year goes on, if you lose any power in this league, it’s very It’s getting difficult and we had a good group. Jealous and I think as the year went on and towards the end, it got too long for him, and his body wasn’t ready for what we needed. “
While how Jackson finished his rookie season doesn’t exactly inspire optimism, how he should have started the year. Again, Jackson will have a chance to start opposite Nick Bosa. He’s a special player, and if he can find that consistency under new defensive coordinator Steve Wilkes, 2023 could be a big year for him.